Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Snapshots Quilt

The title and inspiration for this quilt came from a beautiful scrapbook page I saw somewhere.  The asymmetrical arrangement of the snapshots caught my eye, and I love way they engage the edge of the quilt.  I framed each improvised panel or snapshot in white, and Angela Walters worked her magic to create a cool secondary design in the negative space.
The quilt pattern appears in the premier issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited.  I'm very excited to be a part of  a publication aimed at our community of quilters and those interested in what we're all about.  The magazine looks great.  I am especially interested in Jacquie's atomic quilt.  The design is so smart; she's made a complex looking quilt out of just three blocks.  Look for it!  Maybe she'll offer a preview on her blog.  In any case, I hear the magazine should be on shelves in early November.
I was a little disappointed to see that my quilt was photographed sideways, but then I had to laugh.  That must be a risk of modern, asymmetric design.  I'm just glad the editors thought it looked just as good that way.  If you try out the quilt, note that the diagrams are oriented with the shapes along the right edge of the quilt, as I have photographed it here for the blog.
I would love to see some of your own versions of the quilt.  The improvised panels are super fun and easy to make.  AmandaJean's book, Sunday Morning Quilts, has a wonderful description of how to make what she calls "slabs" like this. Jacquie's book, Quilting Modern, illustrates a similar technique nicely.

If improv isn't your thing or you want to make the quilt a little more quickly, you could always let the fabric do the work for you.  Here is a rough digital sketch of how the quilt would look made from Kona Modern Quilts' cheater prints.  Fun, right?
Or the panels can be a wonderful place to showcase your favorite large scale prints like Anna Maria Horner's Field Study.
Your fabric choices change the feel of the quilt so much!  Okay, now I kind of want to make that Field Study version.

11 comments:

Carla said...

Congratulations, Alex! You deserve the recognition and your Snapshots look great from any angle!!

Josée Carrier said...

Congratulations! Your quilt looks lovely. I just love the little pops of red. And just like you, I love asymmetry in a quilt.

**nicke... said...

I totally love this and also want a field study version!

felicity said...

Totally gorgeous - congratulations!!

CitricSugar said...

Now THAT looks like a quilting mag I'd actually buy! :-)

Your quilt is gorgeous, and I totally don't understand how they could think it would be stacked on the bottom. I could see them hanging it upside down with the shots on the left, but sideways?? Weird. It seemed obvious to me. At least the editors had to brilliance to include your work! Congrats!

Mary Anne said...

Now I'm even more excited to get my first issue! Congratulations, Alex!

Rachel at Stitched in Color said...

Your photo of the quilt is so perfect. They should've used your shot!

Melissa said...

Great photos, Alex and such a great quilt! Can't wait to see the magazine. Congratulations!

Krista Stitched said...

sideways! too funny. it's beautiful any way you turn it. congrats!

Vicki said...

I love the quilt. And how cool that you are in this magazine. I subscribed and hope to be able to contribute something eventually too. :)

Chelsie C said...

I saw this quilt in the magazine and I just got a fat quarter of the kona modern quilts in berry. Now I know what to do with it. Thank you so much!