Quilting Priorities for July

Every month I set quilting priorities for that month. These include classes I'm teaching or taking that need prep, retreats, quilts I need to work on for a trunkshow - you know those kind of things.

For many months, the priorities have been all about the KC Regional Quilt Festival. I taught eight classes and they all went really well. I met some new quilters, and got to visit with old friends.

Now that Festival is over, I get to pull out some UFOs, work on some class samples, and even start some new quilts.

So here is my priorities list for July:

 - Enroll quilters in my Log Cabin Sampler QAL and send fabric requirements

- Go to the KC Maker's 5th Birthday party and see my friend Eileen Urbanek's trunk show

- Sew binding on to 3 quilts

- Arrange to have 3 quilts quilted

- Work on Tuscan Vintage class sample

- Start 2 new 3-D/Opical Illusion quilts

- Pull out 1 old UFO and get 'er done

- Add 3 patterns to my Etsy shop

- Add pictures of all my Judy Niemeyer quilts to my website gallery

I find setting a focus for the month really helps - I have quilting ADD and could easily get lost and end up getting nothing accomplished. 

How do you decide what to work on? Are you determined to finish a quilt before starting another? Do you have BOM quilts or Round Robin projects every month that need your attention? I'd love to hear your strategies.

Curious to know how you stay focused

  

New BOM Coming This Summer - Log Cabin Sampler

  

Curious about Log Cabin Blocks?

I was planning to make a log cabin quilt to represent Tennessee in my 50 quilts from 50 States project because my grandparents lived in a white-washing log cabin at the City Reservoir in Johnson City Tennessee – they were the reservoir caretakers.

So as I was exploring log cabin blocks, trying to decide which one(s) to use for the Tennessee quilt, I was excited and a bit overwhelmed by the shear number of different log cabin blocks. Every time you change colors or layout, the block gets a new name. So I decided to make a log cabin sampler.

It was so much fun to figure out the blocks, the colors and the layout. There were also various techniques to try – accurate cutting, trim tool ruler, and foundation paper piecing. 

I thought this project would make a fantastic BOM to do together. It will be offered on-line (FaceBook and email) starting in July – I’m not sure when yet, so stay tuned. The pattern will be available for download from my Etsy Shop for about $10 or I can send you a hard copy for $15 plus shipping. I plan on making a video each month featuring that month’s block and technique. There will be a special FB group you can sign up for to share progress and questions.

If you would like to participate, please send an email to me at djps1957@gmail.com and I’ll put you on the list. I’m excited to make this quilt again. Hopefully you’ll join me.  

 

Stay Curious

February 2025 Newsletter

 It’s February – Love is in the Air - Love for Family, Friends, Fur Babies and All Things Quilting.

 You are on my newsletter list because you were at a program I did at your quilt guild or you signed up for my newsletter online or at an event. If you don't want to get these newsletters, please let me know at djps1957@gmail.com.

 Curious about what's going on? Here's the news:

New from The Curious Kansas Quilter

I’m always working on new ideas and have several in the works at the moment. Besides finishing up some UFOs (just finished one from 2016) and working on some new skills, I am working on a new trunk show – Optical Illusion Quilts. It will be available after May this year.  The big news is that I am teaching at the KC Regional Quilt Festival in June this year. The classes have been posted and are ready for you to sign up. Check out my technique classes here.

Curious about EQ8?

Electric Quilter 8 is a program that enables quilters to design quilts and audition fabrics for your quilts. I have taken multiple group and private EQ8 lessons, but it just has eluded me. I have my suspicions as to why but let’s say I was probably too impatient. Learning and using EQ8 for designing my patterns is one of my major goals this year. Currently I design on paper and then use work processing to draw the diagrams. It’s cumbersome and my patterns lack a professional look.

So, I signed up for Kari Schell’s Tech Know Quilter EQ8 course.  I started this week with the basic lessons and I feel really confident that I’ll get it this time. I’m planning on transitioning my patterns to EQ8 starting with my new-ish pattern Cross Roads. So stay tuned!

 

 Visit the International Quilt Museum

This gem, located just 3 hours or so north of the KC area in Lincoln Nebraska, is well worth the visit. I’m only a little bit biased due to the fact that I’m a new member of the Board of Friends of the IQM (International Quilt Museum). I’ve seen several exhibits in the last couple of years including Paula Nadelstern, Sue Spargo, feedsack quilts, and Victoria Findlay Wolfe. Current exhibitions include Whimsy II: Quilts of a Feather, Studio Showcase: Judy Kirpich and Karen Schulz, Without a Net: Quilted Sculptures by Susan Else, and A Golden Age of Quilters: 1870-1940. Exhibits are constantly changing, so multiple visits are a must. The museum is reasonably priced, but is also free during the first Friday of the month. Another time to visit is November when the Friends hold their annual fundraising Art Market.  Potters, glass artists, wood carvers, basket weavers, folk artists, and fiber artists have their beautiful art on display and available for purchase.    

