Friday, September 26, 2014

Amused Inspiration

I've been continuing to play with the possibilities of the EPP block that I showed in my last post. I'm calling the block "Porch Steps" and I came up with so many possible quilt designs, with just this one block, that I had a hard time deciding in which design to invest my time. 

(Oh, if only there were enough hours in the day to sew every design option!)


But it was after a fun trip to Knoebels Amusement Park with Hubby, (first time there without kids!) that I knew for certain which direction to take.

  
Who could help being inspired by the fun colors and the turning, twirling 
of everything that one finds in such a place? 


Certainly not me!

(Which coincidentally is exactly what I say when anyone wants me to ride one of theses stomach turning, world spinning, vertigo inducing things!)


 Now that I had settled on a direction, fun colored Grunge fabrics were selected.


Paper templates pieces were cut, covered in fabric and stitched into the blocks.


Coded pieces and helpful binder clips helped me stay organized and hold it all together.


Blocks were stitched together.


And a sigh of happy amusement was uttered when I saw it all come together,
reminding me of my my happy inspiration.


Now I just have to quilt her and bind her and I think create a PDF pattern for her!
(And I think I shall call her "Ferris Wheel" as it's a ride that I actually enjoy!)

And as for my next project, I already know what fabrics I shall be using...


These oh so lovely Cirrus Solids from my friends at Cloud9 Fabrics
I was so happy when I first heard that they were coming out with their own line of organic cross-weave fabrics, and floated on my own cloud 9 when they generously sent me this gift bundle. 

By the way, cross-weave's belong to the same family as shot-cottons and chambrays and the names often get used interchangeably, so it can be confusing. All three types share the same trait as having different colored weft and warp threads. Technically, (at least from my understanding) chambrays traditionally used white as one of those colors, (think of those pale blue chambray oxford men's shirts). However I have bought fabrics listed as chambray's that had no white in them at all, and were more of a traditional shot-cotton. Cross-weaves and chambrays generally tend to have a more quilt weight hand to them, while shot-cottons traditionally are more light weight, and have a lovely drape to them, but again, I have bought shot-cottons that were more quilt weight. Most cross-weave fabrics that I have used, (including these Cirrus Solids beauties) have a more subtle color variation to them, meaning that while the weft and the weave are different colors, the difference is minimal. Most, (but again not all) shot-cottons that I have used have more of a defined difference in the weft and warp colors, creating an almost iridescent color about them. All three however have a depth and interest then any regular solid colored fabric where warp and weft threads are the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many thanks to those that gave me useful info on my last post concerning the stiffness of some hand dyed fabrics and the difficulty I was finding in hand sewing with them, I truly appreciate the info!!


17 comments:

dolores said...

Ack! You did it again...shot one out of the park...I'm watching a baseball movie!:)

Love this and Grunge is my very favorite line!! Great job!!

dolores said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Glen QuiltSwissy said...

Love that grunge fabric. It even sounds like me!!

Peppermint Pinwheels said...

I saw the finished top over on your Instagram and loved it, but I love it even more now that I've seen your inspiration! Brilliant!

Nifty Quilts said...

Wow! I gasped when I saw the final quilt top all put together. Your colors are stupendous. And the block makes the most intriguing designs. I look at it and wonder how you got those hour glass pieces inset like that, and so many other curiosities mysteries. Very entertaining! Again, wow!

Teje Karjalainen said...

Wow, this is going to be gorgeus! I love your inspiration photos, bright solids and the pattern you have created is fantastic! x Teje

Nini said...

How exciting! Thanks for sharing, as it's very inspirational!

carolyndawn said...

That is absolutely amazing.

kay said...

Thanks for the info about cross-weaves, chambrays, and shot cottons. That was very helpful for me! Can't wait to see what you do with those cross-weaves in the photo. All your work is amazing!

apiecefullife said...

Love it. Love it all, the colours and the EPP. Thanks for the post on hand dyes. it has really inspired me. Can you tell me what the Grunge fabric is like to hand sew?

Victoria said...

Thanks very much to each of you!

And apiecefullife, the Grunge fabrics were very easy to hand sew!

patty a. said...

Your piece turned out stunning! The Grunge fabric was a perfect pick for this piece and your use of the warm oranges and cool blues makes this quilt just sing!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

A wonderful design, beautifully executed. The Cloud 9 cross weaves look interesting, no doubt you will create something amazing with them too.

Uniquely Yours Creations said...

Absolutely Beautiful! You have the patience of a saint! Bless you!
I love love the colors!

k said...

This piece is wonderful, and the colors are right up my alley. I love your work. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Those oranges look like crowns! So fun!

Patty said...

Once again, you do amazing work! I love everything you do.