Resonance: A 100 Day Quilt Project

Posted on May 22, 2018 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in 100 Day Project, Finished Quilts, Quilting / 10 Comments

My 100 Day Quilt project was a success, and I want to thank everyone who followed the progress on Instagram! Resonance is the ultimate result. It was named in reference to the quilting stitches which echo out from a central point. If you would like to know more about the start of the project, check out the first post about the 100 Day Circle Quilt Project.

Constructing the blocks for the quilt took the most time- 89 days. Most blocks had two-three concentric circles, but several included multiple circles set near each other. Here are a couple of examples:

The next two days were spent trimming the blocks to their finished size.

Laying the quilt out was a bit tricky. Since it was too large for my design wall, I cleared out the kitchen and arranged the blocks on the floor. This photo was taken with my phone touching the ceiling, and I still couldn’t get far enough away to capture the entire quilt design.

After a couple more days, the quilt top was finished.

There were 13 different colors of thread used to quilt the project. A different thread was used for each fabric. This extended the color beyond the edge of each circle, and ensured that the back, as well as the front of the quilt, would show each color change. I knew that I would want lots of lines of stitching around each circle, so I decided to use 50wt thread so I could do lots of stitching without excessive thread build up.

Here is the quilt loaded and basted on the longarm.

The quilting process took quite a long time. I quilted each circle from the inside out to prevent bunching in the fabric, so there were a lot of thread changes.

Once the circles were quilted, I did large scale bubble quilting in the background.

There were more than a million quilting stitches in this project. I’m pretty sure that is a personal record!

The binding is mostly white, with some sporadic shots of color.

I love the way the back of the quilt looks!

To cap it off, Aurifil asked to use this quilt in their booth at Spring Market this past weekend! This is my first quilt to be included at a Quilt Market, so I was very excited!

Photo courtesy of Sylvia of Flying Parrot Quilts

Photo courtesy of Aurifil

Quilt Stats

Title: Resonance

Size: 79″ x 79″

Techniques: Hand Applique, Machine Piecing

Quilting: Free motion quilting with an A-1 Longarm machine

Fabric: Assorted solids and white-on-white prints

Batting: Hobbs Tuscany Wool

Thread: Quilted with 50wt cotton Aurifil in 13 colors

Binding: White Kona Cotton with colorful inserts, cut on the bias at 2″ wide, machine stitched to the front, hand finished

Zenith

Posted on May 11, 2018May 11, 2018 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Art, Finished Quilts, Quilting / 10 Comments

Each year the Central Ohio Modern Quilt Guild issues a color challenge. For the past two years the challenge has been the same: Combine the Pantone and Kona colors of the year into a single sewn object. My project for last year’s challenge was an improv quilt inspired by the Franklin Park Conservatory. The quilt I made for this year’s color challenge is also improv, but it is more structured this time around.

In 2018 the Pantone color of the year is Ultraviolet and the Kona color is Tiger Lily. Among our group this combination had both lovers and haters.

I could definitely see the potential, and wanted to embrace the violets while pushing the piece toward warmer tones. The beginning of my fabric pull looked like this.

Around the time this challenge was issued, the Columbus Museum of Art was hosting a special exhibit which included this oil painting, The Bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, by Georges Lacombe which was painted around 1902-1904. The color range in this painting was exactly what I had imagined when I saw the challenge colors.

The quilt top was constructed using structured improv- I measured and used rulers, but the placement of each piece of fabric was determined on the fly. About 2/3 of the quilt went together quickly, but the lower left corner was problematic.

After over a month of struggling with it, I finally came to terms with the fact that I just didn’t have the right pink fabrics to complete the top. (How could I possibly be lacking pink of all colors!) Once I added more pink solids to the palette, the top was easy to finish.

Since the quilting is done on a 120 degree angle, and the piece isn’t particularly large, I decided it would be easier to do the quilting with a walking foot on my domestic machine. It is almost matchstick quilted. The machine stitching is randomly spaced from 1/8″ to 1/2.” Once the machine quilting was finished, I added large stitch hand quilting in the larger gaps between the machine stitching. It was important to me that the quilting stitches add personality to the quilt, so I used a range of thread colors and weights. By the time the quilting was finished I had incorporated 50wt, 40wt, 28wt, and 12wt thread into the quilt.

The majority of the fabrics used in the quilt are solids, but there are a few prints worked into the design. One of those prints, a Tula Pink stripe, was perfect for a bias binding. I combined this print with some yellow solids to finish off the quilt.

Quilt Stats

Title: Zenith

Size: 53″ x 69″

Techniques: Machine Piecing, Structured Improvisational Piecing

Quilting: Almost-Matchstick machine quilting on a Bernina 1008 domestic, large stitch hand quilting

Fabric: Assorted quilt shop quality, 100% cotton solid and print fabrics, and backing of wide-back Tula Pink Print

Batting: Hobbs Tuscany Wool

Thread: Quilted with 50wt, 40wt, 28wt, and 12wt cotton Aurifil

Binding: Tula Pink stripes and yellow solids, cut on the bias at 2″ wide, machine stitched to the front, hand finished

This quilt is entered in the Pantone Color of the Year Challenge at Bryan House Quilts and No Hats in the House. Click the links to check out all of the fabulous entries! My country of residence in the United States.

