Crossroads & Simply Moderne Magazine

September 15, 2019January 11, 2026 Elizabeth E.20 Comments

Crossroads began in a mix of bright violet, purple, sailor blue, deep aqua, with some bright green, yellow and a touch of black. In other words, this quilt began like so many of mine do: in a swirl of color. But what happened next was quite an adventure.

The inception of the quilt came from two other versions, but I wanted to put this design through its paces and see what else it could do.

I cut and built the quilt, color band by color band.

Then I started quilting it a little over a year ago.

There were a few troubles here and there, with some healthy doses of unpicking.

But I finished quilting and moved onto the binding. So far, it all sounds pretty normal, right?

Time for some beauty shots in our university’s garden. Then I contacted Simply Moderne magazine, and asked if they were interested. I waited.

I taught a class with it.

Simply Moderne wrote back: yes! They were interested! (Cue jumping on the bed.) So the quilt went underground, as did the pattern. No more classes. No talking about it.

I dropped it off to them at Road to California January 2019, the folded quilt disguising my sling for my arm (rotator cuff surgery). This was on their IG feed.

This past week, September 2019, I received this in my email: the photo of my quilt, ready for publication. I was beyond thrilled, as I am a fervent and faithful reader of not only Simply Moderne, but also its parent magazine, QuiltMania. Everyone there at that publication is so very nice and lovely to work with.

So, pick it up at your newstand, or wait for your subscribed copy to be delivered, or order it online on the 19th of September. And give me a holler when you read it, for I’ll be waving back, jumping for joy!

This-and-That

This and That • September 2019

September 12, 2019September 10, 2019 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

Antelope Valley Guild Sept2019.jpg

Free Motion Quilting can be one of the main challenges we quilters face after we’ve gotten down the basics of piecing and other construction methods. Now we want to stitch and shape and sculpt our quilts with thread. This coming Saturday, September 14th, I’ll be teaching a Free-Motion Quilting workshop in Antelope Valley, and if you are nearby, come on down (up?). You can find out more at their Quilt Guild Meeting, held Thursday evening, where I’ll present a show titled “An Undercover Traditional Modern Art Quilter.” I’m bringing two suitcases of quilts, some stories and a sense of humor. Hope to see you there!

Gridsters Sept 2019 Simone.jpg

Simone drew up another one of her fabulous blocks for us in the Gridsters Bee, and I got busy and did six of them. I just kept wanting to try out different combinations. More info (and a free download) of this block is available on her website.

Book 15 Gamache

I started a new Inspector Gamache book, #15. Halfway in, and I can’t wait to get back to listening.

AustinTX_1BBQ

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Austin, TX (common abbreviation, I found out, is ATX) to see my son and his family. Here we are outside Coopers BBQ, where I’m going when I go to QuiltCon in February (well, both places: the BBQ, which is right downtown, and also to see the grandsons).

AustinTX_2pluginshoes

I always learn something new when visiting the youngsters: did you know you could charge up your shoes, and when you are at a dance, they will glow different colors?

AustinTX_3capitol

When the boys went back to school and their parents went back to their regularly scheduled lives, we did touristing at the State Capitol Building.

AustinTX_4

Then up to the University of Texas at Austin, where I visited someting I’d been wanting to see for a very long time: Austin, by Ellsworth Kelley. Kelley gave the design for this chapel-like space to the Blanton Museum, which had it built. It’s just over 2700 square feet, so not huge.

AustinTX_4a

But inside…

AustinTX_4c AustinTX_4d AustinTX_4e

We went in the morning, and then back again after lunch and a walk through the next door Blanton Museum. I want to come here again, in February, when they say the light comes in the grid over the front door. Hope it’s not cloudy at QuiltCon!

AustinTX_5art

Another Ellsworth Kelly. We call this Couple Self-Portrait in Kelly’s B. Occasionally if you spend too much time in museums you can get a bit goofy. We also went to the LBJ Presidential Library after all this.

AustinTX_b

But this — a dance of color and light — is what makes my quilty heart sing!

