Finding My Voice

This winter I'll mark my 5th year anniversary as a quilter.  In some ways five years seems like a long time and in other ways it seems like I've barely begun.  As I was writing notes today for an upcoming talk I'm going to give in Colorado I started to reminisce a bit.

After I saw the Quilts of Gees Bend, I fell in love with that improvisational spirit, but there was no "how to" in any of their books.  When Denyse Schmidt's first book arrived I thought, she is going to share the process and I was crestfallen to find a book of patterns and no insight into her process.  I've since learned that sharing, documenting and talking about the improvisational process is more complicated and involved than I had imagined.

I remember the day I first thought about what it might take to improvise in quilting.  I didn't know a thing, but I was willing to try and I set out on my own to experiment and figure it out on my own.  That led to the now famous (or so I'm told) wonky log cabin tutorial on this blog.  I wanted to continue to learn and support others who wanted to learn too, and that was the impetus for creating Project Improv in January of 2009.  It was a simple concept with a framework to help us succeed.  We would improvise, but within the structure of the log cabin block.  I've learned over time that many quilters have trouble letting loose and improvising; they need support and a structure or framework in which to work and as they build confidence and skill.  Over time, they become freer and more improvisational.  Project Improv provided many quilters the opportunity to begin an exploration of improvisation.

A few months ago a friend sent me a link to Sherri Lynn Wood's blog.  Sherri did a series of posts on her perspective on 'what is improvisational quilting' in 2011.  Her posts are insightful and recommended reading.  She has added to the conversation and put words to many of the ideas, concepts and actions that have been in my head for years.  I'm looking forward to meeting her and learning from her at QuiltCon in February.

In 2011 Sherri said,

"So I’ve been doing a search on the internet and have discovered a real lack of conversation about the nature of improvisational quilting.

In 2009 Tallgrass Prairie Studio started Project Improv:

The purpose of ‘project improv’, to support each other in our goal to quilt improvisationally, to quilt outside the lines and to find our own voice as quilters.

I applaud the effort, but with what results? If you participated in ‘project improv’ have you found your voice? Two years later I’m mostly seeing posts on ‘wonky’ log cabins."

Her final question in regards to Project Improv has stayed in the back of my mind since I read it..."but with what results...have you found your voice?"  

Today I pondered that question in terms of myself, those who participated in the project and those who have been influenced by those quilters.  

For me, the answer is yes.  I have found my voice and I continue to refine it.  It was a defining moment for me as a quilter.  

I went back on my computer and looked at the list of participants in the project.  Many of those quilters are now authors, designers and leaders in the quilting industry.  I would venture to guess that many of you would name them as your inspirations and even as your quilting idols.  I don't think I can even imagine the scope of influence that that set of quilters has had on the quilting community.

I cruise flickr and blogs and I see a wealth of original, out of the box designs that are being created every day.  I see plenty of wonky log cabins too and that makes me happy.  It is the seminal block, the block that many of us who want to improvise seem to cut our teeth on and there are many quilters who are just discovering that block.  It will always have a special place in my heart and in my quilts.

It was a nice walk down memory lane...

And, so there isn't a post without a picture....here's a couple pics of the Scandia Crush quilt finished.  I quilted it with variegated aurifil thread in all tints and shades of pink...such a pretty touch.  Another class sample into the finished stack.

A Little Hiccup in My Plans

It seems whenever I have time to sew, something happens to get in my way. This time it was my beloved Bernina. She decided to have a bad day, be surly and uncooperative, and I was tearing my hair out. Nothing serious, (I hope) but four hours later I made an emergency call to my favorite Bernina technician in Kansas and she talked me down from the ledge. My baby will have to go in for a check up.

I decided I liked Scandia Crush so much I made it bigger.  It was fine for a class sample, but I wanted to be able to give it away as a baby quilt and I don't like tiny baby quilts....bigger ones are useful for so much longer, so I made more blocks until I ran out of the gray Heath fabric.

  My friend Kate brought me over a couple of yards of this Finlandia fabric from her secret stash for the back!  Perfect!

Since I decided to let my Bernie rest, I did a bunch more cutting.  Look at all these hexies....more Stockholm....can't get enough of that fabric!

I basted a couple of quilts from the closet too.  Now I really need my machine!

Stockholm...I have a crush on you!

I've been busy making class samples and step outs for my upcoming appearance on "The Quilt Show." I was only going to make 4 blocks, but I liked it so much, I kept going.  This is "Scandia Crush", a version of the Lilac Crush quilt that's in the book.  It's such a sophisticated look...I'm in love with it.

The background is Alexander Henry's Heath in gray, kona coal and white and the rest of the fabric is Robin Zingone's Stockholm and some of my last scraps of my Finlandia fabric by Free Spirit.  Gotta tell you I'm in love with that Stockholm fabric.  I love when just a touch of prints makes such a big impact! I don't know what took me so long to use it.  I've got a couple hundred hexagons cut from this as well.  Itching to make that quilt!

