Episode 196: Paper Birds!

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Paper Birds in the Air!

paper birds top

The original inspiration, from an article on tiles in House Beautiful:

 

birds mosaic

Here’s the background fabric–Botanical Beauty, Indigo, by Robert Kaufman, up close:

botanical fab

Don’t forget to enter by September 1st to win your very own copy of Sew Illustrated ! Just leave a comment saying you’d love to have it!

sew illustrated

Thanks to my girl, Christa Watson, for posting this Weeks Ringle post on FB: https://craftnectar.com/2016/08/08/united-we-stand/

Abby Glassenberg post on the Quilt Alliance: http://whileshenaps.com/2016/08/go-tell-quilt-show-records-oral-histories-quilts.html?mc_cid=0fad21a1c4&mc_eid=8f4fe123f6

An interesting post on the ongoing copyright debate: http://www.thetartankiwi.com/2016/08/copyright-copywrong.html?mc_cid=0fad21a1c4&mc_eid=8f4fe123f6

MQG post on copyright (lots of comments!): https://themodernquiltguild.wordpress.com/

SAQA on derivative artwork: http://www.saqa.com/resources.php?ID=2244

26 Replies to “Episode 196: Paper Birds!”

  1. I love this paper airplane quilt – very nice addition to your Birds in the Air series. The back ground fabric works well! I am one who comments in my head and also quilts in my head. It is great to see you turning your inspirations into quilts!

  2. I love the airplane quilt! I just listened to the latest podcast, and it has my mind spinning. I have recently put myself on a fabric-buying freeze. Even though I rarely buy at full-price, I find that I am still buying more than I can use. The fabric industry is producing new stuff at the speed of light. I just need to say no, to refuse to get caught in this whirlwind of newness. One thing I wonder about shopping locally–I live on a tight budget and cannot afford to buy from them at full price. However, I love my LQS and go there for sales. I know that is not really supporting them. Is that annoying for shop owners? They see me coming and know I love the scrap basket and sale rack! Thanks for a thought-provoking episode.

  3. The paper birds quilt is so nice. Great idear. The sew illustrated book sounds like lots of fun I would love to win it.

  4. About the NOT buying fabric …. in my case I have reached my limit …no storage for the stash I have … I bought a lot when I was working and had money…. retired … I am sewing off my stash… I only buy backgrounds and backing. No longer just buy to buy… money is less in retirement.
    .
    The quilting industry has pushed buy buy buy AND now I think quilters have woken up to reality they can not have it all. A lot of quilters now are in the process of getting into their fabric stashes…… selling in estate and yard sales… Even Alex Anderson went thru a purge a while back.

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  5. About the NOT buying fabric …. in my case I have reached my limit …no storage for the stash I have … I bought a lot when I was working and had money…. retired … I am sewing off my stash… I only buy backgrounds and backing. No longer just buy to buy… money is less in retirement.
    .
    The quilting industry has pushed buy buy buy AND now I think quilters have woken up to reality they can not have it all. A lot of quilters now are in the process of getting into their fabric stashes…… selling in estate and yard sales… Even Alex Anderson went thru a purge a while back.

    .
    .

  6. A couple of years ago the quilt industry raised prices on all fabrics due to a cotton shortage …. Price of yardage went up significantly …
    I remember blogging about it when I first started blogging.

    The following YEARS there was abundant cotton BUT the prices did not come down … and then came the recession …. the prices seemed to go even higher. I use to pay $7-8 a yard and now pay $12 to $14 a yard…. some where a long the line something had to give and we are seeing the results now…. quilt industry contracting.

  7. As usual, your podcast is very enjoyable and informative. Not as usual, I am commenting on line as opposed to in my head : )
    Thanks for the links on copyright issues, it is something that we as quilters need to be aware of. I am struggling with how to attribute a traditional, but unusual, layout that I saw online in photos someone posted from a quilt show. Any thoughts beyond “unidentified quilter in an Oregon quilt show”?

  8. So many things to comment on! Sorry to disagree with your views on summer but as a teacher…I LOVE summer! Of course where I live up here in the far north (near Vancouver BC) 90 is a hot day and we haven’t been having the extremes of Louisiana or California. Honestly, severe weather events here come about because it will be 90 degrees in summer , or more than an inch of snow in winter !! Of course, don’t mention that to my fellow Canadians because I live here in Paradise and it sure isn’t like that elsewhere in my amazing country.

    Love your paper birds in the air. The contrails are great. How on Earth did you do the contrails? I have to go back and re-listen to that part. I love the loop-de-loops and the contrail with no plane in sight is perfect.

    As for promoting quilt celebrity – I almost never know who designed the fabric I buy. Because as unfair as it may be to the artist who worked so hard to create it, I buy it because it works for my project. Or it doesn’t and so I don’t. I promised myself thAt once my son graduated high school (yay for him – he’s starting university in a few weeks) that I would join a quilt guild. A friend is in the local modern guild and I’ve been invited to join but I wonder if I’ll fit in because I don’t get all hot to trot about the latest hot designers or quilt alongs that EVERYONE is doing or want to spend a zillion hours doing incredible machine quilting or even really want to use solids and negative space in a big way. So if I don’t quite really follow the trends do I belong more in a traditional guild? Rambling now – modern vs traditional. These dichotomies just kind of annoy me.

