Wonky Log Cabin Quilt - Quilting

I finished and sashed the rest of the blocks for this quilt over the weekend, and forgot to take photos of the rest... I also spent a lot (A. LOT.) of time working out how to quilt it. Having only made baby quilts (the largest being 40" x 60") I was a bit hesitant about how I'd go quilting an 80" square quilt - and I didn't want to stipple it or do straight line quilting either. So I decided to try something new and quilt it using a quilt as you go method (using this tutorial).

So I squared the blocks up to 19 1/2" each, and cut batting and backing squares a bit bigger (about 21", just to give myself some wriggle room if the quilting went pear-shaped). I quilted each of them in a similar way to my 1001 peeps doll quilt.

And now I'm joining them together... which may or may not end up being an easy process (but so far so good!)

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt - Blocks part 1

I have been sewing like a mad woman with these blocks! I've finished 8 since Monday...

 They range from about 15" to 17" (not necessarily square) and I'm going to add off-white sashing around each and then square them up to about 20 1/2". The plan is to make another 8 blocks and make a quilt around 80" square... if I don't run out of strips before then! I have added a couple of fabrics that weren't part of the original plan just to attempt to have enough fabric - I think I will (well, hope!)

I'm linking this to WIP wednesday over at Freshly Pieced :)

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt - Fabric Selection

My first Block Party quilt is going to be for me. So I've chosen a range of fabrics that are some of my favourite colours - I definitely lean toward an earthy palette of olive greens, rusty oranges and browns so my fabric choices for this quilt reflect that somewhat... I did take a pic of all of these together but it was terrible, so I'm left with the individual ones after I'd cut strips.

Blockprint in orange (Heirloom by Joel Dewberry), orange spot print

Trailing cherries in brown (Amy Butler Midwest Modern), Park Fountains brown (Midwest Modern), Optic Blossom in gold (Midwest Modern)

Full moon polka dot in green (Amy Butler Lotus),  Eggs in grass (Freebird by Momo), Wallflower in olive (Amy Butler Lotus), Trees in Leaf (Just Wing It by Momo)

Kona Ivory, Kona Spring, Amy Butler quilting solid in celery, Kona Cactus, Amy Butler solid in gold, Amy Butler solid in orange.

Some of these were scraps left over from other projects, others were FQs or half-yards. I have cut strips of various widths from each (ranging from 1 1/2" to 3") and have started piecing block - I'm having a ball with it!

Hope you're having as much fun as I am!
Jess

Block Party Project

I recently got Block Party by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks and seriously can't put it down. Like I look at it everyday. I don't have a whole lot of quilting books, but this one has changed my outlook on quilting all together - it is such an inspirational book! If you're a quilter interested in modern quilting you should seriously get it (would make a great Christmas present!)

So, I have decided to start an ongoing project using this book. Probably most appealing to me is the fact that its an ideas book rather than an actual quilt pattern book (I do use patterns from time to time, but generally make up my own patterns). I intend to make my own version of most of the quilts and I will be blogging my fabric choices, blocks I make and the finished quilt.

There are a lot of techniques in Block Party that I haven't tried but would like to, so I'm hoping this project will expand my quilting skills a fair bit. In the past I have tended to use a single range of fabrics in a quilt - for this project I will be pulling a variety of fabrics together to (hopefully) make some beautiful quilts.

My first attempt at improvisational piecing was my 1001 Peeps Doll Quilt and I'm addicted - it was So. Much. Fun.

I hope you'll read along as I do this project - I'm really, really excited!

Happy stitching,
Jess