Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I worked really hard last week to finish the Chaos top before class. I made good progress, but did not finish the top.
It is what it is, so I am continuing. This will be a large quilt and it has a lot of blocks, so I just have to soldier on.
The class is over, which is sad, but I hope to make another quilt like this using the same techniques.
There is no acrylic template for the rainbow block included in the Chaos with a Twist template set. Libs has repurposed these templates from other patterns, Bloem and La Fin Du Monde. It is great that the same templates can be used for all patterns, but I would really like that rainbow block template.
I have placed True Grips** on the back of my templates as it keeps them from sliding around. You can see them through the bright green. My paper Rainbow template is in the upper right hand corner. I made using the tried and true paper and template plastic** method. Not ideal, but it will work.
Before I put the Rainbow arch template together, I tried different specialty rulers to see if one of them would work.
The Clammy (left) is the wrong shape for this quilt. I tried to use it for the Orange Peel block and it is just too small. As a result, it won’t work for the Rainbow block, either.
I also pulled out my Jen Carlton Bailly templates from the class in 2019. One of the blocks she shows was a Rainbow block. It might not be the exact right shape, but if I do them all the same, it should work.
Looking at the photo I took, it may also work to make a regular quarter circle then use the background template to make the Rainbow. I am going to try this and see what happens.
There’s always more fabric, right?
The second session of the Chaos with a Twist class was interesting. I had already shown my design in the chat group, so I mostly looked at what other people showed and made comments.
Libs is very encouraging and upbeat. She works in a warehouse type space, which makes me envious. We could see parts of it during the sewing portion of the class.
I sewed 6 blocks during class and then continued sewing additional blocks for the rest of the day. I really wanted to finish one of the quadrants, which is what she told us to work on first. I wanted to get a whole quadrant done before I left for vacation.
I almost succeeded. Minus one block, I was able to sew all the blocks for one quadrant together. I still have to sew the Rainbow block for the center. I did make a couple of extra blocks (all the corner HSTs needed and two more Hourglass blocks), so net I have enough for a quadrant.
My plan is to make all the Rainbow blocks for the center at one time to get them done.
If you would like to watch the (pre-recorded) intro about Libs’ work and process, you can view it on YouTube.
I am not going to tell you the secrets of Chaos with a Twist. It will be well worth your while to take the class from Libs Elliott when she offers it.
I talked about my design the other day. I could fiddle with it endlessly, both the design itself, the placement of the blocks and the colors. I will tell you one secret. Using a 10-side die can help the process. The YM is an avid Dungeons and Dragons player, so I thought there had to be at least one 10-side die in the house despite the fact that he hasn’t lived with us for several years. I rummaged through his night table, his desk drawers for one die. I found a lot of change, old gift cards, a multitude of pens and pencils, but no 10-sided die anywhere. 🙁
I went looking online and saw they all come in sets of ~7 to ~100. I really didn’t want 7 die much less 100, so I reached out for advice. In the meantime, I went to play with the blocks as best I could.
For the first round of the second quilt design I chose the smaller grid and chose blocks I liked.
Then I expanded the design as Libs instructed in the class.
I don’t think this design is as successful even if I change the colors to the pink, black, white and grey I used in the first design. It is possible that if I fiddled around the second design some more that it would be improved.
I think the random aspect really adds to the interest of the design process.
I also think the larger grid is more appealing.
I made a larger version of this design, which meant adding blocks and I had some problems. First, I didn’t like randomly adding blocks just to fill in a space. The decision felt like too much pressure. I know that sounds dumb, but there we are. Also, my mind has a certain aesthetic it likes. Without the randomness factor, I lean into that aesthetic. I think the larger version is more interesting, but not as interesting as the first design.
SueG had good results in a class she took with Libs Elliott. Remember I took a class from her at QuiltCon? While I wasn’t excited about the class, I did think she was a good teacher.
Now I am taking her Chaos with a Twist class, which is a Zoom class, so I can do it from the comfort of my workroom. This class has about 4 sessions and after the first (non-intro) session, I am in love. This process creates super modern, super creative quilts out of basic blocks. It truly exemplifies why I love blocks. You have to take the class to get all the details. After going through Libs’ process I came up with the following design:
We started out on paper cutting and pasting and drawing with pencil and the quilt above is what I came up with after putting the basic blocks into EQ8.
