Placemat Commission: Every Shade of Blue

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It Starts With Your Story

As always, this commission started with a conversation. My client was looking for new placemats to brighten up their dinner table. They requested lots of different shades of blue, with little pops of lime green.

This was the perfect opportunity to use some mini charm squares* that I'd overdyed with indigo.

* for non-quilter people: "charm square" refers to a common size of pre-cut fabric. See also jelly roll, layer cake, charm pack, and quilters' candies. Yes, we're a wild and whimsical bunch. [eyeroll]

I'd also been contemplating a pre-loved work shirt in chambray blue. I like to think that placemats would be a sweet retirement gig for a hard-working garment.

We started out with an order for 8 placemats. However, my client made an unforeseen move to a much smaller house, so we revised that to 4. (Really, though, it's 4 fronts and 4 backs, so kinda like 8.)

I constructed these using quilt-as-you-go techniques. This basically means that I sewed each piece of fabric directly to the batting (that fluffy middle layer). I also use this method to make potholders.

And yes, these are improv quilts! I started with a general plan and a palette, but no specific designs or measurements. Each composition evolved during the process.

I just happened to put the finishing touches on these while hanging out at my favorite coffee shop. Since it wasn't crowded, I took the opportunity to photograph these among the convenient sunbeams and actual grownup furniture.

AND, my client (a fellow artist) was kind enough to take some pictures in situ.

More Than Just A Quilt

If you're thinking about commissioning a custom quilt, here's something you should know: As part of your package, I will include swatches of all the fabrics I use in your quilt, with notes about their origin.

You'll also get a pair of custom potholders made from the scraps. You're welcome to keep them for yourself, or pass them on as a gift!

Elevate Your Space

What extra-special touch is missing from your home? Bed covers, couch blankies, potholders, table runners, placemats, mug mats, coasters -- these are all right in my wheelhouse. Let's talk about bringing some magic into your space.

Quilt Commission: Remember Us

In 2022 I opened my quilting practice to take commissions, and since then, I've had nothing but rewarding experiences with my custom quilt clients. To get started with your custom-made quilt, head over to my Commissions page.

Remember Us

A custom quilt begins with a conversation. I want to get a good idea of what my client's needs and goals are. With this quilt, the client wanted something big enough to cover a teenager on the couch. The quilt needed to be washable. This client was already familiar with my work, and they pointed out specific pieces they particularly liked, such as this one:

Here's my conceptual sketch. I love doodling quilty images, but I'm not big on the sketch-to-finished-quilt pipeline. Thus the design is pretty spare:

For colors, they requested black, and I decided to fill out the palette with neutrals. I also included some hand-dyed pieces in the blue/purple range.

My client is an artist friend whose family recently moved to a new state. He's a poet and a typographic artist, so this was a great excuse to pull all of my fabrics that had text on them. Including:

• commercial quilting cottons featuring text

• fabric that I printed using a letterpress during my residency at the OxBow School of Art

• fabric that I screen printed during my residency at [Artspace] at Untitled

• fabric on which I used an oil stick to take a rubbing of a commemorative plaque

We're both a little sad that they moved away, so some of those fabrics are Oklahoma-specific. Here are some more typographic fabrics that I used on the back:

Oh, you wanted more juicy detail shots of the quilting? Here you go:

Here's a shot of me stitching on the facing. A facing on a quilt is like a binding. It goes all the way around the edge, but it only shows on the back.

When you order a custom-made quilt from me, you get a few extra bonuses. During the process, I save swatches of all the fabrics I use. At the end, I sew those onto a piece of paper, and add notes about where the fabrics came from. I also throw in a couple of Color Catchers:

While I make an effort to use fabrics that will not bleed in the wash, it can sometimes happen. Color Catchers are great for soaking up any loose dye in the wash. (They're reusable, too.) Look for them in the laundry aisle at the grocery store, or if you prefer Amazon, there are several brands available.

Your Quilt Tells Your Story.

Let's talk about your custom quilt! Check out my Commissions page and book your Quilt Customization Session today.

Smart Humans: Jenni Grover

Photo by Alix Kramer

I'd like to introduce you to Jenni Grover.

Jenni is a wellness coach for creative folks, and a wonderful quilter. I just love her generous spirit and compassionate approach to creativity.

I first connected with Jenni through the social networks. I came across one of her articles about quilting and physical wellness, and I was like, “Holy crap, she wrote this just for me!” You can read more of her articles for SuzyQuilts here, and learn about her coaching services on her website.

I highly recommend following her on Instagram and LinkedIn, and reading her book ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness.

Jenni was gracious enough to answer some interview questions for me. Enjoy!

What's your favorite hour of the day, day of the week, or season of the year?

My favorite hour of the day is morning, around 7:30am, when I've been awake for a couple of hours and done my yoga and had breakfast. There's a moment then when I feel strong and ready for the day, and I love that feeling!

My favorite day of the week is probably Friday. I love the anticipation of a weekend spent doing fun things! As a self-employed person who works from home, it's critical that I set boundaries for work and not-work.

My favorite season, hands down, is summer. I'm obsessed with gardening -- I have a big organic veggie and herb garden in our backyard, and I've planted hundreds of native perennial flowering plants all around our house. Summer is when it all explodes and it's beautiful. I adore sharing food and flowers that I've grown because it feels so magical, and helps me connect with my community. And I love making exuberant bouquets to give people all summer!

What do you empower people (including yourself) to do?

Through my work, I empower people to learn about themselves in deep and unusual ways. The result is that they understand better how to take care of themselves, to advocate and work for change. My clients feel empowered to make big life changes and experiment more.

Through the way I live, which is driven by truth, I empower myself to honor my past and step into a healthier present and future. I come from a family that skews truth, and growing up I always knew that was unhealthy. Today, I feel able to recognize my reality, which leads me to accept it and then take positive action.

I've come to this path through a few steps:

1. Becoming a journalist at age 16 and continuing to do that work even today, which is all about truth-seeking. And about connecting with others.

2. Through 25 years of learning to live with multiple chronic illnesses. That process required me to accept some really hard things, and to get creative with how I live.

3. By exploring trauma therapy in recent years, I've been able to shed a lot of physical damage that came from my childhood and early adulthood. That has changed my mental and physical health in huge, wonderful ways!

So as I do this work and take these actions, I'm learning more and more how to be my own best advocate. And by being vulnerable and sharing my experiences, I'm empowering other people to do self-advocacy work as well.

Photo by Alix Kramer

When people come to you for help, what's the number one question you hear?

Almost all of my coaching clients come to me with a desire for a more fulfilling creative life. They want to know: How do I get comfortable with experimentation? How do I get courageous about showing my work? How do I make more time for my creative pursuits? How do I manage health issues so I'm more able to follow creative passions?

What they're usually really asking is: How do I learn to believe in myself?

...Because when you believe in yourself deeply, you get braver about being "weird." You stop caring what others think. It becomes automatic to prioritize your art. You will feel comfortable making changes that empower you to be more creative.

So while I don't usually tell people they can come to me to learn how to believe in themselves again, maybe I should -- because that's the real thing they want and need help with. :)

What's something that people get wrong about you or your work?

A lot of people think a coach is someone who is just your cheerleader, or someone who gives you advice or directions to follow.

But I'm a wellness coach for makers! Wellness needs are as diverse as humans are, so I don't have a program of advice or a list of directions I can give out. And makers come in all shapes and sizes, too.

So my coaching is highly personalized. I guide each client through a learning process so they can uncover their true needs. Then together we come up with strategies that help them make lasting inner and outer change.

And yes, I'll be their cheerleader! But I'll also be so much more.

If you knew you'd be wildly successful, what would you try today?

I would be a painter! I took painting lessons as a kid but wow, I was not good at it. But I love the feel of a paint-filled brush gliding across a canvas. I would love to get messy and splash paint around and make a masterpiece.

Maybe that means it's time for me to try painting again?!

Photo by Alix Kramer

What's something you love to make?

I love to make quilts! I love every step, from choosing a pattern to gathering fabrics to assembling blocks to quilting it and hand-sewing on a binding. I love every step. (Okay, I actually hate basting a quilt. But that's a short step!)

Quilts have become so much more to me than just fancy blankets. They're a source of connection with others. They've inspired periods of service (I was president of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild for a time, and I'm about to rejoin the board.) They are a delight for my senses. They are challenges to be worked through, problems to be solved. They make amazing gifts that the recipients treasure. They give my home life and comfort. And they're packed with memory and history!

I'll be making quilts for the rest of my life.

Where should we go to learn more about you?

Head to coachjennigrover.com to learn more about how my coaching works. Connect with me on Instagram for education and silliness. And check out my series of self-care articles for makers at SuzyQuilts.com.

Jenni, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

Want to be interviewed for my Smart Humans series?

Send some information about you and your work to sarah@sarahatlee.com.

Repetition: E

Repetition: E

Reclaimed garments, vintage sheet, and other cotton and wool fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 44" H x 39" W, 2022. $850 Click here to purchase.

Quilt Blocks Are Small Problems.

A small problem, created and solved, over and over. That's how I think about making a quilt. Build the blocks, then build with the blocks.

But wait - Sarah, aren't you an improv quilter? I thought you didn't make quilt blocks.

I actually make a ton of quilt blocks. I just don't make them all the same size or shape or color. That's where the improvisation comes in.

In Repetition: E, the building blocks are easier to see.

This is one of the quilts I started in early 2022 during the Abstract Piecing workshop series with Sherri Lynn Wood. It had snowed that week, and I was noticing the shapes made by different tire treads in the show.

The blocks are composed from very simple elements. All rectangles, one horizontal, the rest perpendicular to that one. Most of them are only two colors, to make the brain read the shapes as letter E's. Kinda like those charts at the opthamologist's office.

As with Don't Stop Me Now, I challenged myself to use mostly striped fabrics, which enforced the rectangular motif.

More Rule-Breaking

I could have made all of the E blocks the same size and shape. But my curious mind says, "Never make a rule unless you intent to break it." And rubs its little brainy hands together a-la-Mr.-Burns.

What if this block had 3 colors instead of 2? What if this one had 4 stripes, or 5, or 6? What if this one didn't make the E shape? What if this one was longer, or shorter, or wider? And so on. I can't help myself. I gotta try everything.

Basic Split is another example of this approach: Start with a very simple block construction, and make multiple variations on that theme.

Repetition: E is now available in my web store!

Click here to bring this bit of coziness into your own home.

Not Quite Right? Commission Your Own!

Like what you see, but want it in a different size? Different colors? Another variation? Let's talk about your custom quilt! Check out my Commissions page and book your Quilt Customization Session today.

Falling Together At The Seams

In late 2016 I started an open-ended series called the Quilt Diaries. My idea was to create a quilt block each week, then join them together at the end of the month. I decided not to restrict myself to particular materials, sizes or shapes. I'm not worried if they all come out looking different (they do).

In January 2017, I began my first artist residency, and started work on Quilt Diary 201701: Falling Together At The Seams.

It was a tough time. 2017 was kind of rough all over. But many of us felt a galvanizing, a deep desire to practice empathy and serve our communities.

I think we looked at the choice between falling apart and falling together, and we chose the latter. We showed up, we gave, we hugged, we shopped local, we spoke out, we listened to one another. We made our seams tighter.