Op-Art: Mini Quilt #26

One of the remarkable things that happens when we quilt is that we start to see quilt patterns everywhere we go and in everything we see. I had been thinking about making a quilt based on op-art for many years- ever since high school when I made a pen and ink op-art painting in art class. It is fascinating to me that alternating different size and color rectangles can trick the eye into seeing dimension in a 2-D object.

The largest segment of this quilt finishes at 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ and the smallest is 1/4″ x 1/4″. I started this quilt top by strip piecing alternating rows of black and white fabric. Each strip of fabric became more narrow as I worked toward the center of the quilt and then grew progressively larger again. Since this quilt is symmetrical I was able to cut the strip pieced segment into perpendicular strips in the same manner as the initial strip piecing. I then flipped every other row over so the bottom square became the top. This created the grid pattern.

Quilting lines move diagonally in both directions across each black square in the quilt. This creates a subtle design that does not distract from the main optical illusion. The backing and binding is the same black fabric that appears in the front grid.

Quilt Stats:

Title: Op-Art Grid

Size: 20″ x 20″

Techniques: Machine piecing

Quilting: Linear quilting running diagonally across each black rectangle using a walking foot on a Bernina 1008

Fabric: American Brand Solids in black and white

Batting: Warm and White ( In retrospect, I think I should have used a black batting (even though there are white segments on the front) because the white batting seems to be bearding through the fabric a bit.)

Thread: Pieced using polyester 100wt InvisaFil by WonderFil in light grey and quilted with black 50wt cotton quilting thread

Binding: Coordinating black binding, cut on the bias in 2″ widths, machine stitched on the front, hand stitched to the back

What was new?

Creating an optical illusion in quilt form

Quilt 26 / 50

Goal #3 is finished!

This week I’m linking up with Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, Show Off Saturday at Sew Can She, Pet Project Show at Pink Doxies, Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts, Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, and Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Please stop by to see all of the awesome work being created!

Tiny Cottage Garden: Mini #25

Posted on August 9, 2015August 9, 2015 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Finished Quilts, Mini Quilt Mania 2015, Quilting / 11 Comments

After finishing my entry into the Modern Quilt Guild Riley Blake Challenge, I had quite a bit of fabric left so I thought that I would create a mini quilt using some of the extra fabric. For this mini I used 60 45 degree triangle and 6.5″x24″ rotary cutting ruler, but no specific templates.

This fabric line has designs in several color ways that seem to lend themselves to fussy cutting, so I wanted to explore this aspect of the fabric in the design. Two colors of the floral fabric I used in the border had the same color flower center, and I thought it would be fun to piece them together to create a single border print. The main part of the quilt design focuses on a fussy cut diamond star, and the yo-yos in the center of each diamond are also also fussy cut from the same fabric.

For the batting in this quilt I used a piece from a sample pack that Hobbs Batting had given me at a quilt show several months ago. This batting has a fusible on each side which allows you to iron the top and back into place simultaneously meaning that there is no basting! I loved not having to baste! This batting is fairly thin, so it isn’t necessarily perfect for every project, but it worked really well in this application. I am thinking about getting some more to use for small projects- it was so great to not have to mess with safety pins, and I don’t do sprays (but that’s a conversation for another day!)

I enjoy creating designs that are asymmetrical so the border of this mini only encompasses two sides of the star. The quilting pattern on the border embraces the garden theme with vines quilted in variegated green thread.

The quilting on the stars is very simple with only a double row of stitching which echoes the diamond shape. This allows the Zentangle quilting in the star surround to really shine. I had never tried this type of design, but now I am in love. It may be hard to not use this design on absolutely everything! It was really easy to do using a walking foot, and I didn’t even have to do any marking since this project is so small. I’m sure if you looked closely enough you would see differences between each area, but it isn’t immediately noticeable.

For the quilt binding, instead of cutting a true bias strip, I cut on the angle of the pattern instead. This allowed for the equilateral triangles in the fabric print to line up along the edge of the quilt.

Quilt Stats:

Title: Tiny Cottage Garden

Size: 15.5″ x 15.5″

Techniques: Machine piecing, fussy cutting, Y-seams

Quilting: Freemotion leaves; Zentangle and echo quilting using a walking foot on a Bernina 1008

Fabric: Riley Blake Cottage Garden fabrics and RB light blue solid.

Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Fusible Cotton Blend

Thread: Pieced using Gutermann Mara 100 in white, quilted with grey cotton quilting thread, Connecting Threads 50wt Magenta Cotton Essentials, and Wonderfil teal and variegated green 50wt cotton thread.

Binding: Strips cut following the pattern on the fabric (about a 60 degree angle), machine stitched on the front, hand stitched on the back

What was new?

Zentangle Quilting
Fussy cut yo-yos
Cutting binding on an angle which matches the pattern of the fabric

Quilt 25 / 50

Goal #2 is finished!

Violet Calm: Mini Quilt #24

Posted on July 30, 2015August 9, 2015 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Finished Quilts, Mini Quilt Mania 2015, Quilting / 18 Comments

This quilt continues the color series I have been working on within Mini Quilt Mania. While other quilts in this series have the color distributed across the piece, the violet circle in this quilt creates a single focal point. Having a central focus gives this quilt a sense of calm and serenity.

For the violet circle, I first pieced together several violet fabrics spaced with white strips into a roughly square shape. From this section I cut a circle. Then I cut a circle with a 1/2″ smaller radius from the white background fabric. The smaller opening provided the seam allowance necessary to piece the violet circle into place.

I struggled to determine the quilting pattern for this project. There are so many possibilities! Ultimately, I landed on juxtaposing the circular focal shape with straight line matchstick quilting. The white bars within the focal shape remain un-quilted and extend to the edges of the piece. The quilting lines going through the violet areas of the quilt are shades of violet and magenta that most closely match the fabric they intersect. One section of violet stitching runs perpendicular to the rest of the stitching to break up the overall pattern.

The binding for this quilt is created using a variety of scraps from the fabrics used to create the violet circle.

Quilt Stats

Title: Violet Calm

Size: 20″x20″

Techniques: Machine Piecing

Quilting: Matchstick quilting done with a walking foot on a Bernina 1008

Fabric: Assorted Violet Prints and Batiks, White Kona Cotton

Batting: Warm and White Cotton Batting

Thread: Pieced with white Gutermann Mara 100. Quilted with Connecting Threads 50wt Essential Cotton in Magenta and Grape, Variegated violet 50wt Wonderfil Cotton Quilting Thread, white cotton machine quilting thread

Binding: Scrappy binding using fabrics pieced into the quilt top

What was new?

Machine piecing a circle into a solid background fabric

Quilt 24 / 50

Goal #1 is finished!

Yellow Rays: Mini Quilt #23

Posted on June 27, 2015 by thenotsodramaticlifeadmin / Posted in Finished Quilts, Mini Quilt Mania 2015, Quilting / 13 Comments

This mini quilt, the second in my color series, has been a long time in the making. I started this baby in the midst of a crazy work schedule, and eventually had to ask myself what I wanted from this piece. Was it to be done? Or was I going for awesome? Neither of these answers would necessarily be wrong, but I had to aim for the latter on this project.

Since I’ve been patterning and sewing like a crazy person to get through this summer theatre season at work, I have been doing a lot of projects where “finished” is the major goal- opening night comes whether or not we are completely ready. (This isn’t to say that things aren’t well made- we just can’t expect “perfect” when we are moving at this kind of pace) It was kind of nice to cut myself a little slack on deadlines for this project and make something that is really well thought out and constructed.

The segments of yellow were strip pieced first and then slashed diagonally and spaced with a piece of white Kona cotton between them and to the side. I am trying to use this series of quilts to explore various methods of activating negative space in the quilt composition.

Green Grass, the first quilt in this color series, was quilted using free motion quilting with a mix of green and white thread. For this quilt, I thought it would be interesting to move away from organic quilting and try some different linear patterns with my walking foot.

Quilt Stats

Title: Yellow Rays

Size: 20″x20″

Techniques: Machine piecing

Quilting: Linear quilting with a walking foot on a Bernina 1008

Fabric: Assorted yellow prints and white Kona Cotton

Batting: Warm and White cotton batting

Thread: Pieced using white Gutermann Mara 100, Quilted with white machine quilting thread and 50 wt cotton Aurifil in yellow

Binding: Scrappy yellow prints also used in the quilt top, cut on the bias in 2″ wide strips, machine stitched to the front, hand stitched to the back

What was new?

Exploration of linear quilting designs to activate negative space using a walking foot

Quilt 23 / 50

Goal #9 is Finished!