I moved blocks around and recolored some and came up with two versions of basically the same quilt top:
I like the circles on the edges better than the chevrons (above photo). Having them in black looks a bit like a black hole, so I tried some aqua. EQ8 didn’t really have the turquoise I wanted, but you get the idea.
I was annoyed at some of the students who were afraid of various parts of the process, but everyone has to go through their own process, right?
I want to start cutting fabric now and there are two more classes before we get to that point! I might just go for it and see what happens. None of these blocks are difficult to piece.
I made a Potato Chip block based on my discussion with DH. I used the pieces I had cut awhile ago.
I picked out certain pieces from both caches in the medium range and used his idea for a spiral layout. I am pretty pleased with the overall result. The colors look really nice together. I could make the block larger with another round. That would make a finished quilt come together quicker. While the block is finished, it is not too late to make it larger.
One thing that I was reminded of was that the construction revolves around patches that are twice as long as they are wide. This means that while I am using 2.5 x 4.5 inch patches, 1.5 x 2.5 inch patches will work as will 4.5 x 8.5 inch patches. All are easy to cut with the 4.5 x 8.5 inch Creative Grids ruler** that is my favorite.
This is a block that only takes a few minutes to make, but I have a lot going on and am not sure I want to commit to this at the moment. Of course, It is just piecing, because there is a lot cut.
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I went to a workshop on Thursday with the Pacifica Quilt Club. I mentioned them a few months ago. I did join and have been to one meeting. This was my first workshop. I went because I am interested in the Potato Chip quilts and wanted to see what they had to say.
I talked a little bit with Lynette about Potato Chip quilts at the Retreat, so I knew about them, but have never made one. I have to say that I am excited to try one with some 2.5×4.5 inch piece I cut for another project I will never make.
DH and I talked about the workshop at dinner and I did a little drawing of the block. He added on to it to make a spiral and I think I will start with that idea. I already have some pieces of the right size I was doing to use for another project whose time has passed.
There were a number of examples, which show the versatility of the idea. The first example is a mini quilt (maybe miniature). It uses 1.5 x 2.5 inch pieces, but the same piecing applies.
One block I particularly liked was by Kay. She made a quilt, but I just took a picture of one block. It is larger and the white strip with another ’round’ of pieces makes the blocks ‘self-sash’ when you put them together. I love this kind of concept.
The blocks end up large, too, so you can quickly make a quilt.
In this example Kay has used all different kinds of flower fabrics, which shows how well loose themes work for this quilt design.
Jaysa made some paper examples showing additional layouts. These layouts look like Log Cabin blocks, but are Potato Chip blocks.
While learning this technique we all made blocks to contribute to a community quilt. I made two blocks during this short workshop. Julie C cut all the pieces, so we didn’t have to bring fabric or spend time cutting.
I used my fabulous wagon for the second time and got a lot of compliments on it.
Shockingly, I took a machine quilting workshop.
Yes, I have done so in the past, but it has been awhile.
After seeing Mel’s sampler of designs up close and thinking for awhile that I wanted to pull out my walking foot for use more often, I signed up for the class. I love taking BAMQG classes. The people there are really fun, so even if the class it awful (and there hasn’t been an awful one yet), I know we would laugh and have a good time.
I will never be a great quilter like Colleen or Kelly, but I can be adequate and competent. My method of machine quilt is to follow the designs of fabric, as you saw in the Thanksgiving tablerunners. I usually use my applique’ foot and go very slowly. The applique’ foot allows me to see exactly where the needle is going and I can be a bit exacting when I quilt. I used to free motion quilt, but I haven’t done it in a long time and it doesn’t really suit my style of quilts.
The workshop was held at Grace Lutheran on Saturday a week or so ago. The task was to learn to use to the walking foot or become more comfortable in its use. In the process we would create a sampler (or two) of several different quilting patterns. Most of the patterns were straight line, but Mel included some gentle curves as well.
Mel was well organized and had obviously worked hard to develop her handouts. She covered taking breaks and caring for your body, which is skipped over in many classes. We also learned to use tape to mark, tips and tricks for pivoting, decorative stitches and much more. Mel is a calm and well prepared instructor.
The workshop was organized so that the group would get together to learn information then go to the machines to practice. There was a lot of back and forth, which was great because it encouraged everyone to take breaks.
