#NGAQB Mr. August: Shaun Abels

As of this month, the amazing No Girls Allowed Quilting Bee (#NGAQB) has reached its conclusion. I am hopeful for a round 2 of this bee for more camaraderie with the amazingly talented gents of the group but, in the meantime, I'm going to try to round up my posts for the last few months of the bee.

(For more information on the #NGAQB, read here.)

August was Shaun Abels' month in the bee. Shaun didn't ask for anything specific, but rather left the blocks to be "quilter's choice." I'd been itching to try out Jessee from Art School Dropout's Geometric Shape pattern. I LOVED this pattern (I knew I would) and ended up making 3 blocks to send along to Shaun.

Shaun doesn't have a blog (yet) but, aside from being in the Navy, he does active duty over on Instagram (@slabels.) Here's a bit more about this great quilter and all-around great guy:

I am 27 and have been sewing/quilting for about 3 years. My aunts, uncle and cousin all quilt. I asked my aunt to teach me how to make a quilt and loved the whole process. My first quilt was a disappearing nine patch, with simple straight line quilting. 

I'm originally from Omaha, Nebraska, right in the heartland of America. I've been in the navy for the better part of a decade now, and have had some great opportunities to see different parts of the world that I normally wouldn't have seen. However, it does make for precious little time to sew. I do my best quilting with Beyoncé or Jenny Lewis playing in the background. 

I have really developed an interested in modern quilting after discovering the incredible modern quilting community on Instagram. My friend Carey, who I've know for years and years, came to quilting about the same time I did and she has opened my eyes to the glory of Tula Pink and Angela Walters, Joel Dewberry and Jaybird Quilts. I've also discovered a smaller, but fantastic group of creative men in the modern quilting community. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the NGAQB over the past year and have loved getting to know this awesome group of creative (and funny!) guys.

#NGAQB Mr. July: Ryan Walsh

I'm pretty much caught up on my #NGAQB commitments, but I am still WAY behind in blogging about the block I've made for my bee buddies. (For more about the No Girls Allowed Quilting Bee, or #NGAQB, see here.)

July was Ryan Walsh of Ryan Walsh Quilts' month, and he asked us to make him a colorful block using Elizabeth Hartman's fun Knee Socks Block tutorial. I had fun combing through my scrap bucket to piece together this rainbow block for Ryan:

Ryan has been a friend and quilting buddy for years -- so much so, in fact, that I can still remember when he, I, and Scott Hansen were the only manquilters running in the modern quilting blog & Flickr circles. But for those of you unfamiliar with Ryan and his work, here is some more about him:

Ryan Walsh is a self taught quilter and quilt designer who enjoys taking classic quilt designs and updating them with a modern twist. He’s employed full time as a NYS Licensed Funeral Director and manages a funeral establishment in his hometown. A busy dad, the majority of his quilting adventures occur in the late hours of the night after his kids are in bed! (Boy, that sounds familiar.) 

Ryan uses quilting as a vehicle to satisfy his never ending need to be creative. His work is based around combining traditional piecing methods with free-style construction techniques. As a way to challenge his ability, Ryan participates in several online bees and quilt related swaps every year. 

When he’s not quilting, Ryan also enjoys photography, embroidery, collage, crocheting, sightseeing and spending time with his family. Ryan currently resides in the Catskill Mountain region of Upstate New York with his children. 

Blog: www.ryanwalshquilts.com
Instagram: ryanwalshquilt
Twitter: @ryanwalshquilts
Flickr: ryanwalshquilts

Happy Monday, friends! I hope your week is off to a great start.

#NGAQB Mr. June: Chris Jones

Back today with another effort to catch up on the antics of the boys of the No Girls Allowed Quilting Bee. Back in June, Chris Jones asked us to help him create a totally unique Lone Star Quilt of some kind by making and sending him some Diamond Stack blocks. Let me tell you: these blocks were not for the faint of heart. Though my blocks turned out a bit … wonkier … than I would have liked, I am still glad I took on Chris' challenge. See my blocks below and, in the spirit of our #NGAQB posts, get to know more about my fellow manquilter Chris Jones.

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When did you start quilting?

CJ: I didn't actually pick up quilting until I was in college and living with my mom's family. She comes from a strong lineage of quilters, and I thought I might enjoy it. I grew up with my grandmother, who was a seamstress. She taught me how to sew, crochet, cross stitch, embroider and many other things. 

