I’m so excited for QuiltCon to start this weekend! Unfortunately I won’t be able to be there myself, but two of the quilts in the show are mine! It’s been a very rough winter for me so having this bit of goodness in my world is really helpful. I’ll be on the socials all weekend following so many friends who will actually be there.
Treaded Minnie and Treaded Maxie are my two quilt entries. I made Maxie specifically for the Maximalist Exhibition. I’ve never tried to make a maximalist quilt before and I thought it would be a great challenge for me. I pulled all my loudest prints and most saturated solids and I even created a new pattern and block template just for this quilt.
I was really happy with how it turned out, but I felt that the patterned fabrics were so loud and busy that you can’t really make out the actual quilt pattern. That’s when I decided to make another quilt. I used more contrasting fabrics for the background and foreground of the quilt. You can see the pattern very distinctly. This one I called Minnie: as a minimalist version of this Treaded pattern.
Minnie took much longer in the layout portion. This is because I used all scrap fabrics and did not allow myself to buy any new fabric. I really had to work hard to make the blend through the different colors. The cool part is that there is also a scrap challenge at QuiltCon this year, so Minnie was entered in that portion of the show. It turned out so good! I can’t pick a favorite between these two – they both have attributes I love in different ways.
Treaded Quilt Pattern
The pattern I made for this I call: Treaded. This is because I feel like it looks like tire tracks when you look at it from a distance. Also because I’ve been having lots of personal health frustrations that make me feel ‘treaded upon’. The world in general can make me feel run-over too… anyone else feeling that? Oofda – so much going on!
This pattern is made of two blocks that are the same, but different sizes. It’s almost a drunkards path block, but instead of a full circle, it’s a bit smooshed… a lightly squared circle. I should have a real pattern for this ready to sell in a month or two.
Set Backs
I’ve been having some set backs that have been seriously affecting my ability to create. Mostly financial and health related. I’ve had very low mineral levels which causes things like exhaustion, brain fog, and some bad vertigo spells. Even without the vertigo, the exhaustion and brain fog keep me from being able to do much of anything. This leads to feelings of frustration and guilt… especially with finances are tight, and then to anxiety and depression.
So I’ve taken time to rework the backend of our screen printing website for SEO and other usability issues. We hand print t-shirts and that has been the main source of income for the two of us for the last 25 years! Never enough to get rich or anything, but enough to always be able to cover bills and eat well. Things have started to change drastically since last summer. We are currently losing business to On-Demand Printing shops that are over-saturating the market right now. So I’m updating our site to hopefully try to stay relevant. I think this is a passing phase that we just need to ride out. In the meantime, I’m doing side hustles like graphic/photo editing, quilt commissions, and creating things for retail sale here and here.
QuiltCon 2024
Are you going this year? If so, leave a comment below with your IG link so I can follow you! Or if you see Maxie or Minnie and take photos, please tag me: @gweiss23 I love seeing all the photos – and what everyone is attracted to. I feel like we all have such different tastes and style preferences, and so I love hearing about *why* certain quilts pull your attention. When I go to a quilt show, my favorite thing to do is pretend to be a judge and to try to pick just one favorite. It’s extremely difficult, but I feel it helps me tune into my own style aesthetic. Quilts, like all artwork, are totally subjective. Are you able to pick one favorite from the whole show? It’s a great exercise to do before doing comparisons to your own work.
New Project – String Quilt
eeeeEEEEeeee! I’m so excited that I’m feeling better (after 3 iron IV’s) to the point of being able to do a quick quilt design layout for a string quilt in my most favorite colors. Orange, purple, and pink… and for MY bedroom! (unless a rich stranger makes an offer…?)
I always design in solid colors. Recently I even made a digital color swatchbook for Kona Solids that include Pantone matches. That was a HUGE project. I even cut apart actual swatch books to do physical matches – I should do a post on that soon. Anyway, the design colors of this new string quilt are HOT!
The actual quilt will look nothing like this because I’m using scraps and doing more improv placements. I’m already thinking of getting these specific solid colors and making this version too! I guess we’ll see how the first scrappy one turns out first. I already have newsprint paper templates cut and marked – and did a fabric pull. I’m almost ready to start sewing!!