Category: Modern Quilting

Blossom Burst was created as my entry for the 2019 MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge. This quilt is 48″ by 48″ and much to my surprise, it won first place in challenge! For this quilt I designed freezer paper piecing templates using Adobe Illustrator. The blocks feature triangles, diamonds and parallelograms in finished sizes of 3″, 4″, 5″ and 6″.

First, I tested my templates to make sure they looked the way I wanted. Next, I used colored pencils and paper to sketch out my color transitions using the color palette I picked. I liked my first attempt on the left best, and got to work.

See the evolution of Blossom Burst on my “design floor” over time in the video below. The picture quality is poor due to bad lighting in my tiny downtown apartment at the time. I started out making blocks that I knew belonged in different areas according to my color sketch, and then filled in from there to blend around the quilt.

Blossom Burst was also selected to be a part of the MQG Showcase at International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX in October of 2019. I made a day trip to Houston (yes, same day flights) to attend the show and see it hanging in person. I met up with Audrey of Cotton & Bourbon and we (along with the flat Steph Skardal I made) were able to hang out and walk the show. It was a great day!

The Details

• Finished Size: 48″ x 48″
• Fabric Front: Riley Blake – Blossom in Baby Pink, On White Navy, Denim, Tone on Tone White, & Navy; Basic Shades in Robin; 1/8″ Stripes in Denim, Navy, Mustard & Baby Pink; Crayola Kaleidoscope in Robins Egg; and Confetti Cotton Solids in White, Denim, Navy, Yellow & Fuchsia
• Fabric Back: Riley Blake – Blossom in Baby Pink, On White Navy, Shades in Robin, and Confetti Cotton Solids in Denim & Fuchsia
• Binding: Scrappy using Riley Blake 1/8″ Stripes in Denim, Navy, Yellow & Baby Pink
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Bleached
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
• Shows:
  • MQG Showcase at International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, October 2019
  • QuiltCon 2020, Austin, TX, February 2020
• Publications: None
• Awards: First Place, MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge, 2019

This mini quilt was also created for a Curated Quilts mini challenge in March of 2019, for the “Well Said” issue. Usually, I strongly dislike the color palettes that are picked for these challenges. There, I said it. Whew! Glad I got that off my chest. However, that is also one of the main reasons I choose to participate in so many of these and other fabric challenges. They literally force me out of my color and/or pattern comfort zone!

For this quilt, I tried my hand at “improv.” I put that in quotations because I am very uncomfortable with improv. I was inspired by one of my favorite blocks, the half-square triangle (HST). I did use a ruler but created the triangles using angles at random. The word “functional” is spelled across the middle using thread, which refers to the title of the piece, Functional Art. One of the defining characteristics of modern quilting is that the quilts are functional, yet I think they can also be art and not functional at all (except on a wall!).

The Details

• Finished size: 12″ x 12″
• Fabric front: Kona White, Khaki, Medium Pink, Chartreuse, Jade Green, & Flame
• Fabric back: Kona scrappy leftovers from the front
• Binding: Kona Khaki, Chartreuse, & Flame
• Batting: Warm & Natural White
• Thread: Aurifil Dark Turquoise (4182)
• Shows: None
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

This mini quilt was created for the Curated Quilts “curves” mini challenge in December, 2019. This mini quilt was also full of firsts for me. It is named Never Have I Ever because prior to this challenge, I had never made a mini quilt or sewn with curves! A two-for-one on trying new skills.

The colors for this challenge were white, spring green, moss green, burgundy, fuchsia, and teal. I didn’t like this combination so I pared it down by removing the greens. It’s hard to see but the quilting thread is teal. It was not accepted for the issue.

One big mistake I made was accidentally using Kona PFD instead of White. I only discovered this when I was finished and trying to erase my water soluble marker lines. I put the water on the marker and it simply kept migrating around the quilt top! After messing around with this for about 30 minutes, I finally checked my fabric store receipt and discovered my goof.

The Details

• Finished size: 14″ x 14″
• Fabric front: Kona Pomegranate Pink, Burgundy, & White PFD (oops!)
• Fabric back: Something I had in my “stash” from JoAnn
• Binding: Kona White PFD (oops again!)
• Batting: Warm and Natural White
• Thread: Aurifil White (2024), Dark Turquoise (4182), Fuchsia (4020), Dark Carmine Red (2460)
• Shows: None
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

Wake was created in 2018 for the QuiltCon Two-Color Challenge. This was also my first attempt at creating my own foundation paper piecing (FPP) block. I designed this block-based quilt in Adobe Illustrator by randomly drawing straight lines across my chosen block size.

