Quilts 2022

 My favorite nine made in 2022. 

Top left is a pattern I designed from free clip art on https://www.vecteezy.com/  I started with a new app called  Vectornator  but switched back to Affinity Designer on the iPad because….the magnifier floats just above the item you are connecting. It’s so much easier to see and get correct. Now that Affinity Designer version 2 is out ….I love 💕 this app. 

Top middle is a fabric find on Spoonflower showing locals in Italy. I had it printed on Minky by Spoonflower, it’s so soft and one of my favorites to use. On the front of the quilt. I used a map of Italy and highlighted or inserted where they lived and the regions they loved to travel. I imagine them tracing the map to remember some of their favorite trips.

Top right is a baby quilt for new great nephew Felix. Pattern by https://jenniferheynen.com/products/jungle-buddies-applique-quilt-pattern and the tiger is from https://shop.shinyhappyworld.com/collections/applique-block-patterns. These are so fun to make from scrap fabrics.

Middle left- OMG I was so thrilled to get in a Zoom class taught by Irene Roderick. The class was Dancing with the Wall. Her method of making abstract modern quilts is a thoughtful artistic process. Excellent class! And she has great book on Improv quilting too.

Middle is a Kwandi quilt. Nan R gave the May SMQG  on how these quilts are made and their history. 

Middle right is another Irene Roderick class- Dancing Design. We studied design principles and designed a quilt. We learned constructive critique methods. The Quilts made in this class are fantastic!

Bottom left is the Give and Take quilt method by https://tarafaughnanquilts.com/. Made in a Zoom class from her for our guild.

Bottom middle is from a Whimsical Quilting class I took through Manatee Patchworkers  by https://www.crisarcbono.com/. Cristina’s work specializes in Vintage Retro … great technique!

Bottom right is a quilt made for Jodi who fosters cats and kittens until they are adopted. She fell in love with one special kitten Asparagus and adopted him….this is such a great photo, stylized in the Prisma app and printed on minky at Spoonflower. I used a Sherpa backing so it’s super soft. 

More made and quilted but these are my favorites of 2022. It was a great year!

QuiltCon 2022

QuiltCon 2022 was in Phoenix with beautiful weather. I enjoyed the quilts tremendously and it was great to have time to see my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. We had some tasty eats in beautiful downtown Phoenix.

QuiltCon quilts were just fantastic! I love the way the show is laid out in a zigzag method to let all really view the quilts and keep the lines moving. (As compared to the U shape method the other shows use.) Plus the categories are so descriptive such as Modern Traditional, Negative Space, Improv etc. It includes the overall design of the quilts more than just the perfection of a technique.

Here are some of my favorites:

It was a good year

 For sewing, making and learning…

Here’s a group highlight of completed projects. I delved in stash busting scrap quilts, scrap appliqué, designing an appliqué pattern, and various other projects. For more info, Click here or on the 2021 Quilts tab. 

Highlights from 2021

Fall Decor

 I love to change up my home decor with every season using quilts. “Where a cat lays, a quilt stays.” Is my motto as it’s easier to wash the quilts than constantly vacuum the upholstery. I have many quilts for my winter, spring, and summer decor but none for fall. So I decided to use neutral or black and white quilts.

The main focus wall hanging is Jack the Cat. It’s an Arty stylized enhanced digital photo on minky (yes you can pet the kitty). This is the third one I’ve quilted and the largest 54” x 60”. I used an e2e for the background and stayed true to fur on Jack.

Pinch out to see the stitching detail.

A close-up

The white accent on Jack’s 

eye is actually a cataract.

Here’s the entryway…

Having a blanket ladder adds for more 

personal display  space.

These gorgeous cats are Abby and Lucy.

It’s a digitized photo stylized in the Paiint app and printed at Spoonflower.

A new appliqué technique

 I took Jane Haworth’s class on appliqué pets online  Love of Pets-Fabric Collage 

I enjoyed it, watched it through first then started with photo, fabric and stitching. The techniques work very well though I simplified my drawing as I lean to a minimal art style. 

I used the Vectornator app to trace the photo then enlarged it using the BannerMaker app.

Isn’t he a cutie! One thing I appreciated was Jane’s suggestion to use Pellon 830 Easy Pattern base to build the piece. I used Tacky glue and other glues I had. My favorite is Roxannne’s Glue-Baste it with its thin nozzle. There are many hints and video demos for insight to completion.

Once the color values to fabric are complete the stitching begins. All the color stitching was done before choosing the background as I did not want it to show on the back of the quilt.

Trim away the base and you can audition background fabrics.

To decide on the fabric background I used photos and the mono setting in Photos. Using the Moldiv app, I placed the color-monotone side by side to really study value.

It was rather impressive to see where paws did not show because of the colors value. Notice #5.

And our guild’s chat site added many interesting comments. So I pulled out more backing fabric and took more photos. All the input helped me to analyze the color values and decide which background would best enhance the fabric appliqué.

Once the background was chosen, I again took photos to compare color values for placement. 

I quilted and faced the background first then appliqued Bailey on with Superior Monopoly thread so it’s invisible on the quilt back. More invisible stitching was added to secure the appliqué.

For a free how to use your iPad photo edit and the Moldiv app for a Color Value study click here or on the Tutorial tab.

Here is the final of Bailey !

Finished size is 24” x 30”

I’m planning two more as this is a fun process.

Another Woodland Critters quilt

 For this set of Woodland Critters background, I used up more of my fabric stash using 3 1/2” strips sewn in tall tree columns. Pattern designed by Wendy Gratz at  Shiny Happy World.com

Note the bees !!! I’ve been so intrigued by her designs and layouts to enable one to use the print size HeatnBond sheets I decided to try to make some of my own. I used the new Vectornator app on my iPad.

