pinwheels in process

 

when i nixed my original idea for a black "capel" sashing for "groovy liberty," i needed to come up with an alternative. i dug around in my stash and found this awful grunge (moda cross weave woven) i am using for a different, old stalled project called "emilia's sampler trip," or something. it's from my "instagram-not-blogging" era, so it's probably not even on the blog anywhere. anyways, this grunge fabric is here in my stash because of that project. 

i tried some of the other chambrays i have on hand as a sashing, but didn't like the effect with any of them. my eye fell on this grunge because it's light and neutral. i think it will blend well enough and not call too much attention to itself.

this is a look at the grunge as sashing. i want sashing to slightly enlarge the quilt and to separate the blocks so the pinwheels don't get lost in the secondary pattern when they're laid next to each other.

i really do think this fabric is horrible on its own, but it works for some things. it has a retro vibe to it that i think works nicely with the groovy prints i picked for this quilt. it just goes to show you can dislike a fabric in general but it has its place. some fabrics spark joy all on their own, and some are useful to make others shine.

these are the blocks togther. which is fine, just not what i want. i want to see my pinwheels as pinwheels this time.

something i have completed for this project - the next two sets of blocks. i got all the ones i turned around fixed and then put these next two sets together. i am really happy with both of these. they definitely have the vibe i wanted for my "groovy liberty."

somewhere along the way i realized i had my maths wrong. how many times have i said that recently? this time was extra bad - apparently i can't even do the most basic math anymore. i was making 8 blocks each of the 6 sets. when you need 42 blocks in 6 different sets, that's SEVEN blocks of each type, not 8. maybe i was originally going for 48 blocks before i realized i didn't have enough chambray for that? i don't know. all i do know is it took me way too long to recognize my mistake, resulting in me unpicking one block of each set so i could make my last sets.

here's a look at my selections for this wild and groovy tana lawn (can't remember the name at the moment). it's mostly pastel with red mixed in. i got more than enough pieces i needed from one wof x 2.5" strip i cut from my liberty piece, so i was able to be choosy about which to use. i picked the pieces ith the most red in them, the ones with the large flower pieces in them (on the left). you can see they have a slightly different impact and feel than the more tame pieces to the right. the extras go in the scrap bins for the next project.

this is a crummy studio lighting photo taken in the early morning before the sun came up, but i was having a blissful moment with the yellow "mitsi" pieces and had to snap this. "mitsi" was the first liberty print i warmed up to. (yes, i didn't always like liberty.) the yellow, which i originally used in "beauty for ashes," is unusual for liberty and such a pretty piece. that was my sunshine on this morning before the sunshine came along. 

once i have all the 2-piece units together and know my layout for the pinwheel, i can zip through piecing the blocks pretty quickly. i lay them out on the side of my machine table and put them together in order, chain piecing the whole set.

it's simple - flip the piece on the right over on top of the piece on the left, stitch. do the same for the bottom set of the block.

i clip the pairs apart when they're all done, and i have sets like this. i press the top open tot he right and the bottom set open to the left, which gives me a nesting pair. no need to clip the joining string between them.

somehow i still managed to do this once. oh, boy. i guess i wouldn't be me if i didn't. thank heavens for unpicking (aka: sewing repentance). it can be fixed.

i was really excited to get the last set of (7, not 8) blocks done. all i had left to do before joining the blocks was cut this piece of liberty "over the hills." this is one of those pieces that looked a little different when i came than i was expecting. the scale was a lot larger than i thought, so the pattern doesn't show up much in these 2.5" x 4.5" cut pieces. it 100% has the right look and i can live with the scale.

the problem was the colors (which were as i expected). i decided i could use some pastels even though i really wanted brights. but this piece has brown in it, which i haven't used anywhere else in the quilt. i thought it was okay. i went through the process of cutting and selecting the best pieces.

i liked the pieces with the stripey bits in them the best. but all the brown was a problem.

if you look at my sample pieces in the top photos of all the blocks laid out on the sashing fabric, you're probably thinking, "this looks fine? what are you worried about?" and in the photo (now) it does look pretty alright. but those browns, especially, were catching my eye in a bad way. the print style was right, the colors just weren't. the block in general was just too light and pastel. it needs something to balance the red more.

so i went on yet another internet hunt just once more. this time i went international and found some pieces i like from alice caroline across the pond. when they arrive, i should finally get this one squared away! i actually found more than one print in the right style and colors that looks like it will work. it makes me rethink the very first blocks set i did that has more traditional/less groovy pieces in it. 

but that would be so much more unpicking and i'm not into unnecessary unpicking for the sake of unpicking. that would probably be overboard. we'll make that decision when the fabric arrives and i decide i can't live without one or i can.

