|
Modern Mix by Jessica Levitt
Jessica Levitt
Gradations Bag Project
 Linen Apron Project
 Twin String Quilt Project
|
|
|
|
Today we are so happy to host the latest stop in Jessica Levitt's blog tour for her new book Modern Mix from Stash Books. For those of you that are not familiar with Jessica Levitt yet, she's an incredibly talented fabric designer with prints available from Windham Fabrics. Luckily for the crafting world, Jessica has expanded her love of sewing to include free online tutorials available on her blog and now the incredible book Modern Mix.
Modern Mix showcases Jessica's gorgeous prints paired with solid fabrics in 16 projects. Before diving into the projects, Jessica first walks you through the basics. Here she gives the tools to help you become confident to mix and match print and solid fabrics like a pro for beautiful results. The projects include beautiful quilts, accessories, home decor projects, and more, making this book a wonderful reference for all types of sewers.
Recently, we were able to catch up with Jessica and chat a bit with her about sewing and creative process:
SEW DAILY: What made you first learn to sew and who taught you?
JESSICA: I first learned to sew in Home Ec, but really that was minimal information. My mom really taught me how to sew and how to follow a pattern and all that. She sewed clothes for my sisters and I when we were little. But my real desire to learn was fueled by wanting to break free from patterns and experiment. I learned a lot by sewing elaborate costumes for my high school drama club. And shopping for fabric is what made me first want to quilt. My first quilt was a Trip Around the World so it didn't really involve any new skills (except maybe rotary cutting).
SEW DAILY: If you could learn to sew anything you don't already know how to create, what would it be and why?
JESSICA: This is a tough one, because I'm never afraid to try something totally
new and often do, so there isn't much I want to try that I haven't yet.
I guess in the quilting area, I've been meaning to try a double wedding
ring quilt. I just haven't had the time to tackle it yet because it's
definitely a big project. And in other sewing, I'd like to get a little
deeper into historical costumes. I'm not really concerned with the
accuracy of the costume, just all the marvelous detail. I think I'm
going to make myself a cool Steampunk ensemble that hopefully I can wear
at Halloween next year.
SEW DAILY: Where are your favorite places to find inspiration for your designs?
JESSICA: I get inspiration really from everywhere. It's not uncommon for me to
grab my phone a take a picture because "ooh, that door looks like a cool
quilt!". Lately I've been seeing a lot of patterns I like in ironwork
on railings etc and also in stained glass. It fun to take that
inspiration and translate it to fabric so it works as a quilt. Also,
the fabric itself is often inspiration for me. Sometime a design on the
cloth or something I want to highlight can lead to a whole quilt
pattern. I'd love to hear where your readers get inspiration from...
And as an added bonus, we will be giving away one copy of Modern Mix! For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post by 12 pm (noon) EST, Friday October 14th. We will choose one commenter at random to receive the book.
For more chances to win a copy of this great book, check out the rest of the Modern Mix blog tour:
10/13/11 - Oh Fransson
10/14/11 - Gen Q Magazine
10/15/11 - Quilt Dad
10/16/11 - Confessions of a Craft Addict
10/17/11 - Amy's Creative Side
10/18/11 - Pink Chalk Studio
10/19/11 - Connecting Threads Blog
10/20/11 - Keepsake Quilting Blog
10/21/11 - Juicy Bits