pinning the mina quilt

I worked this afternoon to pin together the Mina quilt sandwich. First I taped the green backing fabric to the berber carpet. Then I taped down the Warm & Natural batting. Next I placed the pieced layer on top.

I pinned the three layers together using a Kwik Klip (pronounced: quick clip), a simple tool that kept my fingers from being torn apart by the small sharp pins. I pushed each pin through the layers and onto the end of the Kwik Klip. Then I pulled up on the Kwik Klip to close the pins.
I started pinning from the middle of the quilt design. As I plan to in-the-ditch stitch, I kept the pins a short distance from all seams.
This is the back of the sandwich with the pins showing through.

the book i didn't write

Intuitive Color & Design, Jean Wells, 2009, C&T Publishing

This wonderful book, by Jean Wells, talks all about making quilts by taking an adventure. An Oregonian quilt artist, Jean articulates how to make color and design choices in a clear, straightforward way.

Inspired by Nancy Crow and Ruth McDowell, and decades of exploring her artistry, Jean presents a rich portfolio of quilt projects with encouraging commentary.

It’s the book I’d like to write in about ten years. Jean, thanks for beating me to it.

I bought the book at Fabric Crush—Seattle’s newest designer fabric store, now in the Wallingford Center.

my first commission

Royal Roots, 2010, 46" x 59"
COLLECTION OF BEVERLY ANDERSON

Last night I delivered my first quilt commission. Cindy Anderson, who bought a quilt from me in September, requested one for her mother-in-law’s birthday.

Cindy choose the fabrics out of my stash. The next time she saw the fabrics, they were in a finished quilt. (She mentioned to my sister that the quilt design wasn’t what she expected. That’s to be expected!)

The vintage plum and black fabric, given to me by Maurine Noble, is from South Africa. The central square is a highly detailed Indonesian batik. The gold and red batiks were bought at Lunn Fabrics in Lancaster, Ohio last summer.

The quilt is assembled using the quilt-as-you-go method with the red strips connecting the parts. The center is heavily hand-stitched while the background fabric is free motion machine-stitched.

la conner connection

Quilts from the 08 Japanese show.

I drove to Skagit Valley today to meet Liz Theaker, the director of the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum in the Gaches Museum. We talked about the upcoming Japanese show that opens the end of June.

In the summer of 08, I happened upon the biennual Japanese show (see photos above). The craftsmanship and design were impeccable. The quilts always come directly from Japan and don’t tour, so the show is exclusive to the Northwest’s only quilt museum.

In 2008, 14 quilters came to open the exhibit and teach classes. Liz doesn’t know yet how many quilters will be coming this year. No matter, they’ll be a big hit.