Good Morning!
This is what I found when I woke up today:
My Quilt Bag tutorial …
I made the bag when I discovered that I had a leftover block from this quilt:
So, if you’d like make your own quilt bag, hop on over to the We All Sew Blog.
The instructions have step-by-step photos to follow along.
Happy Quilting!!
©2015 Annie Smith All Rights Reserved
Follow me on Instagram to see LIVE photos of the whole event!
Here’s a sneak peek:
Liz Angus’s Sunflower Fields Pattern Co. — darling wool pieces!
So — keep an eye on me on Instagram — I can’t post pictures here from my iPhone ; )
Anniesmithqs at Instagram.
Hi Quilters —
I’m finally back from a month long trip to Utah — partially to participate in the Utah Quilt Guild’s QuiltFest, which happens every September. More about that in an upcoming podcast.
It occurs to me that I think about quilts and quilting all day long, almost every day of the week. It just dawned on me that I really need to share what I’m thinking about, even if I don’t have a microphone coming out of my mouth.
I’ve had this little dilemma —
I’m teaching the West of Baltimore quilt as a block of the month at my local quilt shop. You know the one:
(you know, the one that was featured in the Keepsake Quilting catalog for 2 1/2 years?)
Okay, traditionally on a black background, although the prototypes for the quilt are this:
(for real)
Anyway, I created an online class for the West of Baltimore – making a traditional one, as close to the original quilt as possible. So it looks like this:
(this is a hard trend to buck. I’ll tell you why.)
For the current class, I wanted to do something “different” — a new look, a new style. I love the new trend of using newsprint fabric and I’ve been collecting them wherever I go. The newsprint and Kona solids would look fantastic together, wouldn’t they?
Here’s a glimpse:
(Cute — but not quite right)
There’s something about that newsprint block that is just a little “off”. Maybe a couple of things. The main consensus I got back on Facebook told me that the light blue and pink blended into the background and got lost, the newsprint was too bold a value, the traditional look of the baltimore appliqué and the modern look of the newsprint doesn’t blend well, and trends (newsprint) will go out of style. That’s a lot of feedback! That, and, did I mention that WebGuy *hated* it? Yeah.
So, today, I’m switching gears.
I had this little idea pop into my head that I have a whooooooooooole stash of beautiful fabrics in my studio, just begging to be used. This stash:
Popped into my head.
Why these colors? I have no idea, but they are really perfect in keeping with the Baltimore applique style. Probably moreso than the black background has ever been.
If you notice at the bottom left of the above picture, is a binder with a pattern from Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine from 2004. I collected every issue – even sending away for the one issue that I missed, so I could have the whole thing. The quilt, Jubilee Album, was designed by my favorite appliquers – Sue Nickels and Pat Holly.
I collected each fabric I needed for the quilt, and it has been lovingly folded and kept together in my stash for the last… well… eleven years. ELEVEN years.
I’m not sure why I was inspired to use these fabrics for the quilt — but I love them! Especially this one:
(Red feather. This photo does this fabric no justice whatsoever!)
Just wait til you see it in the quilt. I think it will be lovely. I bought three yards of it, in 2004 ; )
Tell me what you think.
Do you like the newsprint? Would you go back to your stash, or even buy new fabric, to start a project over again that you’ve already begun?
Everyone overwhelmingly loves the black. Understandable. It’s just not a new idea. West of Baltimore was first shown in 2006. Most quilters, when they see it for the first time, think it’s done in wool. That’s the nature of the Cherrywood hand-dyes that were used for the appliqué. My friend, Kaye Moore, has offered the West of Baltimore in wool for several years.
Think about it, and then leave me a comment below or send me an email at annie@simplearts.com. I really love to hear from you – especially if you have an opinion. And you do — don’t you?
Hey — if you haven’t been following me on Instagram, you can! My handle is anniesmithqs.
Also, if you haven’t heard of Periscope yet, it’s all the new hotness as far as social apps go. Follow me there too, (anniesmithqs) because — I’m going to start broadcasting there. Soon. I’ll shoot an announcement out here, and on Facebook (Annie Smith’s Quilting Stash fan page, if you’re not following me there, you might want to “like” me : ), and on Twitter: also anniesmithqs
Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
©2015 Annie Smith All Rights Reserved