Hello dear reader,
Today is my turn on The Quilter’s Negative Space Handbook blog hop! If you’re new here, feel free to pull up a chair and have a look around.
Courtesy of C&T Publishing
I’m so tickled that Sylvia Schaefer of Flying Parrots Quilts asked me to review her new book. She has done an amazing job of providing step-by-step instructions on how to design quilts using negative space.
The book walks you through nine design techniques. The techniques range from removing parts of quilt blocks to supersizing quilt blocks. With these techniques, Sylvia makes it easy to use a traditional quilt block as a springboard to make a modern quilt.
One of my favorite techniques is “Disintegration.” This technique takes parts of the blocks apart.
Courtesy of C&T Publishing
Sylvia follows each technique with a pattern to show you how to make the featured quilt. Here’s one of my favorites from the book: Jewel Drop.
Courtesy of C&T Publishing
As I was reading through the book, I realized that I used the disintegration technique in one of my recent quilt designs: Rifted Rails.
I started the design with a block in each of the spaces in the quilt grid.
I then added negative space by removing some of the blocks. I added a little bit of orange, just for fun.
Rifted Rails is featured in the QuiltCon 2019 magazine. Here I am with it at QuiltCon last month.
After reading Sylvia’s book, I’m ready to get started on designing a new quilt!
Are you ready to start designing with negative space?!? Here’s your chance to get the e-book version of Sylvia’s book. Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below. In your comment, tell me what you do to make time to quilt or sew.
Enter between now and Saturday, March 16th at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time). Make sure you leave your email so I can contact you if you win. I’ll let random.org pick the winner.
Good luck!
The giveaway is closed.
53 comments
The potential for visual emotions is boundless!
Lucky me to be retired! So when I want to have a piece or quilt day, I just head downstairs to my sewing station and start right in. Yes, it is a blessing I do not take for granted. I worked a long time to get here. Thanks for the chance for a giveaway. I am just dipping my toes into more modern quilt patterns and the Negative Space ebook would help my next learning curve. Love your quilts Nicole!
Love your post of negative quilts..so pretty! I spend most days in my sewing room. I call it my ‘happy place’. I just make the time..ignoring household chores?
The examples are beautiful! I make sure I have some house things in order so when I go upstairs to my sewing room, I don’t have to think about what to do for dinner or laundry needing folded.
I would love to make super sized quilts and start making more negative spaces.
I am retired also, so it is much easier to make time for quilting / sewing. When I was teaching school and had children at home, I would steal and hour in the late evening to sew.
My mantra is “Sew every day.” So even if I can only spend 15 minutes in my studio I’ll do it. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish if you put this into practice.
I reward myself with time in the sewing room on completion of a chore or errand. Complete a chore finish a seam, it’ s a method that keeps everything moving.
I make sure my kid takes a nap!
I “reward” myself with sewing time. Love the concept of negative space!
I’m retired so I can quilt every day. Love the concept of deconstruction.
To Make time to quilt, I try to “escape” to my sewing room each day for at least an hour. I listen to audiobooks while sewing. Sewing and audiobooks excite me. A good sewing project and a great audiobook makes my sewing room that much more attractive.
Very hard for me to make time to quilt: I usually have to carves out chunks of time on a weekend every few months, so I haven’t been very productive ths last year or so.
Retired…but chores still get left undone if I would rather be making a quilt. I am blessed. Love your freezer paper piecing technique!
Gorgeous quilts!, I try to sneak in a few hours quilting during the weekends 🙂
Fantastic quilting! Would love to learn more about quilting in the negative spaces.
I have the freedom in my schedule to sew pretty much when ever I like. I love negative space anything so this book looks great!
I’m a lucky girl … I quitted my day job for having more time to quilt ? I saw Rifted Rails in person at Quiltcon (as I said I’m lucky!) and really loved. Sylvia’s lecture was so interesting!
Most of my quilts don’t have much negative space, but I’d love to learn more about creating that design element.
What a great photo of you with your quilt. It can be a challenge to find time to sew, but trying to group errands and not having to run out every day for something helps me find time. Also having a dedicated sewing space is a big help. Just the fact that I can leave things out is a big time saver. Thanks for sharing and for the great giveaway
My favorite sewing time is at a retreat gathering with fellow quilters. No obligations but sew, eat, sleep, repeat!
