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Bryan House Quilts

Make Modern Triangles: Member Spotlight #17

Block of the Month Program· Modern Triangle Quilts· Sewing with Triangles· Uncategorized

8 Mar

Make modern Triangles member spotlight: Debbie U.

Welcome Debbie U. to the Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight! Debbie is best described as an eclectic quilter who likes traditional, modern and artistic genres, which you’ll see plenty of in her gallery below!

Make Modern Triangles’ member spotlight is on Debbie U. this week. Debbie is best described as an eclectic quilter who likes traditional, modern and artistic genres. When you browse her quilt gallery below, you will see many techniques inside those genres, including machine embroidery in the hoop, machine applique, hand quilting and hand dyeing fabric. She even does fabric folding with triangles! (Can you spot which one?) Wow!

Her other interests are also varied including extensive travel to new places, which inspires her love for colorful, bright quilts.

Make Modern Triangles BOM Wildflower design made by member Debbie U.
Wildflower BOM design made by Debbie U.

QUILTING Faves

What is your favorite quilt make of all time?

Judy Niemeyer quilts are some of my favorites: Bali Wedding Star, Glacier Star and Tropical Flowers.

What are your favorite parts of quilting?

The process of choosing fabrics, piecing and free motion quilting.

Favorite quilt make: a Judy Niemeyer design made by Debbie U., our Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight this week.
Favorite quilt make: Glacier Star designed by Judy Niemeyer and made by Debbie U.

Spotlight on Learning IN MAKE MODERN TRIANGLES

When you joined Make Modern Triangles, what did you want to learn and/or accomplish?

Playing with the patterns that the triangle shapes can create and having fun with them. Debbie made the Wildflower BOM in 2021.

What has quilting taught you about yourself?

As a retired CPA, I enjoy numbers, math and the geometrical possibilities with making quilts. I also love seeing the surprise and enjoyment of a recipient receiving a quilt gift for the first time.

Lots of small triangles make a modern triangle quilt in this Pollinator quilt design made by Debbie U.
Pollinator quilt made by Debbie U.; English paper piecing techniques.

What do you like about quilting with triangles?

The interesting patterns the triangles can make.

What’s next on your learn-to-do list?

Constantly working on improving my long arm quilting skills.

Do you belong to a quilt guild?

I’ve been a member of the national Modern Quilt Guild for the past four years.

Color My World design by Wendy Williams and made by Debbie U. “This was a new challenge for to make a circular quilt.”

HER FOCUS ON MODERN and Paper Piecing

What is your next project?

I am currently making a triangle quilt “Tessellation” by Nadia Kehnle and Alison Glass. It is a really fun quilt with lots of ways to make it my own.

Original modern design made by Make Modern Triangle member spotlight Debbie U.
Original design and made by Debbie U.

Original modern improvisational design with strip piecing by Debbie U.
Original modern improvisational design with strip piecing by Debbie U.

Debbie’s SEwing Space

Describe your fabric stash.

Enough to fill a room and then some: What can I say? I LOVE fabric and lots of it!

Machine embroidery in the hoop, machine applique and long-arm free motion quilting modern art quilt - made by Debbie U.
Machine embroidery in the hoop, machine applique and long-arm free motion quilting – made by Debbie U.

Describe your sewing space and what you like about it.

My sewing space is a room on the main floor of my house that used to be a children’s playroom. It is not as large as I would like but functions well for me.

Inspiration everywhere

Where do you find inspiration for your quilting?

I’ve always gravitated to colorful art and fabric – I’ve been influenced by many things. For instance, my home has lots of colorful art besides my quilts. Nature, sunny climates and colors influence me, too. I also enjoy going to regional and national quilt shows, including QuiltCon and the Houston Show.  And I’m inspired by what I see online (Pinterest) and in magazines and quilts shops.

Many of my projects are made up of MANY small pieces. I like the challenge and the results which is why I tend to do a lot of paper piecing projects. I also have been dyeing fabrics to see what I can create with using many dye colors.

Tropical Flowers design by Judy Niemeyer; modified and made by Debbie U.
Tropical Flowers design by Judy Niemeyer; modified and made by Debbie U.