I had a problem sewing on the correct side of the tape at the beginning. This put me behind, because I ended up with a whole bunch of ripping to do. Still I was able to finish one sampler.
I ended up marking an arrow on the tape telling me at a glance on which side to sew. Simple, and possibly unnecessary, but it helped me. I also marked some of the places with my Nonce pencil, a tool I learned to use when I first started quiltmaking. I didn’t have a Sewline with me.
The first thing we did was create squares on the sandwich we had created at home. Like the example above, we were to have a 9 patch layout in which to quilt our designs. I was moving along fine until I sewed on the wrong side of the tape and suddenly my squares were too small. After ripping, I drew the lines on and sewed over those drawn lines rather than using tape. Note that I didn’t make a big deal out of *my* error, as I have seen some people do in other classes. I calmly ripped enough so I could sew the next lesson and then ripped more while I listened to another lecture. Yes, I was frustrated, but this had nothing to do with Mel.
Eventually, I got back on track and was able to finish all but a quarter of one square.
All of the designs are straight line designs except for the heart in the center, which, as you can see, has only a very slight curve. The straight line designs were mostly done using tape in some way to mark out the lines, though in the spiral (upper left hand corner) I used the side of the walking foot, as instructed.
One of the reasons I took the class was to try and find background designs, that fit my quilting style, to use to finish the Tarts. I am not sure I found what I needed, though I think I can use some of the designs for that purpose
My favorite design was probably the Chevron, though I am not sure when I would use it. It isn’t as hard as it looks.
The class was worthwhile and I am glad I took it. I am not sure whether I am more inspired to quilt more in a new way or just have more knowledge. I don’t have a wild desire to machine quilt everything in sight. I suppose time will tell.
I have another sandwich made and continue to try to decide whether I want to start my own sampler, trying out the designs I wasn’t able to try in class. The problem is that if I am quilting, I am not piecing. Also, I can’t switch back and forth as I have to set the machine up for one or the other. For the moment, I will continue to piece.
You can read more about Mel’s thoughts on her blog post.
*Thanks to Mel for the photo
It has been over a month since I took the Midi Bag class, – WOW! time sure flies – but I finally finished the bag.
After the class, I only had to topstitch then close up the opening in the lining. I really just didn’t have a spare moment to sew those last few steps. It isn’t as though I have been sitting around, but the Midi Bag just did not come to the top of the list.
After finishing the Heart Bag, I decided to take a few minutes to finish the Midi Bag. I am really thrilled that it is done. The Memorial Day weekend unexpectedly turned into a few days of finishing. Although I had to go with DH for a little bit of #Politicalwifery, I was able to sew a lot and finish a few projects. It was so relaxing and I am so thrilled I got to all of the projects I was able to finish.
I really like the way the bag turned out from a fabric point of view. The colors are very appealing and it has a bit of a tropical/Hawaiian art feel. I used Horizon by Kate Spain mini-charm packs for the body, a random solid for the inside and more Kate Spain yardage for the handles. The color combination is really great. I especially love the fabric I used for the handles. There is something about that blue that is very appealing.
It is a very strangely shaped bag, however, and I am not sure of the purpose for which I would use it. Also, I feel like it needs some kind of closure. SIL and I talked about grommets and buttonholes. I am not a fan of grommets after the Scrap Lab Backpack, so buttonholes are more likely. We’ll see.
The pocket came out well. I put a little decorative stitch on the edge and I am glad I did.
I still have a few of the same charm packs left and I might see about making this bag again in the Mondo size. Perhaps the proportions for the larger bag will be better and that one won’t look as strange. I am not sure I would be able to carry a Mondo sized bag full of stuff. I don’t that pattern and would like to use the second sheet of interfacing from the Midi Bag pattern before I buy another pattern. Nota bene: Each pattern comes with 2 sheets of interfacing.
A week ago, I took a class at Scruffy Quilts to make the Midi Bag from QuiltSmart. I have had the pattern and the charm squares for awhile. Despite the short notice, it turned out that I was free so I signed up right away when Katrina sent out the class notice. I also wrangled Julie into taking the class with me.
One reason I wanted to take the class was to learn how to use the QuiltSmart fusible interfacing. I could not understand the directions on the pattern, thus the project had been languishing. It is very helpful for me to have someone walk me through the pattern the first time and this class was no exception.
Tips such as fabric placement is something you get in a class that you don’t get from a pattern.
