Category: Modern Quilting

I had a retreat coming up with the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild where I knew I would have a few dedicated days for quilting so I needed something to make! This quilt started with a trip through Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. I’ve made one equilateral triangle quilt before so the One Patch Triangles on page 14 stood out to me. The original design for this was straight triangles, but I wasn’t happy with that. I needed to spice it up a bit and I thought, “why not curve the triangles?” So I got to work in Adobe Illustrator designing the curve and eventual paper piecing templates.

As I was assembling the quilt top, I took the time to grade my seams so no shadows would show in the Kona Snow or the light colored fabrics. Progress photos during the retreat:

This small quilt was a treat to make! Creating a not-square quilt was new-to-me this time around and created it’s own set of challenges when it came to finishing. I faced the quilt with the same backing fabric so it all blends nicely together. I also had the added challenge of creating a light support for the curved top portion so that it won’t flop when hanging.

My solution was to create a small pocket that would be sewn on behind the hanging sleeve. I inserted two pieces of template plastic which creates a flexible but rigid support, just in case.

The Details:

• Finished Size: 26″ (W) x 30″ (L)
• Fabric Front: Kona Snow, Pepper, Clover, Honey Dew, Torch, Ice Peach, Pomegranate, Bellini, Glacier, Aqua, Tulip, Orchid, Bluegrass, Ice Frappe, Citrus, Lemon Ice, Pacific, & Lake
• Fabric Back: Moda – Apricot & Ash Gingham Gray by Cory Yoder of Coriander Quilts
• Binding/Facing: Moda – Apricot & Ash Gingham Gray by Cory Yoder of Coriander Quilts
• Batting: Warm & Natural and Hobbs 80/20 White
• Thread: Aurifil Dark Purple (2581), Light Lilac (2510), Fuchsia (4020), Baby Pink (2423), Canary (2120), Burnt Orange (1133), Golden Honey (2214), Light Emerald (2860), Pale Green (2880), Light Jade (1148), Mint (2830), Dark Turquoise (4182), & Medium Blue (2735)
• Shows: QuiltCon, Raleigh, NC, February 2024
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

This quilt has two firsts for me. First, this is a design based in Half Rectangle Triangles (HRTs) and second, I tried metallic thread for the first time! I really like bold, graphic designs, and I also really like a LOT of quilting. It’s hard to see the metallic thread in the photos, but it gives just a little bit of shimmer when viewing the quilt in person!

I won one of Latifah Saafir’s HuRTy rulers in this year’s 2023 Pantone Quilt Challenge hosted by Sarah Ruiz and Elizabeth K. Ray. I created this design in Adobe Illustrator using several of the size options available using the HuRTy ruler. The final design ended up slightly different than these options after assessing the layout on my design floor.

From the artist statement:

Dedicated to Latifah Saafir’s HuRTy ruler: “You’ve already won me over, in spite of me. And don’t be alarmed if I fall head over feet. And don’t be surprised if I love you, for all that you are. I couldn’t help it, it’s all your fault!”

The Details:

• Finished Size: 48″ (W) x 56″ (L)
• Fabric Front: Windham Artisan Solids Quilting Cotton: Red-Royal, Grape/Dark Pink, Apple Green/Chartreuse, Aqua/Blue, Turquoise-Copper, & White-Aqua
• Fabric Back: Windham Fabrics Spotted Grafitti by Marcia Derse in Spring Lilac
• Binding: Windham Artisan Solids Quilting Cotton: Apple Green/Chartreuse
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20 White
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600) and Wonderfil Metallic Silver (MT881)
• Shows: QuiltCon, Raleigh, NC, 2024
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

This was the design I created for my swap partner, Theresa Turner. I tried to incorporate her likes of geometric designs, bright colors and solid fabrics.

Theresa’s quilt for me. I love everything about it! The use of color, the design, the prints!

Detail photos of the quilt I made for Theresa:

The Details

• Finished Size: 12 in. x 12 in.
• Fabric Front: Kona Chili, Pickle, Raisin,
• Fabric Back: Kona Raisin
• Binding: Kona Raisin Facing
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20 White
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
• Shows: N/A
• Publications: N/A
• Awards: N/A

Wow, does this quilt have a story to go with it! I originally created this quilt in a much larger size (98 in. x 51 in.), but when I washed it to block it, it BLED. Despite the fact that I pre-washed my fabric with a color catcher!

The Original

If you look closely at the photos below you can see a faint pink, especially around the letters P, A, and C.

The Quilt Reimagined

I was so disappointed by the bleeding, that I let it sit for almost a year. I finally made the decision to try to get the bleeding out and submit it for QuiltCon 2023. I figured the quilt was already ruined if I made the bleeding worse, but what if I could get it out?

First I tested to see how colorfast the fabric still was by pouring boiling water over one of the letters. Yikes! Next I removed the facing and trimmed it down so the text would be more centered in the quilt. Then I unpicked the light pink accent quilting that remained.

Into the tub it went, with as hot of water as came out of my spout and as many pots of boiling water I could manage + SYNTHRAPOL. After this bleeding incident I started pre-washing my fabric by boiling it with Synthrapol, so I felt confident in this approach (remember, it sat for almost a year before I worked up the courage to try this!).

Success!

After sweating over the hot water in the tub agitating the quilt, twice, it was time to block the quilt again. I am happy to report that not only did the bleeding come out, but it was accepted to hang at QuiltCon 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia!

