This very-fun-to-make quilt was inspired by a larger block made by Amanda Jean Nyberg (Crazy Mom Quilts) “Trees” block. My blocks finish at 7 1/2 inches. (There is an earlier blog post here on how I made this block: https://louisaenright.com/?s=How+to+make+a+tree+block. )
The backing is “Art Theory Overall Day” by Allison Glass for Andover. It comes in “night” and “charcoal” as well.
I quilted with Signature 40-weight, “Rose,” with the “Check and Chase” pantograph by Lorien Quilting. Using a darker warm thread and the burgundy border “knocked back” the neon brightness of this quilt, and I am liking the finished product.
“Trees” is on the longarm—mostly because I need another night time hand-sewing project. Though, I should confess, I can fall back on the EPP project that has been underway for several years now. But, it is a hard project. Sewing binding is more soothing.
This quilt is SUPER BRIGHT, for sure.
But…cheerful.
And I have finished and hung “My Splice,” a project from this year’s Color Collective class with Tara Faughnan—hosted by Amy Newbold’s Sewtopia. I wanted something I’ve made for this spot in the living room, so I made a wall hanging rather than a larger quilt.
I quilted with 12-weight Sulky cotton, with a Tulip Sashiko needle AND had a lot of fun using different color threads.
The corner where I hung it had an old opera poster—Turandot—that was looking faded and stodgy. “My Splice” has certainly brightened up that corner of the living room.
Here’s one more:
The April project will arrive online tomorrow.
Ah, anticipation unfolds strongly today. The fabric is already here and is very pretty.
This last week was a busy one for me, so blog postings got put on hold. This coning week will contain several snow storms, starting later today, and that is just fine by me. I have food (or will get what I need this morning), and I have LOTS of ongoing quilty projects.
The “Trees” quilt top is done now. Remember that these quilt blocks were inspired by the work of Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts. Making the tree trunks turned out to be the most time-consuming task in this project. A lot of solid stash went into “Trees” and more printed scraps and cuts from the print stash then I would have thought.
I purchased a new WILD print for the backing—as I didn’t have a backing in my stash that would work for this quilt. It’s a “rainbow” print from Alison Glass and Andover fabrics called “Art Theory Whole Cloth in Day.” It’s WILD, right? But it screams about the abundance in spring/summer flora and the insect world. The colors are perfect though. I don’t know about the binding yet—probably a solid green from my stash. Or maybe that majenta.
The “My Pips” top is now quilted, and I will trim it today and install the binding. This quilt block and these fabrics are a project in season 3 of The Color Collective, Tara Faughnan designer/teacher, on Amy Newbold’s Sewtopia platform. I really, really liked the fabric palette for this project.
After Debbie from A Quilter’s Table recommended WALK, a book about quilting on a domestic sewing machine with one’s walking foot, I scrolled her blog once again to look at her quilting and found this quilt on her “Working Small, ”December 27, 2020, post (https://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2020-12-28T08:09:00-08:00&max-results=1&start=5&by-date=false). I include it here to show the lovely curved quilting she did—by starting her diagonal curve lines from opposite corners and working from the center line on each side and working out to the corners of the quilt. And, by the way, right now Debbie is doing a self challenge of 50 small scrap quilts in 50 days, which is inspiring and down right fun to see.
Here’s “My Pips” at this point. I’ve been looking and looking at these great swirls—which remind me of spring winds swirling about and bringing warmth with them. I think I’ve decided NOT to do the opposite swirl pattern on this quilt. I think what is there now is enough. And I am noting that my swirls are an inch apart. Debbie’s seem to be a bit wider, and that, I think makes a difference in the acquired density. The binding will be the Kona “Thistle” lavender fabric you see in this quilt.
Here’s a closer view.
The February Color Collective project in somewhat underway now. The fabrics are washed, ironed, and partially cut. Tara’s improv quilt is called “Bokeh” and is, in part, all about how color relationships work to create certain effects in a quilt. These end-cut squares are going to allow me to figure out how my blocks will look—and I’m already moving around ideas A LOT before I actually sew ONE idea together—maybe later today. (I probably won’t be able to resist). This quilt involves MANY ideas about how blocks function in a quilt, and I think these improv block versions will begin to inhabit a life of their own. Quilts DO talk to their maker if the maker listens.
