Unknown Journey

When the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild announced their binary quilt challenge, I immediately thought of my stack of Kona solid greens, and picked out several to use. Fissures was still fresh in my mind, as was the lovely texture of Chinese Checkers, prompting me to order some Andover Textured Solids and Pellon Bamboo Blend Batt.

I knew right off that I wanted to make a quilt with alot of negative space. In addition to Fissures and Chinese Checkers, my thoughts for this quilt were influenced by my recent Crazy Rainbow, so before I did anything else, I started crazy-piecing the greens like, well, crazy.

For the pieced portion of the quilt, I was thinking of a journey. Life's journey. What some readers saw as "sticks", I saw as paths on that journey - with different lengths and widths, intersecting randomly along the way, and each made up of interesting and disorderly, yet beautiful, little bits. So I let the fabric "journey" travel across the width of the quilt and it became a panel.

All I did to finish the quilt top was to add wide swaths of solid above and below.

Though I debated ever so briefly about matchstick-quilting this one, its size (38"x42") determined that wouldn't be a great idea. Instead, I went with my original thought, which was to do wonky spirals, a la Fissures.

With an Aurifil 50wt #4653 (Limeade), I first spiraled within the boundaries of the pieced panel. 

For the bordering panels, I marked lines extending the "paths" and spiraled within those areas with my basic Aurifil 50wt #2000 (Beige). As a final touch, I did matchstick-quilt within the lines of the extended paths, and I really like that added detail. 

It was a bitterly cold day when we took "Unknown Journey" out for a photo shoot yesterday. Though the settings were fun, the lighting doesn't show off the details as clearly as I'd like. Though in retrospect, that seems fitting for most of the journeys we find ourselves on, now doesn't it?

Linking with Fabric Tuesday and Finish It Up Friday.

That Thing Called Process

Often when I start a project there comes a moment a few hours in, where I stand back and say to myself, "What was I thinking?" I just asked myself that very question.

So we have a guild challenge going on - a "binary" challenge, where we are to make a two-color quilt. No other criteria beyond that, except it's due on December 7. And yeah, I'm just getting started.

I began with a fat-quarter stack of green Kona cotton solids and picked out a variety of shades.

To start, I cut strips 2" - 3 1/2" wide from each fat quarter, and from there began crazy piecing, using the method in Quilting Modern as a general guide. I kept going until I had a mass approximately 24x28" or about 672 square inches of green craziness.

As a background, I'm using Andover Textured Solid in Tapioca. I cut a piece 16"xWOV to start, and began the process of slicing and inserting 1" - 2" strips of the crazy piecing. Here's the first piece up on my well-used design wall.

I finished transferring what was in my head to my fabric. And here is where I'm asking myself that question. "Uh, what was I thinking?"

I found some fun backing in my stash but some bamboo batt is still on its way, so I have a bit of time to mull over quilting, and basically just stand back and look at it. We'll see where it goes from here. Stay tuned!

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

The Modern Blocks Bee

The Modern Blocks Bee was one of my first, and it is now complete. All blocks were made from Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers, which is a wonderful compilation of modern blocks, and I'll continue to use it as a resource.

1. Modern Blocks Bee - January block, 2. Modern Blocks Bee - February block, 3. Blue Lagoon block - Modern Blocks Bee, March(2), 4. Fussy Cut block - Modern Blocks Bee, March(1), 5. "Pathways", 6. Modern Blocks Bee - April, 7. Set Sail for Modern Blocks Bee, 8. Boxed Up-June, 9. Little Square Big Square June, 10. Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee for July, 11. Stargazing block - August, 12. Stonehenge block - September, 13. Parisian Star - October, 14. Diamond Ripples-November, 15. Piece of the Garden block

For my month last July, I chose Binary, a block by Angela Pingel. You may remember, I made a quilt with my bee blocks which I also called Binary; the reveal post was here.

So farewell to a great group of ladies. I thoroughly enjoyed our year of sewing together!

Finish-A-Long Fourth Quarter Finishes 2012

The fourth quarter of Quilter in the Gap's 2012 Finish-A-Long is drawing to a close, and I'm cutting it just a bit close reporting in!

Christmas lap quilt - Now known as "Maisy", I had only the center nine blocks done when my list was posted. Basicly I strip pieced WOF strips cut between 1" and 3" wide, then cut them into rectangular blocks. There was no real plan in organizing the fabric other than separating all my strips into three stacks by value. I humbly confess I was so much more pleased with the end result than I expected to be. And it coordinates lovely with our Christmas tree skirt, just as I'd hoped.

Mod Pop - I joined Leanne/shecanquilt's QAL on a whim and was midway through piecing the curves when this quarter began. Confession here is I struggled with accuracy on the curves, even with all the helpful hints. So I kind of drug my feet getting this done, but was rewarded by the enjoyment in quilting it. I used two different threads, and quilted both echo-stitching with my walking foot (the light gray parts) and free-motion (the purple parts).

