Quilts, Quips, and other Nearsighted Adventures

What is my quilt worth?

Well, there’s a mine field if there ever was one.  If you’re thinking about a quilt you’re making, you’ll come up with one figure.  If you’re thinking about a quilt you inherited, that’s an entirely different amount.  And if you’re talking about a quilt you either have purchased or want to purchase, well…that’s yet another sum of money.  But before we go any further into this topic, I need to tell you two things.  First, I’m not a certified quilt appraiser.  I can tell you the basics (which I will in this blog), I can even perhaps give you a ballpark figure I would be comfortable with if it was my quilt   But to get a certified appraisal for sale or insurance, you need a person who has gone through  certified appraiser classes (either textiles, antiques, or quilts), passed them, and received certification from a nationally recognized organization such as The American Quilters Society or the Professional Association of Appraisers – Quilted Textiles. 

Second – and this may be the most difficult – you must remove the sentimental value from the quilts.  Yes, we can recognize the fact the quilt may mean a great deal to you because your great-grandmother twice removed stitched the quilt by hand while traveling in a covered wagon to California.  We can appreciate it.  However, if the quilt is in poor condition, that will play into the actual dollar value of the quilt.  Likewise, if it’s a quilt we made, we know the time, the concentration, the costs, and the emotions tied up in that quilt (I don’t care what anyone says, I firmly do believe we are emotionally attached to what we make).  However, very few of those facts actually add to the bottom line of quilt’s value. 

At this point, you may be looking at a quilt you made or an antique quilt you own and be wondering if it’s worth all the time and trouble to get it appraised.  If sentimentality  adds nothing to the bottom line, should we even get any of our quilts appraised?  The answer to the question is yes, but probably not all of them.  Let’s talk about antique quilts first.

Antique Quilts

For a quilt to be considered antique, it must be 100 years old or more.  And that’s just a rule of thumb.  As an avid collector of quilts made in the 1930’s, I’ve had a few of those appraised – for both insurance and fair market value.  In the event they got lost in a move, a trip to a guild presentation, or — heaven forbid – a fire, I would need a replacement value.  And in many ways, placing a dollar value on these antique quilts is similar to the way we calculate a replacement figure for a quilt we make.  Below are the general guidelines for valuing an antique quilt (from mariathequilter.com)

• Condition.  This is almost everything.  A “younger” antique quilt in good condition is worth more than an “older” antique quilt in poor condition.
• The rarer the pattern, the higher the dollar value.  For instance, as mentioned, my favorite quilt era are the “Depression” Quilts, which run from 1930 until roughly 1960.  Quilt patterns hit their heyday during this time (especially in the Thirties and Forties).  Grandmother’s Flower Gardens, Sunbonnet Sues, Dresden Plates, Trips Around the World, and Double Wedding Rings were hugely popular patterns in this era.  Hence, while they are adorable and gorgeous quilts, those which have survived to current times aren’t worth a great deal because there are simply so many of them.  But those made of more obscure patterns, such as “Breeches,” “Hummingbird,” or those from Marie Webster patterns or kits are worth more because they are fewer in number. 
• The more intricate the fabric and workmanship, the higher the value.  Quite often it’s the earlier quilts which show a higher quality workmanship.  As patterns are developed, the applique may not be as intricate, or the pattern simplified to accommodate quilters with less experience.  For an antique quilt, the earlier the pattern, the better the workmanship.  Both of these place a higher value on the quilt.
• Signatures or other historical information can add value to a quilt, but not as much as the first three bullet points.   However, I think any type of historical context is important.  Whether you’re purchasing an antique quilt or inheriting one, if the quilt has an accurate, written province, it adds to the quilt’s interest more than its value.  Unfortunately, written provinces can be hard to come by.  If I purchase a quilt from an antique store, I always ask about the quilt’s history, but seldom is any available.  I know the oral history behind my great-grandmother’s quilt, but she would have never thought to write it down.  It’s a utility quilt.  She most likely would be surprised it wasn’t “used up” and thrown away long before now.  It never hurts to ask about wills, household inventories, etc., but don’t be surprised when the quilt holds no written records.

New(er) Quilts

In my mind, three different scenarios may prompt you to get a new quilt appraised – especially if you made it.  And the first reason is the same one given for appraising antique quilts – replacement value.  Maybe it’s just me, but most folks (except quilters) tend to pass off new quilts as items which have lesser value than antique textiles and can be easily replaced.  And I’m speaking from personal experience here.  I was in the middle of making an intricately pieced and appliqued quilt when I discovered I would be a newly minted grandmother.  I decided my grand darling would have this quilt.  I pushed to finish the quilt (At Piece with My Past) before Evan’s birth, taking the time to journal it and retain my working sketches (something I normally do not do).  After it was quilted and bound, I wanted to have it appraised – for two reasons:  Replacement value and a need to see what it was worth, because I really spent a great deal of time on the quilt.  It was hand appliqued and professionally long armed.  Since there are no certified quilt appraisers in Jamestown, that meant a road trip to the nearest one, which happened to be in Asheville, which also happens to be a few hours away. At this point, the hubs was not impressed.  A weekend road trip to get a quilt appraised was not on his agenda.  It was simply a quilt I could make again if needed.  After much hemming and hawing and waiting on the paperwork, the quilt he thought had little actual monetary value was appraised for several thousand dollars.  He was a bit taken aback, to say the least.  What he had always deemed a “nice hobby for my wife” was suddenly transformed into an artform with value. Go me.

Yes, I wanted this appraisal for my own satisfaction, but I also wanted the paperwork for Evan.  With this in hand, she would know how much the quilt was bottom-line-actually worth for her knowledge.  She would know how to insure it or, if hit with financially difficult times, how much to sell it for (I know this is a difficult thought, but when you give a quilt, you release it for the owner to do with what they like). 

Since we are talking about new(er) quilts, we also can flip the script a bit on what it would be worth without an appraisal.  If something happened to a quilt and you wanted a quilter to replace the quilt with an identical one, how much would the replacement quilt be worth?  How much would a quilter know to charge for a replacement quilt?  And if someone asks you to make them a quilt, how much would you know to charge them?

I get asked this quite a bit.  I’ve quilted a long time and I pretty good at what I do.  I recently displayed this quilt at a local fiber arts fair:

I’m not sure if it was because of the bright colors or the subject matter, but I received a lot of compliments.  I also received two offers for the quilt.  The highest offer was $500.00. 

Carefully hiding my epic eyeroll, I murmured the quilt was not for sale, it had been promised to a family member.  Then I was asked what I would charge to remake the quilt.

“My starting price for a custom quilt is $1,000,” was my reply.  After giving me their 1,000-yard stare, the would-be customer ambled off to the next display.  I have a reason for this answer:  I really don’t like quilting for other people for money.  If I like you, I’d much rather just make you a quilt and give it to you.  However, if a would-be customer doesn’t blink at the $1,000 price tag, maybe we can come to some agreement. 

But how do you know if an offer for one of your quilt is a legitimately good one?  Or if you’re interested in selling your quilts, how do you develop a fair price?  If you’re thinking about offering to sell a quilt, the first piece of advice I would offer is to keep notes and receipts. You’ll need both to develop an equitable price.  What I’ve learned through the years is most non-quilters honestly have no idea what a quilt costs to make.  Nearly all of them are used to purchasing bedding in a bag from a big box store for less than a couple hundred dollars.  The notes and receipts go a long way in not only justifying your price but also educating the customer.  With that in mind, here are a few steps to go through before estimating a final price for a quilt.

• Consider the pattern.  How difficult is it?  Does it require a pattern at all?  Do you have to purchase a new pattern, or do you have it in your stash?  Is the pattern consumable (such a paper pieced pattern where the pieces can’t be reused)?  Let’s say we have the pattern in our stash, we’ve made it before, and it’s not too hard — $12.00
• Consider the fabric.  This factor is a bit more complicated.  Cost of fabric depends on what kind you use, where it’s from, and what part of the world you live in.  If you use batiks, the cost is higher than quality quilting cottons.  In North Carolina, the average cost of a yard of batik fabric is $12.50, and the average cost of a yard of quilting cotton fabric is around $11 per yard.  Let’s say the pattern calls for 6 ½-yards of fabric for the top, 4-yards for the backing and binding, and one yard for the border.  That’s a total of 11 ½-yards of fabric. If we use quilting cottons, we multiply 11 ½-yards x $11, and that equals $126.50.  By the way, you can Google the average cost of any fabric in your area to verify your estimates.
• Consider the thread.  This covers piecing thread only.  Specialty thread for such techniques as raw-edge applique, “hand applique” by machine, and quilting should be a separate charge.  For most quilts, a single spool should do fine.  Cost of thread can vary, depending on if it’s long or short staple, cotton, or a cotton/poly mix.  Long staple, cotton quilting thread in my area runs from $7.99 to $12.95, so the average cost is $10.47.  I would have $10.47 listed as a thread charge on the invoice. 
• Consider the batting.  This can also be complicated, because you must think about two things.  First, what type of batting will be used and second, are you quilting the quilt or are you subcontracting this to a long armer?  If you’re subcontracting the quilting out, you’ll need to work with your long armer for her estimate.  The long armer will fill in the blanks for batting/quilting/quilting thread/bobbin costs.  If you’re quilting the quilt, you’ll also have a per yard charge for batting.  Polyester batting is less expensive than cotton and cotton blends.  Silk, wool, and bamboo are the most expensive of all.  Let’s say our customer is happy with 80/20 cotton-poly blend batting and we need three yards.  If this batting is $10 per yard, we would charge $30 for batting. 
• Consider the quilting.  Again, if you’re subcontracting to a long armer, he or she will price this and you’ll just add this cost to your invoice.*  If you’re the one doing the quilting, the charge would depend on the type of design.  An edge-to-edge (all over design) is less expensive than custom work.  Currently, the average price for edge-to-edge quilting in my area is $0.02 per square inch. So, let’s say the quilt we’re working with is 80-inches x 80-inches. We multiply 80 x 80 to get the area of the quilt – 6,400 inches –then multiply the area by $0.02.  The answer is $128.  If the edge-to-edge is complex or custom work is involved, the price goes up.  Custom quilting can roughly cost between $0.25 and $0.38 cents per square inch. 
• Consider your labor.  I’m gonna repeat this one again for emphasis Consider your labor.  Your labor, along with your quilting consumables (thread, needles, etc.,) must figure into the quilting equation.  And for some quilting customers, this line item is hard to stomach.  Many folks think that just because you enjoy sewing and quilting, they shouldn’t have to pay for your labor – after all they’re giving you an excuse to do what you like.

Nope.  A baker may really enjoy baking, but you’re going to pay for their labor and their talent behind designing that oh-so-perfect wedding cake.  Same thing goes for a quilter. 

And don’t sell yourself short.  Don’t charge minimum wage.  If you’re quilting for payment, chances are you’ve spent serious time behind the needle learning your craft.  Minimum wage at this date in North Carolina is $7.75 per hour. I figure my skill is worth $20 per hour.  If I work on a quilt 40 hours, charging $20 per hour, that’s $800.  Most quilts – from the first cut of the fabric to the final stitch in the label – take more than 40 hours.  This is why if someone offers to pay me to make a quilt for them, my starting point is $1,000.00.  That’s just for my labor.  I do make exceptions.  If I’m making a memory quilt for a grieving family, most of the time that quilt leaves my house with no money exchanged.  Somehow I just can’t charge for making a quilt that might ease a huge hole left in their heart.  But on the flip side, if the customer chooses a pattern which is intricate, requires handwork, the redesign of some blocks, etc., I will charge extra.

So let’s make a hypothetical quilt and its hypothetical invoice.

Let’s say we’re making a queen-sized quilt, which is usually 90-inches x 108-inches (this can vary a bit).  This means the area of our quilt is 9,720 square inches (90 x 108 = 9,720).

Now let’s estimate fabric.  We’ll go with 6 total yards for the center, 2 yards for borders and binding, and 4 yards for the backing.  That’s 12 yards total.  Multiply this by the average cost of quilting cottons — $11 – and you get $132.

          The pattern is of average difficulty, so add in $12.

          We’ll probably use one spool of thread in the piecing — $10.47

We will need 4 yards of batting, and the customer is happy with 80/20 batting.  This batting is roughly $10 per yard, so the batting will cost $40.

Now for the quilting.  Our customer wants an edge-to-edge quilting over the top.  We multiply the area of the quilt (9,720) x $0.02 for $194.40

Finally we will tackle labor.  This is a queen-sized quilt.  You’ve cut out the fabric, pieced it, added borders, pieced the back, pressed both the top and the back, cut the batting, quilted the quilt, trimmed it, and sewn on the binding.  This is about three weeks of work.  Assuming you’re working a 40-hour week, that’s 120 hours.  Multiply that by $20 per hour and you have $800.

