Art with Fabric Blog Hop :: A Study in Triangles

I was delighted to be accepted into this round of the Art with Fabric blog hop, especially as I had to pull out last time.  Thank you very much to Alida, at Tweety Loves Quilting, who hosts this event and has inspired me into making my first 'art quilt' ... although truth be told it does look remarkably like a modern quilt!!  The theme this round was 'Women'.

Back in March when perusing my IG feed I saw this image from Jenny at Papper, Sax, Sten and immediately needed to know more about the artist that had inspired her.  Enter Kels O'Sullivan, an Australian artitst whose work I was taken with immediately.

In her own words:

Kels O’Sullivan is an emerging artist with a background in design and illustration. Living and working at Encounter Bay, SA, her natural coastal surroundings of the Fleurieu Peninsula are a constant source of inspiration. Influenced by the discipline of modernism, pattern & textile design of the mid century, her work is a diverse and constant evolution. Symbolising relationships with everyday forms, expressing emotion, reflecting experiences and surroundings through the use geometry, colour, pattern, line and repetition. She is especially interested in the beauty of the abstracted form and enjoys deconstructing shapes to create beautiful, balanced and emotive compositions.

Aside from her fine art pursuits, Kels is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer and is co-partner, at Influx Creative.

I had been having ideas and looking into women artists, although the inspiration piece could have been about women and not necessarily by them, but I was drawn to the beautiful clean, geometric lines of Kels' work and even had the right colour fabric on my shelf to get to work.

I stayed true to Kels' pattern on the top four rows but decided to make it bigger and added on an extra 2 rows.

I pressed all my seams open on the quilt for the first time and it gives a lovely flat finish, although I did notice when quilting that I could catch a glimpse of the stitches.

Now my initial idea for quilting was to replicate the printing Kels had done and change the colour of certain triangles with dense matchstick quilting in a different colour.  However the best laid plans and all that .... my machine is in need of a new part form the States which was not going to arrive in time.  I did some test pieces and realised that I wouldn't be happy with the results at the moment so I had to think of a another plan ....

I wanted to continue the lovely clean lines and decided on straight line ruler work ....

but I also wanted to incorporate some circles in the piece like there are in the original ....

 I had thought I would use a facing for the edges but once it was quilted I realised I may lose some of the triangle points by using that method, so a straight forward double edge binding was attached.

Quilt Stats

Finished dimensions: 36" x 12"

Fabric: Kona cotton in cerise, gum drop, parchment and snow

Wadding: Warm and White

Threads: Glide Cream (20001), Coffee (27504), Mulberry (40528) and Iris (40249)

Quilting: longarm quilted with straight line and circle ruler work and circular freehand feathers on a Handi Quilter Avante

This quilt will be hanging at Quilts UK in Malvern from tomorrow until Sunday, where I entered it in the Small Wallhanging category.

Do go and check out some of the other participants this week:

Monday 15 May2017
Andrée: http://quiltinglearningcombo.blogspot.com 
LeeAnna: http://lapaylor.blogspot.com/
Luke: http://www.lukehaynes.com/
Joan: http://www.moosestashquilting.blogspot.com

Tuesday 16 May 2017
Marian: http://www.seamstobesew.com
Sharon: http://www.yellowcatquiltdesigns.com
Adele: http://adelemogavero.com/
Judy: http://judywarner.com/

Wednesday 17 May 2017 
Abigail: http://www.cutandalter.blogspot.co.uk - YOU ARE HERE!!

Bea: http://www.beaquilter.com/
Janeen: http://quiltartdesigns.blogspot.com/
Alida: http://tweloquilting.blogspot.com/  

Thursday 18 May 2017
Renee: http://www.quiltsofafeather.com/
Kat: http://www.katknapcrafts.blogspot.com
Jennifer: http://www.inquiringquilter.com/
Carol: http://www.quiltedfabricart.com

Friday 19 May 2017
 Alida: http://tweloquilting.blogspot.com/
Shannon: http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/
Chris: http://chrissquiltinguniverse.blogspot.com/
Anita: http://quiltlovefordomesticfelicity.blogspot.com 

This is also a finish on my 2017FAL List.

I am also linking up today to Let's Bee Social hosted by Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Works in progress ....

I have had my first illness of the season these last few days and, lacking in energy and with a head that hurt to move, I thought I would slowly give my studio a sort out.  I know I have lots of WIPs, a fair few made it onto my 2016FAL Q4 list, but I wasn't quite sure where I was on them all or what I needed to proceed.  So here is a summary:

My Bee Hive Quilt

I was Queen Bee earlier in the year and having seen Michelle tackling her blocks I was motivated to get mine pieced together.  