  9. I really love your paper Birds in the Air quilt. I’d really like to win Sew Illustrated too. I hope if Birds in the Air goes to audiobooks that you’ll narrate it yourself. Your voice is wonderfully soothing.

  10. I love the paper airplanes.
    I agree with your thoughts on the industry. I think it’s compacting and shrinking in a way that will be painful for many, but quilters are gonna quilt.

    Your assessment of the current political climate and the emotions triggered by seeing something good was spot on. I almost choked up just listening to that.

  11. Just listened to my first of your podcasts.. nice to listen while piecing and pressing some Halloween 4 patches..

    I would love the chance to win Sew Illustrated my book and pattern budget is shot!!!

  12. Gosh – lest I sound like a complete fan girl – well, anyway! I loved this episode with thought filled ideas and discussion. Retirement is a little isolating for me and hearing your opinions and reports is validating. I truly believe we are not in a worse time, but, definitely an interesting time. Reading about the 1812 non-summer today and how scared people were, reminded me that our perceptions are bound by the constancey of the Internet. On the other hand, may I say Mr. Trump does indeed scare me and I told one of my extended family members, that as a person of Jewish heritage, I tremble to think…well, as you said, this isn’t a political podcast/blog.

    Anyway Frances, I am seeing that fall is returning to the East Coast. Lucky Coast! Enjoy your return to your writing routine as the school year has commenced.

  13. I really enjoy your podcast. I love to listen while quilting. Your paper birds in the air is great!
    I appreciate your comments on the costs of quilting. It is an expensive craft. I am a newer quilter, I started about 2 years ago. Plus, I’m in the younger demographics that the quilt industry wants; just turned 40 and I have young children. I got plenty of good crafting years ahead of me. But just the start up costs to even see if you find it enjoyable is termendous and I did not need to buy sewing machine. I feel like the industry as a whole, through publications and videos, puts pressure to have the latest and greatest. I can not keep upgrading sewing machines! And if you do not use specific fabrics then you are lesser of a quilter. I get my fabrics from a variety of sources. And that’s ok! I wish more well known quilters would talk about thrifty quilting. It can be done.

  14. Hi Frances,

    I don’t comment very often – but I’m always listening and answering in my mind! Lots to think about in this episode. I’ve gone on a “fabric diet” and stopped stashing. I think the endearing term “stash” was invented by marketing professionals in the quilt industry. I don’t need any more fabric. I need time to use what I have. Buying more weighs me down and destroys my creativity.

    And on the subject of copyright and derivatives, etc., your paper airplanes quilt illustrates an important point – two people can create something similar without having influenced each other in any way … see Heather Givans’ Aerodynamics quilt:

    https://theplaidportico.com/2016/04/03/quiltcon-2016-improvisation-part-2-of-2/aerodynamics-by-heather-givans-quilted-by-karen-mctavish-2/

    I love the “con-trails” in yours! And all your birds in the air quilts!

    Thank you for the always thoughtful and thought-provoking podcasts!

  15. Enjoyed your podcasts and the ‘bugs’ sound like the ringing in my ears from lots of damage I have experienced over the years , lol. I have to say that I am with you on not buying fabric without intention. I refuse to be so wasteful that way with money and I am at a point where I want to buy specific fabrics for specific projects. An industry can only last for a short length of time when the hype of another new limited line of fabric or tool comes along. Quilters will quilt, fabrics will be around, imaginations never cease. I hope your Senior Year is a good one with your son, by the end of it I just wanted it done. I have to say it is a very bittersweet time and it took me a couple of years to adjust as each child fledged.

  16. Birds in the air is so whimsical…love it. Also I would love to receive a copy of Sew Illustrated. Kristen’s book sounds wonderful. Fingers crossed!

  17. I listened to this episode while ironing two freshly washed fat quarter bundles of Tula Pink fabric. I started to wonder if I’m a fan girl because there are a couple of designers who are kind of my go to designers, but then I realized for me it is all about the colors and those designers (Kate Spain is another fave) frequently use colors that are my faves and that I’m likely to use in quilts. I don’t buy everything they ever design (Kate Spain’s Christmas fabrics are just not Christmas colors so I usually avoid those), just stuff with my favorite colors. So at least I let myself off the hook there.

    As a retired person, I tend to buy only stuff I really really like or need. I stock up on wide backing fabric when I find a really good sale, and I currently have a backlog. And, of course, I have recently destashed a ton of fabric – more, apparently than I needed to – so I do have a little room for purchasing.

    Paper Birds in the Air is gorgeous! So much fun!

  18. Hey finally making the effort to do more than comment in my head. Of course this is not going to be as clever witty or snappy as all those thought bu not written posts but you get that. And it won’t have anything to say about your last podcast cause that was too long ago that I listened to it and all the thoughts and answers and comments have flown out of my head

    But I can tell you that I got my copy of Sew Illustrated! All signed by both authors and it’s beautiful and I hope I am game enough to make some more stuff now. I pattern tested the little house on the front cover. Mine is t quite as nifty as theirs ????

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