A Visit with Katja Marek

As I (Kara) mentioned last week in the Windy City Wrap Up, the quilting world is made up of all types of quilters, and each one of us can be inspired by many different things. What inspires one quilter might not appeal to the next, but one type of quilt-making that is inspiring many quilters today is English paper piecing. While not a new method, it is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

A very popular English paper piecing pattern is one created by Katja Marek to accompany her book, The New Hexagon. Katja was kind enough to offer this pattern as an online quilt-along for quilters who had bought her book. I had the privilege of meeting Katja at Quilt Festival Chicago while I was marveling at the exhibit featuring her New Hexagon Millefiore quilt pattern. The exhibit was called The Hexagon Revolution and was sponsored by our friends at Paper Pieces.  It was one of the most popular exhibits at the festival!

Menagerie
by Melinda Smith, quilted by Sue Rowles
Glebe, New South Wales, Australia 

Katja graciously agreed to be the subject of a blog post and answered a few questions for us about the surprising popularity of her New Hexagon movement. Interspersed between the questions will be some of the beautiful quilts from the exhibit, made with the New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt-Along pattern or "Millie" as the quilt is affectionately known.

How did you become a quilter and when?

I've been a sewer as long as I remember. My mom was a tailor by trade and in order to stay home with my sister and I, took in sewing and alterations at home. We visited with my mom in the sewing room. I don't remember ever being taught to sew, I simply did. I sewed clothing (including many pieces of my wardrobe) and quilted items over the years, but it was not until I moved to Kamloops in 1988 and joined the quilt guild, that I learned that much of what I had been sewing over the years was called quilting.

My Millie
by Roberta (Robynn) Van Horne
Evansville, Indiana, USA

Carnival Hexagons
by Kim McLean, quilted by Kay Fernihough
Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia

What inspired you to begin the New Hexagon Millefiore quilt project?

As part of my publisher Martingale's direction to their authors, they indicated that they expect their authors to help promote their books. When the publication of my book was approaching. I received part of my Kaffe Fasset Collective shipment for my shop. One of the fabrics was called Millefiore. I fell in love with the fabric when I was shown it by the sales rep, and when I received it, I looked up the word "Millefiore" that I found on the selvedge. I found out that Millefiore was Italian for "thousand flowers" and that it refers to a glass caning technique where canes (thin rods) of glass are fused together in floral-like units, which are then crosscut, fused together into kaleidoscope designs, and embedded in clear glass to make paperweights, vases, etc. I am also a huge fan of any type of colored glass and immediately decided I wanted to replicate this effect in fabric, specifically using the blocks from my book about to be published. I decided that in order to thank quilters who had purchased my book, I would give them something else they could do with the blocks from my book by launching my FREE online quilt-along, The New Hexagon-Millefiore Quilt-Along.

Thoroughly Modern Millie
by Sharon Camping,
Robin Sutherlin, Marilyn Brisendine, Ann Seitz, Trina Camping
quilted by Gina Siembieda
Los Angeles, California, USA

Millie on a Whim
by Amy Varner
Kansas City, Missouri, USA

How has The New Hexagon-Millefiore Quilt-Along exceeded your expectations?

From the moment I announced it's launch, I had daily sign-ups and just after posting my first rosette, I received multiple requests to start a Facebook sharing group. I thought this would be a difficult task, but learned it was easy. I set up a group that night and by the next day had the first 364 members. Members joined daily and now we have over 12,000 members in that first group. I now have a second Facebook group: Katja Marek's Quilt With Me for all things after the Millie, such as my 2nd and 3rd quilt alongs: Blocks on the Go, for Quilts on the Grow and Perpetually Hexie.

The New Hexagon Millefiore
by Sue Hicks and Telene Jeffreys
Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa

What advice do you have for quilters just beginning this project?

English paper piecing is pretty straight forward; jumping in is the best way to start. It's a really great technique for traveling or for anyone on the go with kids at sports games or snowbirds. Glue is what made it doable for me, more than the traditional thread basting. I approached each rosette individually, knowing that I wanted a riot of color with each rosette being distinct from the ones next to it, like an English country garden.

Millefiore Quilt Along
by Karen Vosen,
quilted by Shawna Crawford
Havre, Montana, USA

Indian Summer Glow
by Yolande Ankersmit, quilted by Anne Kipping
Deventer, Overijssel, Netherlands

How did the exhibit at the Quilt Festival Chicago happen?

