Saturday Special: Dyeing with Friends and A Confession

Hey, Q-Bies!

Have you started winterizing your sewing room yet? (Bet you thought we were gonna say “house,” right? Well, we do have priorities…)

And just how does one winterize a sewing room?

A worthy question…and the answer can be found in just how much fun you want to have when the leaves drop and the chill deepens. To us, it means putting away the leftovers from summer projects, taking stock of the holes that need filling in our stash (Melissa has discovered a serious lack of black and white fabric) and making sure we have the goods on hand for that “stitch list” of gifts we so ambitiously think we’re sure to sew for the holidays.

Well, all that will probably sort itself out in good time. After all, it was kinda hot today and the first frost is weeks away. Yeah, that’s it. So let’s just kick back and have some q-fun. Such as checking out the fave picks of GenQ staffer Scott Hansen (also of Blue Nickel Studios fame) for blog post and quilt of the week. He’s got a good eye, that one.

Blog Post of the Week…

For his best blog this week, Scott turns to Aussie sweetie Sarah Feilke of The Last Piece and part of the Material Obsession books, specifically this post where she’s getting her hands on a little color. Says Scott: ”I have dyed fabric before–and it is great fun–but I haven’t dyed my own flosses before and that seems like quite a good time as well. This post isn’t totally quilty post, but it sure is an interesting one with lots of good pictures and information about the process. It would be great fun to have a little Dyeing Time with a group of friends wouldn’t it?  You could all feed off each other for ideas….and even swap your resulting projects!”

Quilt of the Week….

New autumn combos and the essence of scrap are the siren calls that Scott is hearing in this so-cool quilt by Jolene Klassen of Blue Elephant Stitches.

Detail shot of Jolene Klassen's fun quilt. (We're such teases...)

Here’s what he has to say: “First, I love the overall simple graphic effect of a big circle on a square.  And then of course, the detail of the circle is what wowed me.  You know how I love me some scrappiness….so this quilt covers both scrappy and bold and beautiful. I really like how the ‘fall’ colors she picked weren’t just all red/orange/brown/yellows, but she threw some pinks/blues/greens/purples in the mix, too! Also I love the concentric quilted circles and Jolene’s thoughts on quilting in opposite directions (which I never would have come up with).“

Okaaay, here's the full glory shot. Beautiful, right?

If you’ve spotted a worthy blog post or quilt pic that just begs for a little special attention in our Saturday posts, just e-mail scott@generationqmagazine.com We’d love to hear from you!