I have to take a minute here to tell you all how much I appreciate your feedback from my last two questions! I never dreamed I would get such an outpouring of responses! I have loved reading each and every one of your replies! Please help me by continuing to answer my questions.......just a few more........so I can make the best presentation possible!
It's Superbowl Sunday, and it's also Bonnie's Celtic Solstice Mystery Link-Up Finale' ! You know, I do consider Bonnie's designs to be the Superbowl of quilt making! There is always a lot of action going on in her designs. Many passes at the machine chain piecing the various units. Several touchdowns of the iron! Time outs for some snacks in between units. And usually there is a fast and furious ending! Bonnie certainly didn't disappoint this year with Celtic Solstice!
I know I have shown my Patriotic version of Celtic Solstice here before, but, here it is again.............
Linking up with Bonnie's Celtic Solstice Mystery Link-up Finale'
Also
Linking up with Connie's Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday
Also
Linking up with Connie's Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday
Again, this was donated to Alycia's efforts with Quilts of Valor.
So, here is this weeks question.....and I want you to really think about it,and I would LOVE a huge response to this one........PLEASE help me?
Do you personally know a MAN that quilts? (Aside from me! LOL) If so, what do you think is the main difference between your quilt making and his?
And, if you ARE a man that quilts, (and I know I have some guys that follow here) how do you think your quilt making differs from a woman?
The presentation I am preparing for is really going to focus on this aspect of "guys that quilt."
In other news..........
I have been stimulating the economy here lately with my friends! OK Ann, you win for stimulating the economy the most! LOL However, when I received the newsletter from Homestead Hearth about their big Superbowl Sale........I HAD to go snoop and see what that was all about?!?!?!? When a place like this knows you by name, ummmmm, yeah, I am gonna give them some business! LOL
Fabric for $3 a yard if you emptied the bolt......backings anyone?????
I have been bitten by the Kaffe Fasset bug! I am in the midst of collecting the fabrics now!
Some of these Kaffe fabrics came from a WONDERFUL new fabric shop that opened in my area.
Please check out the link I provided, and visit the shop if you are in the area!
Patterns for 50 cents each???? Really?
How could I pass this deal up?????
And, last, but, not least, a recipe for you all! I am making these for a Superbowl watch party tonight!
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies (These are more like rolls I think?)
Ingredients:
1 can seamless crescent rolls
1 8 oz package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Mix sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth and creamy
Unroll crescent roll sheet, stretch dough out slightly, but, keep rectangle shape
Spread cream cheese mixture over the top of the crescent sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch edge all around
Sprinkle mini chocolate chips all over cream cheese mixture
Roll crescent sheet with mixture inside tightly, and wrap with cling wrap
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
When chilled, preheat oven to 350*
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper
Slice crescent roll into 1/4 inch slices (How convenient for a quilter!) and place 1 inch apart
Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown
Enjoy!
I can't wait to hear your responses from this week's question!
Thanks for all of the encouragement!
Kevin the Quilter
Hey Kevin! My husband has made a few quilts. Hes just a beginner. I cant really say that he does anything differently from me because I am the one teaching him! I do think that he is very picky about how his quilts turn out...other than that, I don't know. Those cookies look really good, and your Celtic Solstice is beautiful! Enjoy your Superbowl Sunday! Go Seahawks!
ReplyDeleteYou are the only male I know who quilts, several friends like what I do and are really interested...they have great colour sense too.
ReplyDeleteYou can seriously get crescent roll specific cookie dough in a can? Amazing!
ReplyDeleteYour cookies look yummy!!! And the Kaffe.... I LOVE those - I might have the one on the bottom of the stack.... now if you have scraps... you know where I am LOLOL!!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, Kevin, my son, also named Kevin, is a quilt designer and maker. He has a book coming out later this month and also does some technical editing for quilt books and magazines. He did not sew at all when he lived at home, started after college when he wanted some curtains. I think the biggest difference is that he really only likes to make his own designs. He started with solids and moved into retro print fabrics. And he started with piecing but quickly discovered appliqué as well. He has a much more modern aesthetic than I but our process is much the same. His pattern company is Feedog Designs if you wish to check it out.
ReplyDeleteHey stud!! So to answer the question, as a male quilter, I would say that my attention to detail and patience to fussy cut piece after piece is what separates me from femal quilters I know and work with. But I think it's more the artist in me then the fact I'm a male.