When I graduated from college, I stopped quilting for a while. I was sucked in to the world of MMORPG, and barely had time for anything else but work. I picked up quilting again at the suggestion of a great friend at work. She introduced me to hand-piecing and I was in love again. I've done quite a few small projects, but I've yet to actually quit a top yet. I'm hoping that I'll get to take some valuable time-off soon and try my mom's new long arm or free motion quilting machines.

What do you do professionally?

CJ: Right now I'm a SQL Developer/Data Administrator for an online book company (nope, not that one – not that one either). I've been with the company for fourteen years; I started with them two weeks after I graduated college. I started in the Customer Service department, and quickly moved up to CS Manager. I've held a position in just about every department within the company, and if I haven't worked there, I work closely with them to generate reports or import data.

What other hobbies do you have?

CJ: Outside of sewing/quilting, I love to cook, can, and garden. I just picked up canning this year, and I love it. There's nothing more awesome than taking the things that you grow and preserving them to eat throughout the year. Though I don't typically eat it, I love making jam, the stranger the flavour profile, the more fun. So far I've made mulberry jam, strawberry balsalmic jam, grape jelly, wild berry (strawberry, blueberry, mulberry) and apple butter. I'm trying out recipes for pineapple rum jam and mulled red wine jelly. They will likely be part of the family Christmas presents this year.

Do you have pets?

CJ: Yep, I have three furbabies that are the love of my life. A scottie named Finnigan, a Cairn named Ursula and a German Shepherd named Zahara. Ursula and Zahara were both rescues. We're currently taking Zahara through obedience school right now.

What is your favourite color?

CJ: Orange, definitely orange. From pumpkin to safety vest, I love it all.

Which season is best?

CJ: Fall [Autumn] will always have a special place in my heart. I love the color of the season. But now, because I really enjoy planning gardens, and digging in the dirt, I'd have to go with spring. The smell of the air right after a spring rain ... it's invigorating.

If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be?

CJ: I'd love to see my grandfather again. He was such an amazing person. He was a short-order cook in the army, a recorded musician that wrote music, played the guitar, banjo and fiddle, and spent the greater portion of his adult life as a taxi driver. His routes ranged from around the block to across the country. He loved life, and never had a cross word for anyone. He, like my grandmother, really taught me how to “be” in this world and I love him for it. I'd love to see him again.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

CJ: I probably have too many to mention here. I have a touch of an OCD streak that rears its ugly head from time to time. Right now the biggest thing that bothers me are leaves. I was out in the snow raking them the other day because I couldn't stand seeing them all over the ground. As far as peeves from others, though, I don't like people that use others for their benefit. Gets in my craw every time.

What kind of music interests you?

CJ: I will listen to just about any type of music, except modern country. I just can't get into it. As far as favourites...the sugarier the pop, the better. As of late I've been bouncing between bollywood hits and electronica.

What book/movie/tv show can you not live without?

CJ: TV is a guilty pleasure of mine; I watch way too much of it. I'm a card-carrying fandom member for Supernatural and Teen Wolf – can't miss an episode. I don't read as much as I should, but I like fantasy, historical fiction and romance books. Bernard Cornwell, Gregory McGuire, and Diana Gabaldon are a few of my current go-to authors.

How would you best describe yourself?

CJ: I never know what to say with this question. I think the best thing that I can say is that my Meyer's Briggs personality type is INFP. I'm introverted, usually very quiet and reserved, or in my own world. Feelings and emotions are important to me, and I am usually overflowing with them. I like to daydream, and don't like strict rules.

--

Thanks, Chris! Get to know Chris more by visiting his blog and social media sites:

Chris Jones
A Dandy Man
IG:  kailichi
Twitter: @kailichi
Pinterest: kailichi

Book tour stop: Molli Sparkles

The book tour makes a stop down under today with the inimitable Molli Sparkles, a fellow member of the #NGAQB. If you don't know Molli, you should. Also, free book giveaway!

#NGAQB Mr. May: Paul Hallinger

May was my #SDQAL partner-in-crime's month in the No Girls Allowed Quilting Bee. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Paul (blog: Evildemondevildog Quilts) since the bee started several months ago, and I am awed by his talent and creativity.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Me But Were Afraid to Ask (and probably shouldn't have) 

Paul Hallinger, born in New Jersey.  I am the product of a very nuclear family - dad, mom, me, and my sister.  I am the older brother.  Just a rather mundane childhood of growing up watching Japanese cartoons and Dr. Who.  Oh, and Monty Python.  And I was one of those 'studious' types who would much rather take home a 100 book reading list for the summer.  And if my aunt would lend me her books on UFOs, psychic phenomenon, and otherworldly things, I would fit them in alongside The Great Gatsby. 

