Decisions Decisions

I've done the two inner borders and am now dithering between putting the words round the outside as another border, or leaving it is as and putting the words on the back.

Here we have the quilt at the moment;

 

and here we have option one for the letters;

(the family have given this one the thumbs down)

 

and option 2

which I prefer, but am still not sure.  

DH says it's yuk, but he's a man so what does he know!

 

I don't think I want to hide the letters on the back, especially that pink "i".

Help!

KnitOneQuiltTooKristin: Roman Stripes update 2

Making progress here. I'm not sure about whether to add the basket handles or not and can't come up with a word. Maybe I'll get some inspiration this week! I have a retreat with Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran starting Thursday and then a solids class with Gwen. Can't wait!

New Born Baby Quilt Completed:)

Making Progress

I've just put the first border on my sort-of liberated Bricks in Bars quilt; the outer border will be the dark indigo used for the bars. I say "sort-of" because I strayed further from the original quilt than I intended. My quilt is basically a chinese coin design, whereas the original has a very different feel to it.
I think I'll put my initials in the border, centered or in the lower corner, though I'm still considering words. In my home (as opposed to on the computer), the colors in the quilt are more muted--that's what I wanted to play around with in this quilt.

Your Thoughts?

The 6-1/2" blocks are all on the design wall now ~ 6 x 8 so this will finish at 36" x 48".

What do you see for borders? Or does it need borders? It's a bit small for a lap quilt and a bit large for the wall so it could go either way.

Words? I know I'll put my name and year on the back, but I can't decide about words for the front. Part of me has named this No Words Needed ~ the other part of me keeps nagging that we're supposed to include words.

But what to say?

I'm open to suggestions!!!

Quiltdivajulie

The first "liberated Amish"

I made it in hand dyed fabrics I have done on the course I'm going once a month.Love the pattern and the shades on the fabrics.Today I have used most of the time to plan and do this first little thing.A bag or a miniquilt.Yet I don't know .
I wish you all a lovely weekend

I found it!

This is the other Letters quilt I mentioned yesterday -- turns out it's in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, which seems to have quite a large collection of quilts, both classic and fairly modern.

I spent this snowy day in my sewing room, allegedly cleaning up, but I couldn't resist sitting down and sewing a little at the end of the day. I tried to piece one of those wacky stringy squares from That Star Quilt, and got about halfway through one, before my leftover strips were gone, and the bobbin thread ran out. That seemed like the time to quit.

The resulting half a block is, well, interesting. I'm going to go look at it now, and see how it looks after a couple of hours of distance.

Chains done gone and finished!

Not that there was a race, but I had to move onto other projects and with my attention span of a hamster with ADD I knew I had to finish before moving on. Decided to use a simple grid as the original inspiration piece, but much closer (approx. and in grid). The back contains the design brought into modern times as I see it. It's ultimate destination is unclear, but it'll be someone with a strong personality. Thanks again Tonya for the chance to learn and try something new!

Rainbow of colours

Looks like I,m gonna have to put my skates on - lots of you ladies have almost finished, wowee. Still we have until June and if this cold, cold weather persists here in UK that means the garden wont start calling. I,ve sorted out most of the colours I,m going to use, hunted out the Pyramid template. So away we go

Freestyle letters from the past

                                sorry this is so difficult to see but if you enlarge it you can read it......
                               I thought it was worth sharing.  Its from a library book about the Shelburne collection of
                               quilts.

one word

This is what I've got so far.

I loved all the ideas I received about words and wanted to

make ALL of them.

I especially liked the different basket names that Julie suggested:

egg, market, picnic, bread....

Maybe I'll embroider those in somewhere...?

Maybe not.....?

One pieced word is enough this time.

Now on to making some borders....

?

Been there, saw that, (almost got the t-shirt) bought the book

Okay it is true I wasn't going to buy the book... but I had to... after seeing the quilts I just had to have something tangible to remember them by. I know the workers must have thought I was a loon because each time I saw one of the quilts that one of us is using as inspiration I grinned like a loon...

All I can say is "WOW"... they are so amazing in person. The ropes were only about 2 feet from the walls so I could stick my nose right up to them and check out every stitch. I was so surprised to see that they made quilts out of silk, wool, synthetics, velvet, and cotton. I took so many notes. I will share a few here.

First for Sharon who asked "Report back on thread colors if you can! What did they hand quilt with? black, brown, did they change colors on different parts?" I only saw one quilt that had changed colors on different parts it was #97 the threads matched the fabrics. One or two had white quilting most notably #21 . All of the rest that I saw had black thread on all of the colors.

For Sara who asked "Check the quilting on #93 for me, will you?" The triangle center portion is quilted about an inch apart in straight lines only horizontally. The border which is fairly wide and black was quilted with a cable design (I think that is what it is called...looks like a braid sort of with three channels) .

Diane when I came around the corner and saw the Crazy Star I couldn't stop grinning thinking of your post. The top and bottom of the center has row of crazy pieced blocks that are approximately half the height of the rest of the blocks and wider than the others. It looks like they might have foundation pieced it in some way the centers are like wonky log cabins that have been set side ways (not on  point) with the long triangles on the sides to make them square if that makes sense... I know you can tell from the pic but it was neat to see it up close and personal.