I love the way quilting has ‘evolved’ with solids and negative space. We can all use a bit of that calmness!
Looks like a great book! Your quilt at Quilt Con is fabulous, so exciting to have a quilt there. I get up early every day and I generally get in a workout and most of the household chores and errands done before lunch. That way I can sew all afternoon. Sewing time is something I really enjoy.
I try to look at my calendar for the next few weeks to see when I may have a chunk of unscheduled time and then I mentally block it out for sewing. There are times when I can pop in and out for small tasks but I tend to like several hours at once to really get into a flow.
Fortunately, I am mostly retired so can make time to quilt during the day. Since it’s important to me, I can also add time by “cutting ahead” or putting a meal in a crock pot.
I work full time so Saturday is my sewing day!
Disintegration is my favorite. Nicole your quilts are exquisite.
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I make a “to-do” list daily so I keep track of the absolute requirements of the day as well as having the satisfaction of crossing off the finished tasks and chores. I also add sewing work to this list, which keeps me moving along rather than getting lost in “too many choices” and reminds me where I’d like to be heading!
Well, since I will still be working full time for the next couple of years, I have to make time on weekends for quilting. Just don’t make any plans and try to stick to it.
What a wonderful website! I am also retired, so my sewing time is blessedly up to me. The main conflict seems to be too many doctors appointments. The negative space in these quilts make them more dynamic. Leaves you breathless.
Our modern quilt guild is using one of Sylvia’s projects to make a quilt for our challenge next month. Negative Space will be fun to try. The finished quilt will be !8″ by 18″. We hope for a venue space to show them.
I am also retired and spend most of time sewing quilting learning to use my Handiquilter.
I retired to be able to sew whenever I wanted! I still have to pull myself away from social media and Pinterest, though!
I’m semi-retired & do most of my quilting on the weekends while my husband is at ball-games in Chapel Hill. Thanks for the chance to win.
Slow cooker- happy family at mealtime and more sewing time for me. Love the creativity of negative space
I love your quilt designs!
My husband works out of town every other week, so I am able to quilt whenever I want. ?
I just sew to my heart’s content as much as I can.
I’m retired now so I just tell all my volunteer stuff no and that gives me free time.
I love rifted rails! I can just imagine all the playing with removing and replacing till you got to perfection. To make time to quilt I have to set aside reading, knitting and various computer activities and and and . . .
I have scheduled days for chores and “free time” scheduled in. Of course sometimes I skip the scheduled chore!! I feel it is important to take time for yourself , slow down and enjoy the journey.
Name spelled wrong.
I sew or quilt nearly every day – and I basically just ignore other things to do so! That way of looking at it got easier, I’ll admit, when my husband retired – he is more laid back so our lifestyle is more laid back now too. I enjoyed your review and your blog!
Hi Nicole, I’ve started swapping my TV in the evenings for time in my sewing room…no more couch potato! All these negative space quilts are ‘right up my alley’, I’d love to win an e-copy of this book. Thanks for the giveaway!
I’ve stolen time away from work here and there to get time to sew. And completely ignore housework and the kid 😉
Hi, I love your quilts and would love to have the book on negative space. I am retired so now I would like to try modern quilting, I made a list of quilts plus yours that I would like to try but I also want to design my own now.
I am still using my dining room table.
I get everyone to leave the house as I like to quilt when I am on my own. I would love to win a copy of this book, there are so many great ideas
I would love to have this book with hopes that is would help me achieve a lovely modern quilt with something great with the negative space.
I am very lucky– I retired early and finally have some real free time– I try to sew for a few minutes or an hour! right after breakfast
I escape into my sewing room when my husband naps!
I have a new sewingroom and sew mostly on weekends, when I don’t have to go to work.
Greetings from Germany
Brigitte
Intrigued by this book and the beautiful quilts! I have 2 young kids so sewing with them home can be a challenge, though I am planning to show my daughter how to sew as she has been asking. My sewing time is in the morning, after bringing them to daycare and before I leave for work. Some days I only have 20 minutes, but it has become an important part of my day.
Like many people I have a job and responsibilities that don’t always allow me time to quilt. I have to schedule the time in my week and I call it my “me time”. It’s so enjoyable and a great way to foster my creativity!
When my husband says “You’re getting crabby…. go sew!” That’s not the only time of course…..
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