ReplyDeleteSCORE on your Celtic Solstice! Seriously there is a lucky soldier out there somewhere who is going to feel SEW very special to get this quilt! We will be watching Superbowl too, I should have made those cookies!
ReplyDeleteKevin, John is the Membership Chairman of our guilt guild and an avid quilter. His specialty is miniatures and usually adds a comical twist to his work. I love when he is in the Show and Tell line at guild for we are in for a laugh from his stories. His wife said he wants total quiet with no interruptions when he is working. No gabbing for him. I think our recent 4 day retreat about drove him nuts.
ReplyDeleteI know three men who quilt, but only one quite well. He is the husband of one of my good friends. He started out making miniature quilts. Now he makes bed sized quilts and has even one first place at the State Fair. I think focus and attention to detail characterize his quilting.
ReplyDeleteHelen
I know 2 other guys, aside from my DH that quilt. With the DH it's anything I can do he can do better. Right............ROTFL. The other 2 are artists by trade and just enjoy working with all kinds of mediums. Probably because they are artists, they seem to be more free with their designs and what happens is a relaxed calming adventure.
ReplyDeleteSo seriously, if they do know you by name, you must have won! I have collected the Kaffe fabrics and can't bring myself to cut them up. Really, I can't. I'm thinking about doing Loose Threads Kaffe tutorial, Sonoma Rose.
Are you watching the massacre of Denver or enjoying the commercials?
Hello, you are the only man I know that sews & quilts....Your quilt is Fabulous...
ReplyDeleteI don't know any men who quilt. Even worse, I can't think of any men I know who can sew at all! It can't be nature, it's nurture: during their upbringing they became conditioned into thinking sewing is a women's thing, and NOT OK. As my son doesn't sew I'm guilty as charged. Will you publish your presentation here; I'm interested in the outcome of your research.
ReplyDeleteGreat quilt and a noble donation.
I have a basic knowledge of a local man that quilts. He and his wife run one of the local quilt shops, so he is a casual acquaintance :)
ReplyDeleteHe does the most amazing picture quilts. He takes a picture and creates a work of art. I am completely impressed with his work. No patterns - just him translating a picture into fabric.
My humble opinion - most men who quilt are fantastically talented. Or dedicated. Including you. I can quilt but I am not stitching precision perfection. The men I have seen - they put the average female quilter to shame. You notice I said average female - there are fabulous women quilters. Maybe there are sloppy male quilters but not in my local area or internet world.
Love your Celtic Solstice colors for your patriotic version.
ReplyDeleteNo men quilters in my guild. I have tried to talk some into trying it. You are rare so keep spreading the word about quilting for men.
I know one man who quilts, he lives in Utah and has a blog together with his wife; Richard and Tanya Quilts, http://richardquilts.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYour CS looks wonderful!
Hi Kevin
ReplyDeleteI also love your CS, nice job.
I don't personally know any man that quilts but I have found three men blogs that I follow, yours being one.
I follow because men seem to see things or daily happenings differently and they post about these things. I enjoy reading what they say and how they approach things. One is an avid incredibly productive hand quilter. I can't believe how much he gets done as I struggle with one of my own. He makes my hand hurt but his work is wonderful. Anyway, good luck with the survey!
cool quilt kevin, Glad you are in out group!!! Always love your input.
ReplyDeleteTaking the key word "personally" into the equation...as in met them and shaken their hand or had a conversation...then I know one man who quilts, personally. He owns a quilt shop a few cities away, in fact, and does the machine quilting. I believe his wife pieces most of the shop samples, so I don't know how much he is involved in the actual creation of the quilts. I also recently heard there is another man who does machine quilting nearby and comes highly recommended, although I heard he had some sort of injury that took him out of commission for a while so I haven't met him yet. I believe he was an engineer in his pre-retirement career. I follow a half dozen or so online male quilters, including you. I hope there will be more in the future.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Celtic Solstice quilt, Kevin. And I am drooling over those Kaffe fabrics!
I only know a couple of male quilters well enough to answer your question. I was fortunate to meet and become acquainted with Ricky Tims and we know he is a master quilter, musician and all around talented individual. He is very patient when teaching his processes, very particualr and precise when designing or piecing his quilts and dedicated to the best possible outcome in his works. His attention to detail and patience to get it perfect probably sets him apart from most. Of course, his God given talent comes in handy!
