AHIQ Jan 2018

NEW CHALLENGE

I'm excited about the latest AHIQ challenge.  I sort of, no actually did fall off the wagon on the last challenge.  I could not find a way to include lettering that would make me happy with the result.  

This top was as far as I went.  To me it represents the idea of gentrification of neighborhoods, when old homes are refurbished or replaced and the real estate prices jump way up.  Then the existing families  may find themselves unable to afford the higher rents and are forced to move out.

However, since this was not a large quilt, more likely a wall hanging or child's quilt, I didn't feel a politically charged label was appropriate.  So it will end up being about wonky houses and improv blocks.

When I  saw the latest challenge of varied scale I remembered a few orphan blocks.  I dug them out and found a good number of blocks in different sizes with the same colors.

So these are what I'm going o work with for a start.

I've never done a quilt project in red, white and blue, so I might as well begin now.  

Thank you, Kaja and Ann,  for making Ad Hoc Improv Quilts a place where we can get encouragement to do what inspires us.  

Please have a look at Ad Hoc Improv Quilts doings at  Kaya's blog,  Sew Slowly, or Ann's blog, Fret Not Yourself. 

RSC 18 week 2

2017 FAVORITES

Having seen so many year end reviews by my quilting friends, I went through my own pics to choose my five top favorites.   This includes only totally finished quilts, which leaves out some of my most popular ones, still in the works.  

Of course, this post allows me to delay showing my latest projects, which amount to very little at the moment.  If I really get going I may be able to fill in the last two Saturdays this month.  I'm doing the Scrap Attack, which is a fun way for me to have workable monthly goals.  I've never done anything about goal setting before, so I expect to make a good dent in my UFOs.

Number five is my first Ad Hoc Improv Quilt challenge piece.  This was using Chinese coins in an improv way.  I added extra components, including a rising sun and orange bits of light representing sprouting seeds.  A number of the strips were pieced horizontally also, to break up the straight lines in the dark earth.  I call it Seeds of Hope.

In fourth place I chose a Color Works pattern, using a collection of fat eighths which were getting dusty.  I called it Type Face because of its colorful variety of typewriter keys of all sizes.  I sent the top to Kat for her Covered In Love charity.  She had it quilted by her generous friends in Texas, and the chaplain of the hospital where she works presented it to a grieving family.  

Number three is what started out as a crayon quilt.  I pieced all the rows but didn't get around to making the points.  So it was easier to make a rainbow, another Project Linus piece.  

My choice for second place is the set of 16-patch blocks from RSC16.  Yes another Rainbow.  In my stash I found a bright banana print and added corner 9-patches to make it a good size.  I backed it with  a monkey print fleece.  I hated giving it up, but some child is enjoying it now.

My number one for 2017 was a super easy choice, my Summer quilt for my own bed.  I had collected a group of Kaffe Fassett precuts and used them to make large blocks.  I had it longarmed by a member of my guild, Monona Quilters.  I'm so happy with it, and it has turned out to be warm enough to use year round.  

Looking back, it was a good year for my quilting output.  I really enjoy doing charity quilts now that my family has been supplied.  I loved seeing so many truly special quilts that so many of you have made.  It's like an ongoing quilt show each week.  I know that 2018 is going to be an even better year for all of us.  

I'll be waiting to see what everyone has done at

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

and

katandcatquilts.blogspot.comCovered In Love

RSC17 week 17

TWO TOPS DONE

TOP ONE:  I finished piecing my Summer quilt and showed it at the Monona Quilters meeting on Monday.  Some of the folks there had never seen a Kaffe Fassett quilt before.  It is 82 X 90 inches, so the entire top could not be in the photo, but everyone got an eyeful.

On Tuesday my friend Sue came over to pick it up and help me choose a quilting design.  I chose one with open circular swirls including some leaves and feathers.  The backing is light blue and white, so that should show the quilting very well. It should be finished by the end of May.  

TOP TWO:  I had some free time this week and wanted to work on a UFO.  I found my RSC16 16-patch blocks, which had been pieced with some added blocks to make 16.  That was last November.  But it was too small for a small child quilt. It needed 6 inches added all around to make it about 44 inches square.  

When I dug into the hidden areas of my stash I discovered a fleece blanket and some coordinating fabric. Monkeys and bananas, a combination only a child or a quilter could love.

There was enough fabric to do four side pieces of 6 inches, but not the corners.  What better corners than some 9-patch blocks! I whipped the whole thing together in no time.

Wow!  Another super bright flimsy waiting to be backed and finished for Project Linus.  I was even in time on Thursday to link up a post with Ad Hoc Improv Quilts for Kaya at Sew Slowly.  It really was improvised, not at all planned ahead.  

I hope you all had a good stitching week and know that this month of multicolored fabrics was a fun 

learning experience, as it was for me.  Thank you, Angela.

See what all the colorful scrappy fun is about this week at 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

RSC17 week 13

A TIP AND A FINISH

I finished my red projects last week, but I had a major finish to keep me busy this week.  However, before I forget, here's a tip I've been meaning to pass on.  Free sturdy storage containers.

