Baconrific

Where the idea of bacon emerged as a prompt for Bee Sewcial, I have no idea. But once I thought of it, I couldn't let it go. A food-related item seemed to 'fit' for A Quilter's Table, and well.... bacon.

In The Bacon Consideration, I gathered photos of both actual and superficial bacon, offering it up to my bee-mates as inspiration. As far as palette, I suggested solids such as Kona Brick, Brown, Mocha, Chestnut, Spice, Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Caramel. If a 'background' or more neutral element was needed, I asked for off-white or natural, not white-white. Linen, shot-cotton, leather, or any other texturally-interesting substrates were most welcome. Note that when I told the group to feel free to use a mix of 'fabrics', I didn’t expect them to embrace that so strongly. They included velvet, shot cotton, linen, raw silk, hand dyed cotton, suede, quilter’s cotton, and even fuzzy selvages! 

Here are all the blocks up on the design wall, ready for the gaps to be filled in, always the trickiest part of a quilt like this.

I really liked the mix of blocks - some quite literal with their curves and all. Some much more impressionistic, like the middle block of "bacon bits." But one thing that this circle-loving group wasn't inspired to make was circles! And it came to me that the quilt needed some pancetta blocks.

I added three to the quilt, and have heard from both fans and detractors, but for better or worse, they're in there to stay. [Watch for a tutorial for this kind of layered circle block later this week.]



For quilting, I chose four bacon-imbued thread colors, Aurifil 50wt 1103 (burgandy), 2000 (beige), 2155 (cinnamon), and 2350 (copper), stitching in wavy lines across the quilt to echo that bacon essence.

The quilt, measuring 56" x 64", was finished with a faced binding, which is my favorite method for more 'artsy' quilts like this.



And then the big question loomed - where to go for a photo shoot?

Yes, the local meat market was the obvious choice! So how many of you have stood at the meat counter to pay for your bacon and steak, and posed the question, "I made a quilt inspired by bacon, so would it be ok if I took photos of it in front of your store?" Yeah. 

Much credit goes to the hubby who snagged that empty parking spot while a car was waiting to pull in, so I could get my photos!

Even more difficult than coming up with a photoshoot location was deciding on a name for this truly bacon-inspired quilt. I kept coming back to what grandgirl told me when she saw it in progress weeks ago - "It's baconrific, grammy!" And so it shall be. [Though honestly, hubby has miscalled it "baconstein" more than once, and I'm fond of that too!] 

Lastly, many thanks to Leanne, Marci, Felicity, Karen, Kari, Stephanie, Hillary, Anne, and M-R
for embracing my quirky yet distinctive prompt and working their improv magic. I for one enjoyed it immensely!

This quilt was on my Q4 FAL2016 list! Linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

W.i.P. on the Wall

I'm sooo close to batting a thousand with my Q3 Finish-A-Long list, but I think my last w.i.p. is going to take too long. It's my latest Bee Sewcial quilt that's on the design wall right now. All the blocks are here, and I've come up with a basic arrangement I like. Now comes the challenge of not only making filler blocks but also fitting it all together.

I decided to take a look at The Bacon Consideration pin board I'd offered the group as inspiration, and was struck that maybe a pancetta block or two would be a nice addition. So I set out to make one, heavily influenced by a quilt I remembered by from the blue chair. And I loved it.

So I made a couple more and stepped back for a bit.

When I got back to it, I managed a 'bacon bits' filler block (upper left), and relocated one of the pancetta blocks. My original thought was to surround the curves with a background and square it off to meet up with the strip bacon blocks. Luckily daughter dear was over and asked, "can't you just fit the pancetta into the other block?" Duh. Of course I could. [fingers crossed]

Well I managed it, so now, roughly speaking, the upper right quadrant is pieced together. So I'm getting there, but it's challenging me, which means slow-going. But so far so good!

The Bacon Consideration

My Bee Sewcial gals may disown me, as I just might have gone off the deep end when it comes to my inspiration for this month. But gee, we've had nature and design elements, minimal color and maximum, even music. But in 18 months of being together, there's been no mention of food. Well I'm changing that and calling all of my bee-mates to the table, where the central prompt this month is ..... drumroll ..... BACON.



Yup. You heard me. And if that's not enough, the palette will consist of colors such as Kona solids Brick, Brown, Mocha, Chestnut, Spice, Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Caramel, though all solid fabrics are welcome. If a 'background' or more neutral element is needed, I'm asking for off-white or natural, not white-white. Linen, shot-cotton, leather, or any other texturally-interesting substrates are most welcome.

I'm requesting any size square or rectangular blocks, as long as two opposite sides equal 12.5" unfinished, all adding up to the equivalent of 2 - 12" finished blocks. I'd prefer no applique of any kind. Ruler-free piecing is encouraged but not mandatory, except for the final squaring up.

For those of you who would like to join in via the #inspiredbybeesewcial hashtag, please do not feel the need to take this prompt literal to the extreme! Be inspired by bacon. If your creations do not specifically look like bacon, that is ok! And yes, I've created a whole bacon-inspired pin board, but have chosen not to make inspiration blocks this time. I'm just really curious to see where this prompt takes folks.

So have fun creating with this unconventional theme as we wake up and smell the bacon!

Tuesday at the Table

It wasn't really a competition. Which is a good thing, as we are bacon-loving people, and we pretty much devour it all. But when the traditional Coffee & Brown Sugar Bacon came to the table on Christmas Morning, it had company.

We had given son-in-law a smoker last Christmas, and since we'd missed his smoked turkey at Thanksgiving, I think he was making it up to us by curing and smoking some Christmas bacon. Oh yeah, he's handy to have around, and let's just add that we enjoy his edible experiments.

So in the photo, the coffee bacon is on the left, the home-smoked on the right. They obviously are quite different, but both deemed very very good. Really, what's more to say than that?