May the Force of Creativity be with You!

Stardate 2016.125.1

(Couldn’t help but acknowledge “May the 4^th Be With You day, and all those Star Wars fans!)

Collaboration.  That’s what a lot of us quilters like to do.  We get inspired by the works of others and we gain creative momentum by working with others.  As my sister decided quilting was a hobby that she would enjoy, and as she fancies the more contemporary/modern quilting genres, and as I tend to lean towards a bit more traditional quilting, we thought we’d have some fun and make a quilt for our niece who will be graduating in 2017. 

We started out with each of us picking two or three blocks which we thought might work well together.  Because we are all from Colorado, we decided a pieced Columbine flower block (one of Ruth B. McDowell’s blocks) was a natural fit in a quilt that would be useful, but also memorable for our niece.  For anyone who doesn't know, the Columbine is our State Flower, so we thought it'd help remind her of Colorado, no matter where she went.

One of the blocks which would make it to the final quilt...

 We started off thinking we’d combine the Columbines into a field of Columbines and use pinwheel blocks to blend out the background.  Then, I think, my sister and I both decided getting that quilt pieced together might take longer than we had.  Keep in mind, we started planning the quilt project in 2014 sometime....  So, we’ve been on a long road to what we finally got.  After our revelation, my sister made a mock-up of a quilt that kept some of the Columbines, but introduced some different elements, and she laid them out in a “row” format.   

 

One of our mock-up designs...

Another mock-up. This is the one we chose, which is laid out in a row format

The quilt became more contemporary/modern, and yet maintained the elements we thought were important. 

 

We both agreed that a purple and green theme, coupled with yellow, would be an impactful color choice and would make the quilt zing.  We think we achieved that zing - and somehow managed (not on purpose) to pick her school colors.  That's just a bonus...

I think the quilt reminds me of what folks are now dubbing a “row quilt”, where the rows of the quilt are one block or one theme and then enough rows are added to make the quilt as large as needed. 

A shot of the actual quilt...only a few of the rows...

 The weekend before my sister moves to Texas (yes, this is a bit of a bummer), we got together and pieced like mad to get the rows set together and to basically get the quilt top finished before she moved (she didn’t want to have to pack it…which I understand!).  Now, the quilt awaits FMQ by me…no pressure!! 

Here's the actual quilt top...ready for quilting.

 I’ll keep posting progress as my blog will be a main spot where she’ll be able to see the progress on the finishing of the quilt.  I’ve found some light lime green thread and think I’ll quilt mainly with that…we’ll see.  Sometimes, I change my mind as I go (who doesn’t??)…

Now, we’ll look for ways to collaborate over long distance as we are pretty happy with the results, and have another niece graduating in a few years, and it’s never too early to start stirring up ideas. Doing this project together has sure been fun, so we look forward to future collaborations... 
Linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts - Let's Bee Social...

Stardate 2015.322

Sometimes, the Bigger, the Better.

Okay, so I’m a PBS nerd.  Yep, I have always liked watching the “how-to” shows on PBS, and I still watch Sewing with Nancy which airs on PBS.  With some of my graphic design background, I also very much love BOLD statements in the quilting world.  So, when I saw an episode of Sewing with Nancy where she showed you how to sew grand Dresdens, I was hooked.  I’d always loved the Dresden block, but had never seen any on such a large scale.  I bought the template and am finally getting a project going that I’ve had years in the making – in my mind. 

Enter in the grand Dresden that will become a Christmas Tree skirt this year.  Yeah!  I’ve only gone many multiple years without having a real Christmas Tree skirt, so, now’s the time to make it happen... 

I selected some holiday fabrics from my stash, and started sewing strips together to build the Dresden.  These fabrics are from various collections which caught my eye over the years, including Jason Yenter fabrics as well as Hoffman and others.  Plus, I had just recently ordered a Kate Spain holiday white/cream fabric, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the other holiday fabrics.

 

So, here we go.  The strips were all sewn together with ease, on hopes that the cutting would be a breeze. 

With the oversized template in hand, the organized mayhem began.  Cutting, cutting, and cutting away, soon I had enough fabric pies to play. 

Up on the board, organized they went; soon to be sewn together with such reverence.

Assembled in a circle, ready for more, I sandwiched the lot and began to explore.  How to quilt, how to quilt, my brain did ponder.  Doodling and thinking, until an idea came yonder.  Feathers, I said, to highlight the white; straight lines to emulate beams lighting up the night.  Off I went to free motion quilt frenzy, when to what to my wondering eyes did appear, but grand feathers and style that made me grin from ear-to-ear.

 

Almost finished; I may beat the Christmas rush, and under the tree it shall go.  For an improperly dressed tree, I shall no longer be known.  ** Grin**

Have fun as the holidays approach. Enjoy !

And, now, just some quick narrative on some of the specifics ~ 

I used double the batting here to make the feathers stand out a bit more and to give the skirt a bit more body.  I marked the vein on the feathers, and then I free motion the feathers by "eyeballing" the space.  I still have to quilt the straight lines in the colored pie pieces, and then add the binding and I'll be done.  All my free motion quilting is done on my Janome 6600 machine.  It's a workhorse!  

See you next time...