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Bryan House Quilts

Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight #24

design improv with triangles· Modern Triangle Quilts

1 Jun

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED MEMBER

Make Modern Triangles member spotlight is on Karen S. who brings her colorful quilts to the Bryan House Quilts blog. Her quilting ID is modern and she loves to learn. And boy, she has tackled it all, starting with Solstice BOM!

QUILTING FAVES AND NOT-SO-FAVES

What is your favorite quilt make of all time?

This one! My stripes that have tons of color and a wavy edge.

Wildflower BOM finish made by Karen Sykes, Make Modern Triangles member.

What are your favorite parts of quilting?

Piecing is my favorite.

Karen Sykes' first triangles design in the Make Modern Triangles program. White background with blue, purple and green triangles

What are your least favorite parts of quilting? Free motion quilting.

LEARNING TO MAKE MODERN TRIANGLES

When you joined Make Modern Triangles, what did you want to learn and/or accomplish? I wanted to learn and practice techniques and become a better sewer and maybe even design my own quilts.

Solstice BOM Month 7 made by Karen Sykes, Make Modern Triangles member.

What do you like about quilting with triangles?

Even though you think you have a plan for triangle designs, they always amaze me how they turn out!

Wildflower Month 2 blocks in navy, lime, bright yellow, purple, light violet and hot pink. Made by Karen Sykes, Make Modern Triangles member.
Quilt design with thread spools and button blocks surrounding a pieced sewing machine. Made by Karen Sykes, Make Modern Triangles member spotlight.
Improv-designed quilt used as a color study in the Playful Color quilt guild. Bright orange, teal, red, peac, navy and violet color palette.

What’s next on your learn-to-do list?

Learn more quilting designs!

What has quilting taught you about yourself? I may be more creative than I thought.

Karen Sykes' version of Make Merry Triangles in bright pink, pale yellow, teal, maroon, lime and black fabrics.

Karen’s STASH AND SEWING SPACE

Describe your fabric stash.

It has grown all by itself! Very colorful.

Describe your sewing space and what you like about it. I recently moved my sewing things into another room. It’s so nice to be able to spread out more!

INSPIRATION

Do you belong to a quilt guild?

Yes, I belong to the Capital Area Modern Quilt Guild in Camp Hill, PA for about 9 years.

Where do you find inspiration for your quilting? From Rebecca Bryan, nature and looking at other modern quilts at quilt shows.

What story from your life would help other people get to know you? I like to know the reasons behind certain philosophies, mostly on my spiritual journey. I’m always asking why.

When you aren’t quilting, what interests do you enjoy? Traveling, reading and doing social justice work, music, and most of all, being with my 4 grandchildren.

Thank you, Karen, for sharing your colorful quilts with us! Cheers!

RELATED LINKS: MAKE MODERN TRIANGLES MEMBER SPOTLIGHT AND TUTORIALS

  • Shirley M. Featured Member Spotlight
  • Lynn K.: Featured Member Spotlight
  • How to Organize Foundation Pieced Quilt Projects
  • Featured Member Debbie U. in the Spotlight
  • Member Spotlight Gayle K.
  • Wendy R. Member Spotlight
  • Make Modern Triangles
  • Tame Triangles with 5-Step Process
Previous Post: « Sparkler BOM Month 4 Member Makes
Next Post: Sparkler BOM Month 5 Member Makes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rebecca Bryan says

    June 2, 2022 at 10:02 am

    Karen! It’s such a pleasure to work with you! Thank you for sharing your makes and your presence with us! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. Make Modern Triangles Member Spotlight #25 - Bryan House Quilts says:
    June 13, 2022 at 5:19 pm

    […] Member Spotlight #25: Marilyn W. […]

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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.

Disclosure

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!

Latest on Instagram

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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#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! 💕
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#springquilting #quiltpatterns #springhobby #quiltinginspiration #quiltinghobby
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. 

Put your favorite emoji in the comments if you needed to hear this. 💕

#quiltingadvice #quiltinginspiration #quiltingtips #quiltingforbeginners
Another month, another Dutch Summer block! 🤩 SWIP Another month, another Dutch Summer block! 🤩

SWIPE through to see them all so far, and comment ‘DUTCH’ if you want to sew along with us! 💌

#quiltblock #quiltinginspiration #quiltingforbeginners #blockofthemonth
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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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