QAWM: A Photofinish!

With just minutes left I managed to cross the finish line with the Shoofly Quilt.
Hurray!!! A twin sized bed quilt measuring 63x93.5" before quilting, in sweet pastels, just what I wanted.
I had a great time making it and it fits the bed just right.

 A while ago I made a pink cover for my headboard, so I will dig that out of the closet, and perhaps make few throw pillows to match. I do have a bit of leftover fabrics, but on the other hand most of these were purchased to fill in my light values....and will have to be replaced!!!

Thanks to everyone for Quilting Along with Melody this month and aren't we glad we had to stay inside and sew? I certainly am. Make sure you visit the QAWM page (link at the top of this page) and see what everyone made. Thanks again for playing along and let's do it again next year.
Happy March tomorrow! Yay! February is almost over.

Fresh Modern Quilts: Whiteness

I admit to spending way too many hours on the Fresh Modern Quilts Flickr site, drooling. I noticed something which seems to be pervasive. White or very light pastel color is used often. It does make them look fresh. I never ever thought to use white in a quilt. Ever.
Learned something new.

 Of course I had to join the site. I know I don't fit in, but what else is new?
I wanna play.
+++++++++
I moved things around a bit on the ol' sidebar because several new readers have been asking several old questions and didn't know that all is revealed in excruciating detail in the Helpful Stuff links.
Here are the answers: I use a lot of dye. Machine quilting thread, not hand quilting thread, I never wash my fused quilts, Wonder-Under, fusing prevents fraying, I stitch next to but not on top of the edge of a fused piece and no, it is not pieced, it is fused, escape hatch finish, no binding.
That ought to cover it.

My Choice: Shoofly

This is the first time I have ever made this block.
There are a trillion blocks I have never sewn, but I am so glad I decided on this one. What do I like? VERY little waste for one. And the pieces are all the same size so I can cut a lot at once from a fat quarter and know how many blocks I can make from those pieces.



Actually I make the triangles first, the easy way.

I first cut a 9 inch square from two fabrics, place them right sides together and draw two diagonal lines from corner to corner, as pictured here.

Then I stitch 1/4" on either side of the marked line. Thank heaven I have a quarter inch foot on my machine.     Then I cut the square in half, turn and cut in half again, resulting in four equal squares with stitching down the diagonal of each.

 Cut the square diagonally on the drawn line and open up to reveal a perfect (for me) half square triangle.

Ta da!

Measure that finished square and cut the remaining pieces of the block that size and you're ready to sew.

Totally fun.

I know I will need  54 blocks for my bed quilt, and there are three more days in this quilt along. If I made 18 a day ( for two more days) and sewed them all together on the last day I will have finished SEVEN tops this month! Not counting Full Sails. I think this is a good use of February and may have to make this an annual event. 

The thought of quilting them some day in the future has come up, more than once. I no longer have a work surface big enough to layout larger quilts for basting. And my knees won't do the floor type. I am going to contact several longarm quilters and see if they will do the prep work of basting the quilt, and then I will do the actual quilting. 

One more thing. Yesterday I diddled away for hours online looking at this site on Flickr. Fresh Modern Quilts. It contains over 7900 quilt pictures of pretty darn wonderful semi-traditional-semi-contemporary pieced quilts. So very inspiring and I suggest you allow a few days time to review them all. I know about 28 I want to make right away!

Starting from Here

This is my long-saved-fave hand dyed pima cotton PASTEL piece. 90" long by 43" wide. It has been waiting in the wings for EVER for something just right. It is very light and therefore never seemed to work itself into my art quilts. But it has everything I love colorwise, only in lighter values. Here's a close-up of one section.

Proof it is pastel. The smaller piece is placed on top of it to show the value contrast. I might have to use that smaller piece too in my new quilt top.

See how the big piece is really pastel?

I made this nap quilt sized piece back in December of 2008. It was inspired by the work of Malka Dubrawsky. I love it and sit on it everyday while I blog. It is a little too small to keep on my bed. But I enjoyed making this sooooo much. It was pretty close to an art quilt because of the no-plan plan that I used.

