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It’s my month in the Common Threads VQB. Yay!
I have had this photo in my inspiration file for a long time, & I’ve lost the source. If any of you know where it came from, please tell me so I can take this one down & link to the original. I am asking my friends to make blocks in the style of the blocks in this quilt, but with the negative space reversed (blue backgrounds & white strips, with blue around the edges). Hopefully there will be some tiny pops of other colors too.
I can’t wait to see what my creative friends make!
***EDIT: The inspiration quilt was made by none other than Ingrid Press. But of course. 
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This quilt has existed in my mind, & as a stack of fabric, for months (ever since I made these for Carissa). Over this past weekend, it very quickly became a quilt. It needed to be finished by today to present to my son’s kindy teacher, on their last school day together.
She is a true book-lover, so I used the “Book Club” design from Modern Quilt Workshop. The shelf heights & widths needed to be adjusted a bit to come out to the finished size I wanted (about 60″x75″). The sketch is pretty lame, but I really only did it to gauge if my updated measurements would still created a well-proportioned design. Originally, I planned to eliminate the tilted books, but I am so glad I went ahead with them. It sends a much clearer “bookshelf” vibe with the tilted books! The back includes a signature/note/drawing from each child in the class.
I was concerned about using a pattern, but it was not as painful as I imagined. It’s actually instructions rather than a true pattern – no templates, just measurements, & lots of leeway with the arrangement of the books.
As always, you can click on any picture to see it larger.
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I am making a quilt for a sweet friend of mine, & have settled on this stack of fabrics (mostly Good Folks. Now I am debating on a design, & it’s between this and this.
What’s your vote, and why?
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So my mojo problem seems to have resolved itself – with a vengeance. I have more ideas than I have the time (or knowledge) to complete. I’m gonna have to do a “finishing” marathon next week to get these tops turned into real quilts!
My book is full of sketches now; however, this particular quilt is actually not from a sketch. I am acutely aware that I am 1+ years behind on the hexagon bandwagon. These have been my hexagon thoughts over the last many months:
* Giant hexagons look neat
* Half-hexagons do not appeal to me
* Small, precise pieces (like small hexagons) are not something I can do well
* Hand sewing does not appeal to me right now (although I have done lots of it in my life & I’m pretty good at it if I do say so myself)
So I just discovered (duh!) that hexagons can be pieced by machine!? I found a few tutorials (here & here) & I am ready to tackle it. I cut out a bunch of hexagons yesterday, with a lot of Park Slope fabrics. It took me a long time arranging & re-arranging them to get a layout I liked, originally with patterned partial hexagons all around the edges. It just wasn’t working for me, & I wasn’t sure why. They sat on my living room floor mocking me all day while I tried to think of a solution. Alternating white or solid hexagons? Well, it’s hard to alternate with hexagons, & I wanted all the prints right up against each other. Wonkify it somehow? Couldn’t work that out in my mind either. I have this sickness where I need my quilts to have a little punch, just some little thing that makes it more unique. Honestly, I struggle with the patience to figure things out at this stage, which is why I usually do sketches to work out these problems before I even start my project.
As I was drifting off to sleep the thought came to me. White edges. That’s it. I’ll be attempting to stitch it together today. When it’s done I’ll post details & measurements to make one yourself!
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I’ve had lots of questions about my spelling abilities, so I’ll just clarify now that the pronunciation of robot (ROW-but) comes from a local radio DJ where I live.
I have multiple personalities when it comes to quilting fabric. I rarely use novelty prints in my quilts. However, I just can’t resist buying some of the cool, modern ones! So I have a good little collection, but I rarely use them for quilts – instead I tend to use them on cute little accessories & such. However, since my boys love robots AND rockets so much, I almost had no choice but to make a quilt with these fabrics. I chose to make it with random squares & rectangles, inspired by this pattern.
I came across this quilt stitch a while back, & filed it away for future use. I thought it would be perfect for this quilt, but I couldn’t get it done without puckers. Rats! So instead I used this “cloudy” design, which I also like a lot. It is bound in solid blue, & is about 60″ x 75″. After steady use for the last few weeks (naps, backyard, the park), it’s softening up nicely.
As always, you can click on the thumbnails to see larger photos.
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I’ve lost my quilting mojo, so I’ve been avoiding sewing altogether. Today I decided enough is enough, & cleaned out my sewing area, reorganizing my boxes & prioritizing projects. I have quilting bee blocks to finish (three months behind), new quilts to make for family, kids, teacher, & friends, AND a box full of QIPs. Today I pulled these four pieces out of that box.
These pieces are more than a year old, & the original plan, as well as plan B, are not going to happen. But the pieces are large, & the colors are pretty. So, my plan is to throw them all together (somehow) into a baby/toddler quilt & donate it to the hospital.
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The huz & I took a trip to San Francisco this month, & while there, I was able to visit the Amish Abstractions exhibit at the de Young Museum. It was amazing.
If you can get there, I highly recommend it. It was fascinating to see the quilts up close & notice the interesting details. For example, they all have machine-stitched bindings without mitered corners; a separate strip of binding was stitched on to each side. The huz also bought me the book while we were there (since photography was not allowed), & it has great pictures, as well as lots of interesting information about the Amish community & their relationship to quilts. I have very few quilt books, because I prefer inspiration over actual patterns. This one will definitely be a favorite.
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I have had these cute David Walker fabrics for a while now. My husband works in robotics, so I’m sure you can guess that robots are extremely popular with my little boys. I finally decided to cut into them & make a big play quilt. The design is loosely based on Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson Designs. I didn’t actually use the pattern (I have ADD when it comes to patterns) – but it was definitely the inspiration for these random blocks made from squares & rectangles.
I’m planning to try out a new quilt stitch design on this one. Wish me luck!
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