AMAZING GRACE

Many of my quilts just happen.  Something or someone inspires me and I try to get out of the way and let it happen.  I pulled this Frida Kahlo print out one day and the look in her eyes drew me in.  I saw compassion and grace. 

There was so much "stuff" dancing around in my head.  Mostly I was thinking about family and friends (old and new) and how they all generously contribute to me in the pursuit of this passion.  Grace...

I framed the portrait with a striped woven.  The flowers are cut from some of my favorite fabrics as a nod to my gardening friends.  The little hummingbird is for someone who just lost someone dear to her.  I fused them on to give props to two of my artist buddies who shared a few of their techniques with me.  This is my first attempt and it was fun - so many possibilities!  Many of the border fabrics were donated to me; others were fat quarters purchased from one of my favorite stores.

The print is a silky polyester.  Most of my quilts are 100% cotton, but I couldn't pass up the chance to experiment with this print.  The hand is like silk and it quilted beautifully. 

Here is a close up of the quilted panel.  I was worried about the skinny antennae and beak staying in place, so I free-motion quilted the edges of all of the applique - just in case...

I love this quilt which is lap size 60" by 70".  It represents the grace of my amazing community and I am honored and grateful to them all for their contributions. 

BATIKS

This week I'm finishing up a custom quilt order.  It has been quite an adventure and, once again, I have learned so many new things!

My client moved into a high rise apartment with an ocean view.  She is decorating, incorporating the work of some of the artisans at Crafted.  I agreed to make a whole cloth custom quilt for her master bedroom.  Another artist is hand painting an abstract coral reef wall mural over the bed, so we started there...

We began with aqua and coral colored fabrics.  I sourced some of my favorite fabric stores and selected a range of solid samples.  My favorites were the shot cottons.  The aqua had a green cross weave and I paired it with a coral shot cotton for the backing.  I loved them but they didn't speak to my client.  She suggested batiks, which completely threw me for a loop.  Batiks!!!

I sourced some of the batiks she had suggested and added a few that I thought might work.  We reviewed them at her office and chose two.  Both by the same manufacturer, so off I skipped (yes, I been known to skip) to place the order.  Oh, I forgot to mention that this quilt measures 116" wide by 136" long!  I needed 12 continuous yards of each fabric.  To make a long story short, the top fabric choice had been retired and the most that I could find anywhere was 9 yards.  I searched everywhere (physical and online) and 12 yards of the top fabric could not be found.  So back to square one...

Finally, we met on a Saturday morning at one of my favorite fabric warehouses.  My plan was not to leave without nailing the fabric choices down.  We did!  Found a beautiful sand washed grey-blue batik and it coordinated perfectly with a print batik from a different manufacturer.  They are the two on the right in the above photo.  I am now a batik expert and have a new found love and respect for them.  Amazing fabric!

How do you free motion quilt a 116" by 136" quilt on a home machine?  Reminds me of the riddle: How do two porcupines mate?  Answer: Very carefully.  So, I quilted it carefully using a pattern that reminds me of coral reef and ocean waves.

Beautiful.  I'll show you more later - after it's been delivered.  It took four large spools of thread to quilt it and it's ready for the binding. 

Look how nicely my new pillowcases work with it - gorgeous!

Also, I'm looking for sponsors.  There were many fabric stores, manufactures, and wholesalers involved in this project, so if you would like to be linked in future projects - sponsor me!

What project have you taken on lately that stretched you way, way, way outside of your comfort zone? 

AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTERS

I have quilting memories.

Memories of black women making quilts by hand from old clothing scraps.  Of sleeping under handmade quilts and quilt tops made by friends and relatives.  Of always having a quilt on my bed.  Memories... 

I quilt almost everyday - it's my obsession (I can think of worst!).  I am pleasantly surprised at the impact African American quilters have on this industry.  Everyday I learn more and more about quilters like Anna Williams, Rosie Lee Tompkins, Gees Bend, and so many others who contribute to this American art form.

Read an interesting book with a chapter entitled, "Creative DNA".  It sparked something and I ran upstairs to my studio and grabbed my scrap container, needle and thread.  Here is what I hand stitched:

My mama taught me to sew by hand when I was around 6 years old.  Hand stitching comforts me.  Before I was allowed to use her sewing machine, I hand sewed everything.  Made doll clothes and even a pink outfit for me with my first paper pattern - all hand stitched.  I'm pretty good at it!

