spiky

Seems like lately, once I try a new improv technique or 'shape' if you will, I need to use it in multiple projects. It's a form of seeing what it can do I guess. At least it's certainly been that way with improv spikes. I discovered them early this year in Gwen Marston's Liberated Quiltmaking II and they brought my Improv Alliance all together, and were the starting off point with EverGreenery. Then I set them aside for months, in favor of improv stripes, but in the continuing effort to empty my scrap basket, I started in with them again.



And that's why you see so many different fabrics and colors in this quilt. There was some palette editing as I pulled and sewed scraps together, but not much. And the crazy mix was half the fun.



For the first time, I used Quilter's Dream Orient, "a luxurious blended batting of silk, bamboo, tencel, and cotton". I actually had won it at our guild retreat, and thankfully so. Donated by Sassafras Lane, it was the perfect size for this project (Craft size is 36" x 46"), and I'm admittedly not very exploritive in my batting choices. But I found the Dream Orient basted and quilted beautifully, was very soft, and had very little creasing.



I have a pin board where I keep oodles of machine quilting ideas, and it was there that I happened upon Radio Static from The Free Motion Quilting Project with Leah Day. You know free-motion isn't really my thing, but this design seemed perfect for the spikes, so I mustered up my courage and dug in. Perfect it's not, but overall a success I'd say. And, um, the texture is delightful.



After mulling over options, a faced binding really seemed the way to go, and I definitely don't regret that decision now that the 32" x 44" quilt is completed.



I took the finish to work yesterday to see if I could catch some photos on my lunch break while the light was good, and even though that didn't work out, one of my friends saw the quilt. I told her it was all made of scraps, and she said the darndest thing. "Creating this out of scraps must make you feel like you made something wonderful out of chaos." Exactly.

My only regret, and it's fairly inconsequential, is that I didn't keep going and make the quilt larger. I'm that fond of it. Then again, enough felt like enough, and I'm good with that.

This quilt was on my Q4 2017 Finish-A-Long list!

Improv Spikes

Smitten as I am with the improv spike blocks I've been working on, I figured it's high time to share a tutorial. So here's how I make them!

For me, it works well to cut the background pieces to approximately my finished size. Cutting the 'spike' fabric the same size isn't necessary, but doesn't hurt.

Lay the spike fabric on top of the background, right sides together. See top arrow, where spike fabric extends 1/4" past the background. Note the bottom arrow to make sure once you sew your 1/4" seam down the righthand-side of the spike fabric, that there is about 1/4" of the background fabric to the left of the spike.

Sew 1/4" seam along right side of spike fabric.

You can press the spike fabric to the right before or after trimming the background fabric underneath.

Once pressed, flip the piece over.

Lay a ruler over the background portion of the block, lining up so you can trim off the excess spike fabric.

Flip back over right-side up, and you've got a finished spike block!

If  you want your spikes to butt up against each other, trim to the left of the spike so the background extends just 1/4" further - like the red block below. I tend to trim most of my blocks but leave the random one untrimmed and if occasionally there isn't even 1/4" extra there, that's ok too.... just creates a fun mix.

So go explore and see if you don't enjoy improv spikes as much as I do!

EverGreenery

Frustration and fun all rolled into one! I shared a bit about my struggle coming up with a quilt design for the 2017 Pantone Quilt Challenge in my last post, but perseverance won out and I'm really pleased to present the result, EverGreenery!

I knew from the moment Pantone announced Greenery as the Color of the Year, I'd be incorporating it into my work. From early on, Kona Parrot was deemed a close match to the official Greenery swatch card, thus the start of my fabric pull. I used a mix of solids and prints on a low-volume background.

Improv spikes played a key role, and I filled in around them with improv hourglasses, diamonds, and stripes, basically made to order as I pieced the spike slabs together. Snuck in was a lone spike of Pink Flamingo, as well as spikes made from a discarded crazy-pieced block from another project.

Quilting was also improvisational with my walking foot, the majority done using Aurifil 50wt 2021 [Natural White], with a touch of both 1114 [Grass Green] and 2435 [Peachy Pink] for good measure. Admittedly some of the quilting designs might have been easier (less turning and rotating) done free-motion, but that wasn't the space I was in. On a project of this size (35" x 36"), it worked.

Kona Parrot was also used for the chunky binding (5/8" finished), and I like how it kind of keeps all that craziness under control.

So there you go! Dare I say, I'm delighted with the finish, so much so that I switched out the display rod in our dining room and hung it there. You know, so I can enjoy it to my heart's content.

Linking up "EverGreenery" (35" x 36")!

Links to previous year's Pantone Quilt Challenge quilts: 

Tangerine Tango, Emerald, Radiant Orchid, Marsala,  Rose Quartz + Serenity 

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!