Block Printing :: Sweet Surprise!

It's been a weeks worth of projects that scream 'gotta get it done', which has left me with no time to blog at all!  Happily I've completed the ones that were a top priority on my list.

Months ago I designed a paper pieced block using EQ8 and recently revisited the design to see if it was something that was worth pursuing.  I tweaked the design a few times, played with layouts and the real fun part is always the color!  It's one thing to design and entirely another thing to execute!  I am never quite sure my ideas will work until I dig in and give it a try...so I did!

BLOCK PRINT
24" x 24"

When I plugged in the grey and red in EQ8, I knew immediately those were the colors I had to use.  I was struck how vibrant they came across on the computer screen and could only hope it would translate in real life.



I didn't realize I had so many different shades of red!  In the end I settled on Kona Rich Red and Kona Steel.  After printing the 6" templates I marked the sections that were going to be the red fabric.  It helps to avoid confusion and frustration while piecing!  

Another thing I like to do when paper piecing, and especially if I'm doing a lot of the same block, is to calculate the size of fabric pieces needed for each section.  That way I can cut what I need and basically 'grab and go' knowing I won't have to worry if the piece is the right size every time.  

 

It wasn't until all my blocks were finished, trimmed and laid out that I discovered the design looked like a block print.  At least to me it does.  I find it funny how you can look at a design all day long and not see the obvious!  




I didn't have to worry about how I would quilt this one!  It was as obvious as the nose on my face!  However, with being a non planner when quilting there are always moments when you paint yourself into a corner and have to figure out how to make it work!  



The majority of the quilting is with Aurifil 50wt Light Blue Grey #2610 and hints of Lobster Red #2265 accents.  Because it was a small quilt I had very little trouble maneuvering the quilt while quilting.  It was actually fun and I don't say that too often about machine quilting!



You most likely notice the red sections on the back!  I couldn't call it complete without a pieced binding.  It seemed like the perfect way to cap off the design!



And with that, this design is a wrap!  Or is it?!  Maybe there is a 'Block Print' series in the works, or maybe not!  Ideas are endless, time is not!  Sometimes I want to lock myself in my room and spend the entire day working on ideas!

It's been a productive couple of weeks!  I finished this quilt, I finished my Secret Santa gift (soon to be revealed), I put up my Christmas tree (three weeks earlier than usual), I made two mini Rubber Duckies which I hope to quilt today and I'm ready to make another quilt which is not too surprising!

Around this time every year it seems like I'm in a rush to finish projects.  Old or new, holiday themed, gifts or scraps to assemble.  In a way it's refreshing and rewarding because I know exactly what I have to do and I can check it off my list.  By the New Year I'm ready with fresh ideas and a clean slate!

I CANNOT BELIEVE ITS DECEMBER...just sayin'!

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Bridges :: Two Color Quilt

I might have mentioned that I had quite a stack of quilts that were in need of quilting in a previous post.  All my creative energy is on hold until each and every quilt is complete.  It's like dangling a carrot in front of me...complete the quilts, and the reward is making more when it's all said and done!

This will also be my first entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy at Amy's Creative Side.  If your looking for inspiration or new blogs to follow, you will certainly find it here!

BRIDGES
35" x 45"

For the time being I'm calling it 'Bridges'.  During the piecing process I kept getting a vibe of building a bridge.  Steel, beams, rivets...all part of a structure that is vital in the building of bridges.  My mind kept wandering to my days in Portland Oregon where steel bridges are part of the landscape, part of the history of the city.  Sturdy, functional and amazingly beautiful these bridges are a mind boggling jungle of angles.

I designed this quilt with the sole purpose of making it a two color color quilt.  It wasn't easy!  After playing with many different combinations, I settled on this combination of Kona Deep Blue and Kona Toasted Pecan.  The warm pecan is the perfect companion to the rich blue, and a little unexpected!   
   

The design might look a bit familiar to some of you, as it's the same block design that I used in my  'It's a Gem' mini quilt.  Except this time I took my time and made sure each and every seam and angle was lined up perfectly.  

By using larger blocks (in this case 7") and paper piecing, it was much easier to achieve the accuracy I lacked with the mini quilt.  It also helped that I took my time with this one instead of rushing through.

'It's a Gem'

Quilting happened.  It was another instance where I had a vague idea what I wanted to do and hoped it would come together in the end.  And it did.  

