Book Review - Adventures in Improv Quilts

I've been reading through a new quilting book and am excited to share it with you.   (Note this book were supplied to me by C&T Publishing.  The opinions are my own.)

Are you someone who enjoys improv quilting or wants to give it a try?  If so, you will enjoy Adventures in Improv Quilts by Cindy Grisdela.  (affiliate link)

I had the pleasure of attending a guild program earlier this year with Cindy.  She shared so many wonderful quilts during her lecture.  I took a lot of notes to capture her thoughts and insights on improv.  As I read through this book, I realize I can throw my notes away - this book lays everything out very clearly! 

Every chapter is a keeper from choosing a color palette, the basics of design, three ways to create improvisationally, and, most importantly, how do you know when it is finished.  I am really looking forward to following the guided exercises to play with color.  

If you are someone who is interested in exploring improv quilting, I highly recommend this book.  

I've done several other book review posts:

• Step-by-step Texture Quilting by Christina Camell
• Quilt Modern Curves & Bold Strips by Heather Black and Daisy Aschehoug
• Just One Charm Pack Quilts by Cheryl Brickey
• Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray
• Design Make Quilt Modern by Heather Black
• Boro & Sashiko Harmonious Imperfection by Shannon & Jason Mullett-Bowlsby

Have a wonderful day! Patty

QuiltCon 2022 Entries

Quiltcon will be held in Phoenix in February and the deadline for submitting entries is October 31.  (This is a month earlier than last year!)

I have entered 5 quilts and took advantage of a pretty day to take the photographs outdoors.

My 2020 temperature quilt was entered into the special exhibit of temperature quilts.  I had so much fun making this one (it was finished in April - see the blog post) and it currently hangs on the wall in my studio.  There are so many different blocks you can use to record temperatures and I'm really looking forward to the exhibit to see what the quilts look like.

My improv quilt I Believe in Dragons was entered into the Small Quilt Category.  I debated whether to enter into improv but decided on small quilts.

This quilt was made for a guild challenge.  You can read more about it here.

To take the photos, I use this quilt stand (affiliate link) . To hang the quilts without a hanging sleeve, I pinned ribbons to the back of the quilt - it worked great!

My camera was on a tripod and I play around with different camera settings and take lots of photos of each quilt.  I used my phone to get the detailed shots.

Just because it was fun, I did set the timer and jumped into a photo with each quilt.  

I also entered my quilt Boomerang which was juried into QuiltCon Together.  I was lucky enough to have this quilt selected for a MQG exhibit at Quilt Festival in Houston which means it will automatically be juried into the show.  I entered it into the Pieced category.

My last two submitted quilts (Tangram and Left Turn) are challenge quilts for the fabric challenge and the hexagon challenge. I plan to put together a specific post on each of these quilts and look forward to sharing them soon.

Yvonne from QuiltJetGirl has started an initiative to #CelebrateMyQuiltSubmission.  I love this idea because it recognizes that it takes a bit of courage to actually submit a quilt to a show.  Acceptance and rejections letters will be sent on December 15.  Fingers crossed.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

One Monthly Goal October Finish Link-up

Ready to link up your October finishes?

Don't panic - this link-up is open until October 31 at 11:55 pm ET.

My goal for October was to get my summer slow stitch project bound.  I chose black and did the corners at an angle.  The quilt was hand pieced and there is both machine quilting and hand quilting on the quilt.  

Now it's your turn to link-up!  There will be 2 winners - Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate, Quiltfolk is offering a years subscription, and Paper Pieces will provide a EPP Starter Kit! 

Visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags. 

Congrats to Grace, Maggie, and Jan - the lucky winners for October. (updated 11/5)

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkup in a given month. (October Goal Setting Link-up)

Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can follow where you are linking.   Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - October Finish Link-up

Thanks for linking up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Mini Charm Chiffon - Shortcut Quilt

Fat Quarter Shop has a new free pattern available today in their shortcut quilt series and it is called Mini Charm Chiffon!  Isn't this going to make a wonderful baby quilt?

The pattern is written for mini-charm packs (those 2 1/2'' x 2 1/2'' charms).  I used a regular charm pack of Happy Days  from Moda so my first step was to cut each charm square into 4 mini charms!  Such pretty fabric!

