The Quilt Show, Improvisational Piecing, and I

Back in August I had the pleasure of a trip to Denver (with my favourite Evil Genius as assistant) to film an episode of The Quilt Show. Alex Anderson, Ricky Tims, and all of their staff were amazing! The behind the scenes action and prep work were so well organized and it was a fantastic experience. And now the show is live!

If you are a member of The Quilt Show you may have already seen the episode (number 1911). If not, The Quilt Show has generously opened up viewing for my special readers for one week only. Free viewing lasts only until December 4.

UPDATE: Link now works. Apologies if you tried an earlier version.

On the show I demo making Slabs and a brief overview of Improv Curves. It's a totally free class! And that's on top of an interview/mini trunk show.  More of me than you might want! Or, because I have limited ability to travel, a snippet of me in your home.

It was a total thrill to bring my Evil Genius with me. A truly special experience for us both. And The Quilt Show treated her like a star! She stepped up and went to work on set while I was filming, helping set up and processing sales in the shop. A huge thank you to the show for welcoming her as well. Here she is with me backstage for cuddles and a bonus interview.

I've been a quilter for over 18 years now. Ricky Tims' book, Convergence Quilts, was one of the first ones I ever bought. And Alex Anderson is a super star quilter, with a career to envy. I never could have imagined that I would end up a guest on their show! What a strange journey life can be. Now that I've had another onscreen experience I can honestly say I need to make this a more regular part of my life. I even told Alex that when she wants to retire, that she can feel free to consider me for her replacement. Just sayin'.

March On - Free Improv Quilt Block Tutorial

In the wake of the US election I, like many others, felt compelled to make. I needed the comfort of sewing more than anything else. The familiarity, the creation, the time alone with my thoughts. Rather than start something new I decided to pull out some very meaningful blocks. After sharing them on Instagram I had a few requests for a block tutorial. With my compulsion to create in overdrive I decided to make a video tutorial.

Feel free to make your own March On blocks. Any shape, any size. These instructions are for roughly a 9 1/2'' square block, but they will vary.  If you want smaller, start smaller. If you want bigger, start bigger. They go together quickly so without any trouble you will have yourself your own solidarity march in no time. 

Y2K Quilt - My Oldest Quilt Under Construction

Back when I was cleaning my garage a few summers ago I came across a few boxes of quilting items. I was pretty lucky no mice made their homes in there. Two round robins project quilts that belonged to someone else (one returned at least) and my Y2K charms.

What are the Y2K charms?

Back in 1999 - when we thought the world was going to end with a massive computer crash - quilters did their best to move on by swapping charms. Precisely, swapping packs of 25 charms with 80 people. Resulting in 2000 charms for a quilt!

After discovering the box again I played with the charms, sorting them by value. They then became a thing I brought out to be leaders and enders as I worked on other projects. That is, sewing pairs or rows together at the beginning or ending of a seam. Progress gets made, but it is slow progress. 

Let me tell you, these are some interesting fabrics. Definitely not what we would consider modern now. There are, however, some gems in here. I must also admit, that I am kind of falling for the little calico prints. They are so tiny. The colours may not be what I like, but the scale is lovely. 

Right now I am up to 25 rows sewn together. That's half. 2000 charms makes 50 rows of 40 for an 80'' by 100'' quilt. Nothing is pressed, none of those rows are sewn to each other. But that is progress with minimal effort. I just might have it done by the next millennium. Well, at least the next century.