Bloggers Quilt Festival: Original Design

Welcome to my Blogger's Quilt Festival post. If you're brand new to my blog, I do hope you'll look around a little. I'm a graphic designer turned quilter with a love for strong graphics, bold colors and an affinity for large scale prints. Thank you ever so much for stopping by. I also want to give Amy a big round of applause for putting on this virtual quilt show twice a year. Love it every single time.

Now on to my entry . . . I'd like to introduce Interweave, a brand new finish that I haven't even shared on my blog yet. I am entering it in the Original Quilt category.

Interweave is the fourth version of a new quilt design I've been working on and I have to tell you . . . it's my favorite. I love it!

The black and white prints were part of a cherished fat quarter collection I'd been saving and this was the perfect design for them. I only wish I'd had more fabric because I think it would be amazing as a bed sized quilt. It's a small lap size made for my new guest room which is mainly black and white with pops of bright color. Doesn't it look great with the black and white chair I redid last summer?

I thoroughly enjoyed the design process for this quilt. The initial concept started with an exploration of weave patterns. Basket weaves. Fabric weaves. I enlarged the weave pattern and played with the sizing of the different elements. Since I love working with large scale prints, the horizontal rows were sized specifically to show off big prints.  The vertical columns are narrower to contrast with the wide rows and make a good place for either large prints like I used for this one or smaller prints as you can see further down the page.

It was a challenge to figure out the piecing method but it really isn't complicated. Essentially it's a row quilt and is quite easy to piece.

When I first started the pattern idea, I wanted to explore color schemes and a simple use of fabrics. Lush garden blues and greens with purple accents. The pattern is being written with this quilt below as the primary design, but I'd really love to know which one of all these is your favorite.

The one below is a variation featuring a single fabric in all the horizontal rows. It has a real beachy feel to me because of the colors. Now if only there was a beach in Colorado.

As you can see, there are lots of possibilities with the design. That's what I absolutely love about designing . . . exploring all the variations of a single concept. I still have other ideas that I haven't had time to try yet. Right now I'm toying with a green on green idea for my family room and possibly an all solid one with waves of color from both top to bottom and left to right. Solids would provide some amazing areas to show off machine quilting.

The Interweave pattern should be finalized and published soon. Please let me know which one of these three is your favorite. I'm curious since each new one I make becomes my latest favorite.  : )

I love designing my own quilts. Most are for my home and family plus some charity work through my local modern guilds. I turn a few of my designs into PDF quilt patterns that are sold through Craftsy and my Etsy shop in case you're interested.

Thanks again for stopping by. Hope you are enjoying all the beautiful quilts in the festival. You can see my other entry here.

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Blogger's Quilt Festival: Small Quilt Entry

Welcome to my Blogger's Quilt Festival post. If you're brand new to my blog, I do hope you'll look around a little. I'm a graphic designer turned quilter with a love of strong graphics, bold colors and an affinity for large scale prints. Thank you ever so much for stopping by. I want to give a big round of applause to Amy for putting on this virtual quilt show twice a year. It's always so good.

Now I'd like to introduce Tequila Sunrise, my entry in the Small Quilt category. This quilt is 42" x 58",
a nice small lap size made specially for my daughter.

Tequila Sunrise is my latest make using the Cascade quilt pattern. I had this great collection of Amy Butler fabrics in the orange/teal colorway and pulled several other fabrics by Kaffe Fassett and Tula Pink that had similar coloring.

I would really love to get a photo with a great sunrise but getting up that early isn't my strong point. Maybe someday. I took this fun shot last week though and would like to go back when the lighting is better and get a few more shots. The color washed out a bit.

This shot was taken shortly after I finished the quilt in the spring. Another location I'd like to revisit.

If you'd like to read my original post about this quilt it can be found here.
I find it amazing how different fabrics and different fabric placement can change a design. That's the part of pattern designing that I really love to play around with. Just look at the difference between Tequila Sunrise and my original Cascade on the right. Fabric and position make all the difference!

I love designing my own quilts. Most are for my home and family plus some charity work through my local modern guilds. I turn a few of my designs into PDF quilt patterns that are sold through Craftsy and in my Etsy shop in case you're interested.

Thanks again for stopping by. Hope you are enjoying all the beautiful quilts in the festival. You can see my other entry here.

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Blogger's Quilt Festival: Modern Entry

Time for the spring edition of the Spring 2015 Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side. It's a virtual quilt show featuring loads of beautiful quilts and everyone is invited to hang a quilt (or two) in the show. Do join in the fun.

I'm entering Matrix Blooming into the Modern Quilt category as my second entry for the Festival.

I've never really dedicated a post to this quilt. It's a modern variation on my original design called Matrix. I wanted to explore the use of minimal color while still using the block design as a supporting structure for the composition. The same block was used throughout the entire quilt with the only changes being in the use of color. Low volume fabrics were used to create a ghosting effect in the background. Even the few blocks that are all white were still constructed so the seam lines maintained the basic design elements. Finally, bold print fabrics were stratigically placed in only certain blocks creating a flow of color arcing through the composition. I was very excited to have Matrix Blooming shown in the negative space category at QuiltCon 2015.

Please stop by and visit my other entry, Tumble, in the Original Design category here. Of course I would certainly appreciate a vote for both my quilts in their respective categories. Be sure to visit the quilt show too. You will definitely be inspired.  : )

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Original Design Entry

WaHoo!!!  Time for the spring edition of the Spring 2015 Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side. It's a virtual quilt show featuring loads of beautiful quilts and everyone is invited to hang a quilt (or two) in the show. Do join in the fun.

