Version 2 :: Positively Spring

Now it's time for version two of my Positively Spring Table Runner!  The only thing is I don't think the name fits this version at all.  

This time I used my medium of choice...solids.  Peppered Cottons to be precise.  I wish I could tell you the exact colors I used in this runner, but my documentation skills are sorely lacking.    



The table runner I designed for Modern By The Yard Issue #13 e-zine is available here:  Positively Spring, and it's free!! 

 

Both runners are the same design and pattern, but what a difference fabric choices make!  If you are willing to experiment with color/fabric placement you can easily change up the entire vibe of a quilt.  

Most of my Peppered Cottons were purchased at QuiltCon Nashville.  Which means they had plenty of time to sit on the shelf for me to admire.  Sometimes it's hard to actually make that first cut in a stack as pretty as this.  It's was time.  Of course I have plenty left over, so I'm sure more projects will happen one day. 

The quilting is a mixture of geometric lines and 1/2" lines using 50wt Aurifil thread in Light Fern (2882), Bright Turquoise (5005) and Grey (2605).  I love that Aurifil has every color you could ever want and I wish I had one of every color available!  A girl can dream!

When I do geometric quilting, I try to plan out my moves (or lines) so that I can work the entire section without having to stop and tie off the thread creating threads to bury.  It's like solving a puzzle and I might be slightly obsessed!  

There is always plenty of marking when doing this kind of quilting for me.  I almost always use my Hera marker to make the lines, that often depends on what color the fabric is.  Or if I totally flubbed up marking with the Hera marker and need clarity from the chaos I created I'll used a washable fabric marker.  

I nearly had enough of the minty green backing!  So, so close!  I was determined to use it regardless and added a strip of a slightly darker shade to extend the backing to be large enough for the front.  You gotta do what you gotta do, right?!

Half the fun of designing is trying different combinations of fabrics.  Solids or prints, a couple small piece placement changes and it can feel like you used two completely different patterns!

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Crush :: The Devil's In The Details!

Before, during or after a quilt,  I'm always up to working in a mini, wall or runner!  When I'm stuck on what to do next I just have to look at my fabric or scraps for color inspiration.  

The fabric in this wall quilt were left over from my 'Walking on Sunshine' quilt I made last November.  I knew when the time was right and when inspiration hit me, I'd be able to use those scraps.  

CRUSH
17" X 20"

To me,  'Crush' is the best of so many worlds!  Scraps, color, trapunto, texture and quilting.  My last quilts, (Feedsack Circles) I used a lot of restraint when I quilted it, and my 'Inspire' quilt I used trapunto for texture.  I wasn't finished exploring trapunto and you know, when an idea hits you it's hard not to jump on it!



I made inset circles in three sizes using the Six Minute Circle video tutorial.  I've used this method many times and have had fantastic results.  With the circles finished, I arranged them and filled in with different colors to complete the color picture I had in my mind.

Once I got that under control I was able to move on to the next step.  This is the part I couldn't wait to try!  My 'Inspire' quilt used what I like to call my batting rope method of trapunto, but I really wanted to try shapes this time.  Circles were the obvious choice!

I lightly glued three layers of batting together and set it with a hot iron.  I traced circles, arches and a double circle on to the batting and cut them out.  On a large piece of batting I laid my top down and placed the cut circles under the top adjusting until I had them placed just right.  Carefully lifting off the quilt top so the circles stayed in place, I then traced around the pieces so I'd know exactly where they needed to be.   Unlike the batting rope where I glued the lettering down, this time I decided to try some Steam-a-Seam on the back of the circles.  It worked perfectly!  They were not going to move and I could make sure the top was aligned just right.  It was pinned and ready!



The effect of the shapes turned out to be amazing!  I love that they gave so much texture and depth to the quilt.  



Of course, it wasn't just about the trapunto!  It was the quilting.  When I have a small quilt like this I often get to go crazy with the quilting.  Walking foot, free motion, micro stitches, matchstick quilting...it's all there...and the kitchen sink too!



I couldn't tell you how many different colors of Aurifil thread I used, but I was able to use several spools that were nearly empty.  It's a nice feeling when that happens!



As a rule, I like to fly by the seat of my pants when quilting, and this was no exception!  I take one idea, one section at a time.  Then move on to the next section hoping it all puzzles together in the end.  



I finished it off with a nice scrappy binding and added some hanging corners.  I have a tutorial for the corners here:  Hanging a Mini Quilt.  



Probably one of the best ways to see the quilting detail is on the back.  I don't often do intricate quilting like this.  



When it does happen I can't help but be proud of the accomplishment.  This was most certainly a labor of love.  I might not thought that while I was quilting it, but in the end I can say I love it!

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Third and Last Hexie!

