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To inspire, I thought I would share a short video of my nieces flying a kite. This was taken from my brother and sister-in-law's deck in Bismarck North Dakota at sunset. On Tuesday evening I had the privilege of meeting with the ladies of Lakeshore Quilt Guild in Shoreview, Minnesota. I talked with them about using Specialty Rulers and presented a trunk show of many of my quilts. They even got a sneak peak at the Kite quilt. You will have to wait a bit longer before I do the reveal on my website. For those that are on the east coast, a number of my quilts are on display at The Quilt Patch in Fairfax Virginia. Check out my quilts and patterns in person at the shop. Featured Pattern - It's a Mystery It's A Mystery by Kari Schell I just finished a new rendition of It's a Mystery. This one featured both Jo Morton (Andover) and Kim Diehl (Henry Glass) fabrics. I also utilized both the Tucker Trimmer 1 and V Block Trimmer (both of which were also utlized in the Kite Blocks this week). This quilt was originally designed for a mystery weekend – hence the name. This seemingly complex quilt is easier than it looks. Instructions provide for strip pieced and over-sized units that are cut down with the use of the recommended rulers from Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design. Three sizes are available: Lap 57 x 69 (shown), Twin 69 x 93 or Full 93 x 93 Click here to purchase the pattern. Recommended Tools: Happy quilting. Kari Sign up for my newsletter to stay current on what's happening in my studio and learn more quilting tips. As a thank you, I'll send you a FREE pattern for this small maple leaf quilt.
This has been a busy week. I was in Duluth on Friday for the Minnesota Quilt Show, then I had three full days of Art and Stitch classes with Loes and Theo van der Heiden. In my spare time, I have been working on some of the kite blocks as well.
This week I will share with you some of the highlights of the quilt show along with instructions for piecing two of the kite blocks. 
Navajo Code Talkers by Carla Kiklelly of Richfield MN. Also quilted by Carla. I loved the different "pieced" band in each of the blocks and I love plaids.
MN Quilt Show
The quilts were amazing this year. Lot's of eye candy and inspiration. I thought I would share a few photos of some of the quilts that caught my eye.
Dresden Dreams - pieced and quilted by Sandy Cooper. This quilt was in the Twin Cities Quilting Challenge Modern Quilt. Grey is definitely the new neutral.
I thought this helped with defining a modern quilt.
Fenestra Rosa by Mardi Carter (Estes Park, CO). This is a stunning representation of stained glass window. Check out the following close up of some of her quilting.
The following are quilting close-ups from a quilt by Susan Fetter Ward. It was quilted by Lisa Arndt, of Lisa's Creative Quilting. Somehow I missed photographing the whole quilt -- but lots of quilting inspiration. This was a great use of geometric designs.
Love at First Sight by AnnMarie Kraayenbrink of Prior Lake, MN. Quuilted by Mary Alsop. The design was by Edyta Sitar.
There were a series of quilts from Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. These quilts were all made by members of the Cover to Cover book club in Portland Oregon. The quilts were made within a six month time frame. This is one example from the special exhibit.
Alice Slays the Jabberwocky by Pat Busby.
Another of the fun challenges were the collection of "Wicked Quilts". This challenge was inspired by Cherrywood Fabrics.
Featured Pattern - Be My Valentine
Do you need a quick wedding gift? Be my Valentine is sure to be a hit with the bride and groom. Consider making it in their "colors". This pattern also features the Split Rects tool used in the Kite blocks.
Happy quilting.
Kari Sign up for my newsletter to stay current on what's happening in my studio and learn more quilting tips. As a thank you, I'll send you a FREE pattern for this small maple leaf quilt.
