Flying Geese Exploration

I was just doodling, I promise.

After doing some computer work that required notes my mind was wandering. I had the computer open and a pad of graph paper next to me. Ignoring technology I picked up a pencil and started doodling on the paper. That night I started sewing some quilt blocks.

There isn’t anything fancy or revolutionary about what I doodled or the play I started, but it was relaxing. Knowing my solids scrap bin was overflowing I started there with my fabric. My doodle required contrast so I chose to explore warm/cool contrasts rather than any specific colour. And it’s just play, not a quilt, so I could try different combos and see what happens, right?

The only really shocking thing about this is that I chose to play with precision piecing. Definitely shocking with me. I’m making 2.5” x 4.5” flying geese blocks. Accurate cutting and piecing required. Still mindless, but definitely not improvisational piecing. I’ve got improv in the colour play, so I am still left satisfied.

As is usually the case with play rooted in experimentation it may not always go how you thought. When pairing fabrics to make the flying geese blocks I paid more attention to warm/cool contrasts than value contrasts. It totally works. But then the overall effect isn’t the same as what I initially sketched. My original idea was to effectively have one giant medallion. Without value contrast, however, it was looking like a mess of triangles only, no design visible. So I started sorting the blocks by the cool values. This has potential.

Like most of my quilts this one started with a “let’s see what this does” kind of attitude. If you are a little kid with a stick and a light socket, that means danger. But an adult with some fabric, it only means fun.

Quilters' Playcation Adventure Sewalong Update

The Quilters’ Playcation Adventure Sewalong is back after the summer break. Our map is growing. This is the point where I can really see the blocks coming together as a map. I went out recently and added more beige fabrics to the stash so I could complete the island part of the map. Now I can see that I will have it as an island surrounded by water.

Like most of my quilts, this one started without really knowing where it was going to end up. I just committed to making the components. Really, this is about committing to the process more than anything. Being willing to play, experiment, and relax about knowing the end result. To me, this is the ultimate freedom. I know, however, that to others this is absolutely scary, terrifying even. Many folks want to know exactly what is coming and how the whole thing will come together. That is their comfort zone. Meanwhile, that sounds boring to me. We are each different quilters and that’s okay!

The second version of the quilt is also progressing. This is the more abstract one. Each row definitely references the inspiration, but it is far from a literal interpretation. (Is it really literal when it is an improv quilt block?) I can see that the next few rows need to do some things composition-wise, and I will have to think carefully about the colours I use. These two things will help the overall quilt feel balanced.

If you are new to the Adventure Sewalong, you can find all of this year’s videos on You Tube.

Randa - A Mini Quilt From My Trip Diary Scraps

Randa

28: x 26”

When you cut a bunch of random shapes to make 30 quilt blocks you are left with a lot of weird little scraps. Not surprisingly, I decided to sew them all together into a slab. No rhyme or reason to the construction, just what fit. A few concessions to design in order to manage the bossy red and dark blue fabrics, but that’s it. In the end, it pretty much used up all my scraps too.

Since my big Bernina spent the summer at the spa I decided to test out her energy and fixes by quilting this immediately. I grabbed a random variegated yellow from the stash and went for an echo wave using my walking foot. Good news, many of the fixes the old girl needed happened. (Just like me and my summer off.)

Not one to stop at just simple and because I really enjoyed the handwork over the summer I decided to add some hand quilted elements. I’d actually brought the thick thread with me on the trip, but never used it. Just a few colours to add some shapes and texture here and there. it would have been easy to go overboard, so I had to exercise some restraint. The hand quilting threads are a mix of Valdani and Wonderful Eleganza.

To finish off this piece I went with a white linen binding. Not just any linen though! I had a pair of pants that I bought for the trip and they ripped before the trip was over. That dreaded thigh rub ruined these quick. While I wouldn’t use such an obviously weak linen on something that will get used and washed, it worked perfectly here for the binding. You can see more of that process here.

Now, in our house my husband mandated a no quilts on the wall rule years ago. But here I am making not 1, but 2 wall hangings! I can probably convince him to hang up the trip diary quilt when finished, but this one might be pushing it. It’s okay, I think I might give it away. One of my daughter’s teammates travelled with us on their off week so we spent 3 weeks with him and I think I might give this to him and his family as a souvenir.

Oh, and the name? I named her after our lovely guide in Cairo. Randa was an outgoing, very knowledgeable Egyptologist. We had a great time with her and are very grateful for her kindness over the days we spent together.

Queenie - Quilters' Playcation Adventure Sewalong 3 Solids Version

Queenie

Not going to lie, this might be one of the best quilts I’ve ever made. That is, from a quality perspective. It might be one of my favourites, from a fun factor perspective.

This is the 3 Solid Version of the 2022 Quilters’ Playcation Adventure Sewalong. Each week I made two blocks: a print version and these 3 solids version. To be fair, the quilt ended up being 5 solids because I grabbed the wrong white a few times and then had to improvise with a non matching grey when I ran out as I was piecing the top. C’est La Vie! That’s what improv is partially about - just moving forward when faced with a challenge instead of letting it bog you down.

From week one of the Adventure Sewalong I knew I would use the colours of the block to help guide the lay-out, wanting blocks to disappear and have shapes emerge. It works well on the abstract blocks, but the representational ones change it a bit. I played with many, many layout options over a few weeks. Quite a few of them worked well, but didn’t grab me. With all my blocks a different size the possibilities were truly endless. It all clicked when I put that block in top centre. It was the top of my mountain. This was the jolt I wanted.

(It also reminded me of what I said about my hiking challenge last year and the link to improv.)

Once she was all pieced I decided to take her to the long arm. Mostly, I was impatient to finish her and my machine was not acting very powerful anyway. I chose a yellow thread and doodled all over the quilt. As usual, I like a dense pattern. Through out the quilting I added a shape of a person cheering. Pure joy! The yellow thread (from Superior, but I can’t remember the colour) added a highlight that I loved on all the colours of the fabric. This was not a time for the quilting to blend into the background, it’s part of the story. And knowing that I’d always planned a contrasting binding I just had to choose between a few colours. My first two choices were pink and mint green, but at the end of the day, neither felt right.

So much of quilt making is trusting your gut.

The yellow colour was also chosen not because of my bad photography, but because of the backing fabric choice. One of the girls suggested a hot pink backing and I whole heartedly agreed with them. Unfortunately, I did not have enough of anything to piece together a backing from my stash so I went hunting for a wide back. While a good pink was elusive, I did find this great Anna Maria Horner print that included the exact blue I had on the front. Kismet! This is what ended up dictating the yellow thread choice and the yellow binding.

Now when I say this is the best quilt I’ve ever made, technically, here is why I say it. The piecing of the blocks together was far from straightforward. There were partial seams a plenty and I got them to all lay flat. With fillers and creativity I got everything to fit and still look good. I’m very proud of the quilting as my tension was perfect and the doodle came out better than when I was practising at home. Finally, by binding finished very nicely. Good, even stitches by hand. Bonus, the whole thing lays flat and square! Taking your time does wonders for quality. And for your joy in making.

Thank you to everyone who participated, watched, sewed along, and asked questions. Our weekly playtime was such a wonderful experience and I am so glad to have these quilts as reminders of our time together.