Friday, January 9, 2009

Bloom

Free piecing is one way to improvise. I am currently participating in Tonya's House, Home and Pantry Quilt Together and this is my piece, 'Bloom'. I started with a picture in my head of a vase with flowers. I did some rough sketches (i'd show you, but long ago they were trashed), and then I started playing with scraps...sewing and cutting.
I got stuck on piecing the log cabin flowers (those are improvised too) and Tonya made this great drawing to help me think it through and I came up with this.
After I had the vase and flowers done it needed something else, and Tonya also does these great pieces with free pieced letters, so I had a go at it. I did all of them on my own until I got to the m. I needed help and Tonya had just that. She has tutorials to help you figure out letters...not patterns, just ideas to help and the techniques she uses.

I'm in love with this piece. My only disappointment is that I used flimsy muslin as the background fabric...it did start out as an experiment. I wasn't expecting to be successful. I need to work on that!
Tonya has a great blog and is a great resource for free piecing. You might want to check it out.

Project Improv is in full swing. If you are participating your name should be on my sidebar, you should have received a pdf file with details of the project and an invitation to the flickr group. If you haven't, drop me an email and I'll get you fixed up. Folks are already posting pictures of their work. Amazing!

Tammy in Texas, I need your email address when you have a minute.

There are many people to thank who have supported me in getting this going. Amandajean and Stephanie helped me clarify my idea for the project. Thanks ladies. Alissa started the flickr group and helped me learn to be an administrator. Way to go Alissa! Peg helped me think through so many things I hadn't even considered like batting and backing and donations etc. etc. Thanks for putting on your thinking cap, Peg! Michele for proofreading for me when my brain was fuzzy from entering a hundred emails and Kate for making me laugh. I hope I didn't forget anyone. Thanks!

Jackie of Canton Village Quilt Works and her friend Pam have volunteered to quilt our charity quilts on their longarms for FREE. Is that not the most generous offer of help and Jackie is also helping get batting for our quilts at a great price. Thanks ladies. I'm so excited for the quilts to come together.

Lastly, guess what? I received an email from Denyse Schmidt. Yup, that's right. Should I bronze it? Seriously, she's following our project and hopefully will be checking in once and awhile. Thanks for the support, Denyse!

Now, off the computer and on to sewing!

51 comments:

nettie said...

I LOVE this! It is perfect! Wow, an email from Denyse Schmidt, that is awesome--You're awesome...congratulations.

Vicki W said...

I love your bloom!

MichelleB said...

Lovely, lovely! I just love the word bloom in so many fabrics.

Darci said...

This is beyond beautiful!!!! So inspiring. You are making me want to try this, but I am a little scared. Maybe someday.

Unknown said...

Your Bloom piece is beautiful! Love how everyone is coming together to make these quilts :)

Unknown said...

I love your log cabin flowers. If you haven't, I bet you would love Jan Mullen's work. I have her book and just love it, very improv! Give her a google. And by the way, it is my pleasure to be helping, thanks for the kudos.

Jessica said...

I LOVE YOUR STUFF!! I think it's beautiful and for a beginner like me, it's fun. I love the mod look because it's easier for me than making "perfect" quilt squares. Thanks for making quilting enjoyable!! I linked you on my blogroll. Hopefully, I'll be posting a table runner that was inspired by one of your quilts. Thanks again!!

Blondie said...

I LOVE THIS! Seriously, Jacquie, the colors are fabulous, I love flowers, and you know how much I like the bright colors/improv piecing style of yours. Gorgeous.

QuiltedSimple said...

Very, very pretty. Love your letters.
Kris

The Calico Cat said...

Love the vase & flowers - specially the vase!

shellysquilts said...

Jacqui, What's not to luv about log cabins and flowers! Very cute! Can't wait to see it quilted.

Di~ said...

That BLOOM is absolutely awesome! You go! And wow Denyse! did she say when she will have another line of fab. for all us groupies?

driftwood said...

your quilt is lovely, and the news of the group is great!! xx

Victoria said...

Your vase and flowers are fabulous!
Also, sounds like you have terrific support in this venture, my hat's off to everyone who helped you with this great endeavor and to the ladies who will be quilting the charity quilts, wow how very generous! And very cool to hear that Denyse Schmidt will be following along!

Melanie O said...

Wow - Denyse Schimdt!!! And, I LOVE the Bloom!

em's scrapbag said...

You are A-MAZE-ZA-ZING! Your Bloom is fabulous. And getting this going WOW! Thanks for all your hard work. You rock!

