Showing posts with label modern quilts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label modern quilts. Show all posts

Friday, January 8, 2016

Deb's NY Beauty Circle of Geese - a Finish Friday

Ladies and Gentlemen.....this mini quilt has been 9 months in the making, which is about how long since I have had a finish Friday!

NY Beauty Circle of Flying Geese Mini for Deb

Deb's NY Beauty Circle of Geese mini is finally finished!  I completed the last few inches of binding up over the weekend.  I am completely ashamed that it took me so long to finish this one up.  Rather than rehash the excuses, I can only ask, and hope that Deb forgives me.

center of Deb's NY Beauty Circle of FG

This Beauty is already on its way to her.  Pray that it doesn't get lost on the way!  I'm not sure how long it will take me to make a replacement, LOL.

Thanks for reading today,


Jen




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Saturday, May 16, 2015

Modern Window Pane - Blogger's Quilt Festival

Welcome Back.  Here is my second entry for this year's Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.  I am terrible at coming up with names for quilts, but I guess I will call this one, "Modern Window Pane", and I am entering it in to the Modern Quilt category.

Rainbow Mini Swap item


I made this mini for the Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap on Instagram.  This mini is about 23 inches square, and each colored block is made of 25 one inch squares.

Speaking of those little scraps, I was getting a little nostalgic as I was putting them together.  Most of the pieces came from my scrap bins, and I used pieces not only from my most current projects, but also from my very first quilt!  So, in a way, this quilt sums up the last few years in fabric. I liked it so much, I decided to make one for myself too.  I'm still showing you the one that I made for my partner because I gave her the best one of the two I made.

Quilt Stats:

Size: 23 x 23 inches square
Pattern: I just threw this together, but I dare not take credit as I have seen several similar quilts in other sizes and colors.
Fabrics: Miscellaneous scraps
Quilted by: Me, using my walking foot and a decorative stitch
Quilting Thread: Aurifil in White.

Thank you for considering this cheery little quilt in the Modern category.  I hope you will visit all the other category pages.  There are some terrific quilts this festival.

Oh, and don't forget to nominate your favorite for Viewer's Choice.


Jen


Friday, June 27, 2014

Water Lily for the Modern Quilt Guild Michael Miller Challenge - a finish Friday


Michael Miller Challenge Quilt
Quilter in the Closet: "Water Lily" for Modern Quilt Guild Michael Miller Challenge Quilt 
It's finished!  Hooray for that!  This challenge quilt sure was a challenge.  I've never only worked with Fat Eighths before, never made this block before the challenge (though I did make a practice one for this challenge), and I quilted the whole thing while coughing and sneezing - no easy task.  Don't you just love summer colds?  But it is done, and I am pleased with how it turned out.

Here's a bit closer look at it:

Michael Miller Challenge quilt close up
Quilter in the Closet: free motion quilting the Michael Miller challenge quilt.

And for those of you who like a pic of a backside (not that kind of backside, mind you!).

back of challenge quilt
Quilter in the Closet: the backside (of the quilt, not my backside)

The piecing of the small Dahlia block was pretty challenging, and when it came time to quilt it, I didn't really want to cover up the block with any special quilting.  So, I just stitched it in the ditch.  Later I added some really small pebbling to the outer edge of the block so the flower shape would stand out a little more.  I also quilted a ghost block in the negative space, and my favorite Seafoam filler in the spaces between.  I think it makes the quilt look a little like a water lily floating on a pond during a gentle rain.

What do you think?


Thanks for reading today,

Jen


Linking up with:



I Quilt @ Pretty Bobbins

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Challenge Quilt - Building Blocks Tuesday

Today for Building Blocks Tuesday, I thought I would share the block I made for the Michael Miller Challenge through the Modern Quilt Guild.

