I'm Jessica

Hi there! I'm Jessica, a 25 year old originally from Omaha, Nebraska. I moved to the Kansas City area after marrying my husband, Jason in May of 2007. We have a very chubby cat, Lily who we adore. During the day I work as a technician for an architect. I've been quilting since about age 18, when I made my first baby quilt for a friend. Some of my favorite hobbies include: quilting, sewing, blogging, road tripping, and camping. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish in our KC Scrappy Bee over the next 13 months!

1. Do you have a quilting "style"?
I don't have so much of a style as a goal.  I like to try new things with each quilt I do.  Very rarely do I repeat a pattern.  I really like to push myself to see what I can create.  These are a few examples of projects I made where I really tried something out of my comfort zone.  If you'd like to read a little bit about the background of these click



here, here,


here,

and here.

2. Do you tend to use certain colors more than others? Or prints more than solids?
I don't really ever use solid colors.  If I'm making something for myself (pincushion, coasters, etc.) I lean towards black and white with a bit of red. 

3. Are there any colors you strictly avoid?
Not really; new colors are sort of a challenge.

4. Have there been any blocks that you've made in the past that you particularly enjoyed making? Any that you hated and never want to do again?
There aren't any blocks coming to mind that I really, really hated making.  I suppose if I really hated a project, chances are I didn't finish it, but I don't remember any specifically.  I rarely do a pattern more than once, though.

5. Is there something in your life that you collect or are fond of? (Are you a KSU fan who loves purple??? Do you have lots of cats??? Do you collect owls or antique china or stamps??? Are you addicted to sushi??? Help us get to know some details about you and your taste...)
There's lots of things I'd like to collect.  The latest are vintage pyrex and vintage tomato pincushions.  For a while my husband's family thought we collected salt & pepper shakers, although I'm not quite sure why. 

I suppose my only real collections are fabric and cat hair; I have a lot of both.  I guess I'm starting to collect sewing machines (I'm up to 3 working machines, 1 serger, and 2 vintage singers that don't have all their pieces.)


6. Are you into art quilts? or do you mostly make quilts with the intention of them being used regularly?
I love art quilts.  I haven't made many myself, but they're so much fun.  I'd really like to get into dying my own fabric and thread to use in art quilts, but I live in an apartment with white walls, carpet, and sink.  Thus, no dying of fabric for me until we buy a house where I can have an area to not worry about stains.

Most of the quilts I make seem to be baby quilts or lap quilts.  Every quilt I've given as a gift (other than a swap) has been made with the intention of being used regularly.


7. Do you usually do small projects, such as wall hangings or baby blankets or do you usually make quilts?
I really enjoy working small.  I think it's probably because I'm a fairly small person, small things just feel right to me.  The biggest quilts I have done are twin sized, but I'm not opposed to doing larger, although most of my work seems to be baby or lap quilt size.

8. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
I'd probably live in a small cottage somewhere.  I love the warmth a cottage provides.  I love the practicality of a well designed space.  Cottages are designed to maximize the space that they include and I love that.   

The actual location is a bit harder to nail down.  I like how the Pacific Northwest has both mountains and water.  I like the sky in Montana.  I like my family in Nebraska.

9. What's your favorite place that you've traveled to before?Hmmm.... that's another tough question.  I don't think I have a top favorite. 

I love Lake Tahoe.  I love Tahoe enough that I got married there.
I love Canada and all it has to offer.
I love Chicago and it's big city-ness.
I love Montana and it's vastness.
I love Yosemite National Park.  It's probably my favorite national park with Grand Teton as a close second.
I love a lot of places.

10. If we looked in your closet, what are the two colors we'd see the most?
Probably black, green, and purple.

11. In your fabric collection, what groupings of fabric do you have (30's? Batiks? Modern stuff? Certain designers? Solids? Asian fabric???, Etc.)
I seem to be making a lot of baby quilts lately, so I have a lot of that.  I don't have many batiks or solids.  I love the Asian fabrics, but only have a little.  I try to collect things that wouldn't be too hard to pair with another fabric in the future.  I've learned my lesson that weird colors can be pretty difficult to find something to coordinate with.

12. Which is more important to you? The look of the fabric or the feel of it?
Pretty much everything I use on my quilt tops is 100% cotton and of a nice quality, so the feel is usually a given in my projects.  I tend to make the backs of quilts in flannel and love the really soft kind.  If there's two different prints that would work for a quilt and one is the super soft flannel and one is the not so soft flannel, the super soft always wins.

13. Are there any charities in your life that you're passionate about?
I try to support the National Parks Service and the Sierra Club whenever possible. Keep Tahoe Blue is another of my favorites.

14. Besides quilting, are you crafty in other ways? If so, tell us more...

I like to sew just about anything. I'm also willing to try to create just about anything. My husband and I have done most of the "art" that hangs on the walls of our home. I am itching to paint/stain/re-finish old furniture. I have tried printmaking (and liked it!).  Here's a few examples of my printmaking:

"The Little Dipper"

"To the Natives"

This is one of my favorite projects. It probably gets the most comments out of anything on my walls.

It's my electrical tape headboard. The quilt was a wedding gift from my husband's grandmother. Isn't it beautiful?

15. Do you have in mind what you'd like your quilting project to be? Any ideas on blocks or color schemes? Will you be making your quilt for someone else? or for yourself?

I don't really have any strong feelings about my quilting project.  Currently I'm thinking a house theme could be fun, but since my month isn't until December, I've got plenty of time to brainstorm and decide.  My husband doesn't have a quilt of his own that I have made for him, so maybe I'll consider doing this one for him.

Here's a few other quilts I've made in the past.

Top left: A baby girl quilt
Top right: A block I made for a row robin quilt swap
Middle left: A baby quilt for my nephew, Lucas
Middle right: A baby quilt for my soon-to-be nephew (yet-to-be-named)
Bottom left: A mini quilt for a swap last fall
Bottom right: One of my first quilts.  This was 1 of 3 I made.  The other 2 went to my two best girlfriends.

May Will Be Quilts of Valor Month...

So I do a lot of work with some quilting friends on making Quilts of Valor.    I collect 12 inch blocks from a bunch of quilting friends and turn them into samplers.  Here are a few that we've done:

We've decided to give our new bee a trial run during the month of May.  I'll provide a focus fabric and pattern to use for all 12 members and we will each return our blocks the following month.  I'll turn them into a sampler like the ones above.  I will find a quilter who is willing to volunteer to quilt it and then we'll send it to a wounded soldier.  Very exciting!

Stay tuned... I have picked out the fabric we will be using and the pattern...  It's one of my favorite blocks and it's not too difficult...  The fabric is a really bold red fabric and it'll be interesting to see what everyone comes up with...

If you're planning on attending the Sewing Saturday tomorrow at KCMQG, I'll be there and I'll have the QOV kit ready to pass out.  If not, I'll have it in an envelope with your name on it at the May meeting.  For those people who aren't able to come to either event, we'll work something out so that you get the kit. 

Thanks for your willingness to donate your time and a block to this worthy cause!  Looking forward to getting started!!!

Meet Hannah

I'm a 24 year old engineering student, about to graduate from Missouri S&T (way down in Rolla, MO) with my master's in manufacturing engineering. In June, I'll be getting married and settling down with my husband in Columbia, MO, pursuing a career as housewife and eventual mother. I've been quilting actively for about a year, and I can't wait to learn more!

1. Do you have a quilting "style"? I love modern quilts - less fussy designs, bolder prints, and lots of solids.

2. Do you tend to use certain colors more than others? Or prints more than solids? I tend to gravitate towards blues and greens, and I love to use lots of white as well. I'm a big fan of solids in a quilt.

3. Are there any colors you strictly avoid? Not intentionally, but I'm really not in love with orange, brown, purple, or black (in quilts, that is).

4. Have there been any blocks that you've made in the past that you particularly enjoyed making? Any that you hated and never want to do again? The only actual quilt block I've ever made has been a nine-patch, and they're just so boring. I pretty much always quilt in rows, rather than blocks, so I'm excited to try some new stuff here!

