Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Quilter?

I'm in need of some new twin bedding in the next couple of months, and I haven't been able to decide what to do. I don't really know what colors I want to do, I don't have a clear vision, but I am running out of time. I have been going back and forth on how I feel about quilts for years. My tastes run decidedly modern, so I suppose it makes sense that much of quilting doesn't really appeal to me. I actually made a quilt in 2011 for our bed, which I seem to have exactly zero pictures of. It's really nothing that spectacular, just 4-8" long strips the length of the bed with straight line quilting.

My very talented cousins made this one for me based on a similar one I'd pinned on Pinterest a few years ago, and it's pretty reflective of my taste - simple and graphic:


Lately I've been feeling a BIT more traditional, but still not "flying geese" traditional. I read several blogs that just make quilting, or rather, living with quilts, seem like something I want.

Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy is probably the largest influencer of my newfound appreciation for a bit more softness and eclecticism. Our styles are almost totally opposite, but she's created such a lovely aesthetic that I'm about ready to ditch my whole house for hers.The entire blog, it's just such eye candy to me.






 I love the casual rumpled throw and cupboard of full of quilts of Amy Badskirt.



Ashley of Film in the Fridge is a really prolific quilter with fairly modern taste which appeals to me.


So when I got my Interweave "Free for All" what did you miss this month email this weekend, well, I was in an impressionable place. I saw these cute little hexagons and thought....that might be just about right.


I followed the links and got the 5" hexagon template from Patchwork Posse on Craftsy (it's free!). I went with the 5" over the seemingly more common 2" because, well, bigger hex's will go faster!



However, I then counterbalanced that bit of sensibility with the decision to piece the quilt top....by hand. Darn you Posie Gets Cozy!! She just makes everything seem so appealing!



Truly though, there are a couple of reasons I decided to do this by hand rather than by machine. As I've mentioned ad nauseum, my sewing room is still under construction. This means that my current sewing room is pretty much filled to the max, and I've lost the urge to keep it fully organized (other than my thread!) knowing that a new room is on the horizon. I also felt like I'd have a little more control over how the "Y" corners meet up. I've been putting an extra couple of stitches at those points to hopefully ensure that they don't open up over time, and it's something I'm not sure I'd do well with the speed of the machine as well as my inexperience at piecing quilts. Finally, since this is something that I think would take a good time investment no matter how I do it, I like the mobility around the house that I have doing it by hand rather than by machine. I can knock out a dress or something in an evening or two - this will definitely take longer. Even though I know it will take LONGER by hand, I like that I can bring it into other rooms or outside for now. And if it gets too fiddly, there's nothing to say I can't do a mix of hand and machine piecing!


My tentative plan is to do white centers and colored "petals." I don't have a specific color scheme throughout, but I have a pile of fabrics I like. I think I'll just make the flowers and then put them together at some point to see how it's shaping up. If it's too much, I can always throw in some solids or neutrals to tone it down.


So. Yeah. It's an experiment.

12 comments:

  1. Wow! I admire your ambition! I'm looking forward to seeing more of this as the project progresses!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Kim, I had no idea you dabbled in quilting. I didn't even know you sewed. I just knew you were a ridiculously talented knitter. The thing with quilting is there is no quilting police. So whatever you like, do it. You should check out Tula Pink. She's a modern quilter. Good luck with your project. Can't wait to see your progress. I find hand sewing very relaxing but of course I'm not as fast as Stacey.

    Happy Quilting,
    Margaret

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks Margaret! Oh yes, I'm multi-craftual - definitely a dabbler in most areas though, not an expert! I'll have to take a look at that site. :)

      Delete
  3. That looks like fun!! I've only quilted a mug rug so far, haha. Can't wait to see the finished quilt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Hopefully it won't take me a year. It would be nice to be done by the time the snow flies!

      Delete
  4. I have found myself doing a lot of hand sewing lately but to take on a whole quilt - I really don't think I have the fortitude. Good luck and can't wait to see the finished quilt - I bet it will be gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the individual "flowers" won't be so bad....but it's going to get interesting when I start putting them together. Thanks for the luck - I'm going to need it! :)

      Delete
  5. I am not at all a fan of English paper piecing! I wish you the best if luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How funny - I didn't even realize that's what I was doing!

      Delete
  6. This looks like a great start! Good luck and can't wait to see it finished!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love quilting. It's so tedious but the end result is calming. I started a double wedding ring this time last year for my mom, and wanted hand piece it. I made it about 1/3 of the way before I decided that was insane and machine pieced the rest lol! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol, I love it. I may very well decide the same thing!

      Delete