The one that awed me the most was this #42 this picture doesn't do it justice... those log cabins are about 3" square and it is really big... bed sized... each of the log cabins has a center square of silk and they just sparkle and shine in the light. The color is off too it is a mauvey color and the light furrows are more like a light teal. Most of the centers are jewel tones or light colors which doesn't show in this picture either. I am in love with that quilt.

The one that I want to make a personal version of is #89 ...in person it took my breath away. It is so bright and has so much spark...

I could go on and on.

King Tut was cool... but only a few pieces from his tomb were there the rest were from other places... the ones from his tomb were amazing though.

Not too liberated...

It is one of those dilemmas...if I wanted straight lines and even seams it would never happen. In this case I told myself they didn't matter so even a quilting drill sergeant couldn't find a mistake on this top!So I will have to leave it to the letters to make it liberated...the letters will be in the peacock blue fabric on a black background. While thinking about the Amish liberated quilts and rummaging through my solids I came up with this top I made back in the late 80's! Now this one is in tough shape...really bizarre seam widths. My featherweight must have been having "issues" since there are spots on this quilt that the stitching skips all over the place! Also, the black has faded...not in a nice way. So I am tossing around ideas of putting the top on the chopping block and liberating it from the bottom of the solid bin....what do you think?

letters

My letters are ready. More on my blog.

work it out.

Working it out...
"I AM NOT PERFECT"
We had a family meeting about this project last night in my house...
it has become a group effort! ;-)
We've decided that the words ,make a nice addition around the center of the work, as an extension of the design... I will then add nice big clean borders i the lovely Amish way...
Still got to get to the quilt shop for more blues...

"AND THAT IS OK!"

(IS OK! will go up the left side...)

Warm-Up Quilt

Sharon from Indigo Threads checking in! Here's my "warm-up" quilt top. . . it's a finished flimsy now. It's 21 inches by 23 inches, so not very big. I finally got my word done....whew! The hard part was that the letters came out bigger than I thought they would, and I had already done the other borders to 3 inches. That top border is 5 inches, due to the size of the letters. Still having some problems with that. It seems to be hard for me to make a small 'S'. And somehow, that 'E' was supposed to be lower-case and I got confused at a critical juncture. But I decided that I like it, and so I left it.

So, frankly, I've been stalling on doing the 9-Patches for the quilt I'm supposed to be making, and this was my excuse. Now that it's done, I have to get into the quilt studio and just do those 9-patches! Everyone on here is doing inspiring things, so when I get stuck, I come here and scroll through all the posts. Really, I'm having fun doing this and I think I know better what I'll be aiming for. Thanks for all the inspiration and encouragement!

colors

So then the template is placed on the intersecting  squares and cut and resewn.........this is the results.
Very cute but not very Amish looking.  I am still playing with ideas and colors and the trouble I am having is narrowing down my inspirations.......every quilt from "Amish Abstractions" is peaking my imagination.

colors

So I really like these colors and thought I would play with them a bit.......then I got this little template in the mail that I wanted to try called " Lil' Twister.  So you sew the blocks together like this with a small border.

My Inspiration...or is obsession???

My quilt to study is this one, #59 Crazy Star. I seem to spend every evening staring at it and trying to figure out, "Now HOW the @#$* did they do this???" I am no stranger to string quilts, or liberated quilts, but this one just keeps amazing me. I had to buy the book because once I saw this quilt on the web, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Is it strip pieced? Is it a log cabin (sort of)?? Are those little wedges of strings bigger pieces that were pieced and then cut up into several blocks? Sewn by hand (can you strip piece by hand?!) or machine (treadle?!) Each of those little scrappy squares are like miniature compositions. Yikes. This is absolutely the antithesis of every Amish quilt I've ever seen... oh I just love it.
I have no idea what I will make inspired by this quilt, or how to liberate it further (this seems pretty darn liberated already...would love to know more about the maker, and what her neighbors or fellow quilters in the community thought of her) ... but I'm darn sure gonna try something! Hopefully this weekend!

not sure about the letters

Now, of course, after making them, i'm not sure about them. This top has hit the ugly stage. I usually don't do borders, unless they are pieced, but I am considering either more black or red.

Gonna see 'em in person...

Hi Everyone,

I really wasn't going to talk about this until I got back, but I thought it would be nice to let you all give me some suggestions as to what you would like to know about the quilts.... oh oops... I am going, tomorrow, to see the Amish Abstractions exhibit at the DeYoung museum in San Francisco. I live so close it would be stupid not to go, King Tut is there too so I get a two-fer :) If there are any specific ones that you have a question about and it is one of the ones there I would be happy to take as close a look as possible and let you know. I am going to take a notebook with me because I want to take notes on the quilts so I don't forget what I saw :) Let me know.

I have no progress to share on my quilt yet, I have been doing some sewing for my other hobby (asian ball jointed dolls) I had a commission to finish and a baby quilt to make and finish before the 16th of March so all of my time has been taken up with that. I get to work more on my Amish quilt next week, hopefully!

