My Favorite Designers - Chapter 1 Tula Pink

Tula Pink rocks her name! She rocks fabric, quilts and color too!

I have lots of favorite designers, but I decided to start with Tula since she was just here visiting the Kaw Valley Quilters Guild. We were lucky to have her here, but unlucky in that the Tuesday morning group missed out due to an ice storm. 

Tula described her process of designing fabric. I am in awe of her creative talent. She draws all her precious creatures by hand on paper and then translates them into fabric with colors. I loved her statement that God used an aweful lot of brown in His designs, so she decided not to use brown, but rather to color the precious creatures of her fabrics in pinks, oranges, teals, purples, and greens. 

I also appreciate her design thoughtfulness and purposefulness in that she ensures her previous designs work well with current designs, which will play well with future designs. I am really looking forward to getting my hands on her 25th collection which should be in shops any day now. Tula's All Star line includes the special creatures from previous lines (recolored), dots, and stripes.

I imagine Tula must not sleep much. In addition to working on 5 lines simultaneously (in-head, drawing, production, selling to shops, selling in shops), she makes 40 or so quilts a year, designs books and patterns, speaks and teaches internationally, designs hardware (scissors, rotary cutters, and seam rippers), and quilting software. I was exhausted just thinking about everything she does and does expertly!


OK, so Tula is a gifted and prolific fabric and quilt designer, but what is she like? Funny, imaginative, colorful, and personable. I had the good fortune of taking a class with Tula a few years ago at the Sisters Oregon Quilters' Affair. The class project was Moxie. I used Tula's fabric line Elizabeth. It was fun laying the fabrics out and working on curved piecing. I just need to add some borders and get her quilted. 

At about the same time, I facilitated a group within the KVQG of members wanting to work on Tula's City Sampler - 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. Several members got theirs done and as a group we made one in black and white with turquoise sashing for the guild's opportunity quilt. I thought it was absolutely stunning. I'm sorry to say that I am still working on my 100 blocks. I'm using PB&J line in a blue/red/mustard color palate, with some other fabrics thrown in.










My next Tula adventure is going to be some fussy cutting for English Paper Piecing. I'm either going to make Tula Nova or Lucy Kingwell's (Jen Kingwell's daughter) Smitten using Tula's new All Stars. So look for an update!

You just have to be curious about Tula Pink! Check her out, you'll love her.

 

Next Up - Tula Pink's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks

Next up in my rotation is Tula Pink's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. I almost feel like I should be done with this one because our KVQG group decided to make one in black and white for the guild's opportunity quilt (raffle). I just got done (with help) putting frames around the blocks, putting the blocks together in rows and adding sashing and borders. But that was THAT one, and now I am working on THIS one.


I posted about my progress (or lack thereof) earlier and now that TP is in my rotation, I expect that I'll make better progress. My goal this rotation is to have 1-25 blocks done.  So . . 7 blocks this time up.





I'm using PB&J fabric - which I love - and a few other fillers thrown in. I'm cutting the fabric for several blocks at one time and then storing them in snack baggies. When I head to the sewing machine I can knock out a bunch at one time. 




So, here is what I accomplished this rotation:  3 blocks sewn and 5 more blocks cut. Didn't make my goal of completing 1-25, but still made good progress.


Happy Tula!

Tula Pink Update

Tula Pink is a fabric and pattern designer I have been following for a couple of years now. Her patterns have a simplistic, modern sensibility to them and I would describe her fabric as whimsical with juicy colors. When I saw her book 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, I knew I wanted to made them. Every. One. Of. Them.

So I asked members of my quilt guild - Kaw Valley Quilters' Guild - to participate in a sew along. Best thing ever! We started in January (see my earlier post from February 3, 2015) and have taken off like crazy. We just met last month and I am amazed at the beautiful blocks that people are making. So I though I would update everyone with some pictures and descriptions of ideas and tips folks have shared.

I think three of our group - Kathy, Sandy, and Barb, have all 100 blocks done. 







The rest of us are either racing or crawling along as our schedules allow. I have to admit I am one of those who are crawling. I think I only have 13 done. But I do have my stuff organized - I've made stickers for each block and have a list to keep track of all the I have finished.


Joyce is using the blocks as a background for her original applique designs. Taking her experience one step further, she made 4 of a block and sewed them together into something totally new.


Cindy is using Asian-inspired fabrics and antique kimono fabrics.

Shari is using black, white and gray fabrics.

Kim R. has focused on blue, green and red fabrics.




Joy T. is following Tula's color choices. 



It is so cool to see the blocks in such different colors and prints.

A couple of months ago, we decided to make extra black, white, and gray blocks so that we could make an opportunity quilt in the future. We are really coming along. We have 46 blocks committed to!  

