Create along with Bee Sewcial at #inspiredbyBeeSewcial

"About a year ago a unique sewing bee formed that asked each member to choose a monthly theme/inspirational source and color palate. 10 quilters would then go forth and make "blocks", blocks become a quilt, one for each month. In this process we bee members have gained new skills, explored different designs and close friendships have grown. Somewhere in this whole creative endeavor other talented people have observed our journey and have asked to participate.

Unable to keep a good thing to ourselves, we have created a companion community #inspiredbybeesewcial to sew right along with us. We have received requests to join but since the Bee is currently full, we wanted to find a way for you all to sew/create right alongside Bee Sewcial.   We will continue to post our monthly inspiration on IG with dual hashtags. We ask only that you use #inspiredbybeesewcial when you post your makings. This larger group #inspiredbybeeswecial is about being a respectful, supportive, creative, collaborative community and making ourselves better designers and sewists. If you would like to be part of this companion community, you may follow monthly "instructions" on our blogs and tag your pictures on IG with #inspiredbybeesewcial. You will find us commenting on all your creativity over in #inspiredbybeesewcial creative space.

So, are you ready? Hillary @entropyalwayswins is point for September. Look for her mission to us all in the last week of August. The other co-conspirators (and people you might want to follow just so you don't miss anything) are: Leanne @shecanquilt, Debbie @aquilterstable, Diane @ylmommyx4, Marci @marci_girl, Felicity @felicityquilts, Karen @capitolaquilter, Kari @quiltsforthemaking, Melissa @weshallsew and Stephanie @spontaneousthreads."

Everything Old is new again

I'm participating in the Michael Miller Fabrics sponsored Modern Quilts Unlimited Magazine block challenge.
My July submission was to reinterpret a more traditional 12" flying goose block.
Here is my take:

Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids in Jet Black, Soft White and Acid

Please vote for  me (pretty, pretty  please????) here I'd appreciate it! THANKS!!!!

And the winner is…..

THANK YOU all for the thoughtful and supportive comments. I hope that you perhaps all look at your scrap bin with your rose colored glasses on in the future.

As promised the winner is …… Tamara King, @metamarama (IG).  Chosen by Mr. Random number generator.

What did she win? Well, Tamara, I will make you, either a mini quilt or a pillow, from my  scraps, but you choose the colors. I will also make sure to use a small piece of my 2015 nano particle fabric int eh design.

In addition I will include some fat quarters of blenders compliments of Fabricate Boulder, my sponsor.

What I need from you:
1. color preferences
2. solids, prints, both, don't care.

oh, and when it's ready to go, an address.

Congrats and I look forward to working with you.

Embers

My third (leftover) scraps quilt for 2015.
I set a goal of 2 quilts in 2015 made entirely from trimmings and scraps, and got 2 good sized quilts made along with one smaller quilt. The details on the smallest, "Dark Shadows" have already been published.   The second larger quilts details come later this fall.

"Embers" was born from several projects undertaken and finished in 2015  centered around the Marsala Pantone Color of the year 2015, and a Bee I'm involved with, Bee Sewcial (#beesewcial on Instagram). Let's face it, these are my colors. I have always liked them, they speak to me and it just seemed that I got permission this year to use them with abandon. So, I did. I can't tell you every single Kona solid that went into this quilt, but there were many. I used the scraps as they were cut, directly from my bin. I didn't recut, except to trim. I did focus the "lighter" fabrics in a slightly off-set "center" and let the darker fabrics surround them. I also used my 2015 nano particle fabric. In the right light, the combination of the saturated hues, from yellow to orange, red, burgundy and mahogany, glow. The addition of the retroreflective nano particle fabric just accentuate this. I didn't initially set out to make that happen, it just did.

Quilt front (no flash)
Even without the flash, the retroreflective fabric (read as white) "glows"

"Embers"
64 x 56"

Before quilting
retroreflective nano particle fabric is easily seen

Improv pieced original design made entirely from precut scraps

some of the "background" scraps I worked with

Fabrics:  Top:Kona solids in yellows, oranges,  deep pink, reds, deep reds, burgundy and mahogany (red/brown). Focal intense blues (cyan, aqua, lagoon), nanoparticle fabric.
               Back: additional larger scraps, pieced. Stash print fabric
Thread: Piecing: Aurifil #2021 50 wt, 100% cotton
             Quilting: Aurifil#2240, 2460 (top) #2460 (bobbin)
Quilting: relatively straight line, domestic Bernina 820 with a walking foot

pin basting

Busy piecing, simple quilting

Batting: Quilters dream 100% wool
Binding: 2" straight of grain, pieced to compliment the color change in the dark background
Labeling: Versatranz, stitched name, sewn label

Versatranz custom  heat press label

Quilt back at the photo shoot

Think on this: most of us have scraps. Some of us have lots of scraps. Some people only save scraps of a certain size. Sometimes sorting those little odd shaped ones are more trouble than their worth. But I just want to give a shout out to those scraps and your perception of their worth. There may be a pretty fantastic quilt hiding in that scrap pile. So next time you're considering what to do with the left overs, consider challenging yourself to make a quilt, ONLY using those scraps. You might be very pleased with the outcome.

Quilt top taken with flash on. Retroreflective  fabric is obvious