Here is the completed top.  No plan, just random scraps of fabric.  The squares are extras from past quilt blocks, the strips from leftover binding, etc.  "You use what you got; waste not want not".  Memories... 

Initially, I started hand quilting the top but this piece wanted to be machine quilted.  I resisted and just stared at it for a few days.  Too many starts and stops.  "What you resist, persists" - so the piece won out and I machine quilted it.

Isn't that piece of shot cotton amazing?  It's grey and glows orange. 

 



 

Wanted to retain the puffiness of the small squares and couldn't bear to quilt them into submission.   Echoed their stitching on the larger center squares.  Here is the completed quilt.  It is entitled: "Creative DNA". 

I am an African American quilter with a long, proud ancestry.  I grew up surrounded by this rich, joyful quilting history and even though I was not directly taught to quilt, it is in my DNA.  I quilt because I can't help myself - and I love it!  

P.S. Here is a picture of it on my design wall with my Joni Mitchell quilt.  They play well together.

Thanks for stopping by,
-p

DEAR STELLA AND TIMELESS TREASURES

Saw this Dear Stella fabric and had to have it.  It brought back so many memories from my travels.  I've seen this pattern all over the world.  It is so well executed in blues and greys. After purchasing it, decided to make a quilt comprised of global patterns so I picked up the following:

Dear Stella and Timeless Treasure fabric lines are so adventurous and remind me of many parts of the world that I love.  If my budget allowed, I would fill my stash with so much more from these lines.  They are premium quality cottons, and have a great hand.

So many color values - what to do?  Decided to just go for it, mix them up, and let them take care of themselves.  Added some Kona solids that I had in my stash to break up the variety of patterns.  Also added a few neutral fat quarters from the stash to balance out the blues.

This is a simple block.  You just cut the fabric into squares. Make a stack using one of each print and solid.  Cut the stack at an angle.  Rotate the order of one side.  Sew them back together and repeat the process.

The backing is a vintage sheet that a dear friend gave me - lovely.

The completed quilt.  I believe in making quilts that can stand up to a lot of love.  There were many seams, so I stipple quilted it all over to keep it strong.  It is so different from my usual use of hot color - so relaxing...  When I washed it, it crinkled up beautifully. 

It is a full/queen size at 68" by 75" and is available in my new Etsy shop.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/patsyjohnsonquilts?ref=search_shop_redirect

What fabric line(s) inspires you?

JONI MITCHELL AND MXPX

One of the most frequent custom order requests I get is for Tshirt quilts.  I have seen them online but never really considered making one.  A wonderful family stopped by my Crafted booth one weekend and I couldn't say no.  The daughter had a collection of tshirts from a punk rock group called MXPX.  Had no clue who they were, but the shirts were really cool.  She wanted a black quilt, mom and dad wanted color.  She wanted a grey back, mom and dad wanted color.  I love black, grey and color.  I also love a challenge.

So - I googled MXPX and listened to some of their music for inspiration.  Good stuff.  Pulled out the bag of tshirts and got started:

Here is the compromise:

See the slivers of color inserted into the seams (that's for you mom and dad!).

I think it turned out pretty cool.  My favorite tshirt is the one that says "vegans taste like chicken" - cracks me up!  What's even funnier (to me) is that the daughter is a vegetarian - lol.   Had one tshirt leftover, so I place it on the back (ignore the piece of thread).  It's a queen size and I quilted it on my home machine.  Used black thread in an all over stipple which stabilized the stretchiness of the tshirts.

While working on this quilt, I remembered that I had an old tshirt that I couldn't toss out.  It was from a Joni Mitchell concert that I attended in 1983.  I am such a Joni Mitchell dork - I love her!  Anyway, I carefully cut it up and played.  Here is the finished product:

I will post it for sale in the next couple of days in my new Etsy store.  

CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles

In September, I leased a booth at Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles.  http://craftedportla.com/  Crafted has been described as "Etsy live".  It is a large renovated warehouse at the Port of Los Angeles which houses booths selling handcrafted goods.  We are open Friday through Sunday from 11am to 6pm, 52 weeks per year.  I have a permanent booth A177 selling quilts (of course!) and quilted accessories.  There is live music, food trucks, beer and wine, demonstrations, etc! 

