28 May, 2009

Off to the Races

If you're here for the Sew Mama Sew giveaway, welcome. The giveaway is in the previous post. In the meantime, enjoy my latest quilt: Wednesday Night Races.

This is my Project Improv quilt. I pieced it entirely from scraps and stash, and sadly barely made a dent in my stash. The blocks are all triangles, pieced like wonky log cabins. I've said it before, it was a challenge to piece the top together and I couldn't avoid a few inset seams, but it worked out well. The whole thing squared up nicely too. (I know it doesn't seem like it in the photo, but it was a breezy day.)

The name came to me after I shared the photo of the top with the Project Improv Flickr group. A couple of people mentioned that it reminded them of flags at a marina. Back in my university days I would join some friends for the Wednesday Night Races at one of the sailing clubs in Halifax. It was an exhilerating, raucous, and slightly scary event for this Prairie gal. My friend did his best to scare the crap out of me, but I always came back. That wasn't entirely the experience with this quilt, but I liked the memory and decided to pay homage with the naming of the quilt.

The entire quilt is quilted with straight lines. I started following one triangle and went around and around it. This I repeated across the quilt with triangles of different sizes and filled in spaces with lines. Very bold. For thread I used a Mettler silk finish 100% cotton, my latest favourite for quilting, in three shades of yellow. White seemed too stark on the coloured parts, but I didn't want something too dark on the white parts. The yellow was perfect.

Sure, I could have used a multi-pieced binding, but because the quilt isn't that large (slightly larger than crib, but I can't remember the exact measurements right now) I thought a single binding would provide a bit of rest to the eye. I picked up a few pieces of Katie Jump Rope and Flea Market Fancy in a sales rack a few weeks ago and the green was perfect.

We had to take pictures in the park across the street from our house because we currently have no front steps. The Monster was quite keen on holding the quilt herself for me to take a picture. How could I say no?
Wednesday Night Races, along with this quilt, this one, and one more I have to share with you are headed to a show this weekend. My first quilt show! No, not just my quilts, let's not get too excited. But it is the first time I've shared my quilts in public, other than through the blog. If you are in the Calgary area please stop my Heritage Park Festival of Quilts for the show. They hang hundreds of quilts throughout the historic park - on buildings, fences, clotheslines, and in some of the old houses. It is quite the sight, really. I'll post some pics next week.

19 comments:

Mishkat said...

Gorgeous! And I love that Tuesday Night Quilt. I think the technique you used for the Tuesday quilt is in one of Gwen Marston's books with Freddy Moran, but it's also in a Jan Mullen book I have - great minds think alike!

~Michelle~ said...

The quilting is perfect for the triangles! Great work - looks like art!

Sunshine said...

Hey, beautiful quilts!

My ears pricked up when I read Halifax (well, technically my eyes), because I lived there before moving to PEI. It's so nice to read some Canadian quilting blogs and be familiar with the places that are mentioned!

Beautiful work, good luck with the show, and my respect for the circles on your quilts - I imagine those to be so difficult and am just now working my way up to triangles (from rectangles only so far).

Cheers,
Christine

http://cuttingedgequilt.blogspot.com/

Jackie Russell said...

Love the quilt!

Shannon said...

I am in awe of that quilt! I really want to make an improvised triangle quilt, but I was thinking along different lines then this. I think I like your idea better.

PinkPetunias said...

love the quilt! great job.

Anonymous said...

neet-o! I love the backing.

Jenny said...

Beeee-youteeful! What an amazing quilt! You are rightly proud.

Red Pepper Quilts - Rita Hodge said...

Your quilt is so very inspirational! Love the design, layout, but in particular the quilting. An absolute original masterpiece! Love it! Thanks for sharing. Have fun at your first quilt exhibition!

Rita

Lee D said...

what a great quilt. I will be sure to look for your others at Heritage Park on sunday. Hope this great weather holds up.
Lee

Leisel said...

Wow! I LOVE it! I have wanted to try a wonky triangle quilt myself. . . And you have the BEST fabric selection! I love the polka dot backing!

Evelyn said...

Wow, that's really gorgeous!! Love, love, love it.

Victoria said...

I am so impressed by this. Not only is it beautiful it is so original! I think it is fantastic and am sure it will be a huge hit at the quilts how!

Kami said...

I love the quilt you did a great job putting it together.

Amanda Jean said...

i'm so impressed with your quilt! it's amazing!!!! i still can't fathom how much of a pain piecing those triangles must have been. i love your quilting technique on this one, too. it's so fitting.

djaj said...

This is something gorgeous I would not be able to make !
Count me in, I'd love to win this quilt !

B said...

I'm not a quilter, so I have to say WOW!

Unknown said...

I LOVE this - the colors, triangles and your quilting! I'm so excited that you are showing it, them! You must post pictures and share your experience - I was at the show here earlier this month and was bummed that I hadn't put anything in! Next year! and I may figure out how to show at the fair . . .

Allison said...

I love this quilt! Its beautiful! I love the quilting you did on it. THanks for stopping by, that quilt pattern was hard.........for me, but I'm a pattern dummy. I had help with the darts and yoke and stuff like that. But its a fun pattern and now so easy that I've done it once. Enjoy your Sunday -Allison