July 10, 2015

Fans, Color Blocks, and Bricks

Today I am debuting the three new quilts in my "Something From Nothing" series!  (To read more about how this series works, see this previous post or visit the whole set on my website.)  This is a just-for-fun project, and I am definitely having fun!

Fans
31.5 x 31.5
Inspired by a little roll of four brocade fabric samples found at an estate sale.  The borders are the reverse of each of the fabrics.  I added some other brocade scraps from worn out clothing and a roll of wide purple ribbon.


Color Blocks
25 x 50.5
This is made mostly of two fabrics with very large stripes, plus a few other smaller samples.  In other words, there is not nearly as much piecing as it seems.  The shape of the quilt was totally dictated by the width of the fabric samples.  The binding (on just the two long sides) is a bold, wide-brushstroke print in black and tan.  Basically, this quilt combines the fabrics with prints too large to be used with anything else.

Bricks
44 x 23.5
This design was totally inspired by color.  I had lots of different, well, "brick red" prints, mostly one-of-a-kind, i.e. not part of a colorways set.  The mortar fabric was an upholstery remnant from the giveaway table at my guild.

 

And now…… Trumpet fanfare!  Here's a sneak peek of the next quilts, still in the design stage.  I always end up working on the something-from-nothings a few at a time.  As I go through the bin of fabrics, I just can't help seeing more than one inspiring fabric combo!  I really enjoy letting the fabrics dictate what I do - this is a series all about the fabrics.


1. The pale four-patch on the left utilizes a couple of sets of colorways of striped fabrics plus a couple of other bits.

2. The planet will probably be called Gas Giant, and will have rings.  The rings will be made of some non-fabric, found-object "nothings", but I'm keeping their identity a secret at this point.  I'm really excited about this one!  Thanks to my daughter for initiating the design inspiration for this piece.

3. The red striped squares quilt is based on the 9-patch at the center, which is actually a woven checkerboard fabric.  I used the size of those squares as a basis for the rest of the design.

4. There's another set of fabrics draped over the back of my chair that you can't see here, still waiting for inspiration for how to set them.

5. (You can read about the camel panel on my post about Egyptian appliqué.  The vest is a baby gift, soon to be packaged up and shipped.)

And finally, just for a giggle:
Here's what happens when you try to spray dampen a stain-resistant treated fabric prior to ironing!  So pretty!





2 comments:

  1. I love the way you used the reverse side of the brocade for the borders on the fan quilt. Brilliant! Thanks for the idea.

    Also, your bricks are fabulous.

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    1. Thanks, and thanks! Yeah, I decided that really both sides of the brocades were equally lovely. The bricks were a bit tedious, so thanks for saying you like the effect. I looked up, and learned quite a bit, about brick laying patterns, of which there are many. Did you know that the long and short bricks are the short and long sides of the same batch of bricks? I didn't. There are actually two parallel brick walls built, with some bricks turned, and joining the two. Well, really, it makes a lot of sense for strength and stability. Who knew that making a quilt could also be a lesson in building walls, right?

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