Improv Freehand Cut Striped Fabric

I'm loving this second set of improv striped fabric - this one is a winner for me! (Update: to see what became of these stripes, check out Love Match).

Improv Freehand Cut Fused Stripes

Though I like the first one, with it's crazy waves,

Improv Freehand Cut Stripes

it's not quite what I'm wanting for my project. But both of them are definitely inspiring aren't they? Let's have a look at how these two were made, shall we?

Improv Freehand Cut and Sewn Stripes

The first set, the wavy ones, were all freehand cut, by overlaying the fabrics to get a matching cut curve. The overlay shown below starts the process.

The small black and white scrap pieces are discarded, then both fabrics are separately freehand cut again to make two strips. Makes it easier to sew!

Remember the first overlapping cut, the one in the center of the picture above? That's the seam that gets sewn together, because the curves match up, making the process so much easier.

For the next stripe, the trick is to lay the cut curve on top of the next fabric, and cut a curve to match. Below, I've laid the white stripe onto the end of the black, leaving enough black exposed for the next stripe. Then cut, following the curve of the white.

And so on, and so on, until the needed size piece is sewn.

Those were certainly fun to make, but I wanted the stripes narrower, like a 1/2", and not as wavy. Onto my next construction idea - fusing!

Improv Freehand Cut and Fused Stripes

For this, I started with a decent width of white fabric, and a bit less of black, then added fusible web to the entire WOF piece of black.

And then happily cut away, stripping that black into lots of 1/2" WOF pieces!

But the fun doesn't end there! Next came placing and fusing the strips,

and stitching them down with a trusty zigzag (2.0 width, 2.5 length).

Don't you just love the rolls - keeps everything all neat and tidy! And stitching on each side of the piece also meant no scrunching in the machine throat, though it did mean stitching on the left side of the stripe. But I'm a big girl - I can do it!

Super happy with how this came out - it's what I envisioned!
But don't worry, I'm not throwing out the other piece - I just need to find a suitable project for it.

Now that you've seen how it's done, are you ready to make some stripes???

Happy Quilting!

Seeking Valentine Inspiration

As far as home decor goes, snowflake season is turning to flurries, and a sea of red hearts are taking over! 

The above is a panel from years ago, with added borders. What I love about this panel is it has snowflakes made from hearts - how awesome is that?? A perfect bridge from January to February!

Can you believe Valentine's Day is just four weeks away? Which means that if there's going to be any new heart projects, then I need to get moving!

Until the next project is complete, I'm happy to decorate my home with these heart themed items:

Love Abounds table runner

Love Abounds, version 2, table runner

Heart to Heart table runner

Sweetheart table runner

You might think, Wow, that's a lot of table runners! Do I actually use them all? Well, yes, I do! Between counters, hutches, coffee tables, entryway tables, and of course, the dinner table, I do display all of them at once. And I still have room for more!

So, yesterday, I pulled out all of my heart fabric stash,

seeking inspiration for a new Valentine creation. I do have a vision in mind, but not sure if it will use any of this fabric. So, today, I'll play and see if my idea works - you know I'll keep you posted!

Happy Quilting!

Hippo Blue Quilt

It's a wrap!

Or should I say, it's a quilt? Either way, the top using techniques from Improv Patchwork (affiliate link) now consists of three layers, held together by stitches - the definition of a quilt!

Introducing Hippo Blue, because it's blue and there's hippos. How creative is that?

I'm happy with how this ultimately turned out, though I do wish I would have incorporated the orange sooner. But it all worked out, especially with the Tangled Triangles pantograph adding the perfect touch!

Looks like freehand random triangles, but no, it's a pantograph, with repeating rows of four nesting triangles.

Though those triangles weren't freehand, the quilt blocks were. All the strips for making the blocks were freehand cut - no ruler at all! I tend to cut fairly straight, and any wavy lines ended up disappearing when stitching. And there was no lining up of seams or squares in those blocks, which is easier to see in this pic. Stress free assembly!