Almost a year and a half after this quilt was finished, I attended a lecture by Amy Friend through the South Florida Modern Quilt Guild and I learned that this technique was called “improv foundation paper piecing.”

I used my trusty “design floor” to try out different layouts for these blocks. I ultimately went with the layout on the far right pictured below. The effect that this layout created reminded me of the wake behind a boat moving in the water, which is where the name comes from. As you can see there are many different effects that can be created. Imagine adding more colors!

The quilting design I landed on was something fairly simple to not distract from the complex piecing on the front. I’ve contemplated going back and adding more quilting since I like to quilt things to death, but haven’t done it yet.

The only thing I don’t love about foundation paper piecing is the tearing out the papers at the end! Otherwise, I love the precision and accuracy that can be achieved and it is one of my go-to techniques.

The Details

• Finished size: 36″ x 48″
• Fabric front: Kona Pool & Ice Frappe
• Fabric back: Kona Silver
• Binding: Kona Pool
• Batting: Warm and Natural White
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
• Shows: None
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

This quilt was designed in May 2018 during the Spark to Design workshop with Michelle Wilkie and the South Florida Modern Quilt Guild. This workshop was fabulous and I still use the design concepts I learned to this day. This particular quilt was designed based on a road sign photo prompt.

I left this workshop very excited about my original design and couldn’t wait to get started! This was an excitement I hadn’t experienced before. I did some odd quilt math (not pictured) trying to figure out the heights of my triangles. I got that going, but the angles I ended up working with ended up being an odd 67-Degrees, which is where the name comes from!

On my previous quilt I learned how to bury threads so I thought I would really put it to practice. I quilted 1-inch horizontal lines in the background, attempted my first matchstick quilting in the triangles and I also made my first attempt at quilting/designing in the negative space.

I entered this quilt into the Broward Quilt Festival and was surprised to receive 2nd Place in the Modern Single Maker category! This is my first and only quilt ribbon so far.

The Details

• Finished size: 60″ x 76″
• Fabric front: Kona Riviera, Pacific, Turquoise, Cypress, Pool, Bright Pink, & Persimmon
• Fabric back: Moda Grunge Hits the Spot in Vanilla (I think!)
• Binding: Pieced to match front in coordinating Kona colors
• Batting: Warm & Natural
• Thread: Aurifil
  • Burnt Orange (1133), Med. Turquoise (4182), Dark Deft Blue (2780), Fuchsia (4020), Med. Blue (2735), Light Jade (1148), White (2024)
• Shows: Broward Quilt Festival, Broward, Florida, February 2018
• Publications: None
• Awards: Modern Single Maker, Second Place, Broward Quilt Festival, February 2018

This quilt was full of firsts and surprises! Net Worth was completed in May 2018 for The Modern Quilt Guild’s Riley Blake Fabric Challenge.

As a beginner quilter (and still to this day), I attempt to try something new for each quilt, like a new-to-me block or technique, and this was no exception. For this quilt I wanted to make my first flying geese blocks. I also constructed the backing by pattern matching so it would look like one continuous piece of fabric. I stuck to the prescribed color palette and much to my surprise I placed second in the challenge!

Quilt Shows!

While I was submitting my challenge entry, I also submitted this quilt for The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the International Quilt Festival. Surprise number two, it was accepted!

Then came surprise number three. It was also accepted to QuiltCon 2019 in Nashville! I was busy interviewing for Administrative Residencies the week of QuiltCon, so I was only able to attend for one day. My friend Dana was also there and she snapped these photos of me seeing my quilt hanging in a big show for the first time. I came straight from the airport, in a downpour, to catch the last hour of the show on Saturday.

When I started the challenge I thought the finished quilt would make a nice Mother’s Day gift. I found out it won second place in the fabric challenge shortly before Mother’s Day. My mom finally received her 2018 Mother’s Day gift in February, 2019.

