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Karin Rabe

@thequiltymagpie

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Minneapolis based Ally, Quilter, Baker, Prop Director, Dog&Cat Mom
President of @society.prop.managers & Communications for the @mplsmqg

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I haven’t done much sewing so far in 2026 because, well, 2026. But I just finished this mini quilt! There are so many things to be infuriated about right now that I couldn’t pick just one thing to rage stitch. This administration is simply flooding the zone with attacks coming from every side and all of it is horrifying of its own accord. The thing is they’re also all distractions from the Epstein Files, which still haven’t been released in full.

I made 14 quilt “post its” that are stuck on the front of the quilted files as if they were sitting on Stephen Miller or Pam Bondi’s desk as they plan all the things they can use to deflect our attention away. And for every Post it I made I probably could have made 2 more on different topics.

As for the quilt itself, the folders are a bit oversized, but the Post-its are true 3” square baby quilts. In addition to using a couple of new to me techniques (I designed my own FPP pattern for the files!) this quilt also has a few other secrets that I’ll share eventually. :)

#resistancequilts #protestquilt #craftivism #epsteinfilesquilt #releasethefiles by @thequiltymagpie

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7 months ago

Today’s the last day of Quiltcon. I’m still up here in Minnesota experiencing FOMO, but so proud to have my “Part of History” hanging in the show.

This wee quilt sold while in Raleigh and all of the proceeds from it will be donated to Angels Next Door, a mutual aid group I’m working with here in Minneapolis to help provide necessities and cover rent for families who are too afraid to leave their homes for work or school. I’ve put a link to an article about our work and our GoFundMe in our bio if you are able to help as well.

Here’s my official artist statement for “Part of History”: This quilt was born from both frustration and stubborn hope. Growing up studying the history of WWI & WW2, I asked this question alot. Sadly, it seems to have more relevance today than ever. We’re living through events now that future generations will study. Do we want them to be asking the same question? This quilt is a tangible reminder that what we do right now matters.

#quiltcon2026 #angelsnextdoor #rightsideofhistory @themqg by @thequiltymagpie

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8 months ago

Hey y’all! It’s me! There’s a few new folks around since Quiltcon last week, so I thought I’d show y’all my face and share a little@bit about me for #igquiltfest!

I’m a dog and cat mom to 4 awesome fur kids and really enjoy baking and cooking. I never got into the whole sourdough starter thing during the pandemic, but LOvE sourdough. Maybe someday.

I love baseball and bourbon and baklava. Go Astros!

I’m one of those fortunate folks who adores her job. I manage a theatre prop shop at a large regional theatre in the Midwest and love getting to work with an awesome team of prop artisans to make cool stuff and bring different spaces to life.

As far as quilting goes; I equally enjoy making others patterns (I love pattern testing) and writing/making up my own. And often have one or two of each in process at any one point. Quilting truly is my therapy and I use it to decompress after work and from digesting the daily news cycle.

In the past I haven’t gotten very political on here, but that is going to shift a bit. I’m a very liberal gal who’s fed up with the constant eroding of rights of the people I love and that’s going to start showing in my art and my posts.

In short. I’m a little spicy. A little sassy. A little silly. And 100% me.

#igquiltfest2024day1 by @thequiltymagpie

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3 years ago

Sometimes all you need to do to rescue something that not’s working is throw caution to the wind and throw your fabric in a pot of indigo dye. See, I indigo dyed this quilt back a couple of weeks ago, and it was okay, but I didn’t love it. I did love the geode like pattern on it, but it was far too bright and contrasty for my quilt top.

I was going to baste that quilt tonight and decided that I just couldn’t use this back as is. So I opened up my dye vat, gave it a stir and just threw the whole thing in for about 10 minutes. And now I LOVE it! The darker tones and the more subtle color shifts are great. It gives interest without pulling interest!

Could I have ruined it? 100%

But would have I been happy if I used it as is? 100% nope.

So sometimes you just have to just go for it and try something drastic. You might just end up happier in the end.

Photo on the left is the original indigo dye, the right is the overdyed fabric. by @thequiltymagpie

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12 days ago

A couple of stars for @gray.matter.makes Justice for Nolan Wells quilt. Petra asked for 18 stars made with upcycled men’s dress shirts.