I had also asked for signature blocks so I pieced these, along with two blocks, into the backing - I love how this worked out.

All I have to do is cut the wadding and then it's ready to quilt.

New Zealand fabric Christmas Quilt - what a catchy name that is!

This quilt didn't get touched last quarter, or the quarter before, but I am determined to get it finished to use this Christmas.  I needed to make some more blocks to get it up to size and happened to have some pale green solid fabric, Kona Pond, on my cutting table whilst making them and so decided to outline several blocks in that instead of the red wickerweave.

I need to order a bit more Kona Pond to make a small border before a larger red border.  I happened to have a suitable backing in my stash.  I bought this at Quilts UK in Malvern earlier this year as a bargain so I am delighted it works with this quilt.  This quilt is proving difficult to photograph because I can't get a true reflection of the colours.

So to proceed on this one I need to order fabric, get borders attached, piece a panel in the backing, cut wadding and then it will be ready to quilt.

Feathers Quilt

This is a quilt for my daughter who chose for the backing Feathers from the new Lewis & Irene To Catch a Dream collection.  I have never ordered fabric for backing before and usually like to touch fabric before buying!  However, I am hoping this is the same quality as all the other Lewis & Irene fabric and that both my daughter and I will like it when it arrives.  There has been a delay in it arriving in the UK but it is in the country now and I am just waiting for it to be dispatched.

Once the backing has arrived I have to cut the wadding and then this will be ready to quilt.

Rainbow Rose Quilt

This is ready to quilt right now.  I know what design I am going to quilt on the grey background but still undecided on the coloured parts ..... I think I just need to load it onto the rollers and start!

 

 
Back to Front Quilt

This needs to be cut into again and have some more improv blocks placed in it.  There is a chartreuse/lime accent in a few of the fabrics and I have decided to get some solid fabric in that colour to highlight some of the areas.  I had wanted this done ready to gift next week but in reality I think I will have to deliver it myself a few weeks later.

Accent fabric needs to be ordered, some more piecing needs to be done, backing needs piecing, wadding cutting and then this will be ready to quilt!

In an effort to be more efficient and tidy I have decided to use my hanging hooks for all my quilts in progress ....

So there's the five quilts listed above plus an extra one - a customer quilt!  It is so exciting to be starting to quilt for other people and it's a real honour to be entrusted with their quilt tops.  This one is a pirate ship for the lady's grandson which should be great fun to quilt.

And, as if 6 quilts wasn't enough, I sorted out all the blocks I wanted to make into cushions or minis.  My husband kindly got me the cushion inserts on Monday, I have figured out what zips I need to purchase and I have found suitable backing fabric.

So that's me - as soon as I feel well enough I will be quilting up a storm!  It feels good to get organised and my studio now feels clearer even though nothing has actually been moved out yet.  I am hosting a sewing day in early December where 5 ladies have to be able to sew so I am slowly working towards that goal.

I am linking up with Lorna's Let's Bee Social over at Sew Fresh Quilts today.

A week of finishes - Day 5 :: Siblings Together Quilt

Siblings Together Quilt Group is a group that was formed to help the Siblings Together charity achieve their aim of providing every child who attends one of their summer camps with a quilt.  These siblings have been separated through the care system but are able to come together at these summer camps.

Nicky, from Mrs Sew and Sow, asked for people to take part in Mini Bees so 4 of us got together and made blocks for each other.  I asked for simple colour block 16 patches sashed with white or cream on two sides.  Not only did my 3 bees members make me them for me but some other people jumped on the bandwagon aswell - hooray.  I had enough to do 4 across by 6 down which gave a lovely size quilt.

I put it on the frame on Saturday night to join in with the #saturdaynightcraftalong on IG run by Lucy from Charm About You (@charmaboutyou).  I decided to do some organic straight line quilt with the occasional heart here and there.  Some hearts were perfect ..... and some were not!

But more frustrating was that the thread kept shredding.  3 times in 20 minutes and I called it a night and resolved to go back the following morning and figure out why it was happening.

Sometimes stepping away from something works, as if by magic, but not this time. I battled with this quilt.  I rethreaded, changed the bobbin, cleaned and oiled the bobbin area, changed the needle, played with the tension and all to no avail.  I finished it, accompanied by a lot of choice words, but could not figure out what was happening.  I loosened off the frame and walked away .... in disgust with the quilt!!  I was using variegated thread but I had used it on my Polaroid Quilt with no problem so what was going on?  After lunch I decided to load up another quilt straight away and see if I could work it out.  It was just as I was walking to the frame that it came to me .... I think you need to go up a needle size with variegated thread.  I took the thread cone off the machine and sure enough right inside the needle recommendation is #18 and I had been using #16.  Thank goodness I figured that out - for next time!

