QuiltCon Link Party

Someone had the bright idea to start a QuiltCon Link Party, so all of the attendees could share a little bit about themselves so when we bumped into one another in Austin, we might recognize each other and maybe something quirky that we shared.

The "rules" were that you shared a photo and 5 things that people may/may not know about you.

Here we go....

 

Hi!  I'm Kristy Daum {{{Waving}}}

 

At QuiltCon, I'll be allover the place as I signed up to be a Super Volunteer.  What does that mean, well, 16-hours of seeing ALOT of you really.  I'll be helping to setup the Quilt Show, assisting in the Vendor Hall and answering questions at the Help Desk.

 

Or if you were one of the lucky ones that is taking a class, maybe I'll be your classmate. 

I'm in Elizabeth Hartman's "Free-Motion Quilting on a Home Machine" on Thursday and

Jacquie Gering's "Machine Piecing Hexagons" on Sunday.

 

You might also see me talking about my Bridges & Tunnels Quilt on Thursday...or as one of the panelist during Sunday's Quilt Guild discussions that are moderated by Alissa Haight Carlton.

 

You better believe that I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of it all, it's color-coded and everything.

 

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Hmmm...now onto the 5 things that you may not know.

 

1.  I have a strange affinity for things that are a little macabre...think Edward Gorey books, Tim Burton movies and even Ravens.  Any given day (not just during Halloween) you'll find a handful of faux Ravens hanging out in my living room as part of the decor. 

 

Just 2 of the 5 that are in my house.

 

2.   I work for a well-known Footwear Company and spend my days surrounded by thousands of shoes that any shoe-aholic would die to have in their closet.  Unfortunately, I cannot wear a single one of them thanks to an auto accident in 2002 that left me with alot of metal hardware and a necessity to learn to walk all over again at the age of 23.  I am continually on the losing end of a search to find comfortable shoes that don't look like something from your Grandmother's closet. 

So if you see me at QuiltCon, ignore my shoes.

 

 

3.  In highschool, I took two Machine Drafting classes and absolutely loved them.  Those courses got me thinking that I might want to be an Engineer or Architect; but when push came to shove and I had to choose a major in college, I opted for Fashion Design instead.  I guess you can call it "engineering" in a different manner of speaking. 

 

 

4.  While I love music and have quite an eclectic mix on my iPod.  I'm sad to say that the only live music show that I've ever seen was about 6-8 years ago.  I was on a business trip to Las Vegas and a co-worker and I went to see Tom Jones.  For those of you who don't know who Tom Jones is...he created this song that will forever be linked to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  It's not like I was a big fan or anything, just thought it was an entertaining way to spend an evening...little did I know it would be the only "concert" that I would see thus far.  

 

 

5.  I still have my first Sewing book that my Parents got me when I was young.  It was well-loved before I got it as it was part of the St. Louis County Library system; before they snatched it up at a sale.  The copyright is from 1971 and one look at the contents confirms that fact.  While the book has seen better days and is falling apart now, it still has a place in my studio next to all my other sewing/quilting books. 

 

 

Okay, that's my 5 things you may/may not know. 

 

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You should definately hop on over to the QuiltCon Link Party and see who else is going, and for those of you who aren't able to attend, maybe you'll find some new to you Bloggers.

 

Happy Wednesday!!

 

 

Spilling Just a Few More Secrets...

So in Thursday's post "Spilling Secrets...Bridges & Tunnels" I shared with you all the quilt that I created for Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine.

What you may or may not know is that Modern Quilts Unlimited is a Platinum Sponsor of QuiltCon.

QuiltCon is the first inaugural conference for Modern Quilters, held this year in Austin, Texas. 

Have I lost you yet?  No...that's good.

Now it turns out that Modern Quilts Unlimited (and other larger Sponsors) were asked to select a few Presenters or Demonstrators.   These "Demonstrators" will be hosting sessions in the Vendor Hall during QuiltCon, giving those in attendance the opportunity to learn something along with shopping all the wonderful vendors, checking out the Quilt Show, etc. 