These a just a few of the handy free containers I've saved from recycling to use for my quilting storage.  Left to right, a fresh strawberry container holding short strips,  a Rubbermaid square (not really free, but a nice tight lid).  This holds all my open basting pins, because I use the larger ones.  Third is a donut hole box which is the perfect size for my rolls of thread.  The last is a food container used for neutral 4-patches, which I may use someday. 

So don't throw out those plastic food containers.  They are great quilting containers and FREE!

I'm also including my latest Summer quilt blocks.  These feature two of the beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabrics sent by Cynthia of Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework.

Isn't this the most gorgeous teal and blue fabric?  This is going to be a corner block on my quilt.

This HOT number will have to claim a center spot on the quilt.

THE REVEAL:  I entered the quarterly Ad Hoc Improv Quilts challenge run by Ann of Fret Not Yourself and Kaja at Sew Slowly.  Several years ago I was inspired to make a wall hanging symbolizing Hope.  When their challenge was Chinese coins pattern I made a number of false starts and then remembered  Hope.  So my project became Seeds of Hope, buried deep in rich soil and waiting to sprout toward the sunlight.  

I found all the dark scraps I could and included the bright patches to repellent the life in the seeds.  The sun was attached with Modge Podge on a scrap of old tie dye for sky.  I used Grunge fabric strips for their earthiness.   It measures about 16 X 30 inches.

The backing came from my stash, showing the flowers that bloomed.  It also became the binding.

The quilting was done freehand,with my walking foot.  It represents God' life force moving in the seeds.  

The border is a very rough idea of vines or leaves.

Here is a good view of the overall quilting.

After a rough week and a rush to finish this, I'm really looking forward to April for the new RSC17 color and the new AHIQ challenge.

Wishing all of you a lovely springtime.

See what all the colorful scrappy fun is about this week at 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

AHIQ Challenge finish

LAST MINUTE FINISH

THE REVEAL:  I entered the quarterly Ad Hoc Improv Quilts challenge run by Ann of Fret Not Yourself and Kaja at Sew Slowly.  Several years ago I was inspired to make a wall hanging symbolizing Hope.  When their challenge was Chinese coins pattern I made a number of false starts and then remembered  Hope.  So my project became Seeds of Hope, buried deep in rich soil and waiting to sprout toward the sunlight.  

I found all the dark scraps I could and included the bright patches to repellent the life in the seeds.  The sun was attached with Modge Podge on a scrap of old tie dye for sky.  I used Grunge fabric strips for their earthiness.   It measures about 16 X 30 inches.  

The backing came from my stash, showing the flowers that bloomed.  It also became the binding.

The quilting was done freehand,with my walking foot.  It represents God' life force moving in the seeds.  

The border is a very rough idea of vines or leaves.

Here is a good view of the overall quilting.

After a rough week and a rush to finish this, I'm really looking forward to April and the new AHIQ challenge from Kaya.

Wishing all of you a lovely springtime.

I'm very happy to be linking up with Ad Hoc Improv Quilter at Ann's blog, Fret Not Yourself.  Please check out the fascinating things shared there by really talented people.

Ad Hoc Improv Quilts, 1/23

PLAY OF LIGHT:  Three wall hangings done in 1990, based on a block from a photo in a Michael James book.  It was just a photo, but I liked the assymetry and feeling of motion.  I used many fabrics such as velvet, tie dye and ribbons.  I machine quilted all of them in the ditch due to the variety of fabrics.

FIRELIGHT:  I was inspired to make this first wall hanging to use a piece of tie dyed fabric in warm shades.  I made it back in the late 60's when the kids were little.  Two other friends would show up, all of us with toddlers, and turn the back yard into an art studio for tie dye, batik, silk screening or whatever.

    The warm colors in the piece developed into the idea of a campfire at night.  I learned so much about color, using purples, teal, but no black or dull tones for the darkness.

 

The piece I began with is the slanting one in the center, with pinks and yellows.  I added small bits of satin for the sheen, plaids and dark purple velvet.  It does convey the image of sparks flying up into the darkness.

MOONLIGHT:  How do you convey moonlight?  By its reflection on water, snow, etc.  This is how I interpreted a snow scene at night, with shiny and sparkling fabrics in contrast to the deep purples and blues.  I never used black or grey in these quilts.  Even shadows are seen as color. There is a small bit of white satin to represent the moon.

SUNLIGHT:  This was a challenge to convey sunlight streaming down through the forest.  I tested and eliminated any greyed colors, using only true hues. For the leaves I found an pieces from an old 1960's silk sheath dress for $1.  Again I used Thai silk, velvets and added yellow ribbons for the rays of the sun. Purple was used in the shadows because it is the complement of yellow.  

I learned a great deal about color by doing these wall hangings and they are one of my favorite series.   It helped me to have the block structure to work within so that nothing was random, but chosen for its particular shape and placement.  

I'm very happy to be linking up with Ad Hoc Improv Quilter at Fret Not Yourself.  Please check out the fascinating things shared there.