I was itching for some random sewing time.... I had a two layer cake sets of Kaffe and Phillip
sitting here for ages... and thought... hmmm, what can I do with them...
I put a few strips together.. nah, that's to boring ...
Then cut them into disappearing 9 patches... interesting but still boring...
Cant' stop there, that's like eating one bite of ice cream and letting the rest melt...
If I cut 4 on the diagonal what will happen in the middle... interesting..but,
well, not scrappy enough... cut them again, and again...
Add some more BLACK into it.. put those scrappy blocks back together on point...
add the black for setting corners , thank you Iphone app for making this so easy for me!
look up QUILT REF, QuiltFab and block tool... fun to play with out your i phones...
how about a solid? hmm,not quite right..
I prefer the block somewhat blending in, then adding the other blocks around...
maybe a little green on the outside...
Now it's a nice lap quilt size... Do I want to keep going?
More black... LARGER, the quilt says to me...
Really? Do I need to make every quilt king size?
I may run out of prints.. I'll stop for now, and look at it again later...
I can see more black floral triangles around the whole thing...
why stop there ...
sigh.
**
Kim asked a bunch of good questions the other day
Besides your Grandma where else does your inspiration come from?
Color. fabrics. my friends...
Have you seen the REBELS?
They constantly knock my socks off...
Playing off each other... I love sending a piece off to some one else to
play with and see where they go with it... Sticking together as a creative effort , supporting each other,
encouraging others to go down that creative path.. that gets my creative juice flowing...
Have you ever considered getting a longarm machine?
Have you ever considered getting a longarm machine?
This has been joked to me more than once... I won't say never, but I don't see the quilting pattern as easy as I do see how my tops should look... (nor do I enjoy machine quilting very much)
Alhtough, I did just finish my star splitter, and although parts in the beginning starting our rocky,
it ended with some lovely feathers that I am proud of...
I can see that spurring me on to do a little better next time around...
I think I'm actually hesitant to have to learn, yet another thing,
that will keep me thinking quilts all day... I feel like focusing on the tops
right now has been a glorious amount of fun and I don't want to stray from that energy right now.
...but like I said, never say never.
I may play with them in Houston this year... just to see...(if I change my mind.)
I think my husband might prefer me to evacuate the loft if I did want to bring in a longarm...
that might push the limits of my quilting stuff that already invades our space...
When you hand quilt do you use a hoop?
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I pin the daylights out of my quilts and I sit with it all in my lap.
No hoop, no frame.
I do have a Hinterberg frame, I've used it TWICE, and it now is buried in my studio.
I was thinking of donating it to the Empire GUILD for their auction...
I just can't get the hang of quilting that way...
How about you? How do you quilt your quilts.?
hand, machine, longarm?
What are your quilting goals?
Those Rebels are a very stimulating group. Lots of great inspriation there. It is fun to see what someone else will do with someting you started but then lost interest in or direction for. One of the best parts of playing with others!
ReplyDeleteWhat you've said about getting the quilting done pretty much mirrors the way I feel about it. I suspect I might enjoy using a long arm, but only if it does not require a lot of fuss and bother. Since I don't have anything approaching room for one it's not an option at this point. I've never enjoyed hand quilting in the traditional sense, hoop or not. Which is odd because I can scatter stitch or sew beads onto quilts for hours on end. Go figure.
As for my quitling goals... Just to do more and think less. Much harder than it sounds ;- )
Love the color. Thanks for the Rebels link. Even more eye candy and inspiration!
ReplyDeleteLove the way your new quilt is going...yes...more black and bigger!! I sit with my quilt in my lap to quilt too, and only having a small sewing machine (Frister Rossman Cub) have never dared to try stuffing a quilt under it; hope to try! Enjoying the piecing best, maybe I should send the next one away to be quilted...but would it still feel like 'my' quilt? Could you have sent Star Splitter away?! Know just what you mean about a new, time consuming skill, I (used to - just sold...) play the oboe - then I started to make my own reeds, which took up all the spare time I needed to practise! So beware a long arm, your tops are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThe colors are great and the addition of black was perfect. Random is good!
ReplyDeleteI have not hand quilted in a long time, I am too impatient to get it done. I have been tempted to do a big stitch with some varigated pearl cotton....
Love what you did with those gorgeous prints! If you're looking for some other fabrics to add, Buffy--of Rebels fame--has had good luck adding Hawaiian prints to the Kaffe florals.
ReplyDeleteI avoid machine quilting if I can, just because it seems like a chore. But once I get to it, I find I kind of enjoy it. Sort of like cleaning the refrigerator.
I LOVE hand-quilting, and I use a hoop. I think it's 14", and I secure the quilt in there loosely, so there's some give for the needle to rock up and down.
It's funny how the Rebels site has evolved. It started out as a private site, just so we could share our ideas among one another. Never dreamed that anyone else would want to see our weirdo stuff!