 

Just for Fun

One of my favorite actress/comediennes is Miranda Hart. She starred as Midwife Chummy in Call the Midwife and in the title role in Miranda (both British shows). I resonated with her character in both shows. She has come out with a new book – I Haven’t BeenEntirely Honest With You.  This book describes her struggle with some long undiagnosed long term health concerns and what she learned about herself and life along the way.  I listened to the book on Audible and it was narrated by Miranda herself in her funny, self-deprecating, totally British way.  I found it the perfect combination of real issues tackled in a somewhat light hearted way, humor and some good lessons (she calls them her “Treasures”). It is a great audio book to listen to while sewing or organizing the studio. Highly Recommend!!!    

 Upcoming Events

February –

6 – Miami County Quilt Guild

8 – Denise’s Saturday Sew Day at StitchOn

15 – Kira with the Stripology Ruler at Quilters HQ

27 – Topeka Country Quilt Guild

 

March

11 – Flint Hills Regional Quilt Guild

15 – Denise’s Saturday Sew Day at StitchOn

22 – Playing with Log Cabin Blocks at Quilters HQ

26 – 28 – Central Oklahoma Quilt Guild

 

April

3-5 – Ad Astra Shop Hop at Quilters HQ

19 – Denise’s Saturday Sew Day at StitchOn   

 

Stay Curious!

The International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska

 I am lucky to live in Lawrence Kansas - for many reasons. I've realized lately that one of the best reasons is that it's only a three hour drive from the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska. And I have been taking advantage of that nearness for the last couple of years.

I have been up there three times in the last two years. The exhibits change several times a year, so multiple visits are a MUST. The first time I made the pilgrimage was to see Paula Nadelstern's exquisite kaleidoscope quilts and hear her lecture. I've taken a class from Paula and have loved her unique kaleidoscope quilts for a long time. 

Paula uses fabrics with elements that have bilaterial symmetry, which she found difficut to locate early on. She turned that challenge into an opportunity to develop her own fabric line - which of course I love and collect. I highly recommend you check out her website at the very least - better yet, see her works in person. Actually, I have so much to say about Paula, that I think she'll get her own blog post - stay tuned.

The second visit featured the work and exhibit tour of

Katie Pasquini Masopust, with whom I've also had the priviledge of taking an on-line workshop. Katie uses fabrics as well as paints to create modern art quilts, usually in a series. To me, Katie's pieces are more Art than Quilt and really beg to be looked at up close for all the interesting surprises. Katie was recently inducted into the Studio Art Quilt Associates Quilters Hall of Fame. Stay tuned for more Katie as well.  

The third trip was to see the huge graphic quilts of Victoria Findlay Wolfe and the fun and whimsical wool applique of Sue Spargo. The quilts of these two fantasitic artists could not have been more different. Victoria's huge quilts featured a limited color pallet and strong graphic lines and shapes. I've had the priviledge of taking a workshop with her at the Woodland Ridge Retreat Center in Wisconsin. Victoria will definitely get her own post!

Meeting Sue Sparge is still on my bucket list. Her wool applique quilts are so adorable. I'm working on two in the form of Block of the Month quilts from Quilting Bits and Pieces in Eudora. So I was super excited and inspired to see Fresh Cut - the original. I studied her piece for quite a while.  

I'm sure I'll be coming back often - I have just joined the Friends of the IQM Board. We've got lots of great exhibits and exciting events happening - I'm sure I'll be writing about many of them. 

Curious about the International Quilt Museum? Check out their website and plan your visit. Let me know when you're going to be there - we may run into each other!

Keeping Track of UFOs

UFOs are like a thorn in every crafter's side. Unless you are one of those weirdos who doesn't start a new project until the last one is finished. I only did that once, probably on my second quilt.

I have so many UFOs that I have a whole trunk show dedicated to the whats, whys, and how comes of them.  So why UFOs?

I am a process quilter. I love the entire process from idea, to design, picking fabric, cutting, piecing, quilting (mostly by checkbook), and binding. I don't usually feel rushed to get a project done, unless there is a hard deadline like a class or a show. My head is full of quilt ideas just waiting to be born. Which is why I have so many UFOs.