Totaling all the costs together and your quilt has a price tag of $1,188.87.

Let this amount sink in – for two reasons.  First, if you do decide to quilt for payment, know how to price it so it’s worth your time and materials. Second, if you want to have a quilt insured, you know what its replacement value is, and it prevents any confusion on the part of an insurance company. 

Finally, if a person has been nice enough to make you a quilt, value it.  Yes, that quilt is probably imbued with lots of love and thoughts and prayers…but it’s also a tangible, monetary investment.  Treat the quilt (and the quilter) with love and care.

I hope this blog helps you if you have an antique quilt or a current quilt you want appraised.  If you know a little about how a textile is valued, it helps you make wise decisions about resale or insuring it.  I’ve had to educate a couple of insurance companies about my quilts, and on both occasions what most would consider a “hobby” quickly turned into “art” before the policy ink was dry.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

*If you are subcontracting the long arming, feel free to mark the long armer’s fee up 10% to cover your costs of contacting the long armer, transporting the quilt to and from her studio, etc.

noun

informal

noun: pet peeve; plural noun: pet peeves

1. Something that a particular person finds especially annoying.

The phrase “Pet Peeve” originated around 1919 from the 14th century word “Peevish,” meaning ornery or ill-tempered. People have a knack for finding something to complain about, but Pet Peeves are reserved for those things we find truly impossible to deal with.

Ah.  Pet peeves.  We all have them.  About all kinds of things.  I have them about driving – if you’re one of those drivers who never use turn signals, I’m looking at you.  I have them about grammar.  There are differences between there, their, and they’re.  Overall, in the great span of the universe, pet peeves are those little things which get under our skin and drive us just slightly this side of crazy.  Quilting and quilters aren’t immune to pet peeves.  In this week’s blog I’ve amassed a list of the some common quilting pet peeves and how to deal with them. 

Bobbin Barf

This is a bird’s nest – the cluster of thread on the back of the fabric sometimes formed when you begin a seam.  I had never heard of it called Bobbin Barf until I began working on this blog, but I think it’s a pretty great name for it. 

There are three reasons we experience Bobbin Barf:

1.  Bobbin thread: The bobbin thread may not have been pulled up or put under tension before starting to sew. If the bobbin tension is too loose, extra thread can unwind from the bobbin and build up under the needle plate.
2. Top thread: The top thread may not be threaded correctly, or it may have been threaded with the presser foot down, locking all the tension discs. This prevents the thread from getting between the discs.
3. Thread quality: Cheaper threads can lead to more tension issues and breakages

Breaking the Sewing Machine Needle

You should change your sewing machine needle regularly.  If using a regular needle, it should be changed after eight hours of sewing.  If you’re using a titanium needle, you can double that time to 16 hours.  I know it’s kind of difficult to remember to “clock” the hours a needle used, so I tend to change mine each time I finish a large quilt or two to three smalls ones and definitely after I finish quilting a quilt.  However there are times, despite your attention to changing your needle, that sewing machine needles will snap.  When you change feet, some machines require you to change your needle position.  This is my biggest culprit.  When I move from my standard “A” foot to my quilter’s ¼-inch foot, I have to move my needle over.  I can’t tell you how many times I forget and break a needle.  Some sewing machines also allow you to change throat plates for sewing.  Often in this process, you also must change your needle setting or it will snap.  Since I tend to get “tunnel vision” when I quilt (completely focused on the project and the process) I use neon colored sticky notes.  I write myself a note in bold, black Sharpie on a bright neon Post-it Note, reminding myself to change the needle position as I change feet.  I also put a duplicate note on the box which houses all my sewing machine feet.  This usually works well.  The bright color catches my eye and pulls me out of “tunnel vision.”

Running Out of Bobbin Thread

This one was a huge pet peeve for me before I purchased my Janome M7 Continental.  I can’t tell you how many times I thought I was through sewing on a border only to find my bobbin thread ran out six inches from where I started.  Since this seems to be a pet peeve for many sewists, more and more machines are coming equipped with a “bobbin alarm.”  The machine will beep or ding when there’s a miniscule amount of thread left in the bobbin.  My M7 just flat-out stops sewing when there’s about 18-inches of thread left on the bobbin.  It will not budge until I swap out the almost-empty bobbin for a full one. 

If you’re in the market for a new machine, I strongly recommend this be one of the options you look for.  If you’re not, and your machine has no bobbin indicator, I would check the bobbin before beginning any long stretch of sewing, such as borders, sewing the center together, or quilting.  To speed the process up, it’s always nice to have a few bobbins already wound and waiting.  This means you only have to swap your bobbins out, and not have to take the time to wind a new one. 

Poor Customer Service

This is a big pet peeve for most folks, regardless if they’re a sewist or not.  Poor customer service just stinks – that’s the only way to put it.  But for folks like quilters, who tend to do a bit of online shopping, poor customer service can really slow you down big time when you’re working on a project.  Even before the Pandemic, brick-and-mortar quilt shops were closing at a record number.  Now most of us must do some of our shopping on the internet.  If a product does not arrive on time, the instructions are vague, or part or all of the order is wrong, we reach out to the company’s customer service either through a chat-bot, email, or phone call.  If we don’t receive a reply in a timely manner, get inaccurate information, or worse, emails and phone calls are ignored, we tend to get a bit hot under the collar (at least I do)

Like a lot of quilters, I have a several online sites I tend to order from on a regular basis.  These have always given me stellar customer service, so I tend to frequent them.  However, if I am ordering from a new-to-me business, I always Google it.  If folks have had a poor experience with these stores, usually you’ll find some kind of evidence on Google.  As for my blog, if I mention a brick-and-mortar store or online site, you can be sure I’ve ordered from them and have had a good experience.  My blog is not monetized in anyway, and I don’t work for any quilting business.

“I Want One” Syndrome

First let me begin this pet peeve with a caveat.  Quilters are some of the most generous people I am acquainted with.  Most of you know I became a quilter not so much for the quilts as for the quilters.  Through a research project, I became friends with quilters and wanted to continue to hang out with them after I completed my project.  So I learned to quilt. Overall, most quilters are just the finest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.  They’re generous with their time, knowledge, and their quilts.  We make quilts for family, friends, babies, Christmas, birthdays – you name it and if we like you (and feel so led), we’ll pop out a quilt for you.  This brings us joy.

However, there’s always this one person (or more) who we may not be especially close to, who will take a look at our quilts, and will say something to the effect, “I would so like to have one of your quilts.  You love to quilt.  Make me one.”

And making this person a quilt may not be anywhere on our quilting radar.  How do you say no without being rude?  Maybe I’ve just gotten older and crankier, but I simply tell them I’m booked. Which is not a lie.  I have a list of quilts I want to make and usually those quilts are already attached to a person, event, or show.  I really don’t want to be bothered making my third-times-removed Cousin Clem who I only see at family reunions, a quilt. 

You don’t have to be ugly, but you don’t have to make that person a quilt.  The word “No” is a complete sentence.  And don’t let them make you have a case of “quilter’s guilt” if you refuse.*

Printing Patterns

One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in the quilting world over the past 10 or so years is the number of downloadable patterns.  You no longer need to wait on the US Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS for some of them.  Many are available for immediate download and instant gratification with a point and click of your mouse.  Your brand-spanking-new pattern will show up on your laptop or iPad and all you must do is print them.

Sounds super easy, doesn’t it?  Sure, you compensate for instant gratification by using your printer ink, but you don’t have to print the entire pattern at once.  And for the most part, it is easy.  However, what’s important to remember is this:

A little box or line.  This is usually found somewhere on the pattern and generally right under it is something to the effect “When printed, this square/line should measure 1-inch.”  Depending on how your printer is set up, it’s not difficult to make sure the square or line measures exactly 1-inch.  When the print dialogue box is open, make sure the “Fit to Page” box is unchecked – this allows the pattern to print at its actual size.  If it’s printed with the “Fit to Page” box checked, the pieces may come out smaller than needed. 

And to be perfectly honest, this is not so much a pet peeve (I think trading instant gratification for printer ink is okay) as it is a procedure not mentioned in most of the initial pattern directions.  A quilter sees the random square or line at some point in the pattern and then realizes he or she may not have printed the pattern correctly.   Word of caution – patterns not designed in the United States tend to need more tweaking to get the line or square to measure the 1-inch requested.  I usually have to play around with the enlarging mode on my printer for a while to get it to print correctly – or just decide to go with a smaller block.

There are work arounds with pet peeves.   I am thankful I only have a few quilting issues and a couple of those can be easily solved as long as I remember to make myself a note or thread my machine correctly.   I may or may not have hit on your quilting pet peeve.  If I haven’t please leave it in the comments.  I’d love to know what it is. 

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Sherri and Felix

*A few words about making quilts for others.  As a rule, I don’t quilt for payment.  If I make a person a quilt, it’s truly because I love that person, I’m thinking about them, and although I may not be able to make their circumstances better, I can leave them with a tangible item to remind them someone cares for them.  Personally, I think quilting for money would suck the joy right out of my quilting life.   Yes, I have been offered money for quilts I’ve already made, and when I begin to slim down my collections, chances are at that point, I will sell a few. 

If you chose to make a quilt for a person who has requested one, and that person is not normally an individual you would have chosen to give a quilt to, it’s important to remember you’re doing it out of the goodness of your own heart.  Be prepared the person may not care for your choice of colors or blocks or quilting motif.  Be prepared they may complain and not show the proper amount of consideration. Then let the quilt go.  Release it.   This is so important.  A person who doesn’t understand the amount of commitment a quilt takes –whether they like the quilt or not – may not treat the quilt well.  So don’t be hurt (or surprised) if you discover the quilt used as a dog bed, a moving blanket, or treated in some other cruel manner.  You’ve given the quilt away – it’s not yours any longer.  I think one of the angriest moments I can remember as a quilter was early on in my journey when I made someone a quilt who had begged for one.  At that point in my life, my time was extremely limited – my kids were small, I worked full time, and my husband worked out of town.  But I did make this person a quilt (she had given me a full-guilt trip about it) and not long after I gave it to her, she sold it for $50.

It was then I learned to release any control I thought I may have over a quilt.  It no longer belonged to me and technically the recipient could do whatever they wanted to with it.  However, it also meant I didn’t have to make that person another quilt.

In my mind, there are three groups of quilters.  There are those who make a quilt occasionally.  These quilters may churn out a quilt or two and then be perfectly fine not touching their machines or fabric for months at a time.  The second group are those who are more serious quilters.  They quilt regularly, often having several projects in the process.  They may belong to a guild and take their craft seriously. These quilters push themselves to become better, trying harder patterns and more complex techniques. 

Then there is the third group.  These are the quilters – quite often the folks we call “professional” quilters – who are well-known.  They are easy to spot.  We have become so familiar with their quilting style we never have to ask if they made a certain quilt or not.  We can tell by looking at the quilt.  Don’t believe me?  Okay, let’s play a game.  Here’s a picture of a quilt.

Can you tell me who designed this quilt without Googling the image?

If you guessed Judy Niemeyer, you’d be correct.  Judy has her own style which has evolved through the years but is still easily recognizable.

What about this one?

If you speculated Janet Stone, you’re right.  We are accustomed to her beautiful alphabet quilts with sheep on them.

Finally, what about this quilt?

If you guessed McKenna Ryan, you’re correct again.  We’ve grown to love her whimsical applique, highlighting critters of all types.

Why do we know who designed these quilt with just a mere glance?  Is it because they produce so many patterns the quilt market is inundated with them, and we see them all the time?  Not really.  I would venture to say Judy Niemeyer probably produces the most patterns, maybe followed by McKenna Ryan.  I could only find one block-of-the-month pattern Janet Stone designed.  So, no, it’s not because of the patterns.  I honestly don’t believe it has anything to do with the number of patterns designed, the number of workshops taught, or the number of ribbons won.  What I do think these “professional” quilters have that most of us struggle with a bit is creative voice.  They have found theirs and we may still be in the process of finding ours.  So let’s talk about creative voice – what it is, how we find it, and how we keep it crystal clear.

Creative voice is loosely defined as a unique way of communicating with the world that which reflects your perspective, experiences, and emotions. It’s about finding your own way to say something, rather than simply repeating what others say. Creative voice can emerge as you explore your life and work, and it can be developed over time.  For quilters, that voice is a unique and recognizable artistic style which is distinctly your own; your inspiration, your materials, techniques, themes, and color palette all working together in a way that looks like it comes from you and no one else. 

Is it absolutely vital every quilter find their creative voice?  Frankly, no.  It’s not.  However, if you want to teach, publish, sell, or have your work in exhibitions – especially invitational exhibitions – you need to be known for something.  Something which sets you apart from what everyone else is doing.  Finding your creative voice allows you to explore your “something” and make it uniquely your own.  And the first part of this journey begins with the realization you already have a voice.  It’s been there since the beginning.  You just need to listen to it and follow it.  It’s for this reason many quilt coaches talk about finding your voice, not developing your voice.  The voice is there.  You just must train your heart and mind to hear it above everything else. 

As quilters (at least those in the second group) I think we tend to be inundated with quilting information.  We belong to groups and guilds.  We read books, magazines, and blogs (like mine – and thanks for reading!).  We take classes and workshops.  We watch videos.    None of this is inherently bad or wrong.  We are pursuing excellence with our chosen hobby.  I’m right there in the middle of all of these. I love learning new things about my art.  However, we need to develop a discerning inner ear.  Don’t let the inundation of new information encroach on what you desire in your quilts.  We must incorporate it into what we want, not let it take the place of what our heart desires to make.  Edit out the distractions and focus on how what you learn can make your quilting uniquely yours.

Creative voice is one of those terms which is kind of like nailing Jello to a wall.  It’s slippery and while it’s not hard to define, finding your own isn’t exactly a straight path.  Some artists gain it quicker than others.  Still others look for it their entire lives.  What I would like to share with you are nine ways to help you find and keep your own creative voice.  You may find you need to work through all nine.  You may find you don’t need but a couple. 

First, be aware you already have a creative voice.  It is beautiful and uniquely yours.  There is no need to try to create the voice.  Your own distinctive creativity is there, even if you don’t feel it.  It’s bubbling just under the surface, already making itself known.  The key is quieting everything else down so you can listen to it. 

Second, dedicate a notebook or note on your phone, laptop, or iPad to your creative thoughts and ideas – no matter how small or seemingly silly.  Make note of the colors which appeal to you, shapes you like, tones, books, conversations or things that you’ve read which appeal to you.  Look around your home.  What items in there bring you joy?  As you’re becoming keenly aware of what you’re observing and how it affects you, you’ll become even more alert to how lighting, color, and things make you pause.  For me it’s flowers.  I love how nature throws together the most random colors and it all works to make something beautiful.  The sight of a bumblebee’s behind peeking out from the center of a rose is just one of the most awesome things and makes me grin.  My BFF Janet sent me this picture awhile back:

It made me smile all day. 

Third, get comfortable with you.  What you like, what you dislike.  What brings you joy and a smile to your face, as well as what you don’t enjoy and dread doing (I’m talking quilts, not housework). 

All of these go hand in hand in finding your voice as a quilter.  Your favorite quilt colors.  The techniques you’re good at and love doing. And be honest with yourself.  If you’re a piecer and the very thought of applique – either by hand or machine – brings tears to your eyes, be at peace with the fact your quilts will primarily be pieced ones.  If you adore making small quilts and the thought of making large bed quilts all the time sets your teeth on edge, then go with it.  There are no wrong choices in this third aspect.  The only erroneous answers are the ones you may give because you think they are the right ones when your inner voice is telling you no.  For me, I made a list of all the quilts I loved making and would drop everything to make again.  It wasn’t long until I found two distinct aspects about my creative voice:  I like small, pieced blocks, and I love applique. 

Four, be inspired, but don’t imitate.  One of my favorite things about guild meetings is the show and tell.  At quilt shows, I’m the one spending lots of time looking at the quilts and not in the vendor mall.  I love looking at quilts and talking to quilters about their quilts.  However, it’s important to remember while it’s okay to be inspired by those quilts and quilters, you don’t want to make the exact, same quilt as theirs.  Just because you love a certain designer doesn’t mean you need to become their shadow.  Think about why you like their quilts.  I love the whimsy McKenna Ryan puts in her applique quilts.   I love the detail in Janet Stone’s.  But it’s important for me to make my quilts the way I want them, not a mirror image of anyone else.  I can add touches of whimsy and details without my quilts looking like a carbon copy of McKenna’s or Janet’s. 

Your creative voice sets you apart, and ultimately makes your work interesting, distinctive, worthy of discourse, and desired by others (Lisa Congdon).  Decide what you like about someone else’s quilt.  Look at it closely and embrace all the details.  Explore the elements.  Then ask yourself, what is it about a quilt which makes you stop and linger?  For me, nine times out of them, it’s color.  If I retain a picture of someone else’s quilt, it’s not because I necessarily want to make that quilt.  It’s because I love the colors they used and how they used them. 

So as you look at other quilts and other designers, ask yourself what made you stop and linger?  We are drawn to the work of others for a reason.  A whisper of our own creative voices is there.

Five, make sure you know the basics.  Before you can truly allow your creativity to run freely, it’s important to be able to implement the basics in your work – just as it is with any other art.  Can you keep a quarter-inch seam without thinking about it too much (or at least have the tools in place so it doesn’t require so much thought).  Can you cut accurately?  Do you understand the basics of threads, needles, fusibles, and pressing?  If you can’t execute these without thinking a great deal about them, you will struggle to find your voice to express yourself.  You’ll become frustrated and creatively suffocated in the due diligence of trying to create without mastering the basics.  When you have mastered the fundamentals, you have the freedom to express your creative voice.

Sixth, find other quilters and join a challenge.  It could be a 365 project or a block of the month, or any combination of things (technique of the month, color of the week, etc).  Join a challenge which helps you find your creative voice.  My favorite ones are the kind which give you pretty much free reign.  I think the one I had the most fun with was one a few years ago when the Vice President of our guild issued a small quilt challenge.  Each month we had to make a small quilt which would indicate what we thought the month meant (such as February could be Valentines or Presidents’ Day) and incorporate a technique he would initiate – such as it must contain some applique or a technique new to you.  I had the most fun coming up with my own designs, my own quilting motifs, and my own color palettes.  This type of challenge lets you explore your creative voice to the fullest.  You will take the challenge and interpret it differently than anyone else.  You will bring in your colors, imagery, and subjects that no one else will.  You will come at it from your own angle and pursue the challenge in ways that differ from anyone else. 

Seventh, embrace your mistakes.  This one is kind of hard, because our society as a whole is not set up to celebrate mistakes – only successes.  But failures and mistakes are opportunities to learn.  They are the process of experimentation and intentional choices which lead you to find your creative voice. 

Don’t give up when you mess up.  The journey to discovery is never smooth. It’s often twisty and takes many turns.  Each “mistake” made simply brings you closer to your creative voice.  Become comfortable with feeling messy, frustrated, and like you’re falling apart.  Work with those feelings.

Eight, be consistent.  Play around with all types of colors, lines, palettes, equipment, ideas, and mediums.  Blend things together.  Mix it up.  Try new fabrics, hues, and textures you may have never tried before.  I realize this doesn’t sound anything like consistency, since the very term means “steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.”  Trying out all these things is the very opposite of consistent.  However, as you’re working your way through all of these, you stumble across what you love and what you’re not so crazy about.  Recognize what you love and begin to consistently work these into your quilts.  The more you bring in the same colors, textures, types, and styles, the more your creative voice is strengthened and seen.  You don’t necessarily need one style of creating, but your voice does have its own elements.  And those elements should be consistent with what you create.

Nine, create an inspiration board of your own work.  I’m not talking about Pinterest Board with quilts made by other artists you like.  No, you need a board with your work.  It can be a photo album – either a physical book or one online.  It’s important to be able to see, feel, and embrace your work.  By having the chance to thumb back through what you’ve made, you can begin to tell the colors, the fabric lines, the blocks, the applique, the type of patterns you’re drawn to.  You can tell what you truly enjoyed and what sparked joy.  You’ll discover the quilts that said “Yes!” inside your soul and the pieces you really like.

When you come across quilts or parts of quilts you don’t love, be introspective towards them.  Note the quilts you struggled through and were disappointed in.  Make note of the colors you wish you could go back and change as well as anything (such as quilting tools and notions) that would have made your work easier and more accurate.  As you study your own work, you’ll see your creative voice emerging.  You’ll hear it clearer than before. 

As quilters, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the number of patterns, fabric lines, workshops, classes, and videos available to help us.  And all of those are vital and important.   And I think quilers should take as many classes and workshops as possible, try as many different patterns as they want, and revel with the quality and quantity of fabric available.  However, don’t let all this information drown out your own creative voice.  Use what is out there and available to you to enhance your voice, not drown it out.

Your creative voice is there…it’s been there all along.  You just have to learn to tune into what it’s saying.  Trust it and your heart to lead you.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

On July 17, I published a blog concerning Artificial Intelligence and Quilting.  I received quite a bit of response about that blog – which I hoped would happen.  I also promised to return to the AI program I used to create the images in a month.  Since AI continues to scour the internet long after a request is given, constantly searching for ways to redefine the images and information – hone and make it more accurate – I thought it would be interesting to revisit DALL.E, the AI image program I used in the first blog, and see what it would do with the exact, same image requests.

The first image I asked for in the July blog was a quilt made from 150 half-square triangles.  This is what a half-square triangle quilt can look like. It’s a pretty basic design.  I did this on purpose because I wasn’t sure what DALL.E would return.  The July 17 DALL.E rendition of a half-square triangle quilt was this:

A month later, DALL.E returned  two graphics of a HST quilt.

In the first quilt, you can kind of see where the AI program was still pulling information together.  While not quite as “off” as the July quilt, it still appears the program is throwing halved squares and triangles together in an attempt to come up with a quilt made from 150 HSTs.  It’s kind of right, but not what a quilter would expect.

The second HST quilt is a bit more cohesive.  This quilt has the half-square triangles (although not the requested 150) and has used those to create flying geese – something which kind of surprised me.  It also employs some complex piecing.  Don’t believe me?  Take a good look at the center medallion. It has a square-in-a-square, as well as some inset seams. 

And have you noticed in both of these quilts, DALL.E provided quilting stitches – something it didn’t in all of the July blog pictures. 

The second quilt I requested in July was a New York Beauty, as shown below.

DALL.E returned this quilt, which is hilarious.  Boats and taxis on the same street.  Nothing at all resembles a New York Beauty.

However…this time DALL.E did its homework. The first quilt it returned in was this:

At least the taxis were on the street.  I’d have to mark it down for workmanship.  The corners are chopped off squares.

The second New York Beauty returned was this:

It’s easy to scratch your head over this one and wonder why AI would think this quilt would ever resemble a New York Beauty.  However, I do see a resemblance of spikes coming from a center circle.  I actually think this is a lot closer to a New York Beauty than the other two.  With this quilt, you can tell AI is scanning the information available, working through it, and coming up with something.  I think this is the quilt I would be interested in coming back to in a year to see what DALL.E would return then.

I also asked DALL.E to create a Marie Webster quilt.  Here are a couple of examples of her quilts.

I love Marie Webster quilts!  The applique is just brilliant and there’s plenty of room for wonderful quilting to up the texture game.  When I asked DALL.E to render a Marie Webster quilt in July, this is what it gave me.

When I asked it again for two Marie Webster quilts, this is what it returned.

While there is some applique on the above two quilts, it’s really nothing like the delicate, floral designs which Marie Webster produced.  And she was famous for her use of soft pastels.  There are no pastels in the newly rendered AI quilts.  Which led me to ask the question:  Why, with the other quilts becoming so close to what they really need to look like, did Marie Websters end up so horribly wrong?  I think I have that answer, just hang on to the end of my blog.

Finally, I asked DALL.E to produce two quilts made by Sherriquiltsalot.com.  These are a few of my quilts. 

I really don’t have a distinct “style” like some quilters do – the closest I come is I tend to have quite a bit of orange and yellow in my quilts and I do use a lot of applique (it’s my favorite technique). 

This is the quilt DALL.E returned in July.

To be sure, these are definitely my colors, and there is a floater in one of the quilts.  However, it’s hopelessly chaotic and it doesn’t have any applique.  This time DALL.E was a bit better.

This quilt does look like something I would make.  The pinks are one of my colors of choice and it’s not as chaotic as the first quilt.  Quite possibly this would be my choice for a quick crib quilt for a baby shower. 

It’s the second quilt I’m most dubious about.  To be sure, there are some tiny squares, and I do enjoy those, but there is very little piecing.  For a woman who once sewed 45 pieces into a 5 ½-inch unfinished quilt square, the fact that there is little piecing is a bit insulting. 

Finally, the last quilt I asked DALL.E to create in the July blog was an applique quilt with a black and white cat with tulips and daisies.  I’d like to make a small quilt with a cat which resembles Felix.  I was quite pleased with the two that AI came up with:

When I asked DALL.E this time for the same type of quilt, this is what it gave me:

I like these equally as much as the first two, although the new renderings are a bit more stylized than the first quilts.  I could be happy making any of these cat quilts.

In my opinion the cat quilts are the best AI quilts.  And this got me to thinking.  In the other quilts, I gave some really specific parameters – names of quilts and a designer.  With the cat quilts, I gave general directives:  black and white cats, tulips, and daisies.  The cats had to be black and white, but the tulips and daisies could be any color.  Keeping general directives in mind, I returned to DALL.E and asked it to create a quilt with four-patches and birds

While I don’t particularly think this quilt is attractive in this color way, the four-patches are there and so are the birds.

In this second quilt, there are no four-patches, but the birds are really cute.

Maybe DALL.E doesn’t like creating pieced quilts?  It certainly seems to have no problems creating applique quilts. 

All of this experimentation has been a lot of fun.  But it still makes Artificial Intelligence no less of a threat if used incorrectly.  My fear, like a lot of creators, is that AI could hijack the work of a quilt designer.  There is the possibility AI could design quilts similar to those of our wonderful quilt designers and cut into the income of these folks.  Which also led me to wonder if AI could design fabric the same way?  Could AI possibly come up with similar designs to Buttermilk Basin, Henry Glass (both of which are fabric house with lots of designers), or Kaffe Fassett? 

So I tried.  I asked DALL.E for  two designs of each.

This is it’s rendering of Buttermilk Basin designs.

This is a swatch of the actual product.

Here is DALL.E’s idea of Henry Glass Fabrics

Here is a swatch of actual Henry Glass Fabric.

And finally, here’s AI’s idea of Kaffe Fassett’s fabric

Here are some swatches of real Kaffe Fassett fabric – DALL.E wasn’t too far off, was it?

After all these trials, I decided one sure thing about DALL.E.  It works best with fewer parameters.  I put in two very simple requests for two different types of applique quilts.  First, I asked for an applique quilt with fruit on it.  These are the two pictures it gave me:

Not bad at all, and both are definitely quilts I could make.

Then –being the floral applique enthusiast that I am (because if you can’t grow flowers, at least you can stitch them) – it gave me these two renderings.

I really like both of those, and that basket of flowers may be in my future.

At the end of all this experimentation, I still believe A-I is like any other technology – it’s neither inherently good nor inherently evil.  It’s what’s done with it that matters.  It does bother me exactly how close it can get to the real thing.  One of my readers who is both a quilter and a tech person, and my daughter and son-in-law (both of whom are also tech-savy) relieved my fears a bit.  All of them told me most designers are putting some sort of imbedded code into their pictures on the internet.  For instance, a picture of a quilt pattern couldn’t be downloaded unless you paid for it.  Payment would override the code and allow you to use it.  I don’t think anyone programming AI would want to spend thousands of dollars just to peruse a lot of quilt patterns.

However, this also begs the question, what if those pictures were available on other websites?  For instance, a quilting magazine may feature the pattern.  Would it still have a code?  Could it still be “downloaded” into AI?  And what about folks like me who don’t sell patterns, but freely show pictures of their own quilts on blogs and other social media?  How protected are we from AI gobbling up our hard work?

I think, like most troubling fields in our society, the final decision will come down to the courts.  I believe there are workarounds with codes.  Remember when all our credit and debit cards were replaced with those with “chips” to prevent hackers from wreaking havoc on our accounts?  I honestly think those hackers said, “Challenge accepted.”  Two weeks after I received my first “chipped” card, my Visa card was hacked. I think the embedded codes will amount to the same thing. However, a lawsuit or threat of a lawsuit, is something everyone understands.  They take both time and money – mainly money. 

While I don’t believe AI is a huge threat to our quilting world yet, I do think it could be trouble in the future.  I’m interested to see how the courts rule on Andersen v. Stability AI et al and what it could mean to all artists.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix

Here’s the scenario:

You’ve found a quilt pattern you really want to make.

You pull as much of the fabric required from your stash as you can and purchase the rest.

Everything is cut out precisely, labeled, bagged, and tagged.

Your machine is cleaned, oiled, a new needle inserted, and you’re set to sew.

A month later (give or take, depending on your sewing schedule and the complexities of the pattern) the top is finished.

You spread it out to look at your entire quilt top and then your stomach tightens and your head buzzes, because you realize at that moment – you hate it.

Quilt-hate happens, whether we want to admit it or not.  I’ve experienced it, too.  And the reasons behind it could be a myriad of things.  We may discover the colors are “off” – too many muted colors with too many brights.  We may see we’ve cut off far too many points on our stars or flying geese.  There may be some not-so-pleasant memories tied up with the quilt. Or it may simply be the quilt looked better on the pattern than it does in reality. 

The reasons are varied and many.  But one fact remains.  We’ve now made a quilt we don’t like.   And to be completely honest with you, I’ve experienced quilt-hate with more than one quilt.  What I would like to share – from my studio to yours – is how I dealt with my intense dislike of a quilt and made the situation work for me.

I think the first thing you must do once you realize you hate the quilt top is to articulate what it is exactly you don’t like about the quilt.  Don’t be vague. Something like “The colors just aren’t working for me,” isn’t specific enough.  What is it about the colors you dislike?  Is there too much of a color you particularly dislike?  Is there a color which seems to dominate the quilt top?  Are there blocks you struggled with in their construction?  The reason it’s important to be specific is this:  In order to “fix” your quilt you need to know exactly what needs to be corrected to make you happy. 

Now take another good look at your quilt top and decide what you like about your quilt.  Again, be specific.  Hopefully there are several things you enjoy about your quilt.  Are the corners nice and sharp?  Are the half-square triangles perfect?  Do your flying geese chase each other gleefully around the top?  Is the applique just too cute for anything?  Articulate these things.  What you may find is the good qualities far outweigh the bad and in all reality, your quilt top is just fine.  What I’ve learned about myself is I focus way too much on what I think is wrong about my quilt, because either I struggled with that part or because I know exactly what I messed up on and that’s where my eye lingers – it’s the first thing I see when I look at my quilt.  If the quilt’s good points outweigh its bad points, I caution waiting it out to make a final judgement call.  Fold the top and set it aside for several days (I wait at least a week).  Then spread the top out again.  If you still hate the quilt top as much as you did, it’s time to look at other options. 

Option One:  Take a picture of your quilt with your cell phone. 

It’s good to do this with a neutral background and in good lighting (outdoors with natural sunlight is best, if you can do this).  This picture will enable you to look at the quilt more objectively.  Since you will have to distance yourself (physically) from the quilt to take the picture, you’ll get a different perspective of it.  As quilters, so much of what we do is so up close and personal, it’s difficult to get the “distance perspective.”  A quilt looks entirely different five feet away than it does five inches from your eyes.  You may find you actually like the quilt more than you thought you did. 

In your photo editing section on your phone, change the quilt picture from color to black and white.  If there is something about your quilt you don’t like, but you can’t exactly put your finger on it, the black and white photo may point it out.  It could be lack of contrast, it could be too much contrast, it could be too many light colors coming together at the same spot, so it looks as if your quilt has “holes” in it.  I’ve found it works even better if you can upload your cell phone pictures to a laptop or desktop and look at them on a bigger screen. 

Regardless, this photo exercise is a good first step in determining why you are suffering from quilt-hate. The information gleaned from the pictures will help you make some decisions – perhaps you can change the outer border a little to make the quilt more appealing to you, or maybe you need to remove a border.   What I wouldn’t do is take the quilt entirely apart.  Just…no.  That’s too much work and there’s still some options.

Option Two:  Do a little quilt comparison.

Normally I discourage quilters from comparing their quilts with those made by another quilter.  Every quilter has their own style, their own favorite techniques, and their own unique talents.  However, in the case where quilt-hate is involved, I think it’s time to do a bit of comparative research.  First, take that picture you took of your quilt on your phone and carefully compare it to the picture of the quilt in your pattern.  Is there something off?  Does something look not quite right?  I’m not trying to cast stones, but pictures can be altered, and there is the possibility the picture of the quilt in your pattern may have been digitally altered – in other words, the picture in the pattern may never match the directions in the pattern.  In short, the quilt you just made that you’re suffering through quilt-hate with?  It may never be as good as the pattern picture because the directions won’t produce that quilt.  In this case, the directions are the norm.  The picture is the abnormality.  If this is indeed the scenario, you’ll need to decide whether to keep the quilt the way it is or alter what you can.  This also may release some of the pressure for you.  If you followed the directions and the picture of the quilt in the pattern isn’t exactly the same quilt the directions were supposed to produce, it’s not your fault.  At that point you may be perfectly okay with keeping it as is.

If, after comparing the photo of your quilt against the picture of the quilt in the pattern, you conclude you did construct the quilt correctly, Google the quilt.  When the results come up, click on the “Images” tab.  This will give you pictures of the quilt made by other quilters.  Use these to compare and contrast the picture of your own quilt.  You may find the pattern worked better with a different color way.  You may discover other quilters changed some things up to make the quilt work better for them.  You may discover options you never thought about before and opt to use one of them to make peace with your quilt. 

Option Three:  Give it a vacation.

Notice I said “vacation” and not “abandon it.” 

Fold your top and store it out of sight for a while, but be sure to define exactly how long it’ll be on vacation – two weeks, a month, two months – whatever.  Give yourself enough time for your quilt hate to subside a bit so you’ll be able to look at the top with a calmer spirit and clearer eyes.  However, be sure to go back to the top when vacation is over.  I write the “return” date on my calendar, so I don’t forget, and post it on the outside of whatever I’ve stored the top in.  When the return date comes up, I spread the top out again and take a hard look at it.  Many times – most of the time, if I’m honest – I find my quilt-hate isn’t as bad as it was, and I can finish it up.

Option Four:  Ask others what they would do with this quilt.

This is a situation where it really pays to have good, knowledgeable, quilting buddies.  Show them your quilt.  Tell them specifically what you don’t like about it.  Ask them their opinions.  I have a close circle of quilting friends, and I value their opinions.  They’ve quilted for almost as long as I have or longer.  They will tell me if my problem is “All in your head, Fields.  I’m not seeing anything wrong with the quilt.  Get over yourself.”  Or they will be equally honest and tell me what they would change and how they would change it.

With this option, let me caution about on-line groups or Facebook groups.  Most of the time the quilters in these groups are just awesome.  However, there’s always that one troll who wants to be ugly and negative.  If your only quilting groups are cyber ones, be careful about posting a picture of your quilt and asking opinions.  Again, most quilters are wonderful folks and will help you anyway they can.  But there’s always that one person….

If you decide to post online and ask opinions, just be aware some folks may be ugly and prepare yourself.  As a matter of fact, you may just want to direct message a few of the group’s members so you can discuss your quilt privately.

Option Five:  Examine your feelings.

Upfront fact:  A quilt is an inanimate object.

Also fact:  We sew our emotions into our quilts.

We do.  Or at least most of us do.  Quilting is primarily a solitary hobby.  You may meet with groups and guilds a couple of times a month, but for the most part, quilting is a solitary act.  As you piece or quilt, it’s so easy to think about things troubling your soul, pray prayers for those folks who are in need, or just to reflect on the good times.  When I look at my quilts, most of the time I can tell you events happening in my life, where the fabric came from, and any emotional upheaval (good or bad) I was experiencing. 

If you’re like me, examine yourself and the quilt carefully.  Are there events or emotions happening in your life and are you projecting those into the quilt?  Are you consistently thinking of these events while piecing and quilting?  If the events or thoughts are really negative, you may hate your quilt because it reminds you of life’s rough patches. 

I know this well on a personal level.  I have one quilt I’ve been unable to finish.  I began working on it while my dad was in Hospice care for pancreatic cancer.  After he passed, I brought it home, stuffed it into the back of a closet and have not been able to touch it since 2005.  That’s almost 20 years ago.  I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it, but I can’t bear to toss it either. I have another quilt I started almost 14 years ago in a class.  Most of the blocks are completed.  However the instructor walked out in the middle of everything, under such dire circumstances that I haven’t felt like picking up where I left off.  I will one day – it’s applique and I love that technique.  I just need to dig it out.

Option Six:  Fight it out.

Finish the quilt.  Grit your teeth, hold your nose, do whatever you have to, but finish it.  Personally, I designate two specific hours a week to work on a project I don’t like.  I set a timer and when it goes off, the project goes back in its box.  I also make sure I have a project which I love to work on during the rest of the week.  This keeps me focused and it helps to know I have a “fun” project waiting on me.

Once the quilt you hate is pieced, immediately quilt it or have it quilted.  There’s something about the quilting which can completely change the character of a quilt.  The quilting can soften edges and simply make the quilt look different.  You may find your quilt-hate dissolving away as texture is added to the quilt top. 

But what if none of the options work?  What if I still hate my quilt?

If your quilt is quilted, give it away.  If you belong to a guild, see if the quilt would work for its charity program.  Then there’s always Project Linus.  If neither of these suggestions work, think about a friend or relative who would appreciate a quilt from you – especially if they’re going through a tough time.  A quilt would be like a tangible hug from you. 

If you realize that no matter what you do, you’re gonna hate that quilt for the rest of your life – so much so you don’t want to put the effort into quilting it or pay to have it quilted.  You could put the top on the free table at your guild.  You could post it on the online quilt groups you belong to and see if someone else would want it.  You could donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a thrift store.  Funny story – I have a good friend who was four blocks into a yearlong block-of-the-month experience when she realized she hated it.  She hated the colorway, she despised the blocks, and she resented the way the BOM cut into her limited sewing time. Since she had a trip planned, she tossed the unwanted blocks in her car.  Not wanting to leave the blocks completely abandoned on her trip, she planned a stop at a quilt store.  She took the blocks in, shopped for a few minutes, took her items to the counter to be checked out, but craftily left the unwanted blocks with the store’s yardage.  Her thought was even if she didn’t want the poor, ugly blocks, they may be just what another quilter needed.   

There are options available to help you deal with quilt-hate.  And in the end, you may decide you don’t hate the quilt as much as you thought you did.  But if you do, and you’ve tried several options and they don’t work for you, don’t be afraid to banish that quilt from your sewing room.  Life is too short to drink bad coffee, wear uncomfortable shoes, or work on a quilt you hate.

From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix 

Let’s take a deep dive into one of the oldest quilt patterns:  The Mariner’s Compass. 

The Mariner’s Compass is not only one of the oldest quilt patterns around, it also was one of the first ones who claimed a consistent name.  It hit its height of popularity between 1840 and 1850 and was especially prevalent along the Eastern Seaboard.  The pattern – a circle with radiating points – resembles the “Wind Rose” and “Compass Rose” found on many maps, sea charts, and magnetic compasses. 

Like a lot of Eastern Seaboard immigrants, the block has its quilty DNA in England.  Quilts with this compass on them popped up there around 1726.  In the United States, the earliest surviving Mariner’s Compass quilt dates back to 1834, but the name Mariner’s Compass (used referring to a quilt) was used in American letters and printed documents as early as 1798.  However, like most quilt blocks, the name and the pattern itself went through several transformations before it came to be recognized as we know it today.  Carrie Hall and Rose Kretsinger called it Chips and Whetstones.  Ruth Finley first named it Country Gentleman and then re-named it Mariner’s Compass.   It’s also been dubbed The Explosion and Sunburst.  However, by the 1960’s it was consistently called Mariner’s Compass and was recognized by that name.

The thought behind the block mimics a magnetic compass.  There are four longer spikes designating north, south, east, and west, with the northern spike pointing straight up.  All four of these are usually the same color or in the same color family.  Most of the time the Mariner’s Compass serves as a medallion in a quilt:

And is surrounded by smaller compasses or a New York Beauty block.

Sometimes smaller Mariner’s Compasses are made, and these are set horizontally. 

This particular type of setting is generally found in the older quilts, dating from the 1830’s to the 1850’s.  It’s tempting to think that since an actual compass shows true north and gives direction even if the sky is foggy or it’s nighttime, the Mariner’s Compass quilt was made and given to folks who were facing a new direction in life – a graduation, a marriage, or who were moving away.  I wish I could say “Yes, that’s true,” but I’d be lying.  The actual history of this block is slim and if there were any actual meanings or superstitions behind this quilt, they have long been forgotten.  

What we do know is this:  The Mariner’s Compass technically falls under the “Star Blocks” category.  It’s a star based on a circular design

Instead of the typical star block, which is generally based on a square.

For a quilter, the Mariner’s Compass is one of those blocks you look at, admire, and then ask yourself, “How in the world do you construct one?”  It’s one of those blocks which take a bit of pre-planning because color placement is important.  The dominate points (north, south, east, and west) need to stand out and the triangles behind those points should both harmonize and contrast.   

The next consideration is accuracy.  There are a few quilt blocks you can kind of “fudge” on your cutting.  If it’s a little wonky, you can usually “correct” this in your piecing (such as a four- or nine-patch).  The Mariner’s Compass is not one of those blocks.  In addition, your seam allowances should be steadfastly consistent.  Plus, you’re working with elongated triangles, and you know what that means … bias.  Lots of bias.  Be prepared to spray starch that fabric until it feels like paper.  Then let’s throw in circles.  You’re constructing a circular star which is sewn to a rectangle.

There is seriously a lot going on in this block. 

Let’s break it down so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. 

1.  Cutting Accuracy.  Yes, you can quite possibly do the math and come up with the size fabric strip needed and the angle you need to cut it to make your points. 

You also have better things to do with your time.  Even if you’re a math superstar, now is not the time to show off.  Not when there are Mariner’s Star templates.  Marti Mitchell has a set of acrylic templates.  Electric Quilt 8 has templates.  Amazon has a host of templates for this block.  Trace around the templates and cut the pieces out with your scissors or trim around them with a rotary cutter.  There are several sites which offer free paper templates for the Mariner’s Compass, too. 

If you have an AccuQuilt, this company produces a couple of different dies for the Mariner’s Compass, complete with notches to match together and pin before you sew, so everything goes together easy-peasy.  These dies make 12-inch blocks, but truthfully, this is one block I wouldn’t want to try to make any smaller. 

However, in my opinion, for complete accuracy without a lot of fuss, I would paper piece it.  There are free paper piecing Mariner’s Compass patterns on several web sites, as well as those you can purchase. 

•  Color/Fabric Choice.  No matter if I were traditionally piecing the pattern or paper piecing it, I would decide my color scheme, color a picture of the compass I’m making, and then do my fabric pull.  If you use EQ8, this can easily be done.  For me, this is not one of those blocks I can “free style it” and decide what I want to use as I go along.  There definitely must be some dominate colors and some supporting ones.  I think it’s easier to make those decisions before block construction begins. 

•  Consistent Seam Allowances.  If you decide to paper piece this block, you don’t have to worry about consistent seam allowances.  You simply sew on the line (another reason I would rather paper piece this block).  However, I do realize not all my readers enjoy paper piecing.  So, if you plan on traditionally piecing this block, a quilter’s ¼-inch foot would be your BFF throughout this process. 

But speed would not.  Sew slowly (or at least slower than you normally do).  Slower sewing allows you to control your fabric and keep a consistent ¼-inch seam allowance. 

•  Bias.  Anytime fabric is cut at an angle, you encounter bias. 

Anything cut on the bias will stretch more than fabric cut on the crosswise grain (second most stretchy cut) or the length wise grain (least stretchy cut).  Bias isn’t anything to be scared of, but there are a couple of actions you want to put into play as you deal with bias.  The first is to spray starch the fabric until it almost feels like paper.  And in order to do this, you need real spray starch, not a starch substitute.  Starch substitutes are great for some applications, but this isn’t one of them.  Starch the fabric on the wrong side, lightly spraying a fine mist of starch, and then pressing it into the fabric with a hot iron.  Repeat the process – because it will take several starch applications – until the fabric feels like paper.  Then cut your Mariner’s Compass points out. 

The second action is simply don’t handle the pieces with bias anymore than you must.  Overhanding the block units is a sure-fire way to stretch the bias.  Cut the pieces out and set them aside until you need them. 

•  Joining the circular compass to the square piece of fabric.  Sometimes the Mariner’s Compass pattern can be divided into quarter sections. If this is the case with your pattern, the background fabric can be attached to each quarter by machine – the curve is gentle and if you sew slowly you should be able to control the fabric and keep a consistent ¼-inch seam.  I would treat these blocks the same way I would a Drunkard’s Path block – I’d make the outside block piece a bit bigger, sew it on, and then trim it to fit.

Then there are Mariner’s Compass blocks like this:

In this type of compass block, it seems as if the circular compass is floating on top of the block.  Being an applique quilter, I’d use the reverse applique technique.  For me, this would be the simplest and most accurate method of getting the compass centered and inserted into the block – not to mention, this method would minimize bulk. 

The first Mariner’s Compass – a real one, not a quilted one – was invented by the Chinese Han Dynesty around 206 BC using a lodestone and a piece of iron.  The magnetized lodestone would always push the piece of iron to point north, giving the early sailors and explorers direction in unfamiliar lands and waters.  Through the years, the Mariner’s Compass evolved into the quilt block we know.  It’s a block which does require some skill (definitely not a beginner project) and patience.  Some quilters I know would rather hand piece this block and others don’t mind throwing it under their machine needle.  Either way, it’s one of those blocks when carefully thought out and accurately constructed, throws a “Wow” factor into any quilt.

Have I made one?  Yes.  One block.

Will I make more?  While my son admires my quilting, he’s the child who rarely comes out and says “This is what I’d really like to have” as far as my quilts go.  However, he has mentioned in the past he really likes this block.  So yes.  When I finish up a few other projects I have under my needle now, I will.  A large one.  A medallion Mariner’s Compass.  For my ocean-loving, Florida-dwelling kid.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours!

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix.

There’s no debate the money in our wallets doesn’t go as far as it used to, and your boss may not be convinced you need a raise in pay just because your quilting habit needs more financial support. 

Things – everything from abacas to Zwilling knives (expensive German carving knives) – cost more today.  And on that list are quilting supplies.  Some quilting notions have remained relatively inexpensive, while some have experienced a rather sharp rise in cost.  What I want to do today is give you some ideas to keep your quilting expenses within your budget without taking away any of the joy and pleasure quilting brings.

First, we need to look at exactly what is needed to begin to quilt — the very basic supplies.  I have helped quite a few quilters get their “quilting legs under them.”  One of the barriers I immediately hit (especially if they come to my studio) is how much “stuff” I have and there’s no way they could afford all of that.  I’m honest with them:  When I started quilting I didn’t have all of this… stuff. I’ve quilted for over 30 years and what they see is an accumulation of rulers, fabric, thread, and patterns purchased over that time span – not in the first few months I began to quilt.  The supplies I had when I began quilting could easily fit into two drawers of my china hutch and still have room for the linen napkins I used on special occasions.  Below is a list of what I feel you need to begin quilting.

• A good, basic sewing machine.  You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a machine in order for it to be a good one.  As a matter of fact, I would advise against it until you feel like quilting will be a major hobby in your life.  A good machine, such as a Brother, isn’t going to cost you an arm and a leg, and they have a reputation for reliability.  These are readily available online or at big box stores such as Joann’s or Walmart.  Technically, the machine only needs to perform a straight stitch, although most basic machines generally sew several different stitches as well as make buttonholes.  These run the price range of $150 to $300.  Even if you plan on hand piecing or hand applique, you’ll need a machine.
• A self-healing cutting mat.  It’s tempting to purchase a small one, but that can become really aggravating when you’re cutting strips which are the width of fabric (about 44-inches).  Personally, I don’t recommend anything smaller than 18-inches x 24-inches.  And if you must store it between quilting sessions, be sure to store it flat.  Please don’t roll it up like a newspaper.
• A rotary cutter and ruler.  Yes, you’ll need scissors, too, but practically no quilt patterns publish directions for cutting your block units out with scissors any longer.  Those times have sailed.  The cutter should fit well in your hand, and it should be easy to change the blade.  A 45-mm rotatory cutter is a great starting place.  It’s small enough to cut out tiny pieces and trim around templates, but still large enough to slice through several layers of fabric. A basic, straight edge rotary cutter ruler is needed for accurate cutting. A good beginner ruler is a 6-inch x 18-inch ruler or a 4-inch x 24-inch ruler. I prefer the Creative Grids rulers because they have the fabric gripper spots built in them.
• Scissors. I suggest having a pair strictly for cutting paper and another for fabric only.
• Iron. It should have a cotton setting.  For more information on irons, go here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2024/03/20/a-pressing-matter/
• Spray bottle.  You’ll need this for water.  Most quilters typically don’t t use the steam setting on their iron, so if a little extra moisture is needed to get the wrinkles out, we lightly mist the fabric with water and then use a hot iron. 
• Pressing surface.  This can be a standard ironing board.  You will need a pressing space big enough to handle large swaths of fabric – such as borders.
• Tape.  Either masking tape or painters tape come in handy.  And a roll of transparent tape is needed if you plan on paper piecing. 

 Those are the basics.  Even if your sewing machine is the median price of $200 (or better yet if you buy a good used one or borrow one from someone else) you can start your quilting set up without breaking the bank.  As a matter of fact the only other two items you may not already own (besides a sewing machine) may be the rotary cutter and the self-healing mat.

If you’re already a quilter, you have all the basics and probably a few more than a few extras.  The cost issues we’re running into are fabric, batting, thread, and backing.  Let’s talk about what we can do to lower our expenditures on those.

Fabric

In 2023, the average cost of a yard of quilting cotton was $13.50.  In 2022, the average price was around $12.50 per yard (no figures available yet on 2024, although the online and brick-and-mortar stores I shop at are holding steady around the $12.50 price).  Cotton fabric depends on lots of things – taxes, tariffs, and the cotton crop – so prices can possibly vary widely from year to year.   There are a couple of ways to approach budgeting for your fabric.  The first is simply to use what you already have.  Some of us have stashes large enough we really don’t need to purchase any new fabric in the near future not that I’m in this group….Quilt up what you have and only purchase what you need.  In my studio the only new fabrics I plan on purchasing are backgrounds for applique.  After quilting for so long, I have an ample stash.

 A second way to budget is to use your scraps.  I think each quilter needs to come up with an organized plan to manage their scraps.  Since I do a lot of applique, I keep anything 8-inches square or larger.  It’s sorted according to color and is stored in small bins.  When a bin gets full, I go through it and decide what I will cut into squares and rectangles for scrap quilts and what I’ll keep for applique.  This system has worked well for me for years.  If you’re not sure where to begin yourself, there are several great YouTube videos on controlling your scrappage, and there are numerous really great books with patterns for fantastic scrap quilts.  I love Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth and Charlene Thode.  The Nickel Quilts books are a series of three, and all deal with 5-inch squares – so if you have a lot of scraps you can trim to 5-inches, or you own a lot of charm packs, these may be great resources for you.  A good friend of mine just tuned me into Potato Chip Quilts.  These quilts work with 2 ½-inch x 4 ½-inch rectangles.  If you’re curious about these quilts, go here: https://www.joscountryjunction.com/from-the-comment-section-potato-chip-quilt/. Chinese Coin quilts are another pattern which can help you plow through your scrappage.  But the fact behind these patterns is this:  You can use your scraps and make a beautiful quilt and not spend an extra dime on fabric.  Plus you’re keeping fabric out of the landfill.

If you find you do have to purchase fabric for a quilt, buy only the required amount listed on the pattern.  Most patterns allow for some “wiggle” room.  The designers realize a few cutting mistakes may be made and are usually pretty generous with their fabric requirements.  If there is any doubt, do what I always urge you do to before beginning any quilt:  Google the pattern.  If the fabric requirements come up short, if they’re too close for comfort, or there are corrections for the pattern, chances are any of these issues will appear in a Google search.  However, most of the time, that extra ¼-yard we purchase for “peace of mind” isn’t needed. 

Despite fabric frugality, there may come a time when you feel you need to “freshen up” your stash.  Maybe you need more reds for a Christmas quilt or more blues and pinks for baby quilts, but you’re really trying to stick to a quilty budget.  You can still shop for fabric in a couple of different ways.  The first is to find a sale.  Thankfully the internet allows us to shop for the best fabric at the best price with a few clicks of a mouse.  (Personally my favorite online site is Keepsake Quilting Warehouse.  Their sale prices are phenomenal.  If you live near Archdale, North Carolina or can plan a trip there, it’s worth a stop, plus their customer service is stellar.).  However, shipping costs can be as much, if not more, than the cost of the fabric.  If several of your quilting friends also need fabric, why not see if you all can place one order and split the shipping costs? 

Another way to keep your fabric frugality in check is to arrange for a fabric swap.  Many guilds do this, but if you don’t belong to one of those, there’s no reason you and a few of your quilting buddies can’t have one.  First set the rules.  My guild’s rules are pretty general.  You exchange “like” for “like.  For instance, if you bring a jelly roll to swap, you get another jelly roll.  A yard of fabric for a yard of fabric (in any combination).  You also have to note if it’s pre-washed or not and if it came from a pet-free home.  Truly what is one person’s “trash” is another person’s treasure – what you no longer need may be exact fabric someone else does. 

Finally, the last idea for your fabric budget – avoid precuts.  Inch for inch, they’re more expensive than yardage because the manufacturer had to factor in the labor for the precuts.  If you adore jelly roll quilts or 5-inch charm packs or any other pre-cut, and you’re really pinching pennies, try making your own.  It takes a bit more time, but you’ll save some money. 

Batting

There are five major kinds of batting (silk, wool, bamboo, polyester, and cotton) and several types of blended batting.  And while quilters can substitute these battings with a sheet, minky, or flannel, I want to deal with the “standard” types of batting.  The cost of a batt depends on what fibers it’s made from. For example, a silk batt is more expensive than a cotton one.  Personally, I found the best way for me to save money on batting was to find the type which worked with most of my quilts and then to purchase it in bulk.  This means I buy a roll of batting at a time.  Since I have a long arm, I can keep the roll on it.  This keeps the batt out of the way.  Like a lot of long armers, I have found the 80/20 batting (80% cotton/20% polyester) works for most of my quilts.  I’ve also found this batting works well with my Janome M7 Continental, too – it’s not too bulky in the harp.  I keep an eye out for coupons and purchase a roll as needed, but since I may only quilt three to four quilts a year, a roll of batting lasts me a long time.

You may not have a long arm, but if there’s room to store a roll of batting, you can find this is your best long-term, budget-friendly batting option.  If you don’t have the room to store a roll, watch for bagged batting on sale and buy one or two of those.  It’s always great to have a spare batt if you suddenly find you’ve finished a project before expected and want to get busy with the quilting. 

Another way to stretch your batting dollar is to save your batting scraps.  Quite often if you have a small quilt, a scrap of batting will work just fine, and you don’t need to purchase another batt.  Sometimes you can sew large batting scraps together and make a batt just the size needed (Go here to learn more about this: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2020/01/29/this-is-the-batt-the-whole-batt-and-nothing-but-the-batt/ ).  However, one word of caution – if you use a variety of batting types (cotton, polyester, silk, etc.), keep them separated according to their content.  If you sewed a cotton batt (which will shrink when washed) to an 80/20 batt (which doesn’t shrink as much as a cotton batt when washed), your quilt top will pucker more in the cotton batting area than in the 80/20 batting area when washed and dried. 

And a housekeeping hint—those batting scraps that are too small to sew into a batt work wonderful on a Swiffer sweeper or as a dusting cloth when you’re polishing your furniture. 

Backing

One of the easiest ways to stick to your fabric budget is to eliminate purchasing wide backs and create a quilt back out of your stash.  You can easily sew a backing together which is as long and as wide as needed.  This helps you sew up your stash and keeps you in line with a fabric budget.  I do this with all the backs for quilts I’m quilting on my Janome M7 Continental.

However….my long arm machine is temperamental.  She does not like seams – not one.  I’ve even tried loading my quilt with the seam running horizontal instead of vertical, so she only has to sew over it once.

No dice. 

She hates seams.  If I plan on loading a quilt on my long arm, I know I need a wide back so my quilting experience will be reasonably enjoyable.  If you’re in the same situation, the only advice I can offer is do what I do:  Catch those backs on sale and purchase them that way.  When I do come across quilt backs at a good price I tend to purchase a couple at a time (which I can easily do if I know what quilts will be quilted on the long arm).

And Finally….

There will always be occasions when you need to replace equipment.  Because of the way Amazon is set up to allow you to compare prices, it’s the first site I hit.  I don’t purchase equipment such as cutting machines or sewing machines on their site, but when I plug the item in the search bar, Amazon will give me a range of prices it sells for as well as customer reviews.  Once I’ve determined what I will purchase, I then go to Facebook Market Place.  I realize not everyone has had a positive experience on Marketplace, but I’ve found quilters to be a pretty good group of folks no matter where they’re gathered.  I’ve always been happy with my Facebook Marketplace quilting purchases.  If you belong to a local guild, try asking other guild members if they have what you need and would be willing to sell it to you.  Even if they don’t have it, they may know where you can get it at a reasonable price. 

There may also come a time when you want to learn something new or how to perform a technique better.  Guilds are also a good reference for this.  While guild meetings themselves are generally reserved for presentations, a guild member would probably love to help you out with this.  Just put the word out and more than likely a guild member will pull you aside, set up a time and place, and be more than happy to instruct you (at least that’s how it works with my guild).  Quilters are such wonderfully giving people and we do want to see everyone learn and love our craft.  If you can’t find someone to help you, YouTube has literally hundreds of videos by stellar instructors.  Type in what you want to learn in YouTube’s search bar, and you’ll be rewarded with lots of choices.  Both of these ideas will expand your quilting knowledge and keep your budget intact. 

The last idea I would like to suggest to save some money is learn to quilt your own quilts.  I know with this suggestion I may be hitting a wall with some of you, because many of my readers quilt by checkbook (pay a long arm artist).  And absolutely continue to do so on special quilts.  But if you’re constructing a play quilt, cuddle quilt, a quilt that will live out its life on the back of your couch to be pulled down when you watch TV, quilt it on your machine.  Some simple, curvy quilting or straight-line quilting will work just fine, and you’ll keep a couple hundred dollars in your pocket. 

What to Purchase in Bulk – If You Can

Certain quilty notions are used over and over again – no matter what kind of quilt you’re making, how big the quilt is, or any other factors – we use some of the same things in all of our quilts.  If you have the room to store the following items, I suggest you purchase them in bulk:  Batting, rotary cutter blades, and sewing machine needles.  The initial expenditure may be a bit on the pricey side, but the cost per item (or yard, as in the case of batting) will be less.

Thread is also a great item to purchase in bulk (many smaller spools) or cones (if your machine has an adaptor for cones or you can purchase a cone adaptor).  Since quilters generally stick to gray, white, beige, and black when piecing, it’s really easy to purchase several spools or cones when you find them on sale.  You know you’ll use them up.

From My Studio to Yours

I know our dollars don’t go as far as they once did.   Food is expensive.  Gas is, too.  So are most of the items we use every day, including our quilting supplies.  I’ve quilted for quite a few years, and half of that time had to figure out where to pinch my pennies (a teacher’s salary didn’t go far then and it still doesn’t now).  I’m offering you a few suggestions from what I’ve learned, however, there are two quilting supplies I feel you should never scrimp on quality even if certain brands are cheaper:  Thread and Fabric.  Purchase the best quilting fabric you can afford and stay away from the thin, cheaply manufactured stuff.  Thread is the lifeline of the quilt – it holds it all together.  Long staple thread with low lint sews beautifully and causes less lint to build up in your machine.  Quality thread and quilting fabric makes a huge difference in the way your quilt looks.

Until Next Week, From my Studio to Yours,

Love and Stiches,

Sherri and Felix

Let’s talk about Depression Era quilts for a few minutes.  Most of us (including me until I began a life-long love affair with these quilts), assume these quilts were all made entirely from scraps in the most economical way possible.  The answer to this assumption is both yes and no.  Definitely there were those utilitarian quilts made from dress scraps and feed sacks, but there were also those beautifully pieced quilts (such as the Double Wedding Ring) and applique quilts (such as those from Marie Webster) which were made from purchased yardage. 

There is also this misnomer about “Depression Era Quilts” – that they began in 1930 and ended in 1939.  That’s also misleading.  Depression Era Quilts have certain characteristics.  They have an inherently scrappy look, using both prints and solids, sewn together with white fabric.  They are usually made from lots of tiny pieces (think Grandmother’s Flower Garden).  Applique quilts enjoyed a re-birth during this time and those quilts started out as highly stylized and evolved to complex quilts with lots of small pieces.  The fabric palette was quite distinctive – bubble gum pinks, cherry reds, yellows with a tint of gold, mint greens, and soft blues.  What quilt historians have found is these quilts had a lifespan beyond the 10 years historians class the Great Depression.  Construction of these quilts began in the late 1920’s and didn’t end until the 1950’s – and with the revival of feed sack reproduction fabrics, they still are popular now.

Besides a distinct color palette, the rise in popularity of certain quilt patterns, and the birth of quilt shows as we now know them, this quilt period gave us some wonderful quilt designers.  It was during this crucible — of one of the most creative quilting periods — that Marie Webster, Rose Kretsinger, Charlotte Jane Whitehall, and Hannah Headlee came into their own as quilters.  Marie Webster made quilting her career, producing both beautifully appliqued quilts as well as the patterns for the quilts which she sold through her mail order business.  Rose Kretsinger not only became an expert applique artist, but also wrote co-wrote books with a woman named Carrie Hall. 

And it’s Carrie Hall I want to discuss today.  I feel that, despite the fact she was one of the early Quilting Hall of Fame inductees, we kind of skip over the important role she plays in quilting because her actual quilting journey was not solely focused on the art and the end of her life was fraught with controversy and financial instability.

Born on December 9, 1866, in Caledonia, Wisconsin, Carrie Alma Hackett was the daughter of a Civil War veteran and his wife.  Dwight Hackett from Illinois mustered out of the Union Army and immediately married Carrie’s mother (I searched and couldn’t find the name of Carrie’s mother – if you know, could you please leave it in the comments?).  Dwight Hackett filled his daughter’s head with tales about Abraham Lincoln’s education and leadership.  Carrie claims these stories developed her lifelong interest in all things Abraham Lincoln – but it was her mother who instilled in her a love of books, desire for knowledge, and her discriminating taste in fashion.  In 1873, when Carrie was seven, her father moved them to Smith County, Kansas.  Like so many other folks of this time, Dwight Hackett developed western fever, but had no idea of the harsh pioneer life the 160-acre homestead would bring his family.  But they persevered through blizzards and grasshopper infestations and the destruction of their first crops. 

Despite the hardships and poverty of pioneer life, books and quilts were always a constant in Carrie’s life.  They were considered necessary luxuries in her prairie home and as a result, she became a book worm.  She often had to be chided to “Put down that book and get to your chores!” by her mother.  Besides her love of books, Carrie also developed a love of sewing.  At the age of seven, under her mother’s tutelage, Carrie pieced a Le Moyne Star quilt.  Showing needlework skills far beyond her age, Carrie’s neighbors declared the quilt a masterpiece and encouraged her to enter it in the county fair.  She did and it took first place –  a ribbon and a subscription to Godey’s Ladies Book, the fashion Bible of the times. 

Carrie never graduated from high school, much less college, but because of her thirst for knowledge, she was qualified to teach school and was even a county superintendent for a while.  In 1889, when she was 23, Carrie moved to Leavenworth, Kansas.

Leavenworth was a thriving river port, railroad hub, and the site of an important Army post.  She left the field of education, took up her needle, and launched her career as a dressmaker.  She did this in a period of time when the well-to-do entertained lavishly and dressed in fashions copied from New York and Paris.  Catering to the tastes of local society, Carrie’s dressmaking business prospered, and she employed many assistants.  As a designer, Carrie chose styles from the latest Paris fashion magazines and used fabric imported from France.  Examples of these gowns can still be found for study at the Leavenworth County Historical Museum. 

In Carrie Hall’s quilting biography, her career as a dressmaker is sometimes glossed over in the rush to get to her contribution as a quilter.  However, I don’t think this period in her life can or should be so easily dismissed.  Like most things in her life, Carrie had a strong opinion about clothing and fashion, which she shared in a book she authored, From Hoopskirts to Nudity.  She felt clothes influence those who wear them, for good or for evil.  She pointed out that fashion illustrations were ill proportioned and unbalanced and “the poor misguided women look at (the illustrations) and try to make themselves into their image.” I have a feeling Carrie would have a field day with today’s ultra-thin models and designer fashions.  To Carrie, fashion and style were not the same thing, even though then (as now) the terms were used indiscriminately, incorrectly, and synonymously.  “Style,” she said, “in its relation to dress, is the indescribable something that is so easily recognized and so hard to define.  Style is of the person and not the clothes, for two women may wear a dress of the same design and fabric and one will look like a fashion plate and the other will look like a frump.  One will be a ‘vision’ and the other a ‘sight.’” She felt that fashions were created for “One-size-fits-all” and the poor fashion victims were squeezed or stretched to fit the prevailing mode.  “On the other hand, style, like beauty, is eternal and its essential qualities never change throughout the ages, and the woman who possesses this distinction will impose it on every garment she wears.”

Her skill as a dressmaker cannot be overlooked.  Her business prospered and she became known as “Madame Hall, Modiste.”  She not only employed many assistants, but her income also supported a large home, two ailing husbands (She married John Patterson, a University of Kansas student who died from tuberculosis shortly after they married, and then in 1906 married John Hall, a construction worker.  Neither marriage produced any children.), and it supported her habit of collecting books and memorabilia on Abraham Lincoln, Shakespeare, and fashion.

It was while Hall was a dress maker that she “re-discovered” her love of quilting.  She was kind of captivated by all the new quilt patterns on the market and decided since she couldn’t make one of every quilt, she would make one of every quilt block – an ambitious goal for sure, but Carrie was a woman of great enthusiasm and energy.  And it was just as well she found another occupation.  By the 1920’s ready-made clothing was available and her dress making business took a nosedive.  Between spending a great deal of money on Mr. Hall – who was constantly in poor health – Carrie’s finances also took a nosedive.  She constructed her blocks and decided to go on the lecture circuit, speaking about quilts and her quilt blocks.  She made herself a red moiré colonial-styled dress and went about the mid-west, offering lectures about quilting. 

In conjunction with that, she discovered another Kansas quilter, Rose Kretsinger.  Carrie was enthralled by Rose’s designs as well as her applique.  Carrie and Rose wrote The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt.  Carrie wrote the first part of the book about the romance of quilts, the quilting bee, the quilt’s place in art, and how to make quilts.  Her blocks were numbered and named, making this book the first comprehensive index quilting patterns, their names and their history.  The second part of the book, also written by Carrie, provides photos of completed quilts, both antique and modern.  Twelve of the quilt photos are from Rose Kretsinger’s collection, made either by Rose or by her mother.  Rose wrote the third part of the book, emphasizing design and the history of quilting.  The very first editions of this book were likely self-published by Rose and Carrie through Caxton Publishers in Caldwell, Idaho.  After the book was completed, Carrie donated all the blocks to the Spencer Art Museum at the University of Kansas.

Unfortunately, the publication of The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt did little to ease Carrie’s precarious money situation.  To add insult to Carrie’s already failing finances, the publishing house burned to the ground in 1927, probably destroying many books the authors had already paid for.  To add to her continuing diminishing finances, Carrie’s own home burned down the following year. By World War II, Carrie found herself in even worse financial trouble.  To address her money issues, she turned all of her personal property over to her creditors, with the exception of her books.  This allowed her and her husband to live in comfort for a while.  However by 1941, she had to leave Leavenworth, Kansas due to a financial scandal.  She was accused of “borrowing” money from clubs where she served as treasurer (she also borrowed from friends).  In due time these organizations discovered the embezzlement and demanded repayment – which she could not provide.  At 75, she sold her house, a rental property, and her books.  She moved to Rigby, Idaho, and lived with her newly widowed sister.

During this time with her sister, she began to manufacture and sell playtime and character dolls of historical figures, paying close attention to details and the craftsmanship of the dolls.  This business operated under the name of “The Handicraft Shop” and was very successful. Today, her dolls are still sought after.  For a while her money issues took a back seat to her business.  However, she found at her age, working 16+ hours a day to be challenging.  She was contemplating hiring help when she came down with a serious illness and on January 5, 1955, at the age of 88, she passed away.  She is buried in a family cemetery near her family homestead. 

In so many ways, Carrie Hall is no different than many of us (without the whole embezzling and borrowing money and not paying it back issues).  When one career hit a dead end, she re-made herself and started over – each time with great success.  If she would have handled her money differently – in a more conservative way – chances are she could have made her mark in our quilt history without that “ick” feeling knowing she absconded and robbed people who trusted her (after all, if you’re elected treasurer of an organization, you obviously appear to be a trust-worthy individual).  But these facts (despite the fact what she did was both illegal and unethical) do not negate the gift she gave us quilters.  Carrie Hall was the first person who indexed quilt blocks and their names.  While often times, there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of rationale in her names, nevertheless it gave us somewhere to start. 

As quilters we rely on this information today for names, construction, and history. Today’s quilters (such as Barbara Brackman) turned to Carrie Hall and her blocks as a starting point to begin their own quilt journey.  This rich interpretation of blocks and names (as Carrie indexed her blocks, she wrote down all the known names for each block) resulted in the book Carrie Hall Blocks: Over 800 Historical Patterns from the College of the Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas. While not directly written by Carrie Hall, it has her fingerprints all over it and if you’re kind of an old-school quilter like me, this book is in your library along with Barbara Brackman’s Block Base and encyclopedias.

Carrie Hall chose the Spencer Museum of Art as a housing location for all of her quilt blocks and their information.  As a result of this, Sallie Casey Thayer also chose the Spence Museum to house her collection of quilts (over 5,000 pieces of antique textiles and other items).  One of the Thayer quilts supposedly is from the family of Alexander Hamilton.  In 1974, Elizabeth Szabronski retired to Florida.  In the spirit of both Sallie Thayer and Carrie Hall, Mrs. Szabronski was both a quilter and a collector.  Elizabeth both collected quilts and had a library of quilt books.  She felt her things belonged with Carrie’s and Sallie’s items, so the Spencer Museum also took those in.  This resulted in one of the most thorough quilting libraries in the world, when combined with Hall’s.  Carrie Hall’s information covered quilting from the twenties and thirties.  Elizabeth Szabronski’s covers the fifties and sixties – a quilting era that definitely suffered a low interest in quilting.  However, the publications Szabronski provided shows that even during slow quilting times, there was as strong network of quilters and quilting information out there. 

Also in the spirit of Carrie Hall, Szabronski developed her own quilt index, except she drew the blocks instead of making them.  She drew them on an index card, filed them alphabetically, and cross-referenced them to other names for the same pattern her source indicated.  These were also donated to the Spencer Museum – five boxes of index cards containing approximately 5,000 individual cards.  During the 1970’s, when quilting was enjoying a resurgence in popularity, the Hall/Szabronski collection provided the inspiration and raw material for Quilt Kansas! By Jean Mitchell and An Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns  by Barbara Brackman.

Despite her dubious moral, ethical, and legal failings, in spite of her lack of monetary skill, the quilting world owes a debt of gratitude to Carrie Hall.  What we have as far as quilting software programs, historical context, block construction, and indexing we owe to her.  If she had not had the gumption to begin the arduous process of making one quilt block from every pattern, would we have as comprehensive knowledge about block history as we do?  She wasn’t perfect (as none of us are), and she certainly fell short in many moral areas, but she has to be admired for her comprehensive work, as well as her inner strength to get up and keep moving even when life knocked her down.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Sherri and Felix. 

PS.  This book:

Contains the drawings and information about the Carrie Hall blocks – all 800 of them.  For the most part, it’s out of print (I believe).  There are few copies available on Amazon, Thrift Books, Ebay, and other sites.

It’s also interesting to note Spencer Museum of Art has all of these blocks except Crazy, St. Louis Star, Kaleidoscope, Ornate Star, Octagon Tile, Double Peony and Wild Rose, Water Lily, Hickory Leaf, and Roman Stripe.  At one point, Hall wrote to the museum and asked for a few of her blocks back to “add some bright patches to” for her sister.  I’m not sure if these were the blocks returned to her or if any were at all. 

The title of this week’s blog may confuse you just a bit.  I mean, as a whole, quilters are pretty “techy” people.  We can navigate websites, design software, Adobe, Photoshop, and a myriad of other computer programs.  On a personal level, we may use Word, live with an Alexi, consult Siri, and use navigation apps.  But AI?  Really?  Should quilters be wary of this kind-a-sorta-new technology or embrace it?  In all honesty, this isn’t a yes or no kind of question.  It’s more of a “Depends on the circumstances” sort of thing.  Let’s start first by defining exactly what AI is.

AI (artificial intelligence) is computer software that mimics how humans think, in order to perform such tasks as reasoning, learning, and analyzing information.  It allows a machine to display human-life capabilities such as planning and creativity.  Artificial Intelligence enables technical systems to perceive their environment, deal with what they perceive, solve problems and act to achieve a specific goal.  A machine with AI software can absorb hundreds of thousands of data bytes, sort them, and process them in all kinds of ways – much, much faster than humans can.  The goal for a machine with AI embedded in it is to recognize patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans.  Think you don’t already use AI in your life?  Think again.  Artificial Intelligence is already working in our taxi booking apps (such as Uber), voice assistance (such as Siri and Alexi), chatbots, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube, personalized marketing, face recognition on some phones, social media algorithms, the texting section of your cell phone, fraud detection in banking, gaming platforms, navigation/GPS apps, fall and crash detection (often found on Apple watches), self-driving vehicles, speech recognition (found in the dictation part of your texting and memo apps on your cell phone as well as in many word processing programs), security software such as your Ring doorbell, email filtering, image generators, and weather prediction.  I’m sure I’ve missed some.  There are literally hundreds of applications/machines we use which employ AI. 

