Modern Mini Challenge

I decided fairly early on that it was my Gee`s Bend inspired quilt that I would enter in Jennifer`s Modern Mini Challenge.  I was so happy to be involved in the blog hop and to be honest with you, there were a fair few attempts at other minis before this one.  Somehow, once I had decided on a solids improv.pieced mini, everything was plain sailing.

I am so happy with how it came together - the pops of red, the wibbly wobbly lines, the white and the neutral space it created, the Gee`s Bend inspired house top blocks.

I am completely in love with it and can`t wait to get it on the wall! Improv.piecing is definitely something I would love to do more of - it`s fun seeing how it comes together - no ruler, no measuring, just cutting as your heart desires and your eye leads you.

Gee`s Bend house tops inspired block

It measures 22" x 22" (and a slight wonk).

The link up for your minis is here and is open until midnight on Monday March 5. There is still time for you to whip one up and enter the contest - while it`s the taking part that clearly counts, there are some amazing prizes.  Just saying. Anyway, pop over and have a look at the fabulous variety of minis! You could be inspired. By the way, I interviewed Jennifer yesterday as part of the My Modern Muse series - do take a look!

March Fresh Sewing Day

 1. Gee`s Bend Inspired Mini Quilt, 2. Pouch back, 3. We Bee Modern Too - February Block, 4. For the Love of Solids Mini Back, 5. do.Good Stitches (Care Circle) February Blocks, 6. Pouch Front, 7. perle hand stitching detail, 8. For the Love of Solids Mini Front, 9. do.Good Stitches (Care Circle) February Blocks

Oh my, February was one frenetic month and was fairly selfless as nearly everything I made was for someone else - either one of the two swap makes (Mouthy Stitches and For the Love of Solids) or bee blocks (We Bee Modern Too and do.Good Stitches). There was definitely a green and yellow thing going on too!

The only thing I made for myself was the Gee`s Bend inspired mini, which I love.  I made it as part of Jennifer`s super fun Modern Mini Challenge, the linky for which opens on Monday March 5.  This is my entry. It has really inspired me to use solids more and to experiment with improv,piecing.  The mini will hang in our kitchen and remind me that trying something new is fun!

I finally got my pouch finished for the Mouthy Stitches swap after the linen I needed finally arrived.  It`s winging its way to my partner and I hope she likes it.

I`m really hoping that March will be more laid back. There were times last month when it was all beginning to feel like work (because vital supplies took an age to arrive which is all stress inducing believe me) and for me that`s not what it`s all about.  So time for a breather.

Linking up with uber talented Lynne at Lily`s Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day.  Do hop over and see what people have been up to the last 29 days and check out some great smaller blogs in the Small Blog Meet.

 

*Edited to add Lynne`s new button*

Modern Mini Challenge

To say I`m excited to be participating in Jennifer`s Modern Mini Challenge is an understatement, and today`s my day! I`m sharing it with Twin Fibers, so be sure to pop over there too.

When I got Jennifer`s email inviting me to take part, ideas whizzed around in my head.  I certainly didn`t want to let her or you down. The mini quilt I`m sharing with you was made for the challenge.  It is the first mini I have made, the first quilt made completely from scraps, and the first made from solids (well almost - the red is from Moroccan Mirage by Kristian A.Howell).

I am currently participating in a solids swap and my partner loves improv.piecing. In my research to see how to approach this style of patchwork, I came across the Gee`s Bend quilts and I am head over heels in love with them.  The Gee`s Bend quilters are a group of women who live in Alabama in the isolated hamlet of Gee`s Bend and create amazing improv.pieced quilts. They are bright, unique, abstract and just a little bit crazy.

Using the blue and green (Delft, teal, olive, artichoke and peridot) Kona scraps left over from my partner`s quilt and adding in some Kona charcoal, Kona ash, white and a pop of red, I made this mini. It measures 22in.

Gee`s Bend Inspired Mini

The Gee`s Bend quilts were a big source of inspiration for some of the block designs...

...particularly the house top quilts - examples of which you can see here and here.

I didn`t use a ruler to measure or cut, and simply pieced different sized scraps of fabric together, making it up as I went along.  There are 12 blocks of varying sizes in total. It was liberating and huge fun but to get the design looking `right` was a lot harder than I thought!

There`s a certain wonk to this quilt as is typical of the Gee`s Bend quilts.  Whether or not that was deliberate, I`ll leave you to decide!

Jennifer`s challenge certainly inspired me to try something new.  I really hope you have been left inspired by the bloggers participating in this blog hop.  As Jennifer says, "Think big make small". Why not make your own mini and enter it in Jennifer`s challenge. The linkie opens on March 5 and remember, you don`t have to have a blog to enter.

The Modern Mini Challenge is generously sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop.

Your mini could be one of 5 winners! 

James’ choice (Jennifer`s husband chooses his favorite) 

Viewer’s choice Mug Rugs

Viewer’s choice Mini Quilts 

(mug rugs and mini quilts- the viewers choose from a selection chosen by myself and three other bloggers) 

Luck of the Draw (Random Number Generator chooses 2 winners)

Source: fatquartershop.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Both Viewer’s Choice Winners will receive a fat quarter bundle of the FULL LINE of Flea Market Fancy reprint by Denyse Schmidt. 

James’ Choice Winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop

Both Luck of the Draw Winners will receive a $75 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop

There are still a couple more days of the blog hop to go.

 2/18: Cut to Pieces & Sew Sweetness

2/19: Swim Bike Quilt

I can`t wait to see what you come up with.  Good luck!

It`s Beginning to Feel a Bit Like...

...Christmas!!

