Working through the backlog….

So I am slowly working through the backlog of photographs that I have taken but not processed and posted. It is funny because I also have a backlog of quilts that need photographing too… all this means though I have not been posting, I have been creating. So without further ado here is the latest belated share….

cotton steel trip around

This quilt combines two of my favorites – my favorite fabric line (original Cotton & Steel) and my favorite go to pattern “Scrappy Trip Around the World” by Bonnie Hunter. This quilt was made during my 2018/2019 Cotton & Steel phase (you can see some of the other quilts here and here).

For this quilt I used lots of 2/12 inch strips of a variety of different Cotton and Steel fabrics. One of the things I love about these lines and the subsequent Ruby Star lines is that all play so nicely together. It takes the guess work out of scrap quilting because you know it will all work.

And this pattern is definitely a go to for me. I actually have another version of the scrappy trip around in my “too be photographed” pile. The pattern is easy but so effective and it is also fat quarter friendly (you do not need to do WOF). Actually this version saw me cut 2 1/2 inch strips off a pile of my Cotton & Steel fat quarters (I used 2 1/2 x 18 inch strips).

quilting detail

This was the first time with this pattern that I consciously tried to keep the center of the block a light strip. It adds a nice through line to the quilt blocks and this quilt’s layout does not feel as random as some of my previous versions. It is definitely my favorite version so far.

quilt back

The quilt was expertly quilted by a wonderful PMQG volunteer and backed with some fabulous Elizabeth Hartman wideback. I made the quilt because there was a need for some more teenage appropriate quilts from several of the charities we work with… and it was donated last year to Camp Erin.

pinky shot

We of course finish up with the pinky shot….

Quilt Details:

Block: 12 inch scrappy trip around the world by Bonnie Hunter
Fabric: Cotton & Steel lines
Size: 60 x 72 inches

10Aug2020

And back again… so soon….

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

Since I am on a roll I thought I would share another quilt from last years very productive PMQG Charity year….

This quilt was once again made at one of the monthly sew days we used to have at Modern Domestic…. and once again it is a simple patchwork block using 3 1/2 inch squares.

This time I gathered a rainbow of squares in a selection of specific colors. The block has a particular layout with to give the rainbow some uniformity. I first made this block years ago (2013) using a tutorial by Blue Elephant Quilts… and you can find the layout of the specific pieces on their original post…

It really is amazing what different things you can do with 3 1/2 inch squares. This quilt embraced the bright and the novelty prints which was so fun… and is always the case I swear we had more precut squares when we were finished this than when we started. Be warned do not leave precut squares unattended, they will breed.

To get the full impact of the rainbow splat we decided to do a layout with sashing. I do not usually sash quilts but this one really works with the black and white border. The sashing was expertly done by fellow PMQG charity volunteer Jenny McKee. Jenny has mad skills and was able to add a border without any sweat… were it would have taken me forever and lots of swear words to do it properly.

I did however make the back of the quilt which was equally rainbowy. The fabric for the back was part of a huge donation we received which was full of glorious black and white prints and two pieces of this wonderful print. It really was the perfect back for the top.

And as always we finish with the obligatory pinkies… no amount of begging will get him to hold a quilt like a normal person!

Quilt Details:

Block: 12 inch simple patchwork
Fabric: 3 1/2 inch scraps
Finished Size: 60 x 70 inches

5Aug2020

Well things have got interesting…

Posted in Finished Quilts, Scrap quilts by wombatquilts

It has been over a year since I have blogged and what a year it has been. Like everyone else I have hunkered down in my house, venturing out only when absolutely necessary. You would think this would mean a flurry of quilting activity but it has not. Like so many I have found it hard to be creative in lockdown… and I have made a LOT of masks.

So to try and break out of this rut I thought I would share a few quilts with you that have been finished in the last year. When I actually looked at what I had shared and what I had not I realized there was quite a bit of stuff that you have not seen… so we are going to start with this beauty…

finished aqua cross quilt

This quilt was made a one of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild (PMQG) charity sew days… back when we had charity sew days… oh I miss those days and that wonderful group of ladies. Anyway I digress…

The block was a simple nine patch block with an extra background row on two sides of the nine patch. I love adding the background to the block as it allows for lots of fun negative space when you lay out the quilt. If you are not sure what I mean look at my Bee Block post from May 2018. I used the same technique when I made the wonky star blocks.

