August 2020 – Boy Meets Quilt

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 15: Virtual Trunk Show #6

BLACK LIVES MATTER — Please click on the link to find out what you can do to help end the oppression and killing of our fellow human beings.

The next quilt in my virtual trunk show is called Baby’s First Chevron. This quilt was gifted long before I shot this video, so I can only show photos. I made this quilt out of a collection of chevron blocks that were made by members of the Brooklyn Quilters Guild for one of our block of the month raffles. Because I wanted the finished quilt to be bigger than the number of blocks I received, I decided to use this as an opportunity to design a more contemporary-looking quilt with a lot of negative space. Thank goodness for my design wall!!

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 14: Virtual Trunk Show #5

BLACK LIVES MATTER — Please click on the link to find out what you can do to help end the oppression and killing of our fellow human beings.

This very special episode of my continuing virtual trunk show required a new location because my fifth quilt — Cabin Windows – Verona, PA ca. 1768 — was made as a housewarming gift for Shannon Reed and can normally be found draped on her bed. Similar to my previous quilt, Caged Cacophony, this quilt organically evolved from a very nebulous idea into what has become one of my favorite quilts I ever made. It was such a joy making this knowing that I would be giving it to my dear friend who would appreciate everything that went into it. Be sure to watch the video to hear about the process as well as to see some close-ups of the very dense free-motion quilting in all of the sashing.

Barn Quilts!!

I recently traveled to Ohio to visit my family. Since we’re still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our options for fun things to do outside of the home were quite limited. Thankfully, my brilliant mother came up with a brilliant idea — the Ottawa County Barn Quilt Trail! Some of you may be wondering just what exactly is a barn quilt? It’s a piece of wood that has been painted to look like a quilt block and then affixed to a barn (or any building, really). Check out the articles below to learn about the surprisingly short history of barn quilts. I actually had no idea that barn quilts only date back to 2001 until I started writing this blog post!

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My parents live in Northwest Ohio, so the Ottawa County Barn Quilt Trail was the closest one for us. This trail is a collaboration between the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council and the Ottawa County 4-H Program. There are currently 22 quilts displayed on the trail with more coming this fall. They are scattered throughout the county, which means quite a bit of back and forth if you want to see them all. But it’s so worth it!

Not only are the barn quilts themselves so cool to see, but it was such a pleasure to drive through the beautiful countryside with glimpses of Lake Erie and the bizarrely juxtaposed sight of the Davis-Besse cooling tower and its enormous cloud of steam often spotted in the distance. We also managed to have a delicious socially-distanced lunch of lake perch at Jolly Rogers in Port Clinton. What a lovely day! Scroll through the pictures below and enjoy!

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 13: Virtual Trunk Show #4

BLACK LIVES MATTER — Please click on the link to find out what you can do to help end the oppression and killing of our fellow human beings.

This fourth video takes us on a little tour of the first bed-sized quilt I ever made — Caged Cacophony. It kind of all happened without any real plan at the beginning. In fact, I didn’t even plan on making a bed-sized quilt when I first started working on it. I’m a big fan of flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to designing and making quilts, and this quilt epitomizes that philosophy. Watch the video to learn more!

BMQ YouTube Series – Ep. 12: Virtual Trunk Show #3

BLACK LIVES MATTER — Please click on the link to find out what you can do to help end the oppression and killing of our fellow human beings.

The third quilt in my virtual trunk show — Beyond the Machine — is very near and dear to my heart because it is the first quilt I designed myself. This quilt was made as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Brooklyn Quilters Guild. I wanted to make an industrial-looking version of the New York Beauty pattern, so I created a template that came together as cogwheels. Watch the video to find out more!