ReplyDeleteI know Vern in real life! He's an avid quilter along with his wife, probably around 50 years old now. He tends toward bolder colors, but he likes to play with traditional and modern styles. Like you, he is not one bit afraid of intricate work, and I suspect he's a real puzzle fan. He's not afraid, either, to make something "pretty" in more feminine fabrics, but when he's quilting for himself he tends to "Manify" his projects. For example, at guild we were all stunned by a queen size white and black with red mariner's-star type quilt (really intense piecing!). He had quilted it in a meandering doodle fashion and put in all kinds of man things: trucks, motorcycles, skulls, BBQ tools, wrenches, snakes and gators, etc. . . His thread was probably a disappearing one - you didn't see the quilting until you got close. It was awesome, and the epitome of his own inclination if not making something for someone else's likes.
ReplyDeleteRegarding what Heidi said above: I think when men try quilting, if they don't see a quick indication of talent or skill in their output, they quit a lot sooner than women do. Probably because it doesn't outweigh the angst for them of bucking against what society in general dictates for men's behavior. What a SHAME SHAME SHAME for it to be that way! One - how much valuable input to the textile and art worlds have we lost, and two - how deep-seatedly MEAN of "us" to deprive an entire segment of society the personal enjoyment of pursuits deemed not macho. I really wish society would get over gender dictations, already!!!
No quilting man around here :(
ReplyDeleteYour CS came out beautifully! And I would like to know how those "cookies" came out! Sounds like they could be yummy if they worked out!
ReplyDeleteThe only male quilter I know is 15 years old. Meh was taught by his mother and attends quilt guild meetings (for the social atmosphere I think, as he's a bit sheltered in his hometown). I'm not sure he really has a quilting style yet and other than more masculine fabric choices, nothing really stands out in his projects to scream that it was made by a guy.
Oh Kevin your Celtic Solstice is so beautiful and fantastic! What an amazing Quilt of Valor quilt! It really shines of the impotance and gratitude for the service and sacrifice that a wounded soldier gave to us! You put so much of yourself in this amazing quilt to reflect that gratitude! I do know a man quilter. I believe he uses his mathematical abilities to make some very detailed and very involved quilts. He also leads the way making charity quilts! He doesn't think twice of making a promise to make a 100 quilts as he will garner and delegate others to make it happen! He also has a very artistic eye. In our quilt guild there was another male quilter but really don't know too much about his quilts. Then there are quite a few men quilters that I have become aware of in the wide world web! There are many!
ReplyDeleteLOVE your Celtic Solstice quilt! And thanks for your service in donating it to QOVF :). I have a daughter in the USAF so QOV has a warm place in my heart. I try to make a quilt a month for them.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son found some fabrics he liked when he went thru his great grandmothers stash after she passed away. He decided he wanted to make a quilt with those fabrics. He was 12. He made the quilt top, then tied it. A few years ago, he found some fabrics he liked and wanted to make another quilt. He didn't have time to make the quilt, but, he wanted me to use them in his graduation quilt. He did most of the designing of that quilt, and had to ok the extra fabrics I purchased to go with his fabrics. He still plans on making another quilt one day. He even claimed one of my machines (it was my mothers old machine). Those cookies look good. I might have to try them.
ReplyDeleteI will not get tired of seeing your beautiful accomplishment in your CS quilt, your gifting it is amazing! I do not know any men quilters personally, but follow several of you online- Gene Black, Lane of That man Quilts, Wayne Kollinger, etc. Plenty of inspiration, you can admire great quilts made by anyone, lol!
ReplyDelete:-}pokey
So I had to go get a snack before I could type a word!!! Those cookies/rolls just sucked me right in :) So glad you showed us your CS again - it's so gorgeous! And I know Alycia is delighted to add it to the QOV quilts. Love me some KF fabrics too - but then again, who doesn't? They're yummy!!! LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI do know a few guys who quilt. There are two in our local evening guild. One is a retired policeman, who is also an amazing artist. Lately he has not been quilting very much because he's taken up some new crushes - beekeeping and making clay items - as well as teaching some evening classes at the local community college. The other gentleman is new to us but so far he has been very active and participates in show-n-tell every month. He has been working on using up fabrics from his mother's stash. The only thing I have noticed about them that may be different is that they tend to be more specific in what they make and why. They are just as passionate about quilting, but perhaps more focused than most of my fellow lady quilters - notice I said "most" - LOL!!!