I bought most of my Stockholm prints from Tammy at Marmalade.  She's about the only one who has it and I think I need to buy more before it's gone.  The orange and lime and blue and brown colorways are pretty great too!

The Traveling Quilts

I'm participating with a bunch of great quilters in a bee/round robin type event called The Traveling Quilts. We started this month. It works like this. 11 quilters, 11 journals, 12 months, and what comes back to me is a finished quilt with my start, the additions of 10 friends and one friend who quilts and binds my quilt before it comes back to me. How great is that!

Monica, aka Happy Zombie, made us each our own personalized button for the group.

This is part of the start for my quilt that I sent to Faith.  I didn't get pictures of the final set!  Dang camera batteries! The only caveat for my quilt is color...I want all the colors of the rainbow in this quilt.  We only get to see sneak peaks along the way, so it'll be a year before I get to see what happens to these pieces and read the journal that documents the journey of this quilt.

Three Little Quilts

These three little quilts will be making their way to the Alzheimer's Quilt Initiative with the group coming from the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild.  There are going to be a whole bunch of great little quilts added to the sale list soon.  This is a great guild service project.  Making the quilts doesn't take a whole lot of time, but a bit of an investment pays off in a big way.

From left to right:  Sands of Time, Life is a Circle, and Not Lost in the Woods.

Thanks for all the kind words about the book.  It's exciting to know that other quilters are interested and willing to buy it.  I'm beyond thrilled.  On a side note, the book has made its way into the Top 100 in the Crafts/Hobbies category on Amazon.  I don't have a clue what that means, but for now I'm thinking it's a good thing.  

Quilt In Miniature

For the Alzheimer Quilt Initiative I decided to make one of my quilts in miniature. I used Cloud 9's organic solid in earth, Bella solid stone, and Kona pale flesh. I wanted sophisticated, neutral colors.

Not Lost in the Woods is the large version.  It has elongated wonky log cabin blocks.  It's one of my all time favorites.

The blocks in the tiny version are 4" x 5".  I think I'm going to add the dark border like I did in the original quilt, but it can't be any larger than 9" x 12" when it's done.

It's been fun working in miniature and with this design. I think I need to make another large version of this quilt.

Playing With Color

I do love color. People tell me I have a knack for it, but I don't think it's one of my strengths. I'm a limited color palette kind of girl. My hex quilt is a good example of how I like to use color lately...a lot of neutrals and a bit of color. Maybe that's just my way of keeping my world calm!

Playing with color is my middle of the night when I can't sleep activity. Design Seeds is one of my favorite places to go to be inspired by color. Check it out, though be careful...it's addicting!

I also like making my own color schemes...it's a fun way to test out things without cutting into fabric. I do that with Color Scheme Designer. I have a book filled with swatches from this site.

Speaking of color, my interview is up on Victoria's blog today. I've been enjoying her Colorful Interviews every Thursday!

And speaking of Victoria, there is a BASIC's quilt distribution coming up in February.  Victoria is committed to changing the world one quilt at a time! Do you have a quilt to send?  I'm hoping to have a few more to donate.  Look at that little girl's face as she gets one of my quilts!  How great is that?  If you can spare a quilt, send it on.  We need more looks like that!

Wonky Log Cabin Block Tutorial

I love to work improvisationally. I have been inspired and influenced by the work of the quilters in Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Much of their work is done improvisationally. The variations on the housetop block used in many of their quilts are beautiful in wonkiness and unpredictability. I also admire the work of Nancy Crow and Denyse Schmidt. Both of these women work improvisationally and one day I would love to take one of their classes. I’m sure there are others, but I recommend these books for quilters who want to work in an improvisational way: Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond, Denyse Schmidt, 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects and Nancy Crow by Nancy Crow. It was reading about these quilters that gave me the confidence to strike out on my own and dip my toe into improvisational quilting. I started out knowing how to do a traditional log cabin block and I went from there. This tutorial demonstrates how I make a wonky log cabin block like this one.

Getting Started:
For this block you will need
fabric cut into 1.5 inch strips selvage to selvage (for this block I used 4 different fabrics, you will need at least two)
rotary cutter, ruler and self healing cutting mat
iron

These are the fabrics I chose. If you cut strips selvage to selvage you will have plenty of fabric to cut the logs. If I’m using scraps I trim so that the strips have straight edges so I get nice straight ¼ in. seams.


















Step 1
To start you will need a center for your log cabin block. I cut a rectangle approximately 2 x2.5 inches. You can start with a square or a rectangular shape. It can be a bit wonky if you choose. The shape of your center will influence the look of your block.


















Step 2
Line up the strip with your center and cut the strip a wee bit longer. With right sides together and using a ¼ inch seam, sew this strip to the top of the center. Press the seam away from the center.

















You’ll have a unit that looks like this.

















