Pink Flamingo En Masse

Thought you might like to see the latest giving quilt finish from the Seattle MQG, which was totally inspired by Pink Flamingo, the Kona Color of the Year! Swatches measuring 9″ x 11″ were given to all members interested in participating, and then they were asked to create 12 1/2″ improv blocks using the Pink Flamingo plus gray and/or white solids or prints that read as solids. Don't they do amazing improv?! I love that improv isn't a first language for many of them, but they gave it a go with terrific results.



I got the task of putting all the blocks together into a top, and arranged them roughly from light to dark. I kind of did the same thing with our "Fade to Black" last year, but I love the look! Then Pam/pamjcole quilted it with a wonderfully fun design that enhanced all that improv so nicely.

Matt/odditease used more Pink Flamingo to bind it, and the quilt finished at 72" x 72."



Dubbed "Doing the {Pink} Flamingo", we're going to enter this one in a couple of shows, and then eventually it will be donated to charity. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here!

Try It, You'll Like It!

The last week has been something else. Like full and stressful. And this morning I somehow ended up with half an hour free before I needed to head back to the rat-race, so I did what any creative might do... I distracted myself from reality and sewed for a bit. I'm not sure why, but Stephanie/Spontaneous Thread's "Inset Seaming" tutorial crossed my mind - something I'd been meaning to try for a long while.

Grabbing a couple of scraps like I did allowed me to try it quickly within my time-frame, and goodness, it was easy! The bit peeking through measures just 1/16"! Amazing.

So tonight, when I went to make my guild giving quilt block - Improv in Pink Flamingo - I decided to play with those inset seams again. I tried three sizes, 1/16", 1/8", and 1/4" and they all went together really nicely. Late as it was, I didn't really notice the shadowing that would occur with my white background. I actually kind of like it here, but it may just disqualify the inclusion of the block in our quilt, and for sure it's something to note in the future.

Anyway, discovering the secrets of inset seams was definitely the highlight of this day.

Linking up with Tips and Tutorials Tuesday.

ColorS of the Year

I very nearly forgot that I was up for Faith Circle's quilt plan this month. Seriously, about 5PM on January 31, just out of curiosity, I went to check the quilter schedule, and there was my name for February. Oops!

Some quick scanning of my Quilt Blocks Pinterest board led me to Jodi/Tales of Cloth's Squash Blossom block tutorial. And without much more thought than that, I also chose a palette focused on the Pantone Color of the Year, Greenery.

photo courtesy of Pantone

Here's my sample block, which I think is really striking in a finished quilt, and I can't wait to see it in a mix of greens!

I fully intend to explore Greenery more this year, but this is a start. I've heard rumors that a 2017 Pantone Quilt Challenge is in the works, hosted by Rebecca/@bryanhousequilts and Sarah/@nohatsquilts, so I'm watching for that.

And then there's the other Color of the Year - Kona's Pink Flamingo.

photo courtesy of Robert Kaufman

My guild Giving Committee co-host Louise/I'm Feelin' Crafty and I decided an improv quilt in Pink Flamingo would be a great way to start off a new year's giving quilt. Circa15 kindly gifted the guild with a generous supply of Pink Flamingo, and each participant will get a 9" x 11" piece at our next meeting, to mix with gray and white to create a 12 1/2" block of their own design. Doesn't that sound fun?

So I'm looking forward to using both of these colors - one (Greenery) which is right up my alley - and the other (Pink Flamingo) not quite. Do you have any plans to incorporate either in your creating this year?