Category: Quilting

In January the modern quilt guild announced a BOM (block of the month), Every month a different member would design a block. They would make the block in pre chosen fabrics. At the end of the year, a quilt will be assembled and donated. Of course we are all encouraged to quilt along on our own.I had bought and won some fat quarter bundles of Birch Organics. So I decided I would play along using this palate. This is very unusual for me, I never work with one line, I’m whats’ known as a scrappy quilter – I put together all kinds of fabrics as I please. So just working from a line of prints puts me out of my comfort zone.Liz designed January’s  block, you can see the fabric the guild chose for the project.  I cut an assembled my first block.I thought that each month I’d add a new block and end up with a sampler quilt. Problem was, I didn’t like some of the blocks that were presented. This block pattern took off like gangbusters, Liz sold it to non LAMQG members and people started posting their tops on Instagram. I changed course and decided to only use this block.I also used solids for the rings and the prints for the background. Love how it came out.Onto the quilting. I have noticed that there are piecers and quilters. Some people love to make tops, but not that interested in the actual quilting. Or they really like straight line quilting. Others love the quilting itself, they often will get into the business of quilting for others and they really develop their own unique quilting style.

I like to quilt my own quilts. I am trying to get better at FMQ (free motion quilting), the only way to get better is practice. What better way to practice then on a full size quilt. Doing the fancy quilitng on the print fabric hides all sins, while allowing me to really practice.I’m working on circular feathers, as you can see from the back, my practice is paying off. This is one of the laters circles I quilted.I really feel good about the feather on the border, I love when practice leads to better results. Hope to finish this soon and show you the completed quilt.

Linked at Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday

While at Quiltcon I bought some fusible web – good for appliqué, not something I do a lot of, but I bought it anyway. Why? Because the saleswoman was very very good. She mentioned tearing it up and using it to baste a quilt together rather than use spray glue.I didn’t take pictures of the basting. Basically I set up the tables outside, got an outdoor extension cord and went section by section with my iron, first attaching the front, then the back to the batting. Then I started quilting, sort of in the ditch with the stars and some creative dot – to -dot, ala Angela Walters in the grey background.  The idea was to have bold geometrics that didn’t mimic the stars but sort of reinforced them.  I need a lot more practice before my quilting gets even and smooth, but I’m the only one who sees that. No one else is looking that closely at my stitches.

Will I use this method to baste again? No. Even when glue basting, there is leeway when actually quilting,  so if it feels like the fabric really wants to pucker – there are ways to stretch it out, even on the machine. The same isn’t true with the appliqué webbing, even though I tore it into small pieces, once it adhered to the batting – it wasn’t moving. So yes, there were some puckers .  I”m not pointing them out, I quilted over them, the end result is not show worthy but it is beautiful.The quilting is done, you can just see a corner of the backing. I bought a grey on grey chevron fabric. Usually I do some piecing on the back, not this time.Bound it in red, just to tie it all together.The freeform layout of the stars and background fabric was a little hard for me. I like paper piecing for a reason – it gives great control and accuracy. This layout is just willy nilly. But I stuck with it and am glad I did. This is what makes it so dynamic.I love how the grey is distributed, there is some planning, but it’s not rigid.

Of course I made a label and signed it, and then immediately sent the quilt off with out taking any pictures of the back.  The quilt has arrived safely and Ryan demanded to use it immediately.

This is a real departure for me, in style and color, I will be revisiting this style, but for a short while, I want a break from quilts.

I have been working at a furious pace on this quilt. I really feel I need to get this to Ryan as soon as possible. Life is hard for him now and a warm loving quilt can really brighten the day.My theme is 12″ and 6″ paper pieced stars. Every star will have red, his wife says that is his favorite color. I’m using mostly solids but a few prints just for the pop. The background is different grey.Some people have a design wall. An area covered with flannel where they can stick up the squares and figure out the design. I have a design floor, I don’t have the wall space. Also,  quilts are usually on a bed, or a sofa, so viewing the layout on the floor makes sense to me.

I think the Gee’s Bend quilters at Quiltcon had an effect on me. Yes, I go for order, for well pieced blocks. I’m not much for improvisation.  You can see as I started adding the sashing between the blocks – it is pretty symmetrical.Well that didn’t last long did it?  I’m still trying to spread the different values of grey evenly, but no more symmetry. Yes, it’s all rectangular, but the size of the sashing is simply to fill in blank spaces. Which is why when I got to the border, I had to piece different colors together and I just let the grey fall where it would.  Not upset at all, it is very liberating to not follow a grid.I have tried a new basting method, but that is for another post.

linked at WIP Wednesday