Park Quilt Progress

Here is where I currently stand with my Park Quilt blocks. I have a 16th already on the go. 

If I stopped now the finished quilt would come in at about 70'' x 70'', once I press and square up the blocks. That's a pretty good size quilt. Definitely large enough to snuggle under, even with a guest. But it doesn't fit a bed. And frankly, I have a lot of quilts I can snuggle under. This might yet become a gift and I like the idea of gifting a bed quilt better. 

But that means 9 more blocks. Said that way it doesn't seem like that many. Truth be told, I think it could use a few more pop of orange too. Really, if I were to sit down and make a block from start to finish it takes me a couple of hours. So for maybe 20-25 hours of work I could have all the blocks done. Add another hour or so to get the top together and it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, right?

Right?

Great Grandmother's Geese - Modern Quilt from Vintage Fabrics

Great Grandmother's Geese

40'' x 48''

Days away from delivering her second baby a friend popped by my house. Part of her nesting was clearing out things from home. I was the lucky recipient of a stack of vintage fabrics once belonging to her grandmother. Now vintage fabrics aren't generally my thing. No doubt, they are pretty, but that doesn't mean I want to sew with them. Something changed a week later. I got the right idea and the fabrics began to talk to me.

As is my style, however, I started the quilt without a plan. I cut all these squares to make HSTs. I was going to just sew them together randomly. But this wasn't about making a Values quilt, I wanted some order and repetition. Without thinking it through I screwed up. Soon I realized that what I envisioned was not going to happen with the process I started. I very nearly lost the time and maybe the fabric to impulsive cutting. So I regrouped, cut my squares into triangles, and got very deliberate with placement. Of course it would have been better to cut the geese shape from the beginning, but so be it. The overall effect is the same.

The vintage fabrics were a bit of a challenge to work with. First off, I should have washed them. They were all clean, but one had that distinct old smell (mothballs) every time the iron hit it. The weight and stiffness of each fabric varied too. So I took my time, made sure not to pull or stretch any of them, and gave the quilt a lovely soak once I finished it all.

The yellow fabrics are all modern, with one classic Denyse Schmidt pink floral also making an appearance in the blocks (Just when I needed a few more blocks cut I temporarily misplaced the vintage fabrics in a studio tidy-up). 

Putting the top together required some patience and attentiveness. One row at a time. But I did it without messing up. Phew.

This is a baby quilt I hope will get used and loved, so I didn't stress about anything too fancy for the quilting. Texture and ease won out. Simple straight lines so the graphic design stands out. In case you were wondering, I used the magical Aurifil 2600, the dove grey. The quilt is pieced with it too, actually. 

On the binding I uncovered another old Denyse Schmidt print, this one from a Joann's release years ago. It was the perfect sweet touch. Because Denyse is so inspired by vintage textiles it works so well.

Now I get to hand the quilt back to my friend. It is a thrill to give these old fabrics new life, especially when there is a family connection like this. A handmade legacy.

Mighty Lucky One Fabric Challenge Take Two

Take one bold stripe and play. That's it. See what happens with no plan in mind.

The center of this piece started as I was prepping for the Mighty Lucky Quilt Challenge in July. I wanted to see what would happen with the stripe and the quarter square triangle. Then I added one border for fun. Now I am adding more borders. I want to see what I can do with the stripe. How many ways can I manipulate the directionality? How can I fussy cut? Can I make it confuse you that it is only a single fabric?

After the first round I went out and bought a couple of metres of the fabric. I'm going to play until I run out, or I get bored. Welcome to the current Morning Make.

Fabric is the Tick Tock Stripe in Mint from Chipper by Tula Pink.

Antonio's Quilt - Modern Improv Quilt for Blogger's Quilt Festival

Sneaking in under the wire for an entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I remember when Amy started the festival, in part a way for those of us at home to share, be busy, and get excited while a large part of the industry was at Quilt Market/Festival. This was before Instagram even. Now, it really comes down to all the delicious eye candy in one spot. With prizes!

I'd hoped to have a new finish to share, but I am only just getting the binding on. So I am reposting one of my favourite finishes of the year.

Antonio's Quilt started with an image shared by Katrina Hertzer of her son and his painting in progress. I was so drawn to Antonio's shape that I immediately went into the sewing room. It took me a few years to actually get to a finished quilt, but it was worth the wait!

Completely improvised. Some clear intention in shape making, some slabs for the background, and rather dense quilting with Aurifil to make the design really pop.

To read more about the quilt check out the original post.

To see all the quilts in the festival, and they run the gamut of style and technique, make sure you check out all of the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

And did you know I teach these improv techniques? Check out my Classes Offered for all the details and options.