It seemed appropriate to continue with the building of my bridge by adding 1/2" lines representing steel, and circles representing the rivets that hold it all together.  I'll tell you what...making perfect circles is hard to do!  I had to remind myself that even rivets aren't perfectly round!  

I love the angles in this quilt as much as I love the colors!  That Toasted Pecan...it makes my mouth water!  

There are so many design possibilities with this one block, and you can bet I'll be playing with it in the future!  For now, it's back to quilting!

Please head over to the Blogger's Quilt Festival and get your socks knocked off!  It's a quilt show you don't want to miss!

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Home Again :: And A Little Fabric Too!

I'm home again!!  I rarely travel, so a week a way from all my creature comforts took more of a toll on me than I ever would have thought!  I love my pillow...my bed...my shower!  That being said, I had a fabulous time in Minnesota with family.  I was able to see my sisters, aunt & uncle, nieces & nephews and cousins, but most importantly I was able to see my mom and help her pack up for the big move back to Oregon.  I know she was worried about flying and the toll it would take on her.  Happily she had my two sisters to help her every step of the way and she made it in one piece!  She is doing well and has nearly recovered from all the chaos that is accompanied with a big move like she did.

The hardest part of the trip was not having Wi-Fi for my laptop!  Another creature comfort we take for granted!  After a couple days of being without, I actually enjoyed having that pressure removed.  Taking time away from social media and computer access is something I recommend even if you are not on vacation!  We all know how easy it is to get sucked in to the electronic black hole.  Time consuming is an understatement!  

Maybe it's time to set some limits for myself.  Imagine what I could accomplish if I could cut the electrical umbilical cord once in a while!!



When I got home I was greeted with this love bunch of precuts!  I was lucky enough to win a random drawing for entering my quilt 'Revitalized' in the Pantone 2017 Quilt Challenge.  The challenge was hosted by  No Hats In The House and Bryan House Quilts.  I've admired Me + You Indah Batiks for a long time and I'm thrilled that I get to see, touch and use them!  I love the modern take on batiks with the geometric designs.



Once I figure out what I'm going to make, I'll take detailed photos of the prints.  I'm that way...I like to look and touch the bundles for a while!



The Hexagons are 8" and the triangles are 4".  I'm not sure if I'll keep the hexagons intact or cut them into triangles.



This one is full of rainbow colors and naturally has me salivating with ideas!  



Before I left for Minnesota, I had to see if there were any quilt shops near.  And happily there was! 

I loved this colorful quilt block mural painted on the side!  Like a magnet it drew me in! 



Quilterati is in Cambridge Minnesota.  A cute little shop that had fabric in three rooms. Prints...lots of prints!  It wasn't until the third room that my heart skipped a beat, the room with solids!

I ended up buying only three colors because frankly, I didn't need more fabric!  However I wanted to support the shop and I knew I didn't have these three in my stash.

The print was actually on clearance which is the only reason I bought it!  It'll come in handy one day!



Because I like to write the color on the selvage of each solid, I figured the best way to remember the names of the colors was to take a photo.  Very helpful especially if the receipt doesn't include that information.

That's that!  A little vacation, a little fabric, a little fun!  I am so ready to get to work on something!!  A week without my machine is torture!  

I'm slowly easing back in the swing of things by trying to finish my Glam Clam quilt!  I keep worrying that if too much time goes by I'll forget how to piece it together!  Only a couple more rows to go!

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Revitalized :: Pantone 2017 Quilt Challenge

It's always interesting to see what the Pantone Color of the Year is, and 2017 was no exception. 'Greenery' is a refreshing shade with a little 'zing'!  

When the 2017 Pantone Quilt Challenged was announced, I knew I would give green a chance. I'm not drawn to green greens, like forest or John Deere green.  But add a little yellow and I'm all yours!

The 2017 Pantone Quilt Challenge is hosted by  No Hats In The House and Bryan House Quilts. You can see all the entries here:  2017 Pantone Quilt Challenge and I'll tell you right now your gonna love what you see!

'REVITALIZED'
42" x 64"

I barely made the deadline which happens to be today!!  I seem to wait until the last minute for these kinds of challenges!

My plan in the beginning was to go with improv and go small...as in a wall hanging.  Time was tight and I needed to piece, quilt and bind in less than a week.  It seemed like a good idea, a doable idea.  

I began with small improv...that led to diamonds.  I don't even know why or what I was thinking! But it happened.  I started with 2" improv diamonds which quickly were turned, twisted, moved and removed until an idea formed. 

