Park Quilt Blocks Done and Resting Together

Over two years worth of hand applique. Not the only hand work I did in that time, but definitely the bulk of it. Maybe it should be a relief that it is over, but there is some sadness there too. It's been such a constant companion in that time. Coming with me on trips, to pools, while watching shows, on quiet Sunday mornings. Forever forcing me to slow down, to be silent. A welcome respite from the frenetic energy of improv piecing, deadlines, and household chaos. 

All that being said, it won't be getting quilted anytime soon! Mostly because I haven't a clue how I want to quilt it. The quilt top needs some time to rest and I need time to think on it.

The whole thing started for two reasons. One, I was teaching a couple of hand applique classes and Carolyn Friedlander's pattern is a perfect lesson. With her permission I used the block. The other starting point was a bundle of fabric I gave to Lysa Flower to paint years ago. She asked for a bundle of my favourite fabrics. Many of those fabrics are in this quilt and the originals inspired the rest of the fabric selection. 

It was a lot of fun to pick different combinations of fabric for the blocks. Some times I went for really high contrast, others for almost none. The pattern combinations are shocking to many, but I love each and every one.  I was able to use some of my new Tag fabrics with some old treasures.

I really do need to think on the quilting so I can do the whole quilt proper justice. It's okay, I'm not going anywhere and neither is this quilt.

Another Improv Applique Project

Precuts are quickly becoming my favourite go-to for Improv Applique.

My current project combines a charm pack of Robert Kaufman Kona solids and a mini charm pack I made up with my own Tag fabric. Both were lying around the sewing room, collecting dust. I needed some mindless hand sewing and did not have anything prepped. 

That's my favourite thing about Improv Applique, there is no detailed prep required. Grab some fabric, cut a shape, and go. As long as you have supplies handy it is an instantaneous project. 

All I did, in this case, was snip a corner off the mini charms prior to basting them to the solids. Just for a slightly different shape. My daughter says they remind her of the shape of Alberta, our Province. She's right, albeit squared off a bit. 

Like all improv projects I start, I have no idea where this will end up. I am quite enjoying the black and white with the solids. It may stay small, I may not do any more, or I could make this something entirely differently. Who knows? What I do know for sure is that it is a fun little project for on the go.

For any local, or relatively local, folks I am teaching Improv Applique at My Sewing Room May 30, 6-9 pm.

Why Not? - Improv Applique with Boundless Fabrics and Big Stitch Quilting

Why Not?

22 1/2'' x 22 1/2''

An experiment. A lot of play. Something worth trying.

That's really how I started out on this quilt. I had a bundle of Craftsy's Boundless Fabrics and an idea in my head. That idea quickly became an obsession. Then another obsession with the hand quilting. Ask my family. "Still working on that quilt?" was a common question this past summer.

Now the quilt, with a technique tutorial, is in the latest issue of Modern Patchwork. The article includes a primer on how I do applique and an exploration of play. And bonus, it includes technique for the hand quilting. 

This won't be the last time I do improv applique or hand quilt. A beast was unleashed with this quilt!

For the quilting I used many variegated threads from Valdani. They are gorgeous hand dyed Perle cotton that I picked up at my local quilt shop. I could have bought all the colours, I settled for all the variegated and the coordinating colours for the wedges. I definitely need to do more hand quilting because that was quite the obsessive investment! Pretty sure that won't be a problem.

To learn more about what I did, check out the Winter 2017 Modern Patchwork. Oh, and check out that binding! A perfect discovery in my stash of an old Anna Maria Horner print, the one that looked like a stack of books, framed the finished piece. 

First Time English Paper Piecing

I've been quilting for 18 years. I know this because the first quilt I ever made was for my nephew and he turned 18 last week. In all that time I have never, not even once, tried English Paper Piecing. Long a technique I've admired but never touched. Part of the reason is that the time, the perceived tedium, the end result of the projects made from it.

Until the last few years I was not down with slowing down when it came to sewing. Any kind of handwork is not fast. That's rather the point. And the reason I turned and walked in the opposite direction of anything but hand finishing a binding. Now that I've converted to hand work - applique and stitching - I am ready to face the time it takes to tackle an EPP project.

It's a good thing I can face that now because it is tedious. Well, the prep is. Once you have your pattern pieces and your fabric cut it moves swiftly. That is, it feels like you make progress swiftly. It took me longer to prep 4 blocks than it did to make 1.

And frankly, I had never come across an EPP project I was dying to make. There are absolutely gorgeous projects out there. Stunning examples of workmanship, fabric love, and detail. I am happy to look at those quilts all day long. It doesn't mean I want to make them though. I was waiting until the right quilt idea grabbed me. 

Then it did.

It is a bit of a cliche to be inspired by a tile floor when you are a quilter, but there it is. On the threshold of a tiny natural foods cafe in a tiny Australian country town. The second I saw it I fell in love. Snapped a pic, and yes, posted it to IG. As we sat - three quilters - for breakfast and debated whether this would be better as an EPP, a foundation paper pieced, or even just a pieced with templates pattern a beautiful crafter back home felt so inspired and made an EPP block. By the time I'd found WiFi again she'd already posted it! That answered the debate for me. 

Fast forward a few months and I decided to tackle it for myself. The idea had never left my head, constantly egging me on. Try it, I double dog dare you! It appealed, beyond the graphic nature, because it wasn't the predictable. I felt like I could improvise with the fabric, having fun while still slowing down. 

So I pulled out Diane Gilleland's incredible book, All Points Patchwork. It is the ultimate resource on EPP. She focuses on technique, answering why you do something a certain way, and setting you up to really do any kind of EPP pattern. I'd read it before and remembered most of the advice, but it was a great resource to pull out to help me prep.

Two blocks down. I've made some mistakes, for sure. The obvious one is that I didn't reverse the pattern. I drew it out in Illustrator so I could print out the pieces on scrap paper (leftover turkey crafts in this case). Somewhere in Diane's book, because it is there, I missed the note about reversing the pattern. In this case that isn't a big deal, but still. Although, I will probably reverse it if I decide to make an actual quilt. That's just the way I see it in my head.

My first block is quite loose in the whip stitch. Now I know. 

It also won't lay all that flat. I wonder if I stretched things out or if that is normal?

Finally, these are 3'' finished blocks. I chose this size to maximize the number I could fit on a sheet. But oy, that's a bit small. It is going to take a lot to get to where I probably want to go. So I think I will size them up to 4''. Just enough to make a bit of a difference.

Now, I just wonder how I will fit this in to the handwork rotation between needleturn applique and stitching?