The Details

• Finished size: 42″ x 48″
• Fabric front: Riley Blake Navy Mini Hashtag, Rose Gold Kisses, White Triangles, Navy Stripe, + others
• Fabric back: Riley Blake Green Berkshire Pears
• Binding: Riley Blake
• Batting: Warm & Natural
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
• Shows:
  • The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at International Quilt Festival, Houston, TX, November 2018
  • QuiltCon, Nashville, TN, February 2019
• Publications: None
• Awards: Second place, MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge, 2018

Here we go again with another Curated Quilts mini challenge! This time, it was for their Plus issue and again I was not accepted. I really do enjoy doing these challenges because they force me to try colors and techniques I otherwise wouldn’t. This is another color palette I am not a fan of. I think it is too pastel for my taste.

This quilt was also designed in Adobe Illustrator and I wanted to play with creating shapes within the negative space. There are two plusses that are immediately obvious, the large plus in center and the plus in the bottom right. There are five more plusses created using the negative space. Can you find them all?

• The Details:
  • Finished Size: 16″ x 16″
  • Fabric Front: P&B Textiles Aztec Medallion in Medium Pink & Blue, Kona in Peach & Mint, and Dear Stella Dash Flow in Mist
  • Fabric Back: Pieced with leftovers from the front
  • Binding: P&B Textiles Aztec Medallion in Blue
  • Batting: Hobbs Heirloom Wool
  • Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
  • Shows: None
  • Publications: None
  • Awards: None

This quilt started after my return home from QuiltCon 2020. I left Austin feeling inspired by the classes I had taken and wanted to make a quilt to document that. This is still unfinished and sitting as a top waiting to be quilted! The background intersecting angles are based on a pattern created by the street lights on my ceiling.

I took four classes – Straight Line Quilting with Carson Converse, Quilt Design Study Hall (Adobe Illustrator) with Daisy Aschehoug, Making Color Work with Heather Black, and Precision Strips Quick Start with Steph Skardal. For QuiltCon in Austin I was overscheduled and I will not make that mistake in Phoenix. I have limited myself to one class in 2022!

This quilt was designed in Adobe Illustrator, used strip piecing of the same five colors in black (shade), two greys (tone), and white (tint), and it will be quilted with dense straight line quilting. The original design shows some color strips that I wanted to incorporate through the quilting, but as I’ve been exploring different thread weights the quilting plan is likely to change. But it will still be dense, because the more quilting the better!

The Details

• Finished Size: TBD, but it’s pretty big
• Fabric Front: Kona White, Black, Titanium, Lighthouse, Lagoon, Bright Pink, Parrot, Persimmon, & Citrus
• Fabric Back: Carolyn Friedlander Architextures Wide White
• Binding: TBD
• Batting: TBD
• Thread: Aurifil TBD
• Shows:
• Publications:
• Awards:

I liked the first one I made so much, I made another! I knew right away once the first one was completed that I wanted to make another in a larger size. This quilt uses the same colors (see below) and finishes at 20″ x 20″. I purposefully chose a dark backing fabric to highlight the dense matchstick quilting.

Why the name change for the same exact quilt? The first version was created for the Curated Quilts Subtraction mini quilt challenge. You can see that I “subtracted” the color from one half of the larger half-square triangle design, hence the name Color Minus Color. This recreation was for a QuiltCon submission, and I liked this name better!

The Details

• Finished Size: 20″ x 20″
• Fabric Front: Kona Peony, Breeze, Orangeade, Sunny, Silver, Graphite, Shadow & Charcoal
• Fabric Back: Kona Shadow
• Binding: Faced with Kona Shadow
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Bleached
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)
• Shows: QuiltCon Together, 2021
• Publications: None
• Awards: None

Cameron’s quilt was a commission for my friend Lauren’s niece. Lauren sent me a bundle of colorful fabric and I added the white, peach, and one of the greens to round the selection out. This half square triangle design is not original, but the fabric layout was my own.

This was the quilt that I learned to bury threads on! It was also the quilt that I tried free motion straight line quilting on, but decided to rip that out and go back to the walking foot.

The Details

• Finished size: I’ll have to ask, but baby sized
• Fabric front: Various prints and Kona White
• Fabric back: Mermaid novelty fabric
• Binding: Mermaid novelty fabric
• Batting: Warm & Natural
• Thread: Aurifil Dove (2600)