Friday, April 12, 2019

MODERNLY TRADITIONAL, ME

I think my quilting style reflects...



Why?
 I like combining elements and techniques 
that make me happy!
My roots are planted deep in traditional quilting
after 20+ years...and  I like to break the rules.
I have never liked quilt police or quilt snobs
of any professed quilting style.


Lets take a look at some of the 2019 Quilt Con quilts.
I don't mention makers because 
this post is about MY THOUGHTS
on traditional vs modern 
and not about WHO made the quilt.

This quilt looks and feel modern 
with solids, two colors and amazing quilting
in the negative space.
BUT curves and circles have been in quilt designs 
forever and a day.


Solids here, in a rainbow color flow,
Negative space quilting...yep there is a lot
of that when one uses solids.
BUT
The clam shell pattern and echo quilting
 (lines that repeat in same design)
speaks very traditional to me.


Here are two designs of quilt blocks that are traditional
but presented with modern aesthetics.

Left looks like traditional cathedral window blocks.
A traditional window has folded fabric in it
and this quilt does not.
These blocks look flat to me...
Using curves to make the cathedral design
very modern.

The flying geese have been in quilts a long time.
I doubt an entire traditional quilt 
would be "just" geese, but maybe.
Again, solid color fabrics speak to modern design.
Straight organic line quilting brings the modern feel home.


This pretty modern quilt is designed with solid and
 prints that read solid...the black and white
and a pop of color caught my eye.   
The spiral quilting of the negative space, very modern.

The two things make this look traditional to me.
Drunkards Path (curves) quilt blocks AND
I remember a guild quilt challenge called
Black and White and a Spot of Bright.   


The modern spin on the traditional Log Cabin Block
had me spinning.  I love the modern wonky design 
and the use and placement of color for a modern feel.
The Traditional Log Cabin Block has a very 
structured light and dark side 
of specific sizes of fabric pieces.
Finished blocks can barranged 
in a variety of layout designs.


Next is a rectangular block quilt.
Traditional in the sense that the rectangles
might have been strip pieced.
NOT SEW here.
Modern improv piecing of the rectangles.
The solid colors and straight line quilting 
lend to the modern aesthetic.


I see a stained glass quilt here.  
Stained glass has been a traditional technique
The window panes were usually made with
a black bias tape with a sticky back that
was pressed on and stitched down.
Here the gray fabric represents window panes and 
incorporated into the piecing of the improv blocks.
The quilting in each block of color...
"echo" the lines and feels traditional to me.
The wonky design makes is very modern.



 I did a double take when I looked at this eye catcher.
At first glance I saw circles with a novelty print
inside the big circles.
The appliqued (traditional technique) "rocks" 
with supporting characters are on each big rock.
What I saw were very modern and unique 
"I Spy blocks" made modern. 
The wonky spiral quilting and wavy background
 quilting made this one "sing out loud"!




I have never been on board with all that is professed 
to be MODERN.  For instance,
I get annoyed when I hear batiks are now
acceptable in modern quilts...really?
Traditional quilters have been using batiks 
for a very long time. .
I loved them, sewed them and then 
SOLD my stash of them!

 I am old enough to know
"what goes around comes around"

For me...I have always danced to my own drummer...
BUT
when traditional collides with modern...
Kwilty Pleasures do happen.



Wednesday, April 3, 2019

BABY O BABIES!

My step daughter has several friends having babies!
She asked me if I make baby  quilts for
3 little girls due early 2019!
I agreed to help her out as long as she would pick fabrics
from my stash.  I have lots of novelty baby prints to use.


First up was a February baby and the sea creatures
would work...but could I make the blue green fabrics
look more girlie by adding some PINK!

Nailed it!

I cut apart a large piece of the novelty
to make the fish and whales into their own blocks.
Added a frame and then some 5" squares
Pink border and a scrappy binding finished it off.
FMQ with a meander.


For the back I just pulled pinks and whites from my stash
Batting was a larger piece I had left over in my stash as well.


Sweet baby girl came before I got the quilt finished
so I was able to add her name and the birthdate on the quilt.
I like to use the text function on my Bernina
and the label is placed on the front of the quilt.


Second little girl is due in April.
Mom wanted pink white and yellow and
the piggie fabric was to be the focus. 
I only had a FQ of the piggies but 
I put out ISO call on Instagram
and another quilter sent me 2 yards.
I traded some Tula Pink so WIN-WIN!


Because I had 2 yards of the pig fabric...
plenty for the backing and I added left over
pieces from the front blocks to make it modern.
Batting is 2 large scrap pieces sewn together.
A pink with white polka dot binding
finished it off.  FMQ was a meander.


Last but certainly not least is the baby girl due in May.
Mama wanted pink and gray with Elephants -
TRUNKS UP for good luck.
I did have to buy a yard 
of the elephant print at Hobby Lobby

Everything else was in my stash.
Another FMQ meander for the quilting.



Sew happy with the modern looking back.
Using up stash and a bit of the elephant print.
And scrap batting sewn together.
A gray on gray print is the binding.





When I bind a baby quilts by  machine,
I sew the binding to the back, and fold it over to the front.
THEN I use an enlongated serpentine stitch to sew it
down on the front.  This makes a very nice finish and 
I know the binding is on for the long haul.
This is a front corner of the quilt,


For me a baby quilt isn't finished until its washed and dried
and all crinkly and squishy.