The Triangle Quilt

The Triangle Quilt

90'' by 90''

So named by The Monster because it has lots of triangles. Simple, explanation, really. Made up with bee blocks from my Pieced Together 2 bee, and some more added by me. Random flying geese, all going in the same direction.

The girls decided to pretend they were fallen statues on their bed. Other than sleep it would be the most still they've ever been on their bed. Right after I took this picture they started wrestling.

This quilt ended up being the perfect size. I know some folks don't like square quilts for beds because beds aren't square. If you want to skip that traditional pillow fold look, however, the 90'' by 90'' is perfect for the modern queen bed. You know, the kind that are ridiculously tall? Even after washing I've got plenty of overhang, without it being obnoxious.

(When I finally get a chance to finish up the details in the girls' room and photograph it you will see what I mean.)

I promise you that the quilt does lay flat when it is on their bed. It's been washed already to get out some random blood stain. I actually had it on their bed for a week before I finished the binding, so maybe the blood was a prick on my own finger? But for a bed quilt for two little girls I expect it to get washed A LOT.

For that reason I didn't stress over the quilting too much. I wanted it solid and graphic, but I didn't worry about it being perfect. It is my theory that "organic line quilting" is another way of saying "too lazy to mark". Well, it is in my world. The quilting on this one is mostly straight lines with random triangles. They sometimes echo the actual geese blocks, and sometimes they don't. It turns out to be a pretty neat effect on the finished quilt.

When it came to the back I more than lucked out. Back in March, when I was visiting Amanda Jean, we went to Hancock's (I think). The grey was purchased with these bee blocks in mind, although I had no idea what the quilt would become at the time. The turquoise polka dot I also bought then. The two combined perfectly in this back. The polka dot is a single stripe down the middle of the back. The Monster is obsessed with all things striped, so at least one had to be there.

Binding a quilt this size doesn't go fast, but it was a great activity on the nights I couldn't face much more after this run of single parenting. Or when the girls are playing baby tigers on the floor and you sit on their bed, under the the quilt, stitching. Other than that one section of turquoise it is the same yellow. I wanted the geese to pop, so I carried the yellow to the binding.

As for solving the problems we were having before, this quilt has definitely been the solution. Besides, it's pretty.

A Triangle Quilt

Welcome to the next hole in my head. No, I'm not even close to finishing the last one. I got tired of trimming all those half square triangles. There are nearly 300! Or it might, just might be evidence of some quilter ADD.

These are the bee blocks from the Pieced Together 2 Bee. I was putting together another, similar top a few months back and The Monster expressed such excitement over the design. That quilt went to live somewhere else, however. Ever since she's been asking for a triangle quilt of her own.

Then, the other night, I walked into this scene. Beyond the damn cuteness of the two of them cuddled up like that, you can see their sweat-soaked heads. They refuse to wear anything but full PJs and fight over the heavy duvet every night. With summer finally here the nights are actually warm. What else to do but make a quilt.

Yes, here in Calgary we switch to quilts in summer, instead of winter. Winter is for duvets (or layered quilts) and summer for quilts. So it is now my mission to get the girls a triangle quilt before summer ends.

I started with 11 blocks of various sizes. I figure I need 25 blocks at 18.5'' square to get to the queen sized quilt I want, with plenty of overhang. Since Sunday afternoon I've managed to make 6 more blocks and cut out 5 more. Some of the blocks might end up being solid yellow. Maybe, maybe not?

We're looking at a long weekend, I wonder how much I can get done? You know, in between actually spending time with the family.

Revelations

I've had a revelation over the last few weeks. It does not at all coincide with my birthday. Or the hours spent in the ER with The Evil Genius last week. It started when I came across this particular blog, Can You Stay For Dinner? She chronicles a massive weight loss and living her new life - the triumphs and the struggles. In one post on her weight loss she mentions emotional eating. Many of us do it, myself included. But when I read her post something twigged for me. I was convinced that I ate for the hug that it gave me - beer or chocolate at the end of the day to come down from the stress. In truth, comfort eating for me is a way to simply hide under the covers when I'm too drained to face the world.

This revelation hasn't caused me to suddenly stop eating cake at night. I mentioned that it was my birthday on the weekend, right? But it is making me stop and look at all the things that have been hanging over my head, keeping me down. By not tackling some things on the to-do list, simple and large, I'm effectively hiding my head under the covers instead of moving forward with life.

In that spirit I'm on a kick to catch up with bee blocks and knock out some WIPs. Not all of them, only those that are holding me back from starting some new work. These are commitments I've been avoiding in the interest of doing things for me, but in avoiding them I'm not able to move ahead. They need to get done so I can really pay attention to myself and the fun stuff.

This first set is for Shea, as part of my Pieced Together Bee. I am now addicted to Moda Crossweaves. These are gorgeous! Her only request was right angles only. I found out on this block that you can still do improv, it all matters in how you prep the pieces. I see more challenges like this in my future. And more crossweaves.

