Red and White and Black All Over....

Do you remember the old jokes of what is red and white and black all over?

This quilt started out as a workshop at the Grimsby Quilters Guild in Grimsby, Ontario. And this joke is on me! 

It was a technique based on a pattern from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. Wonderful free patterns and You Tube Video's. 

I have slowly been working on it over time but it is now sprinting to a finish.

I choose the fabrics out of my stash. Red, white and black because I had bought some with no purpose in mind other than I liked them... (typical quilter behaviour)

This pattern could be made from a jelly roll but I stripped my colours into the 2 1/2 strips myself before the workshop.

4 units 8" squares form one large 18" block

I tried for a pattern but it was mostly random placement of the strips. We sewed strip sets then sub cut them and formed the squares. 

I didn't like the busyness of the blocks all added together so I bought some grey intending on sashing the blocks. But I didn't like that idea. 

So I got the idea to place them on point but still didn't like that. 

Then I make an alternate block with one 8" unit sashed in the dark grey. A wonderful piece from Northcott. 

Laying the squares out on a sheet to pin them in place to remember the layout.

I was adding white blocks to as the alternate blocks from the patterned ones.  But when I added them in I thought they white stood out to much and looked to stark.
So off to the fabric store to get some red for the centre of the white blocks. 

Auditioning a piece of deep red in the centre of the white space.

This is the layout I decided on. 

Some how this lap size quilt has grown to around 100 or so inches on all sides. 

The answer to the opening joke is this quick technique for a lap quilt has grown to enourmous proportions. 

It will be awhile until I quilt it. I am still practicing on my Babylock. This is such a big project to quilt but I know once it is done it will find a home.... 

Finally I feel like I am getting things done. 

I will post a picture of the finished quilt top when all the sewing is done for today.  

I have been making...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder... that is the old saying. 

In this case absence make for making more art. 

I have been prepping a workshop on Thread Bowls and items on Dissoluble Stabilizer. This I will be presenting to the Stoney Creek Quilting Guild in Stoney Creek, Ontario next week.  I also will be the guest speaker on Every One is Creative! This is a great opportunity for me a newbie to teaching and speaking. I know some of the people in this guild and they are kind, generous and funny so I know I will be in good hands. 

Prepping a workshop is a lot of solid work and research to do but is wonderful for learning the ins and outs and how something works. 

I have prepared one other workshop before on Lutradur. This I gave at the Burlington Fibre Arts group in 2014 and at the same time I shared it on one of my favorite

blogs andthenwesetitonfire.blogspot.ca

I don't claim I am a expert but I have found many ways not to do something in my experiments and I think that is as valuable as being perfect. 

So here is a sneek peek at a couple of samples... 

Bowl shape all sewn and ready to put in water to dissolve the stabilizer.

Leaf shape stitched and cut out of thread made fabric using this technique with stabilizer dissolved.



What else have I been up to?

My seventeen ways to use sari fabric given to my fellow fabrigos.blogspot.ca
You can check up on my progress on this challenge on our blog above.

And trying to finish up a quilt from a workshop given by the Grimsby Quilters Guild 2 years ago. It is a quilt that I am calling loosely - Red and White and Black All Over.

 Other things are in the works for this girl... Some will hopefully fulfil part of a dream of mine. 

But more to follow when the time is right. 

Do you have a favourite dissolvable stabilizer? 

Jo

The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady: Colour Palettes on Friday

The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady: Colour Palettes on Friday: One of my favourite activities is playing around with my hand-dyed fabrics, putting together colour palettes.  My fabrics are my paint box a...



Interesting post on how to audition fabrics and see how the colours will work in proportions.



I just found Charlotte's blog. She hails from New Zealand. She also does a quilt podcast. I love to listen to podcasts so I think I will put her in the cue!



How do you audition colours?



Do you listen to podcasts?

Fibre Content 2016

Fibre Content is a Biennial Fibre Art Show. It is hosted at the Art Gallery of Burlington this September 8th  to the 18th

My good friend and fellow Fabrigo Robynne Cole is assisting in running the show with Dwayne Wanner Co Rep of SAQA Central Canada.

April 1st is the opening of the Call to entry below.

You may see some posts and cross posts here as I develop continue working art for possible  entry for this show.

I am also going to be hanging out on Facebook on the Fibre Content Facebook page as we add information about the show, entry to the show and profiles of artists.

I hope you have a chance to follow along as you will see some great information and artists coming up on  Fibre Content 2016 on Facebook and our website Fibrations Fibre Content 2016

Jo