My Friend Mickey ~ Birthday Quilt

This quilt was finished back in August just in time for the 1st birthday of a special great nephew who has already undergone several surgeries for a bilateral cleft lip and palate.  And when nothing else can comfort him, Mickey Mouse can.  He loves Mickey Mouse!

I had the idea of a simple Mickey Mouse quilt, but finding licensed Mickey Mouse fabric was not so simple.  With a quick online search, I found a cute print and set out for my local Walmart which was supposed to have the fabric. They did and when I found it, the fabric was 100% polyester, not what I had in mind or would use.  The only cotton print they has was the red silhouette fabric which became the inspiration for the quilt.

While researching, I saw sunglasses on a Mickey and thought that would be cute on the yellow silhouette.  I machine appliqued the Mickey Mouse silhouettes using matching 100% cotton Aurifil 50 wt.

The gray and black dot fabrics are by Waverly and were purchased at the same time I found the Mickey fabric.  The yellow Kona I had in my stash.  I cut the squares 10 1/2"  thinking I would have a nice sized quilt, 40" x 50", and be able to use a width of fabric for the backing.  I would be WRONG.  The backing shrank to way less than 40" and was printed very crooked.

The top came together quickly and here it is pin basted and ready to quilt.  

I first secured the blocks by stitching in the ditch around each block and quilting very close around each Mickey head.  Which each block I changed thread colors to match the block.  I quilted meandering loops in all the blocks.  I tried to plan it where I could travel diagonally between the blocks as I quilted.

Fortunately , I had all the colors of Aurifil in 50 wt., I needed for quilting.

Matching the red, white, black and gray threads were no problem.  It was interesting when it came to the yellow thread though.  The perfect match was not found with the other yellows on the Aurifil thread chart.

The best match, Aurifil 5015 in gold yellow was found over in the greens/ browns on the Aurifil thread chart.

When quilted, it matched perfectly with Kona Cotton Solid in Canary.

I debated whether or not to quilt in the the Mickey heads and if I did what would I quilt?  The quilt show judge did mention that the Mickey heads would benefit from additional quilting and she's probably right.

There was plenty of the black dot left so I decided on that for the machine sewn binding.  I attached it on the back of the quilt and finished the topstitching from the front.

The black binding made a nice frame for the quilt.

Mickey was the hit of the birthday party.  There were even Mickey Mouse red velvet cupcakes.  I wish I had taken a picture before I took a big bite out it.

Quilt Stats

• Finished size: 40" x 50" 
• Pattern: Original layout inspired by a modified Mickey Mouse silhouette
• Fabrics: Mickey Mouse licensed fabrics, gray and black dots by Waverly, Kona in Canary, and bleached white Bella solid by Moda
• Thread: Aurifil 50 wt. in Natural White 2021; Black 2692, and Arctic Ice 2625; Red 2250; and Gold Yellow 5015 
• Quilting design: meandering loops
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: August 2017

Linking to Finish It Up Friday with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF at Devoted Quilter this week with Leanne, Whoop Whoop Friday with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Show Off Saturday with Caroline at Sew She Can.

Path of Totality + Celebration Challenge

My guild celebrated it's 25th anniversary this year and issued a challenge to its members to create a quilt with the theme, CELEBRATION, along with some other rules listed in October's One Monthly Goal.

I decided to commemorate the total solar eclipse which took place on August 21, 2017.  The path of totality crossed the entire state of South Carolina from the mountains to the sea.  It is estimated that 1.6 million traveled to or within the state to see the total solar eclipse according to this article by the State.

I found the inspiration I needed when I opened the OnPoint newsletter on day from the American Quilter's Society and a free pattern, Luna, by Betsey Langford was included.  I immediately emailed them was granted permission to use the pattern or a variation in my design.  

There was serious pattern matching to piece the partial medallions in order to make a circle for the total eclipse.  I was lucky, no seam ripper was required, it came out perfect the first try.

There was a lot of measuring for the placement of the partial eclipses before fusing and appliqueing in place.  Karen Kay Buckley's Bigger Perfect Circles (affiliate link) aided in placement.

A partial eclipse appliqued in place before adding the darker fabric.  

The pattern was much too small to fill the space of the quilt interior so I added a super-size applique of the state of South Carolina.  It was nice using Soft Fuse Premium (affiliate link) fusible web as it comes in an 18" wide roll and is light weight so quilting right over it was a breeze.

I had the idea of adding a sheer fabric to create the path of totality but where would I find such fabric.  I found the perfect fabric to plunge South Carolina in total darkness at Hobby Lobby one day.  I do not remember what it was called but I remember it being 100% polyester. 

I needed to added a border(s) to bring it up the required size of 35" x 35".  Here, I'm auditioning a solid black with Essex metallic linen in fog I purchased on etsy.

I ended up with a 3/8" inner black border and a  1 3/4" outer border.  And now the usual dilemma, how to quilt it?

Since I couldn't solicit quilting ideas from my own guild members because it was a secret challenge, I consulted with and sent in-progress photos to more distant friends,  Linda, Connie and Patty for feedback.  Thank you all!  

I ended up quilting concentric circles around the center total eclipse.  At first, I was going to to quilt right over the black inner border, but in the end, I thought it might be too distracting and ended up stopping and buried all the threads.  Although time consuming, it was the right decision.

Here, Path of Totality is blocked and drying.

Once quilted, I thought the bottom left corner was a little empty.  The bottom right corner would have the sheer applied so if would be fine.  I had the idea of adding the palmetto tree and crescent like The Palmetto State's flag.  It was much too detailed, so I simplified it and added it after quilting and blocking.

Now the scary part, adding the sheer overlay.  I modified the path slightly as not to interfere with the partial eclipse on the left.  I first used a narrow zigzag to secure the sheer in place on the edges.  I surely did not want the temperamental fabric to fray after adding the bias.  It was a risk as I knew the back would be less than attractive.  But to prevent pulling or shredding of the sheer fabric, I thought that would be best.

  

I added dark gray bias tape on the outer edges and used black down the center of the path of totality.  I secured the center before adding the bias, again to secure the fabric in place to prevent any shifting.

Here, the bias is sewn in place and a 3/8" binding to match the inner border.  The judge thought it was a good decision as well and expressed that in a comment.  

A lot of thought went in to the making of Path of Totality as I strategically placed the center of the stared medallion over Easley, SC exactly where I live.  

Quilt Stats

• Finished size: 35 3/8" x 35 3/8" 
• Pattern: Inspired by Luna by Betsey Langford
• Fabrics: Background - Sound of the Woods Mottled Ice by James Wiens, licensed by Wild Apple for Robert Kaufman; Essex metallic in fog by Robert Kaufman; Challenge fabric - challenge fabric is the main focus print (style 4590B) from the Starburst collection by Michele D'Amore Designs for Benartex; unknown black solid
• Thread: Aurifil 50 wt. in Dove Gray 2600; Natural White 2021; Black 2692, and Asphalt 5013 
• Quilting design: concentric circles and straight lines in the border
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: October 2017

My husband and I went to a nearby church for an unobstructed view and this is the panoramic photograph I snapped during totality.  Ahead of time I had read about birds returning to their nests and the crickets chirping and that's exactly what happened.  It was quite an experience.

Happy to have finished Path of Totality be the deadline of  October 24th, I'm linking my finish to October One Monthly Goal link-up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts and Finish It Up Friday with Crazy Mom Quilts.  

Positively Transparent++MQG August 2017 Quilt of the Month

I am excited to share my quilt, Positively Transparent, which was chosen by the Modern Quilt Guild for the August 2017 Quilt of the Month. 

If this design looks familiar, you are right!  The original Positively Transparent, measuring just 16" x 18", was exhibited at QuiltCon 2016 in the small quilts category.  It has also appeared Simply Moderne twice, first in issue #5 and then again in issue #9 in an article, Creating Transparency in Quilting, by Riane Menardi of the MQG.

The mini Positively Transparent was started in a class taught by Lizzy House which focused on exploring the elements and principles of design.  You can read all about the making the mini version in this blog post.

The background fabric is Essex Yarn Dyed in flax and the plus sign fabrics are Kona Cotton solids, all generously provided by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

I love the backing fabric also, Vincent Van Gogh 2 Journal Notes in Grey, again by Robert Kaufman. Here you can see I decided to apply a facing rather than a binding, just like my original Positively Transparent.

I really like how the edge looks with the facing.  The quilting threads just disappear around the edge.

I quilted Positively Transparent in an uneven grid using various weights of Aurifil which was a first for me.  Until now I had pieced and quilted with only 50 wt. Aurifil.

I used Aurifil 5011 40 wt. (green spool) in background but still used 50 wt. in the bobbin.  In the plus signs, matching the fabrics, I quilted with 28 wt. (gray spool) and used a 90/14 topstitch needle just a Aurifil suggests here. As an Auriful Artisan, all of the thread was provided by Aurifil.

You can see I carried the thread color used in each plus sign all the way through the quilt.  I didn't keep track of the hours of quilting time, but it took awhile and, to me, worth every stitch.

And just for giggles, I thought I would show you an outtake from my photoshoot.  I found this awesome two-colored painted wall of a warehouse just a couple miles from my house.  Yes, there were some funny looks!  And while my quilt was barely in the shade of the building, I was standing in the blazing sun.

Seriously, I would like to thank my pattern reviewers Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Patty at Elm Street Quilts for providing valuable help and feedback.  And thanks to E.A. Cox for pattern testing for me.  I would also like to thank The Warm Company for providing my favorite batting, Warm & White.

Positively Transparent has been enlarged to a lap quilt measuring 60" x 68". You can find the pattern under Resourses of the Community tab at the Modern Quilt Guild.  If you are not already a member of the MQG, you can join right here to gain access to this pattern "plus" so much more.

If you love plus sign quilts, check out this secret project, Modern Plus Sign Quilts (affiliate link), which has been in the works and is now listed for pre-order on Amazon! More about this soon!

Excited to share my very first quilt pattern, I'm crashing every party this week!

Let's Bee Social #191 with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers with Susan at QuiltFabrication

Needle and Thread Thursday with Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday this week with Anja at Anja Quilts

Can I get a Whoop Whoop with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

and Show Off Saturday with Caroline at Sew She Can

Finish It Up Friday when Amanda of Crazy Mom Quilts returns in September

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.

Free Wheeling Single Girl Quilt

I'm excited to show you my Free Wheeling Single Girl quilt made for the Sewtopia Virtual Fabric Challenge.  Thank goodness for a two week extension or I would have had to rely solely on the mini Outlined Plus quilt as my entry.

Free Wheeling Single Girl by Paige Alexander

I mentioned my fondness of challenges in my introductory post as part of the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop hosted by Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Stephanie at Late Night Quilter.

We could add any other Hoffman fabrics to the 5 fat quarters received. I decided to use three different chartreuse fabrics, 2 prints and a solid as the background.  And I added in 2 purples to go with the black and white prints for a pop of color.

Piecing the rings went very well, similar to the first Free Wheeling Single block made in Denyse's class at Sewtopia Atlanta.  Planning the fabric placement for the so-called improv rings was probably the most time consuming part.  I say that only because, I really struggle with improv.

Free Wheeling Single Girl quilt top on the green beans

I had a hard time deciding on what size to cut the borders.  I thought about asymmetrical which several had suggested when i posted a picture on instagram, but decided on 10" borders all the way around because that's what the fabric would allow.

For the quilting, I thought about using the quilting design included in the original Single Girl pattern, but decided to try Denyse's Figure Eight quilting template.  My fellow guild member digitized the design to be able to use with Quilt Path, the computerized quilting software for her APQS Millennium. This the 2nd quilt I've quilted on her longarm and with each quilt I'm learning the ins and outs of loading the quilt on the machine and using Quilt Path.

Free Wheeling Single Girl 'improv' pieced ring and quilting detail

My friend suggested that I round the corners to match the rings and so I did. It was a great idea!  I simply used the inner background template to round the corners.  You also get a peek of the backing fabric, more of the stitches print used in the top.

Rounded corners of the Free Wheeling Single Girl

For the binding, I didn't have enough of the original fat quarters to make the entire binding improv or scrappy. I pieced 5 separate sections of improv and for the rest of the fabric, I used the stitches print in the black colorway which I found at my local quit shop.  In my 12+ years of quilting, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've rounded the corners on a quilt.  I cut the binding on the bias, even for the scrappy parts, and it went on beautifully.

Improv scrappy binding for Free Wheeling Single Girl

You've got to love a husband who will help photograph your quilts.  A storm was brewing and the wind was gusting so I was glad to have some help.

Photographer's assistant taming the quilt top

Quilt Stats:

• Finished size:  63" x 63"
• Pattern:  Free Wheeling Single Girl by Denyse Schmidt
• Binding: 3/8" double fold bias binding (partially improv) from 2 1/4" strips and sewn down by hand
• Fabrics: Me + You batiks from Hoffman Fabrics
• Thread: Aurifil black for piceing the rings and 5010 beige for assembling blocks; 5022 mustard for quilting
• Quilting design:  Denyse Schmidt Quilts Figure Eight template digitized for computerized quilting
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & Natural by the Warm Company
• Completed: June 15, 2016

Usually a name for a quilt comes to me while working on it, but this time nothing!

Any suggestions for a name for my Free Wheeling Single Girl quilt?

Linking up to Finish Up Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Ali at Arabesque Sicssors hosting Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday this week, Fabric Frenzy Friday and Show Off Saturday.