MQG Michael Miller challenge

The block is a modified Small Dahlia block from EQ7.  I made a sample block (which is still unfinished), and modified the center.  This challenge has challenged me in several ways.  First, the block is difficult. Second, the challenge only gives you fat 1/8 ths of the challenge fabric to work with, and I was really stretching it to finish the block.  You can add a solid or another Michael Miller print to complete your quilt.  I went with the solid, but I've seen several other people add multiple solids and multiple other MM prints.  I guess it all depends on how you interpret the instructions!

 It is still a work in progress, but it is getting there.  Here it is all stitched in the ditch.

MQG Michael Miller challenge quilt in progress

Fingers crossed I don't mess up the rest of the quilting!

Anyone else going to QuiltCon?  Registration for guild members starts today, and I'm hoping to get into a class or two.

What blocks have you working on?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!

Thanks for reading!

Jen



Friday, June 20, 2014

Modern art inspired Mini Quilt - a Finish Friday


Mondrian inspired modern mini quilt
Quilter in the Closet: Modern Mini's inspired by artists, this one was inspired by Mondrian

I finished another Modern Mini.  This one was inspired by Piet Mondrian, who you can learn more about here at the Moma site..  I've seen all kinds of Mondrian inspired things, including a mini petit four with a Mondrian-like interior!

When it came to quilting this mini, I stared at it a long time.   I didn't want to interfere too much with the pieced design, but I didn't want to just SID either.  In the end, I decided to try something new - thanks again to the Craftsy class by Jacquie Gering called Creative Quilting With Your Walking Foot (affiliate link).  In the class, she discusses trying out some of your decorative stitches for quilting.  Add that influence and a piece I saw in a recent Stitch Magazine on how to create your own plaid fabrics and well, this quilt was quilted.

Mondrian inspired modern mini quilt


I rather like the effect!  And I might have to try out that technique again soon.


Thanks for reading today,

Jen


Linking up with:



I Quilt @ Pretty Bobbins


**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Inspirational Sunday (28) - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

After finishing my modern baby quilt this week, I feel like continuing with the modern vibe for this week's inspirational post.  There are several modern quilts from the show that I haven't shared yet, so here are half.  I will share the last few next week.

This first one is called "Cantilevers" by Jessica Levitt of Bridgewater, New Jersey.  It is machine pieced and free-motion machine quilted.  The design source was a trio of windows on a building.

"Cantivlevers" by Jessica Levitt of Bridgewater, NJ

Jessica says, "I wanted to repeat the design elements of the windows in a structured way, but not in a traditional block format.  A longer element originates off the edges of the quilt.  Thus they are cantilevers that extend onto the quilt surface.  I chose to use vibrant solid fabrics in crisp, modern colors to echo a sparse modern building element.  I also used slight variations in the shades of both the background and the bars to add interest.  The background quilting adds movement and contrast to the straight-lined piecing."

"Cantilevers" by Jessica Levitt, close up


And look!  She used my favorite swirl design for the quilting!

The next quilt is called "Zinnia" by Lynn Harris of Chelsea, Michigan.  It is machine quilted.

"Zinnia" by Lynn Harris of Chelsea, MI


Lynn says, "The quilt (design and colors) was inspired by a photo I took of zinnias growing in our garden a few years ago.  The quilting is a bit "organic" in nature.  It is made up of many rows of parallel wavy lines.  With its simple, asymmetrical design on a solid gray [back]ground, this quilt fits with the modern quilt theme."

This design sure would be a great way to use up some orphan HST's!  And I like the wavy quilting.

The next quilt is called "Tilework" by Elizabeth Harvatine of Toluca Lake, California.  It is pieced.  (Don't you just love some of these descriptions?).  The design was inspired by her fabric selection.

"Tilework" by Elizabeth Harvatine of Toluca Lake, CA

She says, "The fabric colors have a calming, soothing feel to them and I wanted to design something clean and precise to balance that feeling.   The color scheme is modern and unusual but still pleasing to the eye."

