Morning Make August 2020

At the start of the month I knew I needed something slow and meditative to start my days. Something that wasn’t pushing or pulling, something that could be interrupted, something pretty. I had a couple of ideas for doodles so just ran with that.

Really, that’s all these are: doodles. Playing with markers and sometimes a ruler, I doodled my way through the month. Some are intricate and detailed, many play with scale, and almost all are an experiment. Not once did I plan, sketch, or try an idea first. Like improv quilting for me, it was about making it work once I got started. It’s easy to see that some are more striking than others. You can’t win them all. Then again, it was all about the process, not the product. Just like improv quilting.

Speaking of fabric… As I posted these on IG daily I got quite a bit of feedback about turning them into fabric. Never was that my intention, but I can also see the potential. It could go a few ways and maybe that will be something I can play with if time allows or interest dictates.

I can say that this was one of my favourites of the year. It was so soothing to work on all of these. I could get lost in making the marks, filling the page, seeing the idea through to fill. And it was exactly what my mental health needed at the time.

So, if these were to develop into something like fabric, which ones do you like the best?

Sunny Day Stars

Sunny Day Stars

72” x 72”

This was one of the oldest quilts from the Quilts Under Construction list. I looked back and realized I started it in 2007! It began as a free Block of the Month called Celestial Migraine by Planet Patchwork. Shortly after the year it ran the whole thing disappeared. (Planet Patchwork also appears to be no more.) I think I made 3/12 blocks. I do remember that the final quilt was quite lovely in a seemingly random layout with a lot of negative space, mimicking stars in the night sky.

Over the years I would make another star block or two when I was craving some precision piecing. Lucky for me there are a tonne of traditional, free star block patterns. A few modern ones too. Then late last summer I got it in my head to actually finish this quilt. Well, at least the top! So I set out to make stars.

Each star block is repeated 3 times, for a total of 12 different star patterns. Each one, however, has a different combination of fabrics. Orange, gold, green, grey, beige, and white. In truth, it is a rather spring coloured quilt. But I finished the top during a September snow storm and finished the whole thing in the summer thunder storms. Still all about the sunshine!

It was a lot of fun to play with fabric on this quilt. Some stars pop, others recede. By playing with the contrast between the stars and the background, or the different components of the design I could change the entire look. The key was making sure not one star was too bossy.

The quilt back started with the scraps from making the last of the stars. Little bits and leftover triangles sewn together for fun. I used that as the centre and raided my stash for the rest. That large floral just happens to go with the first stars I made years ago. All of them are from a collection by Heather Bailly. The rest was just stuff I had around to make it work.

Quilting inspiration came from Dara Tomasson and her book, Walk, Jog, Run. She shared a ribbon quilting pattern - essentially a large meander that you echo to look like a ribbon. It was perfect for this. I quilted the whole thing in a peach Aurifil 50W.

I won’t lie, I wanted a green binding. Alas, there was not enough of the right greens in my stash and these are Covid times. No in person shopping. Then I found the grey and white stripe hiding on the cutting table. Perfection!

This quilt is already in it’s new home. As I was finishing the quilt top last fall I decided it would eventually go to a friend of mine. I wanted to spoil her with something just for her. Giving quilty gifts is the best!

So Many Exclamation Points!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

This absolutely sums up my life right now. Summer break from school does not make for easier times in these Covid days. Nor does owning your own businesses. One block, one step, one more day at home, one mask, one walk in the forest at a time.

I’ve made a lot of Exclamation Point blocks in the past few months, a good form of therapy for sure. You can make your own too.

For the record, this is not a posed photo… he came in and did a number of poses as I was trying to capture this potential lay out for a quilt.

Morning Make - May 2020

At the end of April my son decided to learn how to sew All. By. Himself. He made 2.5 quilt blocks, they were awesome. He told me he wanted making a quilt big enough to wrap around himself. He also said he wanted to start the day with sewing, like me. So rather than have any machine work on the go in the mornings I made May Morning Make about hand stitching so I could be available for him. And he hasn’t sewn a stitch since!

I, however, got a quilt top finished in May with that hand stitching. One applique shape at a time.

The background fabric was a single piece of linen I picked up in California years ago. It was intended for a different applique project, but things change! I liked that it was a single piece of fabric, as opposed to something I had to sew together. It also constrained the project in a good way. As for the other fabric choices, I simply went into my solids bin and picked mostly based on size. And ability to match with thread I already had in the house. The green and the periwinkle came first then I chose a yellow to have some pops.

It was absolutely coincidence that I had the spool of Aurifil 80W that matched this vintage mystery fabric in periwinkle. But using it made me want this thread in ALL. THE. COLOURS. for any future applique work.

Other than having a general idea of a collage, I started and progressed with no real plan. It looked quite questionable at the beginning, I won’t lie. But halfway through the month I could see the vision come to life. Every couple of days I cut a few shapes out fabrics. Some general shapes are repeated, but never measured to be the same. By cutting a few at a time I could have a bit of control over the distribution of colour. Then each morning I would pick a shape that motivated me or looked good that day and stitch it on.

While it’s been a while since I did any applique, I stuck with my tried and true basting technique. I didn’t invent it, but I will certainly sing its worth.

The original influence came from the collage and painting work of Lisa Congdon as well as the watercolour marks made through Lisa Solomon. That being said, when I was flipping through old sketchbooks I came across an image I made seven years ago that could definitely also be an influence.

One of the most difficult parts of an applique project for me is then deciding how to quilt it. A part of me worries about ruining the applique with quilting. Or questions whether I should highlight the applique or ignore the specific construction. Needless to say, this quilt top will sit for a bit while I figure it out more.

We’re halfway through June and I decided to put the needles down entirely for Morning Make. And my son still hasn’t sewn anymore himself.