The Tumbler Dilemma

By the time I'd decided to make my colorful tumbler blocks into a 'back,' I was pretty psyched to figure out what the 'front' would be. 

I'd already thrown the last three tumbler blocks in the trash, but went and retrieved one and decided to see what an improv courthouse steps would be like with the little block as a non-traditional center. Let's just say I was immediately in my groove, grabbing scraps from the pile on the floor to add in as I sewed along. THIS was fun.

I settled on a chunky angled grid for the quilting using Aurifil 50wt #2314 (Beige), a color that would work well enough for both sides of the quilt. (I still felt some loyalty to the side with all the tumblers, since so many folks on Instagram liked them - ha!) I actually quilted from the front, checking now and then that things were looking just as good on the back, and thankfully, they were.

So all ended well enough. The Tumbler Dilemma finished at about 18" square-ish and I'm happy with my decision to use the tumbler blocks, even though figuring out how took some twists and turns. 

So I'm already well into my next scrap project, still pretty motivated in my attempt at 50 Days of Scraps.

Check out #quiltingthecountdown and #aqt50daysofscraps to see more.

Single Shot

You guys, I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of the sweet little tumbler pre-cuts I found last weekend at Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop. After inadvertently beginning a series of tumbler quilts in recent months, I could not resist purchasing a couple of packs and sewing them up into a very traditional, albeit tiny, quilt.



If nothing less, the little diversion was just a really good reminder of where I've come from - basically, where we've all come from. There's no denying that no matter what my current style - or yours - it's all rooted in a time long ago. And venturing back now and then feels like a good way to carry on that connection, don't you think?

The little tumbler shapes finished at 1 1/8"(!) tall and even though the website says each pack of 60 shapes contain 2 of 30 different prints, I found 30 unique designs in each pack, and the two packs I used weren't even identical. So that variety was fun, and the quick little sew finished at 9" x 15". I couldn't resist naming it "Single Shot" as a nod to its kindred quilts. And with this one, I'm more sure than ever that it won't be the last.

Venti

For some reason, I fell out of love with this quilt the moment I started in on the quilting. Something just didn't feel right, as often is the case with curvy straight-line. I think it had something to do with the thread color I chose. With the variations in color in the quilt, nothing I had was the perfect choice - I even momentarily wondered if this is why Jill/Pie Lady Quilts often uses mono-filament thread for her value quilts. But I wasn't prepared to go there quite yet, so I forged ahead, and often throughout the process I doubted my action.



The quilt started with high hopes at our guild retreat last month. I had actually talked to Jill a bit about playing with value quilts, and she mentioned that Nancy Crow suggests using at least 7 different values in a quilt. Since I had a pretty generous stack of cool Cotton Supreme Solids, I actually chose 9 and then for a bit of contrast, some Kona Pink Flamingo. Again inspired by an actual Starbucks cup, I made my own template, and then was able to cut all the tumbler shapes to size with the help of the measurements on my cutting board. [Like this....]



I gotta say, tumbler quilts go together as quick as anything I know. This one measures 56" square, and piecing the top took just a few hours once the blocks were cut. Besides making the top at retreat, I also recruited my guild-mate's help in pattern-matching a backing. Matt/@odditease is obsessive about this technique, and gave me plenty of good tips.



So up to that point, I was super pleased with what I had going. And now that it's done, I'm happy enough with the quilting. I used two Aurifil 50wts - #2810 (Turquoise) and #5006 (Light Turquoise) - for the bulk of the quilting, and obviously they're perfectly fine in and of themselves. I think it was all those different shades of fabric that made me question my choices. On some blocks, the quilting is pretty much hidden, while in others it stands out alot. I really don't know what would have been a better choice, actually. And I'll just say that almost always with quilting such as this, I always doubt it until I really get into it. The denser it gets, the more I fall back in love with it. Oh, and I did quilt the pink blocks with matching thread in squarish spirals - #2435 (Peachy Pink) - and I really like that bit.



I didn't have enough of any of my solids for a binding, and scrappy didn't seem quite right. Fortunately, I found the perfect unidentified shot cotton in my stash. Blue, cross-woven with a dark green, it totally 'fit' with those greener blocks included in the quilt.



At some point, I'm pretty sure there will be another in what I am beginning to consider a series. With Double Tall Skinny Vanilla, and now Venti, I feel like there's more I want to explore, and the tumbler block is such a friendly one to partner with. Time will tell.



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

Double Tall Skinny Vanilla

The honest truth is that way before I dug through the scrap basket and pulled out all my brown scraps, before I cut the first tumbler block, before I knew that my hope for the perfect photo-shoot would be dashed, this quilt had a name. A brown quilt had been on my list for quite a while, and when one day I got the inclination to make a scrappy tumbler quilt (you know, in my quest to lower the level of those scraps all the way to the bottom of the basket) the two ideas merged, and the name Double Tall Skinny Vanilla percolated up and did not go away.

And when that happened, I got the notion that the photo-shoot just had to be at one of my neighborhood Starbucks, preferable with a barista showing the quilt off through the drive-through window. I even considered a few different store locations, and picked the one with the best-looking siding as a backdrop.  Only problem was, Starbucks didn't like my idea as much as I did. snif. 

So I settled for the parking lot, strange as that may be. Some days it's worth settling when blue sky and nicely planted community areas are involved, right?

In case you missed it, I posted a tutorial for scrappy tumblers earlier in the month. They are really easy to cut once you know what size you want. And they piece together so quickly and neatly.

I chose to lay out my tumblers in a gradient of sorts, letting one lone 'cup' stand out and receive some singular quilting. I found several brown and green prints in the scrap basket, and I thought they added a fun nod to my favorite espresso stand's signature color. Two coffee-colored threads were used for quilting - Aurifil 50wt #2372 (Dark Antique Gold) for the cup, in an angular spiral; and the remainder a steam-symbolic wavy straight-line in #2326 (Sand).

Using stash browns and greens, I pieced a back - not my favorite thing to do but I used up more fabric!

And I chose a binding that is kind of striking and keeps your eye moving, a yummy brown wonky grid from Echo by Lotta Jansdotter.

So things didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped as far as the photo-shoot went, but otherwise, I'm more than pleased that I finally made a brown quilt, and having been inspired by my favorite espresso beverage kept me pretty stoked to work on it. AND, the fact that this is my sixth scrappy quilt this year was a bonus. Bottom's up!

Finished size: 56" x 56"

This quilt was on my 2017 Q3 Finish-A-Long list!
Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Scrappy Tumblers

One of the scrappy projects I've started lately will be made of pretty much all of my brown scraps plus a few pulls from stash. I've had a brown quilt on my mental agenda for a while now, and suddenly, it needed to be made from tumbler blocks. I'm cutting my own and thought you might like to see how easy it is to cut them without a template or special ruler!

I eyeballed the size and shape I was after and began by cutting a fabric piece 4 1/2" wide by 6" tall. To create the tumbler, I found it worked well to place the rectangle exactly in the lower corner of the cutting mat along the axes and at the zero mark.



Place your acrylic ruler at the very top left corner so it also crosses the 1" mark on your cutting board. Cut along the ruler, trimming the left side off; discard. Similarly, place your ruler at the very top right corner so it also crosses the 3.5" mark on your cutting board. Cut along the ruler, trimming the right side off; discard.



Here's your tumbler block! See how easy that is? And if you'd like your tumbler shaped or sized differently than mine, just adjust your beginning rectangle.



Once you have your block design set, you can layer up your fabrics, cut multiples at a time, and start sewing!