Binary -  The blocks for this quilt were made by the Modern Blocks Bee. I stalled on this one until last weekend when I came up with an uncomplicated layout. Lap size, it was pretty quick to quilt up. Adding the matched binding was a little something extra that seemed to finish it off just right.

Modern Crosses quilt - There's no good reason this one isn't done, except that I let it happen. I wish I hadn't, but that's that, and I'm trying to make it up as quickly as I can. It has an appointment with a longarm next week, so it's my goal to make that appointment.

I have 25 blocks done. The remaining 35 are on the ironing board in some form or another. This one will go right to the top of my First Quarter 2013 list.

So that's a wrap on the 2012 Finish-A-Long. A big thank you to Rhonda for hosting this fun and motivating event!

A review of my previous quarters' finishes can be found here, here, and here. 

Binary

When Modern Blocks came out in 2011, I had it on pre-order, and immediately sat down with it when it came, poring over the pages and thinking of quilt possibilities. When I saw the new Modern Blocks Bee popping up on flickr shortly after, I jumped at the chance! And then for the next six months, I made blocks for my bee-mates. Finally, last July, it was my turn, and I chose Binary, a block designed by Angela Pingel. From my stash, I chose Kona Ash as the background, and a variety of Kona cools, which I randomly sent to my bee-mates.

 Here is the basic block.

So the blocks sat around a while, which is why they got put right on my fourth quarter Finish-A-Long list! I debated for quite a while what to do with the blocks, and in the end placed them in columns, separated by lengths of Kona Coal. Simple.

I was concerned maybe it all was too simple, so at some point I decided it needed that extra touch of matched binding.

The gray/black/white City Scenes print by Jane Dixon reminded me of binary code and made an ideal backing. All the quilting was done vertical, straight-line in the skinny sections, and a combo of straight-line and curvy in the wider strips. My Aurifil light and dark gray threads coordinated perfectly.

And then for the binding, I used the Ash and Coal, along with scraps I had of the cool colors. Binary measures 48" square, and is now all washed up and crinkly. And done.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday, Finish-A-Long Fourth Quarter Linky Party, and Fabric Tuesday.

So Much Randomness

It's been one of those weeks where I've had to make choices. When I've had a free moment, do I answer email, scroll through my reader, or actually sew! I've usually chosen option one or three, so I am waaaay behind on blog reading. But I did catch the exciting news that Leanne/shecanquilt is taking over the helm of the Finish-A-Long that Rhonda/quilter in the gap has been spearheading. The FAL has been a huge motivator for me, so I definitely will be participating again in 2013.

As part of the FAL, there was a really good article posted today, "Start the New Year without the WIP Guilt." It's by Kelly of blue bird Sews, and is thoughtfully written, motivating yet practical. I strongly advise you to go read it and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I also caught that Camille Roskelley has published five new patterns (I really enjoyed her Swoon and Hopscotch!) and I'm especially fond of fireworks.

Source: camilleroskelley.typepad.com via Debbie on Pinterest

And another thing I saw on her post was a new pre-cut from Moda, Honeycomb. Now I'm not a huge hexie user, but I know alot of you are, and these do look pretty fun in Camille's new "happy-go-lucky"!

Source: camilleroskelley.typepad.com via Camille on Pinterest

Meanwhile, over on Instagram, it's been all about the #scrappytripalong, or in other words, the Scrappy Trip Along! It's like one day (December 29 according to i'm a ginger monkey) there was one or two scrappy trip around the world blocks, and next thing I knew, they were in every other post! I have serious scrap issues, and had already planned some scrap reduction for January (specifically Metrolink), but gee whiz, I couldn't resist! I'm being loyal to a few wips I really want to finish, but have also managed to make two #scrappytripalong blocks so far.

I kind of sense I have more than enough scraps for both quilts and may just work on piecing them simultaneously as I cut up my scraps. We'll see. Meanwhile, consider joining in! And btw, I enjoyed Megan/lucy and norman's post about the #scrappytripalong - she gives lots of details and pics of her lovely blocks!

There's also a Scrappy Swoon Quilt Along starting up with Hopeful Homemaker. I'll for sure at least be watching this one - isn't it fun?

Source: hopefulhomemaker.com via Hopeful on Pinterest

One last little thing for today - a sneak peek of my Binary quilt - one of the {FAL} wips mentioned above. Just finished binding it tonight and put it in for a quick wash. So it's all crinkly and finished. Hope to get some real pics tomorrow, as time is running out!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

W.i.P. Wednesday

In lieu of a W.i.P. Wednesday post last week, I shared about several small finishes. Since Christmas, the little time I've had in the sewing room has mostly been spent on a few wips that I really want to finish before moving ahead.

Ongoing projects

Quiet Book - This was my Christmas gift to grandgirl, though it was only half done. So I'm working on finishing the remaining pages. It's very like one I made for her mommy years ago.

Binary - I've pulled together the blocks from my month with the Modern Blocks Bee. I'd had no big plan for these blocks, so basically just want to get them sewn into a small quilt. Hope to be able to call this a finish by week's end.