The next ones come from the Mid Mod Bee. Every single block and participant in this bee inspire me. I've had so much fun working on these blocks because they are all different and all come from such different places. But the inspiration from mid-century modern design prevails. It's been great to see the interpretations.

This is Robin's. She wanted a loose interpretation of Mondrian, a little less precise though. Mine isn't quite as curved as she'd probably like, so I left it large for her to trim down.

And this is Blair's. She was inspired by some images of fireplaces in a mid-century modern design book. I have the same book, so I totally get the inspiration. What a great combination of solids she has here.

I've got a couple more bee blocks to go and some tops to put together, then I can feel comfortable moving forward on some of my own projects again. Including some baby and wedding quilts. No rest for the wicked! Or the sick as the cold the girls gave me for my birthday is indeed begging to have me hide under the covers.

Geese Going South

Participating in bees has been a challenge. I'm notorious for not finishing things on time. But I feel a bit better knowing I'm not the only one in my group. And just yesterday I found a block that I finished months ago, but never got popped in the mail. Yikes! It will go in the mail this weekend, along with the fabric for my month.

This month I've chosen a Flying Geese block. I've sent out a generous FQ of yellow, plus some greys, whites, and a touch of turquoise. I'm not picky about the size or shape of the geese within the block or how many you put in, I only ask that they all fly in the same direction. You can also make the geese any way you are comfortable doing. Some tutorials for you here and here.

Finished block size will partly depend on how many geese you do within the block. My preference is for a block either 12.5'' square, 12.'' by 18.5", or 18.5" square.

I've had this quilt in my head ever since the bee started. The one thing I don't like about bees is feeling like someone else's sewing factory. I personally, prefer to be challenged to create something a bit more unique. I also like to get something unique to the quilter back. Then I love the challenge of making it all work together. That's why I'm excited about our Mid Mod Bee and my month here at Pieced Together.

Fear

Fear holds a lot of people back. Not only in life, but also in quilting. Fear of a new technique, fear of messing up, fear of being less than perfect, even fear of not being liked (the work, that is). I'm here to tell you to stop being afraid.

(I feel evangelical just typing that. Maybe I should be on a stage with a tiny microphone on my face and gesticulating calmly as I speak. You know, projecting a voice of inspired energy and turning you over to my side?)

This is a bee block. Just a simple wonky star with a twist was requested. I can get those directions, play around with the fabric given, and come up with something a bit different from the typical stars seen out there. For another person, those directions can simply stop them in their tracks. For one, saying wonky paralyses many. Must have a straight lines... And two, this begs for improvisation. Must have a pattern... Finally, what if the recipient doesn't like what I do?

For a long time I didn't understand these fears. In my case it was because I happen to like a challenge and actually sewing that way. But then people asked me to sew very precise things in their bees, with very specific instructions. Definitely not my go-to-choice for a project. But I'd made the commitment to the bee and my fellow participants. And I wasn't afraid so much as less than excited. But it's one block, what's the big deal?

But one block can be a big deal to a beginner, or to someone whose never made a triangle or not worked with a pattern. I don't want it to be a big deal though. I want people to look past those fears and relish the challenge. Why not try something new? Do you want to make log cabins or simple patchwork for the rest of your life?

Okay, maybe you do. Maybe you would be really happy churning out those quilts. And that's fine. But then stay away from on-line bees and expect other people to get bored with your work if you choose to share it with a very public audience. That's all good if you are happy doing what you are doing.

Looking for more, though? Feeling inspired by all you see on-line or at guild? Then it is time to set aside some fear. Here are some tips to get you moving past the fear:

- Join an on-line bee. This will force you to try new techniques and meet other quilters. Alternatively, join a round robin or guild bee.

- Play. You can just sew for the sake of sewing, it doesn't have to turn into anything.

- Don't blog about it. If you are worried about what people think, then don't share it.

- Blog about it. Push yourself to put it out there, flaws (perceived or real) and all.

- When in doubt about that one fabric, include it. If it still niggles at you once you've used it, then take it out. It is only fabric.

- Ask for help. Whether from an in-person friend or by posting on-line, seek input from others (like we did with the Workshop in Progress).

- Challenge yourself. Set up regular goals to try new techniques or colours.

- Stop reading blogs and books for a little while. It can be demoralizing for many to see so much inspiring work. That is, we think we can't be good enough or think it is beyond us. So take a little retreat for yourself and turn off the computer and stay away from the stack of books. Fondle your fabric and sew for yourself.

- Colour. Stuck when it comes to fabric? Then pull out the crayons, markers, or pencils and just colour. Even if it is just a colouring book, go for it. Give people blue skin, colour the trees purple, or make polka-dotted dogs.