I am pleased with the colors of the charm pack as I thought I would be. I used mostly the blues and the greens. I didn’t use as many of the lighter lavender squares, so those will show up in some donation quilts.
I am totally in love with the handle fabric and think I need to get more of it. The blue is not quite a navy, but is dark. I love it!
The bag is a little bit of a weird shape and I am not sure how I will use it, though I think it would be an excellent knitting bag. I have another sheet of the fusible interfacing (two come with the pattern, which is nice!) and I may add some kind of closure to the second one. I think having a closure would make it more useful. I think I would like to make the Mondo bag. It seems that size would better for a bag without a closure. I think it would be like having a shopping bag along rather than a purse.
I still have a few steps to do, but I got pretty far in the class. I laid out all of my charm squares and fused them. I was glad that I had charm squares and didn’t have to cut fabric. I made the lining and the handles and sewed the whole bag together. I could have made the handles at home, but was confused about how they wanted the handles made. I didn’t want to make them wrong and have to make them over. It turns out that there was nothing special about making them. I still have to poke out the corners, topstitch the top edge and sew the lining shut.
Learning how to use this interfacing makes me want the interfacing for the FOTY quilts. I am not sure how that would work since the sizes are different each year. Perhaps, if there was a general grid, I could overlap some of the seam lines when the patches didn’t quite match up with the lines? Oh well, if wishes were horses….
This is a pattern where you could use VinylFuse for the bottom squares. I didn’t, but may in the future. If you take this class, do with your 2.5″ squares already cut and your handles already made.
My friend Kathleen is organizing a great event in beautiful Reno: Make it Modern. This is the premier Reno event for modern quiltmakers. It is a great opportunity to work with a couple of QuiltCon 2016’s hottest designers.
What: Fun and fabulous days of creating, led by modern quilters Christina Cameli and Libs Elliott. Additional help, discussions, and general shenanigans each evening at the sewing salon, and a trunk show on Sunday morning.
Where: Peppermill Resort, Reno, Nevada
When: June 9-12, 2016
Who: Christina Cameli and Libs Elliot will be teaching
Why: Because it is fun to meet up with other like minded quiltmakers and have some fun sewing
How: easy access by car and plane
Find out more information and register on the Make It Modern Events website.
My friend, Kathleen, is organizing a great event in beautiful Reno: Make it Modern.
What: Fun and fabulous days of creating, led by modern quilters Christina Cameli and Libs Elliott. Additional help, discussions, and general shenanigans each evening at the sewing salon, and a trunk show on Sunday morning.
Where: Peppermill Resort, Reno, Nevada
When: June 9-12, 2016
Who: Christina Cameli and Libs Elliot will be teaching
Why: Because it is fun to meet up with other like minded quiltmakers and have some fun sewing
How: easy access by car and plane
Find out more information and register on the Make It Modern Events website.
Sometimes, very occasionally, my personal creative world and my professional world meet.
This happened a few weeks ago when the social committee of one of the organizations to which I belong scheduled an outing to the San Francisco Center of the Book. Of course, it was a week where a thousand things were happening and I almost cancelled. I am glad I didn’t, though, because it was a great class and it got me moving in the direction of bookmaking, like the Red, Purple, Well Done and Good Job journals, again.
Not every participant had arrived, so I took some time to look at the exhibit on display. I don’t remember the name of the exhibit, but the books all looked like they had hidden messages.
The piece, Until it is in Flame, is by Beau Beausoleil and Andrea Hassiba. While I do not like the burned and destroyed book, I do like the way a part of the book is hollowed out. The space could hold additional artworks, messages or other books. It makes me think of how to do this sort of idea in the structure of the books I make, but it also makes me wonder whether I should.
Healing Wounded Words is a piece about the power of words by Marina Salmaso, a Danish artist from KØbenhavn. I find this piece to be very light, but the words and the red are not boring. I also like the format.
You really have to click the photos to see them larger. The thumbnails don’t do them justice.
Another exhibit was in another room and it was equally as intriguing as the one in the main room.
I really like the variety of different bindings and different types of books. It was so fun to learn how make a few of them.
Rhianna, the instructor, passed around lots of different types of books with different bindings. We did 4-5 separate books and bindings. Of course when I saw the binding on the green book, I immediately thought it would make a fantastic journal binding.
Guess what?
