A hideous quilt takes shape . . . maybe?

A few days ago I pulled this last piece from the Sherry Lynn Wood workshop that I attended back in November. It had been bothering me that 1.) I didn't like it and 2.) it was taunting me, if you will. I determined that I needed to use it or chop it. Either way, something had to happen.

So I decided to first try to use it as is. Once chopped, there's no going back, soo....

I liked the almost Dresden plate section, so why not start there. I made several chunks of rounded shapes, mostly in blue. 

I like this so I made more, trying to use up some scraps I wasn't crazy about. I also realized that making the circles in blue was getting away from the original piece. So I added some different colored scraps.

And more of those circles. Notice that I also moved things around in an attempt to make the pieces work. Add, move, repeat.

And moved it all around some more.  Add, move, repeat.

Add, move, repeat.  It felt like a new mantra.

And this is where I am today.  Less than happy? Sure. 

Actually quite unhappy, but determination can do wonders for getting some chunks on the wall. And I have a few ideas. Oddly, it doesn't look terrible in a picture, but in real life? It's pretty hideous. Too busy and way too much clashing and gnashing and clawing. Yes, I absolutely have some work to do. What do you think? Chop it up? Hide it? Burn it? Hahaha, everything is on the table right now. 

SLW is quilted

This quilt has been a worrisome thing. I've enjoyed the celebrations, but the fretting parts have not been fun. There's so much to it though, that I feel compelled to deal with the parts, good and bad.

The sun makes a stained glass illusion.

After the Sherry Lynn Wood workshop, I thought seriously of abandoning the chunks of fabric that I'd put together but guild sisters said to keep going. I decided to take it on as part of the Cotton Quilters "Finish on a UFO" challenge. 

I like the purples, which may be blue in reality.

I tossed in AHIQ's hourglass challenge--because what's a challenge without a challenge and I'm an idiot, sometimes--and found that I really liked how the hourglass blocks helped to make sense of it all. Then AHIQ helped again when I remembered the old Chinese coins challenge and used that to come up with a setting. Ann and Kaja, thanks for the help!

a row of hour glass blocks

The idea of quilting this was overwhelming. I folded it up and put it in the "to be quilted" bin, where the possibility of never looking at it again is kind of real. But where would that get me after all the other challenges? So a week or so later, I made a backing, loaded everything on, and tried to make a plan. 

Some of the original pieces

I should have known better. I don't make plans! Those are throwbacks from the old teaching days when everything was planned, or schemed. :) No, these days I have to plug in the machine and hold onto the handles. Something happens. Some times I have to rip out the stitches, but mostly I just play along with the muse that is the machine. (Doesn't that have a poetic ring?)

The neutral has a green undertone that may influence the binding.
But it's too soon to tell.

The quilting is rather unconventional. I mostly followed the shapes, but occasionally added some sort of motif in areas that needed additional quilting. I like that quilting it this way tends to draw people in because the motifs are a surprise. The kids started looking for circles and other shapes. They asked a couple of times how many to look for. I haven't the slightest idea! Ask the muse.

Linking up with
For the love of geese #47 Thanks, Denise!

SLW quilt ~~ a finished top

I started this quilt in a Sherry Lynn Wood workshop back in November. Since it was a two day workshop, I brought home only the beginnings of something. I could not determine what that something was. Can you tell from this picture that I was not impressed? Thanks to my friend Glen of Quilts and Dogs for taking this shot when I was completely lost in my piece.

In January I challenged the Cotton Quilters' Guild to bring a difficult unfinished project to the next meeting. At that time we would each present the project and tell the group what our challenge was. In March we were to bring the project to show. The beauty of the idea was that everyone got to choose her own piece and decide for herself what she would try to accomplish. 

 For example, one lady brought in a completed top and challenged herself to have it quilted (though not necessarily completed). I brought in the "SLW mess" and challenged myself to figure it out and complete the top. In March I would show the top and challenge myself to quilt (or complete) it.

Since AHIQ (adhocimprovequilts.blogspot.com) was having an hourglass challenge, I decided to add a few hourglasses. That was the pivoting point. After that the pieces seemed to just make themselves. 

As you all know there have been all manner of crazy things happening in the world. The March meeting was a sewing room tour and, because of the Coronavirus, we won't meet in April. 

I decided that I would still meet the challenge and get it to a completed top for the beginning of April. But look at that messy confusion on the design wall. I needed a strategy. Back to AHIQ, of course. At one point we had a Chinese Coins challenge going...What if? 

   



I tested my theory and voila! If you have too much happening, separate the confusion. Calm it, slow it, sort it. Just do something to give the eye a way to see the ideas individually. I used every inch of the neutral. Otherwise I'd have made the top and bottom strips wider to make the quilt longer. I am much happier with it now, however. I'm not exactly looking forward to quilting it, but once it's on the longarm, something will happen.