These are my sketches, which I kept nearby, only to ignore once I started working. For me, designing on the fly is preferable to knowing exactly what comes next. Perhaps I rediscovered this earlier this month, when working to a plan was comforting and productive but not what I would call exciting. Now that my confidence is restored I am ready to risk PERFECTLY GOOD FABRIC in search of making a quilt large enough for my bed. Which is twin, so no biggie.

Here is the full picture of the quilt above.

 If this were smaller I would definitely consider hanging this on the wall, which is where my mind gets all muddled.
My brain works like this:
Art quilts hang on the wall.
Traditional quilts go on a bed. Simple.
Of course I know you can hang a bed quilt on the wall, but sleeping under an art quilt is dopey, for the most part. Because the intention is to make it viewable from the wall. And putting it on the bed puts the art in a funny position. Will you agree that looking at this quilt full on is better than looking at it on the bed above?

And here is where I get really nutty. I much prefer the solid clear colors of this work over the patterns of the fabrics I JUST BOUGHT.  The clear solids make the design of the quilt immediate. Which is what one wants when one looks at art IMHO.
But on a bed it is not so absolutely necessary to see the pattern happening. It is more desirable to see an all over ambiance such as this:

Martha sent me the photo of her QAWM piece and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Is it the pattern or the colors or the way they interact that makes this so enjoyable on the bed? Yup. All of the above. So much nicer to see this when walking into the room than the screaming mimi of a quilt like I made. That tells me a lot.
I want to start this new piece today so that it qualifies as part of Quilt Along with Melody month. I am scared but excited. A good combination. And it is snowing again. Stinkin' February!

OOooohhhh.  I just went to see Malka's site again and found this block...I may have to change my whole approach! I am so easily seduced. Simple block. It really shows off the fabric. Oy. I am sunk.

Sisters' Day Out
I picked up Brooke at 10:30 and in less than 20 minutes we were in Georgia at Sew Bee It Quilt Shop.
It was HEAVENLY. We stepped into the place and couldn't move. I said "Wait" and then loudly sang an operatic trill which certainly was out of character, but so perfect for the situation.

Now this is a quilt shop! And there is even a yarn section! I am full of exclamation marks, but it so deserves it.

I confess. I bought fabric.

I felt I was low on pastels. Yes. That's it. I was low on pastels and needed just a few to round out my stash. I was thinking pink but aqua and green seemed to attach themselves to me. It may have been that zig-zaggy fabric that led the way. And I usually prefer a geometric over a floral, but I couldn't resist letingt that limey green print in. It was half price after all. There was an entire room of just half priced fabrics. But mostly I went for the Kaffe Fasset Rowan stuff. 

 I have added some of my hand dyed solids to the selection and see they coordinate perfectly. I found I had a three yard piece of hand dyed pastel stripey to compliment the stack of new fabrics. Dee-licious. I have been wanting to make a girly-girl colored quilt and now I have all the necessary ingredients.
Brooke couldn't believe I would buy the pink and blue duckies below. I think they are so sweet.



The bubbles and X's
were $1 each. I had to rescue them. Orange dots on blue. What's not to love?

There is also a classroom, equipped with wonderfully familiar Janome machines. Hmmm. Both Brooke and I got ideas. Notice the Sandi Cummings type quilt on the wall? Small world. No?

I would like to thank all of you who sent me lovely compliments on Full Sails. Words of encouragement are so appreciated. And to answer a few questions: I use heavier threads for quilting. #30 weight cotton usually. Not machine quilting threads per se. Madeira Tanne for example (discontinued). And also Sulky #12 weight which is really heavier, but very soft going through the needle.
I never zig zag over my edges. Never. And I use a self-threading needle to pull the beginning stitching threads through to the back. My machine pulls them through and clips them (1/4") at the end of the stitch line. Janome 6500P.