Besides my own ideas, there are new tempting BOMs in my Facebook feed almost every day. Quilt pics posted by friends and acquaintences. Workshops. Guild BOMs. New patterns by my favorite designers. New favorite designers. Virtual Quilt Alongs. The new input never ends.

 So, that's the why. I have a very hard time saying "NO".

OK, so lots of UFOs is a given in my world. The next question is UFO and project management. I happily start new projects monthly. No guilt. But I do feel guilty if they languish unacknowledged for too long (how long is too long?). To combat my tendency to forget about things not in my line of sight, I developed an excel spreadsheet to manage my UFOs. 

Here are my headings: Project Name, Technique, Date Acquired, Components (fabric &pattern, kit, panel and pattern, etc.),  Designer, Location in Studio, Status (1-10), and Notes. I go through the spreadsheet and my UFOs about once a year and update all my projects. I currently have 174 projects.

Besides getting finished, how do projects move off the spreadsheet? Some projects are in the unenviable position of not being exciting to me anymore. I may give the entire project to the guild exchange, decide to make it a smaller quilt or wall hanging, or get rid of the pattern and "liberate" the fabric back into my stash. Once it's gone I delete it from the speadsheet.

Before I started using my current system, I would go down to my studio and spend so much time trying to figure out which project I felt like working on. Many times I would end up not working on anything at all. Now I have a couple of strategies that keep projects moving forward.

Project Rotation Schedule - 

My Friend Shari introduced me to a rotation schedule. I use this for about 6 months at a time, list 8-12 projects and indicate the date I worked on it. This way, I don't have to waste time wondering which project to work on. I use this schedule to make notes, set priorities for the next few months, and jot any reminders that I need to keep working.

Finish It Up Fridays-

I have a different form that I use for quilts that are not on my rotation. These are quilts that might need one last border, need to be quilted or have a binding sewn on. Every Friday my goal is to move one project from one column to the next column on the form. At one time last year the pile of quilts needing a binding was quite tall.  I try to post my finish on Facebook to help keep me accountability. 

UFO Challenges-

Occasionally I'll sponsor or join in on a UFO Challenge. Again, mostly for accountability. Sometimes the quilts on a UFO challenge are on my rotation schedule, sometimes not. This month I'm participation in one with Stitch On, posting my progress every week. 

Retreats - 

I go to 6-8 retreats a year. Yes, I know I'm lucky that way. Retreats are a good way to spend focused time on priority projects. I'll be hosting a UFO retreat in the fall. On these retreats, I usually bring an old UFO, a more recent UFO, and maybe a brand new project (it can't always be about UFOs).  

Quarterly Goals -

I try to look ahead to workshops I'm teaching, trunk shows that need updating, quilt shows where I'll show a quilt, birthdays or other special events coming up that include a gift quilt. These projects get added to the rotation schedule and retreat projects list.

I'll never finish all my UFOs. There are so many quilts to be made, workshops to take, trunkshows to develop, and patterns to write. I'll just keep at it and use my tools to help me.  If you would like a copy of my rotation schedule and Finish It Up Friday forms, leave and comment with your email and I'll send them to you.

I'm curious about your strategies. Let me know.

 

Seeing Quilting Through New Eyes

 This past year I have been fortunate enough to find a second Love after the passing of my husband Saul in 2020. Having Brian in my life has brought many marvelous feelings and experiences. One I didnt really expect was the childlike wonder he displayed when first being introduced to the world of quilting.

I am so immersed in this world that things tended to go stale at times and I am not even aware of it. Fabric, patterns, guild meetings, quilt shows, quilt shops, quilt museums and sewing techniques were all beginning to be a bit routine. Not any more!

Brian has so many questions, so much curiousity, so much wonder. It is SOOOO refreshing!

He has all the firsts under his belt now - at least I think so. There still may be more activities that I take for granted that will be the inspiration for more questions. I am asking his opinion now about fabrics, colors, patterns, and topics for this blog (the topic of new eyes was my idea, not his). We even joke that if we ever break up, he'll know where to go to meet women (quilt guilds). It's opened a whole new world for him, and reopened my eyes to the wonder of quilting. 

So many of us quilters have grandkids that fill this role, but if you don't, find someone to introduce to quilting - young or old, man or woman. It doesnt matter. Their sense of wonder will increase or revive your sense of wonder in this womderful art we share.

Keep yourself curious

  

Why I like teaching and trunkshows