​When you’re not quilting, what other interests do you pursue?

For one, we have traveled all over Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Washington DC, Mexico and Nepal as well as living in Washington State, Florida and the Bay Area in California. When Covid is behind us we plan to travel around the US, Europe and Africa. Also, I enjoy gardening, reading, walking and playing with my grandson.

 

Lollipop Trees quilt design; made by Debbie U. with machine applique and hand quilting.
Lollipop Trees quilt design; made by Debbie U. with machine applique and hand quilting.

Quiltagami style baby quilt made by Debbie U. Includes triangle fabric folding.
Bali Wedding Star foundation quilt design by Judy Niemeyer; made by Debbie U.
Bali Wedding Star foundation quilt design by Judy Niemeyer; made by Debbie U.
Original quilt design and made by Debbie U.
Original quilt design and made by Debbie U. (Editor’s note: Could we call these shapes ‘curved triangles’ instead of clamshells?!)

Wow! That is a large body of work..and when do you find time to sleep, Debbie?!

Thank you, Debbie, for sharing all of colorful, inspired quilts with us. Beautiful!

Related links about Make Modern Triangles

  • Member Spotlight Gayle K.
  • Member Spotlight Wendy R.
  • Make Modern Triangles
  • Tame Triangles with 5-Step Process
Previous Post: « 10 Fun Photo Ideas for Quilt Blocks
Next Post: Sparkler BOM Month 2 Member Makes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. rebeccabryan says

    March 11, 2022 at 11:29 am

    Wow! Debbie, it’s such a pleasure to be a small part of your creativity! <3

  2. Maureen says

    March 11, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    Debbie your work is fantastic! I have been to Africa 5 times and going again in November 2022 (if covid allows). I love Africa and am sure you will too. Keep quilting and safe travels.

  3. Lonnie W says

    March 11, 2022 at 11:22 pm

    Fabulous work! I am also a retired CPA….and I love the geometry and math of quilting.

  4. Wendy Rice says

    May 13, 2022 at 6:33 am

    Your many pieces quilts are amazing. Very nice colors, but they all look like a lot of precision piecing. Very nice.

Trackbacks

  1. Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight #18 - Bryan House Quilts says:
    March 16, 2022 at 2:01 pm

    […] Last week’s Member Spotlight: Debbie U. […]

  2. How to Organize Foundation Piecing Quilt Projects - Bryan House Quilts says:
    March 19, 2022 at 6:46 pm

    […] Member Spotlight: Debbie U […]

  3. Sparkler BOM Month 2 Member Makes - Bryan House Quilts says:
    March 23, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    […] Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight #17 […]

  4. Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight #20 - Bryan House Quilts says:
    April 18, 2022 at 3:31 am

    […] Featured Member Debbie U. in the Spotlight […]

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About

Hey there! I’m Rebecca, an author and teacher and freezer paper piecing evangelist. I’m also the founder of the Make Modern Triangles Quilt Club.

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Just so you know, my site includes affiliate links from which I (it’s me! Rebecca!) receive payment or compensation. Something to consider as you peruse my website. Thanks!

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If my WIP pile was getting out of control… here’s If my WIP pile was getting out of control… here’s exactly what I’d do: ⬇️

👉 Find a community of quilters to connect with, learn from, and grow with. People who cheer you on, celebrate your blocks, and make you want to keep going!!! 

👉 Make it easier on yourself with freezer paper piecing. This technique completely changed my life. I wanted to give up on quilting altogether at one point before I found freezer paper piecing. 

It’s not that you don’t finish quilts…

It’s that you don’t have the right support or the right process yet. 🧵✨ Comment ‘FREE’ to take my free class, learn the freezer paper piecing technique, and get invited to join an amazing community. 💕

#quiltingcommunity #quiltingclass #quiltingtechnique #quiltinginspiration
One stitch at a time!!! 🪡 Sometimes, a few hours One stitch at a time!!! 🪡

Sometimes, a few hours (or days) in the sewing room just makes it all alright. 🙌

Who agrees? ⬇️

#quiltingismytherapy #quiltinglife #quiltingismybliss #quiltersgonnaquilt
Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up for the class! 🫶 One th Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up for the class! 🫶

One thing that will NEVER get old with freezer paper piecing... ⬇️

The number of blocks I can sew from just ONE foundation! 🙌

It always amazes me, and it’s one of my favorite things about the technique. 

