Kathy Doughty balances owning her own quilt shop, authoring quilt books, teaching classes internationally and being a mom and wife.
Kathy Doughty balances owning her own quilt shop, authoring quilt books, teaching classes internationally and being a mom and wife.
Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! It has been a spectacular fall here in Southern Ontario with a display of colour like I can't e...
My friend, Debbie, and I had a wonderful day in Brantford last week at a workshop organized by the Red Red Bobbin quilt shop. I had read ab...
Kathy Doughty, self-taught quilter, author, fabric designer, and owner of Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia, is known for creating quilts with incredible fabric combinations. Folk Art Heart is
My friend, Debbie, and I had a wonderful day in Brantford last week at a workshop organized by the Red Red Bobbin quilt shop. I had read ab...
Last Saturday I went to the Modern Wedge workshop with Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession fame at All Things Patchwork. I had such an enjoyable time! Kathy was really interesting but also kind of chilled out - a great combination in my mind. Kathy began by talking about some of the beautiful quilts she brought with her. Then she had us lay out all the fabric we had brought with us in warm and cool colours, and from dark to light. This was so we could think about contrast looking at the fabric we had. Then we got got started on making our modern wedge combos. At one point when I was standing looking anxiously at my pile Kathy asked me what I was thinking about. I said I had just grabbed anything from home and hadn't thought about whether they 'went' together. Kathy: "Well, do you like the way they look together here on the table?" Me: "Um... yes" (Add a little of that kiwi habit of going up on the end of the sentence and you'll get the expression). Kathy: "Ok" (Facial expression - "so what's the problem??"). This was very liberating. So I just got to cutting anything I liked the look of. The great thing about this process is that you cut the wedges and lay them out, and if you don't like what you see, you can try different options. Kathy also showed us an abundance of possibilities using the wedge ruler. I was particularly taken with this block: I would definitely do another class with Kathy if there was the opportunity - a great way to spend a Saturday. If you haven't already you might want to pop over and see how Linda, Karyn and Rachel got on.
Kathy Doughty balances owning her own quilt shop, authoring quilt books, teaching classes internationally and being a mom and wife.
My friend, Debbie, and I had a wonderful day in Brantford last week at a workshop organized by the Red Red Bobbin quilt shop. I had read about the workshop on Nancy's blog a few months ago and immediately signed up and invited Debbie to join me. Kathy Doughty, of Material Obsession fame, has been travelling all over the US and made one stop in Canada to do three days of workshops at the Red Red Bobbin. Kathy's husband, John, joined her on her trip--he loves to travel and is a wonderful photographer, quilt holder, suitcase lugger and supporter of Kathy! He even helped some of the participants in with their machines, bags and bins of fabric! Here is a picture of Kathy talking about one of her quilts--that is John holding the quilt. Kathy and John live in Australia and the twenty ladies taking the class were thrilled to see several of her quilts from her recent books--Adding Layers and Making Quilts. The theme of our workshop was the Modern Wedge and Kathy showed us several examples of what can be done with a wedge ruler and some imagination! Fussy cutting the fabrics can lead to some fun circles! This one is called vintage spin. This one is made by sewing strips together before cutting the wedges. This is an example of a pieced background for some appliqued circles made from wedges. (John the quilt holder's feet are at the bottom of the quilt!) The circles can be layered on top of each other for a fun effect. (Those are my feet this time...) How about points at both ends of the wedges??? I started by sorting my fabrics into two piles--warm colours and cool colours. I chose these two fabrics to start and cut out a few wedges and started playing on the design wall. Note how the red recedes and the green fabric comes forward! My circle told me it wanted to go into a different direction. Kathy suggested cutting out some shorter wedges in two darker fabrics so that that my next "worm" would recede more than the first one. Then, two lighter colours in longer wedges were added...I like where this is going! Kathy and I discussed background fabric ideas...She asked me if I have any dark fabrics in my stash??? Silly question, I told her! I would like to try making a pieced background and will work on this over the summer so I can put this quilt into the London Friendship Quilters' Guild show this fall. Debbie made several circles on her design wall and is well on her way to a beautiful quilt! Thank you, Kathy, for a wonderful, fun and inspiring day! We hope to see you again sometime. I did some gardening on the weekend...
15 Original Quilt Projects from Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession. Adding Layers—Color, Design, & Design, by Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession, is your illustrated guide to developing an artful understanding of your quilting process. In its 15 original projects, you’ll be inspired to experiment with textiles, tools, and techniques to create vibrant quilts. As you add these new “layers” of complexity into your designs, you’ll discover added interest and depth in your quilting experience.