The blocks went together quickly - before I knew it, it was time to assemble the quilt top!

For the quilting, I used my new FMQ ruler foot and my first FMQ ruler from Creative Grids.  (You can read more about my FMQ ruler experiences on this post.)

Find more information about the pattern here.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Firefly Tote #2

This is my second Firefly Tote by Noodlehead (i.e. Anna Graham) and I love it.  It could be may all-time favorite made-by-me bag.

When this bag first started showing up in my IG feed, I knew I wanted to make one for myself.  I really liked the front pocket design and the size seemed perfect but I wasn't fond of - for my use - the drawstring closure.

I wanted a recessed zipper so 'practiced' on the project size version using canvas I've had in my stash forever.  I loved my bag - perfect for picnics - and couldn't wait to start on the tote size.  The pattern was incredibly easy to modify - just sewed the zipper at the step in the assembly process where you add the drawstring bag - it was that easy!

I took this bag on a road trip during a recent family vacation.  The outside pockets worked perfect as did having the ability to zip close the whole bag.

Anna's bags are really fun to make.  The instructions are clear and some bags even have video tutorials for the assembly process.  I also enjoy that they don't require some expensive stabilizers like other bags I've made.

Outside fabric is Robert Kaufman Big Sur Canvas - Dark Grey.  Lining and pocket fabric is from the Quantum line by Giucy Giuce .  Metal tag on the zipper flap was purchased at QuiltCon.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

I Believe in Dragons

My local MQG guild held an Improv and Color Play challenge.   Our programs this year had touched on these topics several times and members could play with improv, with color placement or with both.

My intent when starting my improv project was to only use scraps of blue solid fabric. I really loved the first two all blue blocks but found the rest of the blocks too boring. 

So I started cutting them apart and adding bits of orange. When it came time to arrange the blocks into one larger block, the quilt felt too busy with no place for the eye to rest. The resulting layout suggests movement and (at least to me) looks a bit like a dragon flying through the air.

As I reflect on my quilt, it represents the sameness of my days (especially because I'm staying home so much during this pandemic) and the bits of orange are the small differences to sameness of my days - be that a picnic lunch, a wonderful swim, or meeting a friend for tea.

Adding pops of hand quilting is one of my favorite things to do to an improv quilt.  

My quilt was faced and finished at 17" x 17".

You can see the other entries in our guild challenge here.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Curated Quilts Polygon Issue

I got some happy mail yesterday!

Issue 17 of Curated Quilts journal arrived along with my mini-quilt There's a Trapezoid There Somewhere.  

I entered my mini into the Polygon challenge and it was selected.  If you aren't familiar with Curated Quilts challenges, you should check them out - they are really fun!  The goal is to make a mini quilt using a very specific color palette against a theme.  This was the first time my entry was selected although I've entered almost every time.  You can read more about this quilt here.  The theme was Polygons and I actually had all the required colors in my stash.

Curated Quilts also had a general call out for quilts with polygons to be featured in the gallery.  I submitted my quilt Boomerang and was excited when it was selected!

Overall the issue is filled with many beautiful quilts and I'm honored to have my quilts included.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

September Termperatures

While we had some beautiful blue skies with low humidity, September also had its share of hot and humid!  (I've no complaints - I was able to swim outdoor through September and even a few days into October.)

When I compare to September of 2020, you can see there was definitely more reds (90s), oranges (80s) and fewer yellows (70s) than this month last year.  We did have a few low temperatures in the 50s - which sadly did a great job in cooling off the pool water!  (In the photo below, the first nine months of 2020 are on the left and 2021 is on the right. )

My design documents both the high and low temperature in a block which finishes 1 1/2 '' x 2''.  The improv strip is 1/4'' wide and records the low temperatures.  

Every month takes 2 columns - the 1 through 15 in first column and then 16 through end of month in the second column.  Filler blocks are added to square off the quilt.  The thin strips - 1/4'' wide - are randomly inserted and run 'vertically' for odd days and 'horizontally' for even days.