Those little diamonds led to bigger diamonds.  I bordered the improve center diamonds with two 1" borders and ended up with a nice stack to work with.  Yet it just wasn't enough for me!  I wanted to push the design, push my sanity and push the time crunch!  Maybe 'wanted' isn't the right word.  I was compelled to expand on my creative energy!  

Expand I did!  I pulled more greens, more neutrals and ended up making diamonds with one border and a plain center.  

I was freaking out when it came time to quilt.  First, I always freak out about quilting. Second, my Craftsy thread order was taking far too long!  I ordered it well before I started this quilt sure that it would be here in plenty of time.  If two days before the deadline is plenty of time...then I freaked for nothing! 

 

I was lucky enough to have all these greens on hand and happy that I got to use some of my favorites in this quilt. 

The greens in the quilt are Kona Peapod, Kona Grass Green, Kona Chartreuse, Kona Honeydew and Kona Wasabi and the binding is Kona Bonsai.

And the thread that is always worth waiting for...Aurifil!  I do love this Spring Green (#1231). When I use green for quilting, this is the color I always go with.  I also used Ermine (#2312) and probably my favorite 'white' is actually Chalk (#2026).

I quilted in the ditch of all the diamonds first and then painstakingly machine quilted in all the plain center diamonds.  They received the most detail and attention.  Simple ditch quilting with the green in the improv diamonds and diagonal diamond quilting around the outside.  

  

These greens I can work with!  Full of vim and vigor, vitality and energy, zest and zeal! 

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My Twist :: 'Sew Many Colors' Aurifil Mini

I have been swapped with this and that, deadlines, deck construction...you name it, it's happening!  I think, I think I'm pretty well caught up!

So you know what that means?  Playtime!  I almost forgot how badly I wanted to make this amazing paper pieced mini by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill @Whole Circle Studio for Aurifil Thread. The pattern is called 'Sew Many Colors' and is a free download!  Plus, there's a contest that ends 3/31 (cutting close!) and I want to throw my hat in the ring!   

If you haven't seen Sheri's '270 Colors' quilt I highly recommend you check out her blog...amazing and the quilting...go see for yourself, I'll wait...Whether you are a die hard Aurifil user or an occasional user, you certainly can appreciate the entire composition of '270 Colors' quilt!

SEW MANY COLORS
16" x 16"

My original plan was go rainbow!  Then ideas started flooding my brain and I was determined (or destined) to do something different.  What I came up with pretty much evolved along the way.  

The rules for the contest are as follows:
Enter your finished mini by 3/31
Voting on minis runs 4/1-4/15

Finished minis must use Aurifil threads and Kona® Cotton by Robert Kaufman to be eligible to win. Tell us about your “favorite 10”!  



Like I said, I was going to go all rainbow on this.  I even had fabrics pick that matched my thread. Then those voices started.  Telling me 'not again', 'change it up', 'use you imagination'!  I listened.  

I ended up pulling out my tote that has all my Kona Jelly Roll strips. Go blue, Go green, oh no no no...let's play with pinks and corals!  I only needed six colors for the full Aurifil spools. It worked pretty perfectly!  The orange spool color is Kona Tangerine, which couldn't be more perfect!

 


These spools went together pretty easily.  The hardest part was the skinny orange spool parts. Truth is, I used my glue stick to hold those pieces down when it was time to sew the sections together.  

Note: The blank section.  It will become clear at the end!

  

These three are my standby colors.  The three thread colors that I use ALL the time.  Each spool is in varying stages of 'more or less', but the one I use the most...seems to always have next to nothing left!  That would be white!  I use it for piecing, for quilting and hand stitching.  No stash should be without!



See what I mean?!  I tried to make the spools in the mini to match my actual on hand thread reality!

As you can see my white is history!  Which also meant I didn't have any white for quilting. One big conundrum!  What was I going to do for thread?  Quilting?  I knew then and there I was going to have some improvising to do.



I used a combination of colors:  #2425 Bright Pink, #2312 Cream, #2026 Chalk and #2615 Aluminum.  The spools are 'spouting' bright pink!  Kind of like a thead-a-bration! (celebration) 



The tenth spool is my phantom spool.  A color I don't have, a color I really want!  What should it be?  If you could only pick one color, what would you pick?  



I'm thinking it's time to add to my thread stash with a good old variegated thread.  That's why it's blank. My future purchase!