This book was a teaser for another class! I really want to take that class so I can learn how to make the binding. If I made it I can decide whether I can translate the binding/bookmaking type into fabric.
From the inside, this binding looks like it would hold a lot more pages than the other types of bindings we learned.
It also looks like one could see some of the fabric through the binding.
The San Francisco Center for the Book is a great place. It is in a hip, up and coming neighborhood that still has a bit of grit with their Whole Foods.
There are a lot of interesting things to look at in the facility and it is light and airy as well. The exhibits I looked at were two in a series of ongoing exhibits.
If you are making a trip to San Francisco and want to get off the Fisherman’s Wharf-Ghirardelli Square-Cable Car beaten path, you might want to check out the San Francisco Center for the Book.
This Pièce de résistance for the Photoshop Elements class I took yesterday. It is not that useful for quiltmaking, but I am pleased that it came out well and is pleasing to the eye. I also learned a lot in that class and this piece shows a lot of what I learned.
I am so glad that people came out and took the class. I was nervous up until earlier this week when Lynn sent me a note saying 12 people had signed up. I wasn’t sure the class would go forward, but it did. I think everyone learned a lot. I think that Lynn put in the right amount of information.
Lynn Koolish teaches a variety of different classes, but they all seem to relate to printing on fabric, fabric dying and other fabric manipulation techniques. Lynn works at C&T Publishing as an editor. She contributes to the C&T Blog and teaches as well.
One of the things I wanted to learn was how to put multiple images into one space. I don’t always want to load 37 images that you, my dear reader, would also have to load, especially if I really want you to get the flavor of what I am discussing. I learned how to do that and the example above has that technique. In that case, I used the same image and put it into one file multiple times.
I also learned how to deal with layers, which was very confusing to me until yesterday. In the photo above, I was able to flip each image, because they were in different layers.
The reason the above is called Breakfaast of Champions is because the image started out as a picture of my breakfast. First we talked about various things you could do with color such as replacing color. I changed the colors using saturation and hue, etc so that my breakfast turned lovely shades of purple and blue. We also talked about different filters and effects, which is how I ended up with the spiky kind of image above. It is tempting to think of making it into a quilt, but I don’t know if I have it in me to do the colorwork required. Nice thought, though.
I also learned about adding text to an image. I don’t know why it seemed so scary before, but it isn’t scary.
By the end of the class, I felt pretty confident. I am not expert, of course, but I have some confidence, so I changed the frame (from above photo) to see what the difference in look would be.
The A Work of Heart Spontaneous Scraps Journal class really caught me unawares. I feel like everything is sneaking up on me lately. My head is definitely not in its normal spot.
The idea of the class was the a few people were invited (or that was my impression) and would bring scraps to make a journal with a fabric cover. As I was thinking about getting ready for the class on Friday and Saturday, I decided to bring the red mosaic pieces to use to make the cover. I also brought the Malka Dubrawsky piece that TFQ gave me for my birthday and used that for the inside.
I used the mosaic quilting piece to make the journal cover. I had gotten away from it, but am now in love with that process again. I was feeling like I would never use that fabric, because it was too precious. I also couldn’t think of what project would be appropriate. Anything too fiddly wouldn’t work, because there are so many seam allowances right next to each other. The pressing was a bit of a challenge, but I think the journal cover came out very well.
The class called for a nice ribbon for a closure. I brought it, but I didn’t attach it yet. I am thinking that I want to put a button (or a Mah Jong tile with a hole drilled in it – something out of the ordinary/interesting) and some elastic to wrap around it. I need to get that settled before I do much else. I don’t have any of that thin elastic nor do I know how to attach it after the piece has been made.
That bit of mosaic quilting is a pocket on the inside. I guess I can use it for pens. Andrea suggested that putting a pocket in the piece was an option, so I did it. I am pleased with how it came out.
The red dotted page on the left is one of the journal pages. The embellishment (the paper with the white dots) is paper clipped to the page, because it has not been attached to the page yet. I did complete the sewing on some of the pages, but not all. I want to work on that before the concluding class.
I brought some strips that were piling up as well, so I was also able to add bits and pieces to make the piece big enough. Above is what I have left and I am back in the mindset of making this type of fabric. I used the bits and pieces as leaders and enders as I was sewing the journal cover together.
I am thinking that I would like to make at least one more as a gift. We will see how making the pages goes.