5. Is there something in your life that you collect or are fond of? I don't collect anything, but I'm fond of lots of stuff: the ocean, my cat, my fiance, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Macs, NPR (for some reason I love listening to Car Talk while I work on quilts), Grey's Anatomy, a good glass of wine... just to name a few things.

6. Are you into art quilts, or do you mostly make quilts with the intention of them being used regularly? I definitely appreciate the skill and time required to make an art quilt, but they're not really my thing. I really believe quilts are meant to be used and loved.

7. Do you usually do small projects, such as wall hangings or baby blankets or do you usually make quilts? I make a lot of baby quilts, but I'm looking forward to graduating to larger projects as soon as I move into a bigger place and actually have room for them!

8. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? The ocean. Don't really care which one, or which state or country (as long as it's warm).

9. What's your favorite place that you've traveled to before? I haven't gotten to do a whole lot of traveling in my life so far, so I think it's too few data points to choose a favorite. I have a LOT of trips planned soon, though, so maybe ask me again in a year or two. :)

10. If we looked in your closet, what are the two colors we'd see the most? Probably black and white. I wear a lot of neutrals.

11. In your fabric collection, what groupings of fabric do you have (30's? Batiks? Modern stuff? Certain designers? Solids? Asian fabric?, Etc.) I make a lot of baby quilts, so I've got lots of cute animal fabrics. I've also got lots of polka dots and lots of bird fabrics. I'm definitely still working on building up my stash.

12. Which is more important to you - the look of the fabric or the feel of it? I go by looks. If it's quality fabric, I know it will feel nice.

13. Are there any charities in your life that you're passionate about? I donate almost all of my quilts to Project Linus or Quilts for Kids, but I'm also a big supporter of NPR and Shakespeare in the Park.

14. Besides quilting, are you crafty in other ways? If so, tell us more... Besides quilting, I'm an as-needed crafter. I can pick up most any crafting skills if I need them for some sort of project, but I'm not really fluent in other crafts. I've knitted several scarves and have crocheted a bit as well, and I'm pretty comfortable working on paper craft projects too.

15. Do you have in mind what you'd like your quilting project to be? Any ideas on blocks or color schemes? Will you be making your quilt for someone else or for yourself? I haven't decided anything yet, except that I'll almost certainly be keeping the quilt for myself. :)

About Nikki...

Hi!  I'm the suburban stay-at-home mom of 3 year old Wyatt and 2 year old Owen.  The wife of Patrick and a former 1st grade and ELL teacher.  Grew up in Arkansas, but have been in the KC Metro for 7 years.  


1.  Do you have a quilting "style"?
I'm coming from a more traditional style of quilting, but love the looks I'm seeing in modern quilts, these days.  I love the brave use of big prints, bright colors and the freedom of not having to make everything so perfectly symmetrical.  Jelly Rolls are great fun to use... And I have been playing a lot with color lately...

 2.  Do you tend to use certain colors more than others?  Or prints more than solids?   My favorite color is blue.  My least favorite color might be orange, but I do like the rustier colors of orange a lot.  I have a lot of 30's prints in my collection and they're mostly pastels, but I find that I like the darker ones the most.

3.  Are there any colors you strictly avoid?  Not really.  I don't use much brown, but I'm thinking my next project might be brown and green... or orange and green...  Something very different than usual.  I don't use muslin, really. 

4.  Have there been any blocks that you've made in the past that you particularly enjoyed making?  Any that you hated and never want to do again?  I am drawn to flying geese.  I love log cabins.  Flower type blocks are fun and so are stars...  Haven't done many baskets before, but I like them... 

5.  Is there something in your life that you collect or are fond of? (Are you a KSU fan who loves purple??? Do you have lots of cats???  Do you collect owls or antique china or stamps???  Are you addicted to sushi???  Help us get to know some details about you and your taste...) I went to college at the University of Arkansas, so I'm a Razorback.  A pig quilt might be fun to do...  I am not a huge animal fan...  I enjoy looking in antique shops, but don't buy much...  I have two little boys, so I am starting to get more into making quilts for them, but I want to make quilts that they'll be able to use for a long time...  I'm also working on making more quilts for ME because I tend to give the quilts I make away.