It is so fun to watch everyone share their blocks and see how the same block is transformed by different fabrics. Next meeting I hope to take pics of everyone's block 1 - more if I can. 

So this week, I am going to get going on MY Tula blocks. I'll shoot for at least 8 of them.

Our little group has a FB page. Check out Kaw Valley Tula Pink 100 Modern Block Sew Along.

Staying Curious about Tula!

My Quilting Bucket List

I'm always commenting that I should do this or that, learn something, or go somewhere related to my quilting. People have bucket lists for life; why not a Quilting Bucket List? So today I made my QBL:

• Make a self portrait quilt (real and caricature)
• Do a pictorial quilt (my cat Marko in a bowl)
• Go on a quilt cruise
• Make a Kaffe Fassett fabric quilt
• Go to the Houston Quilt Show
• Go to Sisters Oregon outdoor quilt show
• Make a black and white quilt
• Hand quilt a quilt
• Make a Paula Nadelstern Kaleidoscope quilt
• Design and make a Kansas-named-block sampler quilt
• Learn EQ-7
• Make a crazy quilt
• Travel around the country and make travel inspired quilts
• Blog about my quilting experiences

I have tons of other quilts I want to make and workshops to take, but these are the special once (OK maybe twice) in a lifetime events.

Every day is a good day if I'm quilting!

Denise

Road Trip to Wichita

My son AJ and I are on the road today. He wanted a little vacation and there is a Star Wars exhibit in Wichita, so we headed down south. I got to stop at 2 quilt shops yesterday - Charlotte's Sew Natural in Newton and Material Girls in Wichita.  Both shops had a great selection of fabrics and wonderfully nice staff, especially Charlotte in Newton. 

 Material Girls has a strikingly beautiful and colorful quilt that will be featured along with the shop in the upcoming issue of Quilt Sampler magazine. They are taking orders now for the kit. It has mostly Kaffe Fassett fabrics. I am considering getting the pattern if its sold separately. It drew me in as soon as I walked in the shop. 


  I tried to resist impulsive buying and generally I did pretty well. I ended up adding a couple of books by Kim Schaefer and a couple of patterns to my library.  
     Since I am still collecting 30s reproductions and Black and Whites, I got a few FQ of each. 
   The largest purchase was 6 yards of Ingrid by Wrenly fabrics to use as a backing for Bird's Eye View. 

I may get to stop into one more shop today, and then it's home.

Curious on the road,
Denise

Near Vicksburg Mississippi

I had a few moments to run over toward Vicksburg Mississippi to check out another quilt shop - Stitch-N-Frame. This is a shop with lots and lots of fabric - tons of variety - pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
I added to my 30s fabric for GMFG, Black & White, and a CQL FQ.

My guilty purchase was getting 10 1/2 yard cuts of Jovial Christmas fabric for some placemats. So pretty - I love the colors and they will be perfect in our kitchen.


Tonight cooking and Olympics while working on GMFG.


Keep cool and curious!
D

Sewing and Shopping . . . On The Road

Today I am on the road . . actually, on the road, in the sky, waiting in the airport, and now in the hotel. I am on a job for CQL in Jackson Mississippi. I got into town early enough to make a quick trip to Bernina Sewing Etc. The ladies were so nice and the shop is wonderful. 
Angela really liked Atkinson's Design's Popsicle Sticks pattern - I had not seen it before and love the twist on the rail fence.

I have been working for CQL for a little over 5 years and wherever I go I buy a FQ in either blue or brown. I'm not sure what pattern I'll make yet, but I am gathering a nice selection of FQs. Here is what I added today.

Of course I also picked up a few very cool B&Ws.



 While watching Cupcake Wars and Chopped on the TV (no network TV at home, so I soak up cooking shows when on the road), I am working on GMFG. What bliss! The only thing missing is my DH!
From Jackson Mississippi,
D

Fabric Shopping Trip

     The call came - the book I ordered is in. WOoHOo . . . I jump in the car and drive 30 minutes to Stitching Traditions in Topeka.. The book I've been waiting for is the 3-D Block book for the class I've signed up for later in August - more about that class in another post.
    Since I've driven all the way there, I guess I should do a little shopping. I get some fabric for the class - surprise -- they have a sale going - buy the book and fabric for a project and get the book at 50% off!

     But what I really wanted to shop for was some 30's reproduction fabric for the  Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt I am working on. To fit on my double guest room bed I will need 54 flowers and I want each one of them to use unique fabric. I've got 29 done so far and have fabric for about 5 more. So, I need some more 30's reproduction fabrics!  After choosing a few FQ of the 30's stuff I hear that if I buy 12 FQ I can get one free. So I pick out some black and white for the someday B&W quilt. For my free FQ I choose a Stonehenge Skins by Linda Ludovico for Northcott fabrics to add to my collection of that line (another someday quilt).
It's always a great day when I buy fabric!
D