Among so many other issues, racism is on the ballot this November, so consider this one of many reminders to vote. And when you do, vote against racism and bigotry. Use your vote to stand up for your neighbors and your community.

Sending so much love to Nolan’s family. May they get the justice that they deserve for the tragic loss of his life.

#justicefornolanwells by @thequiltymagpie

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13 days ago

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22 days ago

It’s been a real “trust the process” sort of day around here.
Fabric is in the dryer now, so we’ll see how it turns out tomorrow, but this is what 120+ ball pit balls, ping pong balls, and marbles look like when they’re tied into fabric. 💙🤞

Balls rubber banded in and fabric ready to go in the vat.

Sneak peek as I was untying all the balls. Looks promising… by @thequiltymagpie

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22 days ago

And just like that we have a quilt top! This one put me through the paces y’all. Not a single pattern piece that I drafted worked the first or second (and sometimes the third) time. So much seam ripping. Nevertheless, I persisted and she’s ready to be quilted.
Is it actually square? Probably not. But it can be trimmed, right?

Handmaids made by my friends in the Bee A Craftivist hive!

@quiltnest
@Hannah_kali
@hdgatto
@holbrook.jane
@sewamainezing
@garnetjo
@spockie_
@sciencesuzy
@fosteringbooklove
@piperlanekidsco
@Grammyjojo8 by @thequiltymagpie

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a month ago

It’s been a while! I’ve been sewing, but not posting. Oops.

Here’s what’s on my wall right now. Hoping to get the top finished up tomorrow. All that’s left is to improv some big scrappy inset circles! Wish me luck!

Handmaids made by my friends in the Bee A Craftivist hive!

@quiltnest
@Hannah_kali
@hdgatto
@holbrook.jane
@sewamainezing
@garnetjo
@spockie_
@sciencesuzy
@fosteringbooklove
@piperlanekidsco
@Grammyjojo8 by @thequiltymagpie

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a month ago

Nothing like a deadline to finally finish a quilt! This beauty is headed to the MN state fair this summer. It only took 3 years to get her over the finish line.

The blocks are from 120+ quilter from all over the world in the 2023 Ruby Star Society Block swap hosted by @shemunkee_swaps.

I pieced the top later that year and then let her sit with a backing and binding ready to go until earlier this year when on a lark I took her (along with another scheduled top) to my @kristyquilts who expertly longarm quilted her.

Then she sat in my studio for months waiting for me to add binding, which I finally did this weekend!!

She’s so scrappy and yummy that I’m thrilled that I finally have her finished. Swipe to see some of my favorite blocks and some of that fantastic quilting! by @thequiltymagpie

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2 months ago

Oh hey! Would ya look at that? i finished a quilt top that’s not overtly political!!

This design has been bouncing around my head since last July when I was pondering ideas for last year’s Quiltcon Diamond design challenge and I finally had to get it out! One ADHD hyperfocus and 40ish fabrics later, here she is!

I leaned into setting rules for myself on this one and then left everything else to chance. I designed the block, picked the fabrics, determined approximately how many pieces I’d need of each shape and then cut 15% more than I needed, and left the rest to chance.

Each block started with a diamond and then I closed my eyes and reached into a basket to randomly select the fabrics that went around it. Likewise, when I put it up on the board, I put all the blocks in a bag and blindly reached into it for each one. The only blocks that were sort of planned were the 4 corners, but even those have randomly chosen pieces.

I love how the randomness creates depth and sense of highlight and shadows. This was so much fun and I can’t wait to do it again. by @thequiltymagpie

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3 months ago

What’s on my quilt wall Wednesday: an unedited look at what I’m working on.

• The Epstein Files Quilt - of course.
• MN State Fair Quilt on a Stick
• a scrappy blue diamond quilt in progress. This idea has been rolling around in my head since last years Quiltcon Diamond design challenge and it feels good to finally get it out. I’ll have more to say about it later.

On the bench (literally) are 2 upcoming projects:
• Handmaids quilts assembly - this is my Bee-A-Craftivist Hive quilt
• 2027 Quiltcon Windham Fabric Challenge quilt - designed and ready to piece by @thequiltymagpie

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3 months ago