Got Solids? A Solid Improv. Quilt Finish

Another finish! I really, really like this quilt. It started with a bundle of solid fabric I was given for a guild challenge. I added tons of other solids and it turned into this. 

I wanted it to be twin sized, so I added a gray border to get it up to size. By the end, I was running out of solids (and steam!) and a border seemed like the way to go. One of my big problems was squaring it up. Because of the improvisational piecing none of the sides or corners were square. I tried my, but I still don't think it is completely even.

I decided to mimic the improvisational squares and rectangles in the quilting. It is free motion quilted (vs with a walking foot) so the corners were easier to turn (because there was no turning) but it sometimes maked for some less than square lines and corners.

I decided to use a scrappy binding. It was a great way to use up some solid strips I had hanging around and fits in with the overall feel of the quilt. The binding is stitched down by machine and I decided to add to the "industrial" feel by accentuating the stitching instead of trying to hide it. I used a wide zig-zag with contrasting orange thread. It is super sturdy and pretty darn cute, in my opinion.

This quilt was going to be donated to the International Institute of St. Louis, but as they won't need it for awhile, I am going to donate it to a local women's shelter and the institute will get my next quilt. Its a super cute, super crazy quilt with lots of Denyse Schmidt fabric and color. Stay tuned and have a great weekend!

Go Big or Go Home - a therapeutic fabric challenge

This spring our guild in Iowa had a fabric challenge. I picked the fabrics for the challenge online and when they arrived I was horrified to find out that they weren't the exact colors that I thought they would be. (I have been burned way to many times ordering fabric online.) But that would just make the fabrics that much more challenging for everyone! (Spin, it's all about the spin.)

But what to make? The challenge started just when we were in the throws of getting our home ready to list and I was stressed out to the max. Doing anything that required exact math and precision was out of the question. Around the same time I saw these pictures on Instagram by @chaucycomplete and fell in love. Her pieces are tiny. So very tiny. I knew that wasn't going to happen so I channeled my inner "Carol". Carol is a member of our guild who makes everything big. No small quilts for her! So I started cutting and sewing, cutting and sewing. I would start to cut smaller pieces and then think, "No! Quilt like Carol!" and "Go Big or Go Home!" I had a blast. It was just what I needed.

Des Moines Modern Quilt Group - Solids Challenge - April 2016 - Look at all those beauties!

It was nowhere near finished when the challenge was over, but I finished it up last week. All solids. All from stash! I would like to donate it to charity but for it to be twin sized it needs to be bigger. I can't keep adding to it as I am running out of solids. What?!? I know, crazy. But I have a chunk of dark gray that I think I will use as a border. Do you remember when Kona Coal was really in as a background color? It is leftover from those days and needs to be used.

Now I just have to figure out how to square it up. There is not one single straight seam in that baby. Wish me luck! I'll check back in when it is done.