Research Triangle ~ Curated Quilts Mini Triangle Challenge

I cut this one a little close by entering right at midnight on April 1st, the deadline to enter the Triangle Mini Quilt Challenge sponsored by Curated Quilts.  I was hand sewing down binding as fast as I could and took this photo at 11:39 pm.

I learned about the triangle challenge by picking up a postcard in Curated Quilts' booth where I met sweet Amy Ellis in person.

The first challenge I encountered was not having fabrics with those colors.  In my stash, I had Cotton Couture in Spa and Pluto that matched, but that was it.  I was done with Pluto from making this quilt.

Using the Michael Miller Cotton Couture color card, I picked out Sun and Orchid that matched and ordered on line.

Now to come up with an idea.  I started with some rough sketches on graph paper.  And, I'm even thinking about quilting ideas at the same time. 

Nothing developed there so I turned to a 'triangle' search on the internet.  I kept seeing the same image over and over, an equilateral triangle in a square, and thought I could accomplish it in a day.

This illustration is by Jim Wilson, a mathematics professor from the University of Georgia.  When I emailed him to ask permission to use his illustration, turns out, his daughter, Mary Kerr, is an accomplished quilter and certified quilt appraiser.

When it came to piecing, I cut out the equilateral triangle from Cotton Couture Spa using this 60° degree ruler (affiliate link).  For the background pieces cut from Orchid, I used the same ruler cut out another triangle which I discarded.  This way, the triangle and background pieces were all on grain.  I know, I'm crazy like that.

I'm also auditioning binding, a Michael Miller print, Candy Pointillism.

Because of all the bias edges, I pieced the triangle using my walking foot.  As a matter of fact, the entire quilt was pieced, quilted and bound using the walking foot, except for the hand sewing of the binding.

Now to quilt it.  That was another challenge.  I decided on simple walking foot quilting.  Well, the quilting was simple but the marking took some careful measuring to insure the lines would cross precisely.

Aurifil 2588 Light Magenta matched the Cotton Couture Orchid perfectly.  And, if you look closely you can see where I have marked some lines with the a hera maker.

For the most part, the intersections aligned.

I used Cotton Couture in Sun for the binding and despite my best efforts, I ended up with two joins within two inches of each other.  And, no surprise, it's a bias binding.

As small as this quilt is, 12" x 12", I still had to piece the backing.  I was using up fabric from another challenge, the Michael Miller Spring Cotton Couture challenge.  Members of the MQG can read all about After Dinner Mints here.

Here, I'm about to unsew part of the binding so I can tuck the label inside the binding.

Keeping with the triangle theme, I made the label into a triangle which I quickly added before shipping Research Triangle off to Curated Quilts.  I'm excited it will appear in the mini quilt gallery of Issue 04.

The Research Triangle Park in neighboring, North Carolina, inspired the name of my quilt because I certainly did a little research on triangles to make this mini.

Quilt Stats

• Finished size: 12" x 12" 
• Pattern: equilateral triangle in a square
• Fabrics: Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Spa, Orchid and Sun
• Thread: Aurifil 50 wt. in Light Turquoise 5006 for piecing, Light Magenta 2588 and Medium Butter 2130 for hand sewing the binding. 
• Quilting design: triangle grid 
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: April 1, 2018

My mini, Off the Grid appeared in Issue 02 of Curated Quilts and you can see it here and here.


Linking to...

Finish It Up Friday with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts
Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday, this week with Izzy at Dizzy Quilts

Casting Shadows ~ Michael Miller Fabric Challenge at QuiltCon

I made my first trip to California for QuiltCon a couple weeks ago and this happened...Casting Shadows, my Michael Miller Our Yard Fabric Challenge placed 2nd!

It all started with this bundle I received back in August 2017.

Without a plan, I was instantly drawn to the stripe, thinking it would make a great binding. I also liked the Lime Tree Leaves in Robin.  I thought those little trees were cute too.

I had so many ideas for the challenge, I had a hard time choosing what I would make.  The months flew by and I had to make a decision as it was getting down to the wire.  Knowing I liked the stripe, I had ordered a half yard thinking I would use it for the binding from Morning Star Fabrics.  I ordered Cotton Couture in Ivory twice from Add Thread. 

I decided to use the Quick Curve Ruler once again.  But would my idea work?  After some careful measuring, cutting and piecing, I auditioned the pieced curved strips on the design wall for spacing.

Next, I auditioned itty bitty bias strips for placement.  Should I add a third strip, or leave it at two?  You can see I decided not to add the bias strips to the blue section.

I used every pin to secure the strip to the background before stitching.

After securing the striped strips, I zig zag stain stitched the blue in place and was ready to begin the quilting.  I used Aurifil 50 wt for the applique and the quilting.

Here you can see where I secured the strip to the background using the walking foot since the seam would be covered by the bias tape.  While the curved strip may look like a continuous strip, it was actually pieced.  The arrow indicates one of the seams.  And here, the quilting has begun.

The quilting is almost done, one more section to go.

