Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Here's the latest Charity project I've made to donate through my Guild (Empire Quilters Guild in NYC). The fabrics were all donated to the Guild and these fabrics seemed to want to go together. This is called Romantic Florals, Old and New.  photo P1090350_zpse871b3f0.jpg The center panel is composed of a group of 6 1/2” squares which I cut by rotary cutter and candlelight, after Hurricane Sandy. In my apartment which had no heat, nor electricity and I’d come home from work and find it was still early, maybe 7- 8:00 PM. So since I wasn’t going to bed that early, what to do? Listening to the transistor radio, I started looking at these fabrics and seeing how well they all went together. So I cut a few squares of each of several floral prints. Over the weekends when I was able to be home during the day, I starting playing around with the resultant 25 squares and changing their arrangement.  photo P1090351_zps0a0c6989.jpg Here are some shots of it on my own King sized bed which. I wanted to show the whole thing, on a bed.  photo P1090345_zps173449f5.jpg When I heard at the Guild that larger sized quilts were needed, large than lap sized, I decided to grow this quilt larger and began making a border comprised of blocks made from 1/2 square triangles and 1/4 square triangles to surround the center panel. Added some corner squares for good measure. From another angle:  photo P1090346_zps10d0958c.jpg Then to grow it further I added another couple of rows, top and bottom using a setting of Roman Rail. After speaking with several of the more experienced Quilters in my Guild, on the Service Committee, I'd learned some recommended bed quilt sizes and suggested border sizes. Then consulted with them further on setting more corner squares.  photo P1090344_zps6f5c376c.jpg I've donated this top asking that it be long-arm quilted (rather than tied); I hope to post pictures of it when complete.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

The next quilt was made at a Class called The Big Quilt, featuring fabrics with those large repeat design motifs (often Asian themed) and showing one way to work with them. The Class was held at my Local Quilt Shop. This particular fabric captivated me because I thought it such a beautiful floral print, but unusually executed in this coloration of brown and gray. I couldn't imagine how I'd work with it, until I saw this wonderful peach colored print that would be the perfect accompaniment.  photo P1070972.jpg Here's the Quilt  photo P1070971.jpg One of the corners for the detail  photo P1070973.jpg Then I decided to be a bit playful on the back, I'd try piecing several different fabrics. My Mother was a weaver and taught me to weave when I was a child. As I worked on piecing this backing, it began to resemble warp stripes, the (sometimes) patterned yarns on a loom during a weaving.  photo P1070975.jpg One of these prints is of coffee beans and so I titled this backing, Coffee Mocha Warp Stripes.  photo P1070977.jpg