Neutral Wheel

Something kind of notable happened this week! I've known it was coming for many months, questioned my own good judgment at saying "yes" more than once, yet when it came right down to it, I was excited, and it all turned out really well.

I gave my first modern quilting lectures.

I know!! Right?!

The Fidalgo Island Quilters had invited me to both of their meetings on Monday to share about "Creative Use of Neutral Fabric." Does that title ring a bell? Yup, it's precisely the name of the award my quilt Common Affection won back in 2013, and specifically the reason I was asked to visit FIQ.

So the last few weeks I've been working on my presentation, which included many of my own quilts that incorporated neutrals as well as an assortment of works by other quilt artists. As a way to explain neutral fabrics to the group, I thought it would be fun to create a fabric representation, and The Motley Wheel by Nicole/mama love quilts came to mind. If you remember, I made my own rainbow Motley a while back, and I recalled it being a pretty quick project, so starting it 2 days before my presentation wasn't totally unrealistic.

I chose to pull all the wheel fabrics right from my scrap basket, which was an added bonus, even though it gave it a bit of an eclectic look. But the assortment included solids, chambrays, linen blends, prints - together, a good example of the versatility of neutrals.

For the background and binding, I chose another neutral print, from Carolyn Friedlander's Doe, and for the backing, "Cubist Perception" from Pat Bravo's Etno. I quilted it all the same as my original Motley - a spiral for the wheel, and a starburst of sorts on the background. I do wish I'd cut out the center bulk after appliqueing on the center circle and before basting, but I just plain forgot.

Even so, the Neutral Wheel was a fun little addition to my presentation. And boy was it a treat to share my love of neutrals with FIQ. They were so welcoming, so appreciative, and yes, a little in awe. Indeed, a very good time.

I've created a Neutrals board on Pinterest - most of the quilts I shared in my presentation are there, and more . . .
Linking up with Finish It Up Friday, Scraptastic Tuesday, and Fabric Tuesday.