Full Sails

Full Sails 

Hand dyed cottons, fused, machine quilted 49x38"

Five months and two days worth of quilting and I finally have finished this quilt.  I made this top last October for a commission, and it was rejected. I was OK with that because I liked the result, and so I got to keep the piece. But I couldn't get a feel for quilting it. I had constructed so many obstacles in my head * that prevented me from doing anything. Yet after making all these tops this month, it was so strange not to be quilting any of them. So for that quirky reason I felt it was time to tackle this piece.
I let go of all the mental obstacles and just dove in.
It took a while to get back into the rhythm of stitching and to add to the stress, I had a mean headache, and quit early Sunday afternoon.

But today I got back on the horse and finished quilting it. Sigh.

For the quilting I used a variety of different thread colors and so many areas are stop and start which it left me with zillions of ends to pull through. I chose a lightweight Asian muslin for the backing fabric, knowing I would have a snaggly mess of thread ends to deal with, so my plan is to add a lining to the piece. This is usually a total no-no for competition quilts, but since I am not competing, I think this will be the best finish.

*The obstacles? Here's what I was thinking:  Having pretty much ceased making larger art quilts, because they tend to be too expensive to sell and not entering shows anymore, there would be no place for this piece to go other than the art closet. Pretty defeated attitude, no? But I loved this top and even more so now that it's quilted. I can hang it in my studio for a while and be happy to have it.

The Quilts on my Studio Walls

In the previous post's comments Irene said...

Can you give us some information

on the quilt hanging above your work table?

is this fused or pieced?

How about a straight on photo shot?

Just found your blog and you are a great inspiration. (I left that part in because it helps me feel good).

Which worktable? I wondered. I have three. The piece most recently hung is Rickrack Pies. It's about 60x60. It is pieced and fused. The blocks are composed and then  fused onto a muslin base (very unusual for my work), with decorative thread stitching in the bobbin and metallic and plain rickrack covering the edges of the fused silks and cottons. Then the blocks are pieced together.

I made this quilt to enter in an AQS show in the 90's when the theme was circles. It didn't win any thing. Pooh.

Here's a closeup.

The next most recently hung piece is Lollapalooza Log Cabin which I made when Wanda and I attended QSDS together (in the 90's sometime). We didn't take a class, but rented studio space to work instead. We were also roommates, and that's a lot of me that Wanda had to endure. Glad she recovered. Lolla is pieced and machine quilted.

My design is in a book called Log Cabins for Everyone, published by House of White Birches.

It was just one of those things. I got a call or letter (who can remember?) and they wanted a log cabin pattern from me for their book. I had already made the quilt, so all I had to do was write up the directions. No stress involved. I like that alot.

 I think I overdid the quilting. I was much more enthusiastic in those days...

And then we have Matchstick Moons #1, fused and machine quilted.

And Four Square Circles which is also fused. It

was in Visions in like 2000 or 2001...I forget. I'll have to look it up. Time flies, no?

And then we have Leaf Light

which is one of my faves. It was made with no plan in mind and all from fabrics leftover from another quilt.I used black in some of the pieces I dyed and it makes the ones without it glow.

When I look at it on the wall it reminds me that I really must make more of that dark fabric again. Yellow dye mixed with a little black makes a super neat green. Nothing else like it.

This quilt is fused and machine quilted.
Detail. Minimal quilting. I likey.

Now honestly, does it matter if it is pieced or fused? Would this quilt look any better if it were pieced? That's the thing I think about when I decide to make a new piece. Does it have to be washable? Does it have to be functional? What is really really important to me is not how it is made but what the results are. There are so many things I can do with fusing that I could not possibly do (or want to attempt!) with piecing. I mean really.

Overlapping Squares
,

 

Overlapping Squares

52x72.5" unquilted cottons, machine pieced.

I have to say that this was a very satisfying top to make. Many of the fabrics were ones I had saved for something red, and then lots of new Brandon Mably and Keiko Goke's were in the mix adding bigger spots of color, especially those big dots. The turquoise was my hand dyed and I had to use several different pieces in order to get enough centers. In life you can see the variation in color. 