Here’s one block mock-up to try. I’ll probably change it, knowing me. But once chosen, each idea will make four blocks. And you can see that they can be turned in multiple ways and spread throughout the top. Or, not. I will definitely spread them around. I was thinking of a small quilt, just to try out this method. But I can already see that I’ll get addicted. I usually do to Tara’s projects. And these projects are so much fun when one gets rolling with them.
Here’s the palette. There are darks, lights, brights, mediums, cools and warms.
I have been ironing and cutting and replenishing blue and grey fabrics for many days now—for a large log cabin housewarming quilt for a niece out in Wyoming. I played with ideas for block size and decided on a 12-inch block made using a Creative Grids ruler that will also make a 6-inch block. I had one of these rulers in the 8-inch size, but it didn’t feel right to me for this project. I REALLY like these rulers for both log cabin and pineapple block projects as the finish for each block is dead perfect.
With the “Trees” top finished and the design wall vacuumed and ready to go, I made some initial blocks. I don’t know about the setting yet—when I’ve made more blocks my niece will choose the setting she likes. And I’m sure blocks will get moved around. But here are the first blocks. This is the primary quilt project for me now as this family is moving into their new home TODAY.
I’m thinking down the road that I’ll make this quilt in dark and light greys with a black center chimney. So while cutting, I made a trial block, and I really like it. I’ve been wanting to make a grey quilt.
The binding on “Sugaridoo: Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society”—the second Sugarisoo quilt—is almost done, and I really love the wider black and cream stripe for this quilt. I will finish it tonight probably, So pics will come soon.
The hand quilting thread for “My Splice” came, so I will circle back to that project after I complete the binding on “My Pips.” I have no idea how I’ll quilt “Trees,” but it will be likely on the longarm as I think it needs curves. Did I just say “curves” after loving the curves on “My Pips.” Hmmmm…
Meanwhile, as you can see, I have lots of fun projects for quilty play and production. And I am noting that I did not cover three projects I would really LIKE to make—OR the assembling of the improv blocks made for me by my fellow “Be Inspired“ prompt challenge members.
We’re getting our first BIG storm tonight—with a lot of accumulation overnight.
That meant I had to cancel my right eye cataract surgery for tomorrow early. The reschedule date will be March 2. There was no question that I had to cancel—once it starts to snow hard, it isn’t safe to drive down and up Howe Hill or my steep and curving driveway where deep ditches live alongside. The plow guys get to me soon enough, so I just stay put until they do.
So, it’s brrr cold too, and I will work on sewing projects. I need to get “Trees” off the design wall to make space for a planned large log cabin quilt.
This “trees” block, as you may recall from other posts, is based on/inspired by a block by Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts. I’m planning 8 by 9 rows so will have a nice lap-size quilt. The tedious part of this quilt block is making the tree trunks. Piecing and trimming the block goes really fast actually.
I’ve often noted, as have other quilters I know, that it is so fun to start a project, but at some point, it becomes tedious to finish up the blocks. I’m sitting on my fingers now to finish this one before diving fully into the log cabin blue/grey project. And I’ve already started wondering about a log cabin with a black center chimney and light and dark greys. I’ve gone as far as cutting out the parts for one grey block to see how that looks. I’ve wanted to make an all grey quilt for some time.
Meanwhile, I have a BIG block of flying geese cut out to see how that looks—from a pattern in the “Simply Modern” magazine an issue back. More on this one later, of course. And then the 4th project from The Color Collective will be dropped today. The fabric is already here, and it is, as always, intriguing and pretty.
I’m taking a break from “Trees” (I finished the leftover parts of the “Pips” quilt yesterday) from time to time to iron/cut, iron/cut the blue grey fabrics for the log cabin.
The fabrics on the longarm bar are ironed and ready to cut into some strips. I’m almost done with the ironing and first cutting of strips. Meanwhile, all the fabrics I pulled from the stash or purchased (I was almost out of light grey fabrics and had no good medium dark blues), will be ironed and ready to cut when I need more strips. The ironed fabrics and strips are living on the long arm bed for the moment.
So now it is time to get dressed and get about this promising quilty day!
As usual, I have multiple quilty and garment sewing projects going on. I move from one to the other as my momentary interest prompts. Joy and engagement prompts me, not stress to finish anything.
The as yet unnamed flying geese quilt is getting its binding sewn down at night. I’ve got a few more nights on this one. But I have to say, I’m really pleased with this quilt, and it was a huge stash buster. The striped binding was a risk, but I think that it is working really well. It is just fun.
Marrakesh, designed by Tara Faughnan for The Color Collective online class I’m taking, is ready to quilt. I started the first line of matchstick quilting and realized there was a HUGE fold in the batting, starting about 1/4 of the way down. How on earth…??? I put smaller quilts I’m going to quilt on my domestic on the longarm to layer and pin. I can’t imagine how I missed a fold in the batting along the way. The quilt WAS pinned more intensely, but I had to put it back on the longarm and take most of the pins out and then repin it. And, yes, the fold was bad and thick, so there was no choice. Anyway, I’ll probably spend some time with Marrakesh later today. I can watch tv from this spot I’ve set up. I really enjoyed Selena The Series on Netflix, by the way. I had no idea about this story.
I’ve got the rows sewn together for this very interesting quilt inspired by one Tara Faughnan made. She has classes on color in which she uses her quilt like this one as an example. I need one more row at the bottom—which should be lighter. It will finish at 50 wide by 60. Easy Peasy. I’ve taken a ton of pictures along the way while trying to check and recheck how the colors are working together. This quilt is made mostly from my solid scraps, not my larger pieces of solid fabrics. I think it will need a dark binding to hold it all together…
”Trees” is now the only leader/ender quilt, and it is growing slowly, which is ok. It is based on a block designed by Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts. I think it will finish at 8 by 9 rows. And it, too, is meant to knock back my solid scraps, which it is doing.
The two Sugaridoo quilts are all ready to go on the longarm—as soon as I figure out how to quilt them. And the second project from The Color Collective is all ready go—my fabrics are washed and I’ll iron them soon. This project is all about curves.
Then, there are two garments that are all cut out and ready to sew, but neither is something I can wear right now, so they are still on pause.
I’m busy and engaged, despite being alone and staying away from people. And I’m grateful for my sewing projects. They can pass a lot of time, for sure.
The design is by Amanda Jean Nyberg in her book NO SCRAP LEFT BEHIND.
I used all Cotton+Steel fabrics. (They are now Ruby Star Society and released their first collection under a new manufacturer last August.)
See the little row near the top of small solids, which are not C+S. Nybeg’s “Slopes” is made from solids, so her inclusion of this little row stands out more than mine. Still, it’s kind of a cute surprise when your eye lights on it.
The backing and binding are also Cotton+Steel.
Here are some close-ups of these fun, often quirky, delightful fabrics:
One of my favorite fabrics is the one of bears. And here you can see the little row of solid squares.
The bed is the bedroom next to my quilting room is my project staging area when the longarm holds a quilt. On the bed there’s a finished quilt top and its backing and binding fabric all set to go when the longarm is empty again. There are garments—saved to sew in winter. And, all sorts of other projects, from an EPP project, to The Color Collective blocks, to my own inventions.
Here’s what my design wall looks like now. The top blocks are meant to use up the solids acquired for The Color Collective projects. The 14-inch block is from Then Came June’s Checkered Garden Quilt, and I’ve written posted about it before now. It’s a leader/ender project from Bonnie Hunter’s method. The big blocks below it are the 20-inch Radiating Log Cabin blocks from Tara Faughnan’s The Color Collective Season 1, hosted by Amy Newbold of Sewtopia.
To the right are various projects—to include just playing with shapes with ideas garnered from a workshop with Amy Friend (curved foundation piecing) and from Nicholas Ball’s new book INSPIRING IMPROV, which I high recommend.