Moon On Pond

Cheryl checking in......

Hi All~I haven't started my project yet, but thought I would share a pic of an Amish inspired quilt that I made in 2002. It's queen sized and is machine pieced and hand quilted by me.
I obviously love Amish quilts and am glad to be a part of this group. We live in Amish country and I enjoy driving by their farms on washday to see the wonderful quilts and rugs hanging out on the line.
For my project, I am using the Triangles crib quilt (#93 on the Brown's website) as an inspiration and Gwen's method for equilateral triangle sawtooth borders as my guide.
Lastly, I just have to say that what I have seen so far is amazing! You are all an inspiration!

Eye candy and a little bit of progress

Brenda here with some Amish goodness.I know this Trip around the World block isn't liberated, but it's still worth sharing with you . This one here made by a fellow guild member for our monthly challenge (see my blog here for all the blocks) measures 12.5 inches with half-inch squares. It's really, really lovely.
I think all Amish quilts have an element of liberation -- no matchy matchy prints from the same design line here -- just honest solids that speak boldly and clearly.

I've been watching the progress on this blog and you are all amazing. I've been really unfocussed with my attempt to liberate a quilt. I did cut and re-sew my strip into this, but it's not really working for me. And I do have words to share, just no quilt to put them in. It's a bit of a backwords process here, but maybe that's the liberated part.

Progress II

Been sewing like crazy these last few days.

Here is the finished centre and the first border, which I now think is too wide and I'm going to cut down a bit.

Not too sure what to do for the next border as I don't want to detract from the centre.  I thought about using a thin strip of the dusky pink I used in the quilt.  Definitely NOT yellow!  The large outer border will be black.

When I was piecing the blocks together I lost the plot somewhat and it isn't the same as it was.  Some blocks got moved around and I forgot the original placement.  I usually take a photo before I start piecing everything together so I can remember where it all goes.  This time I forgot to and I think it's lost a certain je ne sais quoi!

I also think that putting the original words around the border - "S is for Stripes (or Strings)" - will be too much so I'm thinking of doing that for the back. Is this within the rules?

Introduction!

Hello Everyone - I'm Lurline! It is so nice to join you, however it is with a little trepidation that I do - I am a traditional quilter - love antique quilts and also enjoy making modern quilts, too! I really like the idea of venturing into liberated quilting, but I have a funny feeling it will be hard for me to break out of the old constraints. I'm going to try and I'm sure I'll have a lot of inspiration around me!

I have bought Gwen's new book and am quite fascinated. This Wonky Log Cabin is as far as I have extended myself and I must say that I really enjoyed making it as I love playing with colour and design!

I'm looking forward to making an Amish quilt - it will be a real challenge! I will have to buy some plain colours and that probably is a good thing. Kaffe is a very great favourite of mine, so maybe I'll even look at his shot cottons - we have plenty of time to think about that and I have a little matter of shoulder surgery in March to get out of the way first - it is nice to dream!

Thanks for having me, and if you like, you can find out lots more about me at Lurline's Place - I'd love a little visit!

Happy day - Lurline♥

Help, Please

My quilt top hasn't progressed much since my last post.

I have decided on a black backing and border.  Someone had asked about the size; someone else wondered how I was going to quilt this.  

It is 27.5 square.  As to how to quilt it, I have no idea.  Usually, if the quilt is really special, I will send it off to a professional longarmer.  I think I will quilt this one myself.  Maybe even hand quilt it.  

I really don't want to mess this up as I am pleased with it so far.  I would really love to hear your suggestion.  Thank you in advance for all your brilliant ideas!

Here Is My Start

I hand dyed these and I'm looking forward to using them. This is my start! Now what pattern??

Natalie Carlton

and that is OK

And that is OK!

I started working on my wonky words... First stab...
Since it's all crazy wonky I thought the affirmation:

I am not perfect, and that is OK

Would work nicely!
But two things, One I ran out of navy blue...
and two, I think I want them SMALLER to fit in the borders...

So, after a lovely trip to the quilt shop,( yippee!)
I may take another stab at it... or i may put the words on the back...

we'll see...
But I've stopped procrastinating, so that's good!

It begins

Have completed the Chinese Coin strips for my LIBAM quilt. ONe has been trimmed, but I may make them different widths, if I can depending on the strip beginnings and endings.

top ready

My top is ready. The size is now 75,5 x 57,5 inch.
Now I have to make the back where I shall add the letters.

All suggestion for machine quilting are very! welcome.

Making headway

I've been popping in and out of my sewing room this weekend.  Between quilting for others, going to Vancouver BC to see some Olympic flavor and mowing my lawn, I've got the center of my quilt done.  I know, strange how I've had to mow my lawn, yet I spent the afternoon/evening at the Winter Olympics!

Now to work on the border and lettering. I've never made any liberated letters, but I have all the instructions from Tonya's blog/website. I've got my words picked out. I think I want a colored narrow border, but just don't know what that is yet and my letters are going to be a rainbow of colors to match the stars with black background.

Here is a picture of the Olympic flame, pretty impressive.

Sharon in Blaine