aqua closeup

I used a ton of pre-cut 3 1/2 inch squares… I have got in the habit of “processing” my scraps through the Accuquilt die cut machine and so have boxes and boxes of squares. 3 1/2 are my favorite size and I have made lots of charity quilts with them.

closeup 2

For this quilt we wanted to be gender neutral and a little more teen than kids – so I picked a black/dark grey printed background with white and cream prints for the cross parts. The center squares were all solid fabrics in shades of aqua.

aqua quilting detail

The quilting on the quilt added a wonderful layer to this design, echoing the squares of the quilt in the pattern of the quilting. I am always in awe of the amazing group of long armers who help make these charity quilts. Their talents always add so much to the finished product. This quilt was donated to last years Camp Erin where I hope it gave comfort to a grieving camper.

pinkies

Of course I must finish up with a the obligatory shot of Mr Wombat’s pinkies. These photos were taken last year before lock down and he was such a good sport as we drove around town looking for interesting walls to photograph things against. I am hoping to convince him to come with me to photograph a new batch of quilts in the coming week – of course while we wear masks and social distance.

QUILT DETAILS:

Block: 12 inch Floating nine patch
Fabric: Scraps and selection of Kona solids.
Quilt Size: 60 x 72 inches

7Jun2019

Another Do Good finish…

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

I am back with another finished Do Good Stitches quilt… actually the weather in Portland has been lovely these last couple of weeks so I had the chance to photograph a few quilts which I will share over the coming weeks… but first up…

These blocks were made by myself and my fellow Hope Circle Bee hive members. I love a good wonky star and this block was extra fun because of the low volume background.

Using blacks and dark grey for the stars meant that the fabric we used as the background could have more color and interest in it. The stars were going to stand out against just about anything we threw at them… so we went fussy cut, novelty print crazy. The background does make for a good game of I spy.

The only low volumes that were a little problematic were the black and white ones… and only when they were used in making the star points. When choosing your low volume fabrics for a project it is always a good idea to:

(1) double check that they read low volume…. I do this using the mono chrome setting on my phone camera. Some low volumes can be deceiving and are tonally much darker than they appear.

(2) check that the print does not interfere or intersect with the foreground or main fabric. I have had this happen when the low volume print have had a strong print with the same color in it as my foreground fabric (this is why the black and white prints could be problematic with this quilt).

Because of the structure of this block you have a bit of built in negative space to play with. The block uses 3 1/2 inch squares, so one side of the block is just negative space (you can find the directions for the block here)…

Scrappy wonky Star 12 inch block

This allows you to play with the layout of the stars on the finished quilt. The layout can be uniformed or more off grid, like I did.

I must admit I loved the randomness of the star layout in this top… I think it gets your eye moving around the quilt in interesting ways.

As always this quilt is heading out into the world to do some good… at our local Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. So many hands help make this beauty and I am constantly reminded how many good people there are out there in the world, trying to make a difference.

Quilt Details:

Block: 12 inch off set wonky star
Fabric: Scraps and more scraps
Size: 60″ x 60″

22Feb2019

Got the blues…

Posted in Finished Quilts by wombatquilts

This weeks game of catch up involves a lovely little scrap quilt I made last year…

Irish chain quilt. Scrap quilt. Modern quilt.

The pattern is an Irish Chain variation and I had a blast using all the little bits of blue scraps I had accumulated…and it was surprising how many little bits I had.

quilt detail 2

I used 2 1/2 inch squares for the nine patch block… lots of little bits from mini charm packs I had accumulate over time… and the snowball block started as a 6 1/2 inch square of low volume blues & white prints.

quilt detail 3

Again I was surprised by how many of those I had in my stash. It always surprises me when I get an idea in my head and then find everything I need in my stash…. though sometimes it disappoints me too as I loose my excuse to pick upnbnew fabric when my stash provides.

quilt back

The back of the quilt was also from my stash. Awhile ago I picked up a few yards of this wonderful Laura Ashley print at a Thrift store. I do not often thrift my fabric but I could. not leave this fun print behind…. and as all the quilts are washed before donating I was not worried about using it as a back.

quilt holder

This was actually the last shot of an afternoon of quilt photography. Mr Wombat was such a good sport… patiently humoring me as I drove around the neighborhood looking for fun quilt locations. I think sometimes he misses the days when I used to just hang the quilts on the back fence!

Quilt Details

Size: 42 x 54 inches
Pattern: Irish Chain variation
Fabric: Mini charm squares and scraps.