Abstract Minimalistic Textile Art

This textile art piece uses simple linear shapes and neutral fabrics. The style, abstract minimalism, is at home in modern or traditional settings. The pop of the single print fabric adds interest without detracting from the calming simplicity of the piece.

It was created in an improvisational manner, making it truly one-of-a-kind. The textile composition is 8 x 10 and matted with a 11 x 14 mount. It is listed in my Etsy shop. SOLD.

A Dress, a Baby, and Some Horses

This 42 x 46 baby quilt was a custom design for a friend of a friend.  The story behind the quilt is really sweet actually.  The customer sent me her bridesmaid dress and asked me to incorporate it into a simple patchwork quilt for a friend (the bride previously) who is expecting a baby.

As we discussed possible fabrics, I stumbled upon this wonderful, scrappy patchwork quilt top by Heather on instagram, which we both liked.  The horse print from Melody Miller's Mustang line for Cotton and Steel was the starting point, along with the blue solid from the dress.  I was able to pull the rest from my stash (hooray!). 

It was so fun to have free rein to choose many non traditional fabrics for a this eclectic quilt.  I especially love the ledger print from Architectures by Carolyn Friedlander, the mustard wood grain by Joel Dewberry, and the aqua print from Field Study by Anna Maria Horner.

  

The back is a fun text print and a column of scrap strips.  And I think black and white striped binding is almost always a good idea.

 

 

I hope the new mom loves the quilt as much as I do, and hopefully my customer will be pleased with it too.  The dress fabric makes this quilt a nice reminder of their friendship.

Pink Cross Quilt

After a stretch of making exclusively improv quilts, sometimes I crave a simple, traditional project.  My pink and neutral scraps bins have also been getting rather full, so I started searching for a single block I could make, using just two fabrics in each block, featuring the pinks as the primary shape.

 

I settled on this cross block, a simple variation of the nine patch. My blocks finish at 9 inches.  The pieces are quite small, making them perfect for using scraps! If you are looking for a pattern, you can find a similar block in issue one of Love Patchwork and Quilting designed and made by Holly DeGroot of Bijou Lovely.

I had a lot of fun pairing each pink scrap with the neutrals, and the blocks are very quick to piece.  I chain-pieced about four at a time.

 

I quilted figure eights across each row.  Three inches was a very easy size to create, and the rows make for a clear horizontal guideline.  I definitely recommend this free motion quilting design, particularly if you have seams to guide you.  Very speedy!

The backing is a very popular print from Ikea which is particularly useful because it is about 60 inches wide.  Sadly, I believe it has been discontinued.

 

The binding is one of my favorite prints from the Botanics line by Carolyn Friedlander. I really want a bolt of it.  I think it would be fantastic as a background, in the place of a white solid.  

 

 

This 36 x 45 baby quilt is destined for my etsy shop.

 

 

2013 Recap

Wow, 2013 has been quite a year for me with quilting: so many exciting opportunities and so much hard work.  Here is a recap of projects I have shared with you over the past year.  Thanks to everyone who has stopped by my blog to read or look at pictures.  A huge thank you to those of you who regularly read and leave encouraging comments.  I appreciate it so much!

 



1. scrappy trip along quilt, 2. Horizon, 3. Fractions Mini Quilt, 4. Spring Quarter Quilt, 5. voile color wheel quilt, 6. On the Line, 7. The Therapist, 8. Partly Cloudy, 9. Rugby Stripe Quilt, 10. Busy City Wall Hanging, 11. Tiny Log Cabin Quilt, 12. Busy City baby quilt, 13. A Quilt for Fall, 14. paper boat baby quilt, 15. Icecream Truck Pillow, quilted cover, 16. patchwork pillow

Most of what I made in 2013 will have to remain under wraps until next year.  I am excited to share it as soon as I can.  I hope you will stop back by in 2014 to see.  Happy New Year!

A Pleasant Trip

I thoroughly enjoyed my many trips around the world quilt.  You can find out more about the pattern and quilt along in my previous post.  It was a complete pleasure to make this quilt from start to finish.  I was excited to pull scrap strips in my favorite color palette of the moment.  I ended up raiding my stash as well, but it was worth it. I made 25 blocks; the quilt finishes at 60 inches square.  

The colors are moody and wintry, and the rich teals are a new obsession for me.  It is a hard color to find in fabrics.  I want it rich and saturated, without white accents that disrupt the value.  If you have a favorite dark turquoise or teal, let me know!

The Anna Maria Horner pastry voile I chose for the binding is the perfect teal.  And let me tell you, if you have not hand sewn a voile binding, you are missing out!  It was such a pleasure.  I will definitely be using it again.

I decided to try out  a new free motion quilting design.  I thought the busy quilt top would camouflage any imperfections, which thankfully seems to have been the case.  I picked the concentric circles design from Angela's first book.  The design is really quick and easy, although next time I will make the circles on a smaller scale (less than four inches across would be good I think), as the large circles were hard to keep even on my tiny machine.  I really love the texture they create, almost like raindrop ripples in a puddle.

