Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2013: Random Containment

Hello! I'm thrilled to be participating once again in the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side. It's always a good time - plenty of inspiration and meeting new blog friends.  I even found some local quilters through the festival that I hadn't known before so it's definitely a positive event! I expect I'll be tough to drag from the computer as I check out all the fabulous entries...

My entry for Spring 2013:

Name: Random Containment
Finished : ~68"square
Category: Throw quilt

I had done a tutorial on random piecing for the Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild and then wondered what to do with the product.  I ordered up some Kona Ash and decided to let my random pieces all where they may, so to speak.  To give the centre a little something, I improv pieced all the scraps.  The result is that this quilt ended up with less than a full handful of trimmings and scraps leftover! Yay!

(Please forgive the folds - it was a few days before I had photo-worthy light and helpers at the same time!)

I wanted this piece to embrace "modern"as much as possible so I went with very dense quilting using 40w orange thread and  mostly organic straight lines. I figured that the irregularity of the straight-ish lines would add more texture than pin-straight. And I'd be less likely to tear my hair out trying to achieve pin-straight.

The back is pieced entirely with scraps and stash.

Oops!  This was before the label went on...

This quilt was a challenge for me in that I'd never used a contrasting thread colour, done such dense quilting on something so large, or gotten terribly comfortable with purple before it.  I'm quite happy with how it turned out - the texture of the lines, the improv nature of it, and its modern aesthetic.

The early stages...

It's also a challenge to get things done on a deadline when the sun is finally shining and your sewing space is wee.

And just a reminder.... Check the back of your work frequently.  Trust me. Ripping ten 68" lines.... not terribly fun.  Picking up tiny threads from ripping ten 68" lines - even less fun. Thank heavens for lint brushes!

Thanks for stopping by! Thank you, too, to Amy and the wonderful sponsors of this festival.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :-)

Previous Entries by me:

Fall 2012 - Homespun

Spring 2012 - Myself, as a Teacher

PS. This is how I baste during playoffs.

Progress. Or not.

The trouble with doing a tutorial on random piecing is that you end up with random pieced blocks and not necessarily an end game... 

Th opportunity with doing a tutorial on random piecing is that you end up with a healthy start on an improvised quilt top.

I sewed all my chip and chunks into blocks and started to play with a layout.

Hmmm. Not quite.

Nope.

Interesting...

That's better.

Added some Kona ash.

It's grown a little bit since I took this photo (into a completed top) but my lighting isn't great and I didn't have room to lay down an entire top. :-(  But you get the gist.

Using up my leftover pieces in the centre improv block meant that 8 fat quarters ultimately boiled down to this pretty tiny pile of scraps.  The pile of ash scraps is a little larger but I used the better part of 3 yards on background and binding strips.  I'm thinking I'll quilt it with orange lines... We'll see.

So that's progress.

Weather-wise, not so much.  I woke up to this.

But that's okay...

Brilliant ad campaign, eh?

Yes, on Saturday, the Leafs finally made the playoffs.  First time in 9 years.  I haven't stopped doing the happy dance since. I don't even care if they make it out of the first round.... (I daren't use exclamation points; THAT'S how excited I am.)

I started a pair of socks.  I have a history of knitting something simple during playoffs (hands busy, mouth quieter) and finished a long-running project last year so I need a new one.  This will not be it.

I was reminded after missing a goal, and having to take back every other repeat, that lace and hockey don't mix. Back to the drawing board...

Tutorial: Random Piecing

Hello!

I'm over at the Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild site today with a tutorial on random piecing.  It's more of a guide to a technique that falls between patten-based and improv-based piecing.  I've used it in a number of projects and think it's a great way to ensure your work is unique.  I'd love to know what you think and if you try it out, please let me know!

For the tutorial, just click here and you'll be taken to the SMQG site!  Enjoy!