December 17, 2015

Masquerade and Quiltcon 2016

Earlier this year, I discovered a blog post by Marji Roy at Ashbee Design featuring a canvas art design created using masking tape.  The design is quite striking, and I thought it would make a great quilt block.  I translated the design to fabric, repeated the block in a 3x3 layout, and came up with this quilt:


The quilt came together quickly and easily using strip piecing methods.  The solids are Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Limeade and Malibu.  I had used these solids together in another project to coordinate with some prints, and thought they would work together well on their own.  I didn't realize until after starting the quilt that I had chosen a blue which is the color of painters' tape, so it ties in nicely with the inspiration source -- hence the name "Masquerade."


For quilting, I started with straight lines stitched with a walking foot.  The parallel lines in the outer triangles were done by using the edge of the foot as a guide, and the remaining straight lines were marked with a hera marker.


I then added dense FMQ to fill in the open areas and accentuate the diamond shapes.

I used leftovers to increase the width of my backing fabric:


Now I just need to add a hanging sleeve, so the quilt can hang at Quiltcon 2016 in Pasadena (!!!!!).  I am thrilled that it was accepted.  I've seen some stunning quilts which did not make it into the show, so it is a surprise and an honor to have a quilt there.


(I did submit a couple of quilts which did not make it into the show -- "Ode to Joy" and "Ombre Hombre."  These two were also turned down for Quiltcon 2015, so it was not a big surprise to receive the "Thank you for entering..." emails once again.)

I finished "Masquerade" back in October.  It was fun to photograph with the autumn foliage.



I'm linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday. 

December 1, 2015

Fresh Cuts




I've been busy cutting fabrics for several new projects.  The fabrics in the below image are primarily from Sarah Watts' Honeymoon collection; these will be used with Amy Smart's "Modern Buzz Saw" pattern.


Another new project will also use Cotton + Steel fabrics.  The strips in the bottom of this image are for an original design, one that I hope will come together quickly.


The pieces in the center of the photo are the background pieces for the Honeymoon quilt.  The top pieces are for a mini quilt using Amy Barickman's Vintage Made Modern.  I was given a small charm pack of this fabric (22 pieces).  This mini will be a leaders and enders project -- which is why I wanted to cut several projects at a time.

You may have noticed that these projects all have one fabric in common -- Dotties Cousin in natural by Rashida Coleman Hale.  I guess I am on a Cotton + Steel kick.

I'm linking up with Lee for WIP Wednesday.