Blogger's Quilt Festival - Scrappy

Well I said I'd be back, and I am entering my second quilt into this year's fun and games.

If you missed it, I blogged my first, the Oakshott Carpenter's Star, here.

Today I am going to show my Stitch Tease Bee quilt that I finished up in the New Year.  And this is the complete opposite in every way.

I really should have taken some new, sunny shots, but I didn't think of that until I sat down this evening, sorry...

So this is my much loved, and currently living on the foot of our bed, Low Volume Scrap Vomit...

From the first versions of Katy Jones' modern classic quilt, I knew I wanted one, although I didn't want so much of the vomit, and wasn't too keen on the traditional black blocks, so this was my solution!

I love this quilt, and especially cherish that it was made by one of the fabulous Bees which I am fortunate enough to belong to, and it turned out way more amazing than I could have hoped for.  Thanks lovely ladies x

Low Volume Scrap Vomit Details:
70" x 70"
Top - 1225 x 2.5" scraps from the bins of the Stitch Tease Bee
Backing - IKEA Nummer print and Sew Stitchy scraps
Quilting - Diagonal straight lines in Aurifil 50wt 2021
Binding - Joel Dewberry Aqua Herringbone
Entering into the Scrappy category.

Thank you for (re)visiting me and my quilts: I'm hoping I will have some of the things currently residing on my To Do list t'done soon to show you - I'm sure I'll rustle something up for tomorrow ;)

#DSTTchallenge revealed...

I am not sure why I have been slacking on this reveal, I am normally rather quick off the mark to toot my own trumpet!  Sorry.

So back at the beginning of the month when I read about the Dear Stella/Timeless Treasures 'modern traditional' challenge, I had one idea in mind, an old fashioned block in modern fabrics, (I can see you all nodding off already!), but I just couldn't get enthused about that.

I went back to basics; in fact I went back to the V&A collection of quilts (online) that had got me so excited about fabrics and sewing and all the things that I now obsess over; I trawled for something to get me going, and one quilt immediately did that...

This was made between 1740 and 1800 and look how modern it looks; it was love at first sight!  None of those brown basket type blocks I immediately think of as traditional.

I decided to recreate this in my DS/TT fabrics along with the quilting, which you can see a bit clearer if you look at the link.  Rotary cut, machine sewn, and purely decorative, a far cry from the original, but using only stash fabrics, I have, I hope, combined the best of what both eras have to offer.

So I cut and randomly stitched rather a lot of tiny pieces from 1.25" strips, using some of my Dear Stella Hadley fabrics, (what else!?), half a dozen different Sketch prints, some How to Make A Pillowcase text and more.

To me, the current love of low volume, text prints and pops of colour is not a long way from what was being sewn in the 18th century!

As per the rules, this quilt is entirely made of Dear Stella and Timeless Treasures fabrics and measures up at 20" square...

... and I even used an almost brown Hadley print for the backing as a further nod to the traditional roots of this mini-quilt...

This was entirely pieced and quilted in Aurifil (50wt 2021), another icon of the modern age of quilting.

I took a batch of photos to try and show off the quilt and the quilting as best as I could...

... and then I had fun with the garden centre models...

I really enjoyed researching and making this, which after all is what it is all about; yep the prizes are amazing, but I think I veered off at such a tangent that I can kiss those goodbye!

This mini-quilt really makes me happy in a way that piecing a non-brown basket block ever could; I call that a success!

I hope you have enjoyed my little foray into trying to be a little bit more meaningful in my stitching, but don't worry, I won't do it too often xxx

The Vomiting Bee...

I tried for a more pleasant title, I really did, but you know, I couldn't think of one!

So I promised some better pictures and a grander reveal for my Stitch Tease low volume Scrap Vomit quilt.

Here's the best I could do, considering it has been raining, and toppling fence panels since late morning, the kids have been on full volume all day and now it's really just time for tea and Christmas cake.

I was Queen Bee back in September, having planned this quilt in my head for a very long time.  The wonderful ladies did great bringing my vision to life.

The thought of making a quilt like this, (without the shortcut piecing method a la the Scrappy Trip Along), gives me the shivers, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many fabrics to pull and cut, all those points to try to match, it would take forever!  Ever since I saw Katy's first SV quilt(s), I wanted one, but the solids-averse side of me had a problem with those B blocks, especially the black, and the complete riot of colour wasn't quite my thing, but I still wanted one; so the low volume idea was born.

Thanks to the lovely Stitch Tease ladies, I requested and ended up with this beauty; please excuse the windswept, and don't let it drag on the deck photo shoot...

I love it!!  Quilting it on the diagonal gave me the opportunity to see every single print that had been included; I love the diversity, but also the fact that the same fabrics cropped up in many blocks, maybe from the same swaps or just for the love of the same prints, and it made me smile the whole 3 hours it took me.

Binding is always my favourite bit of the process - and this took another 3-4 hours, the perfect end to another stormy day snuggled on the sofa.  It couldn't have been more perfectly timed.

Full deets:
Pre-wash 70" square
Millions 1225 scrappy 2.5" squares
Blocks pieced together and quilted with Aurifil 2021 50wt
Backed with IKEA Britten Nummer print and Sew Stitchy scraps
Bound with aqua Joel Dewberry Herringbone print

Thank you again wonderful Stitch Teasers, you have got my New Year off to a great start xxx

Extremes...

Just a couple of pics for you this evening.

I managed a half decent photo of my Midnight At The Oasis progress, despite the rain, hail and general darkness that prevailed today...

And I also pieced my long-awaited Stitch Tease II quilt top; I made the 25th block from the siggies, but forgot to get a picture of that, but here is a shot of as much as I could get in, whilst hanging it in the conservatory...

I am loving how both of these are turning out; just as I had hoped and some!

My only dilemma is that I now have two quilt tops ready and waiting, LV Vomit and my 'Hadley - Gypsy Shawl', but the backings need to be pieced, and the thought of basting them is the last thing I feel like doing at the moment.   It feels quite overwhelming, which I know is daft, but I can't decide which one to finish first.

I think I will concentrate on a couple of smaller makes that I have on the go for now, and come back to them in a week or so.  The relief of having major health issues ruled out is now being overtaken by the sickness that the magic tablets cause; they are now taking their toll, and I am getting fed up of the whole bloody thing!

Hey ho, there was happy mail too though, Lego (yay!), a good book and some fabric, so on balance it was a good day xxx

Never Mind the Vomit!

Woo Hoo, September, tomorrow(!), and it is my month wielding the Stitch Tease crown.  I knew what I was going to ask for so long ago that now it my turn, I am busting with excitement!

Ladies, we are making a low volume Scrap Vomit, but without the vomit!

I know the theory behind the original Vom is to use up all those Oh My Eyes scraps that have seen better days, creating something wonderful in the end.

OK, but this is me!  I am looking for beautiful low volume, text and prints, maybe the odd fussy-cut too, so it looks gentle and pretty, not full of fuglies and grotters that just happen to work.  That said, I don't believe for one moment that any of my fellow Teasers have a stash full of munters, and I trust them!

I made a mosaic a while back...

... just to show that low-volume doesn't mean just cream and white!  The one in the bottom right corner is an example of what I don't want.  Not enough colour and waaaaay too much brown.

The quilt uses two types of block, so I would like one of each from the ladies.

Here's my first block...

For the cross blocks I would like greys, dark pinks and turquoise, not in solids, again in a mix of fabrics...

All the instructions that anyone could need are on Katy's blog, as part of the quiltalong.

I realise these blocks are 7x7 for a 14(1/2)" block rather than 6x6, but I am hoping my fellow Bees will see that, without any wastage on these blocks, they will probably be using less fabric than more complicated 12(1/2)" blocks require... here's hoping!

I think this quilt has the makings of awesomeness!

For the siggy blocks, I would like 3 x 2.5" blocks sewn together with a centre white square with just first names signed in the middle.  These will be sewn together to make the elusive 25th block.  I haven't made mine yet.

So I've told you what I want, what I really really want, and hope that rest of the Stitch Teasers are pleasantly surprised that I have not dreamt up anything too difficult ;)

Now to just sit back and wait for the postman, hee hee!

Here we go...

So I can tick off this week's first little task, hurrah, cutting the charm squares for Lolly-Jane's Low Volume Charm Swap.

I had plumped for some nice pale spots, but they had gone out of stock, so with a bit of to-ing and fro-ing of emails with Jo at the Brighton Sewing Centre, I opted for some more super-duper Velocity by Jessica Hogarth...

The buildings are a larger scale than the grey print that I used on Kelly's tote bag, and when the whole meter was laid out for a quick pre-cut press, I was a little sad to have to cut it up, it's such a great print.

But chopped I did, and now I will be able to get these in the mail and await an awesome mix back in return.

Now to get my Travellin' Pic Stitch post written for tomorrow...