Saturday 16 March 2024

show & tell on the Peninsula.

A catch up with Glenys always generates lots of ideas and gives me a chance to get caught up on some of her creative ventures. This time around I got to see her new 'meadow mist' quilt - all together and all quilted too. It's her version of the 'malted mystery quilt' (see here at meadowmistdesigns for more details) and has kept her very busy for the last couple of months.

Enjoy the photos ...











Like me, she has also been sewing along with Rachel at @stitchedincolor, making her "Positivities" BOM quilt. Glenys is favouring orange/purple/green with a background in a variety of light peach.
It's a great incentive to have another friend stitching away with me in this yearlong project, we tend to inspire each other into action.











I also showed her my exciting mail yesterday, Jolene's book "a year of quilts" arrived. We've both been fans of Jolene's work for years. Her quilts are always instantly recognisable to me (and many others I suspect) for her fabric choices.


What have you been working on this week?
Linda

Friday 15 March 2024

positivities quilt: update

'Positivities' is a modern sampler created by Rachel at @stitchedincolor. I participated in another of Rachel’s sew-a-longs a while ago, she has a great eye for colour & design. This one is a yearlong BOM where the edges blur from area to area, and stars, squares & curves reappear throughout the quilt, all floating on a consistent background colour. 








- It's not perfect, but I'm happy.




I'm using a few different soft greens as my backgrounds too, so difficult to capture in a photo. 


Can't wait to watch my quilt grow and the colours spread.
Linda

Sunday 10 March 2024

playing with pink & teal

Another house top variation quilt is underway chez Linda's. 



'Dancing Squares' is a new favourite because it too has evolved from the need of using up those scraps. This time around, I went through my scrap baskets (yet again) but changed up the mood of the quilt. Super happy with the combo of teal & pink in these log cabin-style blocks, adding that splash of merlot makes me smile.

I'm drawn to florals, so I needed to pair them up with a few ginghams/spots/dots/solids/even a little animal print to add contrast. With these bold colours & prints dancing around my centre teal squares, each block felt like a mini quilt to me, where the colours of each round flow into the next.

Not following a written pattern is always a fun challenge ... I could see as I progressed, that this one would be another quirky jigsaw puzzle to put together! I decided on lots of pink & off -white for the irregular coping strips - creating little paths between the house blocks, and (wink wink) to fill in the gaps to help get things up to size. Finished size approx. 60" x 54".

Here's my 'modern' take on traditional ...



















Now I am working on a third "house top" quilt because, you know, two aren’t enough!
Have you tried making a Gee's Bend-style quilt?

Linda

Wednesday 14 February 2024

housetop 9block variation




A gingham in gold, some small pieces of 'posy' by Annabel Wrigley, a few solids, lots of leftover strips
... and a quilt was underway!



... I'd been wondering about what to sew with all the leftover strips in my scrap basket, it's overflowing. I started making up a few trial blocks, and now I'm hooked! 

Going a bit loosey goosey here, making my own version of a 'house top' block, a favourite block obviously inspired by the Gees Bend quilters and their amazing quilts (see pic below) & a recent quilt from Windham Fabrics.


- Gee’s Bend quilt by Amelia Bennett.
















💖Love a quilt that's made from leftover pieces from past quilts, it's a real trip down memory lane. This is a fun mix of bright & pastel fabric from over the years that includes quilting cottons and vintage prints, did anyone spot that delightful Laura Ashley print in the border sashing? I've used a colour palette mainly in -but not limited to- peach, pinks, gold and blues.

Yes, yes, more improv! I used a ruler and rotary cutter to help me cut straight, but I didn’t measure anything😉 When I'd made all my blocks, I sized everything down to my smallest block and then added the sashings. 
Lots of fun trying to get that "random" and yet cohesive look. Think I'll make another one now, loving this process!


Housetop 9 block variation, pieced.
Linda



Monday 5 February 2024

a thoroughly modern medallion*


Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend. 
I've managed to get the next stages of my BBQAL medallion quilt top all together. 
Here's a few progress pics ...








- I even (accidently😂) have the brambles!












Here's my little story... I turned my improv mashup into a garden ... three windblown big blooms with a token few formal borders, and then it all drifts into a somewhat overgrown & messy back garden with brambles, wildflowers, a broken fence & a few birds🤣

As I added each new border, I aimed for fabric and/or colour to flow into the next, and I had my fingers crossed that there would be enough fabrics. I have had to substitute as I progressed, but it's all good, it's a real symphony of fabrics now. Mixing fabric styles is such a rewarding way to play and work my way through my leftovers & stash. 
Present size is 50" x 45" - I think that's probably big enough for a fun experiment, don't you! 

Many thanks to Audrey @ quiltyfolk for all the QAL details, it's lovely to get a little glimpse into her thought processes and creativity.

Linda

*thanks to Pat for this blog post title🙏


Thursday 1 February 2024

progress


Making fabric decisions takes time, but I'm happy to report there's been some progress with my BBQAL. A bit of border planning happened today to get a sense of the finished size of my improv quilt top and if I have enough fabric here that actually works with my colour palette.
I'm using all stash so far ... super happy to have finally found somewhere to use the Phillip Jacobs 'summer bouquet' in blue✅ 
I'm loving mixing up these bright & bold beauties, think 70's - orange - flowers.







Enough now? Or maybe I'll add another row.
Linda


Monday 29 January 2024

want some colour today?

It's a long weekend here in NZ
and I've been sorting out my next steps with two long-term projects. 

The bramble blooms QAL ... is all about wonderful improvisation! Full disclosure here - Improv + applique are not really my strongest techniques but I'm enjoying the challenge! I started out with a plan and a colour scheme for my sunflower block, and it's now No. Where. Near. my original thoughts. 
I guess Audrey would say something like "let the quilt take you where it wants to go" - I more inclined to call it "going rogue." 




The idea is to use fabrics from our stash, to make a unique one-of-a-kind creation. Audrey's latest prompt was to add a border with repeat applique motifs to the centerpiece, with quarter-triangle style cornerstone blocks. I began by working out from my improv sunflower centerpiece, taking it one bit at a time to see what happened next. 
I decided to try a coping border first. I tried four different fabrics, and finally settled on this early AMH print in plum. It helps frame my floral design and brings in a little of my accent colour. The coping strip also gives me some wriggle room for adding the next wider border. So far, so good.

And then that next border? I spent a bit of time trying to figure out border fabrics & applique motifs, but it felt like I was getting nowhere. I'd looked at these fabrics for so long, too long, I needed a break, and so I sat out in the sunshine to think about it 🌞

After playing with a few shapes, I decided to just go ahead and add a few borders and see where I ended up. And the repeat applique, hm-m-m- - well ... you'll see.

Here's a few colourful progress pics from the design floor ...









My 'sunflower blooms' are quirky, colourful and definity unique. 
Each new decision feels like a relief ... no, no ... more like a little touch of fabric magic!

*******

Next up ... the 'positivities' sampler quilt sewalong, a year-long project from Rachel at stitched in color. At least this one has a decisive design plan to follow LOL! 
My friend Glenys & I are both joining in, and we've chosen our background colours. After thinking about what fabrics I had here and which direction I wanted my quilt to go in, I decided to 'go green', a soft green. And Glenys is going with peach. 
I've sifted through my scrap baskets & chosen an assortment of blending & a few contrasting pieces. This weekend I made a start on January's block, 'expansion' (still in segments as final joining doesn't happen until later).






May the usual creative chaos continue!
Linda