Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Partly Cloudy

I've been back at my therapy, working with scraps to make more monochromatic strip set blocks.  The technique is the same as I used in the Therapist.  I simply limited my color palette to create this 40 x 50 toddler quilt. 
The intensity of the teal and navy is what I find so arresting about this quilt.  I wanted the colors to gradually soften into aqua on one end and gray on the other, finally fading to white.  I used the block format to keep it deliberately a bit choppy and graphic.  The blocks are quite simple to make as well and more much more manageable than making an entire column at a time.

The tight color scheme creates cohesion even though it is a very scrappy quilt.  I really enjoyed working with both my own scraps and scraps from friends. (If you want to make a scrap quilt but don't have enough variety of fabrics or have colors you lack, I suggest swapping scraps with a friend or two.  It is a fun way to discover new fabrics and work with colors you might not normally use.  Scrap packs are also readily available for purchase online. One tip I can offer is to follow quilters you admire on Instagram or Flickr.  If you like the fabrics they use in their quilts, you're sure to love a scrap bundle, should they ever decide to destash.  Guess how I know.) My friends may recognize some of their scraps here.

I used a figure eight free motion design for the quilting and simple gray Heath to bind. The back is a cute DS Quilts print you can find at JoAnn's.


Partly Cloudy is available in my shop.  FYI, I am planning to clear out the shop in the next month or two, so it's your last chance to grab anything you've had your eye on.  All the baby quilts unsold by the end of September will be donated for the 100 Quilts for Kids quilt drive.

15 comments:

knottygnome said...

I love it! i've been wanting to do a blues quilt myself for awhile. your quilt is very inspirational!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

It looks great! I love the colours and their graduations here. It could just as easily be a wall quilt.

Rachel at Stitched in Color said...

What a pretty, relaxing quilt. It has such a chill, comfy vibe. I hope it finds its forever home soon!

Debbie said...

This is a palette I'm hoping to work on soon - new to me, but I was hopeful it would be good, and it's lovely to see how great it really is! Nicely done!

sarah elizabeth :: {no} hats said...

What a soothing design -- really beautiful.

Rachel said...

Love the colors, love the scrappiness, love the composition!

Erica said...

Oh this is so lovely!

Svetlana said...

beautiful!!!!YOu really make me want to make an all blue quilt.

Leanne said...

This is beautiful and inspiring!

stitchingandbacon said...

I love it! I am also obsessed with this technique (do we call it coins?). I think my scrap bins want me to make a big version soon, do you mind if I use your gradient idea as inspiration?

Helen in the UK said...

Beautiful! Love your colour choices and placement :)

Marisa said...

I love this! For me I find it relaxing to cut my fabric. Now I just need to organize all the scraps I cut and I think I have inspiration!

CitricSugar said...

This has so much about it that I love... The gradient, the texture... If you had any idea how much inspiration I've taken from your quilts over the years...!

Unknown said...

Wow! I love this quilt. I found your blog through a link on the swim bike quilt blog for 100 quilts for kids. I've been planning a quilt with the aqua, navy, grey theme for a bit. I love yours!

JennB said...

Is there a pattern in the quilt? I keep getting hints of cityscapes?