Wow! As a self-proclaimed traditional quilter, I never thought I would be a part of a modern quilts blog tour! I love traditional quilt blocks -- log cabin, Ohio star (or is it sawtooth star? I can never be sure), Irish chain, and flying geese -- and my color preference typically runs to darker, more muted colors -- reds, browns, navy blues, even blacks. But the times, they are a-changin', and when QN offered me the opportunity to submit projects for their Best Modern Quilts special issue, I jumped at the chance.
And I'm so happy I did!! Stepping out of my comfort zone and re-imagining quilting was unbelievably inspiring. Once I started sketching on graph paper, the ideas came fast and furious. I found myself thinking about scale, contrast, and color in totally new ways. Even shopping for modern fabrics was a new experience. I felt like a first time quilter among the large, graphic prints and bold color -- which is probably why I ended up using mostly solids!
In the end, and to my delight, QN chose three of my projects for their special issue. And what an issue it is! It's full of beautiful, colorful, and easy projects that are sure to fill you with inspiration and may even change you as a quilter. If you don't already have a copy of QN's Best Modern Quilts 2014, it's available now on news stands, in bookstores and quilt shops, or online through www.quiltandsewshop.com.
Let me tell you about my projects...
On page 66 you'll find my Green Tea pillow.
I used machine appliqué for the first time when I made this pillow and it's such a time saver that I may never go back! But I think it's the quilting that really makes this pillow shine. I chose to make this block into a pillow, but wouldn't it be great to sew three of these blocks together to make a table runner!?
Speaking of table runners, check out Metro on page 64.
My daughter named this quilt "Metro" because she thought it looked like the view of skyscrapers from above. This fun and easy pattern is the result of one of my graph paper sketches and the color palette was inspired by one of my favorite bags -- a summer tote that I bought at Old Navy probably 10 years ago. You never know where you'll find your inspiration!
And finally, check out page 41 for my Ebb & Flow lap quilt.
I have to say, I think this was my favorite project. The idea for this quilt literally popped into my head one morning in the shower (I do my best thinking in the shower!). This quilt is so easy to make. In fact, the hardest part was coming up with a name for it! I went back and forth about how to quilt this project, initially planning to simply echo the horizontal and vertical seams. But I remembered a sort of modern giant dahlia quilt I'd seen at the Vermont Quilt Festival that had different quilting patterns in each section. I thought the extra texture might work for this quilt and I couldn't be happier with the result -- Joyce Lundrigan did an amazing job!! And because I used a cross weave woven fabric (almost like a linen), the quilt feels soft and broken in, despite the volume of quilting. I think this quilt would also be great in pink and orange.
And now, patient reader, the moment you've been waiting for, the fabric/magazine giveaway!! If you'd like a chance to win a copy of Best Modern Quilts 2014 and a fat quarter bundle of Kate Spain's Daydream fabric, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm MST tonight (1/15/2014) by clicking on the word "comments" in the blue box below. I will draw one name at random, so please make sure I have your email address.
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| Daydream by Kate Spain for Moda |
Good luck and happy modern quilting!
*****This contest is now closed. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments!!*****