I think there is a flying geese project in the making, done with 6” wide blocks and bright colors. And the Jen Kingwell “Glitter” blocks are ongoing and will probably wind up in an improv quilt.
Below, hidden are the improv bird blocks I’m making off and on.
My quilting life is very rich I think.
I’ve moved blocks around and around below, but I think I like this arrangement, so will sew it together later today. L Then I have to decide if it is a 60-inch wall hanging or a lap quilt AND how on earth to quilt it. Hand or machine, for starters.
The “shapes” blocks are fun. I’m going to cut the teal blue/green block on the right in half and see what develops. These blocks will go into my Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild “prompt” quilt where other members will make blocks for me as well. But, my turn will not come up until NEXT November as there are many of us in this challenge. So there is plenty of time to play with shapes and clear colors over the year.
My Cotton+Steel “Slopes” quilt from Amanda Jean Nyberg is on the long arm now. I quilt until I get tired, then stop and play with other projects. It all gets done.
The winterizing outside is DONE, so it’s time to move into my winter sewing in earnest. And we may get SNOW tomorrow.
I love the change of seasons and enjoy each and every one.
Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild October 2019 Stay Retreat
It was fun.
A Stay Retreat means those who can’t travel elsewhere for various reasons can quilt for two days at our local Lions Club alongside other Mt. Battie Modern QG or Coastal Quilters members.
A Retreat offers a time for intensive sewing where projects can be finished while sharing time and projects with other quilters.
I finished the top of this YEARS LONG project: a quilt made from Bonnie Hunter’s Wild and Goosey quilt block—an intense foundation pieced block that is fun, but time consuming to make. Look at all those tiny, tiny pieces
I like how the neutral border came out—a light grey binding will stop the eye and the light border holds the quilt middle nicely. Thanks Betsy Maislen for this idea. I like, too, the bits of color in the neutrals.
This block can look very, very different in other hands—like Linda Satkowski’s. Her quilt with carefully chosen colors and a darker background is so handsome. She has been my quilting companion during this long, long project—for both of us. At this retreat she is sewing rows together—I think there will be 7 or 8 rows.
I have a very cool backing for this quilt—again thanks to Betsy Maislen who found it summer before last and brought me a fat quarter of it.
I have the Slopes quilt top on the longarm now—from Amanda Jean Nyberg’s NO SCRAP LEFT BEHIND. Mine is made from Cotton+Steel fabrics—the dark colors, not neutrals—collected over past years.
The pattern came from SUNDAY MORNING QUILTS (Amanda Jean Nyberg, Cheryl Arkison) and was designed by Cheryl Arkison. I used all Cotton+Steel fabrics, except for the solid binding. And I made it as a “cool” companion to the “warm” quilt (see below) using the herringbone pattern Victoria Findlay Wolfe designed (MODERN QUILT MAGIC).
I quilted with the “Simple Feathers” pantograph designed by Anne Bright. And I used a soft smoky seafoam green thread that disappeared into the backing, from Signature threads.
Here’s the “warm” quilt, to remind: “Bee Warm.”
Both of these quilts have lived in my mind for some years now. It’s so good to have them be really here.
The Cotton+Steel designers have left their original home and are now “Ruby Star Society.” Their first collection from their new home arrives this summer. I just signed up for the Pink Castle “Ruby Star Society” fat quarter club which will start in July. Yeah!!!
Some of stopped sewing long enough to count up ongoing projects we’ve started.
1.
I was in pretty good shape until I got involved in Sewtopia’s Color Collective project with blocks and solids designed by Tara Faughnan. (Amy Newbold owns and runs Sewtopia.) For heaven’s sake, google “Tara Faughnan quilts” and you will be blown away, as I was. She works in saturated color and solids. (Tarafaughnan.com)
The first month’s block was the circle; the second, the cross. I combined them as clearly I got obsessed and couldn’t stop making them. Note the two projects at the top of the design wall.
This top is done now, and I absolutely love it. I’ve found, in my stash, a backing I like a lot, and I will buy a binding. I’m thinking of doing some hand qulting with size 8 pearl cotton. Here is the top all together. It glows.