"Tilework" by Elizabeth Harvatine, close up

This last one is called "Broken Plaid" by Alissa Carlton of Los Angeles, California.  It is pieced and machine quilted.  The design was inspired by her ongoing exploration of non-block based quilt design and the look of weaving with piecing.

"Broken Plaid" by Alissa Carlton of Los Angeles, CA

She says, "Broken Plaid reflects the modern quilting movement in its use of negative space, color choices and bold graphic design.  The impact given by the piecing design is enhanced with the straight line quilting that maintains the plaid concept of the piecing."

I like how the quilting lines make a plaid-like texture on the quilt.

I just finished Jacquie Gerings new Craftsy class "Creative Quilting With Your Walking Foot".  It was pretty darn good!  I'm anxious to try out some of the methods she discusses to get these more modern looks in my quilting.  You would think they would be rather simple, but there is actually a bunch of preparation and accuracy needed.  Jacquie does a great job teaching you what it takes, and she is a fun/funny instructor too.

Have you tried any of the "straight-line" quilting techniques on your quilts?

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Friday, April 18, 2014

Modern Baby quilt - a finish Friday

It's the middle of the month and I finally have a finish to share!

Discontinuity 2

Look familiar?  This is the 2nd quilt I've made in these colors using Emily Cier's pattern "Discontinuity".  I took her class way back in January of 2013, and made this baby quilt (which gave to Olivia).

Discontinuity 1

At the time, I was so tired from piecing all those 723 pieces together that I really didn't want to put much effort into quilting it.  So, it is just stitched in the ditch.   (BORING!)

I really loved the look of this pattern, but the piecing method left me cold.  I had ordered enough fabric to make the quilt into a twin size, and it seemed a waste not to use it.  So, I tried to apply a log cabin approach to the piecing, like I did with Emily's "In the Groove" pattern (see my quilt here).  I reported about the log cabin piecing of Discontinuity 2 here (only one step down seam!).  Then the quilt top sat in a box until about 2 months ago.

basting another pink baby quilt

My husband's cousin had her first baby in January.   Said cousin is very modern, loves art, loves modern art, AND she had a baby girl.  It seemed fortuitous that this quilt should be finished for her.  But, I couldn't just SID, NO!!  Any time saved having a quilt top already pieced had to be channeled into the quilting process!  So I quilted a different motif for each color.  This was made possible by using the log cabin method of piecing.  I'm not sure it would have the same effect if I had made it using the approach in the original pattern.

baby quilt close up

This time around, I also found the perfect backing!

back of Discontinuity 2

I love the texture all that quilting gives, and I hope the baby does too.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Inspirational Sunday (6) - via the 2013 Road to California Quilt Show

This year at Road, there were a bunch of Modern Quilts.   I just love them.  They may not necessarily be simple to make, but unlike many of the quilts in the show, when I look at these, I can actually say "Hey, I think I could do something similar".  They are attainable.  Of course, I haven't really tried, so maybe they are extremely difficult.  But no matter, at least when I look at them, they FEEL attainable.  Power of perception!

This one is called "Convergence" by Annette Guerrero of Pasadena, CA.

"Convergence" by Annette Guerrero of Pasadena, CA

I love the bold colors and sharp angles that are accentuated by the straight line quilting.

Here is another quilt by Annette Guerrero of Pasadena, CA called "Iris".

"Iris" by Annette Guerrero of Pasadena, CA

This one makes me think all those improv blocks I have been doing for bee mates will come together wonderfully in their projects.

If you like Annette Guerrero's work, she has a great portfolio of pictures on her website.

There were also several quilts from the "We Love Color" book, as several of the faculty had either designed the quilts or done the quilting, but gosh darn it if I didn't have my camera with me when I went through that part of the exhibit.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Quilting Modern - Inspirational Sunday book review

For today's Inspirational Sunday, I am reviewing Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson.  If you remember, I listed this one as one of my new favorites during my stop on the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop.