6.  Are you into art quilts? or do you mostly make quilts with the intention of them being used regularly?  I mostly make quilts for people to use.  I have some wall hangings, but not many.  I have an appreciation for art quilts, but right now, they're not my focus.

7.  Do you usually do small projects, such as wall hangings or baby blankets or do you usually make quilts?  I usually make quilts that are specific to the person I'm making them for...  Lately, lots of baby quilts... Some Christmas gifts for family members, too...

8.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?  Inverness, Scotland.  I'd have a bed and breakfast in my castle.  There would be a fireplace in every room and all the floors would be heated marble...  My castle would have a go cart track inside and out...  A pizza restaurant (just for me) in the dungeon along with an arcade...  I could go on...

9.  What's your favorite place that you've traveled to before?  I enjoyed the Scottish highlands the most, but there are some beautiful places in the mountains of Arkansas that I like to go...  Both feel like ancient homes to me.  The flatlands of Kansas are not particularly beautiful to me.  I miss the trees, cliffs, streams and quiet solitude of the Ozark mountains.

10.  If we looked in your closet, what are the two colors we'd see the most?  Black and blue.

11.  In your fabric collection, what groupings of fabric do you have (30's?  Batiks?  Modern stuff?  Certain designers?  Solids?  Asian fabric???, Etc.)  I have a lot of Asian fabrics, batiks and 30's prints.

12.  Which is more important to you?  The look of the fabric or the feel of it?  The feel.  For sure.

13.  Are there any charities in your life that you're passionate about?  I make quilts for Quilts of Valor and Project Linus.

14.  Besides quilting, are you crafty in other ways?  If so, tell us more...  I'm artsy.  Can paint and draw... can play some piano and trumpet... and I'm into making stick horses right now.  I knit a little, want to learn to crochet...  Would love to do some wool rug hooking... want to be better at embroidery...  Wish I had a better camera and I'd learn to do more with photography.

15.  Do you have in mind what you'd like your quilting project to be?  Any ideas on blocks or color schemes?  Will you be making your quilt for someone else? or for yourself?  I'm tossing a few ideas around... But the quilt I make will probably be for MYSELF! :)


Here are some pictures of quilts I've made or are currently working on:

Welcome To Our New Virtual Quilting Bee!

Hello out there!  So excited to get the ball rolling on our new quilting adventure.

While we're ironing out the details about how our bee will be organized and such, let's have each member post telling us some things to help us get to know you better...  Perhaps you could post a few pictures of some quilts or blocks you've made in the past or some that you've seen and envied...

Here's a list of questions you can copy and paste into your blog entry... and add more questions and answers if you'd like...

1.  Do you have a quilting "style"?

2.  Do you tend to use certain colors more than others?  Or prints more than solids?

3.  Are there any colors you strictly avoid?

4.  Have there been any blocks that you've made in the past that you particularly enjoyed making?  Any that you hated and never want to do again?

5.  Is there something in your life that you collect or are fond of? (Are you a KSU fan who loves purple??? Do you have lots of cats???  Do you collect owls or antique china or stamps???  Are you addicted to sushi???  Help us get to know some details about you and your taste...)

6.  Are you into art quilts? or do you mostly make quilts with the intention of them being used regularly?

7.  Do you usually do small projects, such as wall hangings or baby blankets or do you usually make quilts?

8.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

9.  What's your favorite place that you've traveled to before?

10.  If we looked in your closet, what are the two colors we'd see the most?

11.  In your fabric collection, what groupings of fabric do you have (30's?  Batiks?  Modern stuff?  Certain designers?  Solids?  Asian fabric???, Etc.)

12.  Which is more important to you?  The look of the fabric or the feel of it?

13.  Are there any charities in your life that you're passionate about?

14.  Besides quilting, are you crafty in other ways?  If so, tell us more...

15.  Do you have in mind what you'd like your quilting project to be?  Any ideas on blocks or color schemes?  Will you be making your quilt for someone else? or for yourself?