2.
Above the big project on the right is a row of 14-inch blocks, made using scraps from the solid projects and from my solid stash. I saw this block used in a quilt made by Then Came June called “Checkered Garden Quilt” and using Alison Glass bright fabrics in the Road Trip line. I fell in love with it. (Here is a picture: https://thencamejune.com/products/road-trip-checkered-garden-quilt.) This block has been called “part Trip Around the World,” part “Granny” block.
Here’s the next block cut out and ready to go and waiting in the adjacent bedroom—sitting atop my Traveling Quilt.
3.
Above left is the start of the “Slopes” quilt by Amanda Jean Nybery of Crazy Mom Quilts. The book is NO SCRAP LEFT BEHIND. I am cutting the dark Cotton+Steel fabrics—a few a day—for this quilt. I’m using leftover 1 1/2-inch blocks combined with leftover solid pieces for the row of “little” pieces near the top of the quilt. I might do more than one of these rows. Who knows? Not me.
4.
I have a bird quilt project going and have made three of the big blocks and one of Jen Kingwell’s “The Avenue” of trees blocks. I’ve been saving bird fabric for several years, but I’m choosing only the artist-types for this quilt. I want to use in an improv style.
The 9-inch tree block is bigger visually than I thought for some reason. Inspired by Tori Manzi’s recent tree blocks on our Mt Battie “Bee Inspired” project, I’ll probably group these in lines and make them in seasonal colors. This one would be “spring.”
The I’m thinking this will look like a MUCH BIGGER version of this little quilt I made in a Timna Tarr workshop.
5.
My Sunday Morning Quilt is done and getting its binding. Cheryl Arkison is the designer, and it’s in the book she did with Amanda Jean Nyberg called SUNDAY MORNING QUILTS. The thread color I ordered arrived. My go-to grey just didn’t work well on the backing. This quilt is the “cool” to the “warm” herringbone quilt I finished not long ago, designed by Victoria Findlay Wolf and in her delicious book MODERN QUILT MAGIC. See previous blog posts for that quilt. Both of these quilts are LUCIOUS! And both are totally Cotton+Steel low volume fabrics.
6. My “Wild and Goosey” quilt is once again on the back burner. Bonnie Hunter designed the block. I have all the sashing cut, and the design I want to do for it all planned. I’m sure I’ll need more of the little blocks though.
7.
Right now I am working on the “parts department” improv quilt. See the earlier post on this quilt project.
8.
There is the EPP “36-Ring Circus” project. This one is slow as there is a big learning curve. That’s ok.
9. There are more pillows from a method shown by Anna Graham of Noodlehead projects (HANDMADE STYLE) in the works. This project is one of two from Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild.
10 and 11.
There are TWO blocks to make as part of the Color Collective class. The fabric for the first one is all washed and ready to go.
12.
Here are the FIRST blocks for the Mt Battie Modern Quilt Guild’s challenge “Bee Inspired.” These blocks were made for Donna Strawser, whose prompt was “Mid-Coast Maine.” You can see the individual blocks better on the Mt. Battie Facebook page or on Instagram. Thirteen quilters each made one of these blocks for Donna, and she made one for herself, so 14 blocks. Mine is the white winter birch trees at dawn. Tori Manzi made the four trees at the bottom, by season. They really need to be seen lined up together, a you can on FB or IG. Donna will now set these blocks into a quilt and will bring it back to show us at some point. I will need to make a block for our next Bee Inspired event in April: “Dark and Light” for Vicki Fletcher.
I really, really loved this block I made and might do another version for one of the pillows:
13. I am gathering bits for a Rice Bowl bag or two. See earlier post, but the designer is kzstevens and the pattern is in her Etsy store.
14. I want to make a little sewing folder like friend Megan Bruns showed me the other day.
So…
That list is not actually too bad. In any case, I’m having so much fun, even though I’m not getting as much time as usual, due to the needs of my boyfriend, AC Slater, who will be 1 year next month. He’s a crazy man and has me visiting the dog park daily, as the snow and ice are pretty risky on the wood paths.
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