WIP Wednesday - Blooming Nine Patch Quilt

This is a current work in progress, a Blooming Nine Patch quilt.  I've cheated a bit by making four patch squares instead.  I'm using a hand-dyed fabric in navy & hot pink for the center and also a pink & white fabric dyed by yours truly in a shibori fabric dyeing class at City Quilter in NYC. 

Color Inspiration - Parisian Fruit & Veggie Stand

 

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WIP Wednesday - Modern String Quilt

Here is a string quilt work in progress (I'm actually finished with this, just a little behind in my blogging, full quilt photo to follow shortly).  This quilt is incredibly fun to make.  It's scrap friendly and making it in the manner that I do - each square as it's own little mini-quilt - allows you to create many tiny quilts in one.  My favorite part of the quilting process is designing a new quilt, picking out the colors and seeing them shine together.  This style of quilt allows that many times over. 

On the right hand side, I'm auditioning colors for additional blocks, seeing if they work well with the quilt thus far.  Basically though, my design process involved using fabrics and colors I loved, so they were bound to work well together.  This was a very free and easy process. 

Best Modern Quilt Blogs

Here are my current, favorite, modernesque - if you will - quilting blogs in no particular order.  Most include some lovely sewing and knitting projects as well as quilts.  I like these sites in particular for their creative curiousity and lovely photography.  Please click on the titles to visit their websites. 
 

Film in the Fridge

 

 

 

 

Blue Elephant Stitches

Anna Maria Horner

 

 

 

 

 

Crazy Mom Quilts 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where the Orchids Grow

 

 

 

 

I'm a Ginger Monkey

 

 

 

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Kitchen Table Quilting

 

 

 

 

 

Purl Bee 

 

 

 

Make Something

 

 

 

 

Freshly Pieced

 

 

 Folk Fibers

 

Color Inspiration - Sophisticated Brights

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WIP Wednesday - Modern Pineapple Quilt

A work in progress, Pineapple Quilt.  I'm attempting to make a circular sub-pattern with the colored portions.  I was inspired by a scrap quilt where it was randomly occurring in places. 

 

I combined two techniques that, I think, made this easier than the traditional method.  First, I strip pieced, working on multiple squares at a time.  Second, I cut the "logs" or strips about 1/8" wider than required and then trimmed down the width of each strip while making sure to align my ruler with the hot pink center square - either straight on or at a 45 degree angle for the corner pieces. 

 

This is sort of a cheater way to make sure that your blocks stay perfectly alligned.  I found it helpful and the tediousness of this step was offset by the strip piecing. 

Jay McCarroll Quilting Fabric Center City

I'm a little late to the party, but am completely in love with Jay McCarroll's fabric, designed for Free Spirit.  You can see the entire Center City collection here: Free Spirit Fabric.  The photo above is the "Center City" line in the "Downtown" colorway  and reminds me of a photo I took of a bit of rusty, paint peeling bit of the NYC subway (below). 

Victoria Findlay Wolfe created an incredible quilt from Jay McCarroll fabrics that won best in show at QuiltCon 2013, photo here: Best in Show Quilt.  My very favorite Swoon Quilt was also made with Jay's fabrics, take a peek: I'm a Ginger Monkey.  Jay brings a much needed bit of edge to the quilting world. 

Color Inspiration - Neutral, Masculine Palette

Photograph taken by my dad in Chicago.  I'm often in search of a masculine looking palette that doesn't bore, this one succeeds.

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WIP Wednesday - Royal Purple Striped Scarf

 

A little work in progress scarf using Lion Brand Amazing yarn mixed with some Cascade 220.  Amazing yarn is akin to Noro yarn with, perhaps, more pleasing options for the person who favors cool colors. 

Fabric Card

 

Fabric Card made using technique from Denyse Schmidt's first book, 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects, which is basically just arranging scraps pleasingly and sewing on to the front of a card.  You may want to devote one needle exclusively to paper sewing as it dulls them quickly.

Color Inspiration - Viceroy Hotel

Color palette idea based on the lobby of the Viceroy Hotel in Miami.  I would probably add a few more varieties of turquoise, one of my favorite colors. 

 

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