A stocking for hubby - It was crazy to start this so late in the game, but I do want to finish it so it's ready for next year.

Modern Crosses quilt - I'm embarrassed this isn't already done, and shame on me for setting it aside. But Christmas is over, and it's high on my list!

Scrappy Trip Along - I didn't mean to do it. I mean really, I have the above wips I really want to finish! Call it peer pressure . . . curiosity . . . nostalgia. Block one is done and we'll just see where this goes.

Upcoming projects
* FAITH Circle January "Sparkle" block
* That Stash Bee's January "Birds in the Air" blocks
* Lucky Stars BOM - practice block + January block
* scrappy Metrolink
* Woodland cross-stitch sampler
* plan for FAITH Circle's February quilt
* Polaroid block projects
* placemats

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

To the Finish Part Quatre

The fourth quarter of Quilter in the Gap's 2012 Finish-A-Long begins soon, and it's pretty obvious by glancing around my sewing room what should be on my list.

Christmas lap quilt - It's simple piecing and construction, I just need to get to it. I have the 9 center blocks done; 16 more outer blocks to go. And I foresee some organic straight line quilting, just like the coordinating tree skirt.

Modern Crosses quilt - Everything's cut out. Again, I just need to get sewing. Even the backing for this one is planned and just waiting to be pieced. I anticipate sending this one to the long-armer due to its size.

Mod Pop - I'm not quite behind on the QAL, but if I don't get busy I will be. At least this one will be baby quilt size, but still. I'm letting those curves intimidate me, and I really need to stop that.

And since it seems I always add one more just in case, I'd really like to pull together the Binary blocks made by my Modern Blocks Bee. Though the mosaic shows just the blocks posted in flickr, I actually have 11 blocks, so it wouldn't take much to whip up the last one and piece the top. I'm not really thinking about too creative of a layout, but we'll see for sure when I get there.

1. Bee blocks, 2. For flickrdeb50 in Modern Blocks Bee, 3. Binary Quilt Block, 4. Block for Debbie, 5. Picture 684, 6. Binary Block

I think this line up will be plenty challenging considering all the littles on my wip list. I better turn my machine on and start sewing!

Linking up with the 2012 FAL Pre-Fourth Quarter Linky Party.

Prepping

Oh my goodness. When I saw Allegory's post suggesting we all have a prep party the first Sunday of each month, I thought it was the best idea! Trying to work down my own "to do" list while simultaneously participating in a swap, monthly bees, and a sew-along . . . well, things can get confusing! And having some prep done as I head into a new month seemed like it would be sooo helpful! So in a relatively short amount of time this afternoon, I did the following prep work:

• Tracing pattern for embroidery onto fabric for this week's zakka project - and yes, I changed it up just a tad. Also cut out the other fabric I'll need.

• I have a bee block that needs a fix, so I hunted down the fabric needed and have that ready to stitch back up.

• Binding made for QWERTY II. 

• Pattern chosen and fabric cut for a 100 Quilts for Kids quilt - finally.

• Fabric gathered and centers cut for improvisational log cabin mini quilt.

• Last of all, I hauled out blocks left over from my Kaleidoscope quilt made last summer. I'd had a bit of an issue with several blocks buckling in the center, and had refrained from using them in my quilt. 

         Then came the {hopefully} bright idea of cutting Dresden wedges
         out of them.

          So I have 32 wedges now - hopefully enough for something.

Linking up with {sew} Allegorical's prep party.

July Bee Blocks

I've been itching to get to this month's bee blocks, but have been holding off while I finished up G.O. Modern. So finally, this weekend, it was time!

First up was Kristina's block for the Always Bee Learning Bee. She sent lovely fabric for each of us to make a Floating Frames block. I really enjoyed making this one, and it ended up at a nice large 17.5".

Next up was for Rachel with the FAITH circle of do.Good Stitches. Using our own fabric, we were asked to make Gemstone blocks that included dark royal blue, medium pink, and medium green. We could use true white as the background or a natural linen. And we were asked to start with squares anywhere from 2 to 6 inches, as Rachel plans to make a quilt with alot of negative space. Using Essex linen in Natural as the background, I started with 3" print squares, which became 6.5" blocks. These blocks were fun in that they are made as pairs. I am really fond of them!

It's MY month in the Modern Blocks Bee, and so far, I have 4 Binary blocks - 3 from bee members + my own. I'm loving how they are looking together!

1. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/betweenquilts/7553283238/in/pool-1793590@N20/">Block for Debbie</a>, 2. <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52241390@N06/7520377876/" title="Picture 684 by thehistoryquilter, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7520377876_2764c98333.jpg" width="500" height="479" alt="Picture 684"></a>">Picture 684</a>, 3. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoosiertoni/7455702184/in/pool-1793590@N20/">Binary Block</a>, 4. <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27780490@N05/7445758864/" title="Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee by flickrdeb50, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7445758864_d703e0e58f_o.jpg" width="1979" height="1896" alt="Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee"></a>">Binary - MY block in the Modern Blocks Bee</a>

So, all caught up with my bees, which is always a very good feeling!