The Joy is Back

Written by Diane Harris on February 7, 2023. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

I went through a rough patch the last half of last year and I struggled to create. But things are looking up and my sewing machine is humming again.

Flicker from View, a design by Thimbles and Needles; this is my version.

I fell in love with the cleverness of this design by Jo at Thimbles & Needles in Sydney, Australia. The offset quality is eye catching, and I thought my bright fabrics would look great in her quilt design. I bought the pattern from Jo’s website and let’s just take a moment to marvel that we can do that! Aren’t you glad for technology? I sure am.

I want to insert an editorial here. Couldn’t I have tried to figure it out myself without buying the pattern? Well yes, I probably could have. But I bought the pattern because I know how much work goes into pattern development and I wanted to support another creative person. And I’ve learned that many times, there’s bonus info in the pattern like tips, fabric guidance or a handy way of organizing the process. Well worth the money.

That sewing was really enjoyable: simple piecing that looks super interesting. What’s not to love? I still have a few rows to go but it will happen soon, I promise.

I jumped at the chance for a simple sew-along with Plains and Pine last week.

The Wild Star is a simply pieced traditional Lone Star but with Lindlee’s modern twist, I was smitten. And she writes terrific instructions so I knew I could succeed.

Gradations of color on my Lone Star sections

I decided it might be fun to work from light to dark on each star section. I pulled from my scrap bin and only had to raid the stash a couple of times for a missing value.

I had to decide what colors I wanted to use because there’s not a neat division of eight on the color wheel. There are three primary colors and three secondary colors, but I needed two more. I turned red-orange-yellow into four sections, and added teal in between blue and green.

I didn’t like all the light points in, but I didn’t like them on the outside either. I auditioned a bunch of grays for the background because I wanted to give some relief from the colors. I think too much color can be overwhelming. It’s like your eye needs a palate cleanser, so to speak.

Light points in and out, polka dot background

This is where I landed: the light and dark points alternate in and out, and the polka dots might not be everyone’s choice but I like them.

I’ve learned to trust my gut. Even if I know that something is out in left field, I will just do it. It’s only fabric, and if it doesn’t work, I will learn something. We don’t need to fear making something ugly. It is totally okay.

My setting triangles must have stretched a bit because I had to trim quite a bit to make it square. And yes, I did cut off the tips of some points. The world will go on.

It’s still not really flat but hey, THAT WILL QUILT OUT.

I added a little border to float it in that sea of polka dots.

I’m auditioning lots of things but I’m not sure what will come next. Sometimes you need to let things marinate. I’ll make another one of these because I love the colors in Lindlee’s quilt:

Lindlee’s Wild Star for Plains and Pine (her business)

Isn’t it wonderful? You can grab the complimentary pattern by signing up for the Plains and Pine newsletter (click here).

I have more to share but that’s enough for one post. I hope you’re having a great week!

Quilt on,

Scrap Quilt Secrets: #1

Written by Diane Harris on September 15, 2022. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

I’m making adorable scrappy quilt blocks along with AP&Q’s quilt-along.

The design is a great little block by Christa Watson and making the blocks is really entertaining.

One of my first few quilt blocks in the AP&Q quilt-along

I decided to omit a few of the seams in the background. I think it looks fine either way and I wanted to speed things up a little and eliminate some bulk.

But what I really want to share today is something that caught my ear in the Facebook group for the quilt-along.

One person was saying that she’s spending time making each block look nice. She’s arranging and rearranging her patches deliberately to create combinations that please her. (Smart quilter!)

And that’s where it went south. Because another quilter’s response floored me:

Say WHAT?!?

Now please understand: I hold no personal malice toward this quilter. But that approach for scrap quilts is absolutely wrong.

Let me repeat: Absolutely wrong.

You know how some quilts look like scrap vomit? That’s what happens when you don’t plan your scrap quilt.

Scrap quilts don’t take less planning. They require more!

You must be deliberate about making all those diverse fabrics work together.

You have to consider what elements could bring cohesion to all those varied prints.

It behooves you to audition and to change things up and to rethink one more time, over and over and over.

There were also comments that revealed a quilter’s experience and wisdom, like this one:

Amen. She is absolutely right.

I have had to make peace with the extra time and effort it takes to make a good scrappy quilt. It does require a lot more time and effort. But you know what?