Talk about a stressful situation. After having put so many hours into making something to have it bleed. It was devastating! I always boil my fabric in Synthrapol just so this won’t happen again.

The Details

• Finished Size: 88 in. (W) x 36 in. (L)
• Fabric Front: Kona White, Kona Lipstick, Kona Baby Pink
• Fabric Back: Ruby Star Society
• Binding: Ruby Star Society Facing
• Batting:
• Thread: Aurifil
• Shows: QuiltCon, Atlanta, GA, February 2023; Art Fluent ConTEXT II, June 2023
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

This quilt was made with a broken foot and a broken heart. When I broke my foot at the beginning of August, I put a project away with the intent of making something easier to handle for this fabric challenge. Then Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. It seems like yesterday I was in Kandahar to bury my father and meeting my grandmother and so many other family members for the first time. Out of sadness and frustration the piece grew until I was out of fabric and I quilted to distract myself from trying to help family (that have been so loyal to our country) get out using a broken system.

No ruler was used for this improv quilt until the end when I squared it up. I used blue tape to lay out the quilt design and quilted it using my walking-foot and eyeballs only.

Detail Photos

Broward Quilt Expo (📸: Deborah Krajkowski)

The Details

• Finished Size: 76 in. (W) x 78 in. (L)
• Fabric Front: Windham Artisan Cotton Coral/Aqua, Wine/Pink, Blue/Orchid, Aqua/Blue, Stone/Lavender, Taupe/Light Grey, Charcoal/White, & Black/Grey
• Fabric Back:
• Binding:
• Batting:
• Thread: Aurifil 1133 (50 & 28 wt), 2830 (50 & 28 wt), and 2423 (28 wt)
• Shows: Broward Quilt Expo, Miramar, FL, April 2023
• Publications: None
• Awards:None

I liked the mini version, Ordinary World I, so much that I wanted to make a big one! I used the same design and fabrics and pieced it the same way. The pink 3/4 circle is one piece of fabric with the acid lime 1/4 circle inserted. The outer Bellini and Pomegranate frames are also single pieces of fabric.

For this version I designed a color-blocked backing and matched the facing strips for a seamless look. I really love how the quilting design shines on the back as well!

The Details:

• Finished Size: 39″ (W) x 39″ (L)
• Fabric Front: Kona Pomegranate, Punch, Bellini, Glacier, Candy, Sea Glass, Torch, Mac and Cheese, & Acid Lime
• Fabric Back: Kona Pomegranate, Punch, Glacier, Candy, Torch, & Mac and Cheese
• Binding: Facing to match backing colors
• Batting: Hobbs Silk and White Cotton
• Thread: Aurifil Dark Turquoise (4182), Light Jade (1148), Fuchsia (4020), Peony (2440), Burnt Orange (1133), Golden Honey (2214), Baby Pink (2423), & Canary (2120)
• Shows: QuiltCon, Raleigh, NC, 2024
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

Ordinary World I was created in response to Tara Glastonbury’s In Conversation prompt and for the Pantone Quilt Challenge. With the prompts in mind, I designed it as a part of my ongoing series exploring HSTs and the idea of Half and Half using Adobe Illustrator. A 3-in-1 design!

It was named after the Duran Duran song of the same name. What can I say? I love late 80’s early 90’s music!

I’m excited to say it was accepted to Tara’s In Conversation exhibition and has traveled all the way to Australia for the show opening at Gallery 76 in Sydney on 27 May!

Assembly: Trying Something New!

I started with the design in Adobe Illustrator and created templates to piece this traditionally. I also wanted to try something new, to piece the circle with only the two pieces of fabric, and the pink border with only one piece of fabric. Thanks to the recommendation by my friend Kelly, I bought the book Piecing: Expanding the Basics by Ruth B. McDowell (I found a used copy on AbeBooks for cheap!).

But I had to practice first! I used scrap fabric from an old QuiltCon fabric challenge, you may recognize those palm trees!

After practicing a couple times I finally felt confident enough to give it a go on my real fabric.

After completing the circle element, I started adding on the rest of the curved pieces to finish the left side of the top!

The Details:

• Finished Size: 16″ x 16″
• Fabric Front: Kona Pomegranate, Punch, Bellini, Glacier, Candy, Sea Mist, Torch, Mac and Cheese, & Acid Lime
• Fabric Back: Kona Glacier
• Binding: Kona Glacier
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20
• Thread: Aurifil Dark Turquoise (4182), Light Jade (1148), Fuchsia (4020), Peony (2440), Burnt Orange (1133), Golden Honey (2214), Baby Pink (2423), & Canary (2120)
• Shows: In Conversation
• Publications: None
• Awards: 2nd place, 2023 Pantone Quilt Challenge

Flip Side was created for the Ruby+Bee Fabric Challenge as a part of my ongoing series exploring HSTs and the idea of Half and Half. The design was created in Adobe Illustrator, starting from a single HST block. As one half of the HST was completed, it was then flipped to the other side creating the shape in the middle, and the offset black and white stripes. I’m not usually a repeating block type of gal, but I found the effect of the repeated block with the stripes to be visually striking and ran with it.

The Details

• Finished Size: 45 in. (W) x 66 in. (L)
• Fabric Front: Ruby & Bee
• Fabric Back: Ruby & Bee
• Binding:
• Batting:
• Thread: Aurifil
• Shows: QuiltCon, Atlanta, GA, February 2023; AQS Paducah, Paducah, KY, April 2023
• Publications: None
• Awards: None