It is challenging letting go of my "quilted babies" and sewing new items to replace everything that's sold.  I am constantly and pleasantly amazed by customers' response and stories.  Quilts trigger memories and almost everyone who passes my booth stops and/or comments.  I have been photographed and interviewed.  If you are in the San Pedro area, please stop by and say hello!

I work on projects in my booth and customers love it!  One weekend I made this hand pieced and hand quilted mini:

Working on projects there lets the customers see and appreciate the work that goes into the items sold.  On another weekend, I machine quilted this baby quilt (yes, I have my sewing machine there!):

 And here is a sampling of some of the items I made this week for the Day of the Dead celebration this weekend:

I also made this adorable baby quilt and jacket.  I've always wanted to make a baby jacket from this African fabric that I bought in Senegal and love how it turned out!  Some trendy newborn is going to look adorable!

Thank you to all of my friends and family who have supported me (emotionally and financially).  I couldn't have done this crazy thing without ya'll! 

Well, back to the studio.  I have a few more small items to complete.

Love and light,
p

I'M SO OVER JULY!

Just wanted to start with a little eye candy.  Momen+ is a small patchwork shop in my neighborhood.  They specialize in Japanese fabric but you can find just about anything your little heart desires in there.  As you can probably tell, I'm attracted to Westminister Fabrics - they all play so well together.  Momen+  had a fat quarter sale a few weeks ago and I went a little crazy!  Picked up some Amy, Kaffe, Anna and some Japanese linen prints.  26 fat quarters for $26 - what a bargain!  Love a deal.

For our summer swap at the LAMQG, we were asked to bring in a item that meant something to us.  They were all placed in a bag and we randomly selected one.  I chose a photo of the rice paddies in Bali taken by one of the members during her honeymoon.  I forgot to get permission to share the photo, but it was a lush green labyinth.  The week before I had been working on curves and this gave me an opportunity to try them out on a mini quilt.  I cut freehand strips, somewhat on the bias, and ironed them into curves using a lot of stream.  The palm trees are a 2 1/2" strip that I found in my scrap box.  I quilted it like a crazy person and bound it in with the dark green Kona.  I forgot to take a photo of the completed quilt (of course!) but it finished at approximately 13" square.  I'm plotting an oceany curve project (in my head) but I want to practice this technique a bit more before taking it on.  More bias and not in the hot summer months...

My friend's mom turned 90 last month and she commissioned me to make a pillow using her parent's treasured wedding picture.  Used a Vintage Modern by Moda charm pack and RK Quilters Linen in steel grey.  I transfered the photo to pima cotton and bordered it with light grey Kona. The charm squares were cut into hsts and patched around the framed photo. 

For the back, I quilted a grid, adding 2 flowers, label and a zipper.  There were a lot of quilting stops and starts, but it was so worth it.  I love how it turned out and my friend and her mom were pleased.  Completed size approximately 24"square.

Love the idea of mixing vintage with modern.  I was given this very large piece of seersucker from a friend's mother's stash.  Seersucker always reminds me of summer, so I took it out and stared at it for a few weeks... that's hugh a part of my quilting process... staring - lol. 

Decided that a seersucker star would be interesting so I pulled out a box of solid scraps, made a plastic temple and went to work in the wee hours of the night. 

The last time I made a star, I nearly pulled my hair out trying to control the bias and match the points.  I remembered the advice from Kathy at MO - she told me that marking the corners would help and she was right - of course!  I marked every single corner and it went together smooth as "butta".  I enjoyed it so much. 

Bad photo (2am).  I really have to put a large piece of batting up on that wall - the table cloth served it's purpose, but I need a larger surface (sans flowers).  Anyway, I'm happy how it turned out.  Don't the colors remind you of QuiltCon - hmmm... 

I had a mini breakdown adding the floral insets.  I started them with another fabric choice, carefully measuring and stitching them in place.  The star wouldn't lay (lie) flat, so I ripped the insets out - twice!  I used a vintage sheet given to me by the same friend (aren't friends great!).  I washed and ironed it, plopped the star on top of it and machine appliqued that baby down.  Done!  I then cut my template in half and added triangle borders made from the remaining solid scraps.  The border has been attached and the backing is done.  The plan is to have it sandwiched and basted this afternoon.

What I love about this quilt is that it is old and new.  The design is not perfect, but it is well made.  My next challenge will be the quilting and it hasn't yet told me how it wants to be quilted (hand or machine?).  Do your quilts talk to you?

Thanks for stopping by,

p