Fractured Reality 6

Over the last couple weeks I’ve been doing some freeform piecing with my Japanese Taupe fabrics.  I have about 100 different fabrics and I cut a 1″ and a 1 & 1/2″ strip off of each of them and tossed them in a plastic box.  In between FMQ projects, I would use up the bobbin thread to piece these strips together.  Once I ran out of bobbin, I’d tuck the freeform piecing project away until I needed to use up a bobbin again.

These are the pieces that I ended up with.  I also incorporated some of the left over bits from the triptych pieces that I made (fractured reality 3,4,&5).

My inspiration came from a couple sources…Wanda Hanson is an amazing quilt artist that inspires me daily with her color palette, design and generally, her productiveness.  I have her blog, Exuberant Color, in my reader.  Her quilt  Jumbled Library 2 quilt specifically inspired my Fractured Reality 6.

The other two sources were these two books:

1.  Create your own free-form quilts by Rayna Gillman

2.  Intuitive Color & Design by Jean Wells

Once I’d sewn together most of the strips, I started playing on my design wall.  I decided I wanted a long, thinnish piece to put next to the fireplace.  I kept adding and subtracting pieces – sort of like putting a puzzle together until I had an arrangement that was pleasing to me.  Then I started cutting and adding in order to make them fit together without there being any obvious sections.

This is what I ended up with.

I love it.  It’s not often that I am really thrilled with my work but this is one piece that I am so pleased with!  It feels very artsy to me….like I’ve finally pushed myself a bit outside the box to create something that is unique to me.  Sure, it’s not NEW (is there really anything new?) but using my current favorite color palette and freeform piecing, I’ve created something that is truly mine.

I can’t wait to quilt it.  I’m thinking to do a flip and turn with batting & backing rather than a traditional quilt and bind method or maybe quilt it and then face it.  I don’t think I want any borders on it – not even a binding.  As far as the quilting…..I think an all over would be easier but I’m leaning toward doing some straight line free motion work or maybe large (as in 6-8 inch) overlapping spirals?  I’ll need to marinate on it for awhile before I decide.

I have enough strips left over that I’m going to make a throw pillow or two – and maybe a new seat cushion for Mr. W’s mom’s piano stool.

Triptych progress

I’ve been stitchin’ my little heart out the last week working on completing the three panels of my Fractured Reality triptych.  I’ve even put Mr. W on notice that it’s time to get the bathroom and laundry painted as they will hang there.

I spent several nights in front of the TV with my dry erase board trying to figure out what to quilt.  Once I figured it out, I did a master plan in my sketchbook/journal.

Typically, I simply slap on the binding without trimming the edges.  Most of the time, I have no problem with having straight quilts because I make sure they are square before I quilt them.  Since these three pieces are going to hang together, I decided to try squaring them up prior to attaching the binding.  It was a piece of cake and I think I’m going to start doing that for all my quilts.

I probably should have done it with my Australia quilt as I’m having troubles with that hanging straight.  Before I rip off the binding and re-do it I’m going to try washing and blocking it.

Fractured Reality 4 is still to be quilted but it’s pinned and ready.  Number 3 & 5 need the binding hand sewn down but here they are in their unfinished state.

Fractured Reality 3:

I quilted falling leaves in the center on an angle and then pebbles in the border.

Fractured Reality  5:

Spirals and outline around the circles, diagonal wiggly lines with occasional sunbursts in the center and pebbles in the border.

I’m really quite pleased with what I’ve done!  Not only the design but my free motion quilting.  Oh, and I LOVE the Japanese taupe fabrics.

Today I’m off to yoga and then quilt group.  I’m hoping to finish sewing the binding onto the quilt from mom.  Pictures soon!

Fractured Reality 1 Finished

Fractured Reality 1 is quilted, bound and labeled.  It even has a sleeve on the back.  It’s about 40×50 inches.  It started life as boring quilt blocks and then was spliced and diced, stacked and wacked, then used as a practice quilt for the March SewCalGal FMQ assignment.

SewCalGal March assignment

Well, Ms. Janome is back and running like a charm so it’s time to dive into the SewCalGal March FMQ assignment.

This month, Ann Fahl (blog) is the featured tutor.  She provided us with a lovely pdf file and some homework doing loops with stars & hearts and spirals and spiral flowers.  She also has an online gallery where you could spend hours admiring her quilting up close and personal.  Picture quilts are typically not my style but I certainly can appreciate the artistry and technique that goes into this award winning quilter’s work.

I completed 3 small quilt sandwiches using Isacord thread with no problems.  Then started quilting on one of my Fractured Reality quilts.  I decided to try a new thread – King Tut.  The pattern I chose was various sized spirals –  I thought the roundness would complement the angularness of the quilt top (not to mention fit in with the tutorial this month).