The Chicago exhibit, The Hexagon Revolution, was proposed by someone who was a fan of my work. It had already been submitted and accepted by the time I found out about it. Paper Pieces, who are producers of all my English paper piecing papers, signed on as sponsors. I immediately decided I needed to go to the show. This was the first show based on my designs and I decided I wasn't going to miss being there. It was so much fun to lead the tours at the show and to interact with everyone attending the show and the feedback was fabulous!

Katja leading a tour

Katja Marek (middle) and two exhibitors who became friends through the quilt-along

I have had Katja's book for some time now and am a member of the Facebook group, but given all the moving craziness, I haven't had a chance to try any of the 52 blocks in her book. With all the inspiration from the show, I thought I would at least make a start.

Block 9, Doris, is the center block in the first Millie rosette

I need to work a bit on my fussy cutting skill, but at least I have it started. As my father-in-law would say, "inch by inch, it's a cinch"—and that is appropriate advice for this project! The instructions were so easy to follow and I look forward to making progress on my "Millie".

My first block!

Unfortunately, my pictures did not do this exhibit justice, however, I hope you have gotten a small glimpse of the glorious colors and shapes these quilts have. As you can see from the captions, the quilt makers in this exhibit come from all around the world. Each quilt is different and offers a reflection of its maker(s). A big thanks to Katja for sharing her story with us and for sharing this amazing quilt! You can visit her website and see all the wonderful things she has to offer by clicking here. Have you caught the English paper piecing bug? We would love to hear how you got hooked and learn what inspired you.

Windy City Wrap Up

Once again, we travel to Chicago to view some of the quilts that I (Kara) couldn't fit into last week's post. The quilts I have to share with you are all over the map in regard to genre, so I was pondering how to tie this post together. It came to me that one of the "threads" that binds these quilts together is that the maker was inspired by something that pushed him or her to create the quilt. However, what inspires one quilter may not inspire the next in the same way. 

We, as quilters, come in all different shapes and sizes; we all have different likes and dislikes. That is why going to a show—such as Quilt Festival Chicago or Houston, or the AQS show in Lancaster, or even a local quilt guild show—offers something for every quilter's taste and inspiration. Here are just some of the amazing quilts (of many genres) at Quilt Festival Chicago.

Spring at the Watery Place
by Jin Dong

Old Denim Square
by Noriko Nozawa

The Ant's Square Dance
by Diane Tenney
quilted by ladies in Indonesia

Mamaw's Puzzle
by Valli Schiller

If You Give a Friend a Fat Quarter
by Madelyn Bell
quilted by Susan Corbett

Saying Goodbye
by Shelley Landon
quilted by Yong Hui Torske

Allyson's Wedding Quilt 
by Gail Battista
quilted by Erica Barrett
Design source: Jinny Beyer's Lotus quilt pattern

Hazel's Diary Quilt
by Linda Kowalski
quilted by Shelly Pagliai

Rhapsody Over Ancient Days
by Masako Sanada
(fabrics of old kimonos and futons were used) 

Faces of India
by Helen Godden and Jonathan S. Evans

Detail: Faces of India

My Emily Munroe Quilt
by Susan Calhoun
quilted by Terry Kramzar

Silk Road
by Kumiko Frydl

Larger Than Life
by Karen Amelia Brown

A Cancerous Turmoil
by Karen Capozzoli

Fracture
by Betty Busby

On the Same Page
by Linda Anderson

Kaleidoscope 1 
by Julie Schlueter

Free at Last
by Joy Palmer

Not Now, Maybe Never
by Joan Dorsay

What a variety of quilts! The fabric and thread are consistent throughout, but what the quilter has done with that fabric and thread is what makes them unique. While not all the quilts will appeal to everyone, they will to someone—and that's what gives spice to the quilting world's life. 

P.S. A shout-out to our faithful reader, Wendy Caton Reed (The Constant Quilter) and her beautiful quilt. I loved seeing your quilt again!