good reads

 does it seem like i’m not getting much quilting done? maybe. i've definitely been quilting in spurts. and since i figured out about threading up the machines with the different colors of thread. i am once again jumping back and forth between projects. however, my quilting isn’t exactly accurately reflected in my blogging. i’ve broken up different parts of what’s been happening into smaller posts rather than having the posts too lengthy. i mean, i still talk a lot about the details, but i have been trying to make the posts themselves shorter. so i’m doing that and i’m also doing several posts at once and having them scheduled to post a few days apart. i think this makes it easier to read and it keeps my posting consistent without me having to tend to it all the time. so you could say i’ve been batching my posts themselves same way i batch my quilts. 

the other thing i've been doing - studying up on scrap quilts. i own dozens of quilt books (bibliophile + quilting fabriholic). i've actually been sorting and culling those as part of my sewing room overhaul project. i stopped buying (for the most part) a few years back because i already had so many. but recently, as part of my scrap studies, i've purchased a few older quilt books about scrap quilts. 

karen, of just get it done quilts, said as part of her scrap-busting process she has a few go-to scrap quilt patterns that she regularly uses and cuts scraps for. i thought that was a pretty smart idea and i'm on the hunt for scrap quilt patterns i like. that spurred me to look for some scrap quilt books. these are almost all used and only cost me a few dollars. i can donate any i don't find appealing or useful.

i've gotten to the point in quilting where i can look for inspiration in patterns that aren't already worked up in fabrics i like. i used to only buy books that i already liked the whole look of the quilts in it. but i can look past that now and focus on the patterns instead. so most of these books don't initially look like anything i would make, but i'm finding a lot of interesting ideas, tips, and patterns in them. i think i'll do a little report on each one (or at least the useful ones) as i go along.

so far, "quilter's scrap pantry" (which was not used but not expensive) has been my favorite. it's a tiny little gem of a book that's going to be so useful. but it's been a moment since i first read it, so i will revisit it and make a full report on precisely why i though it was good. 

not a scrap quilt book, but a real treasure - barbara brackman's encyclopedia of quilt patterns. i have an older edition as well as the newer 3rd edition, which is even better than the others and worth the investment. of course you could make these blocks with scraps and if i search, i'm bound to find blocks that would be good candidates for scrap quilts.

there is so much inspiration here! and i've been really surprised and intrigued with the names of many blocks. i've been loosley following #folksamplersewalong hosted by sara buscaglia of farm and folk. she's been compiling her own online encyclopedia of classic quilt blocks. her block picks for the sampler are coming from barbara brackman's book. it's a classic, for sure. if you're the type that enjoys coming up with your own quilt patterns, you'll find lots of ideas in this book. or if you just enjoy a bit of quilt history, that's here, too.

what older or off-beat quilt books do you have in your library or enjoy despite their dubious or less-than-flashy appearance?

turkish interlude

i've been away! i was actually away for most of june, but i had some posts done ahead of time so i didn't think it would even be noticed in this space. but when i did come home - to grandbaby no. 3 - i got too busy to post even though i was sewing most mornings.

we went to turkey this summer. my husaband plans a great 3-4 week travel adventure for us each summer. this year was turkey. i didn't run into any quilters or quilts in turkey, but there were three things somewhat related:

first: rugs! we went to a turkish rug weaving facility in efes where we saw ladies at work weaving, had a go at making the knots, saw a demonstration on how they harvest and prepare the silk, viewed so many rugs, and bought a few to bring home. rugs are textiles and always remind me of quilting because of the color choosing and pattern decisions involved. different, but related, and i can very much appreciate the artistry even more as a quilter.

second: apparently muslims invented quilting? i saw this sign at the beautiful blue mosque in istanbul. at first i was a bit taken aback. i'm thinking, "no they didn't! there's nothing here in this country that's like the quilts i make." but as i read the sign and considered what it said, i understood. it's just semantics and the way we use terms differently that caused my confusion. muslims invented the process of quilting materials together, the "quilting" part of our quilting hobby. the interchangeableness of those two uses frustrates me sometimes as it is. so muslims weren't claiming to have invented patchwork, but rather the process of layer fabrics and sewing them together. well, thank you muslims! what a great contribution. i wonder who added the patchwork part of quilting as we know it today?

third: tile patterns = quilt patterns

the geometrics in tiles always say "quilt pattern" to me. it's a different art medium, but the same idea. we saw several mosaic floors in the excavations in the ancient city of ephesus.

then granna flew home to this! and his older brother and sister.

quilt posts will resume shortly. i am once again so busy with house planning, finishing the current renovation projects, and, of course, babies. but i am getting some quilt time each morning, mostly before the sun comes up. i love coming back from europe (east of me) and being on an earlier schedule. it really helps me make that big switch to being up with the sun. last year, coming home from australia (far to the west) was the opposite for me. i have enjoyed all the locations we've been blessed to see, but i like the way the timing works for me coming from the other direction best. getting up early means quilt time in the quiet morning hours, my favorite.

happy sewing and happy summer, all!