Hive 6 - July Tutorial

Hi, my name is Yanick and I have a fabric addiction. You can read more about it on my blog, Sewn With Curves. 
I am the current President of the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild. If you're ever in the area, please stop by and say, "Hello". 

I heart quilting!

Where do you live? 

I am in beautiful Sanford, FL. I was born and raised in Miami so I am a Florida native which is becoming very rare!

I'm just off of Lake Monroe!

Tell us about your family.
My partner, Jos, and I celebrated our 13th anniversary this year. We have a daughter-dog named Evie. 

Tell us about how you got interested in quilting.
My dear friend was having a baby and I wanted to make her a present instead of buying something. I was a second-year middle school teacher and thought it would be cheaper and more personal than buying a gift. I was so wrong because I had no idea of the cost of quilting fabric until after I started making it. I was instantly hooked and have been making quilts ever since.

How do you organize your fabric stash?
I am mostly organized using comic book boards and bins to store my crazy collection of fabrics. I like to call myself a burgeoning fabric hoarder. (It was hard to photograph the whole room since it is tiny, so I am giving you a clockwise view instead.)

I try to keep things neat.

My wall of crazy.
This is where random art and quilt supplies are stored.
Recent fabric purchases get thrown in this pile until I
make time to wrap them on comic book boards.

When working on a project, I pull out the bins
as needed and put them away when done.
(Yes, those are old school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle curtains.
They belonged to Jos's little brothers in the 1980s.)

My design wall is one of my favorite parts of this room.
(I used the floor or dining room table for years.
Now my quilts have 95% less Evie fur on them.)

Side station to store my machines, bins and batting supplies.
There's just enough space for that Juki I've always wanted.
(I love my comics, too!)

Who are your favorite fabric designers? 

I use a lot of Kona solids in my quilts. I adore fabrics from Rashida Coleman Hale, Lotta Jansdotter and Tula Pink when I want to use prints. I've also been collecting fabrics with words and geometric designs. I really just love anything bright, graphic, and modern!

What is one thing you have learned that you wish you knew when you first started quilting?
I wish I knew about sewing scant 1/4 in seams when I was trying to follow patterns. I could never make my finished projects come out the same size as what the pattern said I should have when done. It turned out to be a good thing because I started making improv and minimalist (what is now called modern) quilts in 2004 since I was so pattern challenged. 

What is your favorite sewing/quilting tool and why should we all go out and buy it? 
I can't live without my 14" rotating cutting mat so I don't have to lift and turn fabric that needs to be cut. I find it helps to limit distortion with bias pieces. It's also great for squaring up 12.5" blocks I make for our guild BOM lotto.

My other necessity is a small ironing board I made from an old TV tray table. (I just covered it with a layer of batting and cotton fabric. Staple the batting and fabric underneath and voila - instant small ironing area you can place right next to you.) When not it use, just fold it up and tuck it way. It goes to every guild Sew Day, quilt retreat and workshop I attend.

Who is your favorite fictional character and why?

I love Wonder Woman. As a little girl, I would twirl and spin myself silly hoping that I would be half as cool as Linda Carter. Plus, I really wanted that invisible jet of hers.

Here's my block!

This month I would love for you to make an improv concentric squares/rectangle block using the 6 main colors of the rainbow in ROYGBV (or VBGYOR) order. You can use prints or solids or any combination of the two depending on your stash. I prefer brights over pastels. (My only request is not to use floral prints. Please and thank you!)

Here are some some basics to remember:

(1976 was a good year because I was born!)
Look for anything that will read as bright.
Bright colors with pastels in it are just fine.

Find some strips or make new ones.

Decide on a purple or a red center.
Squares or rectangles?...Surprise me!

Sew your next color on opposite sides.
I have no preference for ironing your seams. 

Place your next strip, right sides together, underneath when sewing
to keep your seams nice and pretty.

If you run short on a strip, that's cool.
You can cut if off!

I like to turn my square ruler slightly before
cutting to make it wonky.
(Not required!)

When starting the next round, remember to turn your block so the seams are secure.
Your next strip should not be sewn on the same side as the last strips added.
(I hope that makes sense.  If you've never made this type of block, check out this tutorial.)

When squaring a round of color, try to leave
at least 1 to 1.5 inches on all sides.
(I went a little too wonky here.)

If you cut off too much, no worries.
I think the green still came out
pretty cool so I'm keeping it.

(Most of my quilting is done at night so please forgive
all of the dark photos on this post.)

Keep going until you've added all six colors. I would love your block to finish anywhere between 6.5" to 18.5". If you have smaller strips in your stash, feel free to make two little ones instead of a larger block. Mini blocks are awesome! You can also make a rectangle if you're feeling extra creative. (I was planning to make a rectangle sample block to share here but ran out of time. I'll post one on Flickr if I can get it done this weekend.)

I would love for each round of color on the square/rectangle to be in the same fabric, but if you need to add another fabric of that same color, you can mix and match your strips. (Just be mindful of reds that read as browns when placed next to each other. Remember to keep it bright!) If you have any concerns, just let me know. I am pretty open to final designs that are not identical to mine shown above. Just have fun and use all six colors in rainbow order. 

I look forward to seeing your creativity.

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and fun-filled Fourth of July!
-Yanick