Here's where it gets "mind-blowing"...I'm one of the Presenters.  Yep, little ol' me! 

If you check out the QuiltCon website, under Demonstration Schedule...you'll find this.

I'll be there at 12:30pm on Thursday, February 21st...the first day of the show, trying not to hyperventilate (just kidding...well maybe) as I discuss my design process and how I created the Bridges & Tunnels Quilt.

 

 

I do hope that you'll stop by if you are at the show, as I'd like to fill a few chairs :-)

 

There are LOTS and I mean LOTS of other things happening during QuiltCon.

Make sure that if you haven't checked out the website lately, you do so.

Also make sure that you check out all of the wonderful Presenters/Demonstrators.

 



Happy Friday!!

Spilling Secrets..........Bridges & Tunnels

Finally time to spill the beans on this one and it couldn't have come at a better time, as there is just so much I have to tell you.

I'd like to introduce you to Bridges & Tunnels, the quilt that I created for Modern Quilts Unlimited Winter issue...hitting newsstands soon. 

I received my subscription copy in the mail Wednesday evening and was so giddy that I stood out in the cold just so I could find my quilt...and there it was on page 46.  Eeeee!  look, my name - right there in black and white.

And here it is, Bridges & Tunnels in all it's cozy splendor.

This quilt was a labor of love...

                     cutting

                     piecing

                     seam-ripping (I'll get to that later)

                     piecing again

                     then quilting

...this quilt has been through alot. 

While I had created the pattern a long time ago, I had intentions of distributing it myself (like MAZED and INDEX); but an opportunity presented itself and I jumped at the chance.  The fabric selection process was super simple, as there was a particular color story that the Editor was seeking.  Moda Fabrics was kind enough to send me Malka Dubrawsky's new "Simple Marks" summer collection to use for the quilt. 

I spent time deciding which prints I would use where and then started cutting.  That of course was the stressful part for me.  While I knew that my pattern was accurate, just the thought that one wrong slice of my rotary cutter would waste the fabric (fabric that I didn't have more of) was stressful.  What helped of course was knowing that in a few days, I had a 12-hour St. Louis MQG Sew-In scheduled; which meant lots and lots of time to start piecing, and if I played my cards right maybe I'd finish the quilt top. 

Near the end of our Sew-In, right on schedule I cut my final thread and breathed a huge sigh of relief, the entire top was pieced...Whew!  Only when I laid it out on the floor to snap some photos did my smile turn to a frown.  Somehow when I was sewing row to row, I flipped a few and ended up with a design that was different, interesting; but certainly not acceptable for a magazine submission. 

Annie, my Sew-In Saturday table-mate eased me off the cliff and helped me figure out what I did wrong.  We carefully #'d the rows (see the pink post-its) so I wouldn't make the same mistake a second time. 

I spent the following day ripping out multiple seams (the width of the quilt) and realigning the rows into their proper order.  I finished it off with some simple vertical straight-line quilting then took it to my parent's house to snap a quick photo before boxing it up and shipping it to Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine, hoping that it got there safe and sound.



I haven't seen my quilt since October; but look forward to being reunited with it at QuiltCon...more on that later :-)

In the meantime, I do hope that you check out the magazine and all the other wonderful patterns, articles and yummy fabrics featured.  And don't forget to see the DASHED quilt, designed by my friend, Mary Claire.

Definately let me know your thoughts on Bridges & Tunnels; and of course if you make your own version, please send me a photo.

Happy Thursday!!

I'm Gonna Be An Aunt

A few weeks from now that is.  It will be my first time being an Aunt, and I aim to be a good one.

But I digress, as any Quilter knows, a baby is the perfect excuse (as if we needed one) to make a Quilt.  I had been collecting fabrics for a while, most of which were Fat Eighths.

Strolling through my Quilt Love Pinterest Board, I came across this quilt that Marit from Quilt it made back in 2010.  I decided to create my own Baby Boy version and absolutely LOVE how it turned out. 