I've chosen Tumble as my entry in the Original Design category for the Festival. It's my own block and quilt concept. So far, I've made three quilts with this design. Tumble represents the third variation and my favorite. The lovely ladies of the Mid Century Modern Bee tested the design by making several of the blocks. Thank you ladies. Your fabrics added so much extra scrappiness and color.

If you're new to my blog welcome, welcome. I do hope you like what you see and will look around a little. The back story on this particular quilt can be found here and here including the earlier two versions.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'd love your vote in the Original Design category. Shameless promo I admit. There are many, many quilts in the show so please visit a few more and be inspired.  : )

WIP Wednesday

Working away on my biggest WIP of the week . . . my Colorful Colorado challenge quilt. I'm happy to finally see light at the end of tunnel. It will be done in time for the Berthoud Outdoor Quilt Show. Quilts must be delivered by June 13-14 (ack . . . 3 more days!!!) The show is June 21st from 10:00 - 4:00 in Fickel Park Berthoud, Colorado. If you live anywhere nearby come see all the quilts. Four modern quilt guilds in Colorado are participating in the challenge so there should be a good representation of modern quilting. I'll post more about the process and the show in the next couple of weeks.

I also needed to get my May Mid Century Modern Bee block for Carla of Grace and Favour done. She requested either arrow blocks from a great tutorial she did or feather blocks from Anna Marie Horner's pattern. Since most people were doing arrows, I thought I'd throw a feather into the mix. I love the look of these feathers once done but not the process of making a single one. I think the method of making multiples from strip piecing would be quicker in the long run. Still, it was fun to do and I love the result. Hope it works with all the rest. Thanks for your patience Carla.

As long as I was in the bee mood I decided to jump on June's bee block for Linda of Flourishing Palms. Linda is trying to wrap up an older UFO made of scrappy diamonds and asked us all to contribute some mid value blocks with a touch of orange thrown in. Now that Linda is "retired" she's uber busy teaching quilting, writing about quilting, and talking about quilting. Good luck getting fitting this UFO into your schedule Linda.   : )

Still one more June bee block to do for Denise and the Boulder Modern Quilt Guild Bee. A scrappy X block will be in the works soon.

And for all of you who have asked about a pattern for my Blogger's Quilt Festival winning quilt . . . it's coming along. As soon as the challenge quilt is done, I'll be wrapping up the final details. Thanks for all the interest and encouragement.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. Hop over to see more quilty goodness.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Thanks to everyone who voted for my entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I won!!!!

I'm thrilled and honored to have won in the Original Design category. As many of you know, designing quilts is what I love to do, so to be recognized for this is very encouraging. Plus receiving notice of my win made a difficult week a whole lot better.

And thanks to Amy for yet another amazing festival too. It's so much fun to see all the fabulous quilts being made. I'm so glad she sponsors this event so we can have a chance to glimpse just a little of the talent out there in blogland. Best festival yet as far as I'm concerned. Loved the new categories too. If you've never participated, why not give it a try. The next festival will be in the fall.

You can read more about my entry here. I'll be getting back to finalizing the pattern in the next couple of weeks, so if you're interested hang in there. It's coming. I promise.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Welcome to the Blogger's Quilt Festival and all the quilty goodness it implies. Twice a year, Amy of Amy's Creative Side puts on this wonderful linky event so we can all share our quilts and see the work of lots of other talented quilter's in blogland. Grab your favorite beverage and start browsing. You're sure to be inspired. I know I always am.

My entry is called Matrix and I'm entering it in the Original Design Quilts category.

Matrix came to be when it was my turn to request blocks from my fellow Mid Century Modern q-bies. I was inspired by the idea of woven looking quilts and started playing with some ideas in Illustrator. If you've read my blog before you know I simply LOVE to design. So much so that I get quite caught up in all the design possibilities and sometimes find it hard to tear myself away and actually make the quilt. Once I do start sewing, many times I find myself making more than one quilt because I love all the possibilities a design offers. Matrix was no different. And I'm happy to say that it will soon be a pdf pattern so stay tuned to my blog.

My first edition of the design was a scrappy version in bright pastels made with blocks from my bee members. We work from our own stash and it was quite fun to see the blocks come in. Very few fabric repeats and there are lots of fun colors and fabrics. Most of the fabrics were not ones in my own stash so that was good. Try as I might, the colors here don't do the fabric justice but I love the scrappy look!

While I waited for the scrappy bee blocks to arrive, I played a bit more with the design and discovered lots of other options. That's when the full spectrum version of Matrix was born. The fabrics cover the entire color wheel. I just love the strength and liveliness the pure bright colors bring to the design. Don't you think the colored vases from my studio look great next to it?

I also went on to try another version in a smaller scale with a simpler color scheme. I was amazed how fast this one came together. It's a baby size and the stripes worked out so well. I like the colored background too.

I'd love to know which one of the versions is your favorite. It's hard for me to decide because I love each one as I make it. There are a couple more versions I like to try. One uses different background colors for the blocks and the effect is really fun and unique. I may also expand the scrappy one into a larger size. It's the type of quilt that just begs to be larger. Maybe this summer.

Please hop over to the Festival and consider voting for my quilt in the Original Design Quilts category. The entries show up randomly this year without names or numbers so just scroll through the category to find mine.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the show.