Anonymous said...

I love the look and all the bright colors!

Amanda Jean said...

nice work on getting the group going, jacquie! i'm thinking (as i am doing housework) of ideas on how to up my improvastional level. i'm excited for what is to come!

your bloom looks great! i happen to like flimsy muslin.

and wow! an email from denyse. that must have made your week!!!

Abby and Stephanie said...

How very generous of Jackie! Terrific your project is gaining such support. No surprise there. Although I'm not participating I am following. :o)

And I truly LOVE your Bloom.

Anonymous said...

The bloom quilt is amazing!
That is so wonderful that Jackie is donating the quilting! What a nice thing to do!
And an email from Denyse Schmidt is pretty amazing!

Anonymous said...

Love the bloom quilt! Congrats on the email from Denyse, that's quite exciting.

KateKwiltz said...

Woo-woo! The Improv Bus is off to a great start! Drive on, Jacquie!

Love the piece! I was just starting to sketch out letters for a project yesterday -- in a weird coincidence, the exact same word! Talk about synchronicity!

Hey, I found some pink fabrics and an aqua/turquoise for backing. Just let me know if you need any.

Levin said...

gorgeous!
l
x

Chookyblue...... said...

looks fun with your free piecing.......and all the best for project improv.....looks like you have had some great help working things out there......

Beth said...

Wow, I'm in love with bloom, too...and an email from Denyse, WowZA!

I also thought you would like this:

http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2009/01/snippets.html

Inspiration is everywhere...

ellen said...

Blooming beautiful!

audreypawdrey said...

I love the bloom! I may need to try letters, I haven't before...

I can't believe you received an email from Denyse! Wow! I would definitely print it out just in case my email went kapuut for posterity!

Patty said...

I like your bloom; and I so need to make time to learn pieced alphabets!

Laurie said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this block! too adorable!!! Great job Jacquie!
Laurie

Regi said...

I am in love with dah' Bloom!

Sherri said...

"Bloom" is beautiful!!! My name is on the sidebar...but I didn't get the PDF yet.

MightyMom said...

I don't know...would bronzing make it illegible??

might have to settle for framing and hanging in your sewing room!!


WHAT A THRILL!!!

Tonya Ricucci said...

Your Bloom quilt turned out so marvelously.

Hedgehog said...

Just love your BLOOM! The fabrics are great - so are the flowers!

Anina said...

I love it! I can't wait to get started on a project.
And an email from Denyse! Wow!

Anonymous said...

You are the woman! So fantastic! And an email from Denyse Schmidt - WOW!
Is it too late to jump in on the Improv project, because if you still have space I would like to participate? If there is, let me know and I will provide all of the necessary info and things.

Rebekah said...

awesome news about your project! I can't wait to see all that you accomplish and learn

Anonymous said...

beautiful Jacquie...
you know what, yesterday was a learning day for me to study what is improvisation...haha..I'll go to every link you advice at your posts and I found excitement in me to see all the works and know something new. Btw, do you know links to denise schmidt to see her works? i should learn more and more...

Tine said...

Your flowers are beautiful! I think it is so hard to get started :/ I am enjoying the flickr group so much. Great pictures and great ideas :)

Kim said...

I'm up and running on flickr! Woot!

I hope you don't mind, Jacquie but I changed the code so that when people click on the Project Improv button in my sidebar it takes them to the Project Improv flickr page. If this isn't okay, let me know and I'll change it back.

Oiyi said...

Oh, I love this piece!

Fran said...

Just love that vase and flowers, and your right Tonya does have a great tutorial on those free style letters. I may just try one of those myself.

~~Fran...:c)

sewtakeahike said...

Jacquie! It's just fabulous! I love the way it is looking, your quilting just amazes me. I love the idea of improvising, I'm not much into following a pattern to a t. That's pretty cool about Denyse!

Lisa said...

Jacquie, how cool! I would probably frame a letter from Denyse!!!! thanks for hosting this project!

Randi said...

I love what you created! I wish I had an ounce of your creativity and originality.

Kate said...

Love the flowers!! Great design and colours.

Nanette Merrill said...

Love love love the vase and flower.

Eileen said...

I am really loveing that!

Anonymous said...

OMG! This is really one of the cutest things I've seen! Props!

Kathy said...

Wow, I love this!

Peg - Happy In Quilting said...

Jacquie..appreciate the thankyou, that means a lot....Your 'bloom' piece is just awesome...you must be constantly thinking, what you create is honestly 'mind blowing'....so does it just happen or do you jot down notes????