Weekend Wedge Workshop

Kathy Doughty and I

I had the most wonderful time meeting Kathy Doughty of Material Obsessions in person and the weekend spent in her workshop dare I say was EPIC fun. We follow one another on IG I had heard about and seen projects from friend who attended Empty Spools, so I'd set my expectations pretty high.

Finished Top

Although I don't typically work from a pattern or book while at home, I do enjoy the personal challenge for a class, especially when the books are fantastic.  My friend Anna had chosen for herself a scaled down version of Big Wedding to make this a 40-ish instead of 80" so I tagged along.  

Hand applique close up

Color theory and design concepts were woven into the workshop throughout the two days and in a very relatable way by Kathy, not to mention entertaining.  At first I struggled with the restricted palette and what I call Matchy-Matchy.  I did not want it to look like it came from a kit (no offense).  From a distance, the fabrics I landed on read pretty conservative (for me) but at closer examination you can see the playful variety with a dozen different prints if you count the binding.  We stopped at Back Porch Fabric and I bought the perfect one

Machine Pieced and Oversized 

The room was filled with an assortment of projects, most were quite different from one another which is what I find fascinating about being in a classroom environment.  Really hoping that some day in the future I'll have the opportunity to take another workshop with Kathy and highly recommend you jump on the chance if it comes you way.  

Here's a LINK to the list of her books including the newest one that she shared with us called Organic Appliqué. 

On the first of every month I create a Monthly Marker using something I've made and so of course it had to be this newest creation.

Instagram Monthly Marker

The part of the story that I didn't share was the journey to get to the sweet cohesive baby quilt that you see above.  Much of the first day was spent trying to make the center bird fabric shine.  

Original Center Fabric

When I went home after Saturday, I came to the conclusion that the parts were better than the whole and that I needed to "let the bird fly".  The "tassel" portions in the lower part of the photo will find a home in another quilt as well.  They are all good, just not together.

A bird and blue sky

On Sunday Lori, Anna and I arrived early and went by the ocean which was gorgeous and ironically had a bird walking by as I took this photo.  It was a sign that I'd done the right thing changing out the center fabric.

Original Palette Pull

Here are a few of the Stash Pulls in the Palette that are ready for another project.

Additional Stash Pull

And boy do I have a lot of ideas that I'd like to explore.  

Happy Stitching,

Karen