Italy Day 5

Day 5. Lucignano.

A small group of us went to Lucignano, an elliptical medieval village. We were there the last day of the Maggiolata Festival. Sadly, the festival was an evening event but we enjoyed how the village was decorated. You can read more about the festival here.

Lunch with a view.

And the food. Seriously, y’all. The food.

That evening we had a wine and truffle tasting in the cellar of the Villa. I’ve had truffles before but it’s usually a sprinkle since they are so expensive. Truffles are easy to find in Italy and they were so, so good! The image on the right shows some truffles pretty much right out of the ground.

They don’t make wine at the Villa any longer because it is too expensive to replace the wooden casks.

A little more roaming around the grounds.

Forced family photos. I think there’s a holiday card photo in here.

Up Close and Personal with Aether

I’ve had a few requests to get close up looks at the fabrics I use in Aether, so I added this gallery. With the exception of the image at the bottom, because I forgot to take a photo of that square (gah!), the blocks are in order.

You can see how I appliquéd the orange peels. I used stitch #6 on my Bernina – it’s a double stitch (I think that’s the name?) – it’s basically two straight stitched lines next to each other. I wanted more depth to the stitches than a single straight stitch and I didn’t want to use a decorative stitch so this was the winner. You can also see how I changed my thread color along some of the orange peels so the thread would blend into each orange peel. I wanted everything to blend as seamlessly as possible. It was extra work but absolutely worth it, I think!

I’m embarrassed that I am still quilting the orange peels (shakes fist) but I’ll get them finished eventually. I’ve got some secret sewing happening right now and it’s been my priority. More on that later!

Most of the fabrics are from the Kaffe Fassett collective. There are also fabrics from Sally Kelly, Anna Maria Horner, Moda, Martha Negly, Tula Pink and more. Some of the designs are still current, others are not, but this should help guide you when you pull fabrics from your stash.

Have you made an Aether quilt? I’d love to see some photos! Tag me online or send me an email.

Happy Piecing!

Aether Time Lapse

Good Morning, friends! I’ve made a lot of new sewing friends lately and want to share a time lapse video of when Aether was coming together. 37 seconds of happiness. If you are new to my blog, welcome. I’m happy to meet you and I’m glad you are here. If you’ve been here a while, thanks for sticking around. To everyone, I appreciate your support!

I love this video because I think you get a good sense of the color and how it flows from orange peel to orange peel and block to block. There was a lot of fiddling with this quilt to get the color to work. In fact, I cut out a lot of orange peels that I didn’t use. Remember, it’s okay to play! Cut up the fabric. If you don’t use it, you can put it on the back, make a pillow or hold onto it for another day, like I’m doing. I *think* I have a plan for those coming together.

I want to share one tip about putting this quilt together: when you pick/cut your background squares, pick a hue slightly lighter than you think you need. When I was designing the quilt I originally matched the background squares to the orange peels. When I stood back, really dark squares in the blue, green, and burgundy families screamed at me and I could immediately tell I needed to choose a slightly lighter color.

Have you made an Aether Quilt? I’d love to see it!

Have questions? Please ask! I’m happy to help.

Italy Day 2

Day 2. San Giovanni D’Asso

Day 2 was spent hanging out around the Villa so everyone had a little time to adjust to the jet lag.

I found a few more things around the Villa that interested me. The floor and the door.

Our bedroom had some lovely, framed needlework in it.

The town is small so we took a walk to see the sights.

A World War II monument.

Sights at the market.

Things we saw on the way back to the Villa.

The walk back up to the Villa.

Look at how high this is! And poppies are EVERYWHERE!

Swaddle

I am grateful that I’ve had creative, caring, generous women in my life since before my kids were born. Some of those women have helped guide me through marriage, kids, moving, growing, changing, creativity, and art. They’ve shared copious amounts of wisdom with me, and I’m grateful for that.

Before my oldest was born, one of those women made me two flannel swaddling blankets. She shared that the blankets she’d received were never *quite* large enough. And she was right! I struggled to get those small blankets around my boys! Admittedly, my kids were big babies but the blankets she gave me? They were perfect!

So cue the perfect quick gift for any new mother. Lightweight. Lovingly made. Great to swaddle, nurse under it, if that works for you. I’m fully on team feed your kid in the way that works best for your family. Fed is best. But also as babies get older these blankets are great to put down on the grass so baby has a small space to hang out, use it as a lightweight cover in a stroller and a million other things.

I serged the edges and made a quick hem.

Super simple. Super cute. Super functional. Hopefully, super loved.

Midnight at Mint

Last weekend my husband and I went to an opening at Mint Atlanta. The juried show is titled “Midnight” and this is what curator Jamaal Barber wrote about it:

“Midnight’s the only time where you can be both in the past, present, and future.”

In the depths of the night, we are alone with our thoughts. The daylight can distract and deflect away, but all truth gets revealed in the night’s solitude. Artists that can reflect on that moment create work infused with passion and honesty. In this exhibition, we seek work exploring the truths we only tell ourselves in the dark. How do we speak to ourselves about ourselves? What are our true desires? What or who do we really want the day to bring to us? 

Profound, right?

The show was lovely and filled my bucket. My friend, Mary, had a piece juried into the exhibit and I was thrilled to celebrate her that night.

Her piece is titled “Walking After Midnight”. The quilting represents the streets she walked along as a child, under the Atlanta moon.

Here are a few other pieces I loved:

In the Happy by Brian Brown
Have You Gained Weight? You Look Great by Corran Shrimpman
Unknown title and artist – wasn’t on the wall
Do They Treat Black Wings in Heaven How We Treat Black Skin by Orisha Nnani

If you live in Atlanta and have a chance to see the exhibit, I highly recommend it. Fill your bucket. Mint is in the West End so it’s easy to get there and has plenty of parking.

Patty

The Perfect Piecing Pocket Guide is Here!

Have you seen it?! My newest book, The Perfect Piecing Pocket Guide is here!

First things first: it’s cute and small. It’s meant to go into your sewing bag when you head to a retreat or class. It’s the perfect quick reference for any quilter.

Second, like my first book, this one is full of photos and tips. As a friend of mine used to say, it hits the high spots with the most used blocks quilters tend to make. Remember, it’s a pocket guide so it won’t have all the information that my first book, Piecing Makeover, has in it but it has most everything you need to get out of a quilting jam.

You can order signed copies through my store, at C&T, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, or Barnes and Noble.

It’s a perfect gift for quilting holiday exchanges or a stocking stuffer!

Happy Piecing, everyone!