I’m Designer, Author, an your host for this program, Pat Sloan.
This year we challenged each designer to create a block inspired by ‘A tradition’ and I asked them to use red & white fabrics with just a splash of a color of their choice.
I’m thrilled to have my very talented friend Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts as our December Designer!
Laura creates a wide variety of quilts, so you never know what will inspire the next one. It might be a baseball, cotton candy, or Aurifil thread colors that ends up being the kick off to her next quilt. I am also in awe that Laura is GREAT at documenting her quilts! You can see all the quilts along her top Navigation bar, it’s so fun to scroll through.
CLICK to Listen to our chat, it was fun!
Missed a month? CLICK FOR PRIOR DESIGNER interviews
Remember we have a Challenge portion of our Designer of the Month interview. Each month we select one random winner to receive a 12 LARGE spool BOX of Aurifil thread for just making the challenge block and sharing it! Details at the end plus last month’s winner!
Let’s get to know Laura!
Where do you live and what is your favorite spot there?
We recently moved to the Kansas City, MO area from a small, rural town, and we’re loving the city! My boys are young (6, 4, and 1), so having the zoo, museums, library, parks, and playgrounds within a short drive is fantastic!
We live near a large lake with an extensive trail system. Our family loves spending time there – and I usually take a quilt along for pictures too!
When was your FIRST quilt sighting?
Both of my grandmother’s and my mother all quilted. I attempted sewing in 4-H as a kid, but I really wanted nothing to do with it then. However, in my twenties, a friend had a baby, and I suddenly and unexplainably decided to make her a quilt! (You can read about that first quilt on my blog! http://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/2010/06/a-quilt-for-baby-jocelyn.html) One quilt led to another and another, and now, just shy of 10 years later, I’ve made 360 quilts! (125 this year!)
Have you had a ‘light bulb’ moment in making?
When I first started quilting, I thought there was a “right” way to do everything. After several failed attempts of not getting things “right,” I discovered that lots of quilters were doing it “wrong!” I immediately abandoned the notion of what was “right” and did what worked for me! This allowed me freedom to experiment and try new things, and that has been the prominent theme in my quilting journey!
Do you have a favorite quilt you made?
I absolutely LOVE trying new things! This means I’m often making things in a non-traditional way to see if it will work. Most recently, I’ve been experimenting with 3-D elements in quilts.
One such quilty experiment resulted in my Hydra quilt! The mermaid scales are not pieced like traditional clam shells, but they are loose and only attached to the quilt along the top so that the quilt has movement and texture!
Do you collect anything? My husband would say I collect fabric! To which I wouldn’t argue. ;).
Do you have a Favorite Quote? Finished is better than perfect! Practice makes progress! These are two of my favorite phrases! I repeat them to myself often when I’m struggling with a step or want to give up. There are no snuggles or memories made from unfinished quilts!
What is on your playlist? Christmas music!! It’s always on right now! In the house, in the car, in my head… I love it!
Do you have a GREAT tip on either storage, organization, sewing, stitching, etc? There are lots of ways to do the same thing in quilting! My best tip is to try several ways to do something and then pick the one that works best for you!
Are you named after anyone? I was named after a sewing pattern! My mom chose “Laura Ashley” after seeing that brand name on a pattern!
Favorite snack food? Oreos! With vanilla ice cream whenever possible!
What does your studio look like, and what would you change in it?
I have turned the basement family room of our home into my sewing studio! I have a cutting table, sewing table, computer station, and longarm.
I also have all the inventory of my patterns in that space as well. The space really works well for me right now. The only thing I’d change is to have a fairy come and clean it up for me every once in awhile!
What else is new?
I will be teaching at many guilds in the Kansas City area in 2020! Now that my kids are getting a bit older, I am excited to begin to venture out and encourage more quilters to try something new! I would love to come visit you at your favorite guild or quilt shop too!
About your block – What Tradition are you celebrating?
Although it’s December and our family has lots of Christmas traditions, I just knew I had to design my block around a much more unique tradition that our family has! I’m currently a pattern designer and homeschooling mom of our three boys, but I used to be a middle school math teacher.
And since our last name is Piland, Pi Day (March 14th) became a holiday to celebrate! (And now you know where my business name of Slice of Pi Quilts came from too!)
Our family has turned Pi Day into a holiday full of fun traditions! We eat round foods for every meal (which always include pancakes and pizza), and of course there’s PIE!
We make cardboard box airplanes and pretend to be pilots, and we play pirates in the bathtub before bed. We always do circle art and a few circle math activities too. It’s a whole day to celebrate pi!
I’ve started making a Pi Day quilt each year too!
2017 – http://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/2017/03/its-time-for-pi.html
2018 – http://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/2018/03/happy-pi-day.html
2019 – http://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/2019/03/text-it-blog-hop-giveaway.html
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DOWNLOAD 2019 Aurifil DOM Dec block by Laura Piland
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Visit Laura at:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sliceofpiquilts
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sliceofpiquilts/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sliceofpiquilts/
- Blog: http://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/
- Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SliceofPiQuilts?ref=ss_profile
Each year I make the Aurifil blocks in a totally different set of fabrics.
In early January I’ll have a setting pattern and then later in January will reveal the Designer quilt after it’s completed!
CLICK TO MY Website for a ‘wine glass trick’ and to see All my blocks together
Enter your block BELOW by Jan 14, 2019 to be in the running to win a BOX of Aurifil
https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js
And JOIN my fantastic online quilt group with the most incredible quilt show each day… I’d love to meet you!
******* JOIN our Aurifil Family *******
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 email
The random number picker selected Anita’s block! You’ve been emailed
CLICK to see all the great versions for last month HERE
- 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
- For more Aurifil project photos visit our FLICKR PAGE HERE
I love your story. Clearly you enjoy quilting and having fun.
What’s wonderful designer! Thanks for sharing your story.