Erin Underwood Quilts

I have been honored to be invited to teach at MQX New England  April 8th – 11th, 2015 and am proudly delighted to see that Optical Illusions has sold out!

But there’s more I can offer you!

Tessellating Trees – a quilt as you go project that you can actually finish in class!

Perhaps you want to expand your arty side, how about taking shadow trapunto to a new level. Learn the basics of my innovative technique by creating your own silhouette. I’m thinking about calling this technique Trapped Applique.

Follow this link to find the Tessellating Trees and Shadow Trapunto workshop at MQX here. Fiddle around the site and see all the goodies MQX has to offer! Hope to see you there!

After much haggling with tension, and design and lots of ripping out of failed attempts, I think this is gonna work… what do you think??? Click on the picture and then click on it again to enlarge it. 🙂

I think the process of quilting it alone is bringing me a lot of joy – so nice not to be stuck in front of the computer figuring out some sort of accounting dilemma , or pattern design or deleting the myriad of emails that say they can improve my health, weight and sex life….

I’m sooo excited. My Optical Illusions class at MQX New England is full! Wooo Hooo!

http://www.mqxshow.com/machine-quilting-show/quilting-is-your-passion-and-it-is-our-passion-too-/

But there is still room in Tessellating Trees – a Quilt-as-you-go Project

and Shadow Trapunto  –

Its coming up fast – April 8 – 11! Maybe I’ll see you there 🙂

I look back and see I haven’t posted anything since October! Wow! Time flies when you are really busy! And busy I was  – my Quick and Cute Tuffets (see the October blogs) has taken off and filled up my November. Then December was filled with shopping and a baby shower plus some other assorted family things in addition to Christmas.

January has been filled with visits to two guilds, Quilter’s Unlimited, Annandale, Virginia, and Peninsula Piecemakers in Hampton, Virginia. Both great groups! Both events ended with me driving back in the snow/ice/muck. Not that I’m complaining – after all, it is January. Then there was finishing up the 2014 books, paying some taxes, doctors appointments, a bit of car trouble,  and much much more…

Meanwhile I did have time to surf on the internet and found some really fun stuff. Check out his really cool ruler by Jamie Wallen (Quilter’s Apothecary). I want one!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dLYKGdYVo0U&list=UUqzXrckKkTaxSTV4mxj872g

And look at this cool technique on fast and fun ways to sew with precut fabric packs. http://www.nationalquilterscircle.com/video/fold-and-sew-quilts/

Meanwhile, I’ll get back to what I was working on… Can’t wait to quilt it!

These tuffets are sooo much fun! I suspect everyone in my family is going to get one for Christmas! What do you think about a little bargello effect?… the whole thing can be “bargelloed” or just use two fabrics for a graphic effect.

I think this one looks a little like a cupcake ;-)… It uses double dresdens topstitched onto the strips before they are sewn together to create the tuffet cover.

Got a few more options   – check out the pattern in my store to see more! Or maybe you are an “instant gratification” kind of person so here it is as a downloadable pdf pattern.

Just in time for Christmas – this finished-in-a-day tuffet is the perfect gift for the little person in your life or maybe for someone who just likes to put their feet up! Want a little guidance – join me at your local quilt shop for a workshop and get ér done!

Hoppin’ Bobbin, Aberdeen, Maryland, Saturday, November 16th, 9 am – 3 pm

Material Girls, LaPlata, Maryland, Sunday, November 17th, 9 am  – 3 pm

Mare’s Bears, Lewes, Delaware, Wednesday, November 19th, 10 am – 4 pm

Tuffets! My new obsession!

Okay… I know its not a quilt… but it uses a lot of the same stuff! For instance, this is easily done with the Creative Grids 15-degree Triangle Ruler! And fabric and batting too!

So many design options too…

Dresdens on top or Geese flying up the sides… how about a bargello look… or just use one striped fabric… these ideas are all in the pattern too! You can find both the pattern and the Creative Grids ruler in my store. Click on the pattern to see all the supplies you need and helpful hints as to where to get them.

But if you just can’t wait – here it is in a downloadable PDF! Love that instant gratification!

