Wish I had a more exciting name for this quilt because I’m so happy with how it came out.
I improv. pieced wonky rectangular blocks like I did with the Lantern Bloom quilt, using the gray to unify all the blocks. It’s a lap quilt, measuring 48″ x 59″.
I love this quilt. I really really do.
I used some gray Kei dots on the very simple back.
And the binding is a stripe from Red Letter Day. I think it works really well.
It’s for sale in the shop!
My mother is in town for Thanksgiving and with her she brought me something really special.
A quilt top from my family. Though my mother had it, it is from my father’s side of the family. My great aunt didn’t know who had made it (she though her grandmother or great aunt), so it’s from many generations ago. Apparently there are more and I’m going to be getting them over time. Needless to say, with the role quilting plays in my life, this is incredibly meaningful for me.
See those half blocks along one edge of it? Anyone know exactly what those are for? My mother was saying she thinks it had to do with how the quilt would be arranged with pillows on a bed.
It’s got some really great fabrics in it.
And it needs a little bit of repair.
I think that repairing and then finishing this quilt is a project I’m going to tackle. If anyone has done anything like this before, please let me know any tips or tricks you have. I’ve never quilted anything by hand before, but I think this is the project that will make me do it. It’s so wonderful to think that I’ll sit and handstitch this project just like my family did before me.
Hope that you all have wonderful Thanksgivings!! I’m so thankful for all of you and all this blog has brought me so thank you!!
I’m leaving you for gray. I’m sorry. I hope it doesn’t hurt your feelings too much. I’ll be back to visit a lot I’m sure. But for now, I need to be with gray. I hope you understand. Look at my latest quilt top.
Clearly we’re meant to be together.
Love,
Alissa
Here it is in all its super colorful glory. I should note that the dark color is a chocolate brown, not black as it looks in the photos.
This quilt is a commission and the Lantern Bloom fabric was requested. This flickr photo, along with the colors in the fabrics inspired the quilt.
It’s such a uniquely pretty fabric collection that I didn’t think it could be mixed with other lines so I turned to solids. Purple & bright yellow aren’t my usual comfort zone, but I’m glad the fabric pushed me to stretch. I think it’s “me” in it’s improv. wonkiness yet it doesn’t look like all of my other quilts. No white!
Here it is on a queen sized bed – so you can see how big it is!
I quilted it by stitching right next to the ditch. You can see the quilting on the back and I like how the rectangles overlap all the piecing on the back.
I found it a lot harder to stitch in the ditch than to stipple a quilt this big. Straight lines are “easier” than free motion, but when you stipple you can organize how you move through your quilt in a way that’s much more manageable for me. But I did it! I’m definitely stippling my next quilt. It’s been too long!
I always laugh at the idea of teaching an improv. class. Here in LA where so many people are actors, that usually means some semi funny off the cuff sketch comedy. But not for me! For me it’s all about quilting!
Taught the class at The Urban Craft Center these past two Sundays and it was so much fun. Forgive the lousy Iphone photos.
Lauren and Jane busy working away at blocks…
And check out their great results!
and Lauren’s:
And J made a super cute apron using one of her blocks!
I swear I’ve been actually getting some sewing done between the teaching/guild meetings/Block Party-ing and so on. But not that much! Hope to have some real time this week.
Happy Monday to you all!
Another successful meeting of the L.A. Modern Quilt Guild earlier this week! We have so much fun.
We had an amazing quilt show & tell.
Wendy & her mother made this quilt together, and started it at the Denyse Schmidt improv. piecing workshop that they took together. Isn’t it beautiful? There are a couple of other members of the guild who have also taken this workshop and I’m green with envy!
There were so many other beautiful quilts. Click on over to the flickr group to see them all.
And there was some frenzied fabric swapping!
I tell you, there’s nothing like getting together with 30 or so other people who understand the obsession! We are just getting started but I know that big things are in store for the guild. Workshops, speakers, more swaps, field trips… we’re gonna do it all! So if you’re local and haven’t joined us yet, please do! And if you’re not local, we hope you’ll visit us if you’re in the LA area. Or start a modern guild of your own! We’d love to be a united nation organization some day. Why not think big, right?
Just a quick note to say that the first tutorial is up over at Block Party. A fun and simple Friendship Star block!
Some very kind relatives gave me a sewing machine this weekend. An old Kenmore.
It’s heavy as all get out and clearly all metal so I suspect that it’s a workhorse. But I’m stumped. It’s got a big 4 on the front (as you can see) so I thought that might be the model. But nope.
It’s in the 158 series, but somehow seems be the Kenmore missing link! Try as I might, I can’t find ANYTHING online about this specific model. Lots about 158 10… and 158 12… but nothing about 158 11…! Anyone know anything about this specific model? Any help would be appreciated.
I’ve figured out how to thread it and wind and out in the bobbin with no problems but I’d love to find an online manual for it. Also, it sews really slowly. Not sure why. I think a visit to a sewing machine doctor would fix it right up though!
With the Block Party quilt along about to get started and all of the new bees popping up over in the flickr group, I’ve had bees on the brain!
I made two more blocks for 12 Squared:
The request was any sort of block you want. Was tough to decide but there’s a lot more fabric so I might make a couple more!
And all of the blocks that I’ve gotten back from Sew Connected 2! I had asked for no triangles and otherwise, no limits! I’m loving the blocks I’ve been getting back. I’m thinking white sashing (am I ever thinking anything else really??) but we’ll see once I’ve gotten all the blocks
Meanwhile slow and steady wins the race (I hope) with quilting the Lantern Bloom quilt. Dang stitching in the ditch (or right next to the ditch as I’ve found works a lot better for me) takes a long time! But I’m getting there! Just a glimpse…
A happy weekend to you all!
Hello everyone!
Wanna win that fabric?? Over at Block Party we’re getting started with our quilt along by having a giveaway. Click on over to learn about how the quilt along will work and to enter the giveaway.