WIP

My Small World, redux

September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

mysmallworld2019_1

It’s not often I get to have a re-do on Quilts-I-Once-Started-But-Abandoned, but there’s a fresh breeze in the air this fall, with another go-round of Jen Kingwell’s My Small World quilt. Paula James (@the_secret_sewer) and Nicola Kelly (@nicola_picola_) have joined forces under the IG banner of #mysmallworldsewcial on Instagram, getting us started and keeping us going until we all finish, some nine months later. The experts all say that we’ll agree to anything that has a finish date in the future because we think we have all the time in the world in the future. This proves it.

I love Paul’s opening line in her recent post: “Over 60 awesome quilting friends have foolishly offered to join Nicola and me in a special sewalong to create our very own #mysmallworldquilt by genius @jenkingwell.”

And Nicola writes: “The fabulous Paula and I were beyond inspired by Jen Kingwell’s #mysmallworldquilt at last weekend’s retreat that we decided to make one in our inimitable style! 😂. If you would like to join us in a friendly, motivational and slightly bonkers sew along we’d LOVE to have you onboard….Thank you for the phenomenal response already to Paula’s post last night and let me know below if you’ve reconsidered your WIP pile and fancy another little addition.”

These are my kind of leaders.

I dug in the boxes at the bottom of the heap, to drag out this woe-be-gotten piece of piecing, folded up some four years ago (that’s 1460 days, if you are counting) and set aside. The last post I can find says something like “My Small World, June 2015 edition,” like there was going to be something else after that.

messy ironing board 2019.jpg

I’d made a copy of the pattern from my Quilt Mania Special Issue Spring 2015 (which isn’t for sale anymore), and made all my errata and corrections on this, so I’m somewhat ahead of the game. I guess. And there was an earlier sew-a-long; see my Posts for Reference, below. The IG at that time was #mysmallworldqal and it can be helpful to look at that feed for ideas.

I also have a bazillion 1 1/2″ squares of ivory-colored sky cut up. When I saw this in a comment on the #mysmallworldsewcial feed, I had to laugh:

You can purchase the pattern at Jen Kingwell’s Shop, Amitie, if you want the booklet, but you can also find some online, if you do a search. So, get out your orphaned Small World and get back in the game!! Below are screenshots from their feed, reminding me of what I need to get done by what date:

IG sewalong SMall World

Other Posts For Reference
VeryKerryBerry — Kerry ran an IG sew-a-long in 2015. On this post she has info about each section, links to Errata (Corrections) if you have the magazine pattern, and tips and tricks. Very helpful. [Warning: Any link back to QuiltMania does not work. I think after a year, they relinquish rights and responsibilities back to the pattern writer.]
Patchwork ‘n’ Play — Susan’s Melbourne Town, where I found out that Jen Kingwell based this quilt on the artwork of Mary Blair, a Disney artist.
Live A Colorful Life — Cindy’s My Small World: The Disney Version
Wendy’s Quilts and More — Wendy writes about re-starting a stalled Small World
Another post from Wendy with more tips

300 Quilts · Patterns by Elizabeth of OPQuilt

City Streets Pattern Release

September 7, 2019September 7, 2019 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

City Streets_1

City Streets now has another rendition.

City Streets_B1

I made it up in a 15″ block pattern, and broke into my meager Tula stash to create a colorful quilt. This pattern is made for beginners, with no triangles anywhere. I envisioned the 15″ block to sew up quickly for baby quilts and other times when you need a quilt. Fast.

I cut and sewed this all in a long morning, which leaked a bit into the afternoon. It’s a pretty quick sew if you are experienced, but a bit longer if you are a newbie.

City Streets Pattern Cover

City Streets, with both sizes included, is now for sale on PayHip. (Get coupon, below.)

Yardage City Streets

I also learned a few new things in my Affinity Publisher Software, making the pattern more colorful and easy-to-read. Above is the yardage chart for both versions.

You’ve seen a photo shoot on the first version of this quilt, but more pictures of the new version (not yet quilted) are below:

City Streets_B3

Here’s a coupon code for you in case you want to pick it up. Head over to PayHip and use CITYSTREETS20 — it will get you 20% off the price for a little more than a week (it expires on September 17th).

Happy Sewing!