To refresh your memory, some local friends and I exchanged quart-size zip lock bags filled with fabric scraps.
The challenge was to use all the fabrics we received and make a little quilt.
It's OK to add your own fabrics, but you must use everything you find in the ziplock bag.
Here's a better look at the fabrics I had to include:
And now for my three questions for you:
Do you see what I see?
- This was one of those projects that took on a life of it's own and ended up being something completely different that I first imagined it. An idea took hold and I ran with it and now I wonder if I made my intent clear. My question for you is, what do you see in this design?
- Does it need borders? If so, how wide and what color? Keep in mind that it was made primarily from someone else's scraps, with some of mine added, so I don't have any more of any of the fabrics. The pieced top currently measures 26 by 37 inches. It will be a wall hanging, or possibly be used as a table mat.
- As I was playing with these scraps, I started thinking about how you think the challenge is to use all the fabrics, but you find that it's also about how do you make a quilt from fabrics not chosen by you, in combinations you might never choose to combine and have it turn out looking like a "you" quilt. That led me to think about what makes it feel like me and I came up with these three words that often apply to the quilts I design and make: scrappy, organic and color-saturated. What three words do you think describe your quilting style?
Borders?
What three words describe your quilts?
I'd love to read your answers to one, two or all of these questions in the comments.
Because it's already Wednesday in Australia, I'm linking with Ester's WOW (WIPs on Wednesday). Be sure to click over–she has quite a WOW to share today.
Because it's already Wednesday in Australia, I'm linking with Ester's WOW (WIPs on Wednesday). Be sure to click over–she has quite a WOW to share today.
Updated Sep 29 to this improvisational effort still in progress with AHIQ.
34 comments:
How big is this quilt? And how do you plan to use it? That would have some influence on whether or not to put borders on it. BTW, I absolutely love this quilt! Awesome!
I see a garden in your quilt. Although you didn't choose the fabric, it IS your quilt because it came from YOUR heart, head, and hands! You also included fabric from your stash to inject, as well! I see a sawtooth border to echo the small bits of sawtooth within the body of the quilt.
It is lovely!
I don't think it needs borders. Just quilt it and bind it.
If you wanted to make the quilt larger you could always mix a nice batik with green tones added for a border with a black inner border. My two cents worth! ;)
I like it very much........it is bright and I see leaves, branches and a hummingbird on one of the leaves. I love all the movement and great details. I really love the strips you made out of rectangles and wavy lines.
It could be fine with no border but would look great with a simple border.........maybe a solid color that really picks up the other colors, you would have to audition fabrics but I would start with a blue and go from there, orange might be nice too.
My quilting style I think is bright colors. No matter what style of piecing I choose I am always more drawn towards the brighter colors.
This is a tough question. My style includes contrast, is systematic and balanced. Otherwise, I don't get it.
What I see is a flowering vine....the leaves, of course, are the most obvious part of that to my eye. As for borders, I'd say no. I like it the way it is. I like that it's free and growing wild. No fences for this baby. Words to describe my quilting? Scrappy for sure, but nothing else comes to mind right now. And I think that a quilt is 'yours' because you make it so. Doesn't matter where the fabric came from....it's how you choose to use it that shows who you are.
I see a lovely garden, Sophie. What a fun challenge! You did a great job! I always like borders on my quilt but it might be cool if some of your design was bleeding into them.
I see a wild flower garden. I love it. The borders would have to be very creative to add to it's beauty.
I love it, Sophie! I'd skip the border and use a black & white strip for bias binding.
Three words is tough, since I don't feel like I have a consistent style of quilting. Colorful would have to be one of them -- or maybe it's more like "color-conscious", since that's what usually drives me. Good food for thought!
No borders. I see black/white leF shapes as a bit of unexpected (leaves are green or autumn gold/orange/red). Three words to describe my quilting? Scrappy. Colorful. Cross-genre. (thT last means my style is, I think, contemporary/traditional but modern influences are creeping in.)
Me... I am so different...
Cut it into 4 or 6... Sash it. And add a scrappy border. This wil end up a lap quilt. Even if you don't end up liking it I'm sure your local nursing home or hospital would... Scrap quilts are wonderful. I have made so many from the scrap bag. And good sizes too.,all I need to add is a colour to tie it all in together... Good luck
Great job as usual. I love it. I think it is so Sophie. My first thought: end of summer. The order your garden has in the beginning is gone.
Definitely no borders (fences, as somebody else said).
Binding: soft gray and white, no stripes. Stripes and black would be too much like fence.
Well, here I have all these opinions about your quilt but have not really found "my style". Thanks for making me think!
I see the start of fall, leaves falling in my very colorful garden.
When leaves fall they see no borders. So, no...no borders.
3 words for my style? Hmmmm...."jury is out"
I see leaves--and definitely borders maybe B?W to pick up those leaves...and my style--gosh, I don't know--certainly scrappy, lately brighter, but just a busyness and mish-mash mostly I guess....hugs, Julierose
the Three words for my quilting style?