Keep in mind that if you are stuck there is no need to make an entire quilt to move past the fear. Make one block, just play for a bit. This reduces the commitment and moves your forward one step, one block at a time.

What other tips do you have for facing the fear?

More Catch-up

Managed to get a little naptime sewing in.  Actually, I think it might have been Friday night sewing while Hubby watched Inside MMA. (Side note - I can't wait until I have my own sewing space!)

So I cranked out some bee blocks, a quilt top (to come later this week), and a binding. And no major mistakes at that hour!

This is Jess' block for our Mid Mod Bee.  It seems simple, and I really, really wanted to do a funkier block.  But if you look at her inspiration sketch she has a number of blocks like this. I was worried that she wouldn't get any of the simple ones because the others are too fun to make. Hopefully I'm not the only one who thought this way.

This one is a Valentine's themed block for Samantha of our Pieced Together 2 bee. I could have done hearts, but it seemed boring.  Or maybe I needed a challenge after the previous block? I chose some pieced letters a la The Unruly Quilter. And this was loads of fun to do. I see more letters in my future...

Catch Up

The reality of dealing with a medical issue, a husband on the road constantly, and some major life changes means that my actual sewing got behind. Yeah, old story, right?

So, I told Hubby to leave me alone during naptime on Friday and I banged out a couple of things. Namely, I caught up with some bee obligations.

These are the blocks for Jody. She is making a quilt for her stepson, in the Drunk Love Style of Denyse Schmidt. I'll admit, that I wasn't all that excited once I saw her choice.  Solids? A pattern for a wonky log cabin? Neither are me.

But I embraced the solids, partially thanks to Cherri. And I ignored the pattern, only acknowledging the Courthouse Steps piecing versus the Log Cabin Piecing. Seriously, people use a pattern for this? Okay, calm down, Cheryl. Not everyone is comfortable with improv style work. In the end, I LOVED the blocks. Seriously, I adore these blocks and it is taking all my willpower not to keep them.  Well, whatever willpower I have left after not making pie, again.

(And yes, I know they aren't squared up, I left that for Jody, to determine the final wonk.)

The next block was my first for the Mid Mod Bee. Rossie was up first with her orange kelpie inspire block. I think it is awesome that she went for a row, rather than a block. And more awesome than that? She dyed her own fabric for this. So, so cool. This was so easy to make, but fun to think about how to make it my own compared to the other submissions.  This is going to be one stellar quilt.

For a girl who was really reluctant to sign on to a bee, she is sure having a good time!  Even if I am late most of the time. And thanks to the bees I feel ready to tackle piecing again. I think I've got some mojo back.

Catch-up

The last month has been nothing more than a giant game of Catch-up.  Is that a game? Probably not. In truth, though, it feels like I am Sisyphus - achieving loads, only to have my deadlines roll down the hill and force me to start over.

When ever I get like this - sadly, not an uncommon occurrence for me - I have my little freak out, make a list, then just start moving. One foot in front of another.  One obligation or deadline met and on to the other. At some point it eases up. At some point...

So, I've been tackling the quilting side of things by catching up on my Pieced Together 2 Bee. Three months behind I was - yikes. (And apparently I am so tired I am now speaking like Yoda.)

This is Colleen's block from Not Quite Vintage. Some Kona Ash paired with actual menswear shirts. I couldn't get over the blues, so in love was I.

Sandy's Cathedral Window. Good for her! I love the way this looks, but I never want to make one again.

Finally, these are Michelle's blocks.  Some beloved to her fabrics that came together really well - Denyse Schmidt and Heather Ross. And my beloved half square triangle.

And, because I am indeed a little crazy, I started a new bee with Rossie. A random comment, a quick idea, a bunch of emails, and we have a new bee.  I am rather excited about it - it feeds my design love for all things mid-century modern.  Sigh. Busy, but happy am I.

I Joined a Bee

If you know me or have seen the hidden boxes in my basement you know that it is hard for me to keep commitment to bees and round robins. I don't know why, but I get so stuck on these projects and I'm the one who either hands in the project ridiculously late or not at all.  Yes, I've been known to be THAT quilter.

Alas, no more! I promise, I swear, and I cross my heart because this year I joined a bee.  I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with these ladies. And my logic also tells me that if I am being told what to do I should be able to manage it.  

One month down and I was only a tiny bit late. But I'm totally blaming my knees.

This is the first block for Valerie. It was also the first time for me to work with these Heather Ross fabrics.  They're sweet, but I won't be losing any sleep over them.  And after seeing the blocks headed her way, I am quite excited to see them all together.

That is probably my favourite part of this process. I just wish I could be there with every one of my partners to help them assemble the tops.  I love taking blocks and putting them together, moving this one over here and that one there, until it all just feels right. I've got to wait until January for my turn.  That gives me plenty of time to change my mind about what I want done.