Quilting with a modern slant : people, patterns, and techniques inspiring the Modern Quilt Community

225 Pages·2014·72.542 MB·English

by  May, Rachel

A
people, patterns, and techniques inspiring the
Modern Quilt coMMunity
rachel May
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The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
edited by Pam Thompson and Deborah Balmuth storey publishing
art direction and design by Carolyn Eckert 210 MASS MoCA Way
text production by Liseann Karandisecky North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
cover photography by © Keller + Keller Photography
Inc. (front: left, top row center, bottom row center right;
Printed in China by R.R. Donnelley
back: top, bottom row 5th and 7th from left) and
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© John Polak (front: top row left & right, middle row all,
bottom row all except center right, back: bottom row
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
all except 5th and 7th from left)
Interior photography credits appear on page 221 May, Rachel (Rachel Suzanne)
Quilting with a modern slant / Rachel May.
diagrams and illustrations by Missy Shepler
pages cm
indexed by Nancy D. Wood Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61212-063-8 (paperback : alkaline paper)
© 2014 by Rachel May
ISBN 978-1-60342-894-1 (ebook)
1. Quilting—Patterns. 2. Quilting—Philosophy.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
3. Quiltmakers—Biography. I. Title.
without written permission from the publisher, except by
TT835.M273697 2014
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dedication
This book is for all quilters and sewers, for those
who need some more color in their lives, and
in memory of Judith Leigh Thompson (1941–2013).

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1 2 3
Contents
A SenSe ImProv The PerSonAl IS
of PlAy Rossie Hutchinson / 46 PolITIcAl
Introduction / 6 Weeks Ringle & Bill Kerr / 18 Credit Where Credit Is Due / 46 Kristin Link / 80
Six Steps to a Quilt / 8 Quilters Unite! / 21 Fraction Quilt / 48 Chawne Kimber / 82
What You’ll Need / 10 Broadband / 22 Gee’s Bend Quilts / 51 Denise Burge / 84
Find Your People / 12 Rashida Coleman-Hale / 25 Katie Pedersen / 53 Michelle Engel Bencsko
& Gina Pantastico / 86
What Is Modern Quilting? / 14 Andrew Mowbray / 26 Kyoung Ae Cho / 54
Betz White / 88
Yoshiko Jinzenji / 27 Rayna Gillman / 56
Line Bruntse / 89
Angela Walters / 28 Improv Piecing with Scraps / 58
Alice Webb Greer / 91
Free-Motion Quilting Nancy Crow / 59
Finishing Your Quilt / 92
Paisleys / 30 Victoria Findlay Wolfe / 62
Jan Johnson / 96
Jagged / 31 Curvy Dresden Improv
David Butler / 34 Piecing / 64 Bullion Stitch / 98
Miriam Blaich / 36 Denyse Schmidt / 66 Museums Discover Quilts / 99
Kathy Mack / 39 Curved Piecing / 69 Laurel Krynock / 100
Rebecca Loren / 40 Sherri Lynn Wood / 70 Alexandra Ledgerwood / 101
Grandmother’s Fan Variation / 41 Modern Memory Lane Donating Quilts / 101
T-Shirt Quilt / 72 Lee Heinrich / 102
Anna Williams / 42
Danielle Krcmar / 76 Blogging Advice / 102
Thomas Knauer / 105