My friend, Debbie, and I had a wonderful day in Brantford last week at a workshop organized by the Red Red Bobbin quilt shop. I had read ab...
It was pretty busy in “MY ROOM” this past week. Here are four of the quilts that spent some time on my longarm machine that I lovingly call Bessie. She’s my computerized girl an…
I worked on some waffle blocks this week. This project was inspired by Nann's waffle stamps quilt. Six more scrappy waffle blocks were made using up 60 little squares. On the computer photo these blocks look more grey than dark blue, but they are really blue frames. I love that I am still using up bits of the Y2K fabric... it just never goes away does it?! Do people even know what Y2K means anymore?!? LOL blue and pink scrappy waffle blocks Here are all the blocks on the design wall from the past 2 months. This is a great leader-ender project, but Bonnie Hunter has posted a new challenge called "Easy Breezy" and I'm eager to try a few of those blocks. I need to spend some time cutting up scraps and getting some block kits organized. Linking up to the RSC weekly scrap party
My friend, Debbie, and I had a wonderful day in Brantford last week at a workshop organized by the Red Red Bobbin quilt shop. I had read about the workshop on Nancy's blog a few months ago and immediately signed up and invited Debbie to join me. Kathy Doughty, of Material Obsession fame, has been travelling all over the US and made one stop in Canada to do three days of workshops at the Red Red Bobbin. Kathy's husband, John, joined her on her trip--he loves to travel and is a wonderful photographer, quilt holder, suitcase lugger and supporter of Kathy! He even helped some of the participants in with their machines, bags and bins of fabric! Here is a picture of Kathy talking about one of her quilts--that is John holding the quilt. Kathy and John live in Australia and the twenty ladies taking the class were thrilled to see several of her quilts from her recent books--Adding Layers and Making Quilts. The theme of our workshop was the Modern Wedge and Kathy showed us several examples of what can be done with a wedge ruler and some imagination! Fussy cutting the fabrics can lead to some fun circles! This one is called vintage spin. This one is made by sewing strips together before cutting the wedges. This is an example of a pieced background for some appliqued circles made from wedges. (John the quilt holder's feet are at the bottom of the quilt!) The circles can be layered on top of each other for a fun effect. (Those are my feet this time...) How about points at both ends of the wedges??? I started by sorting my fabrics into two piles--warm colours and cool colours. I chose these two fabrics to start and cut out a few wedges and started playing on the design wall. Note how the red recedes and the green fabric comes forward! My circle told me it wanted to go into a different direction. Kathy suggested cutting out some shorter wedges in two darker fabrics so that that my next "worm" would recede more than the first one. Then, two lighter colours in longer wedges were added...I like where this is going! Kathy and I discussed background fabric ideas...She asked me if I have any dark fabrics in my stash??? Silly question, I told her! I would like to try making a pieced background and will work on this over the summer so I can put this quilt into the London Friendship Quilters' Guild show this fall. Debbie made several circles on her design wall and is well on her way to a beautiful quilt! Thank you, Kathy, for a wonderful, fun and inspiring day! We hope to see you again sometime. I did some gardening on the weekend...
nif-ty; adjective (ti-er, ti-est) informal, fashionable, stylish: a nifty quilt!
I'm just back from quilt retreat and am catching up on my sleep! I am writing daily posts this week to share all the fun and accomplishments. Look for tomorrow's post called "Will you actually like quilt retreat?" It was wonderful to be at retreat with 2 friends who are also sewing Bonnie Hunter's Frolic mystery. One friend has her quilt top finished already and one has just started sewing blocks. I am in between their accomplishments, having 12 blocks sewn together. We ventured outside to take a photo on a very cold day. It was also windy, so I'm glad we got a good shot of the finished quilt top. 3 Frolics! Isn't it amazing how different fabrics can make the same quilt pattern look completely different? I just love that! 💖 12 Frolic blocks I am going to sew my blocks on point and really like the curvy effect which you don't get with the straight set. This is the centre part of my quilt. I'm not quite half finished the centre blocks, and haven't started on the outside half blocks yet. And look what I bought... a Frolic mug to enjoy my hot beverages while sewing thousands of blocks for this quilt! You can get this and any of the previous Quiltville mystery swag at Zazzle. If you order a sweatshirt, beware that the sizing is very generous. I measured myself and got a sweatshirt that is way too big and did not shrink at all in the dryer. Here I am at retreat, early in the morning, drinking coffee from my new Frolic mug, and wearing my too big Frolic sweatshirt. Linking up to Design Wall Monday over at Small Quilts.