Craftsy Quilt Designer Fellowship Finalist!

Posted on March 19, 2018March 19, 2018 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Quilting Community / 3 Comments

The finalists for this year’s Craftsy Quilt Designer Fellowship were announced today, and I am thrilled to be one of the top ten! The second round is public voting, so I hope you check out all the entries and vote on the Craftsy Quilt Blog. All of the finalists make fabulous work and represent a wide range of styles, so it is definitely worth checking out!

Each finalist has three of their submitted photographs and an excerpt of their statement included in the voting. The original statements were up to 400 words, so this is definitely a good choice for voting, but if you would like to see all of the quilt photos I submitted and my full statement, you can keep reading!

I submitted six quilt photos:

Infused Plaid

iSpy

Columbus Block of the Month 2017 with 12 blocks representing specific locations in an abstract way

Raise the Roof

Lateral Ascension

Overlay

And here is my full statement:

My goal as a designer is to elevate the ordinary. I seek inspiration in both the unusual and the mundane. My training as a theatrical scenic and costume designer influences my approach to quilt design, and allows me to reinterpret the patterns and rhythms of the world around me. When designing, I locate and isolate specific aspects of an environment, then combine them in unexpected ways. This process creates a strong abstraction of the original inspiration without being a direct representation.

I am currently a longarm quilter, designer, blogger, and local quilting teacher. My quilts have been juried into numerous internationally recognized shows, and several have won awards at major shows. These awards include the first place award in the Modern Category at AQS-Paducah in 2016 and 2017, a first place at QuiltCon 2017, and a third at QuiltCon 2018. One of my quilts, Pivoted Plaid, will be traveling with the Best of QuiltCon exhibit this year. Another quilt, Infused Plaid, was included in the book, Modern Quilts: Designs of the New Century.

I have designed fourteen patterns for a local quilt shop which are inspired by local landmarks, and have had several projects published in magazines, including a quilt that is currently on the cover of Modern Patchwork.

Patterns can function as a stand alone project, but they can also be a tool to teach and empower the maker. Many of my patterns are written as skill builder patterns which are intended to walk the maker through a new technique step by step and help them develop confidence that increases as they move on to other patterns using the same technique.

Skill Builder Patterns may incorporate techniques for:

Accurate machine piecing and pressing to enhance the quilt
Foundation paper piecing
Applique
Using quilting to enhance the design of a quilt

Producing printed patterns with a wider distribution is a major goal that this fellowship would assist with. I look forward to sharing my work and inspiring makers across the quilting community!

One of my major goals was to apply for everyone I want this year, and this application was a part of this goal. It is a definite honor to have my work side by side with so many talented individuals!

QuiltCon Judging Comments

Posted on March 5, 2018 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Quilt Shows / 2 Comments

One of the best parts of entering major quilt shows is receiving written comments on your quilts. There are usually a mix of positive and negative remarks, and frequently quilts resonate differently with different people. The comment sheets from QuiltCon are no exception, and I thought it may be interesting to share them here. I can only imagine how challenging it is to judge a quilt show like this, and I really appreciate all of the work that goes into the process.

When your box of quilts is returned, they are wrapped in clear plastic bags to protect them during shipping, and a packing slip is toward the top of the package. This year, only three of my four quilts were returned immediately, since Pivoted Plaid will be traveling.

The cards which hang next to each quilt are also included in the package.

Complementary Composition

Pivoted Plaid

This one has a judges comment sheet, but the quilt and description card are traveling this year.

Overlay

Lateral Ascension

This quilt had an extra special bonus- a hand crafted ribbon!

QuiltCon Highlights

Posted on February 27, 2018 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Quilt Shows, Quilting Community / 4 Comments

QuiltCon 2018 ended on Sunday, and I wish that I had been able to attend to see so many of my quilt-y friends. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the photos and videos which were posted during the week, and it was wonderful to be able to see most of the show virtually. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to post during the show! If you haven’t seen many photos of the show, I suggest looking at the Instagram hashtags #quiltcon2018 and #quiltcon to see most of the quilts on display. Since I wasn’t there, my personal highlights will be pretty short.

1. Even though I wasn’t there, four of my quilts were able to attend in my place!

2. Lateral Ascension received a third place award in the minimalism category! I have a tendency to struggle with minimalism, so this was a big accomplishment on a personal level.

3. Pivoted Plaid is going to be included in the Best of QuiltCon 2018 Traveling Exhibit! It is thrilling that this quilt will be shared around the country in the coming year!

So who’s ready for QuiltCon 2019? Nashville is an easy drive from here, so I will definitely be there next year, along with a lot of my local Modern Quilt Guild!