Yes, I do see the heart shapes but they are secondary to my design, since I really liked the layered square look.

As I made this I kept thinking how easy this would be to quilt in the ditch, as a grid. Truthfully, I always like the unquilted tops best, hanging on the design wall under the spotlight.

QAWM:Nearing the finish line

When I got to this point I realized that one more round of red strips would definitely balance out the turquoise, so I added that and built a dozen more blocks, totaling 30. I dinked around with settings and soon began to feel relief that the turquoise was finally working.

And as I placed the blocks on the design wall, I ran out of room and began thinking about getting a full size design wall again. For all this time as a fuser, I really didn't use one much except for final photography, but when designing with pieced blocks it really helps to put them up and step back. I am preaching to the choir.

 This layout had possibilities and I may return to it. But in the meantime I made two more layouts just to make sure. The one on the right is just showing 24 blocks but I have 32 so it would be larger, and the one below is missing four blocks which I would still have to make to finish this layout. It is the most unusual one of the bunch, methinks and so I will make the remaining four and finish this off at around 50x70". Then it will fit nicely on the sofa back in the living room. Perfect colors for our orange and turquoise room.

The Old Dog Ate My Homework Defence

It was a spectacularly sunny and warm day yesterday. The kind where the melting snow dripping off the eaves sounds like constant rain. A deliciously sunny day which shone light on the messes I had left in piles around the house. Just a few things to pick up and put away before I get back to my quilting. La dee dah.

One thing led to another and before I knew it I had cleared off my work table!

Under it was a bag of muslin backing fabric which I folded up nicely and put away, off the floor and into the closet.. In it's place I slid the side table, which I need every so often. The taboret was full of old acrylic paint and other art supplies which really didn't need to be at hand. Why not make it a sewing equipment drawer set? I don't have one and I definitely need one! 

There is something so satisfying about emptying drawers and finding new homes for the contents (the garbage can, for instance). There were a few items that were worth saving and since I discovered space in the art supplies armoire, they were moved there.

It turns out that I found the containers I really wanted for my shelves (at Target) when I was in town on Wednesday, so I planned to return my Wal-mart versions (above). But wait. Maybe I want to keep them. I filled a couple with paint-y stuff and will consider keeping the rest. I am sure something will come to mind. 

There was an extra table in my studio that was always in the way and Dave helped me move it to the bubble tub room in my bed suite. I decide to set it up as a tea and coffee bar, getting out the Flavia coffee maker which has been closeted for about two years.

Since we got the hot tub we never use our indoor bubble tub. The room became a dumping ground for stuff, and I spent some time putting things away, sweeping up the dusty corners and making it nice again. A sunny day will do that. 

Now the space is more wide open in the studio and it is so much more inviting. I was all set to sit down and sew when the phone rang. It was my sister and we had a nice chat about quilting and why we do it. I discovered that there is a quilting store in GA just over the border and about 15 minutes from her house and we talked about visiting it soon. Even tho I am NOT buying anymore quilt fabric...

Enough folderol. It was time to get back to the machine. The house was clean (not counting the dishes) and I was just going to add another round of strips to the blocks.

I sat down, sewed about ten blocks and then

THE POWER WENT OUT.

Wha?

How can this be? No wind or sleet or snow storms, no trees falling on the power lines...I waited. Nothing.

It was 2pm. What can I do in the meantime? No sewing, that's for sure. Grrrr.

I balanced the check book. I can do that anytime, but it seemed like an appropriate moment.

Then I sat in the sun and knitted for a while.

Dave called the electric company about 4:30 and they didn't know we had no power. Soon it would be dark. Let's get this fixed people! 

Luckily we have a boatload of candles.

In the meantime I reshelved some books and cleared out the excess papers in my knitting notebook.

I mean, seriously, I was on a clearing out binge.

It was 6:30 when the lights went back on. What a relief. I thought I might miss Grey's Anatomy. Now that would have been a real disaster.