Wow! Can you believe we're starting a brand new week of the Scrappy Improv Quilting blog hop? I certainly can't. Today, we're finishing up the Seasonal Sensations section and beginning the fourth and final section of quilts. Let's jump right in!
I could never have had a section of seasonal quilts without including a design for Christmas, and I had so much fun designing the Ornamental quilt. My favorite little bits of Christmas fabric make up the hanging ornaments, and the background of this one is metallic gold (Cloud 9 Glimmer Solids in Champagne). If there's any time you can get away with a little extra glitz and glam, it's Christmas!
I keep my Christmas scraps separate from all of my other scraps, and I just love digging into them. Since I already have a Christmas quilt for snuggling on my couch, most of the time when I make a Christmas project, it's for a gift, and it's on a smaller scale- napkins, pillows, table runners, etc. My scrap basket never lets me down, and it certainly didn't with the Ornamental quilt. It was so fun to go through my basket to find just the right pieces, and the Kona Rich Red and Kona Basil stripes add a little extra detail to them.
I added lots of texture to the ornaments with dense lines, matching the thread to each color section, and kept the quilting simple with my favorite filler design- stippling of course! Stippling in the background always creates a nice contrast to more detailed quilting, and adds yummy texture without looking too busy. I really wish the glimmer of the gold fabric showed up a little better in the photo!
The back is made from some of my favorite Christmas strips and chunks, and I framed the quilt in this subtle tonal red print.
I'm a traditional red and green Christmas girl, but can you imagine how these ornaments would look in blue and silver, or any other color combo that matches your personal decor? Well, Quilting Gail put her own spin on the Ornamental quilt, and she took this little quilt in an entirely new, gorgeous direction. Hop over there and see it!
The second quilt for today begins a whole new section! In the Standards With a Twist section, each of the mini quilts is made from a traditional block, but trust me. The addition of scrappy improv sections make them anything but standard!
Churn, Churn, Churn is the first quilt in Standards With a Twist, and the color gradient used with the scrappy improv technique make this one so unique. The quilt moves from the softest pinks in the center to a rich, deep pink in the biggest outer churn dash, and all of the shades of pink glow against the Kona Medium Gray background.
This mini quilt is quilted with an allover boxy stipple design. Unlike most of the other quilts in the book, I actually chose a thread for quilting that doesn't blend into either the improv or the background. White quilting thread shows up just a little bit against each color, and it really works!
This color gradient chevron print from my stash was just too perfect for the backing, and I had just enough of this pretty light pink fabric for the binding.
Cynthia at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework made her very own Churn, Churn, Churn quilt, and you definitely don't want to miss it!
You know the drill! I'll be sharing two more quilts on Wednesday, so come on back to see them. And check out the full blog tour schedule below!
Signed copies of Scrappy Improv Quilting are available in my Etsy shop HERE, or ask about it at your local quilt shop. It is also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other major booksellers.
And shop owners, you can get it from any of the major distributors- Checker, Brewer, United Notions, and EE Schenck. I hope you'll consider adding it to your library or carrying it in your shop! :)
Scrappy Improv Quilting Blog Tour Schedule-
10/20- Sweet Bee (a bonus thank-you pattern), Finishing, and Wrap-Up (here!)
