Traveling West

 At this moment I am in Salt Lake City, Utah for International Quilt Festival. I am sure there will be lots of great quilt photos to share when I get home. 

If you are at this Show, stop in the Education Office and say "hi"! The show is open to the public, the dates are July 21-23, 2022. Find out all the information you need right here: International Quilt Festival Salt Lake City

Here is my Neutral quilt, under construction: 

There will be a pieced border all around, still being made. 

I am working with neutrals as a challenge to myself. Bright colors or 1800's reproductions are my usual go-to. It isn't easy working with "low volume" fabrics--the current word for NEUTRALS. But it's growing on me. 

Perhaps I will see a neutral quilt or two in Salt Lake City for inspiration.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PROGRESS ON PROJECTS

 I've been working on a several projects at the same time, my typical process. 

Whenever I teach Antique Rose Star by Machine, I come home eager to make more blocks myself. I have Kite templates in various sizes: 1.5", 2", 2.375", 3", 4" and 5". It was time to make one BIG block with the 5" Kite, as a table topper and as a visual when teaching. It took very little time to make this:

Front  34" across the middle

Back

These would make great gifts--I received one as a gift made from a 4" kite but always have to remember to take it when teaching. This one can live in my teaching bag for this class. 

No binding or batting--I used a fabric as the "inner layer" to provide a little stability. Finishing was the "pillow" method--layer top/back right sides together, put inner layer on the bottom, sew all around the outer edge, leaving a 3-4" opening to turn right side out. Slipstitch the opening closed then some minor straight line quilting and it's done!

Garden Party Down Under is more than half way done for 2022, the Block of the Month for www.thequiltshow.com. I love my complete quilt made last year to test the pattern, with help from the wonderful Sunday Sew and Sews. 

This year I am making parts to have visuals for demos and the LIVE broadcasts I do for The Quilt Show. I didn't want to make a second complete large quilt this year. So far, I have two wallhanging tops made. This most recent one uses blocks from Months 3-7:

50" square

Earlier, I decided Months 1 and 2 make a perfectly good wallhanging so this top is also done:

38" square

Eventually, I'll prepare backs and batting for both of these and quilt them.

Then there's the Neutral Quilt I've been working on. I wrote about this twice recently, find out more HERE  My first blocks were darker than I expected so I made four more, somewhat lighter, and will place them in the middle:

All the fabrics for the remaining 8 blocks are cut out and waiting. I sew a couple of these in between doing other things. It shouldn't take long to make those 8 blocks but I'm getting busy and will travel to Salt Lake City and Long Beach in this next month. So this will have to wait.

The newest start is getting all my extra attention now. It's a gift for a man who said his favorite color is blue. The pattern is from thimblesandneedles, an Australian designer. Patterns are available on Etsy:

Not all the parts are there yet but all the pieces are cut and ready to be used as Leaders/Enders while I work on other things. My plan is to push hard on this in the next two weeks so the top is done before I go to International Quilt Festival in Salt Lake City. Having it on the wall now makes it easier to work on it as time is available. I am debating whether the perimeter triangles will be various blues or various whites. I'm leaning toward blue.

What are you working on? 

Let's quilt.

Barbara

More Neutrals

 I am still playing with a Neutrals quilt, using Disappearing Patchwork blocks. Previous posts about this project can be found here:

Disappearing Patchwork --there are several layouts in this post and I asked for opinions

A Neutral Quilt

Two more Disappearing Patchwork blocks have been made--lighter overall this time. The first blocks I made have a few darker fabrics--they have been moved to the four corners. This layout will be 16 blocks, each is 13" square:

Two other Disappearing blocks were made a month ago. I thought I could use them as alternate blocks. BUT they are not the same size. The pinwheel blocks are 13" finished, these are 12.5":

It would take some playing with numbers to see if I can make this one 13" finished without having to use wacky measurements. When I get more of the pinwheel blocks done, I will play with that task.

The other day, someone made the comment that she probably couldn't make a whole quilt from neutrals--as she would be screaming for COLOR. 

I get that. Here is the other ongoing project I am deep into--plenty of color:

This is a small wallhanging from Garden Party Down Under--I still have to complete four corner blocks that are applique and finish sewing the lower left block in place. That has to wait until after July 1 when I do a LIVE video for The Quilt Show featuring that block. It is easier to show just the block under the camera. The Diamond borders are the same style as the original quilt but are smaller. There are also "Floater borders" to add that will make the Diamond borders fit the center perfectly.