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4 5 6 7
QuIlTIng from for The love PrAcTIcIng comIng full
TrAdITIon of color ScAle(S) cIrcle
anna maria horner / 108 amy butler / 134 Jane sassaman / 162 valerie maser-Flanagan / 190
Bouquet / 110 elizabeth hartman / 137 Jacquie gering / 164 geta grama / 192
reading up on Quilt history / 111 alexis deise / 138 ashley newcomb / 167 stacey shrontz / 193
pepper cory / 112 amy Keefer’s color culture / 140 paper-pieced heart / 168 Fusible Web appliqué / 194
log cabin block / 113 natural dyes / 141 heather grant / 170 Quilting with Kids / 195
allison harris / 114 elizabeth barton / 142 the modern Quilt guild / 170 laurie matthews / 196
amish Quilts / 116 Kaffe Fassett / 143 debbie grifka / 173 lisa mason / 199
aneela hoey / 117 malka dubrawsky / 146 star variations / 174 caroline mason / 199
hand-Quilting basics / 118 resist dyeing / 147 Milky Way / 176 John Q. adams / 200
Kathreen ricketson / 120 Pieces-of-Eight Pillow / 148 valori Wells / 180 men Who Quilt / 200
tacha bruecher / 122 sonia delaunay / 150 Jessica Kovach / 182 Summer Twist Quilt / 201
Paper-Pieced Pillow / 124 monica ripley / 151 aimee raymond / 183 inspiration / 204
Katie blakesley / 127 dyeing with avocado pits / 152 caro sheridan / 184 maritza soto / 205
Katy Jones / 128 red & White Quilts / 154 the Four-patch trick / 187 pippa eccles armbrester / 206
vanessa christenson / 129 creating your own Fabric / 155 reverse appliquéing ovals / 208
cynthia mann / 131 Kim eichler-messmer / 156 virginia b. Johnson / 209
starting a business / 131 Kelle boyd / 159 opening a shop / 211
sarah Fielke / 212
melody miller / 215
acknowledgments / 216
contributors / 216
bibliography / 218
metric conversion
chart / 220
photography credits / 221
index / 222
5
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As I interviewed
quilters, I heard
over and over
Introduction
again that
inspiration struck,
and a few days
later, they were
making their
first quilt.
most oF the people in this book since I was little, but hadn’t been
began quilting on a whim, having interested enough in making the
seen something in a book, online, outfits that I once fantasized would
or at an exhibit. They opened a blog, fill my closet. I didn’t like the care-
went to a museum, or browsed ful measuring and cutting process
through a bookstore, and wham! required for making clothes, the
Struck with the notion that they precision needed for each seam to
wanted to make that, weeks later their be in just the right place.
houses were half-full of fabric, and
they were addicted to making quilts. Still, I had a sewing machine sitting
That’s the story I heard over and over in the closet. And if I made quilts
again. He saw something on Pinterest sort of freestyle, I thought, it might
and knew he wanted to make a quilt. be fun. I went to Jo-Ann’s and rum-
She had decided to stay home with maged around in the sale basket
the kids and needed something to fill for scraps that ended up costing a
the gap that not working had left in total of $25. I went home and pieced
her life. He wanted to do something my first quilt, a wedding present for
with color. She needed to make some- friends. I didn’t measure or plan too
thing with her hands, to have a com- far ahead, just one strip at a time,
plete project to show for her work at one piece next to the other, then the
the end of the day. strips became rows until I had the
amish quilts top of a quilt. Once I finished that,
Maybe this is you. I Googled how to make a sandwich.
I watched a video. I bought some
Six years ago, it was me. My sister
safety pins, tied the quilt layers, and
had given my mother a book of
did a hodgepodge binding job.
Gee’s Bend quilts for Christmas, and,
stealing a peek over the holiday, I It was a quilt!
was intrigued. I’d known how to sew
6
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All it took was
a look at my
mother’s book
of Gee’s Bend
quilts for me to
get my sewing
machine out of
the closet.
I was thrilled, and . . . addicted. And I’ve included information about quilt
once I learned how to do a proper history that inspired today’s quilters,
85"; binding, I saw the beauty of quarter- in the hopes that you’ll explore even
×
3" inch seams, gaining more complex further. Check out the bibliography
8
ay, skills, and learning from patterns. (page 218) and list of these quilters’
w
Pett online sites (page 216). Head for your
T. 4" Give It a Go
all (1950) by Lucy e Pettway, 82" × 7 Itsfhe yewo eiuna’gsv ieme snate cwvheairny se te,o wfi snntda a ra ts ittsuit tctoohr gibaeel tfo oanr ue ,s ed loaTonnhcdleain rlce ebo aonaronteekd mes nltopodoorleker asoasrtry p qfbaoulbsoilrstgii csbh iisalsihnttoioderp syF. flsGoicirtoke g rs.e t-
SnowbMingo, 79" × 69"; Housetop (1975) by Qunni tssoqheeuf rwwidelt iianfa. df Igesti nr tsrergetanr aiiatgtl il,phgy a rthio nsltijd nelti hcengat,eo stys hoe—. oauOsm cinyna.ec cnIe la u hmyndoodiapun kpe gec r ta aalhnoc at ttisc e iWtkninnghog asw ttkhl ieIla ldhst g,os eapp naaedrb yk oofi ounuftd’ liqlin nudsgipils twic rhaohitvsaioetto rny ro,ay ugs, a aylioconqvuineu .igr -
Lucy 82"; this book will give you some ideas to read are the myriad styles and pro-
quilt (1970) by Bennett, 77" × gavi esptea y.t otSeuor mnst, eam rptaeekdoe.p Yale om ug iemnti -aigq lhuotitl two, ofo rsrk ai mtwisipftahroc -- cylooeosuks r eaesta odthf teqhiure iswlteio nprgke.,o Ayponleud’’ slIl shfitnoodpri ees soth maanted,- a s
ork-clothes by Mary L. tbiyo np afrpoemr-p hieacnidnwg ohrekx; aygooun cso. uOldth setrasr t ttoh inpgic kth uapt sfatrbikriecs a ynodu sacnisds oinrssp, inreese dyloeu
Blocks and strips wottom: our-block variation (1965) ltTiinhkhsreeep taiqordue wdiolt ofbe ryrykos Au oimnrn c titsuhhhreei so qmesu ipaitlycta.shg,ie ntsre aw.d Feitorieoll onwal the gee bend’s quilts ayyvooonuuidcr elt ooh.vwreen a—.d A, asa nnyddo uem vsaeeknwet,u syaRoollmuay,’c elylth ofiheuninrld goM w wohfna a yt
o b— f patterns, Nancy Crow (page 59), art
p tp
From toHouseto qa uloilctsa,l Gqueielt’s e Bxheinbdit m—a kaenrds o(pna agned 5 1o)n, .
InTRoduCTIon 7
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Six Steps to a Quilt
how-to
1
Piece the top.
This can be done in any
style, from improv to traditional pattern.
A simple way to start might be strip piecing:
simply sew together long strips of fabric
in rows until your quilt is long enough. Or
try this easy improv log cabin (see page
113 for more log cabin variations).
2
Make the backing.
If you’re making
a small quilt, you may be able to use a
single piece of fabric, rather than sewing
together two long strips. (You can piece
more, of course: make the backing as fancy
or as plain as you want.)
3