I was up bright and early one morning (5:30AM) to dive in after having practiced my spirals on the dry erase board the night before.  First pass – it was a beaut.  My spirals were a little lop-sided but nothing extreme.  Stitches looked nice enough.  I wasn’t feeling too tense in my shoulders.  Then….T R O U B L E hit!  Damn.  Double Damn.  Broken thread about 15 minutes in.  Ok – no worries – rethread and start again.  DRAT!  Broken thread again.  Hmmm…..maybe it’s the seam I’m trying to cross.  Alter the trajectory of the spiral and try again.  @_)(*#@$_)(*@#$  Broken thread AND broken needle (which was NEW 15 minutes ago).  Change the needle (Schmetz microtex 80/12).  Pull thread completely out and re-thread.  Needle won’t pull up the bottom thread to the top of quilt sandwich.  (da’h……put the presser foot down and then it will grab the bobbin thread!).  Re-thread.  Re-install needle.  Pull out bad stitching and try again.  @#_)(#*@$_)@#(*$FFFFF. Channeling someone with more patience than me, I tried again. No luck (and more swearing).  Shut off the machine, the music, the lights and slam out of the little house in frustration and think to myself – “it sure is a lot easier to have someone else quilt my tops”.

Spent the rest of the day working on a new project – non FMQ.

Eventually returned to try again and here are the results (I’m about 1/2 finished with it).  I had a few tension issues (those eyelashy looking things) but I think they had less to do with the machine and more to do with the speed that I was spiraling (can anyone help me out with that theory?).  I tried to keep reminding myself to be ‘slow and steady’ and that seemed to help.

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Areas to work on?  Smoothness and continuation of the spiral line where I stop and start.  Stop and reposition more often rather than fighting the quilt.  Keep working on the balance between machine speed and my hand speed.

King Tut thread?  I’m not sold on it.  Although I had less trouble the 2nd day, I still had more thread breakage with the cotton King Tut than I have had previously with the Isacord.   I suppose I can’t totally blame the thread (can I?) but I certainly don’t have this much trouble when I use Isacord.  I used it for binding and it tangled more than other threads I’ve used nor am I 100% sold on the matte finish of the thread – it doesn’t seem to sparkle and show up as nicely.

I think I’ll do the spirals again on another small quilt just to anchor in the pattern.

Klimt quilt – where to start?

I have a plan.

I’ve chosen the painting I want to use as inspiration (The Kiss).

And this is what I’m working towards (I’m only taking a portion of the original):

I’ve gathered my yellows & maze fabrics together (thanks again peeps!).  I think I have determined the size (30×40-ish).

I need some white, grey, black and maybe a few red fabrics but basically, I’m ready to start.  As soon as my sewing machine is back from her spa treatment, I’m ready to dive in.

Fractured Reality 5

I diagonally paper pieced the background on this 3rd panel in a shaded manner.

Then I used aluminum foil applique.  Basically, you cut out your fabric pieces (adding a seam allowance), you cut out a piece of tag board the size of your finished piece, you press the tin foil around your tag board and then you press.  Wait for it to cool (d’ah, right?) then unfold your package and waaalaaaa……..pieces ready to applique in your favorite method.  It actually worked pretty slick for the simple circle shape.

I’m not 100% pleased with the panel – but that isn’t surprising – we are typically our worst critics, aren’t we?.  I’ve kept it on my design wall and it is growing on me.

Next I’ll post a picture of the 3 in a row – but first I need to make some changes to panel number 1….I have an idea…..

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Fractured Reality 4

I struggled with this one.  It’s the 2nd of my triptych quilts out of the Japanese Taupe fabrics.  I knew what I wanted to do – a bit of an oversized slash-job with different pieced sections.  Making the different sections wasn’t a problem but fitting the separate sections together was a real challenge.

It was the angles that caused the problems and confusion.  It wasn’t like I was using typical angles like a 45 or 90 degree angle….oh no…..I had to just shoot off wildly into what satisfied my eye.  Good grief.  I could get 1/2 of the quilt to fit together nicely but then to join up the other half and have the slashes meet – it was giving me fits.  I had moments of wondering what the heck I was doing – why be creative?  Why not just follow a pattern and keep it simple?  Who really wants to be an art quilter anyway?  blah blah blah….the voices were having a conference and it was hard to shut them up.  I can’t tell you how many times I walked away from my design wall in frustration with the thought of just sewing 9 patches.