I didn't see the need to make a second complete GPDU but I have all the parts I am making this year for the Blog posts, Videos and LIVE videos. Assembling them into smaller wallhangings makes it more likely they will get finished some day.

Here is the other wallhanging, Months 1 and 2:

Back to making Disappearing Pinwheel Patchwork blocks.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Disappearing Patchwork

 I am still working on a Neutral quilt design. What I want to use is a block created with the "disappearing patchwork" process. What I like about this is you don't really get to plan where each fabric will go--how you rearrange the blocks once they are cut up and sewn back together will determine which fabrics go where.

Here are a few ideas I have worked up in EQ8. Let me know if any of them appeal. They are in my favorite order, at this moment.

1. Four Disappearing Pinwheel blocks in the center. A variety of pieced borders surround the center. They can be changed to any blocks you like for those pieced borders. Floater borders make everything fit perfectly:

2. Two different Disappearing Patchwork blocks, set off with sashing. The outer pieced border is fast to make and the four corner blocks can be anything you like: 

3. Sixteen Disappearing Pinwheel blocks which can be turned many different ways. A simple pieced border of pinwheels and quarter square triangles frame the quilt:

4.  Two different Disappearing Patchwork blocks, set off with sashing. A simple border is made more interesting with your choice of corner blocks: 

So far I  have made 4 Disappearing Pinwheel blocks. They can be arranged in at least two different ways. My favorite:

The other arrangement, which has potential, especially if using just this block--I like the strong diagonal line created by the pinwheels:

Working with NEUTRAL fabrics is not my usual style. The whole idea for me with this quilt is to try something different. Overall, they look darker than I envisioned--I have a tendency to still choose Light, Medium and Dark Values of all the fabrics. 

Here is what it might look like with lighter value fabrics:

I won't proceed until I have a design I really like. Can't say I am there yet. 

Your thoughts are welcome!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

A NEUTRAL QUILT

 Ever since Alex Anderson talked about Neutral quilts, almost two years ago, I have been thinking about making one. I have her book om Neutral Quilts and it helped me look at fabrics in a new way.

My plan was to use a variety of "Disappearing" Blocks---nine patches and four patches--to create a type of sampler quilt with all neutral fabrics. 

The problem? Getting the overall block sizes the same. The more you cut up larger squares to create the pieced blocks, the more seam allowances so the math is different for each block.

Here are the first two blocks BUT they are not the same size:

When working with neutrals, you still need CONTRAST. Remember, color gets all the credit, but contrast does all the work. Just a few of my working pile of neutrals:

Since most quilters are drawn first to color, with a neutral quilt the design is all important. You have to LOVE the design. 

Here are a couple of the ideas I was working on:

 Since neither thrills me, I'll go back to the drawing board and start over.

Stay tuned...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Something Old, Something New

 Recently, I taught Smitten to several students at a local shop. I love teaching this quilt and loved making my own. The class sample:

A student who was in a class several years ago, made this beauty--shown here in my guild quilt show, a few weeks ago. Leigh did a wonderful job with her palette of soft fabrics:

Leigh's stunning Smitten

The Smitten printed pattern is no longer available anywhere that I could find. BUT the designer now has a downloadable PDF for sale and it is much better than the old printed pattern. Find it here: SunspellShop

Here is a bit of the students' work from the recent class:

Amanda and her blocks

Mazie's blocks

Terri's block

Laura's blocks

Linda's blocks

Holly’ blocks

Mary-Louise sent me this photo a few days after class. She said "I was determined Y-seams would not be the boss of me! Now I can do them." As I tell students--it's not HARD, it's just not FAST:

Next up for me is a Neutral Quilt--a new class sample that will feature a variety of Disappearing Nine and Four Patch blocks. The quilt can be made in any range of colors you prefer. I've been wanting to make a neutral quilt for a while so now is the time:

And these two AdventureLand quilts are almost finished. I saw the pattern on Instagram and bought the PDF pattern, find it here: Suzy Quilts. The pattern includes Twin and Double/Queen sizes also:

baby sizes, 40" square, Adventures by the Sea

Throw size 60' square--Adventure in Kaffe Land 

What are you working on? Do you prefer to finish a project before starting a new one? Not me, I have many in various stages of completion.

Let's quilt.

Barbara