You might be getting a little sick of seeing my hexies, and I don't blame you one bit!  I can promise you that this is the last one.  After making three different wall hangings using three different sized hexies, it most certainly is time to move on!

HEXIE SWIRL
12" X 12"

I'm not sure I would have made this one, except I was issued a challenge and for some reason I couldn't resist!  (Thank you Ellyn!)  

The first version I used 1" hexies, prints and paper pieced hearts.  Hexie Hearts finished at 20 1/2" x 21 1/2" and inspired me to try a smaller hexie.

Rainbow Hexie was made with 1/2" hexies, solids and the center of each circle I machine stitched a star.  This one finished ended up being 18" x 18 1/2".



The center hexie circle takes very little time to assemble normally, but when you are working with tiny pieces you have to be nimble with your hands!  This final version used 1/4" hexies, solids and the center features three shades of gray and white.



I'll tell you it wasn't easy wrapping the fabric around the templates.  The fabric covered the entire back because of the hexie size.  I considered randomly grabbing colors and sewing them together, but I have to say I love a good rainbow effect.  Instead I placed my hexies around a center of gray/white.

The previous quilts I would write numbers on the back of each hexie so I wouldn't mess up the order I wanted them to be in.  With 1/4" hexies that wasn't an option.  I knew it would be difficult keeping these little ones on the straight and narrow, so my solutions was to use tape, sticky side up, and gently place each hexie in the right order.  I'm not sure where my idea came from, but it was the best idea ever!!

***I originally was going to use wash or tear away stabilizer for the templates.  However there was no way I could fold all sides of the fabric around and get a good clean edge.  Instead I used card stock and even with that perfection was hard to come by.



I hand stitch the hexies together in pieces and then assemble the entire center.



You can see just how small each piece is with my hand for scale.  I could have a monster gigantic hand...but its just normal size!



I wasn't sure what to do with the quilting when out of nowhere I thought of pebbles...rainbow...thread!  Sometimes we get an idea and can't shake it, this was one of those times.  

Because of the size of this one, I decided to quilt the background before the circle was added.  Using a white chalk pencil I outlined the circle so I would know just how far I should go with the pebbles.  It almost worked!  There are a few spots where the colors invaded the centers!



I finished the center of the hexie circle with pebbles using black thread.  For the record there are 25 different thread colors.  Truth be told I was going to keep the colors in a true rainbow spectrum, but I made a mistake with one color and I wasn't about to rip it out at that point!  After that little blunder I had no choice but to go wild and put the colors where ever I wanted.  Thankfully I had plenty of thread and colors to make this magic happen. 

The center is glued down using Aleene's  Fabric Fusion glue.  It was a challenge getting the glue spread evenly on the back.  I ended up using a Q-Tip for that and it worked very well. 



I kind of really love all the colors and pebbles!  You know me, I'm not awfully accurate with my pebble making!  But I love making them.  



It most certainly isn't proper to do when English Paper piecing, but I left the templates in!  Seriously, there was no way I was going to get the templates out without destroying the hexies, my fingers or my mind!  The good news is this isn't a quilt anyone will sleep under!

My goal at this point in the year is to finish all my WIP's.  I know...there's only a few days left!  I only have one more to go!    

I like to start my year with a clean slate.  Fresh and new!  I may not be able to show all my final finishes before the end of the year, but they will be done!

However you like to end your year of sewing doesn't really matter.  We all work in different ways.  The quilting community is made up of a diverse bunch and who doesn't love that?!

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Walking On Sunshine :: Finally!

I put off dealing with this quilt for too long!  By dealing with, I of course mean quilting it.  I had big ideas about how I'd like it to be quilted, but in the end I just needed it to be done.  

'WALKING ON SUNSHINE'
49" x 71"

I think I started making this quilt in June or July.  So much time has gone by I can't be quite sure!  The colors are probably one of my favorite combinations to play with.  Yellow, orange, pink in various shades and various brands were pulled until I had the right combination.

Each circle is 12" and the block is more rectangle than square at 12" x 14" finished.  I borrowed the 12" Glam Clam ruler from a friend  (Glam Clam template by Latifah Saafir) and with very little trouble began making 12" half circles.  

When it came time to pair the halves, I took an enormous amount of care to match the seams.  I did use glue on the seams to ensure I would be accurate.  The results were well worth the time and I believe I achieved some pretty accurate seams.

My initial plan was to have someone else quilt this for me.  I had ideas, but didn't feel I could pull off a show stopping finish in the quilting department.  The passing off of the quilting duties didn't pan out.  That left me with the only other option...me.



Once you start you can't stop!  I totally had to commit to it.  I tend to bite off more than I can chew, but I decided this wasn't the time for that.  First, I quilted in the ditch of all the seams including around each circle.  Then I quilted 1" vertical lines from top to bottom.  



