Monday, September 5, 2011

Under the wire!

So I just finished my quilt for the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo traveling show that the guild is doing! Nothing like having a good deadline... Here's the "backstory" I submitted. Having finished it, I would add that free motion quilting seems very modern to me as well!

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My quilt's "Backstory", or what does "Modern Quilting" mean to me?

Quilting appeals to me because I love putting fabrics together in pleasing patterns. I particularly like making my quilts for someone in particular, and I often ask them to help me choose patterns and fabrics, so I know I am making something they will like. I really enjoy quilting when I find fun funky fabrics. I usually buy extra yardage of fabrics I really like so that I can use the "scraps" for other projects! Quilting becomes especially "modern" for me when it dares to be asymmetrical, incorporating something creative beyond traditional triangles.

The idea for this quilt came to me while I was nursing my son Lars, who was about to turn three weeks old at the time. I wanted to do something in blue and green for his room, and he happened to be wearing a nightshirt with stars on it- I was taken by the rhyme "Stars for Lars" and decided I wanted to make him some stars. I have made several "window" quilts, showing a landscape scene of some kind, as if you were looking out a window. With this quilt, I wanted
to create a skylight looking out into the night sky.

I originally intended to "practice" my star design with these particular fabrics, planning to use two other fabrics in the final creation. I pieced the first star at night, when I couldn't see the colors too well- and when I woke up the next morning, I decided I liked this color combination better! Then I decided the scene needed some curves- and I have been wanting to learn how to
piece curves better- so I turned to some instructions on the internet (how modern is that?) and started creating a moon using a technique I had never used before. Lars was born the day before a full moon so I decided to leave the moon a complete circle rather than the usual crescent. In the end, "modern quilting" to me means quilts that are being created now! When this show is over I look forward to hanging this quilt in his bedroom.

4 comments:

  1. Great quilt! Lucky Lars to have a mom like you!!!

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  2. Congrats to Lars for having his first quilt traveling in an exhibition! :-)
    Well done christa!!!

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  3. Congratulations and welcome to Baby Lars. What a sweet quilt and wonderful story. Lars is a lucky boy!

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  4. What a great "Backstory" ... congrats to you & Lars!

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