Last summer when I was dealing with Vestibular Neuritis (think really bad vertigo), everything was out of sorts. I couldn't drive, I couldn't quilt, I couldn't work on the computer and I definitely couldn't ice skate. Once my brain started to adapt to the loss of the nerve, I began thinking about new quilting ideas. I tend to like a lot of piecing in a quilt. But during this time in my life, I also needed a chance for my brain to rest a bit, so I knew I wanted more negative space than I am typically use to working with. I began playing with ideas for a modern quilt. So what is a modern quilt? According to the Modern Quilt Guilt, "We define modern quilts as quilts that are functional, include bold colors, and are inspired by modern design. Minimalism, asymmetry, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work are often a part of modern quilt compositions, as are improvisational piecing and solid fabrics." Fabric Selection - I liked the idea of asymmetrical, along negative space, and grid work. I couldn't quite make the leap to solid fabrics. But I had some Molly B's fabric from Marcus Brothers that is more tonal in nature and would work for me. I am personally in my "zone" when I can work with a great line of Civil War fabric. Drumroll please!!!! Here is the quilt block and the final quilt.   Modern Maze Lap Quilt - Fabrics are from Molly B's line by Marcus Brothers. I really liked the cleanness of the final quilt. One thing I would probably change is the light grey I used for the background. It looks great in the actual quilt, but I am not sure it photographed quite as well. The quilt below is another variation of this quilt. I think changing the layout results in a significantly different look.  Modern Maze Wall Quilt by Kari Schell (Made from a charm pack.) One of the big decisions you need to make in working with asymmetric blocks is the layout. There are lots of possibilities to audition. I find the easiest way to do this is using my Electric Quilt program. For this weeks video, I decided to share how I used Electric Quilt to audition layout ideas for my Modern Maze quilt. Featured Quilt - Modern MazeHot off the presses, the pattern for Modern Maze is now available for purchase. For those that collect charm packs, this quilt is charm friendly!
Happy quilting. Kari Sign up for my newsletter to stay current on what's happening in my studio and learn more quilting tips. As a thank you, I'll send you a FREE pattern for this small maple leaf quilt.
I told myself that I wasn't going to do a Christmas quilt this year. I still haven't even put up the tree and I will be picking up Mom and Uncle John on Sunday for a week long visit, with my sister and her family coming from Missouri on Wednesday. There is always so much going on. But I really wanted to show how to draft a hexagon quilt in Electric Quilt and I decided this is a really easy project So I couldn't resist. I have two table topper options for you.
The video on how I drafted this quilt in EQ is here. It is less complicated than it looks. Rotary cutting charts for the blocks are here. Sizing is exact (i.e. no oversized pieces). For the borders use 1-1/2" strips for the sashing (4 1-1/2” x 7" and 4 1-1/2” x 8”)and 2-1/2" strips for the outer border (4 2-1/2” x 12” and 4 2-1/2” x 8”). I have a few diagrams on piecing the borders.
If this is a Christmas gift, you can stitch in the ditch and it will be done in a jiffy. Happy quilting -- and Merry Christmas. Kari Sign up for my newsletter to stay current on what's happening in my studio and learn more quilting tips. As a thank you, I'll send you a FREE pattern for this small maple leaf quilt.
It is hard to believe that it is time to finish our tops. Is the artist in you seeing the design possibilities? I suspect everyone of our projects will look unique and make this a very special gift.
To quilt these I recommend a pantograph or an overall meander. I am using Minky for the backs as I love the cuddly nature of that fabric. Since it is 60" wide, no piecing is required and you can get by with purchasing 1-1/4 yards. Here are some of my finished quilts.
2+6=Baby Cowboy Quilt
The football quilt below was done entirely with scraps. I had some leftover pieces from a sports quilt for my nephew which I pieces together for the "theme print". Then I used fabric from my shelves to fill in the rest. It truly feels like a "free quilt".
2+6=Baby Football Quilt
Happy quilting.
Kari
Sign up for my newsletter to stay current on what's happening in my studio and learn more quilting tips. As a thank you, I'll send you a FREE pattern for this small maple leaf quilt.
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