Quip # 2 - Quilt in progress - Sea Breeze

I fell in love with a fabric line! Hopelessly.

The fabric line has been released in 2012... I didn't even know what a quilt really was at that time!
You probably have seen it before, it's 'Salt Air' by Cosmo Cricket for Moda Fabrics. 

Ever since I've seen this beautiful quilt from Cynthia of Ahhh... Quilting I needed to have this fabric!
So I searched everywhere and luckily one of the German online shops, Quiltmania, where I usually order my Kona Solids had a jelly roll left and a view metres of the beautiful fabric you can see in the background of the photo above.

I was looking what to do with the fabric, there are so many tutorials on what to do with jelly rolls, I had a hard time picking a design. I found two designs which I liked, both actually using the fabric line as well: One is from the Moda Bake Shop and one is from Shontelle of England Streets Quilts. She provides a PDF download for free!

And that's the one I'm going to do! I have all the blocks finished and I'm putting together the quilt top within the next couple of weekends.

I'm really looking forward to this beauty!

I actually searched the internet and bought all fabrics I could get my hands on! Well, I need fabric for the binding and the back, no? (I'm becoming a bit of a fabric addict here...)
Annie from Busy Bees Patchwork, Newport, South Wales, UK, was so kind sending me fat quarters she had left from the line. She still has some left, if you are in urgent need here's the link.

And for the first time I also ordered fabrics from the US. Jimmy Beans Wool had a sale on a couple of weeks ago. I have so many Salt Air fabrics now I can actually make another quilt! Happy days!

Shattered renamed Phoenix

I have another finished quilt to show today!

I have blogged about this quilt in my Quip #1 but during the quilting process I thought that the name 'Shattered' didn't do the quilt any justice. So she needed a more suitable name.

I associate the yellow patches with the sun, and the grey fabric with ashes.The name 'Phoenix' came to pass and reading up on it reinforced the name. 'In Greek mythology, a phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. Quite often, the oldest images of phoenixes on record would have nimbuses with seven rays.'

My husband and I took photos of Phoenix at an old steel production plant, the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum now turned into a cultural venue which is part of a heritage trail presenting the steel and coal mining history of the Ruhr Area. The rusty steel structure of the buildings seemed a perfect setting to have Phoenix shine.

All solids (apart from the white) are Oakshott fabrics, they have two different coloured weft and weave which gives it a beautiful depth and vibrant colour. I quilted the yellow/ grey patches in the multicoloured Aurifil thread and the grey fabric with the black/ white thread.

Phoenix has a beauty spot ......
unfortunately some puckering appeared in the centres of the yellow/ grey patches. I was quilting with straight lines working my way from the outside in... should I have done it the other way round?

But I am really happy with this quilt, all the quilting at the grey fabric is free motion quilting in overlapping rectangles. I am more and more confident with the quilting and it's actually lots of fun.

So, there she is: all rolled up ready to rise and shine!

My entry for the MQG fabric challenge and Why I called this quilt Emerald Isle

As I've seen the previous fabric challenge by the Modern Quilt Guild I was impressed with all the different designs people came up with and didn't have to think long and signed up for the 4th annual fabric challenge. I have never taken part in a challenge before and as I received the fabric I was quite nervous about it.

I combined the given fabric with solids and started some improvisational blocks and didn't really know where this was going. But here it is:

 
I'm pretty certain that this will not go anywhere... I'm mean competition-wise. I have seen some fantastic quilts for the challenge already.. I have a lot to learn.

Anyway, I'm really happy with the quilt and since the fabric wasn't available anywhere in Germany it turned out to be smaller than a usual lap quilt, so I thought this 'small persons quilt' is perfect for my niece and God Child, Anna.

I opted again for a fleece backing but still quilted it with curvy flowery stitches to accompany the floral fabrics on the front.

During the piecing process I always try to name the quilt in progress. I think every quilt needs a suitable and memorable name.

My solid fabric choices and the floral challenge fabrics began to remind me of Ireland, where I lived for six years. The colours stand for the blue and white clouds, the often, very often grey and rainy skies, the pebble stone beaches, the steep and dramatic coasts, ancient rocks, mountains, bubbly cities, the beautiful flowers and super friendly and happy people.

My husband again came up with the name and also with the little twist in the quilt... a quilt named 'Emerald Isle' and there is not a single green piece of fabric in it?

So there it is: a tiny green patch quilted with a shamrock! Awwww!

I will give the quilt to Anna soon, she is ten now and starts secondary school in August and I think that the quilt will provide warmth and comfort.

Thank you Modern Quilt Guild and thank you Michael Miller Fabrics, without this challenge I would not have made this quilt.