I choose four blocks to keep blank so I could do something special on the inside.  I perhaps should have put a different design in each blank block, however I wasn't feeling that adventurous!  Instead, I did this circle design in one block.

 

And this square design in the remaining three blocks.  Please, please don't look at the stippling too close!  Now your looking, aren't you?!  

May as well share to good with the bad.  Like I've said numerous times, I'm not perfect.  And I don't mind sharing the not-so-good.  

On the back I used Kona Orangeade.  I just love that shade of orange!  And the binding is Kona Bright Pink.  

I used Aurifil 50wt #2145 Orange Yellow which seemed to be the perfect compromise.  I worked well with all the different colors in the quilt.

While I didn't take the quilting over the top, I did manage a finish.  I can't complain with how it turned out.  I'm just happy it's finished!  

I don't feel like I've had many large quilt finishes to share.  I've spent the past couple weeks getting down to business with quilting and finally have a few more to share.  One more is left, but at this point I'm not going to go there!  I wanna make more quilt tops!

Onward and upward!

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1/2" Hexie Kaleidoscope

I've been semi feverishly trying to finish up a small stack of quilts.  Quilting is going well, yet there are still a couple more to get to.  It always seems to take longer than I'd like for this process!  

In between the large quilts I've tried to work in a mini or a wall hanging just to break up the monotony...it's working for the most part.  

After I finished the first 'Hexie Heart' wall hanging I was determined to make another.  The process of hand stitching the hexies together goes super fast and you end up with a fun design.  For the second go around I decided to use solid fabrics, stay in the rainbow theme, but use 1/2" hexies instead of 1".  I'm so glad that I did!  It's ten times as adorable!

KALEIDOSCOPE
18" X 18 1/2"   

Oh the magic it makes!  I decided to use a dark background for a change of pace.  The fabric is Kona Gotham and I think it makes the hexies electrified!  They stand out in the best way possible.

 

With my hand as a reference...you can see just how small the hexies are in real life.  



Once all the pieces are together it measured 10" x 10", that will also give you reference to the size.



And what would a English Paper Pieced project be without a shot of the papers on the back?!  I made myself a chart of the design with each color section labeled.  Once I had that figured out along with my fabric choices, I wrote a corresponding number on each hexie so that I could get the colors in the right position.  A simple guide that makes sewing the pieces together much easier.

  

When I made the first one, I actually pieced together hearts to go inside the circles.  This time I decided I'd quilt a design in the centers instead.  It made it so much easier.  Plus, you can quilt some pretty great designs especially when you use colored thread.  



I grabbed my Aurifil rainbow mix of colors and proceeded to quilt some geometric stars.  They aren't the most perfect starts, but I love when I can use my walking foot instead of free motion quilting.  The walking foot wins out every time!



I stitched a tiny zigzag around and inside the hexies using a variegated rainbow thread (see back photo!).  I like that look better than the first go around with this design.  I then quilted 1/2" lines in a hexagon around the center using a dark gray thread.  From there I did a few rainbow 'flower' rounds and finished with many more concentric gray rounds. 



Why I don't use a dark background with rainbow designs I'll never know!  White backgrounds feel crisp and clean and you think they will make the colors standout, but a dark background seems to enhance the colors.  I'm a fan and I'm drooling just a bit!   



With every design (this one included) I tend to figure out better ways to accomplish or enhance things.  The center design, the quilting design, background colors, quilting...just to name a few.  And when that happens you know there will be another project along these lines.  I'm always trying to make it easier or faster or better!  Some things are hard to resist!

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I Could Resist :: B & W Mini

I hadn't intended on making another black and white mini quilt, but here we are!  Resisting the urge to make another one would be like telling me not to breathe any longer.  The 
Black & White Mini Quilt Challenge by Curated Quilts has inspired me more than I expected!

Black and white quilts can be quite striking.  The contrast between the two colors is about as graphic as it can get.  

Don't Stop Me Now
10 1/4" x 10 1/4"

This time I had three goals in mind.  One was to make it as close to 10" x 10" as I could.  The second was to use more white than the last quilt  (Spot On).  And the third goal was to use improv and make it graphic.  All three goals were met!  



I started with a simple half circle and pretty much every thing else fell into place from there. The black triangles in the white set the tone for the remainder of the quilt.  

It's so easy for me to take improv to a ridiculous level, but I wanted to keep it clean and open.  Negative space.  



Machine quilting something this small excites me!  I know I can go a little overboard because I can handle the size.  



Match stick quilting using white thread in the large white section is more than rewarding...but, I could help myself and leave one black triangle untouched.  The black circle has pebbles, and for the most part the black sections received 1/4" lines.  I made it up as I went!



Thank you Curated Quilts!  I love inspiration!  Just when I thought I was in a creative slump!

Mini Quilt Submission

I promise I have something other than mini's and black & white quilts to share!  There are a few things on the horizon!  

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