Tilkunviilaaja®

When you've been blogging about quilts for as long as I have, some photographs stay with you long after the quilts themselves have moved on. Since November 2009, I've shared nearly two thousand blog posts and taken at least ten times as many photos of my quilts, scraps, quilted items, and my scrappy quilting process. This collection of most memorable quilt portraits is not a list of my best quilts. Instead, these are the five quilt photos that earn a special place in my memory. And then there's one photograph that doesn't feature a quilt, but a series of luggage tags that I make of scraps. I can’t tell why I like this photo so much! Consider it a bonus photo on my list. Here are the 5 quilt portraits and one surprise favourite photo of quilted items, and the stories behind them. 1 – “Heading North” on a pier For more than 20 years, my family has had a favourite holiday place – a rented cottage on a Finnish lake. Many summers, we’ve stayed there for a week or two, ...

This post is one of my Splendid colour tips series, where I share information to help you choose fabrics and colours for your quilts with more confidence. In this post, I’ll share: My thoughts and helpful tips about using black in quilts What to watch out for, and ways to use black to effect in quilting Practical examples from my own quilts and quilted items  Black is categorised as an achromatic colour together with grey and white. They are void of colour, and we quilters usually call them “neutrals”. Psychologically, black represents power, luxury, sophistication and elegance. Luxury brands use black to convey an image of professionalism, strength, and precision. An interesting possibility to consider: since black projects an image of professionalism, a stylishly black quilt might be a smart choice for a professional quilter’s advertisement. What to watch out for when using black Contrast does the work in quilts even though colour gets the credit. One might think t...

This post is part of my Splendid colour tips series, where I share helpful information to help you choose fabrics and colours with more confidence. In this post, I share my thoughts and practical tips about the use of red in quilting and use my own quilts and quilted items as examples. In this post you’ll discover: how different reds can behave next to green, neutrals, and other reds common colour-contrast problems when sewing with red (and how to avoid them) reliable ways to combine red fabrics successfully in your own quilts Red colour represents passion, energy, excitement and danger. It is a vibrant colour and so effective, that only a small piece is often enough to draw the eye in a quilt. Because red represents passion, it is a great colour choice for a quilt meant for the love of your life. It is said that the red centre square in the traditional log cabin block is a symbol of the hearth and warmth of home. I’ve not sewn many log cabin quilts and do not remember if I...