Sunday, November 30, 2014

wallflowers

I've been participating in another quilt along.  This one hosted by Bloomerie Fabrics.  We've been working on the Wallflowers pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew and sharing our progress on Instagram.

We started six weeks ago by selecting our fabric.  I've been hoarding this beautiful stack of Modern Solids II for almost a year now.  I decided to use them for my flowers and Newsprint from the Paint collection by Carrie Bloomston for my background.  

We had two weeks to sew our blocks.  I decided to make a full dozen flowers for a twin size quilt.  Here are the first six.  Notice the dampness on the pavers?  The entire time I've been working on this quilt we have not had a sunny day for photographing.  And yet the flowers continued to multiply!

I finished my blocks and got them all put together, quilted and bound and still the sun did not shine.  Oh well.  At least the flowers are bright!  Here's a close up of some of the quilting before I washed it.  A simple flower in each of the corner blocks and a dragonfly on each of the flowers.  Meandering everywhere else.
 
I got all caught up in the "painting wallflowers" theme so used Brushes and Swatches, also from the Paint collection, on the back.


Here's the finished quilt...another dreary day but these bright and cheerful colors will not be dulled!

Here are just a few of the inspiring messages in the Newsprint:
  • "And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin
  • "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." - Rumi
  • "Impressionism is the newspaper of the soul." - Matisse
  • "My friends are my estate." - Emily Dickinson
It's been pure joy spending days with these beautiful colors and messages.
A big thank you to Bloomerie Fabrics for hosing this fun quilt along.






Edit December 5th:  Yay!  My quilt was a winner!

An end of the week link up with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday.


Friday, November 7, 2014

here & there

I was asked if I would be interested in donating a quilt for a community fund raising auction.  I accepted the challenge.  Yes, it was a challenge as I had only one week to complete it.  

I chose the Here & There pattern by Denyse Schmidt.  

I actually won the pattern along with these other goodies when contributing to this fund raiser last summer.  I decided to use my prize and "pay it forward".  So this quilt for this auction is first!


The herringbone, or tire tread pattern, is made up of Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee fabric (available here).  The solid is Kona in bone.

I altered the size of the pattern to make a throw quilt.  It measures about 57" x 70".  I used a few of the extra pieces on the back.  I like pieced backs.  They make it sorta like getting two quilts in one!  I also like striped bindings.

I wanted to put a bit of Alissa Haight Carlton in this quilt as well.  She hosted the Action Kivu fundraiser last summer.  Quilters may be shocked to learn that I had no idea who she was at the time.  Since then I have learned about her dedication to the modern quilting community.  So I quilted this with a pattern she suggested for her Cobblestones quilt in her book Modern Minimal.

So a tire tread on cobblestones if you will.  Here & There around town.  Paying it forward.


Another Finish it up Friday link with Crazy Mom Quilts.