Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2013...Just made it!

After a crazy week of sewing in between working and very little sleep, I finally finished my entry for the ROYGBIV quilt. I am so happy to share it with you!

Back in August the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild hosted two days of workshops with Jacquie Gering. Although I could not make the first day's session, I was so excited to attend her Stitch and Flip class that Saturday. I brought my favorite Kona solids (mostly scraps but a few FQs) and a gun-metal gray background color to create my project. Since I love a good rainbow, I knew I was going to incorporate as many colors as I could in this piece.

I started with 3.5 inch squares and 6.5 x 3.5 inch rectangles in my gray background color. I added a colored scrap in the corner and just started sewing. I didn't have an exact design in mind yet so I just carried on until I ran out of cut gray blocks.

 After sewing and trimming each block, I went to the design wall to see what I had so far. As I tried to connect the colors, they started to naturally form this organic line that slanted down at a fun angle. I then came up with the idea of this ribbon of colors that will swirl across the quilt.

Jacquie was such a great teacher and shared so many of her tips that day. She mentioned that she had never seen squares and rectangles together in a class and was looking forward to the end result. She even spent some time in the back helping me connect this swirl by reminding me that triangles are needed a the end to bring a line around to the next row. 

Before we left, she signed books and took photos with us. It was such a fun day!

The class ended way too quickly but I left so inspired to create this piece when I came home. I placed my pieces on my "design dining room table" since I don't have an available wall at home. I had lots of gaps here and there that needed to be filled. I also had to decide where a row would end and which colors would connect. I set out the next day to make triangle corners to bring the lines together.

This design became the final draft and I set to work piecing this top.

I took one row at a time and worked from top to bottom. 

 I spent some time working to make sure the rows were in the correct placement so I didn't lose the design or have to pick out any stitches! I was relieved when the blocks were done and I reached this point.

 Sewing the rows together was pretty easy after that! I place pins in every other row to press them in opposite directions. This made for perfectly nested seams that were a breeze to sew together.

 After weeks of searching for the right fabric to make the back panel, I was lucky enough to find what I was looking for last weekend. "Rose Windows" by Samarra Khaja (Timeless Treasures) looks like tiny pieces of a stained-glass window. It has 18 different colors and was exactly what this quilted needed on the back to emphasize the design on the front. I added a matching gray border around this gorgeous fabric to make it the same size as the front.

Now, the hard part was basting and quilting this huge thing. I spent a long time lining up the front panel with the center of the back square. I spray basted and also use safety pins so it would not move too much. I used thin masking tape to start a diagonal line in the middle and rolled it up from both ends.

I don't know that I will attempt more quilting on the diagonal any time soon. I have to find a much larger machine that will allow my "rolled burrito" to easily move about the throat space. (The Baby Lock Melody sewing machine looks like it would work better than what I currently own!)

After two days of coaxing this beast through my machine, I really loved how the quilting turned out and set to work last night to finish the binding. The rainbow strips I cut a few days ago did not really match this final project so I decided that a simple black binding would frame this quilt much better.

So here you have my final design:

I call it Rainbow Ribbon because it reminds me of a gymnasts twirling ribbons from the floor exercises. This is a gift for someone very special!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Category: ROYGBIV Quilt

Quilt measurements: 64 x 46

Quilt materials: Kona solids in various colors and gray, "Rose Windows" by Samarra Khaja (Timeless Treasures) for backing fabric, cotton batting, Gutermann thread (Color 116)

Thank you for reading this post. I hope it inspires you to be creative!

The Gift of Time - Day 24

Today, I was able to spend a little time with family and not worry about work. My friend covered for a little bit and I could walk away for a while.

I was also given more time to complete the next Skillbuilder BOM that are missing. (It was supposed to be released today but was postponed until next week.) I have just a few left to finish and am happy about the chance to get more done this weekend.

Here's the next one I've finished:

A Rainbow in Phoenix

I had a few minutes to start gluing the foundations for the last two blocks. Both are applique blocks so I have some work ahead of me this weekend.

Rainbow Liberty Floral?
Yes, I think I will.

I love getting extra time to be with family and quilt. This week is ending nicely.
Hope you had a great day!

Thankful! - Day 17

I am so very thankful for a lot in my life. I know I was pretty grumpy this week because of work but when I sit and really think about all that I have in this life I can stand back and appreciate my blessings.

My Love:
The love of my life gives me the space and time to be creative. I always hear praise for a completed project and suggestions to improve a piece when I am stuck.  My love is a math genius and a spatial relations guru that I use to help me when I can't quite make my math-challenged brain find a solution to a problem. After almost 13 years, I am still in awe of how lucky I am.

My Home:
I love the home I have in Florida. The space is perfect for the two of us. We have decorated it with colorful walls and lots of art. It's also filled with great memories. I have a whole room in the house (our former guest room) to be as messy as I want when I am sewing.

It's two blocks from an amazing lake front and park. I love how easy it is to soak in nature for a bit and take our dog out for her walks. (She doesn't love it as much now that she's getting older and is mostly blind, but we make her go anyway.) Our neighborhood is quiet for the most part and it's our place to call home.

My favorite view of Lake Monroe on my morning walk.

My Art:
Sewing, quilting, drawing. I love it all. It helps soothes me when I feel insane and allows me to be creative when I feel stuck after a crazy day of work. I am making more of an effort to be creative each day. Whether it's doodling in a notebook or breaking out the cutting tools, fabric and sewing machine, I do find solace each day in doing something that's just for fun.
After complaining in a previous post about feeling stuck on a project, I decided to put it away and make something colorful. Here's a quilt top that I started last night to break out of my doldrums. It was a simple and easy way to make a rainbow happen this week.

You:
I am thankful that you are reading this post right now. I appreciate your time and wish you a great weekend filled with fun and creativity.

Thanks! - Day 10

I am thankful for this crazy, insane job that I mostly love. It allows me to work from home and gives me the flexibility that I need to complete all of the things I need to do each day.

Today was really stressful and I just wanted to put out into the universe a little bit of my gratitude for all the blessings I've been given.

I loved my walk on the lakefront and
enjoyed the glorious weather we've been given this week.

Wishing you a happy Friday!

Thank you, OMQG! - Day 3

Gratitude

My New Year's resolution was to seek community. I've quilted in isolation for 12 years and wanted to meet others like me who were passionate about fabric and art.  

So I started searching for groups that met in the area. There were a few groups that seemed to follow a more traditional aesthetic which was not my style. I happened upon the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild's page and was lucky enough to be able to attend the first meeting in January. It felt like home. Everyone there was immediately welcoming and so appreciative of each other's craft. I found my people at last!

Over the last few months, I've attended monthly meetings and weekend sew days which inspire me to create more and challenge myself. I am so thankful for each of them. 

A Special Thanks to Marge!

Yesterday, the OMQG met and brought in our Halloween blocks. I really wanted to win them to make a special quilt for my godson this Christmas. He loves all things Halloween from vampires to witches to werewolves. At our table, just before the BOM lottery, Marge offered me the blocks if she won in exchange for another set of blocks I might win in the future. How generous is that?

When her name was called, we both cheered because her win meant I won, too. She gave me her blocks and I still can't stop smiling about it. 

Later, we were given a mystery bag filled with holiday fabric and patterns. We could choose to swap items and get to mingle more at the end of the meeting. At one point, they started giving me their Halloween fabric and orange fabric bags to help me complete my quilt. 

Halloween Good Bags

I have the best guildmates ever! Their friendship means more to me than they will ever know.

Thank you!