Saturday, August 1, 2015

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

33 comments:

  1. Gorgeous. I'm working on two scrappy quilts and just love them.

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  2. That last pic!!!! You are my hero . . . Truly

    Hillary

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  3. I love this quilt and I am so excited that it's going to hang in Houston and at QuiltCon. It's a beauty, truly. It is both incredibly modern but your use of scraps hearkens back to quilting's history. Absolutely brilliant.

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  4. I love seeing more of your process! It is really a privilege to get to see you quilts in person at FRMQG meetings - they are so beautiful, well done, and I am always inspired! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. You've truly taken those scraps to a special place! I ponder my scraps on a very regular basis (mostly because I can no longer stuff any more fabric into any of my scrap colour drawers except for purple). Last time I reached this point I cut most of them into 21/2" squares with an accuquilt and made two queen sized scrap vomit quilts. Your work inspires me to take an improv approach on the next one! Congratulations on Houston!

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  6. Love that there's reflective bits in there as well, it must be great to try and catch it in different lights

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  7. I love how you used scraps for the whole top! I save my scraps and often use a few of them in my quilts, but you've inspired me to design a quilt around the scraps. Congrats on being accepted to the Houston show!

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  8. This is outstanding- it glows and just jumps out of the screen.

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  9. Beautiful & love the story behind it too - I need to see this with the nano in person 😊

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  10. This is a complex construction of color, value and highlight and the fact that it came all from your scraps makes it all the more compelling to look at. I love the offset design, using larger scraps on the right to balance the composition--truly a work of art. I was happy to hear that I'll get to see it in person at QuiltCon--congratulations!
    Elizabeth

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  11. Love this! I recently made two quilts simultaneously. The blocks from the first one created leftover HSTs. So I sewed them up with some background fabric to create two bed size quilts at once! I called it a twofer. I am resourceful (aka cheap) and with the price of fabric, I don't let much escape my scrap bins!

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  12. It is so very wonderful. I'm just starting to feel like I have a lot of scraps. I would crazy love to get my hands on some of that retro-reflective fabric. So cool

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  13. Your use of scraps, which is beautiful, is making me want to take a serious look at my scraps to see what I can do with them.

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  14. Your use of scraps, which is beautiful, is making me want to take a serious look at my scraps to see what I can do with them.

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  15. I just got Sherri Lynn Wood's beautiful book on improv quilting, and I think the two of you have inspired me to try something new. My issue with improv is: My sewing time is limited, I want to make something that I know or am pretty sure I am going to like. What if my improv turns out to be just a hot mess? :-) I think I'm almost ready to leap out of my comfort zone and give it a whirl, though.

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  16. ahhh, Stephanie you've done it again. Congrats on the acceptance. Your work is amazing and deserves notice all around. Enjoyed reading the process. So nice to see how well scraps can be used.

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  17. Such a fascinating process. This quilt just speaks to me of so many stories: campfire and grimms tales. So inspiring!!

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  18. I really love Ember so much! It looks even better in person and it is stunning in photographs!

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  19. Love the blue in there. Good motivation to pull out the scrap basket and just go!

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  20. What a fantastic quilt! The reds are so bold and I love all the tiny triangles. Beautiful work!

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  21. Stephanie, this one is a work of art. I think it is my favorite of all your quilts I've seen. You have super color choices, resourcefulness, and that nanoparticle fabric thing going on. It looks so good, especially draped over your daughter. I've also committed to sewing my scraps and sewing my stash as I work my way through the prints collection. I think it is harder to cut into yardage than to play with scraps! I've made a couple of bags/pouches and I'm working on two quilt backs totally made of scraps.

    Yesterday I started working on an improv block to share with my guild tomorrow and talk through the process of improv with intent. My skills, because of your generosity in encouraging me to play along over on Bee Sewcial, have increased far and fast in that direction. After Chihuly, my eye is more open to seeing the enormous amount of quilt possibilities around me. I appreciate you and am inspired by you as an artist and a quilter, and I'm so grateful for your generosity. The way you share your progress -- something I almost always forget to do -- is a true gift to the quilting world!

    I think embers is my favorite because you have masterfully controlled the intensity of color to create exactly the illusion of embers. I really hope I can see it in person someday!

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  22. The photo reflective fabric was brilliant! Fantastic job. Really great piece.

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  23. I love the gradation and metallic bits.

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  24. You rock with the "improv with intent" technique. Your process is truly inspiring, and I will share this and the other ideas I have seen on your blog with the newly formed Central Virgina MQG. As for me, I will start organizing my scraps--right now, every former project has a separate zip lock of scraps. I need to find ways for them to "live together in peace and harmony", LOL! Thanks so much for sharing so much of your spirit and soul in your quilts.

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  25. Hi Steph! You made me think about that challenge. I think I'm going to take it. It would be really awesome to come up with something like your quilt. It is truly a work of art. Congrats!!!

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  26. I created a beautiful quilt from what most people would throw away.

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  27. I'm a new quilter and have been building up quite rapidly with scraps after 15 quilts in close to two years. Improv is my favorite kind of piecing. The complex construction of color, value and spotlight in your quilts are stupendous and awe-inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing your process and insightful details. Amber is inspiring me to play confidently with a lion in the making. THANK YOU.

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  28. Such an amazing quilt! Even better in person. Your talent is impressive.

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