This quilt was a result of a challenge from my Fiber Dimensions Art Group. It had to be 16″ x 40″ and the theme was “A is for…” so after much puzzling, pondering and perusing the dictionary, I choose Arachnid.

I had a general idea of how I wanted this quilt to be. The spider web is shadow trapunto, white felt covered with a white batiste and a camouflage print tulle. I kid you not – camouflage! Found it in the bridal section at JoAnn’s – there’s something for everyone there.

But the event that clenched the design was when I walked into a bead shop. Not just any bead shop but one that specializes in paper beads and the tools to make them  – Paper Bead Girl in Havre de Grace, Maryland. She had the perfect beads there for spider legs!

These spidey legs are sooo cooool! They are even 3-dimensional – copper wire is threaded through them to help them keep their shape! Now the spider itself was pretty labor intensive – used up a whole canister of #8 black hexi beads – there are 4 left not counting what I keep finding on the floor.

Then there is the border – a strand of light green seed beads goes all the way around the quilt and a fringe of glass leaves (also from the Paper Bead Girl) finishes off the bottom.

Needless to say, I spent lots of hours sitting on the couch watching Netflix movies and beading and beading and beading some more. Next beading marathon, though, I will try to avoid tear-jerker movies – very hard to stitch seed beads on through tears!

I am forwarding announcement – consider joining us in picturesque West Virginia. I’ll be there with the Diamond Star!

This is very exciting news!  The Spring Training Camp 2015 website is open!

Hi, all –

Last year was the inaugural Spring Training Camp at Cedar Lakes and we had a wonderful time!  So we just had to do it again!

Spring Training Camp is a weekend event in March where you can take one class that spans 2½ days.  The teachers and projects are fabulous – there are fifteen to choose from so you are sure to find something that you just have to take!

Here is a link to all the information:  Spring Training Camp 2015

I hope that you and your quilting friends can join us!  Email me if you have any questions!  And spread the word – everyone is welcome!

Oh, I almost forgot!  There is a “signing bonus”!  If you are new to Quilt Camp events or would like to sponsor a new Camper, look for the Gift Certificate link on the registration page!

As I am always trying to find more space around here, I spent a day “cleaning up” again… Moving boxes and emptying shelves and rearranging furniture all in a effort to fit in my studio.

I found lots of interesting stuff in the process… This was one of my early attempts at cross-stitch. It was one of the premarked K-mart kits I bought when I was pregnant with my first child. This is a far as I’ve gotten or will ever get. There were 9 blocks total – now all stained with age. They hit the trash.

White Stars on a blue background! Extras left over from one of my very first block exchanges. I used several in a quilt that has long since been given away. These somehow didn’t make it into anything – but I’m keeping them any way. They will come in handy with my Anatomy of an Exchange lecture.

An attempt at a minature ala George Siciliano.  – never gonna happen…. way over my head. The fabric went back into my stash and the 1 and a half blocks I started hit the trash.

A summer spread that I believe was my fathers – stained and ratty. I think my great-grandmother made it. Its missing parts and has lots of broken stitches. I think at one time I planned to fix it. And no, it did not hit the trash but I’m feeling pretty realistic about what is actually achievable for me lately – so it went into the linen closet… should be comfortably lost in there for years….

Projects I was gonna finish one day – found a few blocks that will make good potholders – don’t really know what to do with the rest – still contemplating their future since none of the projects have potential to be masterpieces.  But I have to admit that at this time, I can’t remember where I put them.

2″ square collection! I was going to make a watercolor quilt. I saved these because you never know… I may actually use them one day.

Worthless binding – all cut single fold. Not even wide enough strips to fall into my “save” pile – trash. And they were sitting on top of some pre-fused applique that is so old its never going to stick to any thing. I saved the hoops.

So after all this glorious purging and cleaning and rearranging, I found a place for everything and then heading out to my guild meeting. Guess what – someone brought in a boat load of free stuff. I resisted as long as I could but, yes, I am sad to say, I brought stuff home.

I just don’t understand why nobody wanted the tulle and silk ribbons – really, that’s valuable stuff!