Why do I like this book?
  • The quilt patterns are great.  I mean with a title like Quilting Modern, you better get some cool quilting patterns right?  I referenced this book several times while quilting my Totally Groovy quilt above (can you tell?).  There are several pages covering straight-line quilting, curved quilting, free-motion quilting, the use of decorative stitches, and quilting on a long arm (if you are inclined).  There are fabulous photographs showing many of the motifs discussed, plus a few that they don't.  They also give some great tips on how to choose a quilting motif for your modern quilts.
  • I just love the projects in this book!  21 in all, and at least half of them are on my "want to do" list.  They also include smaller projects like pillows and place mats to try out the techniques.  I appreciate that as time is limited sometimes.
  • The skills built in this book mostly have to do with improvisational piecing, something I think anyone can accomplish without too much difficulty and get fantastic results.  "Slice and Insert", "Stitch and Flip", and Improvisational Curves are also presented with projects for each technique. Angled and strip piecing are also discussed.
  • Bonus tips and hints throughout the book - including how to sew an invisible zipper closure for pillows and 3 or 4 different ways to make a design wall for your studio.
Doesn't it seem like you get a lot in this book??


I also enjoyed reading their philosophy:

  • Honor the Past
  • Release Your Inner Artist
  • Embrace Serendipity
  • Fail
  • Savor the Moment
  • Make a Friend
  • Free Yourself
I won't copy what they wrote about each point, but the failure one really hit home, "Improvisation is about trial and error.  Cherish every mistake or misstep as a learning opportunity.  Many of us don't start out of fear that we won't succeed.  We recommend failing right from the start.  Get it out of the way and move forward."  -- Great advice, don't you think?  

I think I have mastered failing right from the start!  But, they are right in that some people need to make mistakes in order to learn.  I am definitely in that category and I think you can tell by reviewing my projects chronologically.

Do I recommend it?  
  • Yes!  Even if you aren't into modern quilting, this book has a lot to offer.  If you are into modern quilting, then it is a must have!
The project I can't wait to try...
  • The Illusions Quilt - I want to make it in aquas, although the black and white is very appealing also (and goodness knows I have a lot of those in my stash at the moment).
  • Tipsy City Quilt - so colorful!
Jacquie Gering blogs at Tallgrass Prairie Studio - check out her digital portfolio for pictures of many of the projects from this book, including the Illusions Quilt, and many more inspirational patterns.

Katie Pedersen blogs at Sew Katie Did - check out her Tutorials page.  She has some great ones, and links to some of her favorite tutorials found on the web too.

I hope you enjoyed this book review.  I'm going to go leaf through the pages one more time and perhaps make a plan to get that Illusions quilt started!

Thanks for reading today,

Jen


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Inspirational Sunday (8) - via the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

These items are 3-D in nature.  I'm not sure if they really fit into the "modern" quilting style or are just a new thing people are experimenting with (which by definition makes it modern, right?).

These first two pictures are of the Artist Village.  It was a project by Kathy York.  Houses were created by Kathy York, Jane Davila, Judy Perez, Leslie Jenison, Jamie Fingal, Connie Hudson, Sherri McCauley, Barb Forrister, Naomi Adams, Laura Wasilowski, Frieda Anderson, Melanie Testa, Frances Holliday Alford, Susan Else, Lisa Call, Pamela Allen, and Vickie Hallmark. They are fused appliqued, painted, machine and hand stitched, dyed, and hand embellished.  The village symbolizes the support given to each other in the quest to create art.


My other pictures of this exhibit didn't turn out well, but you can see the diversity of the houses.  And the little felted trees are interesting too.

Now here is a quilt that is truly 3-D!  "Central Park" by Kathy York of Austin, Texas.  I guess she likes 3-D!    It is Shibori, discharged, overdyed, hand-dyed, fused appliqued, machine pieced, hand appliqued, machine quilted and hand embroidered.  Whew!



