Yellow Rays: Mini Quilt #23

June 27, 2015

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.

Yellow Rays mini quilt

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.

Yellow Rays front view

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.

Yellow Rays front detail

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.

Yellow Rays back view

 

Yellow Rays back detail

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

Quilt 23 / 50

Goal #9 is Finished!

Goal #9 is Finished!

 

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13 Comments

  • Reply
    Wanda Ann Dotson
    June 27, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    The quilting on this mini is very well done. I can’t tell but do you embed all your threads or backstitch? I’ve been done backstitching is frowned upon and isn’t the professional way to machine quilt. What do you think?

  • Reply
    Irene
    June 28, 2015 at 6:41 am

    Awesome indeed!!

  • Reply
    Judy
    June 28, 2015 at 8:02 am

    I’d say you nailed awesome, Cassandra! The quilting really adds dimension and keeps the eye moving around the quilt. Beautifully done!

  • Reply
    Joy
    June 28, 2015 at 9:33 am

    Since I started quilting, I’m all about yellow. In particular, this rich yellow. What a great composition. Bravo!

  • Reply
    Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl
    June 28, 2015 at 11:19 am

    I really like how the yellow quilting thread gives the negative space a definite glow. Also, continuing the negative space breaks into the quilting is a great way to keep movement and flow in the very angular piece.

  • Reply
    Rochelle
    June 28, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    This is so creative and awesome. I can’t wait to see more in your series. Inspiring!

  • Reply
    Chantal
    June 29, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Really well done. So simple but so effective. I hope one day I could come close to that. Great inspiration.

  • Reply
    Kristen
    June 29, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Your mini quilts are so inspiring! I wish I had your skills. 🙂

  • Reply
    Laura
    June 29, 2015 at 3:28 pm

    Wow, I love love love the quilting you did – such a great way to play with all that negative space. And I know it’s a mini but that must have been a lot of work going back and forth. Looks amazing!

  • Reply
    Carla
    July 4, 2015 at 10:02 am

    That is the joy of sewing something for yourself – you get to take your time and work on it until you are happy. No pressure!

  • Reply
    Jenny
    July 6, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    This is wonderful. I love the linear quilting and the use of the yellow thread. I will certainly give that a go. I’m always in awe how your heavily quilted minis stay so square and flat. Mine develop quite a few kinks and never seem to hang flat!

  • Reply
    Adrianne
    July 12, 2015 at 4:44 am

    Oooh, this is really lovely!

  • Reply
    2015 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop | The (not so) Dramatic Life
    July 20, 2015 at 12:11 am

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