I love that quilt! I say keep going... usually more is more! More black, more red, more green! I usually machine quilt although I procrastinate about getting around to it. I recently started hand quilting and am starting to get the feel of it, and I love the look. I'm thinking a mix of the two might be perfect for one of my finished tops, we'll see how that goes but I usually like it when I see it!
ReplyDeleteLove what you're doing with the Kaffe fabrics...and I love going to the Rebels site to see what's going on. I'd like to push myself more toward being one myself!
ReplyDeleteI have a longarm, but I consider myself a newbie with it. When I first learned to quilt I tried handquilting. I didn't like that it took so long.
I taught myself how to machine quilt and was doing okay but would get frustrated when dealing with a large piece of fabric. I found it hard to manhandle it around. I still use the domestic machine on small pieces.
If there is such a thing, I think I have the equivalent of quilt ADD. Once I'm near to the end of the top, I want to move on to the next thing. The longarm gets me there faster. I have friends who send out their quilts but I have a hard time giving it over to someone else. If there's to be mistakes on it, I want them to be mine! Besides...I like knowing I had a hand in it from start to finish.
As far as goals...I'm always looking to do something different... something I've not done. This is funny given I've done an upteenth number of Yellow Brick Road quilts... and I have several more on my horizon!
Hi V - great colors and designs - this is going to look fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI have bought and sold TWO Hinterberg frames - finally realized I like to quilt in my lap in the family room watching tv... not sitting up in a hard chair next to a frame... so I pin, and I baste, and then I quilt... and it works out just fine... as long as I use enough pins and enough basting thread!!
Love your blog, hun - fun to watch your creativity blossoming.
Kate (the Quilting Professor)
Love it!! And best of all I love the fact that it is getting bigger. If you need more Kaffe and Philip, you know where you can get some... LOL! As for me, you know I had to have the long arm and love it!! By the way, what day are you getting into Houston? I will be there on the 28th and leaving on the 1st. I know we probably talked about this, but my mind is mush these days!
ReplyDeleteMmmmm pretty! Those fabrics are delicious!
ReplyDeleteI think us hand quilters all have different methods for quilting and use what works best for us. I have 3 methods - I have a very large 3 roller quilting frame that I hand quilt my large quilts on. I love it but it did take time to get used to it, I have had it for about 14 years. I have a small hoop - about 14 inches I think and I use that for a lot of my smaller quilts. For wall hangings and the edges of the small quilts I just hold it in my lap and quilt. I used to not use a frame at all but I had trouble with puckers in the back and switched to the frame and hoop. I have photos on my blog of the large frame scattered throughout.
ReplyDeleteKaren
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
Goodness me! This looks divine!!! Love the black accents.
ReplyDeleteThe colours just sing. Love the way you've photographed it.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of the Rebels so thanks for the link.
I hand quilt using the only way there is to hand quilt. Hoopless. Wonder who caused that?
I love watching your thought process...
ReplyDeleteI love to hand quilt...I baste (probably too much) and use a hoop. I have a nice frame my husband built me that I use every now and then, but we live in a small house and it can get in the way if I am going to take forever to quilt a top.
I am a little curious about a longarm, but have no room and no money for that. Sometimes, you can find a longarm-er that will let you rent time on their machine. I'd like to try that! I just got my liberated lady project ("Wickedly Liberated") custom quilted by someone for $260.00. Ouch! But I only do that every now and them. I know someone who does a nice job of allover patterns for much less, which I also do every now and then, especially for more utilitarian quilts.
I love to hand quilt...it is my therapy. Even though I am fast, I can't keep up with my tops.
In stitches,
Teresa :o)
I use my Juki for machine quilting. My free motion is fair, but I have become quite creative with my walking foot. I also wish I would not keep making big quilts, but I just keep saying what if.....
ReplyDeleteWhen hand quilting I have switched to big stitch. I use a hoop mainly because of the arthritis in my underneath the quilt thumb. However, I do not stretch the quilt taut, but leave it loose. I have always done this even when doing traditional hand quilting.
Bonnie
oh that's jewelly gorgeous...
ReplyDeleteI love kaffe fabrics and you've blended them so beautifully.
thea.
xx
I try to hand quilt the ones I love (or I splurge and have Bellwether Dry Goods hand quilt them for me). I don't use a hoop for the small ones. Since I discovered that the quilt should be l-o-o-s-e in the hope my quilting has gotten much better.
ReplyDeleteWow! You've mixed the fabric as though it were paint! Fantastic. The photos are great too! Thanks for sharing your processes with us.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite quilting is by hand with perle 8 cotton, and a hoop. I just love sitting with music on a sunny afternoon quilting. It's a shame time dosen't always allow me to do so. I've started having a go at machine quilting on my domestic machine. It's a case of practice makes perfect I know but i'm a bit impatient. I send some out for longarm quilting when I get that feeling that I really need to see one of my quilts finished.
ReplyDelete