I took up some levels of sewing and crochet in my teens, mostly because I lived next to my grandmother and aunt, both of whom spent time doing these things.  I took a sewing class at a local fabric store (yes, they existed back in the Stone Age) and made a really cool for the times patchwork denim vest.  Someone in my family still has it! 

I graduated from high school and went off to college.  Well that was an interesting thing to do.  I lived in a co-ed dorm, found more fun than I could possibly ever want to experience, and decided that if majoring in forestry meant I had to learn latin, well, that was not going to happen.  So after a fun filled year at a small liberal arts college in northern New Jersey, I dropped out. 

And then I just explored new and fun experiences.  I worked at various jobs, hung out at clubs with friends, got into CBGBs, became enamored with punk, double pierced my ears, got a tatoo, and colored my hair a lovely shade of blue after spending months looking like Rutger Hauer in Bladerunner.  I would not trade those life experiences for anything.  And Doc Martens ruled. 

I eventually went back to college (I think I was 26 or so), working full time and going to school full time.  I majored in sociology with a minor in psychology and I am that person in the room who doesn't say much but is intrigued by everything going on around him.  And then off to grad school in the wonderful land of California.  I spent two years getting my masters, buggered off the phD (eternal studentdom was not for me) and took a job with the Federal government in 1991.  Been there as a day job ever since.  I have lived in Jersey, California, Missouri and am now back in Pennsylvania. 

What, too impersonal?  Not a big sharer, but here you go.  

I have been with my one true love for 26ish years now - our first date involved a trip to the dump.  A true romantic that one.  We both remember the movie we went to see and the fact that I didn't go home.  And never left much after that either! 

I took up quilting in 1992 or so - I had gone to Europe on a wonderful two week adventure and upon returning to the states blew out a couple of lumbar discs when I grabbed a suitcase out of  the trunk of a car.  Cross country flight and pain, not a good mix.  So I was out of work for a few months and was going absolutely bonkers counting the ceiling tiles when a friend showed me how to cross stitch and then how to do quilt stitching by hand.  I then asked her to show me how to make a quilt.  I was using a lovely White sewing machine that I had bought at a 'school over-ordered' sale.  I took it in for service and was amazed at the Bernina sewing machines, so I bought one!  and then another.  And then another.  I have three.  Two embroider (another favorite of mine).  And then I bought a Juki (I like it for the more industrial needs!) 

My quilting is like my musical taste - punk funk other junk, classical jazz industrial pretty much anything I listen to and like.  So I quilt things I like - I don't confine myself to any particular style.  I do tend to be a little 'matchy' with my fabric choices and tend to stick to one or two choices in a quilt - I personally feel that the fabric designer did what they did and I should let their expression stand relatively sound.  When I look at some stuff produced by other quilters I just start hearing "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong...".  My own personal aesthetic.  I need some level of cohesion. 

Paul's block request was wide open: he asked us to make any 8" block at all that represented us as quilters. A signature block, if you will. He is sure to have a wonderfully eclectic sampler quilt at the end of the bee!

I decided to make Fancy Fox face blocks from Elizabeth Hartman's fantastic pattern. For two of them I used part of my coveted Liberty of London stash, and for the others I used a new Anna Maria Horner print and a Joel Dewberry woodgrain in a lovely shade of deep purple.

Hope you like them, Paul!

#NGAQB Mr. March: Andrew Youngman

March was Andrew Youngman's month in the #NGAQB. Andrew is a quilter living in upstate New York and working in the healthcare industry. It's been great getting to know Andrew through this bee as well as over Instagram, where he posts under the handle @TESTOSTERSEWN (he currently does not have a blog.)

Here's Andrew's intro:

I’m the other Andrew, or Mr. March. In a brief introduction about me, I would tell you that I sent to art school and concentrated in photography. I now work in healthcare, specifically as an aide in Intensive Care and Cardiac Services.  

Quilting was introduced to me by my mother a couple of years ago when I asked her to teach me, knowing she wanted to get back into it. I made one small table runner and one lap quilt then put my machine away, only to pick it up again 6 months or so ago.  

Thanks to social media, specifically Instagram, I started noticing more and more male crafters and quilters, and started to follow them and begin a conversation about an all-male quilt bee. And here we are.

I chose the Inverted Star block (available on craftsy.com) because I haven’t yet worked with half-square triangles and wanted the challenge. And I asked for the color inspiration to come from a photograph I took on my last trip with my husband to Key West. We’ve been there twice in the last year and love it. Asking for your help to commemorate this new favorite place of mine seemed appropriate.  

Thanks you all for the stunning blocks that I’ve already either received or seen online. They work you each produce is amazing and I’m glad to be a growing amateur in such an elite group of fun and talented craftsman! 

