A Color Splash Quilt - Work in Progress

It is Winter down under and it has been cold in Melbourne for the last few weeks! We even had a small chance of light snow earlier this week (which is most unusual), but I am thankful that snow did not eventuate. Dark and gloomy days however do call for an injection of color, and that is what this week's project has been all about. Color. Color. Color. And of course simple patchwork.

It is no secret that I have a decent size fabric stash - although I suspect I am not alone in this - and a significant part of that stash is a variety of Japanese fabrics that I have collected over a period of time. My collection of Japanese fabrics includes those by popular Japanese designers like Suzuko Koseki and Atsuko Matsuyama, and from Japanese fabric houses including Yuwa Fabrics and Lecien Fabrics.

Click on any image for a larger view.

For this quilt I have pulled out my favorite Japanese prints and combined them with fabric stash basics (dots, checks, stripes, gingham) and designer quilting cottons.The quilt design is simple: patchwork squares and quarter Log Cabin blocks (quarter Log Cabin Blocks have either one or two "rounds" of logs). The layout of the different units is random.

QUILT STATS

Color Splash Quilt

Quilt top measures 48 inches x 60 inches.

15 rows of 12 units ~  a total of 180 units.

Each finished unit measures 4" x 4".

All fabrics are quilting cottons and includes many Japanese prints

that have been fussy cut to feature a novelty item.

I love how the quilt turned out! It is exactly how I imagined it when I set out to create a quilt with a splash of color. What's more this week the photos seemed to roll of the camera effortlessly, hence the many photos ... and there is a lot to see. Enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
A Color Splash Quilt - The Finished Quilt 2016

Japanese fabrics are available from:
Miss Matatabi
Pink Castle Fabrics
Westwood Acres

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission.

A Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt

A finished quilt and a picture post ~

Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt - 2016

I am so pleased with how this quilt turned out! Even though the Bluebird fabric collection is somewhat different to the fabrics that I usually work with, I am drawn to them. The colors are bright and the range of deep dark saturated blues included fill a gap in my stash. I like the quirky designs ~ the cutlery, the birds in flight, and the intentionally aged fabrics. They're so unusual, and amuse me rather than displease me and, like any collection, may not for everyone. Similarly it seems is the random inclusion of the spider ...

I have kept the quilting simple but that's not to say that this quilt is sparsely quilted. All seam lines have been ditch stitched and where seams end I have continued stitching from edge to edge of the quilt, creating an uneven grid of intersecting lines. The quilting has given the quilt a lovely hand and soft drape, as well as a texture that complements the style of the fabrics and the design of the quilt.

QUILT STATS

Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt

36 Curvy Log Cabin Blocks

Each Curvy Log Cabin Block measures 9.25" x 9.25"

612 patchwork pieces.

Featuring the Bluebird fabric collection as well as

additional Cotton + Steel prints.

Solid red fabric is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Lipstick.

All cotton fabrics and thread.

Warm & White batting from The Warm Company; 

a low loft cotton batting perfect for use with low volume background fabrics.

The finished quilt measures 53 inches x 53 inches.

For the back of the quilt I have again used Newspaper in Spackle from the Story Collection by Carrie Bloomston. And for the binding I have used a fabric from the Black & White collection also by Cotton + Steel (Petite Plus in black). The dark fabric used for the binding completes the quilt by boldly framing it and draws the eye in towards the center of the quilt.

This quilt is for sale and the price is available upon request.

Paypal only.

 (for all inquiries please email: redpepperquilts at gmail dot com).

As always, thank you for stopping by,
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
A Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt - Work in Progress
Sunday Stash #314 Bluebird by Cotton + Steel 

COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission.

A Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt

Work in Progress

This week I cut into my bundle of Bluebird fabric, a collaborative collection by the Cotton + Steel designers. The Bluebird collection was inspired by a group of vintage Japanese fabrics that had aged and naturally discolored over a period of time. Similarly, several of the prints included in the Bluebird collection have been intentionally aged with watermarks and discolored to add richness and depth to the fabrics and the items made with them.

In keeping with the vintage and antique vibe of this collection I wanted this quilt to be a very traditional quilt. And it doesn't really get much more traditional than a Log Cabin Quilt with red center squares. 

I played with several different size log cabin blocks before settling on a curvy log cabin block to create an illusion of curves by varying the width of the light and dark logs. In this case I have cut the light color logs so that the finished size is twice the width of the finished size of the indigo logs (the finished width of the light color logs is 1.5" and the finished width of the indigo logs is 3/4").

QUILT STATS

Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt

36 Curvy Log Cabin Blocks

Each Curvy Log Cabin Block measures 9.25" x 9.25"

612 patchwork pieces.

Featuring the Bluebird collection as well as

more Cotton + Steel prints.

Solid red fabric is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Lipstick.

Quilt top measures 53 inches x 53 inches.

I had fun pulling low volume fabrics from stash for this project with snippets of interest throughout, including a rather unsettling spider from a Halloween collection (Spellbound) also by Cotton + Steel. It is not for the faint-hearted but I am used to it now and will leave it right where it is. I am telling myself it adds to the antique vibe ...

This quilt top is now ready for basting and quilting.

More soon,
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

The Finished Bluebird Log Cabin Quilt
Sunday Stash #314 Bluebird by Cotton + Steel

Flower Sugar Curvy Log Cabin Quilt 2014

More RPQ Log Cabin Quilts

COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.

Log Cabin Quilt - Fields and Furrows - A Finished Quilt

And a picture post.

Fields and Furrows ~ Log Cabin Quilt

Quilt measures 48 inches x 48 inches.

25 log cabin blocks each measuring 

10 inches x 10 inches (including seam allowances).
[center square 2.5" x 2.5" - width of strips 1.75" - incl. seam allowances]

It's finished! Despite some initial doubts about the layout of the blocks I am ever so pleased with how this quilt turned out. With many possible layout options available I do think that this layout is really effective - strong diagonal lines created by the use of contrasting fabric and fabric placement. 

I like the use of the many shades of background/solid fabric to add interest and detail; subtle variations in tone that are difficult to capture in a photograph and more obvious to the eye in the actual quilt. (I have used Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in shades of white and off-white including the following colorways: White, Snow, Butter, Natural, Sand, Ivory, Oyster, Bone, and Cream).

For the back of the fabric I have used a single fabric from the Tiger Lily collection by Heather Ross (Butterflies in Cream). The colors and tone of this fabric complement the color palette of the quilt perfectly!

For the quilt binding I have used Squared Elements in Rosewater by Art Gallery Fabrics; a soft pink fabric that finishes this quilt with a subtle frame.

This quilt was sold prior to listing in my store.

If you're interested in purchasing one of my quilts - even one that I am still

working on - please don't hesitate to contact me by email.

As always, thank you for stopping by!

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

Log Cabin Quilt - Fields and Furrows - Work in Progress 
More RPQ Log Cabin Quilts

COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission.