Thursday Inspiration: Anne from Play Crafts

Today I'm sharing my interview with Anne from Play Crafts.  I was looking back at my emails to work out how Anne and I first got to know each other, and she must have been one of the earliest commenters on my blog - all the way back in 2012 when I felt like I was writing to the vast empty internet!  I got to know Anne better when we co-hosted the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge.  Anne was a really incredible co-host and I'm convinced that's simply because she is a really incredible person through and through.

As well as being a crazy talented quilter and designer, Anne has that rare gift of bringing people together and fostering their creativity.  You can see it in her Quilt Design a Day group (more on that later) where she has taken a design challenge she set for herself and made it something everyone can participate in.  Anne is heavily involved in the group and comments on almost everyone's designs with thought and kindness, as far as I can tell, just for the joy of seeing other people exercise their creativity and grow their design skills.

Ok, that's enough from me!  Here is my interview with Anne - my questions are in bold and her answers are in normal text:

Does your family have a quilting or sewing history, or are you a first generation quilter?
I'm the first quilter, although my mom did garment sewing, and most of the females in my family did needleworking. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood are of holidays sitting in the front room (while the men were off in the family room) with my mom, grandma and aunt, while we all worked on our cross-stitch projects.

How did you start quilting, and how long have you been quilting for?
I quilted (very briefly) when I was younger but deemed it BORrrrring and moved on to other things. (Yes, I recognize that I just said I cross-stitched in a previous paragraph but for what it's worth, I never finished one of those projects, either.) It was in grad school that I picked it up and stuck with it. Our research group studied video games, but our lab was a boring cube farm. My friend and I decided we should make it prettier, so I made a pixel-pillow of the 1UP mushroom from Mario. Because "I knew how to quilt" I didn't bother reading instructions or anything, and used 5/8" seams because that's what I knew from doing garment sewing with my mom. I believe it was when I started looking for tutorials on how to make my pillow front into a pillow that I stumbled onto the modern quilting scene, and I've never left! I've been quilting for 4-5 years at this point, with some big breaks in there to work on my thesis and such.

Nyan Cat - another pixel project!

How would you describe your quilting style?
Ummm. Evolving? ;) I'm still finding elements I'm attracted to and figuring out how they do and don't fit together. It's only recently that I've really delved into designing my own quilts, and I'm definitely happiest with that. But there are still a lot of days where I have no idea what I'm doing! Also I am apparently incredibly fickle. Yesterday's masterpiece is today's "what was I thinking?" So.. still trying to nail that one down!

This is the quilt inspired by the Eragon dragon books (better known as the Dragon Quilt of Doomity-Doom-Doom-Doom).

Where do you find inspiration for your quilts?
Everywhere! Blogs, flickr and instagram are what I mainly use to keep up with the modern quilting scene. That definitely influences my work, but the designs come from everywhere and anything. I recently made a quilt that was a design inspired by those French macarons. And one of the quilts before that was inspired by Charley Harper's work and the one before that was inspired by the Eragon dragon books.

This is the Charley Harper inspired quilt - how amazing!

Do you like to follow patterns or create your own designs (or a bit of both)?
I definitely prefer to create my own designs. I was never terribly good at following patterns, so as soon as I figured out how to make my own, I finally felt like I had the room to stretch my creative wings. I started a group called Quilt Design A Day in which every day we take one of the new design-seeds offerings, and create a quilt inspired by the image using the color palette that comes with it. The designs are little sketches, done in 15-30 minutes without worrying about how something might be made. I've been doing this for over 3 months now, and it's helped more than anything in helping me learn a bit more about what my style might be. It turns out doing a quick design sketch is a lot faster than making an entire quilt, so I'm able to iterate a lot faster. Also it means when I want to work on a new quilt, I have a LOT of designs to choose from!

The Macaron Quilt Top

I know your professional background is in computer programming - does that influence your quilt designs? 
Probably! I feel like I have to really fight with my brain to move away from very regimented/linear things. I'm not sure if that's because of years of programming or if that's just what my brain likes. Paper-piecing is like breathing and improv is like trying to do a backwards somersault on a high wire wearing grease shoes. It does oddly mean that I'm more comfortable with random than you might expect. A lot of my work was in artificial intelligence which often uses some randomness to make the computer feel less computer-like. I was a graphic designer for a few years, and that probably has a lot more influence on the actual designs I do. Now that I'm getting more comfortable with the quilt-design-a-day thing, I'm finding my designs are going more minimal and a bit more abstract which is an aesthetic I was drawn to when I was a graphic designer. That's not necessarily the types of quilts I like to make though, so there's a bit of a disconnect there! :)

Are you a member of a local guild?
Yep! I helped start and am currently the vice-president of the South Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild.

Have you ever met any of your online sewing friends in real life? 
Yes! That's the best part of going to QuiltCon and Sewing Summit and things like that! I just recently drove 7 hours (one way) to catch a workshop done by Sarah @ {no} hats in the house because I'm such a huge fan of her work and wanted to meet her. That's probably the craziest thing I've done to meet an online sewing friend. So far. ;)

As well as mad quilting skills, Anne has some mad photography skills, as proven by this mini quilt, which is an interpretation of one of her photographs!

How did you decide to start your blog?
I think I decided to start one because at the time there was no guild and I was hoping to find a way to connect and share what I was doing with other quilters. I didn't know anyone else who quilted really and I didn't want to feel like I was the only weirdo doing this modern quilt thing.

What is your favourite thing about the online quilting community? And what is one thing that you would change, if you could?
My favorite thing is definitely the supportive nature of the quilting community. It was kind of incredible to go from computer science academic conferences with its fair share of sexism and academic one upsmanship to a quilting conference where the whole community seems to be looking out for each other. Talk about a breath of fresh air!

As for what I would change? That's a really hard question. I wish there was a place for talking about things that may or may not matter to everyone. Like there's this weirdly disjointed debate going on about "what is modern quilting" and I'd love to take part in that conversation. However other than launching a blog post out into interspace and leaving some comments on other blog posts, there's no real option to have an actual conversation with a group of people who care about the subject. Before that was the discussion on We are $ew worth it, and there have been others as well. That might be my academic side coming out!

Confession time - how many quilts do you have in your house right now?
If you don't count minis, 1. Just my bed quilt! My partner was getting frustrated at me because I kept giving away quilts without making one for us, so I finally finished our quilt for Christmas last year. I admit, I LOVE having it, and I think that number will increase this year. :) If you count minis, I think 4? I have some challenge and tutorial minis I've made that don't really have a home and they live in my cupboard. Let's not talk about quilt TOPS or WIPs though, shall we? ;)

Anne's Modified Bento Box quilt - the only one she's kept so far.

Do you do any crafts other than quilting?
Yes! Tons! I used to joke that my hobby was collecting hobbies. I have tried everything from lampworking (glass bead making) to needlework to knitting and crochet to jewelry making. Right now I'm playing with e-textiles, which is about adding electronics (light and sound mostly) to needlework/clothing/etc. I'm absolutely loving that.

Where do you see your quilting going - is it a career or a hobby for you and would you like to change that?
Technically right now it is my job. Play Crafts is a corporation and our goal is to create tools and patterns and things that crafters (right now predominantly quilters) would like to use. That's why the palette builder was created and why we've been working with different companies to match to various things. We're looking at different options since we are a for-profit company, and right now most of what we do is given away for free. So we'll see where that ends up going!

Do you have any tips or tricks or things that have changed your quilting life that you'd like to share? 
I think my 1/4" foot is the thing that changed my quilting life the most. My favorite tip is that just because something is hard the first time you do it, doesn't mean you're not good at it. It just means you need to practice it more, and there's nothing wrong with that. Also, don't use 5/8" seams. ;)

What is your favourite part of the quilting process (and what's your least favourite part)? 
My favorite part is easily the design stage. I love pulling fabrics and playing with colors and thinking up what the quilt is going to be. Least favorite is easily basting. I'm not sure who thought THAT was a good idea.

Are there any quilting techniques you haven't tried yet but that you'd like to?
Probably! Although I seek out new things to try every year, and my list is getting pretty short. I definitely wish I was better at FMQ and I'd love to practice thread sketching more. I haven't tried some of the textural techniques, or the fabric folding ones, those look like they could be fun!

What's something about you that people might be surprised to know? 
I couldn't think of anything, so I asked my partner. His response was, "you believe that there's more than one shade of white." Maybe I'll just stick with the fact that I'm a lefty!

Thank you so much to Anne for participating!  I learned a lot from her answers and I think they provide great insight into how she works as a quilter.  Make sure you check out Anne's blog, Play Crafts and all her other projects!

WIP Wednesday

This week I'm working on a second version of my Garden for Birds quilt.  I'm teaching this quilt later this year so I really need a class sample.  I also wanted to try it out in a totally different, more cohesive colour palette.

So far I've  finished the appliquéd borders, which I've simplified in this version so that the appliqué is set on solid fabric rather than a pieced background.  I've also made the HSTs for the faux flying geese borders but I haven't stitched them together yet.

 

I haven't done a lot of machine appliqué and my friend Helen (aka the machine appliqué guru) very kindly stitched down appliqué on the last iteration of this quilt.  She did a fantastic job but I really needed to work on my own appliqué skills and make sure this quilt won't be too difficult for beginners.  I managed it, so I figure my students will be ok!

I finished the central birds block last night.  It's definitely the fiddliest part of this quilt!

I'm excited to keep working on this quilt and see how it turns out different to the first version.

Have you made the same quilt more than once?  Did you stick with the same things or change things up?

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced:

Handmade: Stamp carving

This weekend I took a class at Handmade, an annual Wellington event where you can learn and do all kinds of crafty things.  I decided to try something outside my existing range of craft skills and took a class called Hand Carved Rubber Stamps and Printing, taught by Melissa Wastney (who blogs at Tiny Happy).

 

The concept is quite simple really - you take a rubber eraser and some kind of carving tool (I used a little set of wood carving tools but you can also use a lino cutter) and create your very own stamp.

 

I had a think before the class about the kind of stamps I might like to make.  My drawing skills are minimal at best so I was trying to come up with simple shapes that I can actually draw.  I got the idea of creating a two piece stamp from a new design, "Flight", which Leslie Keating from maze and vale posted on instagram last week, and I guess the winter weather inspired the clouds and the rain.

 

The cat stamp was something that of course I had to try out.  I think it turned out quite cute, like a funny little cat polka dot.

Overall I really enjoyed this class - we didn't have too much to cover in the time available, and Melissa was a great teacher with a lovely calm and encouraging manner.  It was fantastic to see what everyone else in the class was doing as well - people came up with some amazing designs and my favourites were not necessarily the most complicated.  

I'd like to play around with stamp carving and printing some more, and since I bought about a dozen erasers and only used 4 in class I've got plenty of material to work with!  Have you ever tried making your own stamps?

Caturday Wisdom #71

Monday is a holiday too?! Back to the sewing machine! Ivy

Yes it's a long weekend for us! It's looking chilly though, perfect for indoor activities with a cat on your lap. 

Thursday Inspiration: Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting

One of my absolute favourite things about the quilting community is the amount of inspiration and encouragement I find here.  I find myself talking about myself and my quilts a lot when I blog, and I've decided it's time to talk about other people for a change and celebrate awesome things and the people who make them.  I'm planning a series of interviews with quilters and other artists I admire,  interspersed with the odd post on cool handmade things that have caught my attention.  Thursdays are now for inspiration!

I'm starting off with Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting.  I've been following Erica's blog since 2012, not too long after she started it, and I think her quilts are really beautiful.  I've been delighted to see her blog grow in popularity and Erica's quilts appearing in magazines.

Erica's Remixed Geese quilt is the first of her quilts that sticks out super clearly in my mind.  I loved the fun bright colours she used and the combination of careful precise piecing with a fairly improvisational layout, but more than that I was thrilled with the thoughtful and helpful response from Erica when I asked her a question about working with minky.  If you're thinking about working with minky yourself, you should check out her informative post on it here.

Erica's Remixed Geese Quilt

Here's my interview with Erica - my questions are in bold and her responses are in normal text:

Does your family have a quilting or sewing history, or are you a first generation quilter?
I am a first generation quilter. Apparently my great-grandmother was a quilter, but she died when I was really young and I never knew much about her quilts. My mother and grandmother actually both despise sewing and I grew up thinking that I despised it too. My mother-in-law is a quilter and has been very encouraging.

How did you start quilting, and how long have you been quilting for? 
I started quilting in 2010 when I was pregnant with my son. I bought a sewing machine to make a few simple baby things thinking that I had no interest in ever making a quilt, but the more I made the more I wanted to make and pretty soon I was hooked.

How would you describe your quilting style? 
I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I don’t think I really have one yet. It is something that I am working toward but I am still discovering who I am as quilter. It’s okay, I’m enjoying the journey!

Erica's Maple Leaf Rag Quilt - this must have been so much work and is just stunning!

Where do you find inspiration for your quilts?
My biggest inspiration really comes from fabric. I almost always choose fabrics before I choose a pattern and the fabrics I work with have a lot to do with what I do with the quilt. I have kind of a weird process where I pick a stack of fabric and put it on the counter in my sewing room and I just let it sit there until I decide what to do. It may sit there for a couple days or a couple months, but I spend that time just thinking about what I want to make, looking through magazines, and browsing flickr and blogs.

Erica's Sundown Quilt - her entry for the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge

Your entry for the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge was a personal favourite of mine. Could you share a little bit about the inspiration behind that quilt.
I live in San Diego, California, and there is a great view of the coast from a park a couple blocks from our house. At sunset there are all of these hot air balloons that go up and the view is magical. I had already picked the purples that I wanted to use and when I saw that my purples were a pretty good match to the purples in the sunset I added some more sunset-y colors and went from there.

Do you like to follow patterns or create your own designs (or a bit of both)?
I like to do a little of both, but even if I use a pattern I like being able to modify it a little here and there for my projects. While it is fun to try to make my own patterns, I think it is the most fun to try to do something different with a simple style or a pattern, which is what I did with my Pantone quilt which was just made using triangles.

Good things happen when Erica doesn't use a pattern - like this "just for fun" quilt!

Are you a member of a local guild?
I wish! When we moved to San Diego I was excited to join the Modern Quilt Guild here, but it meets at a time that is impossible for me. Hopefully one day their meeting time will change so that I can attend.

Have you ever met any of your online sewing friends in real life?
No I haven’t. I am a bit of a homebody in real life and because I have young kids and my husband has a really intense work schedule I haven’t been able to attend any events where I could meet people. I do actually have a couple of friends from before I started quilting and blogging who are also craft or quilt bloggers, but I haven’t met any of my new friends in real life. I need to change that! 

How did you decide to start your blog?
At the time I was taking an online class from Rachel at Stitched in Color and I wanted to be able to document my projects from the class. It was kind of an experiment to see if I wanted to blog and I really enjoyed blogging so I stuck with it. That was a little over 2 years ago.

I love how bright and crazy Erica's x and + quilt is - oh and the amazing texture from that quilting!

What is your favourite thing about the online quilting community? And what is one thing that you would change, if you could?
I love that everyone is supportive. If someone posts a question on their blog or Instagram, there are so many people out there who are willing to help. I don’t know if I would change anything, I have had a really positive experience so far!

Confession time - how many quilts do you have in your house right now?
Ha ha ha, uh oh. I just counted and I have 25. Which is way more than I need obviously, but there is at least one quilt on each bed, my kids have baby quilts, and we have 6 or 7 quilts that we kind of rotate around the house on beds and couches. The rest are unused baby or lap quilts that are in a stack in our guest room waiting to find a home.

Do you do any crafts other than quilting?
Not at all. I actually consider myself to be very un-crafty and people that I know in real life are usually really surprised that I am a quilter. I am pretty sure my Mom is really weirded out by my quilts because I was so against crafts and sewing when I was a teenager.

Erica's Rocky Mountain Puzzle Quilt - I really love the way she's used a traditional block and quite earthy colours but it still looks fresh and modern.

Where do you see your quilting going - is it a career or a hobby for you and would you like to change that?
It is a hobby. While it has been wonderful to have a few opportunities to make some money doing the occasional project and I would certainly do more projects like that again in the future, I think that by trying to make it a career I would start to hate it. Right now I love the freedom of choosing what I want to work on and I don’t see that changing.

I've seen you've been writing quite a few patterns for magazines lately which is so awesome! Is that something you've actively pursued or were you approached by the magazines?
I was approached. It was actually a pretty strange situation because I was approached by an editor who had me make a quilt for her magazine. Things went pretty well so she kept asking me to make more quilts when all of a sudden that magazine shut down before any of the quilts were ever published. Luckily the editor was completely amazing and helped me get the quilts picked up by other magazines. It was an amazing experience and if you are interested in having a quilt in a magazine I would definitely recommend submitting your idea!

Do you have any tips or tricks or things that have changed your quilting life that you'd like to share?
One thing that I have really noticed over the past few months is that the quilters whose work I love the most are very meticulous and thorough about producing their best work. While I do try to do my best on every project, I have been focusing on changing little things about my process to improve my quilts. I don’t have any particular tips or tricks that are going to change your lives, but if you have an area in which you are struggling, seek out a way to improve it. It has made me enjoy my process more and I am happier with my finished products.

Erica's Bangles Quilt.  I just love this quilt so much - it's what inspired me to start my own version (still in pieces!).

What is your favourite part of the quilting process (and what's your least favourite part)?
Isn’t everyone’s favorite part choosing fabric? That is definitely my favorite part. I also really enjoy just piecing blocks. There is really only one part of the process that I don’t like: piecing the last seam of the quilt top. I hate how bulky it is and I always poke myself with pins.

Are there any quilting techniques you haven't tried yet but that you'd like to?
I am interested in doing more appliqué. I haven’t been interested enough yet to actually try it, but it’s on my list of things to do.

Thank you so much to Erica for answering my many questions and providing such great insight into her quilting life!  Make sure you check out her blog, Kitchen Table Quilting to see more of her gorgeous quilts and follow her quilting journey.  I can't wait to see where it takes her!