Candy Corn Quilt

Candy Corn Quilt, Top

My last minute Halloween sewing didn't come in the form of costume, but a quilt instead. I got the top done, but it looks like we won't be snuggling with it until next Halloween. Well, at least I have a whole year to do the quilting.  

Guising by Lizzy House for Andover

It was 100% inspired by the print above from Guising by Lizzy House. More triangles, I know. Maybe I'm in my triangle period? As soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be a quilt. I started with a fat quarter bundle of the collection and then started adding to it. My fellow fabric fiends may recognize some of the prints mixed in the final top from Jenean Morrison, Lotta Jansdotter, Kate Spain, Zoe Pearn, and Sandy Klop (to name a few).

Initial Fabric Pull

My gut was to go with a linen or creamy neutral for the background.  My gut was wrong!  It was so blah!!   Above was a houndstooth print I was trying out.  Then I started adding other Lizzy House prints.  Some of the purples from her other collections.  Then.... I thought why not purple for the background?  Purple and orange?!  I know! Not my normal colors, but I think in this case it really helps all the colors of the triangles pop, the brown, orange, peach, and even the super cute almost gray ghost print.

I'm off to take the munchkins trick or treating.  Happy Halloween everyone!

-A

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Rebel Amish

Rebel Amish (Front)

Rebel Amish (Back)

Name: Rebel Amish
Size: 46" x 64"
Pattern: Original
Materials: Art Gallery Pure Elements in Tile Blue, Fresh Water, Ash and Moonstone; Free Spirit Designer Solids in Tango; Robert Kaufman Kona in White; Kei Button Dots in Orange, Aurifil 50wt in White; Warm & White Batting
Quilting: Free-hand horizontal lines
Blogger's Quilt Festival Category: Favorite Throw

I added a print for some spice

THE BACKSTORY
The beginnings of this quilt goes back a few weeks ago, when a friend shared a call for submissions from C&T Publishing. They were looking for Amish or Amish inspired quilts. I had no Amish quilt finished, none started, nothing in the sketchbook. That's ok, I thought, I have plenty of projects to keep me busy. Time for bed.

I tossed and turned that night. The quickest way for me to NOT go to sleep is for someone to pose an open ended question. Like the time my husband said, "I wonder how many songs have a question in the title". Then he went to sleep, unaware that I was wide awake and listing as many songs as I could think of.

-Who are you?
-Why can't we be friends?
-Are you lonesome tonight?
-What about love?
-Have you ever seen the rain?
-Should I stay or should I go?

Sorry I got sidetracked didn't I? Ok, back to the night of the email, my head kept chanting, Amish, Modern, Amish, Modern. Curious, I got up and pulled Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown by Joe Cunningham off of my bookshelf.

Image Source

Flipping through, I stopped at the quilt above from 1930, which is also the quilt on the cover. I liked it. A lot. I know, triangles are everywhere right now. I wanted to try and make something different.  Something fresh, bold, crisp and graphic. There was no going to sleep now so I turned on my computer and sketched out some ideas. Here's how my night went...

Ready to Snuggle

THE DESIGN
First let's pick the colors. I swapped the dark for light and traded muted for bold.

Fabric Pull

Now, let's play with the ratios.

Lots of white.

No, mostly white.

Next add teal, my favorite. Include different shades for interest.

Yes, good. Now add shadowy grays for depth.

We need a pop. Something to make it dance. Orange!

Original Sketch

I was really excited to explore this idea. The deadline was only a couple of weeks away, but maybe I could get it done, if that's all I did.

Who was I kidding? I'm a busy mom with two little kids. I have about 30 minutes to myself each day (if I'm lucky). I tried anyway. I pushed myself to keep going. I stayed up late and sewed. The deadline came and went and I had just started quilting it. Disappointed, I missed the cutoff.

1. Back is done. Now to press and baste., 2. Getting there! Quilt is trimmed. Then binding---> photograph ---> post to bloggers quilt festival. I hope I make it. Wish me luck!, 3. Binding Bluebell style... Hey Sexy Lady... Binding Bluebell Style.

FESTIVAL
Then came an email from Amy. She posted on her blog that the Blogger's Quilt Festival was coming up. Yes! I love the festival!!! All of those beautiful quilts to see and bloggers to visit. In need of a deadline and a new goal, I marked my calender. I think it was meant to be because I just finished up the binding last night. Thank you to my friends who offered encouraging words along the way. You know who you are. ; )

INSPIRATION
As a nod to the original quilt, I kept some elements the same.

