Modern? Modernitional? Tramodernal?

Do you consider yourself a modern quilter, a traditional quilter or a bit of both? This seems to be a hot topic at the moment. If you're the latter like me then I like to refer to us as tramodernal.  At the start of my quilting journey I definitely wanted to think of myself as a modern quilter but as time has gone on I have become increasingly inspired by more traditional blocks.

I'm excited to share with you a project I worked on last month. Back in January, the Fat Quarterly team put a call out for people to take part in the next edition's designer challenge - to use a traditional block and make it modern.  I've always loved the Blockade block - a Civil War block, ever since I made this one.  It remains to this day an orphan and this is a reminder that I need to do something with it!

For the challenge I decided to make a cushion using some Chicopee and low volume fabrics. As I had a huge 22" cushion insert, I decided to go bigger and influenced by all the gorgeous medallion quilts being made, I added a clockwise 'circle' of flying geese - another traditional block which I only made for the first time this year.

Who would have thought Chicopee fitted in so well with our Moroccan floor tiles?

Issue 13 of Fat Quarterly is out now and it's full of seriously gorgeous tramodernal projects - and you can see how I made my cushion. So go have a look - you might be inspired!

Linking up with the Let's Get Aquainted Link-Up, which this week is being hosted by Kirsten.

She once was a lazy pinner...

...sounds like the beginning of a limerick doesn`t it?  I had big plans to get lots done today but the cold which was coming on yesterday made a full blown appearance and with family arriving this afternoon I just couldn`t do what I wanted to do. 

I needed a small project so I spent an hour or so this morning looking for a block for the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee.  I have had a pinterest account for quite a while now but it has lain mostly redundant a) because I didn`t really `get` it and b) because I kept reading how addictive it was and early signs are that this is the case.  Be careful, I may pin you!!

I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something I wouldn`t normally do and plumped for HSTs.  The one that finally got my vote was this Blockade Block by Faith (she of The Summer Sampler Series) at Fresh Lemons.  So called because it symbolized the Union`s strategy to surround the confederacy..apparently.  I love Faith`s quilts and if you don`t know her blog it`s full of free patterns and tutorials, including one for how to piece a Y seam, which is just what I need for my Camelot blocks, which are full to bursting with Y seams!  Anyway, I love how Faith took a traditional block and made it look so contemporary.

Here`s a Blockade block made by Becky Brown after the Civil War.

Yes, it`s a Civil War block.  If you had asked me a few months ago whether I would be making a Civil War block, I would have probably said, `No!` but today I did, and here it is.

It`s a 12 inch block. I looked to Leila`s  Skill Builder Sampler QAL for how to measure HSTs so that you don`t chop your points off when you come to join your blocks - a mistake I made earlier this year when I was making a block for Ayumi`s Tokyo Quilt Festival quilts. 

I admit to being ever so slightly pleased with my points.  They used to be baaaad. One of the best things I came away with from the Across the Seas QAL (apart from my quilt) was Sarah`s tip to pin, pin and pin again and sew over your pins.  I was always a lazy pinner but since I took on board Sarah`s advice, my points while not perfect have improved and I haven`t broken a needle yet.

1001 Peeps quilt top assembled!

By blogging we learn so much from each other.  I hope one day that I`ll be giving advice rather than just taking it! What`s your tip of the day?

So I`ll stick this audition block up on flikr and hope the rest of the hive like it.  If they do, I`ll be making 5 blocks each in their colours.

Lastly, here`s a photo I took from our roof terrace today - not very 1001 Peeps is it??  Over the satellite dishes - typical of the Marrakech skyline, are the Atlas Mountains with snow-capped peaks. The recent rain we have had has turned to snow and that`s the reason why our evenings are so c c c cold!