Cut the batting to size.
The batting
(a.k.a. wadding, filler, insulating material)
should be a few inches wider on every side
than your top. Lay out the batting under-
neath the top to make this easy.
It doesn’t matter where or how . . . just begin.
sew-ins A sew-in is when you meet with friends to sew by hand or machine. More often than not, when members of our guild have sew-ins, we chat and eat together; our projects never make it out of the bag. Fun — no matter how you do it.
8
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4 5

curved pins
make a quilt sandwich Quilt it.
in this order: this could be as basic as tying curved pins made just for basting
backing on the bottom, batting in the mid- the quilt, or anything from a simple to will make your life easier, allowing
dle, quilt top on the top (naturally). complicated machine-quilting design, or you to push the pin down through
hand-quilting. every layer of the sandwich and
• First, lay down your backing on the floor, then back up to the surface. if you
right side facing down, and use painter's don’t like pins, you can also stitch-
tape on the corners to keep it in place baste, or spray baste. once your
and wrinkle-free on the floor. it’s okay if quilt is basted, you’ll be able to
your backing is bigger than your top. move it through the machine (roll-
ing it up to fit through the throat,
• lay down your batting (which should be if the quilt is large) without fear of
a little bigger than your quilt top, remem- wrinkles or shifting.
ber) over the backing, and smooth it out
with your hands. spray Baste
For some, spray baste makes life
• lay your top piece right side up, lining it a lot easier, saving you from long
up with the backing underneath the over- pinning or stitch-basting sessions
sized batting. spread it smooth, and then hunched over a quilt on the floor.
start pinning the quilt from the center hand-quilting you’ll need to use spray baste in a
out, applying pins about 4 inches apart well-ventilated area, simply apply-
(the holes the pins make will disappear ing it to both sides of the batting.
with quilting and washing). if you want your quilt to last as an
heirloom, though, there’s research
showing that spray baste will break
down fabric over time.
stitch-Basting
you can also stitch-baste your quilt
sandwich. this involves making
long stitches across the quilt (with
unknotted thread), starting in the
middle and working your way out.
use a different colored thread
machine quilting
that you’ll spot easily after quilt-
ing. if you have a pattern you want
6
to stitch into the quilt, baste just
Bind it.
see how in the tutorial, Finishing inside or outside of the pattern. use
your Quilt, on page 92. an upholstery needle, and make
your stitches long to save time and
cut out easily after quilting.
a sew-in is when you meet with friends to sew by hand or machine. more often than not, when members of our guild have sew-ins, we chat and eat together; our projects never make it out of the bag. Fun — no matter how you do it.
SIx STePS To a QuIlT 9
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