quilt class

Columbus Cityscape Block of the Month: Ohio Theater

Posted on by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Columbus Cityscape Quilt, Quilting, Works In Progress (WIP) / 1 Comment

Situated across the street from the Statehouse, the Ohio Theater is a landmark building at the heart of the city.  It hosts music, dance, and theatrical performances throughout the year, and is a vital part of the performing arts community in Central Ohio.  Many people have their first experiences with live theatre when they attend holiday related performances such as “The Nutcracker”or “A Christmas Carol,” so it seemed like this is a good month to focus on this Columbus landmark.

 

This pattern is available from Dabble and Stitch in Columbus, Ohio.  If you have already purchased the pattern, you can access the extra templates here.  You will need the password included in the pattern instructions to access this page.

I will be demonstrating the construction of a portion of this block Sunday, December 2nd at 1pm at Dabble and Stitch.

 

I am excited to be participating in this year’s 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge hosted by Cheryl Sleboda at Muppin.com, so I will be blogging a lot more this month!

Columbus Cityscape Block of the Month: Main Library

Posted on by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Columbus Cityscape Quilt, Works In Progress (WIP) / Leave a comment

The Columbus Metropolitan Library system is an award winning library with 23 locations around the city.  This month’s block focuses on the Main location in downtown.

The building was originally completed in 1907 and recently underwent major renovations and was reopened in 2016.  In addition to traditional print materials and electronic resources, the library is home to a large genealogy research area, an art gallery, several meeting spaces, and even a cafe and shop. You can find more information about the main library here.

The original building is central in the structure and includes an abundance of arched windows and columns.  The additions to the building extend on either side, as well as the back of the building, which adjoins the Topiary Garden.  I wish it was possible to include all of the detail in the building, but the block would have to be as large as the whole quilt to accomplish that!  As it is now, a few of the smallest pieces are less than 1/8″ wide.

The historic building maintained its character throughout while the sleek modern additions create much needed space for the building to remain a community gathering place.  The exterior of the original building is still visible inside the addition.

The photo below show the view from the historic portion of the building into the newer area.

The historic portion of the building still maintains a great deal of its original detail.

This pattern is available from Dabble and Stitch in Columbus, Ohio.  If you have already purchased the pattern, you can access the extra templates here.  You will need the password included in the pattern instructions to access this page.

I will be demonstrating the construction of a portion of this block Sunday, November 18th at 1pm at Dabble and Stitch.

Back to the Bionic Bag

Posted on by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Bags and Pouches, Classes / 1 Comment

Most of my go-to sewing supplies and notions live in a Bionic Bag that I made several years ago.  It travels around the house from sewing machine to sofa or patio for hand stitching, and it goes with me to guild, sew-ins, and shops when I teach.  This bag is frequently admired, and following several recent requests, I will be teaching this pattern next January at Dabble and Stitch in Columbus, Ohio.

It was so much fun to choose new fabrics for the shop sample!  I love to mix and match fabrics from different designers and lines, and this project was no exception.  The main outer fabric is from Carrie Bloomston’s new Wonder line, and the other fabrics are a mix of designers including Alison Glass and Tula Pink.  I used a walking foot to do some linear quilting on the bag exterior.  I like the look and texture of the quilted bag, but you can also choose to use an iron on interfacing and skip the quilting step.

One of the things I love about the design of this bag is the way the front folds creates a tray when the bag is open.  In this section, I like to add magnetic snaps to hold the dumpling pouch and a small pin cushion.  I use the dumpling pouch for wonder clips, and the pin cushion is stuffed with scraps of wool batting and keeps pins and needles within easy reach.

Between the four zippered pockets and the pouches formed between them, you can fit almost every supply you need for a day or more of sewing.  Once you have made one of these bags, they go together very quickly and make great gifts for sewists and non-sewists  alike.  I have made several over the years, and you can check one out in this Bionic Bag post from a couple years ago.  The Bionic Gear Bag pattern is available for download on Craftsy.

If you would like to join me for the class, it will be held at Dabble and Stitch on Saturday, January 12, 2019 from 10am-4pm. During the day, you will construct most of your Bionic Bag, and you may or may not have time to to work on the optional dumpling pouch.  I hope to see you there!

Columbus Cityscape Block of the Month: Thurber House

Posted on by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Columbus Cityscape Quilt, Quilting, Works In Progress (WIP) / Leave a comment

At one time Thurber House was home to author and cartoonist James Thurber, and it is now a prominent literary center in the city of Columbus.  Throughout the year, the center brings authors to the city and offers workshops to encourage the art of writing in community members of all ages.  There are rumors that this house is haunted, so it is a perfect choice for October!

The angles and details of this building are fabulous.  I wish that I could have included all the details, but to do that this block would have to be enormous.  The smallest details of this block finish at 1/8″ wide.

This pattern is available from Dabble and Stitch in Columbus, Ohio.  If you have already purchased the pattern, you can access the extra templates here.  You will need the password included in the pattern instructions to access this page.

I will be demonstrating the construction of a portion of this block Sunday, October 14th at 1pm at Dabble and Stitch.

Columbus Cityscape Block of the Month: History Center

Posted on by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Columbus Cityscape Quilt, Quilting, Works In Progress (WIP) / 2 Comments

The Ohio History Connection is situated between the Ohio State Fairgrounds and a heavily trafficked section of interstate.  This positioning has made the building a significant landmark in the city of Columbus.

The main building appears to rise up from the surrounding landscape and forms a wonderfully symmetrical building with a strong visual perspective.

I have been having fun selecting a few specialty fabrics for some of the buildings, and the banner on the history center was a perfect opportunity for some fussy cutting.  The banner on the building has an image of a mastodon skeleton, but mastodon fabric is really hard to come by, so we took some artistic liberty and substituted some really cute dinosaur fabric instead.  At least they are both (unfortunately) extinct!

This pattern is available from Dabble and Stitch in Columbus, Ohio.  If you have already purchased the pattern, you can access the extra templates here.  You will need the password included in the pattern instructions to access this page.

I will be doing a demonstration of a portion of this block at Dabble and Stitch tomorrow, Sunday, September 2 at 1pm!