Think Like an Artist

Without going into details that are unnecessary to share, let's just say that things have been tough behind the scenes the last couple of months. Beyond the normal day-to-day stresses has been a situation that sadly, has resulted in a farewell to one of my closest workmates, someone I have teamed with over the course of many years, a mentor of sorts, and a dear friend. One of the countless things I admire about him is his artistry. He is a graphic artist, as well as a poet and just generally a gifted wordsmith. It was his love of art that spoke to me and provided the vision for this quilt for him.



I began with shapes... improv shapes that I am so drawn to - stripes and crosses and crosshatches - encircling them all to create some structure, an element so key as an artist creates. I found Latifah Saafir's The Clammy 12" template indispensable once again in making the circle blocks.  Though I fully intended to 'fill' every circle with the shapes, it wasn't long before I realized a little went a long way.

As a nod to different forms of art, I chose a variety of fabrics with different textures.... quilter's cotton, Essex yarn-dyed linen-cotton blends, a Moda cross weave, and a lone Indah Batik. 



For quilting, Aurifil 50wt #2730 (Delft Blue) was an obvious pick, and I was more convinced the farther I quilted. Guided by Jacquie Gering's Walk, I chose a diagonal orange peel design, which began with a hera-marked 4" grid. After quilting that, I went back to quilt the curves unmarked, which meant the result was a tad organic, but suited me and the quilt just fine.



With a binding in Kona Prussian, the quilt finished at 60" x 72".

 

And so this quilt came together rather quickly so I can send my friend off in the best way I know how. Because at times like this.... there are no words.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Circles and Curves

While creating this month's Bee Sewcial blocks, I told you I tried my hand at my first six-minute circle. Ignore the cross in the block below, as that really has no part in this discussion, but you can see my perfectly imperfect circle. I took the advice of my bee-mates and went sans the freezer paper suggested in the tutorial, and it all worked out just fine. yay. If you haven't tried the technique, take six minutes (ok, maybe 15) and give it a try!

So then Stephanie/Spontaneous Threads goes and shares her own tutorial for sewing curves, and I asked if I could show a bit about it here, as it's too good to miss, and a companion of sorts to the above circle. When it boils right down to it, both technique are quite similar.

See those beautiful improvisational curves?

photo by Stephanie Ruyle; used by permission

Check out Stephanie's tutorial to learn all.

photo by Stephanie Ruyle; used by permission

It's always good to have techniques like these in your quilting 'toolbox', right? I've come to realize, no matter how long I've been quilting, there's still more to learn!