Sew Spooky BOM

I have just  completed the top pieced border for Sew Spooky.  To make the chevrons I used my Accuquilt multi strip cutter (1, 1.5, 2 inch).  I also made some 2.5 in strips.  By using the multiple sizes you do not have to worry about fitting the pieced borders.  I got out my black fabrics cut five inch width strips.  I ribbon folded them horizontally across my 6.5 inch strip cutter then I placed layers of the 5 inch by 6 inch pieces on the multi-strip cutter and ended up with 1 by 6.5, 1.5 by 6.5 and 2 by 6.5 inch strips already to make chevrons.  I do not know how many to cut so I am going to resupply my strips as I go.

May OMG

I do not remember the name of this pattern.  I only have some of the pattern pages with the unfinished top.  This has been a UFO for some time.  I did not want to add the border that the pattern designer used (appliqued bats).  I went to see the AQS show in Paducah with my sister. That was a wonderful adventure.  While there we went to a quilt shop at some farm in the area.  The owner of the shop had a quilt hanging that was vertical strips of chevrons made from all black fabrics.  The owner explained to me that she had designed this quilt for a fabric company to show off one of their lines.  I remember thinking I would love that job and wondering how one would get a job like that.   Anyway....back to my quilt....I remember thinking that  on the perimeter I did not want appliqued black bats on light backgrounds- I would rather have quilted ones on black chevrons.  My only problem was  how to make the corners????  I think I have my solution.  My May OMG will be to piece the border for this quilt. 

April OMG

This is a replacement post for the one that was here originally.  I had posted with a short paragraph so that I could make the April OMG deadline.  I had yardwork to do and I was waiting so that I would not annoy the neighbors with my chainsaw too early and spent sometime revising the post. This was challenging because I was at first creating and posting using my phone because my computer was not functioning.  I had to download some apps and learn how to post from the app.  I am not that good with intuitive apps.  I never know when to pinch or slide or swipe or pull.   When it was completed, I accidentally hit revert to draft rather than publish and it wiped out all my work.  I was quite angry so I went outside to get that yardwork done.  I am exhausted after my day's labor; so I am going to try this again.  Perhaps I will make my comments in more than one post so I don't risk loosing my content.

Construction:  This quilt is made from storm at 9.5 inch storm at sea blocks set on point with the rocks appliqued on top. 

The top and bottom edges were cut straight across.  The side edges were made with partial blocks that followed the gentle vertical curved line of the pattern pieces.  I liked the idea of a wavy edge for a sea themed quilt.  The block was made of a small square in a square, a large square in a square, and 2 triangles in a square that pieced together to make a rectangle.  I used my Accuquilt GoBig to cut my units.  The Accuquilt storm at sea uses 4 half square triangle instead of the smaller square in a square. I used a 2.5 inch square surrounded by a 2 inch finished quarter square triangle to make the square in a square.  If I had pieced it with quarter inch seams it would not have fit.  I had to fudge this to make it work.  I used scant eighth in seams to piece it so that I could piece it to the 3.5 inch triangle in a square.

I began with a pdf print out of the storm at sea sheet above and drew my horizon line on it. I would color in sections so I would know what fabrics to put where.  I auditioned blocks and reworked as I went along.  The block above was rejected.  I decided that I did not want the pink center;  I also discovered that I needed to figure out how to cut the fabric so that the prints were going in the correct direction.  I used the Accuquilt dies to cut paper and drew grain lines on them.  I used the papers to fussy cut hunks of fabric to place on the dies.  I did my very best to not waste fabric.  I did make several mistakes and had to recut. 

Under the rock I used 9.5 inch squares of muslin as place holders. The quilt was basically 3 sections: sky, water, and beach. 

Sky:  I started with some blue fabrics on the design wall.  I had blues for the sky and blues for the water.  I looked at the design wall and decided it needed a punch of color so I looked at some photos of sunrises and added the pink/blue/yellow/orange/white print and a yellow with grey batik that I thought would blend into the blue sky fabrics.  I started with the sunrise fabrics and selected a grey fabric with big clouds, a baby blue fabric with small clouds, a

Water:
Around the rock I wanted to use this puddle fabric which is a grey/blue print with concentric ovals.  I was trying to show some wave action from bumping up against the rock.   I was using fabrics from my stash. Much of it was fat quarters or third yards.  I used a grey print along the horizon line.  It has some white lines on it that I thought it would like moving water.  Next layer was a grey mottle that surrounded the rock and puddle fabric.  The next layer was a blue speckle.  I added a dark blue print that had some gold flecks.  Some people have asked about the dark blue fabric. I gather they think it does not blend well although no one has actually said that.   I remember swimming in the ocean and seeing darker blue areas that were markedly colder through which to swim.  I also have come across schools of fish.  That is what I was thinking about when I added that section.

May Block Reprise

I made this block a while back and I was never happy with the white bee fabric.  The scale was just plain wrong so I decided to do it again.  I did not want the bees chopped off.

I decided to use the same fabrics but use a bigger block.  I chose to use hexagons and here is the new May block. 

And now June is done as well...now on to July.  Only three more blocks to go. 

April OMG Making Progress

Here is the quilt top so far.  I need to applique the rock to the top.  It is just pinned in place at the moment and I need to add the cormorants.  I have yet to decide if I am going to embroider them or applique them.  I have to create a back, sandwich quilt and bind it.  I hope my nephew likes the result.  I really enjoyed working through the challenges so far.  Now to make a plan for the quilting. 

Accuquilt Quandrey

I am working on the rock quilt and I decided that I wanted to Accuquilt cut the pieces for the Storm at Sea pattern.  I did not want the diamond shape to be pieced in the middle so I thought I would just fold the fabric and not cut the middle.  Hmmm?  But then I realized that if I did not have the pieced middle my pieces would be off by 1/2 and inch.  This is getting way too complicated.  I guess I will have to accept the seam in the middle unless I want to hand cut the center.  Hmmmm.

February OMG Goal

This is a photo that my nephew gave me.  He has asked me to create a quilt based on this photo of Flag Rock which is near Plymouth MA.  The rock was painted with a swastika circa WWII.  Local residents painted an American Flag on top.  To this day when the paint wears off it is repainted.  My nephew has asked me to create a quilt based on this photo.  My February goal is to create the rock portion and applique it to a background.  My plan is to use Storm-at-Sea on point as the background behind the rock.  I hope he likes the result.  I have got the rock underway and I am scanning blue fabric into my computer because I want to grey scale it to help me select appropriate values of fabric to emulate horizontal motion across the quilt. He has asked me to have this quilt done by Easter.  I have given many quilts as gifts, but I feel like this is my first commissioned work.  It is easier when it is a gift.  Come join the fun at Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal!