Author Spotlight: An Interview with Modern Quilter, Stephanie Soebbing

Meet the author and quilter behind Simple Quilts for the Modern Home

Stephanie Soebbing is a trailblazer in the modern quilting world. She is the driving force behind Quilts Addicts Anonymous, an Illinois-based blog and quilt shop, and author of the new Simple Quilts for the Modern Home book. Stephanie is the queen quilter of the internet and as you’ll see from the pictures, it’s no question that she’s talented!  Starting out as a teacher in her local quilt shop, she has grown her online audience to over 40,000 quilters from around the world. Her e-commerce site,
QuiltAddictsAnonymous.com, ships fabrics, patterns, and supplies worldwide, while providing videos and tutorials to quilters of all skill levels. She also has a weekly podcast, Sit & Sew Radio, where she interviews industry leaders and creatives. We had the privilege of chatting with Stephanie about her book writing process, color tips, and even a tip for sewing triangles in her Q&A session below. AND bonus, we are offering the chance to win Stephanie’s book, Simple Quilts for the Modern Home. Simply enter your email information in the box below. AND, when you enter the contest you get Stephanie’s free Split Nine Patch Quilt pattern and tutorial! 

Simple Quilts for a Modern Home

From “Piecing 101” to appliqué to finishing, the basic steps to create a quilt are thoroughly explained and illustrated in  Stephanie Soebbing’s Book, Simple Quilts for a Modern Home. From color theory and composition to fabric selection and contrast to create a bold look, each project is an opportunity to utilize a new skill, like strip piecing, using fusible appliqué, and cutting at a 45-degree angle. 

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What is your favorite project in the book?
Diamond is hands down my favorite quilt in the book. You can never go wrong with Alison Glass fabric. The rich rainbow is just so fun and bright and I love how the colors just blend into one another. The design is also really fun because it allows quilters to pull out all of their tricks. I love the great detail that Natalia Bonner brought to this quilt including the puffy arcs in the diamonds, extending the diamond into the background with straight lines and feathers, and the stunning background feather swirl design.

I love this one so much that I figured out how to piece my binding so that the star would continue to extend out to the very edge of the quilt. I know that’s not “simple” but it was an extra step that really added to the final quilt design.

 

“Stephanie does a great job sharing insights about the basics of quilting, tools, principles of modern quilting, creating the quilt sandwich, as well as finishing the quilts in her book, Simple Quilts for the Modern Home.” 

Quilt Shop Gal

What is the one tool you can’t live without?
That is a hard one. I would have to say my June Tailor Quilter’s Cut ‘n Press. It has an ironing surface on one side and a cutting surface on the other. I have a very small sewing space at home, so putting up a regular sized ironing board usually doesn’t work very well. However, I can set the Cut ‘n Press on the desk right next to my machine. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and performs double duty when I need to trim pieces down and iron seams.
 
Share a quilting tip with us! 
Don’t skip trimming down half triangles to size! No one is perfect, so trim your triangle units to the correct size before you sew. This is an absolute must if you want your points to end up in the right spot or your quilt to be smooth and flat when you are done. I know it is a pain, but the results are so worth it!
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What are your go-to colors?
My answer depends on my mood. If I really just need something happy, I am going to use the entire rainbow in the brightest colors I can find. If I want something super trendy, I am going to stick with neutral grays or mix in some teals and citron. I loved teals before they became popular and I have them all over my house, quilt shop, and Quilt Addicts Anonymous brand logo. I just can’t get enough of them! Also, citron is the most underrated color in my opinion. It looks a little blah on its own, but when mixed with rich teal, purple, pink, or a deep gray, it just makes everything else pop!
 
What was your favorite part of the book writing process?
Definitely the quilting. I rented time on a longarm for years, but when I had to complete 12 large quilts in six months it made more sense financially to buy one. I considered myself an intermediate level longarm quilter but once I had my own, I could try new techniques and take my time because I wasn’t paying by the hour.
 
You can tell the quilts I did last as I really pushed the boundaries of what I was capable of. Ombre Star is my absolute favorite with its heavy use of ruler work in the star and free motion quilting in the background.
 
Find more tips, techniques, and colorful quilts in Stephanie’s book, Simple Quilts for the Modern Home
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More Modern Quilt Books

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The Sew Kind of Wonderful team is back with a whole year’s worth of seasonal quilts! These bright and modern quilts are perfect for all levels of quilters to successfully sew curves using the QCR Mini Ruler. Each of these easy weekend projects includes step-by-step instructions and ready-to-use patterns. 

The Little Book of Whittling

Contemporary Paper-Pieced Quilts

For beginner quilters that want their points to be pointy, this book is for you! Featuring 8 projects ranging from a lovely wall hanging to an intricate bed quilt. With a beginner’s “how to” quilt guide and simple, skill-building projects, and detailed patterns this book will progressively build your paper-piecing confidence.

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