Virginia - Maple Leaves for a Unexpected Fall Quilt

Virginia

60” x 60”

She is a crafty girl, taking her knitting with her everywhere. At this time of year she is buried in yarn and apple cider and cat cuddles. She wants to jump in a pile of leaves, take her girlfriend to a sunflower maze, and totally watch Gilmore Girls even though it is terribly problematic. She’s wearing layers at the first sign of a chill and refuses to take them off when the sun warms her on a walk. She may come across as basic, but she is anything but.

More than a year ago I made a single block. Just one maple leaf to show some folks in a Playdate that you can find use for the ugly fabric hiding around corners in your stash. Ugly, after all, is just like beauty - it’s all in the eye of the beholder.

Of course, of course, I put that first block dead centre in my finished quilt top. That so not me leaf fabric was paired, unexpectedly, with a ikat butterfly print from Tula Pink. From those two fabrics the rest of the quilt came to be. I shopped from my stash and had a blast putting together different combinations. The end result was a fall inspired quilt like no other.

The quilting is there merely to add texture. Each block was quilted with wavy lines crossing the block on the diagonal. Because the leaves themselves change direction across the quilt, I carried the direction of the waves with each leaf. For thread I chose a teal blue Superior at the long arm rental spot. (My preference is for 100% cotton, but this works well with their machines and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.) I wanted the quilt to be extra squishy so an allover design versus outlining each leaf was preferred.

I broke my fabric shopping fast (I have sooooo much fabric) to pick up a binding choice from the clearance section at My Sewing Room. As I was taking the quilt off the long arm I realized that a rosy binding was going to be the perfect choice. Now, I know my stash, there is not a single rose coloured fabric in any value in there. I am a hot pink girl! Keeping with the theme of the quilt as a whole - starting with ugly fabric - I chose a print very much out of character for me. Turns out it was perfect. It binds the quilt so well and is a great complement to the colour scheme.

In the end, this quilt is another unconventional fall quilt. They don’t all have to be reds and oranges folks! And as I was stitching the binding I also realized that it goes perfectly in our living room with its chartreuse sofa on one side and the blue/brown one on the other. I guess it was just all meant to be!

Sunshine for Days - A Bold Star Quilt

Bold, full of sunshine and memories.

This quilt top began its life as a leftover stack of fabric squares. On our big trip to Egypt and Turkey last year I travelled with a stack of 6.5” squares. I made a block each day to reflect our travels - a trip diary of sorts. That turned into this quilt. The scraps from making all those blocks then turned into this quilt. Of course, I cut far more fabric than I needed and carried it around with for the entire month. When I got home and finished those other quilts I was left with a stack of pre-cut squares.

You know me, nothing it going to waste! I pulled them out and played until I landed on making HSTs with the non-yellows plus yellows. That gave me nearly enough to make 4 stars. I did have to augment with a bit of stash for all colours, but not much. My goal was to use the leftovers and that’s it.

I made the HSTs and sorted out a layout early in the winter. Then the blocks got put aside (all numbered and ready for assembly). A few weeks ago I needed some no-brainer sewing. After consulting my big list of quilts under construction I decided to turn these into a quilt top. I did, then I realized it was too small for me. It came in, with only the leftover squares, at 44” square. A good little baby quilt. The problem, however, is that I have no need of another little baby quilt. So I debated my options.

1. Accept it’s size.

2. Make a border of some sort.

3. Make more blocks.

Truth be told, I am incapable of making small quilts with no reason. It is very, very difficult for me to stay small. When pressed or shockingly motivated I can stop at a small size, but it is not my norm. Option 1 was out.

Borders… oh borders. Any fabric I used on a conventional border was only going to take away from the stars. I did debate a yellow patchwork border, two rounds of squares all around. The yellow and feature fabrics, however, are pretty close in value. I felt that the stars would too get lost this way. Besides, when do you ever see me use a border? Option 2 is out.

That leaves me making more blocks. This is almost always the best option. You can see that it worked well too. With HSTs finishing at 6” this was easy and relatively quick sewing. I did have a lot of the fabrics from last year still so it was easy shopping. My yellow supply, however, was very slim so I did spend some cash to fill in the gaps (and fill up my yellow bin again). Luckily I was able to get some of the same fabrics so it really doesn’t look like I have two separate sections.

She is done for now. I am debating adding that patchwork border too. Maybe just one round of yellow squares all the way around? Yes, I am suggesting that despite what I said just two paragraphs above. We’ll see. For now, I have some sunshiny memories sewn into this quilt and that makes me happy.

Much Needed Play with Ravel by e bond

Before there was such a thing as an influencer we had celebrity endorsements. When real people started to become more popular through blogs we simply called them bloggers. As a quilt blogger it was quite common to receive or at least be offered fabric. The catch being, of course, that you would make something to promote the fabric. Ideally, you would do that to coincide with either fabric purchasing for stores or the launch itself in stores.

Many times I was offered fabric. The first few times you get super excited and jump at the chance. Free fabric and exposure?! Sign me up. Then we realized that we were giving away free labour and not really getting paid by the fabric companies to use us as promotion. Not really a fair deal for the time invested. On top of that I was positively AWFUL at actually making something with all the shared fabric in a reasonable time frame. I was, frankly, a crappy promotional partner. So working with me to promote a fabric line was a bad deal for both parties.

On top of all that, I always found it very difficult to work with a single fabric collection. It felt stifling, creatively, and was always a challenge because of one common issue with fabric collections: the majority of the fabrics are the same value. This means it is hard to get contrast in your designs. As a result, many designs made with a single fabric collection, without the addition of other fabrics or neutrals, can fall flat.

So, no matter how much I’ve loved a collection, I rarely buy a single line of fabric. Instead, I pick favourites or the most interesting or simply what I need at the time.

I could not resist, however, when I saw e bond’s Ravel collection. I love everything about it! The colour, the text, the graphic nature, the graffiti... and while I've never met e, her online presence is inspiring and real. I've had it for a couple of months and just started playing with it. Not only did I buy the whole collection, I'm using it all together. Who am I?

Yes, a good chunk of the fabric falls in the same value family, but there are enough contrasts with the lights and the darks as well as the texture of the prints that things seem to be working so far. I couldn’t resist though, I did add in a few solids for fun and respite.

I have no real plan for the quilt. I’m just playing. Life has been quite heavy of late and none of my current projects were giving me the joy I needed from my quilting. I’d sat with the fabrics and obsessed over coming up with something just right. That was taking all fun out of it so I decided to just grab some fabric and cut. I defaulted to my comfort of improv curves, primarily, but other things come up here and there and I let them happen.

Normally, when I make an improv quilt that is block based, I make all the blocks and then figure out a layout. This time around I am enjoying adding and subtracting and playing with composition as I go. Not so much planning each block as an individual unit, but seeing how a few blocks might talk to each other. A conversation. As it grows I am really embracing the chaos it brings. It’s a wild thing. In a way, it reminds me of a spot under a bridge with layers of graffiti marking the lives of people who’ve been there.

Scrap Sparkler Party and All Those Rainbow Blocks

Pardon me, but I’ve developed an obsession with itty bitty scrappy blocks. Now I am sewing rainbows upon rainbows in various little blocks.

Knowing that folks are always looking for ways to not be overwhelmed by their scraps and actually enjoy them I am hosting a Scrap Sparkler Party through the Quilters’ Playcation. You too can make your own itty bitty rainbows, or starry night, or treasured bits showcase.

October 28 10 AM - 2 PM Mountain

Register here.

In the meantime, enjoy my rainbows...