It was my goal to use two prints of each color (Blue, Orange, Green and Grey) in a way that was simple; yet modern.  I broke out the graph paper to create a block that was reminiscent of the inspiration quilt.  

When the design was done and I started looking at my fabrics, it was obvious that I would need to audition a few more so that I could achieve the complimentary look I was after.  While the orange feathers and the blue organic orbs seemed a little loud at first, they were the perfect color.  In the end I just went with it, and couldn't be happier.

Since I already did the math, I thought I would share the block with you all, in case you would like to make your own.  The cutting information for one block is below. 

If you follow the above, you'll end up with a block that is 8 1/2" x 8 1/2", finishing at 8" square.  In case you are wondering, I used a 3" wide sashing and border...remember to cut yours 3 1/2" wide for seam allowance.

The quilt finished just under 48" x 48", it's a great size...not too large and not too small, at least for Baby. 

I opted to do my favorite quilting of the moment; which is the meandering stipple and topped it off with some solid green binding.

This was gifted to the soon-to-be Momma today and I can't wait to see Baby Boy hanging out with it soon.

Happy Sunday!



What is Black, White and "Red" all over?

Are you thinking a Newspaper...well, that might be; but in this case the answer is something quite different.

So, in my last post I mentioned that this was going to be the Year of Finishing.  Well, thanks to an impromptu Sew-In; which I was able to attend for a few short hours yesterday, I finished quilting my Black and White Snapshots quilt.  I shamelessly call it Snapshots because that's what Elizabeth Hartman called it in her book The Practical Guide to Patchwork. 

I had been wanting to make a Black and White quilt for as long as I could remember; but I never felt like I had enough Black and White fabrics to pull it off.  You may remember my discovery back in September 2011...and yes, that's when I started making this quilt. 

The backing fabric was something that I found at Jo-Ann's and lucky for me, when the local store was going out of business a year ago, I picked up yardage at 70% off.  It might be a little hard to tell from the photo; but it's a graffiti print.  That set the tone of the quilt and I knew that I had to have a red binding.

Fast forward to this week when I found this wonderful Riley Blake Chevron print at Janie lou quilts, a local shop in St. Louis.  I had previously struggled to find a red print that was mixed with white; but the white was never "white enough"...and always looked cream.  That's why this print is great, it's tone on tone Red.

As I was so close to finishing, I couldn't let this one sit for another day (I know, I know, it had been sitting for 1 year and 4 months already), so I finished up the binding last night.  I'm so glad to have this quilt done and can't wait to share it at my next STLMQG meeting.  I just have to keep a close eye on it, because some people might attempt to abduct it.

One quilt down, and based on the photo I shared of my current WIP...I'm well on my way to working through my stack.

2013...the year of FINISHING

So, we are 9 days into 2013 and while I don't make resolutions persay, I am going to try to keep one thing in mind as it relates to my quilting endeavors.  It's all about FINISHING.

Finishing is a great place to start (oxymoron, I know).  Here are the outstanding WIP that I currently have on my plate.  Coincidentally in looking back at a January post from 2012, I showed several of the below quilts...so clearly these need some attention.

 

 

It is my hope that by the end of 2013, all of the above will be finished.  It doesn't seem like alot; but keep in mind that all of them have been sitting around ignored for months, if not a full year.

I think Planning goes hand in hand with Finishing.  Planning ensures that I am using my time wisely so that I can actually Finish without feeling rushed or overwhelmed; which was a big problem for me in 2012.

Additionally, it is very easy to get swept up in the excitment of what is NEW...new fabric, new swap, new pattern, new book, new this, new that.  Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself that it's not the end of the world if I don't jump onboard.  I promise you that I will jump onboard a few bandwagons myself this year (I'm not going to live under a rock); but at the same time I hope there are a few times that I'm waving to the rest of you when I do decide to stay put.  Just don't forget to return the favor when I'm the one on the wagon :-)

So that's my story for 2013, let's see how well I do sticking to it.