Life is a whirlwind of extremes. Happy times; hard times. Miracles and loss. But as our hearts are stretched in a thousand directions, they sure do grow!
If you’re anything like me, you pour your emotions into your quilts. And this week’s quilt is bursting with love!
Watch Jenny stitch up the wildly popular Exploding Hearts quilt by Laura Piland for Slice of Pi Quilts. This stunning heart quilt is a triumph of triangles with half-square triangles, hourglass blocks, and quarter-square triangles, too. (We love Exploding Hearts SO MUCH, we created a kit with the pattern and beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabrics!)
Burano is a tiny Italian island known for handmade lace and sherbet-hued homes.
Why were those little houses painted aqua, lavender, and cotton-candy pink? According to legend…it was to help tipsy fishermen find their way home!
This week, the Doan girls are stitching up 3 new Drunkard’s Path quilts, and they’re just as colorful and charming as the streets of Burano!
Watch the latest Triple Play tutorial to learn how to transform layer cakes and charm packs into Drunkard’s Path quilts that are quick, easy, and “sew” much fun!
Meet Marla Arna Jackson, self-taught fiber artist, painter, doll maker, indigo dyer, shibori dyer, portrait artist, seamstress, and author. Marla is the Founder and Executive Director of Marla Quilts Inc. African American Quilt Museum and Textile Academy, whose goal is to be “an impetus for developing artistic skills, enhancing individual and communal expression, and furthering intellectual awareness.” We had the honor to get to know her a little more as an artist and as a person – and we loved her so much that she’ll be taking over the Missouri Star Instagram on February 23rd, 2022 to share a little more of her passion with our quilting community! Before Marla’s Instagram Takeover, take the opportunity to get to know her a little better yourself!
What is your favorite part of the quilting process?
I am a portrait artist, most of my quilts are inspired by historical figures and my favorite part is researching and the visualization while I’m creating. I never know where the process will take me until I’m standing in front of the fabric. I don’t really enjoy the sewing, the applique, the quilting part as much as I love seeing my vision come to life.
I love learning everything I learn from the Civil War to Civil Rights, research is a major part of my process. I use pre-civil war fabrics, tapestries, fabrics like silks wools, cotton, African fabrics.
Who are your favorite fabric designers?
My favorite fabrics come from Vlisco in Holland, I love the vibrant color and patterns. I don’t know any others by name.
What notion or sewing tool are you most dependent on?
Scissors, I create my images for my quilts as I go with my scissors. No patterns, just my imagination, my hands and my scissors. I don’t measure nothing, I just go for it.
How were you introduced to sewing and quilting?
My mom introduced me to sewing, and my grandmothers and great grandmother taught me the technical parts of sewing and quilting. All of us kids helped my mother sew while she was pregnant, we worked the feet pedals for her. I’ve always loved doing it my way though, I got kicked out of two sewing classes in high school for not following the rules.
What was the most frustrating sewing project you ever worked on?
Putting in a fly zipper into pants – I’d gotten in trouble and as punishment for getting kicked out of sewing class my mom made me put in a fly zipper in 15 minutes. I finished it in 5 minutes. Later I was glad she taught me but I sure was mad while I was doing it.
What do you do to find inspiration/encourage your creativity?
Meditation, quieting my mind and tapping into my imagination.
What occupation would you like to try if sewing/making wasn’t an option?
Costume Designer.
Who is your favorite fictional character?
When I was a little girl I preferred watching the news over cartoons and stories and stuff, but I did like Shirley Temple and Annie Oakley- cowgirl boots, hat, and holster, that was me all dressed up.
What fabric have you been hoarding/saving the longest?
African fabrics and Asian fabrics.
Describe your perfect day.
Hot tea when I’m feeling good, teaching my students how to sew and quilt and research and bring history to life through quilts.
Don’t forget to join us on Instagram on February 23rd, 2022 as Marla (who you can follow @iammarlajackson) takes over the Missouri Star Instagram (don’t forget to follow us too @missouriquiltco)! Can’t wait? We can’t blame you – it’s going to be so much fun! Learn more about Marla and Marla Quilts Inc. by checking out her website https://marlaquiltsinc.org/ and her blog https://marlaquiltsinc.org/blog. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, be sure to follow her on Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube as well!
It doesn’t get easier than this classic quilt block! Using Layer Cakes cut into half-square triangles, the chevron quilt block is the perfect project for a new beginner quilter! Even if you’ve been stitching up quilts for awhile now, this simple pattern offers a unique opportunity to quilt in a hurry (not like any of us would EVER wait until the last minute to make a handmade gift).
To make this into a full quilt, all you’ll need is a solid layer cake and a printed layer cake – but the good news is you can truly make this pattern with any size of precut fabric and any colors. To make your first block, take a square from each of your color selections and put them right sides together, then sew along the outer edge with a quarter inch seam allowance. Then all you need to do is cut them diagonally corner to corner in both directions! Just like that you already have four half-square triangles that are ready to be pressed flat, arranged into a chevron pattern and stitched together – talk about simple sewing!
Needing some more inspiration to create this beautiful block? While the Vintage Jenny tutorial fabrics are no longer in production (just like a classic quilt they’re a product of their time) check out our suggestions below for five current lines of fabric that make this quilt come together with ease!
Dive into Kaffe with this 10″ square pack! You can have all the Kaffe Fassett prints your creative heart desires with the new Kaffe Fassett Collective collection, especially if your project calls for dark colors.
Take a chance with this 10” square pack! The odds are in your favor with the Happy Chance collection by Laura Heine for Windham Fabrics! These fanciful fabrics are full of multicolor florals, paper mache collages, and dressmaking motifs.
Let your true colors shine through with Tula Pink’s new collection! It features some of her most popular prints in fresh colors to accent and enhance her existing fabric collections. These vibrant colors are so beautiful, they’re sure to add life to your next project.
The smallest origami crane ever made was just .1 mm square (that’s 1/25 of an inch!) The all-time largest measured a whopping 256 feet. And this week we’re working on the world’s coziest origami!
The Big T Origami quilt is based on an antique favorite. It’s sometimes called Folded Corners, and it comes together quickly with flying geese and half square triangles.
In this tutorial, Jenny shares the secret to perfectly sharp flying geese points, and she uses her trusty squaring tool and bias seam tape to keep everything as neat and tidy as true origami!
