maple leaf rag: a little progress

 

I'm sewing my blocks into large chunks ...

This sweet little rose in my garden is about to burst out in full colour any day now...

One of my favourite things is to spend time happily sewing random scraps together, and this 'maple leaf rag' quilt is certainly a delightful trip down memory lane.

The scrap situation in this quilt is quite mad, in the best-est possible way! I've ended up with scraps all over the place. There are little bits of fabrics scattered on my sewing table for the crazy pieced kite-shaped units. And I had lots & lots of strips lined up on my cutting table for the wheels. I've now sorted out my fabric strips into separate bags so I can find each group easily again going forward. 

I'm sewing my blocks into larger rectangle sections, two done now and two more in progress. Joining the blocks up is a bit of a stop-start process, as I need to ensure I get all those seams nesting nicely.

A quick note on design - the pattern advice is “don’t try to control it”. I felt I needed to do something to make things look a little cohesive rather than all-out messy. I’m making all my “kite” units in light/medium combos and the wheel strips mainly in dark/mediums (with a sprinkling of rogue lighter prints), trying really hard not to be too matchy-matchy with anything. 

Hopefully the contrast between the cloudy soft kites & the colourful bright wheels will visually help hold everything together.

Working on the one thing for a long time won't make for a lot of variety in my next few blog posts. But the best bit ... the way it all slowly emerges as each wheel gets completed is wonderfully exciting. 

(I know I know, I'm only talking about patchwork here not white-water rafting!) You can tell though, can't you, I’m loving the process & challenge of making this mad jazz quilt.

Joining in with a few linky parties this week -

here @alyciaquilts 

here @frombolttobeauty

here @quiltingismorefunthanhousework

until next time, Linda

ready, set ... sew!

This latest string project - aka controlled mad jazz - is one I've wanted to make for years. And seeing one of Sarah Fielke’s 'down the rabbit hole' videos recently was all the kick start I needed. 

While it looks like productive scrap processing time, I know it won't be a quick quilt. I'm thinking it could be an "in-between quilts" project, as I do enjoy a bit of mindless fun sewing with scraps & strips, and love getting immersed in the process. (But in all reality, I know if I pack this project away, I may never ever get back to it!) 

I started out by making up lots of crazy kite-shaped units and now I've begun the process of adding string piecing to each kite and trimming down to size. I've cut and sorted out my fabric strips into separate bags so I can find each group easily again going forward. 

I don't want to lose track of where I'm going. So, because my design wall is busy, I'm laying my blocks out - some joined, some not yet - on an old quilt I made from my mum's tablecloths & doilies.  

I've had a few queries about how I'm making these blocks.

I used the tutorial here @kitchentablequilting

and here's a few photos of my progress ...

It'll be a super snapshot of the many fabrics I have used in many quilts over many years, 

ending up as a magic mix of fabrics happening right now. 

Wondering how it's looking so far?

controlled mad jazz

I’ve been a little quiet on my socials,

but I have been madly stitching away behind the scenes.

I've started making a 'Maple Leaf Rag' quilt from Sarah Fielke's book Material Obsession 2. The pattern advises piecing the scraps onto muslin. I've tried that method before and, while the extra stabling fabric kept the bias from stretching, the end result felt a little heavy and I wasn't happy with it. 

After some research I realised there were a few different ways to make this quilt.  And luckily, I stumbled across Erica's post here at kitchentablequilting, which was very timely & helpful. 

First up the fun part, tipping out the basket full of leftover strips & scraps that sits under my sewing table. I’ve been going back and forth picking fabrics and have finally settled on a mixture of smaller scrappy pieces in mainly lights & mediums. I made up some trial crazy-pieced units and then cut out a few of my kite shaped pieces. 

Block 1 of many, many more!

It's an easy sew, but it will take some time. Just happy I've finally started as this string spiderweb version - aka controlled mad jazz - has been on my "to do" list for a while. It's all hanging precariously on the "design" door and is looking very crazy & very scrappy. I think hope the big wheels will help hold the quilt all together. Eventually.