Voila! I figured it out....happily!

Remember that I went to a Sherri Lynn Wood workshop some time ago?


As you can see from this photo, I was a bit discombobulated by my work. I kept at it, but while there was something I liked, there was more I didn't like. People kept telling me it was good. That was nice, honestly, but I have to be happy from the inside. So I decided to put the whole thing on the design wall when I got home.

On the design board waiting for a plan

There it stayed and stayed. Life kept getting between me and it, including other pieces. Then last month I came up with a challenge for my traditional guild: bring a UFO/unfinished project to the February meeting with the intention of bringing it to an advanced stage for March. 

For example, I'll bring the SLW quilt pieces (that's my name for it for now) and tell the group I plan to bring it to a completed quilt top for the March meeting. Then in March I should commit to finishing the quilt for April. 

Reworking part 1

The problem was that I needed to get to a stage where I could make a commitment. What I had simply wasn't working for me, but I liked most of what I had. To add to the twist, I wanted to incorporate AHIQ's first challenge for 2020, hourglass blocks. 

I played and ripped and moved and added and subtracted and all sorts of crazy things for about three days. Then I read a couple of posts on the AHIQ blog and found the answer. Back to the design board, but with a plan I liked. Funny how a plan makes such a difference.

Reworking part 2

Reworking part 3

At this point (ready to go to the guild meeting) I have long strips of improv pieces that will be arranged in Chinese coins fashion. I've chosen a neutral brownish gray beige oddity for the background. 

  Final plan without the background

Once I arranged the strips in the order I wanted them, I pinned them with numbers, folded them neatly into a project box. Then added three stacks of magazines for the monthly mini (we buy tickets, the winners get to choose from the "minis" on the table until we run out) and even folded and stacked the two quilts I plan to bring for Show and Share. So I'm ready. Now to remember my phone, dues, and my stack of items. 

January BRMQG

The Baton Rouge MQG meeting on the 6th was interesting. Check it out. Show and tell.

 

Sugaridoo QAL blocks. 

Show and share of the pieces that we created in the Sherry Lynn Wood workshop. 

So let's chat

about the Sherry Lynn Wood workshop that I attended over the weekend. I had great fun seeing so many of my quilty friends. Marty of Marty's Fiber Musings was there. As were Lori, Marquita, Glen (of Quilts and Dogs blog), Joyce, Stephanie, and Yvonne from BRMQG. They were there for the long haul--Friday through Sunday and staying overnight, which means they had dinner together at local restaurants.

Of course, I had the pleasure of meeting other quilters, mostly from Quilters Guild Acadienne, which is a guild in Lafayette. QGA and BRMQG have fearless leaders willing to combine efforts and resources so that Louisiana quilters can learn from national teachers.

On Sunday we had a slightly larger crowd as more friends joined us. Unable to come on Saturday, Kelly and Sharon quickly caught up with us on Sunday. And look at what Kelly managed! She's a natural quilter able to blend color and design beautifully.

Saturday's Ruler Free Mashup took care of straight line piecing. Sunday was a day of curves. All curves. All the time.  So after this weekend we can, essentially, make an entire quilt without touching a ruler.

But, oh, how I missed my ruler! I just wanted to straighten the edges a little. Only when I had a big block that needed to match another big block. If you know me, though, you know I follow the rules. So there was no ruler in my bag of tricks. And it was a good thing, because I absolutely, positively, would have cheated. In this picture I am pondering how to put four pieces of different sizes together to create one piece. In the end, the four separate pieces were packed up and carried home to be dealt with. Ruler or ruler-free, I need a design wall. 

Sherri would asked "what did you learn, what surprised you, what would you do differently" anytime we showed our work. I could fill a book answering those questions.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: Sherri Lynn Wood workshop

I attended a two-day workshop with author Sherri Lynn Wood thanks to the Baton Rouge Modern Quilt Guild and Quilt Guild Acadienne. Held at A&A Sewing Center, this workshop could not have been more. Class fees paid for everything, and I mean everything. That included more delicious food than we could eat. (South Louisiana, y'all. We know how to eat!)

Sherri Lynn Wood (center) with our fearless
leaders, Torch (left) and Lori (right)
Thanks, ladies, for a wonderful weekend!

And now to inspire you, just a few pictures of some of the pieces we worked on. No one felt compelled to complete any one work. There simply isn't enough time. 
Day 1: Ruler Free Mashup--sewing without rulers.

Follow Sherri Lynn Wood on Instagram

Day 2: Template-free curves--cutting and sewing curves freehand.