IN GENERAL, the men I know tend to use quilting as a way to meet a need, or complete a goal, or get a job done. Whereas most women tend to quilt what makes them happy, or colors that inspire them, or a pattern they love, etc. Now that doesn't mean that men don't quilt what makes them happy, or women don't have a goal.... just that their primary reasons for quilting fall into these lines most of the time in my experience. One thing I have found to be common to both the men and the women is that they love blessing their loved ones with quilts!
My husband doesn't quilt, but he does enjoy my quilting and is always interested in whatever I am working on. When I show my husband a quilt I am making or have finished, almost always the first question out of his mouth is, "what are you going to do with that one?" or "who is that one for?" He needs to know it's purpose, whether it is for us or someone else - and if for us, he wants to know exactly where I plan to display it. Me, not so much. I work with whatever fires my creative energy and often don't even consider any of those questions until he asks them LOL! I think the guys I know who quilt are more like my husband - they quilt with a purpose in mind more so than I do. Hope that helps you!
I think you won your superbowl shopping expedition, very nice fabrics in your haul.
ReplyDeleteOther than you I don't know a man who quilts. My Guy has made noises about it occasionally, but he really doesn't need another hobby.
Kevin, your patriotic Celtic Solstice came out great! I don't personally know any men quilters. I keep trying to convince my husband to give it a try, but so far no luck.
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI know some men quilters! Gary is just one of us. He likes color and pattern and loves a good session at the shop selecting fabrics and talking design. Another guy, Bob makes the quilts with crazy intricate piecing. They are both examples of quilters that simply have to quilt and are brave enough to push the women aside to get what they want. In the NSW Quilters Guild in Sydney, where I live, there are two other men that make quilts but I don't know them personally. And of course there's my mentors Kaffe and Brandon giving us all the best of color, design and graphic. My son dabbled when he was young but made one quilt, won a prize and put his needle down at 10. We regularly see women with men in tow at the shop. The men give valuable advice and opinions even if they don't make the quilts themselves. We've often thought of having a class for men only so they feel safe from the chatter. I say lets hear it for the boys!!! Kathy Doughty
Hi Kevin
ReplyDeleteGary here, having been introduced by Kathy in the previous post.
I came to quilting via knitting, sewing, spinning and weaving. I started knitting 20yrs or so ago whilst I was an intern and taught on a baby's cardigan in 4ply acrylic (think squeaky yarn on metal needles), that project remains unfinished, and forever will. I moved onto a Kaffe 25 or so colour cardigan as I was fascinated by kaffes patterns and colours and didn't look back, at the same time I taught myself to sew so I could furnish our first house and then clothe the children. Fast forward several years later and a move to Australia meant big knitwear was not really needed but scarves, wraps, shawls and beanies were so I needed to find a bigger colour canvas and so a passion with quilting started. I love colour on a big scale and it definitely comes together quicker than a detailed intarsia knitting project in 4 ply! I love to quilt as it hits the colour buttons, the creative buttons and the escape the busyness of life button as well, and now the young adults are starting to fly I now have some time to play with colour...(and get a creative den/cave/studio)
I have started a blog at live-breathe-create.com to try and log my creative journey but starting a new job means it needs an update but some of my quilts are there.
Kathy's shop Material Obsession is a haven of colour and creativity and a respite from the busyness of life. I love just going and being part of a community of people all involved in colour and who accept you as you not as a little bit of a freak as a guy who quilts which in moderns norms appears to be weird and out there. (never forget going to a Kaffe knitting workshop years ago and being asked, 'why would a man want to knit, its something women do'. The irony that she had paid to come and be taught by a male knitter for the day went straight over her head!)
Great blog Kevin, honed in on the Kaffe & Co. fabrics - love them
Gary
Hi Kevin. I have met an Airplane Pilot who quilts. He does mostly handwork while staying in hotels for layovers. His fabric choices were darker colours but I never saw any of his quilts. I thought it was very cool that he quilted and that was about 10 years ago
ReplyDeleteHello Kevin, I quilt and have done so for about two years, I have made my own clothes for many years and started off with patchwork cushions and progressed to quilts. I suppose colour is important to me, I like earth colours very much and keep bright shades and pink to a minimum, I prefer geometric designs.. Regards, Will..
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ReplyDelete