Just so you know, I don't have a computer driven stitching system on my machine. Following the pattern with a laser light (no ruler here!) makes for a few wobbly lines. But I did my best to be smooth, and to make great points, for which I have a quilting video showing how to do this - Quilting Square Corners.

And the back? It's that cute hippo fabric I found in my stash, after I put the top together. It was that piece that was the inspiration for adding orange to the front.

To get this to the proper size, any and all extra pieces were sewn together - no leftovers here!

Now we just need to contact mom to let her know it's ready, and her son can play away!

Happy Quilting!

Improv Patchwork Update

More blocks have magically appeared, with guidance from the Improv Patchwork (affiliate link) book, and now I have a top!

Though I have a confession to make - there were minor adjustments to the top after all blocks were sewn together. Keep reading for the full story!

After the first round of sewing, the top actually looked like this:

Boring, if I do say so myself. Since it's intention is as baby quilt for one of hubby's coworkers, I figured it's fine.

Then I went hunting for a backing fabric, and found this:

approximately a yard, plus pieces, in my stash. And a perfect fit for this top!

Notice the use of the blue and teal in here, plus orange and yellow. Duh!!! Wish I'd seen this first for color guidance on the top.

That's what this top is missing - should have thrown some orange in there while making the blocks. Let's take that idea for a test drive - but is it too late?

After playing around with a few orange squares on the top, I waffled on replacing four squares.

I really wasn't overly wild about ripping into a finished top, but, if you're like me, knowing there needs to be a bit of pop added in, one compromises. So instead of being unhappy, banishing the top to the UFO pile, or ripping the whole thing apart, I bit the bullet to replace just those four squares.

Those four were all I was willing to replace, taking maybe an hour, but at least I'm happier with the top now. It's certainly not a prize winner, but it looks better with that bit of orange.

So, now on to making the backing big enough with bits and pieces of leftovers, then I can get this quilted, and out the door. I should be showing it off next week - see you then!

Happy Quilting!

Winter Feed Pattern Release!

It's here! Winter has arrived, and so have the cardinals who are happy to have a snack and respite from the snow.

And I'm happy to see them! All of the red and green quilt pieces are tucked away for another year, and now it's time to settle into the winter theme. Which means I get to look at these wonderful red cardinals against a blanket of freshly fallen snow - without having to go outside! What more could one ask for to brighten a winter day?

This cheerful quilt is quite easy to make, especially using the magic technique I discovered in making the bird feeders.

In fact, the bird feeder blocks were so much fun, I'd love to make another quilt with them - I just need to work out a design.

And of course, once the bird feeders are made, the rest of the quilt goes together easily. The applique birds are a snap to assemble (only four pieces), and with minor adjustments to wing placement, they take on different personalities. 

Check out the original Winter Feed post describing the birds in more detail. Hmm, they may deserve names!

Interested in making your own Winter Feed wall hanging to cheer up your winter? Then hop over to Etsy, for either the Winter Feed Pattern or the Winter Feed Kit.


Happy Winter Everyone!

January 2018 Book of the Month

Wow! Another year, and another Book of the Month to explore! This month, the honor goes to Improv Patchwork (affiliate link) by Maria Shell.

Yep, this one is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to check it out.

Why? Well, a couple months ago, I went with a group of friends to view the quilts of a local artist. I would say her style was more free form, with added bits of buttons or lace. Some pieces I liked very much, while others I passed by. 

We analyzed her style, fabrics, technique, and overall composition. When discussing one piece, my friend commented to me that I needed to let go and be a bit free-er in my compositions. Difficult for the highly sensitive, low self-monitoring introvert that I am. (Go ahead, search those terms and see if you identify.) It's a tough request!

So, with that in mind and wanting to try something new, I'll test out this 'improv' technique present by Maria - join me for an interesting journey!

Happy Quilting!