Sweet dreams of strips and sashing

Some days things just click.  Susan came to class on Monday and wanted to make a quilt using the new and super gorgeous flannels.  We sat down and drew up a quick star made with half square triangles. Then Amanda came in and put this up on the wall as something she was working on.  It was EXACTLY the pattern we had just drawn up only smaller.     How great does this star look!  The cabbage fabric in the middle in real life almost jumps out of the star.  

Amanda had prepared some strips which are used here in the border to great effect set against the dark red from the star points.  The richness of the red makes the colors of the star just jump.  

Ok, imagine you are in the room here...we have the start of the enlarged 1/2 Square triangle star with a plaid centre and the start of Moira's DinoZag, one of our new and most fun patterns.  These giant zig zags are a quick fantastic result and a great way to display the latest and greatest favorite fabrics...or your favorite ones from your stash.  

Here we have more strips Moira has sewn together AND THEN cut into and cross cut to make stems.  Moira is making little birds and a variety of different blocks to add to this. There is something pleasing about dull greys and steel with ochre and plum.  Yum.

Strip piecing and sashing is a bit of a theme a the moment.  We have been doing a lot of string or strip piecing in the classes.  Further to that, last month the DVD with Quitler's Companion featured Judy Hooworth talking about using color.  Part of the dvd was about how she effectively uses sashing to create secondary patterns that make her quilts very special.  It was fascinating viewing and has inspired me to consider sashing more often. 

I needed something light and mindless to ease my mind last weekend so I turned up the music, got these bits and pieces of stored up stuff out of the many boxes and bags and put it all together.  It is now in one piece and has served as a study in one hundred colors plus black and white.  We talk a lot about Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran and their book Collaborative Quilting.   It is a great place to look when you want to jump in and get something done...when life is just, well, interupted.

As the old saying goes...sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't!  When you don't it's a great opportunity to do a hand pieced quilt, one we fondly refer to as a slow burner. Take one tiny template, cut out over 70 pieces per block and stand back for a good look.   Lindy has been hand piecing these blocks for a long time.  She recently selected the setting fabric, a design and got to work getting the top together.  

This is a most pleasing result!  The stars are really well balanced, the setting fabric sets them off in splendor and the use of the red points is very nice point of continuity so there is a bit of order, but not too much. 

Once that mission was accomplished we checked out some borders for Judy.  Fortunately, Jane Sassaman is now in the house!!! ( and selling fast!)  They are creepy and they're crawly but don't they look exciting here as a border for this quilt!

Then add a little electric blue...

Judy was originally going to piece triangles for this border but decided she wasn't really interested in the piecing.  Ok, I push a little bit but this is her quilt so we started looking at dynamic options instead of piecing a border.  After only a few suggestions Judy chose this border which didn't BUG me at all!!! hahahaha, dad joke there.

Now Laurel has been working on these little beauties.  The blocks are coming together beautifully and since it was sashing day we tried a bit of strip scrap as an idea for her for the sashing.  Amazing how glorious a lot of color is between these fresh blocks.  When too much color is never enough!

We all have them, lots of bits and pieces and particularly when we are cutting lots of colors for blocks.  Keep them sorted by warm or cool and pull them out when you need a quick fix.  Looking forward to seeing what Laurel does next with these blocks.

Sometimes, working out the sashing can take a few experimental examples...Sashing is again the theme to see what we can work out here. Kate has made these stars that really shimmer with color.  She has set them with some handy Anna Maria Horner.  This was the first example.  Then we threw in Brandon Mably's dynamic piece and decided that the warmth of the oranges would work nicely sewn in here.

It's been an exciting week full of thrills and squeals of delight as we use the design wall to bring people's ideas to life before our eyes.  And last night, only minutes before I dropped my tired head onto a pillow, Kate got her blocks up on the wall.  Now really, can you imagine the dreams I had last night after these spectacular projects all day!??  Sweet dreams to all of you.. kathy.  

Comments

[jen duncan]

WOW Kathy! This post is nearly as motivating as one of your books! I really appreciate you taking the time to upload all these photos. Tell your girls they are very inspiring to so many of us. Especially Kate's circles there at the end...BRILLIANT!!

[Gwendie]

Love them all - but Lindy's most because it reminds me of a Chinese Checkers board. I played that game all the time with my favorite grandma growing up! The color in each quilt is wonderful.

And, yes, love the circles, too.

It's amazing what sashing and borders add to a quilt. Thanks for the show.

[Jan]

Once again, a wonderful post chock full of bold designs and colorful patterns...the signature *Material Obsession* style. And one I never tire of!

[amy]

Splendid work once again! I love how all of the students' work makes me think differently about so many fabrics I know and love. After seeing all of these lovelies, it is absolutely killing me that I haven't been able to sew today.

[roberta sanderson]

Kathy, your blog is just getting better and better. It is so inspirational to see the wonderful fabric and colour mixes your girls use, its a style of its own and I love it!!

[kathie]

Love seeing all your class projects!
its just amazing to see the fabric choices your students make.
I LOVe the star block, and the border your going to put with it is perfect!!!!
Morias little quilt is going to be beautiful
Love how she made her own background fabric, can't wait to see the birds she adds.
The last quilt has be me AMAZED, I would have never looked at that fabric as a background fabric but it is perfect!
I LOVE these blocks....
wow...
all the quilts in this post are just awesome! love the red Lindy
chose to set her blocks...
any idea when your new book will be available here in the USA?

[Rita]

Wow! There is some really inspirational work there! The pictures make me feel like a child in a candy store! Just eye candy! Thanks for sharing!

Rita

[Annie]

What gorgeous bright fabrics! So fun to see how they work up into blocks and quilts.

: )