Bees design from free license clip art

There or some learning curves as always in using a new app and in thinking through the process of the layout. And to me that is part of the fun. Using vector images I can resize the animal to be a small as 1 inch or as large as fits the scene. In the pattern testing I realized the need to place the color under the black for the  stripes to lessen the underlay show-through. Click on the image to download and print to try this method yourself. Better yet, start with the Shiny Happy World patterns and watch her YouTube channel. There’s a wealth of information on technique and products that work best for this method of appliqué.

Also in the making, the small eye parts and tail are too tiny to secure stitch. Therefore they are boxed in a separate group to retrace onto HeatnBond Ultrahold or a permanent glue like Aleene’s Fabric Fusion.

I’ve got many more image tracings to before I master this technique. It’s fun, addictive, and will be so worth it for appliqué. 

Appliqué Critters continue….

Supervisors in shoeboxes! 

I’ve broken out of the “block” on appliqué. Now I make the fused appliqués and when I have a stack decide where to place them for a design. This is one piece of cool green fabric in ombré rows. The critters are appliquéd to the top same as the blocks.  It’s made using freezer paper printed templates and remains soft. Though I used Fray Block, there is some raveling- depends on the fabric type. Pattern is Woodland Critters from https://shop.shinyhappyworld.com/collections/quilt-patterns

Woodland Critters

This Waterside Canal are designs I’ve worked from free license clip art or traced photo’s so I can print them in various sizes. All use HeatnBond Lite fusible. The raveling after wash/dry is very minimal. The inside centers are cut out so as to keep the quilt soft. This quilt was totally quilted and binding finished before the appliqués were sewn on using Superiors Monopoly invisible thread. (The black stitching on critters was done before sewing the appliqués on the finished quilt.)

Waterside Canal

I have truly bonded with the Vectornator app on the iPad!  I trace a photo or recreate the free license clip art in vector image form and draw changes to make the stitching easier e.g. gentle curves, rounded corners, fewer details. Then patterns are made indicating underlay areas layouts in print size. It’s a process and well worth it as I can print out the patterns easily in different sizes on freezer paper or a fusible.

Isn’t he a cute alligator? 

Just completed a coloring book and first reader featuring cats Jack and Jon Snow. 

The simple drawings are traced from photos. Hope the grandkids will love it. I sure had fun selecting photos and learning the graphic apps to create it.

Jack and Jon’s Coloring book
A first reader too

 

Exploring Appliqué

 I’m exploring appliqué again. The patterns from www.shinyhappyworld.com are so cute and easy to create using printable HeatnBond or freezer paper sheets. I made several to test the stiffness of the fusible as I like soft, lovable, functional quilts. It all started with a new baby quilt. I was inspired by how my sister loves to tell stories from our growing up on a farm to her granddaughter. The Noisy Farm pattern made in pinks and purples fits their nursery color scheme. I so appreciate how the pattern maker includes  fusible print sheets layouts. They are reversed and exploded ready to print…..no tracing! Definitely a time saver. 

Noisy Farm baby quilt gift

I used HeatnBond Featherlite and even with Fray Block, it frayed on the raw edges more than I expected. So I made a second one and was more careful to ensure the underlay was wide enough as these are straight stitched around edges.  Chunks and hunks, those are little pieces too big to throw away are perfect for appliqué. It’s my favorite stash busting technique now.

Next I made another testing the various weights of HeatnBond, freezer paper and tacky glue thinking I’d find my best way for appliqué. But I like them all, each product has its special use. I like HeatnBond over other Fusibles because in my tests, it held the best. AND, it only takes 2 seconds on first fuse and 6 on second. That’s a big deal! No, counting to up to 20 seconds per iron size press. 

Test Sampler 

I love making these fun kid quilts! 

QuiltCon 2019

I had a great time at QuiltCon 2019 in Nashville. The weather was dreary, rainy, and chilly for this Florida girl. We stayed across the street from the convention center and could dash across easily. I totally loved so many quilts at this show! The catagories are so different from a regular show, here there is negative space, traditional made modern, improv, piecing, minimalism, handwork, etc. The quilts are arranged in zigzag aisles so they are easy to view...no little 3 sided booths. 

I am lucky to quilt for Carole Lyles Shaw on two of the three quilts she had in the show. 

Mid-Century Modern

Triangle Joy

The Charity Quilt display was just fantastic this year! Guilds choose to enter this category for display then the quilt is returned to be donated to the charity of their choice or raffled and money donated.

My fave charity quilt...

Victoria Findlay Wolf quilts in Traditional to Modern were so interesting! Side by side photo of same “Cascade” design, one more traditional and one more improv? Maybe?

I went to five lectures and one class. The class was by Jodi Robinson who won Best Machine (frame) Quilting Award. Pretty Amazing!

Meanwhile back in Florida the cat sitters were napping on the job....

QuiltCon 2019 in Nashville

The Nashville weather was rainy and gloomy but the Quilts sparkled with color and beautiful quilting! So many quilts to study, lectures and workshops I totally missed the Beer Trolley and all the Honky Tonk music scene. I was thrilled to see two of the quilts I quilted in the show.

Triangle Joy by Carole Lyle Shaw
quilted by Carol Byrnes

Mid-Century Modern by Carole Lyles Shaw
quilted by Carol Byrnes

The Charity Quilt display was awesome this year! I had a hard time choosing a favorite as I did for the "peoples choice award" from all the quilts in the show.

Next years QuiltCon will be Feb 20-23, 2020 in Austin, TX. Plan on attending if you want to see beautiful, outstanding use of design, color and quilting! For more information click here for The Modern Quilt Guild website.