Sunday, September 24, 2017

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Bend, don't Break

For my second entry into the Fall 2017 edition of Blogger's Quilt Festival,  I present to you "Bend, don't Break".  See previous post for my first entry and links to past years at the bottom.  If you're looking to Link Up your 2017 Q3 Finishes, scroll to the post just before this one!

Bend, don't Break 62"62"
Bend, Don’t Break was inspired by the layering of building featured in the spark image and the visual depth they give to one another.   

 For me, being flexible in design and construction is key and also a good reminder in life.  Rather than use a predetermined line on a ruler or specific degree for the angles,  I chose what felt right and simply built from there.
Quilting detail
I was incredibly honored to have my quilt juried into QuiltCon East and displayed as part of a Special Exhibit February 2017  in Savannah GA - look closely and you can see the picture taken by Michelle Wilke that the QDAD members used as inspiration.

QDAD@Qcon 2017 Special Exhibit
This quilt was a personal challenge because my go to in the past has been Scrappy Maximalist Improv and I rarely set out to create a literal interpretation of a design.   Not to label myself but I've broadened out to Graphic Minimalism.  In this case I really wanted to bring my #QDAD2Reality so that it was easily recognizable.

Digital mock up
I printed with the digital design I had created using Inkscape, (a free software program) and included the grid for reference.  My first shot at it was way too small a scale - clearing quilt math is not my forte.
Stash Pull
Proof of my scrappy tendency is the initial stash pull.  There was quite a lot of prospective fabrics in the challenge color palette.  I did end up with a few quick trips to my LQS Hart's taking advantage of their wall of solids when I ran short.
Design Wall progress
Auditioning what goes where as the quilt evolved was a fun part of the process.  The same exact fabric looked lighter or darker depending on what was next to it.  A trick of the eye made decisions even more fun.  

Precision Piecing 
Pinning the sheet of paper to the design wall for quick reference while I contemplated the task at hand was a great hint that I'd read about on IG and I hope I'll remember to do again.


The back of the quilt also made me happy to make. Here you can see it flipped and shown for scale next to my other entry,  the mini "Break".
Longarming It
This post would not be complete without a shout out to my generous quilty friend Pat who let me free motion quilt it on her long arm.  The FMQ pattern is an overall organic doodle that has sort of become signature style on just about everything since.  It wasn't really planned and just came out when I started stitching.

It was a little (a lot) intimidating but the spirit of encouragement and "going for it" that is at the core of the group.  Above you can see a mosaic that was posted on Instagram.  The lower left "Note to Self" was featured in the MQG Quilt of the Month exhibit.

I'm beaming with pride having three of my quilts in the show and having contributed blocks to two collaborative quilts made by my incredibly talented #beesewcial mates Hillary Goodwin entropyalwayswins The Story of Us and Stephanie Ruyle spontaniousthreads Direction Optional that took 1st place in the Group Bee category.  Don't you've the way I'm pointing to them Vanna White style?!

Encouraging Original Design


My local MQG proposed a design challenge for our guild members to create based on a photo spark, a similar idea to what the QDAD group does so I shared the process I had used along with several other designs that I had considered (and may someday still make).

Looking over the 2016 Finishes I really love the variety of what I've been making.  Bend, don't Break was definitely a stand out for my personal creative growth.  Seven were original designs, One a QAL with an original layout and the oldest WIP in the bunch a traditional pattern from a book (instert shocked face here)


Pin swapping was not nearly as active in Savannah like it had been in Austin and Pasadena the previous QuiltCons but I do like commemorating the event with a little token.  I made several to exchange and this was one.  


It was fantastic to meet in real life a few of the QDADers and love this group picture - you can see a peak of my quilt in the background on the right. Fun Stuff!
Some of the QDADers at QCon
My Previous Blogger's Quilt Festival Entries: 

Fall 2015
CastlesIn The Sand – Original Design
Perspective – Small Quilt

Spring 2015
Goats Askew - Original Design 
IG Mini - Mini 

Fall 2014
Look Who's Walking - Small Quilt

Spring 2014
Giant X-Plus  - Scrappy
Rip Tide - ROYGBIV

Fall 2013
Tassels - Group/Bee

Fall 2012
Old Italian Block - Scrap/ROYGBIV/Bed

Spring 2012

Catalyst (aka Mod Mosaic) - my first time to participate 


A chance to share a special quilt and the story behind it is much appreciated, so that you Amy's Creative Side. You can see all the link ups HERE.
Posted by at 4 comments:

2017 FAL Q3 Finishes - Time to Link Up




It might be hard to believe but we have made it to the end of the third quarter of the 2017 FAL and it's time to link up your Q3 finishes!