So how does AI work?  We’ve touched on it briefly.  A machine or software program which has AI can absorb the data thrown its way far faster than the smartest human ever could.  It may not know exactly what to do with this data, but it begins to sort it and store it.  Over time, when presented with an opportunity, it may helpfully suggest words or other things it thinks you need.  For instance, I live in Greensboro.  If I am entering shipping information on a website from my phone, as soon as I type Gree, AI automatically suggests filling in the rest of the blank with nsboro.  Binge watching YouTube?  Let’s say you’re looking up videos on the best way to bind a quilt.  After you’ve watched the first couple of videos, the AI in YouTube very helpfully suggests several more quilting videos, along with some videos by folks you may have watched in the past.  Artificial intelligence is eager to learn and remembers in perpetuity. 

On the whole, AI sounds like a useful tool.  I understand the fact that a machine or computer which has AI can make some folks uncomfortable.  The AI is trying to reason, plan, analyze and create – all very human characteristics.  They may be wary about an inanimate object becoming too human like.  While it’s great our word processing program wants to correct our spelling (jury is still out on the grammar thing – I’ve almost gotten in fights with Word over its bad grammar), is too much AI too much of a “good” thing when it comes to quilting?  First, let’s talk about exactly how “smart” artificial intelligence is.

It’s important to remember AI works from the data it can gather.  So to give AI a “test run” on how much data it had on quilts, I went online to DALL.E.  This is an AI image site.  You type in a prompt and AI will return a picture of what you request – at least what it thinks you requested. 

I gave it three chances.

The first quilt image I asked DALL.E to retrieve was a picture of a quilt made from 150 half-square triangles. 

Here’s DALLE’s result:

Not exact, but not too bad.

The second quilt image I requested was a New York Beauty.

DALL.E gave me this:

An interesting quilt for sure, but definitely not a New York Beauty.  And how does AI explain taxis and boats on the same thoroughfare? 

Finally – at least for this part of my experiment – I asked DALL.E to return a quilt designed by sherriquiltsalot.com.  I didn’t ask for Sherri Fields, because my blog and website are sherriquiltsalot.com.  I knew AI would mine what computer data was out there for that and there are certainly several years’ worth of blogs on WordPress.  After thinking for a while, DALL.E came up with this:

Gotta give credit where credit is due.  Those are my colors.  It has a pieced border and a floater.  Lots of clever piecing…but somebody…anybody… tell me my quilts aren’t quite that chaotic.  And there’s no applique, so there’s that little factor.

On a scale of one to ten, I’d give DALL.E a six.  Slightly above average, but needs work.

This part of my AI experiment was fun.  I got some laughs out of its attempt to come up with the quilt requested (you have to admit that DALL.E’s New York Beauty is something else).  However, what’s not so funny is this:  Remember AI is continually gathering data, sorting it, reasoning it out.  I plan to return to DALL.E in a month and request the same quilts to see if I get the same results.  If, in true AI fashion, it’s been gathering data, reasoning, and creating, I should get better results the second time.  We will definitely revisit and see.

What may not be so much fun – in fact it could be both scary and financially devastating – is if this AI begins to mimic quilt designers.  Quilt designers – the ones who make wonderful quilts and quilt patterns – put food on their table by selling their goods.  This usually includes their patterns. I did not request a quilt by Bonnie Hunter, Kim Diehl or any other well-known designer because I didn’t want to give DALL.E any more data than it already had.  Well-known designers already have enough information on their websites that the AI software could easily pick it up and design a quilt similar or just like the designers.

Which brings me to my next point.  When does this sort of AI infringe on copyrights?  Those of you who have read my blogs for years know I am fervently against copying patterns and giving those copies to your friends (go here https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2019/02/06/the-grumpy-quilter-or-copyright-policies-with-apologies-to-steve-bender/).  This robs designers of their well-earned money for designing all those beautiful patterns we like so much.  If AI can gather enough data on any designer to produce patterns identical to or pretty similar to existing quilt patterns, it has the potential of damaging the pattern market for both quilters and quilt designers.  I don’t know if AI can be charged with copyright infringement, but it does have the potential of making a huge, chaotic mess for the pattern market and the quilt designers’ well-being.  What, if any, do quilters and their quilting goods have to protect themselves from AI?

According to the Harvard Business Review, not much – at least right now.  The courts are still sorting things out.  Writers  Gil Appel, Juliana Neelbauer, and David A. Schweidel stated in the April 7, 2023 Harvard Business Review “Claims are already being litigated. In a case filed in late 2022, Andersen v. Stability AI et al., three artists formed a class to sue multiple generative AI platforms on the basis of the AI using their original works without license to train their AI in their styles, allowing users to generate works that may be insufficiently transformative from their existing, protected works, and, as a result, would be unauthorized derivative works. If a court finds that the AI’s works are unauthorized and derivative, substantial infringement penalties can apply.”

In other words, it may become possible for some big names (such as Getty Images, who has already started the ball rolling to protect themselves from AI), to force the courts to reach a decision concerning AI which would set precedence for smaller fish in the litigation sea like quilt designers.

This is it.  This is the dark side of the AI technology we need to be careful about.  However, like all technology – the internet, streaming entertainment, gaming – it is neutral.  AI in and of itself, is neither good nor bad.  It’s what people do with it that can make it inherently evil or inherently good. 

The good side to AI is that it is pretty creative.  If the quilts referenced above from DALL.E doesn’t prove it, let me tell you about the second part of my technology experiment.  I’ve been on a quest for an applique pattern with a cat ever since Felix was adopted.  I wanted a pattern with a black and white cat (he’s developed more white patches as he’s gotten older, so he’s no longer solid black) with some tulips and daisies.  I’ve searched but haven’t been able to find a pattern and had started drawing my own.  Just for giggles, I asked DALL.E to create an applique quilt of a black and white cat with daisies and tulips.  This is what it returned:

Not too bad.  It’s enough to give me inspiration to push forward with my quilt.  As much as I can determine, this is DALLE’s design and has not been pulled from other quilt designers.  Now, let me raise another question.  Let’s say I make this quilt and enter it in a quilt show.  Do I give DALL.E credit for the pattern?  I mean, the quilt isn’t completely all my work.  The pattern itself was imagined by AI.

See what a can of worms AI opens for quilters and other artists? 

This is definitely uncharted territory for quilters, artists, musicians, and product/software proprietary designers.  There are a lot of decisions which need to be made and not all of them legal.  There’s just as many ethical questions to be answered.  Again, technology in and of itself – including AI – is neither good nor bad. 

It’s what we do with it that matters.

Until Next Week, From My Studio too Yours,

Sherri and Felix

PS I did decide to ask DALL.E to create a Marie Webster design. Marie Webster was a well-known quilt designer in the 1930’s and her designs remain popular and the images of these quilts are all over the internet. Since Ms. Webster is deceased and her estate is no longer printing her patterns, I saw no harm in asking DALL.E to deliver one of her designs. This is what it returned:

Not exactly anywhere near a Marie Webster design. Again, I’ll check back with DALL.E in a month and see what happens.

We’ve seen them before.  In a world of quilts where there is balance and beauty there are these:

Busy quilts.

 A quilt can be considered busy if it has many colors or small pieces, or if it uses big, bold fabrics.  Whenever anyone mentions a busy quilt, I automatically think of this quilt: 

The 1718 coverlet.  While yes, it’s technically not  a quilt (it doesn’t have three layers and it’s not quilted), quilt researchers will find it in the quilt category when they research oldest quilts.  In 2014, Susan Briscoe drafted the blocks from the coverlet into a quilt pattern.  This quilt is the oldest dated patchwork in the United Kingdom and it’s entirely English paper pieced.  That fact alone (the English paper piecing) is enough to prevent me from making the quilt (English paper piecing is probably my least favorite quilting technique).  But another contributing factor to the “There’s no way I’m making this quilt” column is how busy the quilt is.  There’s nowhere to rest your eyes for a second before moving onto another part of the quilt.   So much is happening in this quilt, you’re not sure where to look first.  There are swans and square-in-a-square blocks.  There are trefoils and half-square triangles.  Something is happening in every square inch of this quilt and you’re not sure where to look first, and there’s nowhere for your eyes to take a breather before you jump to the next block.

That’s what we’re discussing in today’s blog.  What to do with a busy quilt and how to calm it down a bit. 

For most of us, whether we follow a pattern or make our own design, we tend to throw in some neutral areas to break the quilt up – some sashing, some setting squares, floaters, etc.  Remember this quilt?

This is my Halo Medallion and there is a lot going on in this quilt.  This quilt is comprised of a pieced center medallion surrounded by multiple pieced borders.  In order to give the viewers’ eyes a place to rest and to balance the quilt, there are multiple “floaters” between the borders.   These “floaters” – made of narrow strips of solid color fabrics — give the quilt and your eyes a chance to rest.  Largely either by instinct (if we are designing our own quilt) or if we follow most standard patterns, we have neutral areas which break the quilt up and calm it down.  Personally, I think scrap quilts cause one of the biggest, busy quilt problems. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love scrap quilts.  They are awesome and I love making them.  However, I do think there are a few things to keep in mind as we throw a lot of different fabrics in all kinds of color and patterns together to make a quilt.

•  As you make your blocks, find a neutral to surround them.  This neutral will give continuity to your quilt and make all the blocks play nicely together.  My favorite color to use for this is white.  To me, surrounding my scrappy blocks with a white fabric immediately brings peace and calm to a quilt.  Everything tends to go together, and nothing sticks out like a sore thumb – even any really ugly fabric you have no idea why you have in your stash.  Your neutral doesn’t have to be white; it really can be any color that plays well with the scrappage. 

This is my Sunny Lane scrap quilt. The pattern is from Nickle Quilts by Pat Speth and Charlene Thode. It’s a great scrappy quilt pattern book. I randomly pulled fabric from my stash for this quilt. I really liked the way the white fabric made all the fabric calm down and play nicely together. this was a super-fun quilt and I would definitely make another one.

•  Try a monochromatic scrap quilt.  Sort through the fabric you intend to pull from and see if you have more of one color than the others and play to this color in your quilt. Between your scraps and the rest of your stash, a one-color quilt tends to calm itself down.  Hint:  If you have a favorite quilt color, you probably have enough of this hue between your stash and scraps to make a monochromatic quilt.  And what’s not to love about a quilt made entirely out of your favorite quilt color?

•  When you find the neutral you plan to use, make the most of it.  Use it in the sashing, floaters, narrow borders, and maybe even the binding itself.  The use of the neutral will make all those busy blocks calm right down and get along together just fine.

•  Try organizing your scraps for the quilt in a different manner.  Normally we sort our scraps by color – it makes our quilting life just a bit easier.  But if you are planning to use your scraps to make a scrappy quilt, try to think out of the scrappy box.  Instead of organizing your scraps by color, try organizing them by print.  For instance, if you tend to favor floral prints, pull all the floral scraps from your scraps and use those in the quilt.  If you favor geometric prints, do the same with those.  The same type of print in a quilt does give it more cohesiveness. 

Just about any of these four ideas can also be used for non-scrappy-but-still-busy quilts.  For instance, let’s say we have a stack of quilt blocks like this:

These are great blocks.  If we put them together in a horizontal quilt setting, the quilt may look something like this:

This is a great quilt!  Nothing wrong with it.  But it does make me a bit edgy because I’m not sure where to look first and the entire top is a bit overwhelming.  But look what happens when we add some neutral to the sashing…

Or make an alternate block with neutrals….

The entire quilt takes on a different persona.  The neutral breathes some space into the quilt.

Now what would the same quilt blocks look like if we pick one color from the block and make an alternate block entirely from that color?

Again, this calms it down and pulls the quilt together beautifully. 

We get the same effect if we pull a print from the block and make an alternate block with this same type of print.

One last thought about calming down a busy quilt before we call it a day.  In my research I heard from several folks who quilt their own quilt either on a domestic machine or a long arm.  They suggested several different quilting motifs which help bring cohesiveness and calmness to a quilt.  The most frequently mentioned motif is straight-line quilting – such as a grid, hanging diamonds, crosshatching, or simply quilting the entire quilt with straight vertical or straight horizontal lines.  “The repetition of the same pattern, instead of a motif that has a lot of curlicues and such, gives the quilt a quietness – or at least I think so,” mentioned a long arm friend of mine.  Other suggested quilting options were meanders and loops – designs which are both easy to do and tend to flow over the top of the quilt without adding to the busyness of it. 

I realize this blog isn’t as long as my usual ones, but I have a few things in the hopper for a series of longer blogs in the near future.  I do hope this column gives you some ideas about what to do with a quilt with bold prints or lots of pieces or lots of colors.  There are lots of options you can use to make everything play well together and not make your eyes bleed.  Find your favorite option and use it or you may find the option used depends on the quilt.  Either way, enjoy the process – because that’s really what quilting is all about.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix