Field Trips in Fiber - Adventures in quilting, hand dyed fabric and fiber art.

Puzzle Quilt Table Runner

Way back a long time ago last year or the year before, I started this table runner. I guess it was after my Puzzle Quilts birthday party in June 2010. Over Christmas I decided it was time to get it quilted.

It's 15 1/2 x 38 1/2 and, aside from the border, is all 2" squares set on point.

If you click on this photo you can see the 2" squares. I quilted this one on the longarm using rulers and King Tut thread so that the quilting lines will show. As with my placemats, I used flannel sheeting for the batting 

With the Christmas decorations put away I have finally put it in the place where it was designed to go. I am anxious to work on my next symmetry project and hope to get started next week!

 

More about that pillow

I don't think I've shown a pillow on the blog before so I thought I'd show you some of my process for making them. I'm not creating a tutorial, just offering a few tips.

I was lucky with this one because I had some cording in my stash. In fact, I had almost exactly enough! I cut 2 1/2" strips of bias silk and beefed it up with some interfacing. Using the interfacing totally negated the benefit of using the bias (it's not as flexible in the pillow as it should be) but I was most concerned about the durability and the interfacing will help with that.

I make my own pillow forms using whatever fabric I have in my "don't like it anymore" pile. I also always make my pillows with button or zipper closures so I can remove the forms easily for washing. If I had to hand sew a pillow closed it would sit for years waiting to be finished!

I use an old pillow for the stuffing. Since I use allergy cases on my pillows I know the stuffing is pretty dust mite free.  I fill the pillow really full because I like them firm and fat.

Because I used Ultrasuede for the backing I did not have to sew traditional buttonholes. I only had to outline the button area with a straight-stitched box and then cut the buttonhole slit. Ultrasuede doesn't fray and it's got some heft to it.

Even with a very puffy pillow form the corners will still not fill out. I cut 4 pieces of polyester batting and stuff one in each corner. After you have the form in place, shove the polyester batting into the corner to fill it out and then spread it out on the edges so that the batting isn't lumpy.

 

 

 

Then you have a professional looking pillow!

I can't wait to take a nap with it and drool on it.

Fiberactions Challenge - Environment

Environment

16 x 20

This is the 6th in the Fiberactions challenge series. This is actually my first full kaleidoscope in the series. I really enjoyed making it.  As I said on the Fiberactions post, I was making this one to look less like a star (with sharp points) and more like a flower blooming.

Thsi kaleidoscope is made up of 8 wedges. Each wedge is made completely and then the wedges are sewn together. This is a close up of one wedge with the seam lines highlighted. There are 30 individual pieces of fabric in each wedge, 240 in the whole kaleidoscope.

I put a sample of each fabric I used on the back. One of the fabrics (in the lower left corner) was used for two motifs. All of the others were used only once.

After I finished it I just couldn't love the 16 x 20 format. I posted it in this format on the Fiberactions blog but, after pondering it a bit, I turned it into 

a pillow!

Now I love it.

Had I known that I was going in this direction I would have saved the quilt back to use for the pillow back. I had some silk shantung in my stash to use for the piping and

some Ultrasuede for the back. All-in-all, it's a pretty "expensive" pillow from a time investment. I don't usually make or use pillows but I will use this one!

Fiberactions Challenge - Transformation

We are offically half way through the Fiberactions challenge and I am still enjoying every minute of it. You wouldn't think that given that I wait until the last minute to do mine! But I have always worked best to a deadline. However, in this case, I did have another plan and I had to change it. A couple of weeks ago I had a big allergy incident at the dentist and that ruined my energy level since. I just couldn't get my original plan done so I did a simplified version.

With this challenge I wanted to revisit the techniques that I used in the Communication challenge. I did that and made some improvements. So I suppose you could say that the transformations is happening within me. I am becoming more confident with the symmetry technique and starting to make them unique to me.....a little anyway.

Transformation

16 x 20

I know. It's a Christmas piece. I know that it's not "art" to most people but I like it. Chris LOVES it.

I have a big collection of symmetrical fabrics and I had this one Christmas print that I have tried to use in almost every kaleidoscope quilt I have made. It has never fit. I made myself use it on this one. Fortunately it's mostly used up now!

On this piece I quilted the background first and then applied the "ornaments". The binding is from a coordinating striped fabric. I like the frame effect.

Here are a few detail shots.

Please check out all of the other Transformation pieces on the Fiberactions blog.

Memory - Fiberactions Challenge Quilt

 Memory

16 x 20

Sunset is not only a time of day but a time of life. It is a time of reflection and a time to relish the memories of the past.

My sunset is inspired by my annual vacation with my friend at her house on the Rappahannock River. We look forward to sunset every day. It’s when we take a break to talk, watch the changing colors of the sky, tell stories and just relax and enjoy the memories of the day.

Symmetry still reigns as the technique for my Fiberactions quilts. This piece is made using Paula Nadelstern’s Puzzle Quilts technique and it is vertically symmetrical. It is constructed entirely of 2” squares with the patterns of the fabric creating the design lines.  

 

This photo shows the piecing detail from the back. It was very challenging, in a good way, to work this design totally with squares.

 This is the first of my challenge pieces that I have done heavy quilting on. I used 8 different threads, mostly variegated, to blend some of the piecing lines. The variegated threads were great to use to add random light reflections to the water.

 

I used the treads with the most light in the center and used progressively darker threads toward the edges of the water. There are 4 different threads in the water section. In the sky section I used 3 threads: a darker variegated threads in the sun, a very bright thread for the outside of the sun and a solid bright orange in the sky. 

 

Check out all of the other memory quilts on the Fiberactions blog.