Flannel & Blue Jeans

 I just finished a quilt using Mammoth flannels:

This quilt was inspired by a quilt made by Sarah Cooper (@coopcrafts). I used 40+ different flannels and added squares of denim from old blue jeans.

The quilt is made up entirely of squares. Each square was cut to 6 inches and sewn with a 1/2-inch seam allowance, so their finished size is 5 inches each.

The backing is Windham Seven Seas 108" fabric, and the binding is a Robert Kaufman chambray.

I quilted this on a longarm, renting time on an Innova machine at Sweet Home Quilting and Supplies.  I did all straight lines using a ruler, as I'm not confident yet with free motion on a longarm.  It took me three rental sessions to complete!

With wool batting and a flannel and denim top, at 95"x105", this is quite a heavy quilt, and hopefully warm too.

An Auburn "AU" quilt

As a graduate of Auburn University, and with my son currently enrolled, I decided to make an Auburn-themed quilt.

The entire quilt is made up of 6-inch squares.  I scaled up the logo using computer software and overlaid a grid; each square of the grid was then made into a paper-piecing pattern.

The border is also broken up into 6-inch squares; the orange stripe is 4 inches wide, and the navy and white stripes are each 1 inch wide.

For the backing I used Mammoth flannel.  The batting is wool, so this is a warm and cozy quilt.

The binding is a navy woven stripe.

I sized the quilt to fit on our son's bed.  I made matching pillow shams using an adapted version of this tutorial.

I also made a throw pillow using the backing flannel fabric, and quilted it by following the lines of the plaid.

For the quilt, I quilted a cross-hatch in the orange areas, beads in the white strips, and a spiral design in the background.

Believe it or not, my quilt was inspired by this improv quilt.  I originally considered using a similar improv technique for the AU logo, but in the end I chickened out and went with a more direct representation.  I'm not sure the improv approach would have worked well for a relatively simple image such as this logo.

Originally I had hoped to have this quilt completed in time for late fall football games, but when COVID changed everything I decided to take my time with this quilt. Maybe we'll be able to attend a game or two this year (our son's senior year).

War Eagle!

Quiltcon Together

The Modern Quilt Guild's annual show, Quiltcon, is virtual this year, and for 2021 is called Quiltcon Together.  The dates are February 18-20, so it is happening now.

Two of my quilts were juried into the show, Corona Wedding Dish (in the Piecing category) and Everyone Was In the Loop (in the Small Quilts category).

What a surprise to learn that Corona Wedding Dish won two awards!  It received the award for Best Machine Quilting, Frameless, and also received a Judge's Choice award.

Special note -- I'll be joining a panel Saturday afternoon to discuss the top winners.  Quiltcon attendees can access it as LE19.

The awards ceremony was an online event Wednesday night.

The previous night I spoke with Heather Kinion and Colleen Molen; they told me about the quilting award and recorded my reaction to share in the awards ceremony.

(I need to learn to look at the camera instead of the image on the screen.)

Heather and Colleen did not mention in our chat that I would also be receiving a Judge's Choice award, so this was a big surprise when it was announced in the awards ceremony.

Jen Carlton Bailly is one of the three Quiltcon judges, and she selected my quilt for this prize. Jen spoke about her choice in a recorded video; my wife and I really enjoyed her comments.  She said it brings Dr. Seuss to mind, and she even dreamed about my quilt!

You can see all the winners from Quiltcon Together here, and you can read more about my Corona Wedding Dish here.

I've not blogged about Everyone Was In the Loop before.  This quilt was intended for a challenge by our local guild, Heritage Quilters of Huntsville, but like so many things that challenge had to be cancelled.  The prompt for the challenge was to incorporate a fan block and make the quilt 20"x20" for 2020.  My design was inspired by the work of Sara Bond.  The applique letters were cut from a Tim Holtz text print; the background fabric is a Tim Holtz print as well.  The text itself is a quote by former ambassador Gordon Sondland from the 2020 impeachment inquiry.

There are lots of great workshops and lectures available to Quiltcon attendees.  So far I've enjoyed a workshop on Creating Graphic Quilts by Lynne Goldsworthy, and a lecture on 10 Things Judges Wish You Knew by Nancy Fuka.  And of course there are plenty of great quilts to enjoy in the show.