This quilt came together so well that at various stages of its construction every member of my family asked if we could keep this quilt!  Note to self:  this would be a great Bee block for next year.

This is my 5th finish from my 2016 Finish Along Quarter 3 list (Number 14 on the list).  I am linking up today with Lorna over at Sew Fresh Quilts for her Let's Bee Social. 

The Bloggers' Quilt Festival is up and running this week.  Entries were made last week and the voting has now commenced.  I have entered for the first time this year and have entered this Rainbow Mini in the Mini Quilt Category:

and Should I Stay or Should I Go in the Original Design Category.

If you like either of these, and if you have a minute, I would really appreciate a vote from you .... there's some lovely prizes to won!!  Just click on the Category links above, find the mini pic of my quilt and click on the heart in the corner - it turns red when you have cast your vote.  Voting closes on Friday 30 September.  Even if you don't want to vote just head over because there are some amazing quilts on show ...... my to do list is growing longer by the day!

Farm Girl Vintage

So despite the weather (think torrential rain and actually it's cold too!), family illness (my youngest daughter has a summer cold and very sore throat) and the general unsettled feeling in my country (for that read it's like we've gone down a rabbit hole and nothing is as it appears) I am feeling rather sociable today so will be linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.  

Just to take a while to sit and visit some of the other people's blog who link up is a very relaxing and enjoyable way to spend some time .... and if there's coffee and brownies thrown in then I am there!  I also have a big thank you to Lorna for her flanged binding tutorial which I used yesterday on my Shakespeare challenege mini quilt.  On that note, yesterday I said:

 "Although looking at the top picture it's really annoying me so I may well unpick and restitch!"

Having been woken up VERY early by my daughter who is ill I had a few hours laying in bed thinking .....  Which, of course led to some seam ripping before breakfast .... but now I am very happy that I did.  Hint:  it was the join on the left hand side, which now whilst a little wavy, is at least even in the two colours!

Last week I offered up a Pay It Forward on my blog and the person whose name came out of the hat was Sue from Sevenoaks Street Quilts.  At some stage, before the end of the year, Sue will get a little something through the post from me.  Hopefully it will make her smile and brighten up her day.  In turn she will Pay It Forward with a little handmade love of her own.

Patchwork Pumpkin Block

I haven't yet shared any of my Farm Girl Vintage blocks on this blog.  I got the book for Christmas and really enjoyed making a few blocks at the start of the year.  I decided I wanted to make all 48 blocks and opted for the 6 1/2" block to make the full quilt.  

Fresh Pears Block

My, self-imposed, timeline was to make at least one block a week, so that all the blocks were done by the end of the year ready to be sashed and quilted in the New Year.  I have never had such a long term project as this but it sounded doable. In week 1 I made the pumpkin - which I loved doing, week 2 were the pears, week 3 was the strawberry ....

Scrappy Strawberry Block

and week 4 the canning block.  So far so good - one block a week was definitely doable, until ...... 

Canning Season Block

other commitments crept in, Home Ed activities started up again, plus swaps plus show quilts and then the completed blocks came off my design wall and then the book got covered with piles of other things ........ until last week.  I already had some pieces cut so one night I thought I would just sew these together and a little chick (still legless) was hatched ....

Baby Chick Block

and then the milk churn was made.

Milking Day Block

So not quite the 26 blocks that 'should' have been made by the last week in June but hey ho!  The number is increasing and they are looking really cute on my design wall.

Farm Girl Vintage Progress report: 6 blocks of 48 made x

Let's Bee Social .... spreading the love!

Well I am having a very social week this week seeing as it was my turn on the Blog Hop for the New Quilt Bloggers group.  If you missed my introduction post then click over here if you fancy learning more about me and a host of other great new bloggers.  Pssst .... there are prizes on offer too!  I also have a little something on offer at the end of this post ... so keep reading!

I appreciate each and every comment I get on this blog and love visiting other people's blogs and reading about their adventure in quilting and life in general.  I think we quilters are quite a unique breed.  We may be separated by many thousands of miles but we still find things in common and we all pull together when needed.

I am sure you have seen the call out from the Orlando MQG for #quiltsforPulse and the Leeds MQG for #quiltsforjo and so it felt only right to get some made .......

For those in the UK Esther Moorey, IG @esthermoorey, at Squeeze Quilts, is collecting blocks for #PulseOrlando, so you can send them to a UK address.