Here it is all quilted and blocked.  You can see I left the right side intact as I had planned to add a curved edge and figured it would be more stable if I did not cut away the curves.  Nothing like making the challenge more complicated than it was already.

I first added the bias tape which I had done before.  I decided to use the Robin for the binding on the the left side and actually made it from a fat eighth.  In fact, all the blue was pieced and bound from fat eighths given to me from guild members.

I decided to change the binding color to match the curve.  I actually blindly cut the binding strips, pieced it to the orange and hoped for the best as the seam was so close to the corner, I couldn't actually turned the corner and then cut to size.  But it all worked out the first cut on both the top and bottom.

I saved the curved edge for last.  Here we go, let's hope for the best!  I pinned very carefully, not wanting to pull the bias binding too taut.

I carefully stitched using the walking foot.

I made the final join and then carefully trimmed away the excess.

I'm proud to say, the my challenge was made entirely from Michael Miller fabrics, right down to the hanging sleeve.  Remember this fabric from the Glitz challenge a couple years ago?  I thought I would never return to it again.

I was thrilled when Casting Shadows was juried in the show and even more ecstatic to learn it had placed 2nd in the challenge.

It's no secret, I love a challenge...here's my first Micheal Miller Spring Cotton Couture fabric challenge from 2015, After Dinner Mints, which also placed second and again, I used the Quick Curve Ruler.

And this is Barcelona, my Michael Miller Glitz fabric challenge from 2016.  Once again, I used the Quick Curve Ruler in an original design.

I tried to create depth with the white and ivory cotton couture and even tossed around the idea of naming it Hills and Valleys.  The judges' comments were:

• Good sense of horizontal and vertical movement
• Quilting compliments overall design
• All elements combine for a unified look

You can see all the award winning quilts from QuiltCon here.  You can see the Our Yard Challenge winners and other challenge quilts entries on the Michael Miller blog, Making It Fun, here.

I'm already thinking about the next challenge....

Quilt Stats

• Finished size: 35" x 49" 
• Pattern: Original design using the Quick Curve Ruler (affiliate link)
• Fabrics: Michael Miller prints and solids, Bright White, Ivory and Clementine
• Thread: Aurifil 50 wt. in Natural White 2021; Light Beige 2310 and Light Jade 1148 
• Quilting design: walking foot quilting using Bernina 153
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: November 2017

Linking to Finish It Up Friday with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF hosted this week by Sherry at Powered by Quilting.

Quilted Memory Fabric Bucket

When I saw Christina Cameli's tutorial for a little quilted fabric bucket I had to drop everything and make one.  (I made myself finish binding a queen size, yes queen, charity quilt first.)

And why memory bucket, you ask?  You see, immediately I knew what fabrics I would use for this cute fabric bucket.

Three years ago, about this very same time, I was finishing up the Michael Miller Spring Cotton Couture Fabric Challenge.  I remember quilting a test sample, which I still had, of the various cotton couture fabrics to audition the color of Aurifil thread I would use.

I wrote the Aurifil thread number along the selvage so I could remember the thread color.  And the funny thing is, the free motion design I used was Christina's Leafy Lines.

I must have borrowed two colors from a friend because I don't remember finishing the spools.  I placed the Clover clip beside the other two colors I auditioned.

My quilted sample was smaller than the Christina's measurements, but I wanted to give it a try anyway.  I trimmed it down to  7 1/2" x 13 1/2" I decided to use left over bias binding for the cuff.

I sewed the seam with a 1/4" seam allowance and then trimmed it down a bit so I could cover the raw edge with some bias I had just used in making the current Michael Miller Our Yard Challenge.

It would have been awkward sewing the bias with by machine at that angle, so I just hand stitched it down in no time.  Christina's tutorial uses a lining but I decided to skip that part let the machine quilting show a much as possible.  That's the reason I covered up the raw edge.

 The bias strip ends were sewn together and repressed which was 7 1/2" x 13 1/2".

I sewed the cuff to the to top edge and finished the edge with the serger.  To box the corners, I measured  width of the bucket which was 6 1/2" and divided the number by 4 and that's the size (1 5/8") I used for the square.  I had to redraw because I forgot to allow for the seam allowance along the bottom.

If you look closely, I didn't sew all the way across the bottom since that would be cut away.

I cut out for the boxing.

I stitched and overlocked across the boxing.  Now all that's left it to turn right side out and turn down the cuff.

This is what the bottom looks like after turning right side out.

And from the side.

And a close up of the rim.

My memory bucket is perfect for storing thread.  Without the lining you can see the raw edges of the seam in bottom but if quickly fill it up, the seams will not be seen much at all.

So I made the quilted bucket entirely from scraps.  And here's the reason I have fond memories of that fabric.  The quilt I made for the Michael Miller fabric challenge was After Dinner Mints and it placed 2nd at QuiltCon in 2015 at Austin, TX.  It was my first QuiltCon to attend and I was thrilled.

I'll have to write about the making of After Dinner Mints one day.  I will tell you this...in addition to the fat eighths provided by Michael Miller, I used a couple of charm packs and a jelly roll which were all prewashed using my my salad spinner method explained here.

Linking my little quilted memory fabric bucket to Main Crush Monday with Beth at Cooking up Quilts, Finish it Up Friday with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts, Show Off Saturday with Caroline at Sew Can She and Sandra's next Dreami (drop everything and make it) link up at MMM! Quilts.  I am also linking to Bag It with Patty at Elm Street Quilts and Tips and Tutorials Tuesday #26 with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.

Navigating to Pluto (MQU Quilt Challenge)

Well, it's finially finished!  Navigating to Pluto is my entry in the Everything Old Is New Again Quilt Challenge sponsored by Modern Quilts Unlimited Magazine, Michael Miller Fabrics and others.

Whether you sail, fly, take the stairway or the snail’s trail, hopefully you can make your way to Pluto. The background fabric, Cotton Couture in Pluto, inspired the quilt title, thus Navigating to Pluto.

Navigating to Pluto by Paige Alexander
(Quilted by Johellen George of Cabin Quilt Studio)

Back in July 2015, Modern Quilts Unlimited issued a twelve-month block challenge to interprect a traditional quilt block in a modern way and then, after completion of all twelve blocks, make a quilt with your blocks.

I challenged myself to use improvisational piecing in each block.  Some were successful and others not so much.  But I stuck with it and made all twelve blocks.  Images of the traditional blocks are listed here on the MQU website.

Completed 12 blocks for MQU challenge

Row 1

• Flying Geese - Flying into the Sun 
• Snail's Trail - Trail Blazers 
• Ohio Star - Ohio on Point 
• Card Trick - Simple Transparency Trick 

Row 2

• Bow Tie - Bow Tie Bold 
• Double Pinwheel - Curvy Pinwheel 
• Square in a Square - Minimal Square
• Rail Fence - Paint the Fence

Row 3

• Sailboat - Adrift
• Lemoyne Star - Last Lemoyne Star
• Drunkards Path - Echo
• Jacob's Ladder - Stairway to Heaven

Quilt Challenge Rules - some of the basic rules were as follows but the official rules are here:

1. Make a quilt using all 12 blocks not exceeding 60" x 60".

2. The blocks must measure 12" x 12" finished and be an original interpretiaton of the traditional quilt block.

3. Michael Miller fabrics must be used in the completion of the quilt top with each identified.

4. Quilts must be finished including quilting and binding.

Fabrics - Michael Miller Cotton Couture

When the challenge was announced I went to my local quilt shop and found a some Cotton Coutures to use in the blocks.  I soon replaced the Avacado with Apple, but later used the Avacado in Witco's Daisies. Knowing I would need to identify each fabric, I snapped a pic so I would not forget the fabric colors and I'm glad I did.

Michael Miller Cotton Coutures purchased for MQU challenge

  

I mostly used Apple, Azure, Lava and Magenta with Pluto as the background.  One block contains a tiny bit of Caribbean and Fern.

Quilt Layout

I designed a layout where I could create the the largest quilt possible within the size constraints of 60" x 60".  My design wall was in use and ended up laying out the blocks on the kitchen floor.

Deciding on layout for Navigating to Pluto

Excited to have the top pieced, I took it outside for a photo.

Navigating to Pluto quilt top completed

Quilting

Running short on time and not knowing exactly how I wanted to quilt it, I asked Johellen George (@sc_quilter) of Cabin Quilt Studio to quilt it for me on her Innova long arm. At first, I thought about having her quilt organic horizontal lines across the entire quilt top.  But as we talked, she talked about adding echoing clouds in with the wavy lines in the top portion and adding waves in the lower half.  After all, the block at the very top was Stairway to Heaven and the block on the bottom row was a sailboat. Perfect, I loved the idea.

Quilting of echoing clouds transisitioning to waves by Johellen George

More quilting by Johellen George

Finishing

One of my favortie blocks is the Sqare in a Square and you can see more of the waves as they are quilted.  

I used Azure for the 1/4" bias binding and added in a flange from Apple.  

Honey Hive in Leaf was used for the backing and it cordinated so well with the Pluto and Apple.  It was lucky find at my local quilt shop.  And call me crazy, but I matched the print when piecing two seams for the backing.

Honey Hive in Leaf  from Emma's Garden for Michael Miller

And one more photo taken outside on Thanksgivng Day with the North Carolina montains in the background.

Navigating to Pluto by Paige Alexander
(Quilted by Johellen George)

Quilt Stats:

• Finished size:  60" x 60" 
• Pattern:  Original designs using traditional quilt blocks as inspiration
• Fabrics: Background - Michael Miller Cotton Coutures; Backing: Michael Miller Honey Hive in Leaf
• Thread: Quilted with Aurifil 2886 Light Avacado
• Quilting designs:  Echoing clouds and waves by Johellen George, Cabin Quilt Studio
• Batting: 100% Cotton Quilters Dream Cotton 
• Started July 2015 and Completed November 2016

I'm glad this is finish #1 for 4th quarter of the 2016 Finish-A-Long.

Linking to Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, Finish It Up Friday, Finished or Not Friday, Fabric Frenzy Friday, Show It Off Saturday and Main Crush Monday.