Sunday, October 27, 2013

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Group/Bee Quilts

My Group/Bee Quilts entry for Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side Fall 2013

TASSELS

friends+fabric = a modern stash bee 


When I discovered online bees and swaps I was overwhelmed by the possibilities - I had NO IDEA such things existed!  The wonderful ladies in friends+fabric=a modern stash bee (f+f=amsb) invited me to join my first ever year long 12 member group and Tassels is the lovely result.

The Photo Shoot - Showing off Tassels

This quilt was special and deserved more than the classic front porch shot.  It had been a long time coming and was going to be ALL MINE!   These pictures are from a sunny day in Corralitos with friends -it was fun posing and staging.  Trying to capture both the light and dark portions was tough.


The Tutorial

My very first tutorial was definitely a challenge because I tend to change my mind along the way and this was no exception. The test block had a center star instead of two tassels - the same four segments just oriented differently.  I tried my best and was pleased to have pushed to try something new and my bee mates were so supportive.    
original orientation of the parts created a center star

The Assembly

Although I love my own stash - it was really fabulous to see what arrived in the mail.  Blue has such a wide range of shades and I was going for a specific gradient look transitioning with the yellow to mustard tassels.  My bee mates did not disappoint.  The pops of pink and red scattered throughout that I had not originally envisioned add a bit of whimsy. 
Blocks on the Design Wall 
The blocks had been sitting taunting me since they arrived so I brought them to our first SBAMQG Retreat to sew together.  It was a big hit and playing name that Modern Fabric Designer "I Spy" entertaining.
I realized that it was a bit too tall and skinny so I ended up unstitching the bottom row and adding a column to one side.  This also helped balance the flow from light to dark. 

The Backing and Quilting

Orchids hold a sentimental place in my heart because they remind me of my dad.  The Art Gallery fabric for the backing played along well with a dark scrappy narrow strip and light chunky section.  
piecing the backing
Choosing the thread color and design was tricky because of the range of colors. I opted for a random geometeric FMQ using a medium blue.
pin basting
FQM details

The Inspiration and Specs

Tassels was inspired by my Crush Quilt that I made using Cheryl Malkowski's Dancing Twilight pattern.  Although it does look quite similar,  I used a different technique to create the blocks and changed the proportion for the 12.5"x12.5" bee block. 

Started April 2012 and Finished February 2013
Finished Size: 61"x 73" (although I must say it feels BIGGER!)
Pieced and quilted by me on my BabyLock Symphony
Aurifil 50 and 40 thread
Natural Bamboo Batting
Friends+Fabric=A Modern Stash Bee

9 comments:

  1. This is a beauty! Thanks for sharing it again!

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  2. Gorgeous! I love the funky shapes and the gradient...

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  3. I love this quilt, the stars are beautiful and all those different blue fabrics are wonderful. It is so nice to see it in the festival.

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  4. This is so pretty! I love the ombre effect with the blue background squares. Just perfect!

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  5. Beautiful! I love hearing the process of how a quilt evolves.

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  6. This is a beautiful quilt! I love the way you have made the colours flow from the darker lower corner towards the light upper corner. Even with the many different fabrics, the end result is very harmonious.

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  7. This is gorgeous! Love the block.

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