Some of you will know that I am a local co-ordinator for Project Linus and last week saw lots of finishes for them.  Over the weekend I pulled out another quilt for another cause, Siblings Together.  I 'met' Nicky from Mrs Sew and Sow over on instagram and loved the idea of these quilts.  She was recruiting mini bee members earlier in the year so I jumped at the chance,  My Bee mates made me single colour scrappy blocks bordered with white.  I even got a whole load of blocks from people who weren't in my Bee!

I have another example of how lovely quilters are .... at the beginning of the year I signed up to the Bee Hive and so had 11 Hive mates.  Through swapping blocks and various chats on IG you get to know some of your Hive mates quite well.  One of mine headed off to the States for work recently and just before she left she messaged me and asked if there was anything she could bring back for me!!  Of course I could have had her fill a suitcase but I decided to ask for something that I was finding impossible to get in the UK - a printed version of the Fancy Forest pattern by Elizabeth Hartman.   I wasn't holding out much hope but look what arrived yesterday ....

I have never met this lady, although we plan to meet later in the year, but she was kind enough to do this for me.  Like I said, the quilting community is very special.

To celebrate this wonderful community, both online and in real life, and to mark my 150th blog post (this will happen on Friday) I would like to spread some quilty, bloggy love around the place.  Back in February I was lucky enough to be chosen as a recipient in the Pay It Forward Ruth, from Charly & Ben's Crafty Corner, had up on her blog.  As Ruth says, the premise for a Pay It Forward:

was based on a book of the same name about a kid who comes up with a social experiment to make the world a kinder place. He decides on the Pay if Forward principle - I had heard of this before the movie, paying the toll for the next person coming along behind, buying someone a cup of coffee unexpectedly. Giving without the expectation of receiving in return, only asking the next person to do the same at some future date, when they have an opportunity to make someone's day easier! 

Actually I have just realised the book is by my bedside but I haven't started it yet!  It is now my turn to Pay It Forward.  I want to offer something to people in my quilting community and so will be picking someone who reads my blog, someone who follows me on IG and someone from a Facebook group that I am part of.  It's called UK Quilters United, if you're interested, and it is a really active, friendly and supportive group.  So three people will receive something from me at some stage before the end of the year ..... hopefully it will be a lovely surprise for those people.  In turn they will offer a Pay It Forward into their quilting community.

If you would like to receive something from me, then please just leave a comment below and a person will be picked at random at the end of the week.  If you are on instagram you have another chance by commenting on my IG post!  If you are going to leave a comment please state your favourite colour/s and also just for fun what do you think the collective noun for quilts should be?!

Linking up to Let's Bee Social with Lorna today. x

Let's Bee Social ....

This week I am all about finishes - more specifically trying to get some items ticked off my 2016 FAL list before the end of the month!  Currently I have ticked 10 projects off the list - but there's still 15 remaining!

 

On Monday there were two pairs of pyjamas trousers, yesterday was a small quilt for Project Linus and today we have another quilt for Project Linus.

 

Not only is this a FAL finish, it is also my #BraveQuilter challenge for June.  I got my longarm machine last July and I have never attempted to use a pantograph with it so that's what I did yesterday.

 

 

This was the pattern that came with the machine and 11 months on it was still wrapped in plastic!

 

I didn't get any progress shots because I was too busy concentrating.  Basically you use a laser light to follow the lines on the paper which in turn quilts the pattern on your loaded quilt.

 

My thoughts on the process:

 

1.  It felt very strange to stand behind the machine and operate it from there.  The handles are at a different height, there's not that much room for moving around there but the biggest thing was that you can't see the quilt .... it felt very weird to be quilting blind as it were.

 

2.  I don't like the pattern on this pantograph very much which meant I didn't really enjoy doing it.

 

3.  There is no point in using pantographs for small quilts.  I could have quilted this size quilt freehand with just one advance of the rollers but using the pantograph I had to advance every row - so 5 advances in all!

 

4.  Always advance with the needle in the correct position - it takes a lot longer to figure out where to start quilting the next row if you don't.

 

4.  I think I would get far smoother curves and points by doing this freehand.

 

Ok, so here's the results ... visually!

 

The texture is gorgeous and I admit I quite the uniformity of the design.  In fact I think I like the back more than the front!

 

I applied the binding in the same way I did yesterday, by joining the binding with an angled join.  Perfect again - and this time I didn't even need the tutorial up.

 

 

Would I do it again?  I think it would be a good skill to master, especially if you are going to do customer quilts.  Some people like to see exactly what design is going on the quilts and pantographs give this option very well.  However, I don't think it will become my thing - I love freehand guiding the machine and seeing where it takes me!  Although I do remember saying something similar about ruler work and I now quite enjoy it!

 

Linking up with Lorna at Let's Bee Social today.

 

I will be linking up to Pink Doxies when the link opens at the end of the month.