Thursday, April 5, 2012

First Break All the Rules!

Seriously!

I love this quilt but it took every ounce of effort I had to "let go" and let it flow.  This is from Victoria at Bumblebeans and is her Waverunner quilt.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it and knew that I wanted to make one.  But I had no solids.  What's quilter to do?
Buy solids, of course! So when it was my turn to host a challenge for MacQuilts and Mom22smartchix, I bought nine different solids (Moda and Kona) and we each took 1/3 yard.  We could then add up to 4 different fabrics to the collection but you had to use every fabric in whatever quilt you chose.
 
Unfortunately, I cannot convey the look on MacQuilts face when she saw the solids--and especially the tan and dark brownish-burgundy.  She is a batik and Kaffe girl for the most part and it was priceless.  "Horror" is slightly overstated -- but not by much.  She added a great batik and made very modern quilted placemats which are used daily and the back has the scary fabrics on the back.  Clever!
Mom22smartchix made an incredible Amish themed quilt which still needs to be quilted and will also be spectacular when it's done.
For me -- this was hard.  I am pretty focused on good process and quality control so letting go and following the "waverunner way" took some getting used to.
Cut on a straight line?  Goodness no!
Press not iron?  Heck no -- steam the fire out of it!  Make it fit!
Measure twice and cut once?  Why would you do that?
If a block doesn't work, rip it out and redo?  Of course not. Add a strip!
1/4" seam allowance?  Sort of!
Square up blocks before sewing?  Well you could, but why bother?
Follow a pattern?  Why?  This is yours!
Same fabrics can't touch?  Are you nuts!  Who cares if yellow and cheddar are side by side!
Amidst the dogwood petals that are letting go this morning.  Alas....they were beautiful.

In the end -- this was a blast and I love the quilt.  It's bound in red and I smile every single time I see it.  I'm not exactly sure why I waited six months to bind it -- that was silly now that it's emerged again.   There are a few tucks in it and once I wash it, I believe that the crinkles of washing will really blend with the quilting.

This little gem will be entered in this spring's Bloggers Quilt Festival sponsored by Amy's Creative Side.  Have a go at it if you've never had a chance to see what she does. It's amazing and there is so much inspiration over there, it will make your head spin.  Seriously!

I hope you're having a wonderful day and following the rules if that makes you happy or making your own rules if that's even more fun.  I get it!  Jan


34 comments:

sewinglady said...

Love the quilt! You did a great job!

Chris said...

Very Gee's Bend! I LOVE it! Great job!

Ellen said...

I am glad that you were able to "let go" because the results are spectacular!

Karen said...

I would be nervous of those colours but it turned out brilliantly! So vibrant :-)

Quilter Kathy said...

Fabulous! I really want to make one, but I would be nervous about the solids :)

Betty said...

S T U N N I N G !!!!

Emily said...

This is a beautiful quilt!! I LOVE a good "solids" quilt! :)

sue said...

I would smile too, every time I saw it! Fabulous!!

Heidi Staples said...

Wow...amazing quilt! Fantastic job!!

Elaine M said...

Fantastic. What a great quilt. Glad you pushed your comfort zone and enjoyed reading your post.

Laura said...

It's gorgeous. And you get a gold star for pushing yourself to try something outside of your comfort zone. Thanks for sharing this with us!

Char said...

I love your quilt! Wonderful work.

JanetK said...

gorgeous! The way you describe the project, it would be a challenge for me. But probably worth it if I could come out with something like this!

Patchmama said...

Amazing quilt!!! You have done a great work!

Becky said...

What a fun quilt! Crazy about all the colors going on here :)

Teresa F. said...

WOW!!! What an amazing quilt. Love the colors. Well done!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

This fabulous! Victoria must be proud!

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I'm sure that it is even more beautiful in person. The camera does its best, but up close and personal is better. Good job!

Maria said...

Absolutely beautiful. So bright and cheerful.

Dogwood Lane Rambles said...

This is great but I so know how hard it can be to just let go!

Michele said...

Love it!

antique quilter said...

wonderful!
I just love this. I have been wanting to work in solids
great job!
Kathie

Susana Neiger said...

Awesome! Great work on a new style! Very impressive.

Béa said...

Wonderful, I really love this quilt !

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Awesome quilt and love the flower petals on the ground...perfect shot!

Amanda said...

The colors are great together...and I love how you broke all the rules and wound up with a great quilt!

Lisa said...

I have to admit you make me want to break all the rules with this quilt. I may have enough scrap solids but I don't think so. I am just now getting into the "solids" but being mine I guess I could use the idea and throw everything at it. You did a beautiful job!

Linda at Roscoe's Ma said...

How pretty! This is a great quilt. Hmmm...maybe I could break some rules just once... Thanks for the inspiration!

Helen said...

I love, love, love this quilt. Its been on my to do list for ages! Beautiful!

Macquilt said...

I had forgotten how lovely this (OMG! all solid) quilt was. as a confirmed batik girl - this inspires me to think about trying this with my batiks! xo Macquilts

Shanea said...

What a fantastic quilt. Love the vibrant colors and the way it all flows together.

Joanie's Trendy Quilts said...

That must have been a fun quilt to make. No worries about the Quilt Police! Love the bright colors. Just love the quilt!

giddy99 said...

It's gorgeous! I want to make a waverunner someday! But not as a beginner - I think I should learn the basics first, so I have something to ignore later. ;)

Vanina said...

What a wonderful quilt! I have been wanting to quilt forever but I am always scare. I might give this a try! Thank you for sharing.