Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Color Gradient Runner


For the longest time, I kept these gorgeous, glowing, hand dyed fabrics, made in a workshop with Kim Eichler-Messmer who wrote Modern Color, folded neatly in a pretty stack. I couldn't pick one design that I thought was special enough for them. I finally decided to try it all. I chopped my fat quarters into a variety of shapes and sizes, and I've tried a bit of everything with them. I'm planning a random sampler of sorts. More on that later, but no promises it will be soon.
These chevrons didn't fit with the rest of the blocks, so I combined them into a minimalist runner. I seem to be on a bit of a table runner kick recently.


In any case, the poor fabrics sat for the longest time again, as I tried to decide how to quilt the runner. I wanted to play off the directional arrow-like design of the chevrons by creating a rope pattern, moving as it weaves under itself. If I had to do again, I would stick with simple straight line quilting. I like the rope motif, but I think it takes away from the simplicity of the chevron design. I'm glad I tried it though.

At 16" x 57" this a big table runner. Between the original design and the hand dyed, color gradation fabrics, it really is one of a kind. I'm listing it in my esty shop.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A Rainbow of Leftovers

When I trimmed the strip sets in my improv scrappy rainbow table runner, I created some leftover half square triangle blocks. Scraps from a scrap project are the sweetest kind!  I started playing with them on my design wall and came up with a symmetrical layout. It is probably a traditional block (although I don't know the name of the block, do you?).
I love the way the colors flow across the block, and the little pieced sections in the triangles add such quirky details. Each square finished at 1 3/4 inches. I added a scrappy border and binding. Even the backing and batting are scraps.
I played around with some point to point free motion quilting. It is very rough, but I'm always amazed how the uneven curves and wonky lines form into something beautiful when taken as a whole.
This 19 inch square mini quilt will be a nice addition to my sewing space. I am enjoying spring, but wishing for the pollen to die down.