No Bake Appliqué, Wendy Reed; Maine, USA

The Kindness of Quilters and the Chicago Quilt Festival

As we mentioned in our post, Going Global, My husband and I (Kara) will be heading to Germany in June. Before we make the big move overseas, we wanted to take a farewell trip to see our parents in Ohio and Michigan. Was it a coincidence that our midwest tour coincided with Quilt Festival Chicago? Nope! No coincidence there. It actually worked out quite well, as my sister lives in Rockford, Illinois and she and her family were willing to meet us there. Also, my quilting aunt, from Michigan, was going to be going with some of her quilt sisters, so the festival was shaping up to be the venue for a mini family reunion.

Our view as we walked in the door

We all made plans to meet together on Friday during the festival, so my dad dropped my mom and I off at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, and we were ready to roll. Upon entering the convention center, a lady came up to us and asked us if we needed tickets. We, of course, said yes, and she proceeded to give us two passes that would allow us to get into the show. She then asked if we were meeting any others, and did we need more tickets. My sister and two nieces were going to be joining us, so she gave us the rest of her passes. We were so grateful and surprised with this random act of kindness. This lovely lady, a vendor, had been given these passes but had not found anyone to give them to, so we were the lucky recipients!

Since Teri had been able to get a press pass at the Lancaster Show, (you can read about that here) I thought that I would see what was available at this show. The front desk very graciously gave me a badge, a media ribbon, and an exhibitor ribbon. While I didn't get a tour like Teri, I was still quite happy.

Feeling pretty fancy with my ribbons!

As we set foot into the exhibit hall, the first quilt we saw was this enormous forest scene. From left to right, it starts out as a photograph and finishes as a quilt. You can read more about this quilt and others like it here.

Northwood Awakening
by Anne and Steve Loveless 

Detail: Northwood Awakening

My mom and I moved rather quickly through the quilts, as we wanted to see as many as possible before we had to meet up with our family. We took quite a few pictures in that short time so we could share them with you, but we weren't able to catch them all. Here are a few of the winners:

The Grand Prize winner, Slices of Opulence 
by Randa Mulford

Detail: Slices of Opulence 
This is an absolutely stunning quilt; I wish my picture-taking skills did it justice.

First Place Traditional
Mystical Garden 
by Mary Alsop

Chatting with the quilter of
Mystical Garden, Mary Alsop

First Place Modern: Playing Well Together
by Jackie Nixon-Fulton

When we did our post about the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show, Put a Bird on it, we shared that birds were somewhat of a theme there. If I were to theme the Chicago show, I would have to go with "floral." There were so many amazing quilts with flowers as a centerpiece (pun intended).

Gladiolus and More 
by Marianne R. Williamson

Petunias on Parade
by Barbara McKie

Aussie True, Oh Dear, We're Blue
by Denise Griffiths

Detail: Aussie True, Oh Dear, We're Blue:

A Sunny Day in April
by Emily Parson

Daffodils
by Emily Parson

Pink Tulips
by Emily Parson

Flower Field: Daffodils
by Emily Parson

Of course, I had to have some family pictures taken in front of our Fairy Tale Album quilt. Showing the quilt to my family members attending was a special treat!

My Aunt Carol, the quilter

My mom, sister and nieces

After our first round of viewing the quilts, we decided to visit the vendors. My niece, Julie, and I took off at racing speed to see as much as we could in the time we had left. She is a speedy walker and was very patient with my fabric purchasing. One of my favorite stops was Bungalow Quilting and Yarn. I was so impressed with the variety of fabrics Judy carried. Stop by her Etsy store and see all the beautiful and varied wares she carries! We also stopped by to see our friends at Paper Pieces and Sew-Cherished and then continued our way through, enjoying the plethora of fabrics, quilts, and vintage wares.

So many lovely quilt patterns were available

The Menidy Quilt booth with some amazing quilts from the tentmakers of Cairo

Love, love, love this vintage trim!

I'm still not sure why this didn't come home with me

The Quiltmania booth was quite busy!

As we toured through the vendors we made a point to stop by and see Cindi Egerton, of A Very Special Collection. Cindi is the gracious lady we met as we came in the door. Our day of family and quilts was made more special by her act of generosity. We visited her booth to thank her again and we were happy to see that she was quite busy, but not too busy to take a picture with me.

Demonstrating her patterns

Thanks Cindi!

I had such a great time with my family and enjoyed seeing so many amazing quilts and vendors. This was just a small taste of Quilt Festival Chicago. Next week we will share more pictures of this wonderful show and a little bit about a popular exhibit.