Then…..out of no where…..Solution!  I had an old mailing envelop laying around so I cut it to the size of the panel.  Then, I traced the 1/2 that I had already pieced together onto the panel.  From there, I could draw in the angle to cut the other 2 sections in order for them all to fit back together again.  It truly was just like a ‘stack and whack’ block – just on a larger scale.

So, here we are…..the finished (for now) triptych 2 panel.  I wouldn’t say I’m crazy about it but perhaps it will grow on me.  I especially like the left side – the 1/2 square triangle block section – and I don’t mind the log cabin section.  The star blocks might be a bit large – although I like the bottom of it.  Maybe it’s the checkerboard section at an angle that fights with my eye…..I’m not sure.  It’s still on my design wall and I’m trying to figure out what I do and don’t like about it.  I guess that’s part of the ‘art’ process, eh?

I’ve also been re-thinking panel 1 (Fractured Reality 3 and 3.5).  What’s to say I can’t combine the two of them?  I’m working on that idea while trying to figure out what triptych 3 is going to consist of.

Fractured Reality 3 (and 3.5)

Fractured Reality 3 is going to be part of a tryptic that I’m doing for the laundry room wall  - using the Lecien Japanese Taupe fabrics collected while in the USA a few months ago.  This particular range of fabrics came from Heritage Designs Quilting & Needlework,  a wonderful store in the Iowa Amana colonies that I discovered a few years ago.  I didn’t actually get to the store this time, but Chris, the store owner, did some wonderful shopping for me!  From my online research, I think she probably has the best selection of Japanese Taupe fabric out there.

I followed a very similar process to what I did with Fractured Reality 1 & 2 except that I started with solid pieces of fabric, 3.5×3.5 and 6.5×3.5.  Then I sliced and diced each.  I wasn’t quite happy with the larger piece so I sliced and diced again.

I ended up with 2 versions of FR3.  Mr. W likes FR3 best and I like FR3.5 best.  I’m also not 100% sure on the size – I figure until I get the other two portions of this tryptic started, I really won’t know.  My thought is also to make it asymetrical or jagged rather than a perfect rectangle – again……it will unfold as the other 2 pieces develop.

Fractured Reality 3

Fractured Reality 3.5

And both of them, side by side:

Which one do you like?

Fractured Reality 2

 

 

I made this rail fence quilt several months back with a jelly roll pack.  It’s a Bali Batik in browns, yellows, blacks & beiges.  I do love the colors but the quilt itself seems rather boring.  I made it when I was in my phase of trying to use up the fabrics I had rather than buy more.  Plus, sometimes I truly just like to sew straight lines and I really don’t much care what I’m sewing.  I call it THERAPY.  Nine patch blocks are still my favorite ‘therapy’ block.

 

Anyway, I had 10 rail fence blocks left over so I decided to try my stack and slash technique again.  Totally LESS boring than the original.

 

The original quilt:

 

 

The left over blocks:

 

 

Left over strips of fabric cut randomly on an angle:

 

 

Strips inserted into the block, which had been diagonally cut.  This time I didn’t rotate to the back – rather kept the block pieces together with their partners.

 

Sliced again and inserted a 2nd strip of fabric:

Squared up the blocks then sewed them together.

Finished blocks (9) sewn together.  Original block on the right (I might put it on the back).  It’s fairly small but will make a great piece to practice my machine quilting and then perhaps use it as a wall hanging or table mat.

 

I’m really enjoying this stack and slash series!  My next project is going to be with some of the Japanese Taupe fabrics that I collected on my trip to the USA last month.  I’m thinking to do a triptych-type thing….three panels for my laundry room wall.

 

As far as the original quilt top?  I’m kicking around the idea of doing some organic-like dying with the grapevine cuttings and then burying it in the garden for 6 months.  I ran across a blog recently where a gal was playing with that technique and it sounds rather fun.  I need to take some time to re-read the book by India Flint  and see if I can find some suggestions.

 

 

Fractured Reality 1

At our small quilt group earlier this year, several gals did a stack -n whack quilt.  I had done one before so didn’t participate but it started me thinking about how you could stack ‘n whack an ordinary quilt block and make it more interesting.  My plan was to take a basic quilt block, slice it up, rotate the pieces so that I ended up with different colors in each block.

Then I started thinking about stack ‘n SLASH.  I liked the idea of slashing better.  I had some loose blocks in my stash that I hadn’t sewn together into a top yet – as I thought it was boring – so I pulled them out and this is the process I followed to make my first FRACTURED REALITY quilt.

I like the new fractured version much better than the original.

Original blocks:

Stacks of 4-6 blocks, then arbitrarily cut on the diagonal:

Insert a strip between the two sections and rotate one section to the bottom of the stack:

Repeat with another diagonal cut, rotation and insert:

Square up the blocks:

The finished quilt top: