Tag Archives: mini quilt

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After a slow start to the season when I didn't have time to participate in the first challenge, I'm happy to share my completed quilt for the Project QUILTING Team Colors challenge.

Now, I don't have strong sports team affiliations, so I had to think a bit before getting started on my project. But with a one week deadline, there isn't much time to think. I could have gone with Team Gryffindor, Team Jacob, or some other literary or art reference. In the end I decided to pick a sports team with colors I like. ;-) So, I chose the local San Jose Sharks (ice hockey). Teal and black for the win! I pulled everything used on the front of my quilt from previously used scraps. 100% of my project is from stash (probably common in a one week challenge!). You just can't go wrong with black, white, and one color as a palette.

With only the slightest of planning in my Planned Improv, I knew I would do one improv log cabin for the mini quilt. I opted for the teal (Christa Watson) print in the center since I felt that was the closest to the Sharks color. I pieced a shark fin of the same fabric into one of my strips. Beyond that there wasn't a plan for color placement, and I opted for wonky with regard to my strips. When I started in the middle I went clockwise around the center piece for the first eight strips before that broke down. I've really been enjoying Cassandra Beaver's improv blocks, especially her skinny strips. I included a couple in my log cabin. My only other conscious consideration was that I like high contrast, so I tried to avoid putting fabrics next to each other that blended.

Next up, thread and quilting. I chose Aurifil 50wt Light Turquoise (#5006) and Dark Turquoise (#4182) with a plan to use a variety of motifs in the different strips and start with the dark thread in the center and swap to light closer to the edges. I consulted three books for quilting motif ideas (affiliate links):

I especially like the Shape by Shape books for this because the book is arranged by shape of space you are quilting and they include borders as a section. In the end each piece of fabric in my quilt had a unique motif.

I am always so happy when I take the time to do more detailed quilting. Perhaps this is an indication that I should slow down and do more of it. I kept my quilt to 16.5" square so that I would have time to quilt the life into it. Much bigger and I would have opted for "get it done" quilting. ;-)

I used a fat quarter from my stash for backing and two corner triangles for easy hanging (label on one). The easy choice for binding was a black solid since I had remnant binding already made. Score!

Improv Log Cabins is a workshop I've started offering for 2020. There are so many ways to improv a log cabin. This piece has me considering a series of black, white, and one color improv log cabin mini quilts. The real question is, what color do I do next?

I've linked up with Project QUILTING 11.2. View all the projects there for the Team Colors challenge. (For those of you who have voted it past years, there is no voting this year.)

I'm also linking up with Beauties Pageant, TGIFF, Peacock Party, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?, Free Motion Mavericks, and Off the Wall Friday.

You can read all about the other quilts in this 2020 series here:

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For the past two years I've shared my five favorite finishes of the year. Here are my favorites from 2019. In no particular order...

 

Modern Antique Tiles

I enjoyed designing this piece for my Island Batik challenge for the Vintage Reimagined prompt. I used the extending lines concept from Sylvia Schaefer's book, The Quilter's Negative Space Handbook. Read more.

 

Enjoy Mini Mini

This mini mini quilt ties my smallest quilt ever made, measuring just 2 1/4" x 9". It was created in response to the Project QUILTING 10.5 challenge: Abecedarius. I enjoyed (ha, see what I did there?) making the improv letters for my project. I haven't gotten back to this technique, but will use it again in future projects. Read more.

 

Wholecloth

In this Aurifil Artisan challenge we were asked to use at least three different weights of thread in a whole cloth mini quilt. I used a variety of free motion motifs on this piece. Monochromatic quilting on a solid wholecloth quilt is all about texture! Read more.

 

Two Red, White, & Blue Minis in One Week

This is a bit of a cheat since it's two quilts (and I didn't make one of them), but looking back over the year, one of my favorite quilting projects was the week both my daughter and I finished a quilt for the Project QUILTING Red, White & Blue challenge. I love that my kids enjoy sewing and quilting. Read more about mine. Read more about hers.

 

Tula Pink Dress

I really enjoyed making clothes for my kids when they were younger... for some reason that came to an end (or a pause). But we pass along the clothes they outgrow to my sister for her kids (who are 3 1/2 and 1). I've really enjoyed seeing my nephew J wear the clothes I made for G when he was that age. And J loves them! And it has inspired me to sew up some new clothes. I have some new pants in the works for J, but I couldn't resist pulling together some of my favorite Tula Pink fabrics to make a dress for my niece who has just started walking. Read more.

 

FYI, Project QUILTING challenges for the 2020 season start on January 5th with Kim Lapacek at Persimon Dreams. There are a series of six one-week quilt challenges running January through March. (We get a week off between challenges.) Check it out. Join us. It's a great community of makers creating a wide variety of work from each prompt. And there are prizes.

I'm linking up to Cheryl's Best of 2019 Linky Party. And you can see my Five Favorite Finishes from 2018 and 2017. Stay up to date with what I make in 2019 by subscribing to my newsletter.

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Happy Hanukkah!

My good quilty friend, Mel Beach, recently finished up three winter/holiday mini quilts and I wanted to share her Hanukkah Mandala quilt with you. Be sure to visit Mel's blog to see her other two projects.

Mel's Hanukkah Inspired Mandala is a variation of her Mod Mandalas; in this workshop Mel teaches everything her students need to know to make their own mandala mini quilt, including bias tape appliqué and traditional piecing. She also teaches a variety of other workshops including free motion and walking foot quilting.

She used the pearlescent and glittery Fairy Frost collection from Michael Miller for her three projects.

One of my favorite parts of Mel's work is how she adds such amazing detail to her quilts with the intricate quilting motifs she chooses. In her Hanukkah Inspired Mandala she added eight quilted candles to her design, plus flame motifs.

Don't miss Mel's Christmas and Winter mandalas on her blog, Piece, Love & Happiness.

Photos by and used with permission from Mel Beach.

I'm participating in the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge with Cheryl of muppin.com.