I save so much time not having to make a new foundation for every single block, and that’s not to mention the time saved from not having to rip the paper bits of those foundations out of the seams. ✨

I’m hosting a free class where I teach you this technique, and give you a modern triangle block pattern to start sewing! 

Comment ‘FREE’ if you want to sign up! 🫶
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Spring is in the AIR! (and in the sewing room!) 🌸 Spring is in the AIR! (and in the sewing room!) 🌸 🪡

Here’s a photo dump of some of my favorite quilts that feel like spring. 😍

This season is always so inspiring, as everything starts to come back like, you can open the windows in the sewing room, and the whole world just gets more colorful and bright. ✨

Let me know which one of these quilts is your favorite in the comments! 💕
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There’s so much pressure on us in the quilting wor There’s so much pressure on us in the quilting world to finish what we started. 👇

But if you’re stuck staring at a stack of unfinished blocks, and it’s keeping you out of the sewing room because it’s the last thing you want to sew right now, this is the advice that I would give you. 

It’s okay to put a project down for a while. 🫶

I’ve had projects and quilts that sat folded up for weeks… months… even longer. Projects I avoided because I got stuck, or lost momentum, or honestly just wasn’t in the mood to sew that anymore. AND IT’S OKAY! 🙌

Every single time I came back to them after putting them down for a while, I felt that spark for sewing again. I felt the inspiration that I started the project with, and I started ENJOYING it again. ✨

So if you have something that you’re avoiding sewing, let this be your permission slip to just put it down and know that you’ll come back to it when the time is right. 

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If my WIP pile was getting out of control… here’s If my WIP pile was getting out of control… here’s exactly what I’d do: ⬇️

👉 Find a community of quilters to connect with, learn from, and grow with. People who cheer you on, celebrate your blocks, and make you want to keep going!!! 

👉 Make it easier on yourself with freezer paper piecing. This technique completely changed my life. I wanted to give up on quilting altogether at one point before I found freezer paper piecing. 

It’s not that you don’t finish quilts…

It’s that you don’t have the right support or the right process yet. 🧵✨ Comment ‘FREE’ to take my free class, learn the freezer paper piecing technique, and get invited to join an amazing community. 💕

#quiltingcommunity #quiltingclass #quiltingtechnique #quiltinginspiration
One stitch at a time!!! 🪡 Sometimes, a few hours One stitch at a time!!! 🪡

Sometimes, a few hours (or days) in the sewing room just makes it all alright. 🙌

Who agrees? ⬇️

#quiltingismytherapy #quiltinglife #quiltingismybliss #quiltersgonnaquilt
Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up for the class! 🫶 One th Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up for the class! 🫶

One thing that will NEVER get old with freezer paper piecing... ⬇️

The number of blocks I can sew from just ONE foundation! 🙌

It always amazes me, and it’s one of my favorite things about the technique. 

I save so much time not having to make a new foundation for every single block, and that’s not to mention the time saved from not having to rip the paper bits of those foundations out of the seams. ✨

I’m hosting a free class where I teach you this technique, and give you a modern triangle block pattern to start sewing! 

Comment ‘FREE’ if you want to sign up! 🫶
.
.
.
#quiltingclass #quiltingforbeginners #foundationpaperpiecing #paperpiecing
Spring is in the AIR! (and in the sewing room!) 🌸 Spring is in the AIR! (and in the sewing room!) 🌸 🪡

Here’s a photo dump of some of my favorite quilts that feel like spring. 😍

This season is always so inspiring, as everything starts to come back like, you can open the windows in the sewing room, and the whole world just gets more colorful and bright. ✨

Let me know which one of these quilts is your favorite in the comments! 💕
.
.
.
#springquilting #quiltpatterns #springhobby #quiltinginspiration #quiltinghobby
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