I'm using the exact same fabric that I did for my 2020 Temperature quilt.  The time I spent organizing is paying off - it takes no time at all to get the prep work done for sewing each block.  I made myself a mini-quilt to show off my temperature grid.  Oranges are 80s, yellows are 70s and sew on.  I've been asked several times what my fabrics are - I used all Painters Palette solids:

100+ is Sangria, 95+ is Real Red, 90+ is Poppy red, 85+ is Burnt Orange, 80+ is Tangerine, 75+ is Pencil Yellow, 70+ is Bright Yellow, 65+ is Apple Green, 60+ is Mint, 55+ is Bright Aqua, 50+ is Turquoise, 45+ is China Blue, 40+ is Lapis, 35+ is Purple, 30+ is Amethyst, and any temp is the 20s is Royalty.

I've written up my basic temperature quilt process in my tutorial including where I source the high and low information.  I'm looking forward to sharing the progress!  You can see my temperature quilts for 2018, 2019, and 2020!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Sew Sturdy Bag

We recently returned from a week at the NC beach (Corolla in the Outer Banks).  I always bring my sewing machine along, usually with a quilt to piece.  This year, however, I decided to make a travel bag.  My goal for the bag was use supplies that I already had - the only thing I ended up purchasing was the 30" zipper.  The bag isn't as yellow as it looks in the photos - fabric is Paintbrush Studios Frolic and Moda Quantum fabric for the pockets.  The lining is an older Moda Sweetwater line.

The pattern for this bag is associated with a Craftsy class - Sew Sturdy - The Ultimate Travel Bag designed by Annie and does not seem to be available as a stand alone pattern.  The class itself was a good one.  (My Craftsy subscription expired on September 30 so I was motivated to get the bag made which also made it a good project for the beach!)

There are pockets on both the front and back of the bag along with each side.  Inside, the bag has one large mesh zippered pocket on one side and an open fabric pocket on the other.

I'd previously made the Get Out Of Town Duffle (see that post) and use that duffle bag each time I travel.  Construction of these two bags was basically the same as were the parts where I struggled - namely putting on the binding to cover the seams inside the bags.  (It isn't pretty but then no one can see it but me, right?)

Although I've not taken my new bag for a test run yet, it has some a couple of features that will come in handy as compared to the Get Out Of Town Duffle  namely a strap that allows you to put your bag over the handle of your roller bag suitcase and the large zippered mesh pocket inside.  The duffle bag however has longer carry straps and a slightly more compact size.

I clearly enjoy making bags!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

One Monthly Goal October Link-up

New to One Monthly Goal?  Welcome!  To join, share a photo of your project, some words about what you want to accomplish in a blog post, an Instagram post or a post on Flickr and add that photo to the link-up.  Return at the end of the month and share your results.  You can read about the event and the rules on the main event page.

We have wonderful sponsors this month - three (3) winners will be randomly chosen from those who join both the goal and the finish link-up!

Fat Quarter Shop offers a tremendous selection of fabric, notions, books and just about anything you will need for your project. Consider their Sew Sampler box to receive a monthly surprise delivery of fabric and fun.  Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate to one lucky participant.

Quiltfolk is the magazine for quilters, by quilters, with about 180 pages of inspirational stories and stunning photography. Featuring four new locations each year, it’s like taking a vacation with your favorite quilt friends without ever leaving home!  One lucky winner will win a copy of the latest issue (January) plus a years subscription! 

Paper Pieces has provided pre-cut paper shapes for English Paper Piecing using quality card stock and exact point-to-point measurements for over 20 years. They strive to provide excellent customer service and sewing to support to our customers and community.  Paper Pieces will provide a EPP Starter Kit to one lucky participant.

Aren't these just terrific sponsors?  (Remember to check out the full sponsor list for 2021!)

My goal for October is to get my summer slow stitch project bound.  At this point, I'm almost done with the hand pieced circles so I should be able to make this happen.  The quilt was hand pieced - it has been a fun project.  (Photo below was before the hand piecing - see a progress photo here of the quilting.)

Make sure you visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags.  Your blog post (or Flickr post) must contain a photo of your project, a clearly stated goal and a link back to Elm Street Quilts.  Your Instagram post must include a photo of your project, a clearly stated goal and the tag #onemonthlygoal.  (Entries which don't contain the required information may be disqualified.)

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkup in a given month.   (The One Monthly Goal accomplishment linkup will be available on October 25.)

Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can find the OMG link-up from your blog.  Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal October Link-up

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks for linking up.

Have a wonderful day! Patty