The back is a text print from the Mama Said Sew line.  I saw it on lucyandnorman's gorgeous scrappy trip along quilt and had to have it.

You can find the throw sized quilt in my etsy shop.

A Quilted Pillow and a Look Back

No, I didn't make this pillow quickly today.  I actually finished it last month; I just forgot to show it.  All 144 squares (1.5 inch finished) came from my scrap bin and provided some much needed therapeutic sewing during the holidays. 

I quilted it simply with a crosshatch through every other squares and added a zipper closure using my favorite method.  Here you an see what it looks like then you use matching fabric for the flap, rather than contrasting as I did with my last pillow.  

I bound the edges like a quilt.  A thin binding strip looks a lot like piping and frames the pillow nicely. This quilted cover fits an 18 inch pillow form.  You can find it in my etsy shop.

Here is a quick look back at some of my favorite projects from 2012.  Here's to lots of fun sewing in 2013!

 

 
1. Herringbone Baby Quilt, 2. birdie sling, 3. Scrappy Bibs, 4. Feathered Nests Quilt, 5. Brrr! Quilt and Pillow, 6. granny squares baby quilt, 7. Furrows, 8. ipad cover, take 2, 9. Flashdance, 10. Ruffled Wristlets, 11. Trellis Quilt, 12. Atomic Quilt, 13. yellow and gray pinwheel, 14. Raindrops Quilt, 15. paper boat mini, 16. Links, 17. Snapshots Quilt, 18. super sized granny square quilt, 19. MQG pincushion swap, 20. Supersized Flashdance Quilt, closeup, 21. Tallahassee Anna Pillow, 22. Pleated Liberty Frame Purse, 23. Table Runner, 24. Quarter Log Cabin Quilt, 25. wholecloth quilt

Atomic Quilt

What began as an experiment with strips sets became something of an improv piecing puzzle.  I wanted some of the shapes to nestle together, which made for some interesting piecing.  I finally got my atomic shapes arranged and added plenty of negative space for quilting.

I used a combination of straight line and free motion quilting to created some ghost atoms, which I really love.  The free motion design is a squared off meander.

I finally got to use the Shades of Grey chain link print, which is a favorite of mine.  The large scale makes it perfect for backing.  I added an Echo print to one side to make it wide enough. 

I'm happy I followed my instinct to add the little pop of mustard to contrast the starkness of the gray and white.

I think I've decided I want some curves in my atoms in future.  If I dabble with this design again I'd use applique to create the shapes which probably rules out strips sets for this purpose.  Solids would be nice though I think.

This is a throw size quilt, 50 x 58, perfect over the couch or at the end of the bed.  It is in my shop. sold.

Check and Check

I can check two things off my list.  I got both projects done on my sewing retreat, despite leaving early because of a family emergency (all doing okay now, thankfully).  My first priority was a birdie sling for my mother-in-law.  It was her birthday gift...last week.  She asked for a black and white bag, and I found this great Alexander Henry print called Kenyan Tea Leaves.

I made it at 75% size as I did on my first birdie.  I paired it with Kona black and some Echo on the inside.

Next up on my sewing to do list was a cell phone case.  I did finally get a new phone, like I wanted, so it needed a sleeve of some kind.  I found the adorable Japanese print at Pink Chalk.  I also got a kit to make fabric covered buttons - so easy and fun.  Expect many more fabric covered buttons here. :)

And see the little guy on the back?  I based my case on this tutorial by fairy face designs although I changed the size of the patchwork panels.  It fits an iPhone perfectly.

It feels good to check some things off my list!

Flashdance

Something about the colors of this quilt and the slashed solids remind me of the 80s and headbands, hence the name of the quilt.  The quilt was actually inspired by this photo I ran across on flickr.  I loved the composition of the picture, the colors, and the improv shapes.  This quilt ended up taking me outside of my comfort zone.  It's really minimalist and modern to me.  I'm glad I tried it though and that it was done in time to photograph with my favorite spring blooming tree, which I think is a hawthorne tree.

I used kona solids and my favorite lipstick shot cotton to create this baby quilt.  It is 41 x 49 before washing.

I took my inspiration for the quilting from the backing fabric.  It is a great sketchy crosshatch flannel I found at Joanns.  It reminds me of Heath, and the aqua is so pretty.  I finished the binding by machine using this method again.  So quick.

I thought the wonky crosshatch quilting would be easy, but it was actually a little tricky to keep the random unevenness, even, if you know what I mean.  And creating the wonky grid did take a long, long time.

I'm pleasantly surprised with how soft and snuggley the quilt is, given the heavy quilting.  Maybe it's the flannel, but it has a great drape to it even with all that thread.

I'm going to wash and dry this baby quilt, and then it'll be listed in the shop.  Up next, a coordinating doll quilt I made with extra blocks.  I'm not sure if I want to quilt it the same way or try something a little more feminine.

Update: A pattern for this type of quilt can now be found in Improvising Tradition: 18 Quilted Projects Using Strips, Slices, and Strata.