Mod Irish

As I was mulling over what to do for the MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge, I went looking for My Quilty Bucket List, fishing for ideas. Compiled early last year, the list has been a consideration several times when I've been wanting to start on a new project. Right there at the top as #1 was an Irish Chain quilt, a design I've wanted to make ever since my early quilting days. Except when it came time for this challenge, I didn't want to make it all that traditional. The result is Mod Irish.

A big part of this challenge was using a fat-eighth bundle provided by the MQG. This year, it was Riley Blake's The Cottage Garden by Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish. The rules allowed the use of additional fabrics from the collection, and I chose to add in the black/white text and the teal/gray/white triangle prints. This may have been the first time I used a text print for an entire quilt background. At any rate, I liked it immediately, and it kind of makes the quilt for me.

I pieced the backing with more of the challenge fabrics, and then started thinking about how I should possibly quilt it up. I always go to my fmq + wf etc. Pinterest board (shorthand for free-motion quilting, walking foot, etc.) when looking for quilting inspiration, and this quilt by Robin/simply robin caught my eye. I knew I'd seen something similar recently, and quickly found it over at Alex's teaginny Designs. Since I'd never tried anything quite like it, and it seemed to coordinate with the square elements of the quilt, I went for it.

As I progressed with the quilting, I was pretty sure the grid was getting lost on the quilt front, especially in that newspaper print. But as you can see in the photo above, it was doing amazing things on the back!

For the binding, I used the few bits and pieces I had left to create a scrappy look that I think serves the quilt well.

Mod Irish finished at 44" square, and even though it's not the traditional Irish Chain I had always planned on making, I'm checking it off my quilty bucket list.

If you'd like to see more of the challenge quilts, checkout the Instagram hashtag #mqgfabricchallenge. This quilt was donated to 100 Quilts for Kids 2015.

Guild Sewing

There have been several projects lately that are guild-related. Besides the Paint Chip Challenge, we are also working on creating a guild quilt - something that's been discussed for a long time. We were each given a packet with 3 of 4 Kona solids (white, ash, azure, cactus) and were asked to create a 5 1/2" block. We could add in the 4th color, so I did, and without really having a firm idea in mind, just started cutting and sewing. Here's what I came up with.

I got quite a few comments on Instagram when I posted this little block about how much they liked the color palette. Well that just happens to be our 'guild colors'!

Also, I've added another row to my Medallion BOM quilt! The color balance is much better in person, believe me. That purple Cotton+Steel print really helps the center block pop. With this most recent border, the medallion measures 32" square.


So with that, I think I've done my homework for our May meeting!

The Show Continues

Since you enjoyed the mini quilt show last week, here's more! Darting Birds by Whitney (the peacock tree) of That Stash Bee had us using Whitney's own tutorial {here} for 6" finished blocks. Her palette is one of my favorites, and I really enjoyed how she arranged the blocks. Isn't it fun?

A current photo of my ástərisk, currently hanging in the Modern Metallic exhibit of Quilt!Knit!Stitch! in Portland, OR. I'm not able to attend the show, so it was nice that Cath of Wombat Quilts kindly took a photo of my quilt . . . which just happens to be hanging next to hers! Feel free to check out more of the goings on under the #quiltknitstitch hashtag on Instagram.

photo by @wombatquilts

And finally, here's a pair of snapshots taken during Sew & Tell last night at the meeting of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild. We had each just shared our MQG Fabric Challenge projects before gathering together for this group shot. Boy there were some beauties there! See them closer plus all of the other projects shared last night in our guild flickr group.

photos taken by Rachel/snippetsofsweetness/@snippetsofsweetness

That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed the show!

Rectangles In Rotation

Well the clock is ticking away on the MQG Fabric Challenge, so the pressure's been on to get this one done!

You may remember, this little bundle of Michael Miller Petal Pinwheels was given to all participating modern quilt guild members.

I picked up coordinating Cotton Coutures: seafoam, coral, kryptonite, fog, dirt, and soft white. In the end, I only used 4 of the prints and solids. I kind of hated leaving the seafoam out, but that's just how it worked. And instead of using the soft white as a background as I'd originally planned, my design process led me to use some Kona Cotton in Charcoal and Interweave Chambray in Pepper, both by Robert Kaufman. I tell you, that Pepper may just be my new favorite "basic". It has a lovely hand and I think was the defining moment in this quilt coming to life. 

The inspiration for the focus blocks came as I perused each little block in my "Unlocked" City Sampler quilt, which hangs on our family room wall. I can't really sit on the couch and not look at it, as if I'd try not to. It gives me lots of food for thought.

One of my favorite elements of this project was that charcoal partial "frame" in each block, and it was a no-brainer to repeat it in the border. For backing, I used a stash find, Mod Century by Jenn Ski. Goodness I adore this print, and I am more than a bit sad to have used every inch I had. But on the bright side, I think it made a perfect backing for my quilt design.

For quilting, I elicited the help of Pink Chalk Fabrics, who was kind enough to color-match thread for me. What a great service that is! I used 5 glorious colors to get the effect I was after: #2230 (medium peony), #1231 (spring green), #2615 (aluminium), #2326 (sand), and #2605 (medium gray). {Note: I used that peony in "Aurora", and it may just be my current non-neutral favorite. It's really quite perfect.} Anyway, I accented each center solid color out to the edge in a U-shape, echoing the charcoal frame with straight-line. Then I filled in the "corners" with more echoing straight-line in medium gray. You can see it best in the photo below - especially in the coral and "dirt" sections.

As a finishing touch, some matched binding was definitely in order. The quilt measures 44" square, and it just called to be washed and crinkled, so the texture is really terrific, especially with all that chambray. 

So whew! I {mostly} had fun with this one, am really pleased with my design, am happy with the fabrics I added to the original "assignment" (especially that chambray - thanks to Rachael/imagine gnats for her help in choosing that) and I met the deadline with room to spare. Off to link up . . .

Also linking up with Finish It Up Friday and Fabric Tuesday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

Lately I've been working on my quilt top for the MQG Fabric Challenge . . .

Sponsored by Michael Miller, guild members received small bundles of Petal Pinwheels - the prints in the quilt top. I'll share more once the quilt is done, but I did add a coordinating cotton couture to each block. Clockwise from the upper left are coral, kryptonite, dirt, and fog. Aren't those great names? The block using seafoam didn't make it into the design, but it's a lovely aqua.

Pink Chalk Fabrics agreed to color match some Aurifil 50wt for me, which was really helpful. I happened to have a couple of the colors in the studio already, but am waiting for my order and look forward to quilting this one in color(s)!

photo by Pink Chalk Fabrics;

from top, Aurifil #2840 Loden Green, 2230 Medium Peony, 1231 Spring Green, 

2615 Aluminium, 2326 Sand

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.