Here is the beautiful photograph that Andrew provided for inspiration:

Based on the muted blue, grey, and black tones of the picture -- along with a touch of light green -- here are the fabrics I pulled for Andrew's blocks:

With the fabrics selected, the blocks were fairly straightforward to assemble. Lots of HSTs, but that's OK. I went with a completely scrappy layout rather than a more coordinated one, and I'm very happy with how the stars turned out.

Can't wait to see Andrew's blocks all come together!

#NGAQB Mr. February: Andrew Joslyn

Still playing catch-up with posting about my NGAQB activity. I've already described the group and shared my blocks for Mr. January. Today, let's take a moment to meet Mr. February ...

I'm Andrew Joslyn, also known as Mr. February of the #NGAQB. I grew up with an older sister and my parents and my family went back-and-forth between the Philadelphia, PA area and Tokyo, Japan.  Although more of my time was spent in the US, I always felt like Japan was a second home (maybe my "real" home?) to me. I spent 4 years of high school at the American School in Japan and they were some of the best years of my life. I am still extremely inspired by Japanese culture and art. 

I owe my life of quilting to my wonderful partner, Chad. He has an addictive personality, so he'll get stuck on something and will put all his energy into that one activity for a relatively short amount of time in an obsessive way. He usually drops that activity and moves on to a new hobby pretty quickly. But a number of years ago, Chad began knitting. He found a great group of other knitters to hang out with and he became hooked!  It's the first time I've seen him stick with something for so long! He was making such beautiful knitwear and I became quite jealous. I tried my hand at knitting, but I absolutely HATED it. I mean, it made me so frustrated I just completely gave up. This didn't really surprise me because I've never considered myself much of an artist or "maker." 

I didn't want to give up on the making, though, so I started wondering whether there was something else that was more my speed. I began with sewing, just making little things like zippered pouches, coffee cup sleeves, knitting needle "roll-ups" etc. Although I enjoyed it a bit, I didn't like the finicky work associated with this type of sewing. I somehow got it in my head that I should try making a quilt.  When I found out that my sister was pregnant in early 2010, I thought that perhaps a baby quilt for my soon-to-be niece was a good place to start. I taught myself using Alex Anderson's "Start Quilting" and I got a lot of great help from my co-worker, who had already been quilting for a few years. 

That first project was a challenge for me and I made some incredible mistakes and got extremely discouraged at numerous points in the process. Normally this means that I'll never do that activity again, but for some reason, I was so happy with the final result, that I kind of forgot all the pain and decided to push forward with more quilting. My co-worker quickly convinced me to join a relatively new group called the "Philadelphia Modern Quilt Guild." I met some amazing quilters and made many new friends through Philly MQG and within about 1 year, I became the president of the group! I have been president now for a couple years and it is still a ton of fun. I'm presently spending quite a bit of my time organizing a modern quilting retreat in Lancaster, PA called "Mid-Atlantic MOD" with a couple other awesome quilters from the Central NJ MQG and the DC MQG. 

For my month of February, I asked the boys to make me blocks of their own design that incorporate flying geese of any size and color placed in negative space composed of solid neutrals, such as creams and grays. A number of the blocks have already arrived and they are looking fabulous!  I absolutely love flying geese … 

You can find me at the following places on the web (I post most frequently at Instagram). You might notice on my blog that I do a bunch of other making too, like jams/jellies, pickles, and now I'm brewing my own kombucha and hard cider! 

Momotaro Makes Blog: http://momotaromakes.blogspot.com 

Instagram: andrewjoslyn 

Twitter: andrewjoslyn 

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewjoslyn

Andrew kept his request for blocks pretty wide open: 14" blocks featuring flying geese on a cream or grey background. That was it! Other than that, we were free to create whatever we wanted. I didn't start out with a deliberate plan for my blocks. Instead, I made a few flying geese first and then started assembling the blocks in an improvisational way. Here's what I came up with:

Really looking forward to seeing all of Andrew's blocks come together. Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having with this bee?

#NGAQB Mr. January: Sandy Greenberg

OK, now that it's May I guess I'd better start catching up on posting my #NGAQB blocks! I'll post them by month, beginning with the first month of the bee. Each of the guys in the group has written up a small bio so that, if you're not already familiar with him, you can learn more about another amazing manquilter. 

Mr. January is Sandy Greenberg, aka "Curly Boy." Although you might not know Sandy, I'd bet you're familiar with his wife, Brioni Greenberg, who has been mentioned numerous times on this blog. Brioni was one of my fellow Fat Quarterly co-founders and is one of the most talented (and sweetest) quilters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was so excited to see that her husband caught the quilting bug.

