Quilting Splotch Part Two

Even though my job is to quilt and finish other's projects, sometimes I am the worst at finishing my own. I can look at other's quilt tops and know exactly how it should be quilted...

Then I look at mine for months and I can't think of where to start. I guess it comes back to that saying - you are your own worst critic... It just depends on the quilt and the project, but I will guarantee my own quilts are much harder to plan than my clients most of the time. I just put too much pressure on myself sometimes.

 Some days I just need a reset or a refresh moment. Well, remember this quilt I shared yesterday? I loved how the chevron quilting turned out... And we chose this pattern to emphasize the elongated blocks...

 Then I was staring at my own Splotch Part Two... And it's kinda modern and it would be neat to emphasize the stripes in the background... And that's when the idea of quilting it with a chevron design hit my upside the head!

Now that would be all good and plenty, but us long armers have a tendency to over quilt our own stuff. That's why it takes forever to come up with a plan and execute it. It's so easy to go overboard with the quilting. The simple plan is the least taken sometimes...

 So then I started thinking about another option to show off the hexagons too. I just finished those dahlias recently on Bobette's quilt and I though they would look nice in the blocks. So then the plan shifted to dahlias in the hexagons and chevrons in the background...

But then I started thinking that plan was too much of a good thing. Maybe less is more or random is best? So I thought about taking a Sudoku approach to the dahlias and I will quilt them in like above picture. The Sudoku part comes in where there's only one dahlia per row and column...

Then what I'll do is fill in the rest of the quilt with chevrons up to the hexagons filled with dahlias. That way they will hopefully stand out a bit more and give that unexpected pop of excitement I'm hoping for.

All in all it should work out well and hit all the right notes I'm trying to achieve. This quilt is quickly becoming my favorite (at the moment until the next favorite comes along) and I hope to have it done and ready to show at Spring Market.

I always like providing options with my designs. I realize that the quilting community is a visual place. Sometimes it's hard for quilters to come up with their own ideas when they fall in love with a quilt. Usually they want to make that quilt with those fabrics just like the picture... However, I find when I show the same quilt a couple of different ways, quilters are more open to choosing their own fabrics and ideas and come up with some of the coolest things!

At least that is what I have noticed and it helps me to play with more fabric and work "outside the box" more.

So hopefully this is either being quilted or will be shortly and I will share the finished product when I can!

Do you like this plan? Is there something else you'd do that I haven't thought of? Voice your opinions in the comments below and we can brainstorm together! Who knows, this quilt is so fun I just may make another that would need to be quilted a different way. I made a whole new version of Aura from Seamingly Scrappy just so I could quilt it differently than my first two...

Just a reminder that Splotch is a new pattern of mine found in my new book, Seems Like Scrappy due out this June. You can preorder your copy in my shop and I will sign it for you!

Well, I'm off to sew! Have a great day!

Splotch Part Two

Sometimes people think that since I design quilts and write books and long arm that I have all my crap together. Ha! It couldn't be further from the truth.

I find that a bunch of creative people walk that thin line of this is going to be genius or it could be a complete disaster on a daily basis. It's knowing when to take risks and when to move on that distinguishes what side of that line we fall on.

Sometimes we have this idea in our heads that sounds awesome. And then we pour our hearts and souls into it until we get to the point of no return... And then we continue on in this process not knowing which side of the line we will come out on... Usually the thought is this is going to be this biggest disaster known to man. It's an epic battle in our brains all the time. I mean. All. The. Time.

You may have seen this graphic going around on social media sites... It's funny only because it's so true:

But on some freak chance, we forge through and come out with something much greater than expected.

 When I started making the blocks for this new version of Splotch (from my new book, Seems Like Scrappy), I had this little voice in the back of my brain saying "make the background striped, it'll be awesome". And for a minute I thought it would look nice. Then I thought it would be amazing and all other priorities and tasks ceased to exist and I tore into my stash to find the perfect fabrics...

Only to discover I didn't have enough of them. So I waited patiently and put them on my list to grab the next time I was at the quilt shop...

And that's when it happens. When you let too much time set in and doubt starts to eat away at your inspiration. I got the fabrics and doubted the outcome the ENTIRE time I was working on finishing this top until the moment the last seam was sewn and pressed.

Then. In that moment. Just like the graphic above. IT WAS AWESOME!!! I'm so freaking happy with how it turned out I already know how I want to quilt it and I want to quilt it now.

