Progress – but still no name!

May 26, 2015May 26, 2015Leave a comment

What a weekend it’s been! My daughter had her first dance recital. We had family visiting that I hadn’t seen in more than fifteen years. Central Texas is getting more rain than we’ve had in the last several decades (I think at one point I overheard someone say, “The ark should be coming any moment now.” Ha!)

But rainy weather seems to call for a few things –
1. Naps
2. Reading
3. Quilting

We had some stressful events in the last couple of days, though they were nothing that a little nap, some yummy gluten free biscuits, and working on my quilt couldn’t soothe.

So here’s a little peak into the construction phase of The-Quilt-Yet-to-Be-Named.

Still up on the design wall.

Four of the five columns sewn with the background fabric.

Fishes – Inspired by Jonathan Adler

May 19, 2015May 26, 20151 Comment

I’m not a huge Jonathan Adler fan but I find some of the prints and designs he has created are whimsical and fun. My Nook cover is a Jonathan Adler design and it’s just begging to be made into a quilt. I thought I’d draw up a mock-up of a small (14″ x 18″) “Fishes” mini quilt. This would make a lovely wall piece in a child’s bedroom or any room, really.

Insomniac designing

May 18, 2015May 26, 2015Leave a comment

Once I get a thought into my head, it is so hard to quiet it. A drawing (in Inkscape. BTW, if you don’t have Inkscape, get it. It’s an open source illustrator application that is almost as robust as Adobe Illustrator but without the major money commitment.) of a flying geese quilt inspired by Season Evan’s Migration.

Modern Flying Geese

May 17, 2015May 19, 2015Leave a comment

It always starts with fabric that catches your eye, doesn’t it? At least in my case it does. I almost never have a quilt plan in place before I look for fabric. It’s usually the other way around.

Yesterday, I had a chance to attend a sewing in with my local modern quilt guild. It’s exactly like it sounds: a bunch of quilters getting together at a fabric shop or some other location (this time it was at one of my favorite shops in my area) to sew and chat and get inspired and have a good time.

I brought a garish black/red/gray project with me that is, thankful, been scrapped. However, having the opportunity to be at one of my favorite shops, I had to buy something, right? Of course! Ha!

I picked up seven fat quarters from Art Gallery Fabrics Prism Elements line: Warm Thulite, Apricot Sunstone, Solar Quartz, Pagoda Gem, Larimar Sea, Matte Zirconia, and Sapphire Sparkle. You can see them here at Art Gallery Fabric’s website. I had no idea what to do with them when I got them home, but inspiration strikes at all hours, doesn’t it?

I’ve been working with precuts (i.e. charm packs, layer cakes, jelly rolls….mmmmm jelly rolls…) so having a handful of bright fat quarters usually makes me a little nervous.

After the kids were put to bed and my Saturday shows were watched and mulled over, I thought I’d get a little Pinterest inspiration and looking up “modern flying geese.” There were so many ideas! At about 1AM, I came up with this:

It’s roughly a throw size quilt, about 54″ x 72″. That’s the maximum size I can comfortable quilt with my home machine and since I don’t have a long arm, it will have to do. The design is not entirely original as there are many quilters who have showcased similar set-ups, but I think it is a fresh arrangement on a classic block. By the way, if you’re new to making flying geese, check out Fons and Porters no-waste flying geese tutorial on YouTube.

Today, I’ve worked most of the morning on getting my geese cut out. I used a cheapy Keepsake Calico Corners printer in Textured Tonal Gray from Joann Fabrics (got to love coupons!)

I think the gray texture gives a little more dimension in a flat solid gray. It really does look amazing next to the prints. All that’s left on today’s quilt docket is to finish sewing, cutting, and pressing the geese. Tomorrow I’m hoping to cut the rest of the background and assemble. Stay tuned!