If you are wondering what is inside those "buildings" to make them stand up like that - they are stuffed with Styrofoam!

What about you; have you ever been inspired to create a 3-D quilted item?

Jen

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Inspirational Sunday (7) - via the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

Today, I want to share with you a few "modern" quilts that I saw at the show.  It seems modern quilting is really gaining momentum all across the world.  I know I have been bitten by the modern bug!  There are a dozen patterns, at least, that I want to try out.

This one is called "Memories Too" by Giny W. Dixon of Danville, California.  It is machine pieced, free-motion quilted and hand embroidered.


I wish the photo was better, but the lighting in this area was terrible!  I just love the color combination and the simplicity of this quilt.

Next up is "Spiral Fever" by Jane Lloyd of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, UK.  It uses "cutwork", is layered and fused.



Probably my favorite of the modern quilts was this one called "Gridlock" by Annette Guerrero of Pasadena, California.  It is machine pieced and machine quilted.



I love the simple grid pattern of the quilting.  It really goes with the quilt.

What modern pattern are you just chomping at the bit to try out?

Jen



Friday, July 27, 2012

I'm Diggin' It - Finish Friday

I have a few finishes this week.  It is nice to have a few small projects in the works - I might even have something to show you next week too!

As promised, here is a picture of my reverse applique T-shirt.  It's really hard to get a picture of a shirt you are wearing, while you are wearing it!  I did not follow the pattern given in the Handstitched class, but instead tried to make my own.  It didn't quite turn out like I imagined.  Seems more like a showcase of stitches rather than the fabric underneath, but I will still wear it proudly!

Also - Tada!!  The latest installment of the Medallion quilt for the Handstitched class, complete with the storm at sea blocks.  I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am diggin' this quilt and the journey.  The next step has some applique and a few on point squares in the border.  Can't wait!



I'm not sure whether I am pleased to show you my latest Free Motion Challenge piece or not.  It seems vacation has taken a toll on me, and my work has suffered a bit.  Well, here it is anyway.


I really liked the idea behind this month's motif, and drawing it didn't seem to be too difficult.....but when I started doing little tiles on my practice sandwiches, everything didn't come together as I hoped.

You see, I have made a whole bunch of practice sandwiches from the "trimmings" of my quilts.  They are typically 4 inches wide by 6 or 7 inches long.  Just big enough to practice something, pick up my free motion groove, and check my tension levels.  For a little while there, I even got into the habit of every time I changed my bobbin, I would load up my darning foot and do a little practice sandwich before continuing with whatever I was working on.  It kept free motion a little fresher in my mind.  Well, some time last month THAT habit went out the window!  And I could tell based on my first couple of practice sandwiches when I sat down to do this month's challenge.  My hands were jerky, my foot unsteady, and I swear I was seeing double a few times!  The results weren't great.

Now a smart woman would have said to herself, "Jen, you seem a little out of sorts today.  Perhaps you should save your challenge piece for another day."  Evidently I am not a smart woman!  After 2 1/2 practice sandwiches, I thought to myself, "maybe these sandwiches are just too small and it will work out better on a slightly bigger piece".  HA!

Oh well, these placemats are showcasing my journey through the challenge.  It probably wouldn't be realistic to think that I wouldn't have a month of backsliding.  I should eat my breakfast on it and just think how much better I am going to do next month!  Which brings me to a short list of things I am going to work on before next month's challenge: free motion quilting straight lines, and travel stitching.  Seems I really need some more practice on those two things in particular.

Tomorrow I am off to the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach!!!!  I cannot wait!!!  I plan on getting some inspirational pics to show off and share on Tuesday's post.  So, make sure you stop by for some eye candy.  I'm just sayin'!

Linking up this week with Handmade Parade at There and Back, TGIFF (this week at Stop that Owl), and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.


There and Back