A new tree quilt

Posted on October 16, 2012 by TerryAske

In 2009, I started a series of art quilts celebrating the changing seasons of the West Coast of Canada, each featuring a single tree.

For a few months, I’ve been thinking it’s about time to start the next art quilt in this series.  I was planning to do either a green or autumn-colored tree.  So, I’ve been on the lookout for the right fabrics – they have to have a medium scale and range of values, so they look like leaves from a distance.  At our last guild meeting, one of our members brought some fabric which she no longer wanted.  When I saw it, my first thought was ‘that fabric would be perfect for my tree quilt, except it’s blue‘.  My second thought was ‘maybe I could make a blue tree with that fabric’.  So that’s the new plan – a tree with blue leaves, a chartreuse trunk and a yellow sky.

I’ve started with the drawing for Spring Blossoms, making some changes.  So far I’ve added more foliage to the tree and some rolling hills to the background.  I’m not sure yet if there will be some smaller trees in the background.  But as I always start with the tree and add the background later, I don’t have to make those decisions yet.  At this point, I haven’t even decided on the fabrics for the background.  Everything is subject to change as I work on this piece, until I start sewing it together.  I hope you’ll follow along as I create my Blue Tree.

 

Posted in Art quilts, On my design wall | Tagged , | 5 Comments

On my design wall

Posted on October 10, 2012 by TerryAske

I finished the small quilt made from leftover scraps and Kona neutrals.  I generally don’t choose fabric for the binding until I’ve finished a quilt, but I did have in mind that I would bind it with a darker neutral.  However, serendipity stepped in, and after trimming the quilt, I set it down on top of some dark pink fabric.  I really liked the way the pink fabric looked with the quilt, but didn’t have quite enough, so I pieced it with a dark rusty-burgundy solid.  I really like how it turned out.

I also attacked the ‘pile’ of quilts that needed labels and sleeves.  I made labels for 6 quilts, and even wrote a tutorial about how I make labels.  I also completed several quilt sleeves.  Find a link to my favorite sleeve technique on this page.

I’m still waiting for my coordinating Kona solids to arrive in the mail, so the Kona Modern Quilts challenge will have to wait a while longer.

I’m working on a mixed media piece, with silk leaves.  I’ll stitch the leaves to the background by free-motion stitching the veins.

I’m linking up with these blogs for WiP Wednesday.  Click on the buttons below to see all the people participating and check out their projects.

Quiltsy WiP    WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced 

 

Posted in On my design wall, WiP Wednesday | 3 Comments

On my design wall

Posted on October 3, 2012 by TerryAske

Here’s last week’s project – finished!  Thanks to everyone who made suggestions about fabrics for the corner units.  I actually previewed several more fabrics after last week’s post and selected 3 fabrics also used in the center.  I decided to cut down the center to reduce the finished size of the quilt.

I quilted with a square spiral on point, using this really cool neon-colored variegated thread.

 

I must say that knowing I’m going to be reporting on my progress every week is giving me an added incentive to finish projects quickly.  I even got a few sleeves sewn onto the quilts in the ‘pile’.

I’m working on two new projects this week.  At the retreat in September, I pieced some of the leftover scraps from the quilt above, with the plan to use them in a small quilt with some neutral Kona solids.

The next project is a challenge we’re doing at the Vancouver MQG.  We each received a half-meter of Robert Kaufman’s Kona Modern Quilts fabric line designed by our friend Cynthia of the FVMQG.  Each half-meter was a different pattern or colorway.  I got this one, Stripes in the Merlot colorway    We are to combine it with other prints from this line and/or Kona solids.   I think I’ll do a wonky version of the quilt I just finished.

I’m also going get some of those labels made for the quilts in ‘the pile’.

I’m linking up with these blogs for WiP Wednesday.  Click on the buttons below to see all the people participating and check out their projects.

Quiltsy WiP    WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced 

 

Posted in On my design wall, WiP Wednesday | 8 Comments

On my design wall

Posted on September 26, 2012 by TerryAske

I finished last week’s scrappy improv quilt.  I’m planning to enter this one in the QuiltCon modern quilt show.

   

Well, ‘finished’ except for the sleeve and label, so it’s now sitting on the pile with several other quilts that also need sleeves and/or labels.  I find it so hard to take the time to do those last steps, when another new quilt is calling to me.

 

Now I’m working on this modern quilt, which I started at a recent all-day retreat organized by Krista of Poppyprint for members of my guild, the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild,   At the retreat I pieced the off-center on-point square.  Now I’m auditioning fabrics for the corners . . . decisions, decisions . . .

 

I’m linking up with these blogs for WiP Wednesday.  Click on the buttons below to see all the people participating, and check out their projects.

Quiltsy WiP    WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced 

Posted in Modern quilts, On my design wall, WiP Wednesday | 9 Comments

La Conner 2012 Quilt Festival

Posted on September 24, 2012 by TerryAske

If you live anywhere near La Conner, WA and you like quilts, you should plan a visit.  The La Conner 2012 Quilt Festival runs October 5 – 7, 2012 and features an exhibition of juried & judged quilts and fiber art.

I will have 4 quilts in the show.  Here’s one of them.

I also have one quilt in the Color Explosion! Challenge exhibit, on display through October 7, 2012.

Posted in Quilt shows | 1 Comment

Quilting Daily

Posted on September 23, 2012 by TerryAske

If you receive the daily email newsletter from Quilting Daily, you may have noticed my reader’s challenge quilt in the Friday email.

This was my entry to Quilting Arts Magazine “What’s your Signature Color?” Reader Challenge.  It should be published in the October/November 2012 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Here’s what I said about my entry:

My absolute favorite color is chartreuse; you’ll find at least a bit of it in almost every one of my quilts.  It’s a bold and complex color that adds punch to almost any color palette.  Chartreuse is often found in nature with its complementary color red-violet, as seen in the coleus plant in this quilt.

I printed my coleus photo onto fabric, then used colored pencil to enhance and deepen the shadows around the leaves.  I outlined the edges and veins of the leaves, and filled in the background, with free motion quilting.  The squares are fused and stitched to the quilt.

Posted in Publications | 3 Comments

On my design wall

Posted on September 18, 2012 by TerryAske

 

Here’s one of my many WiP (works in progress).

Last week I pulled out my ziploc bags full of scraps, and started piecing by color.

I surrounded each block with a white border and another border of color, then pieced them all on a solid grey background.  I hadn’t really planned the final size, and as usual when I improv piece, the quilt ends up bigger than expected!  It’s about 50 by 60 inches.

This past weekend I pieced the back, and this week I plan to layer and quilt it.

I’m linking up with these blogs for WiP Wednesday.  Click on the buttons below to see all the people participating, and check out their projects.

Quiltsy WiP    WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced 

Posted in Modern quilts, On my design wall, WiP Wednesday | 19 Comments

The place where I live

Posted on June 27, 2012 by RobinHoward

I live and create art quilts in the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC.

Here’s an art quilt I made a few years ago, showing the Vancouver cityscape at dusk. The multicolored lights of the downtown buildings are reflected in the waters of False Creek. The straight lines of the skyscrapers are a sharp contrast to the backdrop of the North Shore Mountains. Known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver, B.C. is located in a spectacular scenic location between the ocean and mountains. I have spent most of my life living in or near this gorgeous city.

Posted in Art quilts | 2 Comments