Here's some more about Sandy, in his own words:

I’m Sandy Greenberg. I was born in 1969, while men were walking on the moon, in the suburbs of Chicago. Being an only child I was given lots of attention and, since both my parents were teachers, my creativity was encouraged. I studied art in high school, at Illinois State University and finally got my degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I didn’t do much with it, other than get a job screen printing t-shirts. The creative bug was pretty much burned out of me.  

Fast forward a decade or two and after a pretty serious work accident (I sliced open my wrist cutting nine of twenty-two tendons, one of three nerves and one of the arteries) I met a lovely Yorkshire lass online. Days and sparks flew and I moved to Leeds, UK and got married in 2002. We have a lovely 4 year old boy who has been with us for 2 ½ years now. We also have three cats called Jimmy (13 ½), Maggie (5) and Norman Price (14 weeks). I like reading and watching Science Fiction, watching motor sports, travelling, and having fun with my boy. 

I am married to the super talented Brioni Greenberg, aka Flossyblossy. She’s been a quilter for about 6 years. She is one of the founders of Fat Quarterly eZine and is co-author of FQ’s first book (the second is on its way). She also had her first solo book come out this summer, 25 Ways to Sew Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and Charm Packs. Having this influence in the house, and being constantly surrounded by fabric and projects it was pretty hard not to take an interest.  

I approach quilting as a technical challenge.  I am less bothered by the outcome and am more interested in the process.  I LOVE paper foundation piecing! I have no interest or love of fabric however. I pay no attention to lines or designers, just pretty colours and patterns. I’m a fearless skilled amateur. My second ever project was a pattern of curved flying geese of my own design and everyone thought I was brave and crazy. I just did it because no one told me that I couldn’t.   

I’m probably a modern quilter, I don’t really know. I tend to like uber-complicated patterns with small pieces and bright rainbow palettes. I chose the Lone Starburst block because I love it, but didn’t fancy making enough for a whole quilt. You can find tutorials here:  

http://quiltingclimber.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/designing-templates.html   

http://thepeonyteacup.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/lone-starburst-paper-pieced-block.html 

My Social Media: 

Blog: Curly Boy Blog 

Instagram: Curly_Boy1 

Twitter: @Curly_boy1 

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curly_boy/

Sandy requested two Lone Starburst blocks from each of us in the bee, one with a light background and one with a dark background. Here's what I came up with:

Although paper piecing is not really my forte, I still had a lot of fun selecting fabric combinations and putting these blocks together for Sandy. Thanks for the challenge, my friend!

Coming soon: my blocks for Mr. February, Andrew Joslyn.

The No Girls Allowed Quilting Bee

A few posts back, I wrote about the collaborative project that helped maintain my excitement for sewing during an otherwise difficult period in my life. Today, I want to introduce another project that I am crediting with re-introducing me to sewing on a semi-regular basis. Like The Traveling Quilts, this is another collaborative endeavor … but one unlike any other with which I've been involved.

As my long-term readers know well, I've always been a fan of virtual quilting bees. Heck, I've been involved in many, many of them. And in most cases, unless Ryan or Scott were playing along, I was always the only guy in the group. I never imagined that the day would come when there would be a bee with more men than women in it … never mind a bee made up entirely of manquilters.

Well, that day has come!

Allow me to introduce the No Girls Allowed Quilt Bee (with, of course, its own hashtag: #NGAQB.) The admittedly tongue-in-cheek name (no offense, ladies!) celebrates a full roster of talented and modern male quilters that will be sewing with and for one another for the duration of 2014.

Each month, I'll be sharing the blocks I'm making for the other members of the group. And, I'll be featuring a short bio of each of the other guys so that you can get to know them as well.

We started the bee in January, so I have a bit of catching up to do with sharing the blocks I've already made. In the meantime, feel free to catch up and follow along via Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, or any of the members' blogs (featured below.)

It's been a blast getting to know these guys already -- you should see some of the private conversations we've been having on Facebook! -- and I can't wait to see what the year holds for this fantastic group, as well as the majestic (and manly) quilts that are sure to come from it.

The #NGAQB roster:

January - Sandy Greenberg

February - Andrew Joslyn

March - Andrew Youngman

April - John Q. Adams

May - Paul Hallinger

June - Chris Jones

July - Ryan Walsh

August - Shaun Abels

September - Giucy Giuce

October - Nick Ball

November - Scott Hansen

December - Joshua Helms

Honorary Mascot - Andres Rosales