Only problem being I don't know what to put on the back. Or if I have something to bind it in that would fit. I'm sure I do, but I have quilts to work on and deadlines to meet. And Market is only a couple weeks away!!!

(Insert mini panic attack here)

But then I look at this and realize it's the middle of the morning and I'm still in my PJs and the sun is shining and and and...

It'll all get done when it gets done and I have a pooch to take on a walk and fabric to play with. How can I stress about that?! I mean really?

Anywho, back to the new Splotch. I used a honeycomb of Mirabelle by Fig Tree for the blocks and combined my favorite French General linen print basic for the tan background with Natural Kona cotton for the cream. I have no clue when I will get it quilted, but once I do, I will share that with you too because it's going to be awesome.

Oh, and I just added Seems Like Scrappy to my shop. Head on over to preorder a signed copy now.

And just because I like you (I like you a lot), from now until the day I get the books in my hand, all preordered copies are 25% off! No special code needed!

What can I say? Without having all of you to share this crazy creative life with, I'd be a crazy hermit. Seriously. I'd like to show my appreciation for you because without you all, I wouldn't be able to do this and call it my job. Simple as that.

I'll be back with more quilty goodness. Stay tuned!

Seems Like Scrappy Preview: Splotch

Very similar to my first title, Seamingly Scrappy, this new book, Seems Like Scrappy, will feature several quilts designed to give you a scrappy look by using precuts. There are 14 quilts in this new book and I've shown you several thus far that use your favorite precuts including fat quarters, layer cakes and jelly rolls. One pattern I've introduced you to was designed to use a fairly new precut, the Tonga 6-pack, and today I'm going to show a project that uses another newer precut, the honeycomb.

Photo provided by Martingale, photography by Brent Kane

Here's Splotch! This is a fun, quirky, easy to create small quilt that is packed with personality! I had so much fun creating this little gem and I'm actually working on another version of it now.

Wait, I need to backup a minute. What's a honeycomb you may be asking? A honeycomb is a fairly new precut from the fabulous minds at Moda. It is a hexagon shape that is 6" from point to point. Just like charm packs and layer cakes, you get a variety of fabrics in each pack and a little bonus... A bonus you ask... Because this shape is a bit more complex than your regular ole strips and squares, included in each pack is a plastic template with a small hole 1/4" in from each point. That way if you'd like to piece them just as is, you can mark the intersections to create Y seams (if you're planning on piecing it that way).

There are several projects out and about in the marketplace featuring hexagon shapes (whether the fabrics started that way or not) and it's fun to play with a new shape that isn't a square. These pieces are so much fun to play with and for this particular pattern, I've taken the fear and concern of weird shapes out of the picture. Trust me.

Splotch is super quick and fun to make, like I said before, I'm making another one. I hope to show it to you soon. When I made the original (shown above), I had so much fun playing off of the vibe it gave, so I kept the quilting simple and slightly modern. You can see it fairly well in this picture because I used Dream Puff batting to show off the texture even more.

I thought this quilt reminded me of tumbling blocks and toys for toddlers and I originally imagined this quilt as a nursery decoration. The version I'm making now has a much more elegant feel with the Fig Tree fabrics and I'm adjusting the background slightly (I always have to make a small complex adjustment because I can. It's the artist in me, I can't stop it). I'm hoping this new version will work well as a wall hanging in my living room or kitchen... We shall see where it ends up... And I promise to show it to you once I get the top done. It's looking well so far. I need to lay it out to plan the next step and I just haven't had the opportunity yet. I have too many quilts in the works... Eh, the story of my life!

So, I'm curious. Have you played with honeycombs before? Have you seen them at your LQS and picked it up to study it, but set it back down because you didn't know what to do? Now, you know! Plus, if you can't find them locally, they are available in several online shops. Isn't the internet wonderful?!

I have one more pattern in Seems Like Scrappy that will also use the honeycomb. I will share that quilt in the future, I have so many more quilts to share! Seems Like Scrappy will be released this June, but I will be showing the book and all of my quilts at Spring Market, so if you're planning on heading to Market, come see me! I'll be bringing my alternate versions too to show options, it should be a good time. Who am I kidding? Market is always a good time! It's just more fun when I have quilts and all of this secret sewing I can finally show!

I will be back next Monday with another quilt and more pictures. I actually just got a bunch of the quilts back from Martingale! I was happy to come home from vacation to this big box of awesomeness!

That is a big box of quilts (it's actually only a bit more than half of the quilts in the book)! More to come soon!