Tag: Pieced quilts

Flowers Will Bloom Again!

On Friday I posted about building the Bargello top for my guild challenge which is named “Flowers Will Bloom Again.

Yesterday we took a break as I celebrated my 14th Blogoversary!!!

Today, let’s get the quilting done on this challenge!!

The first step was to follow the ups and downs of the bargello and divide the quilt into three sections…..

Much like the design for the piecing, I wanted to make the darker, bottom portion really austere and then have it become more fun as it moved to the top.

So, I started with 1/2-inch spaced straight lines…….

In the next section, I kept the lines spaced at 1/2-inch but made them wiggly and used a black & white variegated thread….

I wasn’t super happy with how it looked when the white thread had to travel along the already stitched black thread…..

But I quickly fixed that using a Fabrico Marker…..

That looks so much better!!

In the next section, I decided to quilt vines (which are pretty hard to see)….

As I rose further into the “fun” section, I debated about which flower meander to use…..

Of course, the obvious answer was BOTH….

So, I combined the two designs. This photo is actually from the back but you can see better……

I outlined the flowers and added some details to the petals….

….and finished off with a paisley meander between the flowers…..

I had a leftover strata strip and, knowing that I would NEVER use it in another project, I added it to the back…..

Here is the finished quilt……

“Flowers Will Bloom Again”

It definitely reminds me that we have been through some hard times but that, in the end, the flowers will always bloom and life will be good!!!

Thanks for joining me on this bargello journey!!!

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In this blog, I post stories about creativity, techniques, tools of the trade, and lots more about the wonderful art of quilting. If you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to be notified of each new blog as it becomes available.

COVID Bargello

On Tuesday, I talked about how to sew and iron strips for use in a bargello quilt.

Today I want to backtrack and tell you about the design process for this quilt!!

My guild issued a challenge back in June for a Bargello quilt…..easy enough!! BUT, we had to make it remembering our feelings in March of 2020…..you remember those day days don’t you?

As I thought back, I remembered the feelings of inadequacy as I tried to help my clients figure out how to keep their businesses open. I was worried for them, my kids and their jobs, and my immuno-compromised husband!!

I WAS A MESS!!!!

I sat down with a drawing pad and started planning!! My original idea was to make a bunch of small bargello pieces and have them mixed together in one quilt…..

Then I thought about making one with only black, grey, white, and lime (puke) green…..

….or maybe make one and cut it up into pieces…..

The problem was this…..

Years ago I made a challenge quilt based on a “polka dot theme”. Since it kept being called the “poke-a-dot” challenge, I made this quilt……

“Pokka Dot….Win a Prize”

While it was a fun quilt, it has never hung on a wall. It just sits in my quilt closet!!

I didn’t want that to happen with this quilt. I wanted something that I could proudly hang on the wall and enjoy!!!

So it was back to the drawing board.

I thought back to the idea of using black fabrics and a small trickle of inspiration started to happen.

What if I start with black fabrics, and slowly move into bright colors??

I pulled out my 2.5-inch black strips…..

…..and started playing!!!

Maybe something like this……

….or maybe this…..

Before I started sewing, I decided that the bottom black fabric needed to be a thicker strip and I also wanted a LOT of the yellow/orange floral at the top.

The final strata looked like this…..

I saw that the black fabrics at the bottom were reminiscent of the early months of Covid. Then there was a happier time when the vaccine came out, but the Corona variant moved us back to black!! Then, earlier this year things started to get brighter……groups began meeting again, masks were removed and life started to return to normal. Now it is almost as if Covid didn’t happen!!!

So, the Strata is prepared……come back tomorrow for the slicing and sewing!!

Straight Strip Sets…..

Say that 3 times fast….. STRAIGHT…..STRIP…..SETS!!

Not only is it a tongue twister, but it can be an issue when you are creating a Bargello quilt…..

….and that is what I have been doing this past week. The quilt is due at tonight’s quilt guild meeting and, amazingly, I had it finished FOUR days ago. That is probably a record for me with Challenge Quilts!!

I will talk more about the design process on Thursday and thru the week, but today I wanted to show how I sew and iron my strip sets to ensure that they are even and that the seams are straight.

As I sewed, I put together this video to show you the process.

Be sure to come back on Thursday when I will talk about the design considerations in this Bargello Challenge!!

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In this blog, I post stories about creativity, techniques, tools of the trade, and lots more about the wonderful art of quilting. If you are enjoying these posts, please subscribe to be notified of each new blog as it becomes available.

A time for Thankfulness!!

Here in the US, it is Thanksgiving, and I have SO many things to be thankful for!!!

First of course is my family…..

…..my sweet husband of 45 years (Michael)…..

My son and daughter-in-law (Brian and Amber)…..

…and my daughter and son-in-law (Jenny & Kevin)……

And this year, we have an addition!! Presenting Archer James…..

He was born on November 6th and we are all besotted with him!!!

I am also thankful for all of you….the people who have encouraged me so much in the past 3 years!!

Finally, in case you haven’t already figured this out, I am thankful for the ability to be creative!!

This quilt was made a lot of years ago but hangs in my house EVERY November…..

It reminds me of where I have come from and where I am headed to!!!

Come back tomorrow and we will resume our tour of the International Quilt Festival!!

Only two colors…..

I am not usually a fan of two-color quilts. Sometimes I find them to be a bit boring, but these five quilts that were displayed at the International Quilt Festival were anything but boring!!!

Lynn Crimes presented this wonderful low-volume quilt…..

“A Neutral Score”

Let’s get a little closer on this one…..

She used improv piecing over BLACK batting. That is why the seams and quilting stand out so much!! VERY clever!!!

Connie Dyer Zafaris used a mixture of Charcoal and Silver to make this “Ripples” quilt….

“Ripples”

The quilting does an amazing job of highlighting the design!!!

This next quilt from Martha Ferguson is also enhanced by great free-motion quilting from Karen Kendo……

“Modern Chain”

Connie Dyer Zafiris also submitted my favorite of the two-color quilts……

“Fitting A Square Peg in a Round Hole”

Finally, this quilt from Hope Reed……

“The Preppy Illusion”

….is a great optical illusion quilt and the colors are perfect for the design!!

And of course….. now that I have looked closely at these two-color quilts, I am thinking that it might be fun to try one myself!! Isn’t that how it always goes!!

Come back tomorrow and we will look at some astounding landscape quilts!!!