• Repetition All of those lovely triangles in a row. My color placement became the pattern.
• Borders Generally modern quilters don't use borders, but I liked the one in the original quilt. I kept the border and changed the size, slightly.
• Matching binding Notice how the binding matches the border? It isn't framed in by the edges. I loved it so much I matched my binding to my border too. Mine is white and very impractical, but doesn't it look good?
• Quilting The original was hand quilted in horizontal lines across the quilt. I did the same by machine.  What's old is new again.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope to see you again soon!!!  : )

-Adrianne

FURTHER READING
My previous Blogger's Quilt Festival entries, here and here.

Stitching with Aneela

In desperate need of distraction and something to occupy my hands while hanging out with sick kids, I turned to my new book, Little Stitches by Aneela Hoey. I flipped straight to the back where the transfers were and picked out a small simple design to start with, a cat.

It was so much fun, I settled the kids in with a movie and picked out the squirrel to work on.

The squirrel is from the book and I added the acorns and words. I had to, I couldn't stop stitching!! It's kind of funny looking at it again this morning. Somehow I changed Aneela's design of a squirrel holding a nut into two paws. Then when I added my own nut, not only is it huge, but it looks like it's magically levitating in front of the squirrel. It makes me giggle. The kids suggested maybe this squirrel was using the force to collect nuts.

I'm eyeing another design to try today. There are over 100... I might be here awhile.

My Visit to PIQF 2012

Every year, just a ten minute drive from my house is "The Largest Quilt Festival on the West Coast", also known as Pacific International Quilt Festival.

This year I almost didn't go. I don't know if I'm getting quilt show fatigue or what, but the quilt shows that I've been going to are all starting to look the same. There are the same type of quilts, same vendors, same lame soda machines, same bad lighting and the same pushy show goers. I make it sound like so much fun, right? Why would I put myself through that? Well...

SUPPORT

I go to support my friends. More and more quilters from our local modern quilt guilds are submitting quilts. It is always exciting to see their quilts hanging in a show. I want to grab the stranger standing next to me and squeal, "my friend made that!" 

This was the first year that I saw lots of familiar faces walking the show floor. It was great to see their smiles while I was there! Usually I feel like I can't relate to the crowd. I can't shake the feeling like people think I'm there with my Mom or something. It's totally weird and probably my own hang up.

Here's a mosaic of my peep's quilts. These are all from the Bay Area MQG, East Bay MQG and South Bay MQG. Yahooie! Let's hear it for modern quilters!! Do you see that California sun shinning in almost every one? Coincidence?

1. PIQF 2012, 2. PIQF 2012, 3. PIQF 2012, 4. PIQF 2012, 5. PIQF 2012, 6. PIQF 2012, 7. PIQF 2012, 8. PIQF 2012, 9. PIQF 2012, 10. PIQF 2012, 11. PIQF 2012

INSPIRATION

While the collection as a whole doesn't stand out to me, there are always elements that get my attention. I'm not one to ponder every single quilt. I browse, and go in when something calls to me. I really love the International exhibit and I specifically look forward to the Japanese quilts. The gorgeous one below was mostly made up of log cabin blocks. So cool!

My Life by Yuki Fushiki, Japan

LOOT

Some vendors have show specials and I try wait to buy big ticket items until PIQF in October.  Last year I bought my Oliso for less than Amazon's list price. This year I was thinking about buying a Tutto rolling cart for my new machine, but decided not to.

I usually hit up the Olfa booth and buy blades. Did you know that your Olfa mats like taking a bath? It's true! Check out their tip section.

My PIQF Loot

Sometimes I find fabric treasures, but not very often. This year I went back again on Sunday to buy some Kokka and Echino. I had to have it. I also love to stop by and see what local designers Sandy Klop and Joanna Figueroa are up to.  

FAVORITE EXHIBIT
My favorite exhibit at the show is called New Quilts of California. This is where most of the modern quilts from the Bay Area end up. I haven't submitted anything myself, maybe next year?

In the end I'm glad I went. I'm curious, what are your local quilt shows like?

Aurifil Wholecloth Challenge

We just wrapped up another great challenge at Bay Area Modern. This one was sponsored by Aurifil thread and the challenge was to make a modern wholecloth quilt. Wow! I never imagined a whole cloth quilt being so hard to do. It wasn't the stitching that was difficult, that went ok (ya know, for an amateur), it was the possibilities. There were no blocks to guide me, no sashing to fill in, just a blank cloth and some thread. I was stalled by too many ideas.

I started with some pink Aurifil thread and a matching yard of Kona cotton.  

For the back I chose a beautiful soft grey from Michael Miller.  I liked the contrast of colors on the back. The grey and pink together felt like a modern baby girl color combo.

My design started with flowers in the corners and then I filled in with vertical lines. The flowers seemed a little to loose and empty so I went back in and added some more quilting in a few of the petals.  Just a touch.

It was such a bold, clean look that I wanted to soften it a little with rounded corners and a sweet little floral binding by Lecien.

It doesn't have a home yet. Maybe a baby doll blanket? She is already color coordinated!