"In The Moment"
Hi Sophie,
I am from the Yahoo Liberated Quilter's group and have always enjoyed seeing your designs. What I see: the saturated color with the leaves falling, the image of the hummmingbird (I always look for recognizable images). So it reminds me of a luxuriant garden, but coming to the close of its season because of the falling leaves. I like borders, so I guess I would vote for them, but it is lovely as is. The shape that is a gentle curve with the lime green could be exploded and put on for borders, then repeat the leaf shape in black/white along it. Since it is such a mix of colors and black/white I don't think it would matter that you don't have any more of the exact fabrics. My style: donation, liberated, no patterns. Thanks for sharing your work.
I think it's gorgeous. The leaves and the colors really remind me of Fall. I love it.
I see Tropical...Guadamala? This quilt says adventuresome, fun loving and exotic to me. I would like to see an earthy brown and green textural around it...my 2 cents...
No borders - perfect as it is for the intended uses! My quilting style...eclectic, saturated colors, machine-work only!!
Oh! This is wonderful! I see a garden gone wild. I love the organic shapes amongst all the pieced geometrics. Love the bright colors and mix of fabrics.
I wouldn't add a border at all. I say just quilt it and bind it. Maybe in a green? Or purple-ish. Not too much color/contrast, so that it doesn't take away from the quilt top.
My quilts? I don't know if I could describe my style in 3 words! I like to try something different with every quilt, so adventurous maybe. I like bright colors, and liberated/modern too. Really, I hate to be too predictable. I like all kinds of quilts and styles. No rules!
That humming bird placement makes me think garden too. And summer with all the flowers. I think no border is needed. With all your round robin experience I can see you doing one, and it would end up being just right.
My words for me....hmmm....bright scrappy color.
1. I see areas of light and areas of dark that move about the quilt drawing your eye. I love the leaves, and the tiny HSTs. They combine to make a really pleasing picture.
2. I like borders. That is just me. I would pull a darker color and made that an inner border, then a medium color and make an outer border. I would want this to be a lap size quilt but i am not sure it would get there.
3. I think a quilt becomes "mine" the moment I start cutting and sewing. It doesn't matter where the material comes from, the quilt becomes mine. that is why it is so hard for me to give up one of my quilts. I hang on to them obsessively.
Your observation is a good one. Your quilts are amazing, intuitive, together, interesting, well thought out. Mine are rarely any of these.
I guess three words to describe my quilts are scattered, random and loose.
But........I am still learning!
1. I see a fabulous garden.
2. IF it were mine (I wish!), the most i would add is a narrow border just to protect the edge seams and add a bit of width to the binding (I would use the same fabric - like No Ugly Flowers).
3. Eclectic, liberated, and scrappy are my standard three words.
LOVE your piece!
P.s. - now I can go back and read the other comments ...
I actually saw fish in a coral reef with kelp. Didn't see the hummingbird till I read the other comments
I think a small border would help contain all the color
It reminded me of your feathers project, when you were doing a feather block every day. No borders. Thinking quickly, I'd say scrappy, symmetrical and ... traditional maybe. Love the piece. That's a great challenge.
I see a wild garden and I want to hedge it in with a wide metred border. But that's just me, I know it will be gorgeous whatever you decide to do, it's so vibrant!
What fun. I enjoy the leaves in black and white with all the bright colors behind it. Partial borders, perhaps?
Thanks for linking up with AHIQ.
I saw the leaves, of course, the fantastic colour and, for some reason, the little hst strips, adding some order and structure (such a clever addition).
I was going to say no border, but realise that if it were mine I probably would add one, but just something very thin, probably in a colour already in there, or scrappy and using several of those colours.
Thanks for sharing this on AHIQ.
I absolutely love this quilt. Love.
I'm an inverterate border-adder myself, so I'd put a very narrow border on in browns/greens (batik?) which could represent the soil this wild garden springs from. Maybe applique some small bits along the edge that encroach into the border. Narrow matching binding...
But whatever you decide to do, following your voice, it will be perfect. And stunningly beautiful!
To me it looks like falling leaves on a lush patio garden. LOVE this piece! So gorgeous. Not sure about borders except that they probably couldn't be a one fabric border. If it was me I'd probably add words to one border, but that's how I think.:) Three words to describe my quilting could be scrappy, whimsical and cozy.
Hmmm... your post is making me think a lot Sophie.
I see life and growth. Like when plants find a foothold in places you wouldn't think they could grow.
I love your quilt and think it looks great with no borders, but also it might look good with them too.
I cannot think of three words for me, because I most often sew quilts for other people's tastes,a s gifts. That's one thing I love about the AHIQ... I'm making a quilt without a thought to what other people would like and I think in the process more of me is coming out.
I am transported to a lush garden in the middle of Summer - a riot of colour! It's beautiful Sophie!
Borders - I love quilts without borders and this is just right for me.
I like rich, saturated colour, I also love scrappy.
I see dense tropical vegetation profusion. It's very effective and I like the way it flows out to the edges and you might imagine it overflowing without constraint. I think if it were up to me, I'd go with no borders or binding - "don't fence me in". Very nice.
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