Thursday, June 8, 2017

Thinly Sliced



It was definitely a combination prompted by the simple act of rummaging through my scraps, plus a Spark by Jill/Pie Lady Quilts to use a specific color range of said scraps. Next thing I knew, I was pulling all the black and white prints from the scrap basket and combining them with Kona solids - Pink Flamingo, Red, Rich Red, and Cardinal - a combo I'd been thinking about for weeks. And then I just started making stripes. Lots and lots of stripes.



When One Thing Leads to Another, you can get carried away by a singular element, and even though I considered adding in more solids around those striped slabs - and will definitely try that in another version - this time, I just wanted to see where I could go with stripes alone.



For backing, I was pleased to find a length of a pretty special floral from Anna Maria Horner's Dowry in my stash.






For quilting, I went improvisational, similar to what I did with EverGreenery, using a handful of different motifs. 




Aurifil 50wt #2250 [Red], 1103 [Burgundy], and 2435 [Peachy Pink] created such a fun alliance. I can't even remember why I ever thought red and pink didn't go together, as I definitely don't feel that way now.


A binding using the three red Konas seemed the perfect finish for this little one, which measures 32" x 43".



I had a sense of déjà vu when I read Carolyn Friedlander's post yesterday where she said about her current project, "I find this to be a massively engaging, creative process and [a] big reason why projects like this are so much fun. Grab your fabric, start making some blocks, throw them up on the design wall, assess, make more blocks and continue to grow your composition." That's exactly how I faced Thinly Sliced, and I too, find this way of creating to be immensely satisfying. With no idea of the end result when I began, I used up scraps(!), mixed up a fun palette, and sewed by the seat of my pants. Lately, for me, it's the best kind of sewing.

38 comments:

  1. Really like this; it is an interesting quilt as yours always are. That last photo is neat. At first glance, it almost looks like the quilt is hanging off the side of a huge, modern building.

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  2. You seem to arrive at an interesting result on a very regular basis. Colour me envious! I definitely want to follow one of your many leads sometime this summer.

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  3. I really like it! I think you chose a great shade of pink to combine with red.

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  4. I love how you took Jill's work as an inspiration and made it your own. Red and pink work beautifully together here!

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  5. Amazing finish, Debbie! Red and flamingo were an inspired choice. I hope I see this one in a show very, very soon. ❤

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  6. That is a GORGEOUS quilt! I love everything about it...

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  7. Great quilt and congrats on just going with it. Improv piecing and quilting has made something interesting. Wish I could see it in person.

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  8. I love it! It looks so cool!

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  9. I love this! And I think that process would be totally fun. And I could use up scraps and small pieces. Win Win Win.

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  10. What a fabulous quilt this is, just stunning!!! Love all those improv stripes and the quilting. Well done !!

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  11. This one just looks like fun! Love that you made it in my favorite colors, too. I vote for a future QAL...I need to make one for myself.

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  12. Oh, my goodness! It's delightful! I want more, so off I go in a scroll through your recently archived posts.

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  13. I am so in love with this it almost hurts... stunning!

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  14. I love watching how you create. I remember an earlier post where you had just a few blocks and said you didn't know where this was headed. The final quilt is wonderful.

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  15. A wonderful improv quilt! Love your restricted palette and your quilting looks very effective!

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  16. What a gorgeous quilt. Very inspiring!

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  17. I need to move in with you. I love everything you do!

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  18. What a beauty this is Debbie! I love the idea of this process. I need to try this one day, it looks like fun!

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  19. Lovely, lovely. Such a creative eye.

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  20. Wow once again a fabulous piece. This really has a vibe going on with it! Love it!

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  21. I love everything about this, and as always your photo shoot is fantastic. especially love it on the steps.

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  22. Great quilt. I like the improvisational way of pattern making.

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  23. What a beauty, I defenitely like the last picture you posted, it has such a nice backdrop.
    KATRIN W.

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  24. Beautiful! Love how you paired the reds with low volumes and darker fabrics - great affect with your design!

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  25. Inspiring! I love the combination of reds and black & white. But those stripes! Dare I say I want to throw some slabs now!!

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  26. Fantastic! Lots of interest but not overwhelming.

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  27. Very cool quilt! Improvising is so freeing. The red/pink is great. I'm glad you told us the dimensions - it really surprised me that it was so small - I'd pictured it as pretty large in the first photo.

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  28. Stunning and I especially love that last photo! This would be a fun QAL.

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  29. Wow ! It's a fantastic quilt Debbie ! These stripes give a beautiful movement. I love your red and pink flamingo combination. It's very inspiring :-)

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  30. Beautiful and inspirational, improvisational and orderly. I'm going to start digging through my strips ASAP!

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  31. WOW Now, we are talking ...I love it...really love it...

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  32. I absolutely love how all those skinny stripes interact! I agree wholeheartedly that the improvisational process is so engaging and I have been playing with stripes lately, too.

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  33. This quilt top is brilliant and inspiring. You are right about red and pink. I also grew up learning that they should not be linked. But in truth, they are SO right for each other.

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  34. It can be a challenge to find quilt designs that work when you need a "guy" quilt. This is a great one to fit that bill. Great work Deb!

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  35. This is amazing! From the stripes to that gorgeous backing! Love this one sp much!

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  36. Oh, this quilt is fantastic! I too think it's so (sew) fun to just sit and sew and see what develops, like you did here. I love all the stripes This is a great improv piece, and I love! the color combos you used. This makes me want to go play in my scraps too.

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  37. I love the pink and red together.Beautiful work.

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