The backing is Kona Salmon which fit in with the color story on the front.  I used a couple of the jelly roll strips for the binding and viola!  A complete finish!  Not bad for a last minute under the gun finish!



I will add my mini to the contest link today!  If you want to vote on April 1st or if you just want to see what others have done with their minis, Click here:  'Favorite 10' and check it out!

It's a pretty quick finish and super fun.  I loved the design as it was and I was tempted to make it step by step as is.  The problem is I always (almost always) like to put my mark or my special twist patterns.  The original design is amazing!  It sparked my imagination and inspired me to take it in a different direction, yet keep the 'bones' intact!

What is your main squeeze...your main go to color of thread?  

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Inspire ~ One Step Further

I recently asked a question on Instagram:  If you had to describe your favorite quilter using one word, what would it be?  The response was really interesting.  Bold, honest, passionate to inventive, fearless and creative.  What was the one word repeated over and over? Inspire.  I couldn't agree more!  So, I took that word and ran with it!  

'INSPIRE'
34 1/2" x 18 3/4"

INSPIRE:  Fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

When I first tried this 'Faux Trapunto' on my Crosscut Quilt, I knew then and there I would be trying it again!  I had an idea and I was itching to test it out.  Again, I've never done real Trapunto.  I've adapted a method that works for me, or so it seems.  



Once I settled on this color combination, the design was pretty much set in stone.  I couldn't pass up the chance to do one of my favorite things...curves!  The jelly roll strips are Kona Cotton and they make curves a breeze!  Precut, perfect size and ready to go!



Even with this panel finished, I was far from confident that my idea for the Faux Trapunto was going to work.  Either it would or it wouldn't.  A risk I felt was worth taking.



The center panel was going to be the main event, but a border of some kind was needed.  I played around with ideas until something finally clicked.  Work it out as I go, my usual method.  I ended up making Confetti blocks and Improv blocks, and then connecting them with a third block featuring an imperfect strip down the middle.  No border for the sides, I have a plan for that!



Now was the time to see if my idea would come together.  This time I took my batting scraps and cut them to 1 1/2" wide.  I thought I would try rolling the strips instead of folding them like the first time.  I like that they were skinny, but it was a fail withe rolling!  Since I stitch the strips down the middle to keep them secure, they basically ended up flat anyway.  Ever changing and adapting!  

I was hoping the skinny strips of batting would make the cursive writing easy, and for the most part it did.  I used lots of pins while molding each letter!  I ran in to a few issues with the loops of the letters.  I didn't want to go over letters and have double layers of batting.  A few snips here and there helped.  There are a couple letters I'm not thrilled with like the 'P' and the 'N'.  Next time, right?!



Now comes the fun part, or the part that mattered the most!  Using my Hera marker, I traced around the letters to make quilting a little easier.  There was a lot of 'feeling' where the extra batting was while I stitched too. It was slow going!  Trying to get as close as possible takes time.



With a sigh of relief that the letters were done, it was time for the best part of quilting.  Waves, curves...organic lines.  Or I thought it would be the best part.  Turns out it ended up being a pain in the butt big time!  

The first go around including changing thread colors for each color.  I quilted above the letters, below the letters and each end of the letters.  I soon discovered that wasn't enough, it looked ridiculous with out the quilting in between the curves and loops of the word.  This is where it was frustrating and difficult, but so worth it.  It created more definition making the text standout even more.  Of course, there were a lot of threads to bury in the end!



The plan for the sides was a matched pieced binding.  Carry the design to the edge.

 

I love how it turned out and so happy I didn't define it with a solid binding.  Taking the extra time was and is always worth it.




Pretty cool right?!  I find myself touching the back a little too often!  The quilting and the different thread colors stand out more on the back.  I also decided to add a hanging sleeve this time.  

   

I've always wanted to do a Word Quilt and I suppose this will qualify!  I didn't have this technique in mind when I wanted to do a work quilt, but for now this will do!  



I tried to keep the pictures and process to the bare minimum for this post, believe me, I had what seems like a hundred.  I couldn't stop taking pictures!  I thought about doing a two part series.  In the end I decided to share it all at once, I just couldn't help myself!



With the current discussion on derivative work on The Modern Quilt Guild blog, there seems to be a lot of confusion.  Me included.  I'd be crazy to say all my quilts are originals of mine, when in truth inspiration from everywhere influences me and my decisions.  Ain't no shame in that!

Inspire, be inspired, use inspiration.  

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