Step 3
Line up your ruler with the straight edge of the center piece and trim the excess from the first log. Trim the other side as well.


















Step 4
Notice that I have put in a pin. This pin marks the top of the block. I learned this technique in Denyse Schmidt’s book. She calls it a compass pin. The order for adding logs is top, right, bottom, and left. It is easy to confuse top and bottom or left and right and this pin helps keep you oriented so you don’t add logs in the wrong order.
Now you are ready to add your next log. Cut your next strip, again a smidge longer than the right side. Sew again right sides together. Press the seam away from the center.


















Step 5
Continue this process, cut, sew, press, trim until you have completed one round of logs.


















Step 6
I like to sew with the log on the bottom so that I can see and make sure seams lay properly.














Step 7
Your first round of logs should look like this. Here is where the fun and the wonkiness begins. It is also the time where you have the freedom to make design decisions that will impact the look of your block.


















Step 8
Use you ruler and your rotary cutter to trim a bit of wonkiness into your block. I decided to trim the left side. Notice that the angle of the trim is very slight. Just a slight angle will multiply as the block grows. I have found that severe angles make this process much more difficult and don’t give that subtle wonky feeling that I like a block to have. Don’t feel that you need to trim everywhere. A little goes a long way. I’m only trimming one side in this round.


















Step 9
Now you’re ready to add a new round of logs. It’s hard to see the wonkiness at this point. It will become apparent after the next logs are added. Be sure to orient you block so the pin is at the top. Cut and add your next round of logs, top, right, bottom, left. Be sure to press and trim after each addition.


















Step 10
Here is the block with the second round of logs. Do you see how the wonkiness of the left side is now more apparant. Also, notice I cut one of the logs a bit short, a disaster, of course not. I think I'll trim and add wonkiness to the top.


















Step 11
Time for another design decision. This time I chose to trim just a bit of wonkiness on the top and bottom of this round of logs. Sometimes I use a bit of paper to audition the wonkiness so I can decide which way or how much to trim. There is no right answer, just go with your instincts. I do make sure I always leave at least a ½ inch of the log so that it doesn’t disappear in the seam allowance. Again, notice it's a slight angle for the trim.


















Step 12
Check your compass pin to be sure it’s at the top and add a new round of logs, top, right, bottom left.


















Step 13
For this round of logs I decided to change it up a bit and piece one of the logs. Cut three pieces of your 1.5 in. strips. Make sure you make the total length longer than usual to account for the seam allowances.


















Step 14
Sew the pieces together, press, and you have a log with a little personality. Add this log, press and trim and you have completed another round of logs.


















Step 15
It’s time to make another design decision. I decided at this point not to add any wonkiness to this round of logs. You may want to trim one or more of the sides to add additional wonkiness. It’s up to you.
















Step 16
Continue to add rounds of logs and when the whole round is complete, trim for wonkiness if you desire. I chose to add this polka dot next. Again, I left this round of logs straight. At this point the block measures approximately 9 inches square. I want 12 inch blocks for this quilt. Are you up for a little math? To get a block large enough to trim to a 12 inch square I need to add at least 4 inches to the length and width of the block. Don’t forget to take into consideration the seam allowances. I decided to use the cream solid and add 2 inch logs to the top and right and 3 inch logs to the bottom and left. That gives me a bit extra to play with when I’m ready to square up the block.

















Step 17
The block is ready to be squared up. You can square up your block a couple of ways. A see through ruler works great, but I don’t have a 12 inch one. If you have one, place it over your block and trim making sure you have at least ½ inch of the outer row of logs.














Step 18
I use the lines on my cutting mat to square up my block. Position your block on the mat and use the lines on the mat to make a straight edge. Before you trim make sure you know where the block will trim on the opposite side. I have trimmed too much on one side and had to replace logs because I made the block too short. The woodworkers mantra “measure twice, cut once” is really good to remember when squaring up a block.














Step 19
Rotate the block 90 degrees and line up your straight edge to the line on the mat. Trim the opposite sides. Again, measure twice then cut!














Done!
This is the finished block.

















Something to Think About
This is another quilt I did using this method. What I love about making wonky log cabin blocks is that in addition to fabric choices you have the opportunity to make design decisions as you work. Notice in this quilt how the shape of the centers affects the look of the blocks. You can choose to use different strip widths. In this quilt I used as small as 1 inch strips to as large as 4 inch strips. You can choose to vary the size of the strips in a round of logs, small ones on the top and right and large on the bottom and left. You can skip a side in a round or blocks or add extra, or piece in an extra block of fabric here and there. All of these decisions will change the looks of your blocks. The possibilities are endless.

















Another Example
This is another quilt using the same method, but it looks very different. In this quilt I varied the number of rounds of logs I did in the blocks. Some have as few as one round. This method is very forgiving. If it’s too big, trim it, too small, add another log. Have fun making quilts with wonky log cabin blocks. I’d love to see your work.