One of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects it to make the Quiltville pattern called Bitcoin. These are the aqua ladders I have made so far this month. Some of these scraps are leftover from a quilt I finished in 2009! It's time they had a chance to shine in a scrappy quilt. I've also started a baby quilt for my daughter's best friend's baby. Yes, the baby is already here and I need to get it done before the baby goes to school! LOL But at least I've started, and I am enjoying making these 8" star blocks and I'm loving this soft flannel. The request was for a gender neutral quilt, but now that the baby girl is here, I'm just adding some aqua and a touch of pink because it makes me happy! And if squirrels would stop running around in the quilting room, the baby quilt would already been finished. Linking up to the RSC party
Kathy Doughty –– Take your quilting to a new level with inspiring projects by Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession Quilts in their essence are layers of color, pattern, and imagination all working together to form an effective design. This book is your illustrated guide to developing an artful understanding of your quilting process. In its 15 original projects, you will be inspired to experiment with textiles, tools, and techniques. As you add these new "layers" of complexity into your designs, you'll discover added interest and depth in your quilting experience. • Features various styles, making this collection appealing to both the traditional and modern quilter • Builds your confidence and skills while letting your creativity flow • Includes bed-size quilts with vibrant graphic designs #11036 128p + pattern pullouts, color 8 x 10, flaps UPC: 734817-110361 (eISBN: 978-1-60705-848-9) Related Blog Posts Photo Friday: Fall 2015 Quilt Market Recap Top Four Spring 2014 Quilt Market Moments The link will open in a new tab or window.
The focus of my sewing time should be the "Oh say can you sew" mystery blocks. But when I was cleaning over the weekend I came across my bag of waffle blocks and became obsessed with them again. Squirrel! This is a typical photo of my work table - 2 projects being sewn at the same time. One project that I want to finish and am slogging through, and one project that is fun and distracting. I was looking at one of my waffle blog posts and trying to sew the blocks together according to the photo. Then I realized that the pile of blocks included many blocks that weren't in the photo layout. So I ended up putting all the blocks up on the design wall, and rearranging until I was happy with the layout. Here are the waffle blocks sewn into columns. I love this photo of scrappy waffles on the design wall! It's well on it's way to becoming a quilt top! Thanks again to Nann for the inspiration for this project. She has made several waffle quilts which inspired me to make my own. Don't even ask about the "Oh say can you sew" blocks! They are suffering from neglect at the moment but I have until the end of the month to get them sewn :) Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's
Last week with my studio covered in paint tarps I decided it was time to hit the road in Sydney with Cath to see what we could find. I often hear stories of things that go on out there but...
Welcome to Slow Sunday Stitching where we celebrate all the wonderful benefits of the art of hand stitching! I am so glad you can join us because I have an extra special treat for you english paper piecing enthusiasts! I was at the London Friendship Quilters' Guild quilt show and saw so many amazing quilts, but 4 in particular that I want to share with you today. These quilts are all completely hand pieced, which means every single one of these thousands of tiny pieces of fabric was cut with scissors and hand stitched with a needle and thread. The pattern is called La Passacaglia and is found in Willyne Hammerstein's book called Millefiori. Let's start with our very own Cathy Shepherd who blogs over at Eagles' Wings Quilts. She frequently linked up to Slow Sunday Stitching while we watched over her shoulder as she pieced all these tiny shapes into this spectacular Passacaglia quilt. You cannot even appreciate all the amazing fussy cut designs she created, but trust me... you see something different every time you look at this quilt. Cathy edged all the rosettes in white and bordered them on a blue fabric. And there were 3 more of these quilts hanging in the show! Here is the second one sewn by Charlene O'Donnell. See how she made two borders (a gold and an orange) and then cut off some of the rosettes, and extended some of them into the border? Here is the third one sewn by Lorraine Swanson using civil war colours. She edged the rosettes with brown, and added a larger neutral border and more english paper pieced blocks. See on the bottom right corner where she put examples of the tiny design units?!? I am telling you these pieces are TINY! I should have taken a photo with my hand beside it so you could appreciate the scale of these quilts. And here is the fourth version sewn in brights with black pointed stars around the rosettes. This was made by Lorna Martin and she extended 3 of the rosettes into the border. I am amazed by how each quilter used the same pattern, and how they each look so different! They were really unbelievable! Some of the women at my quilt retreat were working on this same quilt last winter. This is Nancy on the left making a super small version, and Maria on the right making the regular size version. They are holding the same block from the pattern. Wow and wow! I sure do hope I don't fall in love with the idea of making this quilt! Have you tried english paper piecing? What are you hand stitching today? We'd love to see what you're working on, so link up your blog post below and share your progress. An InLinkz Link-up