More fun post has arrived chez nous.  You`ll remember the terrible saga that was my Christmas tablerunner from the swap going missing. Well it hasn`t turned up sadly but I did find out who made it for me and that was the lovely Susan all the way away in Oz.  Susan made this amazing tablerunner for me.  Isn`t it stunning? Thank you so much Susan and being the eternal optimist I have a feeling it may one day turn up!

Well a few weeks ago, I was contacted via flikr by swap buddy, sweet Maggie in Salt Lake City enquiring as to whether my `runner had ever appeared.  When I said no, she said she was popping something in the post to me and it arrived!

A very cute tree mug rug, which Zaki has already claimed as his own.  Thank you Maggie - it means so much that someone who I have never met could think to do that. This won`t be put away for Christmas but will join my growing pile of mug rugs!

I`m still waiting on my linen so that I can get on with my pouch for the Mouthy Stitches` swap.  I`m not panicking yet as I know I can make it fairly quickly once it arrives. It is giving me time to get on with the mini quilt for the For the Love of Solids swap.  The top is finished. It will be 20 inches finished.

For the back, there will be one biggish wonky block against a white background. It should be completed over the weekend.

I shall leave you with a funny story.  I have to pick Zaki up from pre-school at 11.30 and the two and a half hours while he`s away are a whirlwind.  I`m not late to pick him up but I cut it fine.  This morning I collected him from the gate and I thought the gardian was looking at me strangely.  Zaki was his usual smiley self and it was only in the car that he asked why I had material hanging in my hair. I pulled from the top of my head a long strand of half inch thick Kona teal. Oh where have my groomed days disappeared to?

Don`t forget to check in tomorrow.  It`s my turn in Jennifer`s Modern Mini Challenge and I need your loving support!

Wiggle It Just a Little Bit...

This is a substance light post.  This is the diet crispbread of blog posts.  You should be able to tell that straight away from the title. 

Despite a lot of sewing in the last few days, I really have nothing I can show you.

There`s been a lot of wiggling going on here recently.

First up, I did some curvy wiggling with the orange strings that sweet Jennifer sent me.

 Then, having thankfully got a thumbs up from my For the Love of Solids swap partner, I wiggled up the mini quilt top.  Now I have a little breathing space to work out how I`m going to quilt it.

Only sneek peeks are allowed.

I also wiggled up a Union Jack mini quilt using Echo fabrics but it`s pretty lame. Sadly, Echo fabrics were harmed in the making of this improv.pieced mini quilt top.  Sorry.

...and I`ve also been wiggling for Jennifer`s Modern Mini Quilt Challenge but you`ll just have to wait until Friday to see what I`ve come up with.  I hope you`ve been following along with the blog hop as there`s loads of inspiration and if you come up with your own mini quilt or mug rug, you can join in the challenge and perhaps win some seriously amazing prizes.  Of course it`s the taking part that counts.  But there are some amazing prizes.  Just saying.  You can read all about it here.

Anyway, I hope I haven`t let that song settle in your brain so that you`re humming it all night! Hope you have all had a great weekend!

Modern Mini Challenge

 

I was super excited to be invited by Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts to take part in her Modern Mini Challenge -  a 5 part series which kicks off on Monday February 6!

The idea behind the MMC is for you to think big, make small - inspired by this bunch of incredibly talented gals who are sure to get your creative juices flowing. As a newbie hopper, I asked Jennifer if she would put me towards the end of the line and she did.  She`s sweet like that.

2/6: Stitchery Dickory Dock

2/7: Fairy Face Designs & Amy's Creative Side

2/8: Lily's Quilts

2/9: Patchwork Notes

2/10: Don't Call Me Betsy & Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle

2/11: Sukie, Don't You Know Who I Am? 

2/12: Freshly Pieced

2/13: From the Blue Chair & Poppy Makes

2/14: Needles, Pins & Baking Tins

2/15: Mon Petit Lyons & Felicity Quilts

2/16: LR Stitched & Random Thoughts Do or Di

2/17: Life's Rich Pattern & Twin Fibers

2/18: Cut to Pieces & Sew Sweetness

2/19: Swim Bike Quilt

Jennifer`s newly completed mini quilt. Washington Sidewalk blocks 24" x 24" 

Did I mention this is a competition and that means prizes?!  5 to be exact and they are A-MAZING!

 Kimberly at the Fat Quarter Shop is generously sponsoring all five fabulous prizes!

The five winners will be chosen as follows: 

James’ choice (Jennifer`s husband chooses his favorite) 

Viewer’s choice Mug Rugs

Viewer’s choice Mini Quilts 

(mug rugs and mini quilts- the viewers choose from a selection chosen by Jennifer and three other bloggers) 

Luck of the Draw (Random Number Generator chooses 2 winners)

  

Source: fatquartershop.com via Jennifer Mathis on Pinterest

Both Viewer’s Choice Winners will receive a fat quarter bundle of the FULL LINE of Flea Market Fancy reprint by Denyse Schmidt.

 

James’ Choice Winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop
 

Both Luck of the Draw Winners will receive a $75 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop

The when: February 6- March 9- Enter the contest on March 5!

The where: Ellison Lane Quilts

The why: To inspire you to try something new- something challenging- take a big idea and make it in a mini.

Contest Requirements: 1. Create a modern mini quilt or mug rug - only one entry per person 2. Enter your mini quilt or mug rug in the linky party at Ellison Lane Quilts on Monday, March 5. You do NOT have to have a blog to enter. You may link a picture from your Flickr account. 3. Your entry (blog post or Flickr description) should include the size of the item.

Here`s the button.  Now go grab it!

 

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