January Designer of the Month is Erin Russek

Hi I’m Pat Sloan the Aurifil Designer of the Month coordinator. I’d like to give you some background on our challenge this year.

Pat Bravo at Art Gallery designed a wonderful line of fabric called “Rock and Romance”. She has given each of the 12 designers a 10″ x 18″ cut of each of the 6 fabrics above. What a yummy set of fabrics to play with!

Each Designer has been challenged to use some of these fabrics PLUS one other fabric of their choice to create a pieced block.  The pieced block needs to be inspired by a Rock and Roll song!  How fun is this?

I have the six fabrics above with yardage of the Large floral, medium floral, Peach and the the two additional fabrics above. (my yardage below)

Many of you would love a supply list, but since this is a challenge. I don’t know how much yardage to tell you as I don’t know what fabrics each designer will use.

What I can give you is this… if each designer used the same 10″ x 18″ in their block. Then I would approximate 1 yd. to be used of that most popular fabric.

If you want to stash build.. buy 1 yd of each of these. THEN you will add something from your stash, like the designers are, to compliment the blocks. What you don’t use can go into your stash or be used for the back.

• RR-4409 Femme Metale Chrome
• RR-4401 Stardust Dawn
• RR-4405 Vinyl Charms Scarlet
• RR-4403 Haze of Rock
• RR-4404 Rebel Cherie Kisses
• RR-4406 Ashen Rose Smoke

I can’t design the setting until I start to see the blocks and which fabrics are used. What I don’t use for the setting will go into a pieced back. This is the yardage I have (some duplicated from above) to use for setting and binding the quilt.

• 2 yds RR-4400  Wild Heart Daring – I will use this one for the border
• 1.5 yds RR-4503 Haze of Love
• 1.5 yds RR-4508 Stardust Midnight
• 1 yds RR-4401 Stardust Dawn
• 1 yd RR-4409 Femme Metale Chrome – I will use this one for binding

CLICK HERE to see the full fabric line

Erin Russek of “One Piece at a Time” is truly an amazing designer. She often works in applique with lots of pieced touches.  Her work is very symmetrical and perfectly laid out. I covet her skills, really I do!! Erin blogs about her quilting adventures and she has a new full time job at McCall’s magazine, a dream job don’t you think?

Erin participated in our Aurifil Blog Hop and her block is in the center of the quilt she is holding above.. so pretty! (you can find that quilt pattern on the Aurifil FREE pattern Page)

EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made a  block.. that person will receive a special Aurifil thread prize! Winners are all contacted via Flickr email and posted at our Flickr page in the winner topics.

You can make ANY of the 2013 blocks to be in the running (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/2013aurifildom/

Let’s Meet Erin!

When was your FIRST quilt sighting? Did it inspire you to start quilting?

When my husband and I were students we lived in a small town that had a quilt shop in a converted old house. I used to ride my bike past it everyday. I finally got up enough courage to go in and I pretty much fell in love.

Do you still have your first project you ever made? What was it?

The first project I ever made was an Ohio Star quilt from Eleanor Burns’ book A Trio of Treasured quilts. I tied it so it pretty much fell apart after a few years but I remember loving putting that together. I then moved on the a quilt I saw in Quiltmaker. All my friends and relations were having babies so I made this quilt about 5 times. I finally had to make one for my son when he was little because I loved the pattern so much.

When you go to a quilt show, what types of quilts are you drawn to?

Well, mostly the applique and hand quilted ones, but I pretty much love everything.

(ok.. I have to say this is one amazing quilt Erin did! she calls it “extreme piecing”. Lois Knight did the beautiful custom quilting for her)

We all have parts of the process we ‘prefer’ more than others. What part of quilt making do you ‘Prefer’ most and why? And which the least.. and why?

I love the designing and the hand stitching part the most. I think the hardest for me is choosing fabrics because I am REALLY picky about color.

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 was an engineer before I started working in the quilting world. I don’t miss it one little bit. Not only do I have my blog and design business, I am also an editor at McCall’s Quilting which is a total blast.

When you want to ‘recharge your batteries’ what do you do, where do you do this?

To recharge my batteries I love to read and travel and take pictures.

Do you have a tip or trick to make your quilt making easier?

Every big project is just a series of little projects…just do it one piece at a time…pun intended.

Do you have a process you go through to get your ideas started?

I find drawing is the first thing I do, after I have done some sketches things start taking on a life of their own. If that doesn’t work, I can find a really beautiful piece of fabric and the ideas start flowing that way too.

What are your 3 favorite colors of Aurifil thread?

WHAT…only 3…how can I choose. Ok I will try, how about

• 2882 (green)
• 2588 (pink)
• 1128 (periwinkle blue)

Do you travel to teach? 

Nope, although I just agreed to do a thing with a local quilt guild. Maybe this is in my future but right now I am just too busy with the magazine and blog.

What does your studio look like?

People who see it say it’s tidy, depends on the day.

If you could train with, or work with, or follow one person for a day.. who would it be and why?

Sandra Leichner, because I think her work is beautiful and I really love the way she combines her applique with embroidery and lovely machine quilting.

What is the Rock and Roll Song that Inspired your Quilt Block

Jumping Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones.

I pretty much love most of the music from them but Jumping Jack Flash is my fav. It’s hard not to get up and move when I here it.

**********************************************************

CLICK HERE to download Jumpin Jack Flash Block

**********************************************************

And a few on the light side!

• The Book you are currently reading– Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati

• Your Favorite Movie- Forrest Gump

• The Song Stuck in your head- Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones

• Do you like to Dance?– yes but only when no one is looking

• The Color you have always LOVED…..PINK

Visit Erin at http://erinrussek.typepad.com

Erin has a wonderful Applique tutorial CLICK HERE

*****************************************************************

Looking for Aurifil?  CLICK HERE to our shop finder!
We also would love you to ask your local quilt shop to carry our thread if they do not do so already. If they do carry our thread, yippee!

If your local shop carries our thread and is not on the shop finder list, write to me pat@patsloan.com and I’ll be sure they are added!

EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made a  block.. that person will receive a special Aurifil thread prize! Winners are all contacted via Flickr email and posted at our Flickr page in the winner topics.

You can make ANY of the 2013 blocks to be in the running (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/2013aurifildom/

***************************Join us at FACEBOOK ****************************

Sign up for the Aurifil Newsletter… scroll to the NEWSLETTER box

Become a member of the AURlfil fan page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aurifil.quilt.thread

I thought you might like to see my block! I’m making all the blocks with my Moda Fabric line “Eat Your Fruits n’ Veggies”.. in your quilt shop now!  If you can’t find it, go to my website and check the fabric page

and I hope you join me, Pat Sloan, at my facebook FUN PAGE
http://www.facebook.com/PatSloanQuiltFun

And read my daily blog http://blog.patsloan.com

or join my quilt group! http://www.quiltmashup.com