Hi I’m Pat Sloan, the Aurifil Designer of the Month coordinator. I’d like to introduce you to our August Aurifil Designer, the amazing Jinny Beyer! Jinny is one of the first quilt names I followed and knew about. I love her amazing use of color in a traditional pattern. And guess what .. I live in the town right next to her, so she is my neighbor!
So let’s meet Jinny and find out what she is up to!
Post your photo at our Flickr folder and one quilter will win a prize of Aurifil thread! Post a photo of your completed top or a project. Everyone in the flickr folder is in the running!
Flickr folder – http://www.flickr.com/groups/2011aurifildesignerofthemonth/
1. When was your FIRST quilt sighting? Did it inspire you to start quilting? If not, what did?
I was in the commissary in New Delhi, India and saw a quilt that was being raffled off for a charity. It had a white background and appliqued flowers and cross-hatch quilting. I said to myself that it looked like a mattress pad with flowers stuck on it. And I thought that if I ever made a quilt I wouldn’t want anyone to think I had doctored up a mattress pad. But that must have put the bee in my head because not even a month later I had begun my first quilt It was a Flower Garden with “flowers” of red and blue hand block printed Indian prints with the background a dark navy blue. (on a personal note i do believe I must duplicate this GMFG one day.. it’s amazing!… Pat)
2. What is your favorite type of quilt or quilt pattern?
I love quilts that have movement or create optical illusions
3. We all have parts of the process we ‘prefer’ more than others. What part of quilt making do you ‘Prefer’ most and why?
I like the hand piecing and hand quilting. It is relaxing and fills bits of “found” time.
4. Do you do other crafts now? Did you do those BQ ‘Before Quilting’, what types of ‘stuff making’ do you connect with the most??
I used to do a lot of knitting and every once in a while will take up a knitting project, but I really don’t have the time anymore.
5. Did you have a career prior to making art, and what was it? Do you still do that career while having your design business? If you’ve always done art, did you do another type before quilt making?
I have a degree is Deaf Education. Shortly after I received my degree I helped start the first school for the deaf in Kuching, Sarawak on the island of Borneo. After that did volunteer work at schools for the deaf in the other countries we lived, Nepal and India.
6. How do you fill your soul? What I mean by this is – what makes you SO HAPPY that you know that if you do this you are experiencing a little ‘Heaven on Earth’.
I love to garden and try to get at least a couple of hours a day in my vegetable garden or one of my flower gardens. (Jinny’s Quilt Garden is well known here in Virginia!… Pat)
7. When you start a new project do you have a ritual you follow? Like cleaning your work area, buying a new tablet to sketch in, or maybe having a new bag of M&M’s on hand!
No rituals…..I just delve into the fabrics and make a huge mess.
8. Do you have a process to get your ideas started? I use a theme and words. Some people use photos, fabric swatches… etc
Sometimes it is colors in the garden that inspire me or a beautiful photo of something in nature. (This is Jinny with her pepper factory… look at the COLORS! … Pat)
9. What is your favorite weight of Aurifil thread? What are you ‘go to’ thread colors?
I love Aurifil #28 weight for all my hand piecing. The main colors I use are black, burgundy, dark brown, dark green, navy blue and a medium tan. When sewing a light piece to a dark piece, I use a darker colored thread because I think the stitches are less apt to show.
10. Besides your sewing machine, what are the tools you MUST have when you quilt?
I don’t use a sewing machine. My must have tools are Aurifil 28 weight thread, Clover large Patchwork scissors, Dovo small folding scissors, Tommie Jane Lane thimble, and my Perfect Piecer ruler. (Jinny is purely a hand piecer in case you didn’t realize that!)
11. Do you travel to teach? And if so, how often and what types of groups? Guilds, stores, retreats, big shows? Is there a schedule on your blog or website?
I do travel to teach, but mostly for shops and large conferences. Interest in quilting is growing in countries outside the U.S and quite a lot of my teaching over the last few years has been done in foreign countries.
12. How would you describe your personality? Are you process oriented, detailed, big picture, are you carefree, structured, unstructured, all over the place depending on the project?
I would say I’m driven. Once I start a project I’m very focused on it. I like a lot of detail in my work and I like to use a lot of fabrics.
13. If you could train with, or work with, or follow one person for a day.. who would it be and why?
I would love to follow Caryl Bryer Fallert around for a day. She has a fabulous sense of color.
14. And a few on the light side…
- A Song that makes you ‘dance the happy dance’ – I love folk music and a good banjo picking song will get me moving.
- The Color you have always LOVED…..I have always loved Ruby Red.
Visit the JINNY BEYER STUDIO in Virginia or online! www.jinnybeyer.com
************** THE PATTERN/The Giveaway ******************
Jinny used the 28 wt thread to piece the place mat, it was machine-quilted with the 50 wt.
CLICK HERE to download the Border Print Placemat Pattern
EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made one of the Designer projects to receive a special Aurifil thread prize.. wowzer!!.
You can make ANY of the designer projects (and we hope you make them all!)
Share your photos at our Flickr Folder… we can’t WAIT to see what you do!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/2011aurifildesignerofthemonth/
***************************Join us at FACEBOOK ****************************
Become a member of the AURlfil fan page on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/aurifil.quilt.thread
Sign up for Jinny’s newsletter at her website www.jinnybeyer.com
CLICK HER for the Direct link to the newsletter for August
and I hope you join me, Pat Sloan, at my facebook Quilt PAGE
http://www.facebook.com/PatSloanQuiltFun
And read my daily blog http://www.PatSloan.typepad.com
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I have loved Jinny Beyer for years. Her quilts are always outstanding and it’s so nice to hear that she still hand pieces and hand quilts.
Jinny’s work is wonderful – saw her hand-piece on Simply Quilts and she is fast! Learned a lot from that show.
I love her quilts they always have the “WOOOOO” factor. I haven’t seen a quilt yet that I don’t like of Jinny’s
wow wish i could sew like this…
I say Jinny on the quilting show a few years back and have been amazed by her quilts and colors that she uses, I have never use auriful thread yet, but someday I will, no one in my area sells it, I am on a fixed income and it cost alot….Just wanted to say thanks to Jinny and pat for this post it was refreshing to learn that she really hand sews her quilts, thanks again.
LOve the colors and designs of her hand pieced quilts! Love the placemat design too!
I love Jinny Beyer designs – a cushion cover kit with some of her fabrics was one of the first thing I made!
JB uses 28wt for hand piecing!
I hardly leave responses, however i did some searching and
wound up here August Designer of the Month Jinny Beyer | AURIbuzz.
And I do have some questions for you if it’s
allright. Is it just me or does it look as if like some of the
responses come across as if they are left by brain dead folks?
😛 And, if you are writing at additional online
social sites, I’d like to follow anything fresh you have to
post. Could you list of the complete urls of all your public pages
like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?
How can I get a pattern of that beauriful tumbling blocks square? It is gorgeous
Thanks!