The 2017 FAL has a community of bloggers across the world jointly hosting the FAL. Our hosts are:
  • Sarah - Sew me - Northern Ireland
  Before you link up, let's give a huge thank you to our fantastic sponsors:  

For the 2017 FAL, we continue tutorial week. Here is the schedule of fantastic tutorials, so you can visit them all:

The 2017 Q3 link for your finishes is now open below on my blog and on each of the hosting blogs - you only need to link on one blog for your finish to appear on each blog. Link-up "rules":


  • Add one link for each finish. If you want to link a round up post of all your finishes, use that link to enter one of your finishes and then link the rest of your finishes separately. Please, only one link per finish, as your link is an entry into the randomly drawn prize draws.

  • Please ensure that the photo or blog post you link up contains a link or reference back to your original list so that we can verify your entry (make sure it is from the appropriate quarter). Feel free to and tag your photos #2017FALQ3yourname (substitute your name), this makes it easier for us to match your finishes with your lists.

  • Please become part of the FAL community. Please check out the links of others and comment. We all need encouragement so let's applaud each other. The 2017 FAL Facebook page is here and follow us on Instagram @finishalong. 

  • Our hosts will also link their finishes to share in the community, but they are not eligible for any of the prizes.

The Q3 Finishes link will stay open from now thru September 30 at 11 pm EST - link up your finishes early and if you have a last minute one, add that one later so you don't miss out. The prizes will be awarded as soon as we can verify all the entries and do the drawings. We will post the winners on each hosts' blog.

And don't forget to start making your Q4 lists as the Q4 list link opens on October 1.

Posted by at No comments:

Friday, September 22, 2017

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Multi-Color Improv Abstraction

Multi-Color Improv Abstraction
Slicing out a chunk of time to blog has become even more rare these days but Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival is certainly worth it.  Visit her blog HERE to discover all about the 2017 Fall Edition.  Looking back at past entries gets me all sentimental and I love re-reading them like a time warp. I've included links to each one at the bottom of the page so you can do the same. 



Previous Festival Entries
I've been participating in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival since Spring of 2012 and made this mosaic showcasing previous entries for a quick visual.  She has started mixed things up with a super fun Instagram version #IGQuiltFest and I've enjoyed posting those prompts as well.  Another change to the format is the simplification of categories on the link up.

Original Design

Choosing which project to write about is always tough.  I've chosen to share my Multi-Color ImprovAbstraction quilt because I love how different it is from the graphic Two-Color versions (above).   No surprise that my granddaughter influenced things - she often does.  
Art Gallery Pure Elements solids is so soft and yummy to work with.  Because you can literally "feel the difference"  I like to use it exclusively and not mix in other brands.
Art Gallery Pure Elements Solids
Here are a couple of the pulls that I considered. Obviously from the end result you can see I changed my choices along the way.   The one stand out color - dark royal blue - made for the focal point fabric.
Art Gallery Pure Elements Solids
"Playing with Parts" is a step in the process that not only I enjoy but was really entertaining to share with her too. She's got a good eye! 
My Little Helper
Endless possibilities, but limited amount of time is key for me.  Here's a glimpse of auditioning how the bridging bar joins these components - emphasizing the orange notch very boldly or the subtle option in yellow below. 
Auditioning Bridge Components 
Auditioning Bridge Components 
For the most part, I kept things simple for puzzling the layout with bars and notches in relatively uniform widths rather than introduce more curved shapes as seen in the Two-Color versions that came before. There is a lot going on with the scrappiness and I felt it would distract.
The Perfect Backing
Having the most perfect backing in my stash brings on a smile - can you relate?  For the binding I kept with solids and used two that were slightly off in color than those in the quilt.

One last favorite photo that I shared on IG.  It was taken pinned to the curtain giving a stained glass look to the flimsy.  It's especially interesting because it outlines the blending of the shapes and breaks down construction.

This quilt is on my 2017Q3 FAL goal list and is the second item done.  The linky party for that will open soon so be sure to check back.  To learn more about it and see the full schedule, check out the Finish-A-Long tab at the top of my blog.

And more pictures from her ballet recital - just because :)



My Previous Blogger's Quilt Festival Entries: 

Fall 2015
CastlesIn The Sand – Original Design
Perspective – Small Quilt

Spring 2015
Goats Askew - Original Design 
IG Mini - Mini 

Fall 2014
Look Who's Walking - Small Quilt

Spring 2014
Giant X-Plus  - Scrappy
Rip Tide - ROYGBIV

Fall 2013
Tassels - Group/Bee

Fall 2012
Old Italian Block - Scrap/ROYGBIV/Bed

Spring 2012
Catalyst (aka Mod Mosaic) - my first time to participate 

Thank you Amy for another great festival and opportunity to discover new bloggers and to all of the generous sponsors too!  



Posted by at 8 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)