Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Technicolor Dream Quilt


Technicolor Dream Quilt:  35 inches square
Maria Shell Workshop Piece - Linear Blocks - line into form

Close up of the quilting.  I used Tangerine and Raspberry colored
thread.

I spray basted this so I wouldn't have pins.  I recommend this for modern quilting straight line quilting.  I used a hera marker for the 1 inch lines.
I then went back with the thread color change and eye balled the 1/2" lines.
So I am totally Okay with the lines NOT being perfect.  I am a human being after all.

woopsie.  I accidentally had 3 orange in a row.....I would normally skip it, but decided to correct the line to raspberry.
I made a big design adjustment right at the end of this project.  Don't be afraid to change your mind, don't be afraid to switch it up even when you think "It's Done".   

I went from this:
To this:
to this:
What do you think?  good, better...best?

 I often use a strip of  an old cutting mat to carry a section to my sewing table.   It works great.  I also use this for pinning on top of my big board.
I used a single fold binding (see tutorial on top tab).  I love how nice and smooth it is for a wall hanging.  I used four different colors in a log cabin style attachement.
Ready for a surprise fun backing?
Sugar Skulls!  I have had this piece fabric for well over 10 years and it finally found the perfect quilt top and I had just enough - yay! 

Here is a short explanation of the sugar skull tradition.

Calavera - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org › wiki › Calavera
The tradition of sugar skulls is for families to decorate their loved ones' ofrendas with both large and small handmade sugar skulls. Children who have died, represented by small sugar skulls, are celebrated on November 1. The larger sugar skulls represent the adults, whose celebration takes place on November 2.

I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy.  Thank you for your continued concerns regarding my Lyme's Disease.  I'm still in pain and plan to call the doctor today.

I'll share this wonderful handmade card I received from my sweet friend, Susan C.  who I affectionately call Susie Q.  
Have a great week!
xo



29 comments:

Mego said...

LOVE it!!!

Julierose said...

Oh so sorry you are still in pain--I hope the MD can ameliorate this for you today...not fun to be in pain...;000

I love your Improv piece and the last one to me is the "best" setting...
hugs and best wishes Julierose

Frog Quilter said...

Absolutely gorgeous!!!

JustGail said...

You definitely made the right call on arranging the blocks, and that's a great backing for it. Bummer on the Lyme disease crap and pain - I hope you feel better soon.

Lilac Joan said...

What a wonderful quilt! The last was by far the best. And the backing perfect.

Sandy said...

What a dynamic quilt! Your final design is the best, imo. Have you ever tried using an adjustable guide on your walking foot, for lines? You can also use it for soft curves and arcs.
Sorry to hear you’re still having pain. I hope you’re feeling better soon. Love the card ...

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Wowzers!! I adore this quilt. And, I agree that 3 times is a charm and the final iteration is the best. I can't believe you took out the tangerine line!! Thanks for the Calavera lesson. Interesting. I learn the most amazing things from you. Hope your doctor will find a magic potion to get you back to normal SOON!

Janet said...

What a lively and colorful quilt! I really like the straight line quilting. I always mean to try it but then chicken out... I’m sorry to hear you are continuing to struggle with Lyme’s - I hope you get some relief SOON!

CecileD said...

I adore solids and I adore your quilt !
Congratulations on this finish and thank you for sharing the explanations !!
I sincerely hope you are going better and better... fingers crossed !
XOXO 😘

Quilting Babcia said...

This looks like a fun project to have worked on during your recovery from Lyme. So sorry to hear that the pain persists. I've seen two completed quilts as a result of this workshop, both so bright and cheerful and obviously a great learning experience.

Sharon said...

Sorry you are still not over this Lyme issue. Grrrr. Now to your fabulous quilt. Being so bright, you absolutely nailed the design balance. Your final layout took out the chaos and it’s fabulous. I do love the binding choice. A perfect finish

Amy said...

It's gorgeous, and you definitely saved the best for last! I hope its vibes help you to feel much better.

FlourishingPalms said...

Your Technicolor Dream quilt is fantastic! You listened well to Maria's instruction - starting with different bits and colors, arranging, photographing, arranging, photographing. It's really great to see your step-by-step process, and what you settled on is indeed "best!" Personally, I can't wait to start another Shell-style improv quilt, and am wondering about the possibility of making it bed-sized. I'm only thinking about all those seams, and the weight. But maybe with swashes of negative space, it might not be too heavy. In any case, I'd say you and I were model students! :-) Keep up the fun makes!

Randy D. said...

The finished quilt is fabulous! It's so bright and cheery! And I love the changes you made!
The backing is superb and I love the story! Thanks for sharing that.
The idea of using an old cutting mat as a way to move pieces to the machine is brilliant!! why didn't I think of that??
Glad you're feeling better! Hopefully the last pill will be the game changer!!
Looking forward to our workshop this weekend!

Janet O. said...

Oh, I am sorry you are still in pain! Hope your doctor can give you some ways to relieve that.
This quilt is such a happy celebration of color! Who can not be happy when looking at it?
The quilting enhances the designs (I commend you for unpicking the one row. I would have been too lazy to do that), and that back is a great addition! Thanks for sharing about the sugar skulls. Fascinating. :)

Cheryl said...

You do both modern and traditional quilts so well!

Pinkadot Quilts said...

All the changes you made are perfect! Good for you to work through it until you liked it instead of just going with it because you made all those blocks....I think it is like slapping on a border just because all quilts have borders. Sometimes an edit is just what is needed! I loved hearing about the sugar skulls. For me November 1st is All Saints Day and November 2nd is All Souls Day, big Mexican holidays.

The Joyful Quilter said...

DEFINITELY good, better, BEST, Barb!! Nice choice of backing, too. Congrats on a fabulous finish!

sandi s said...

I love it!! It’s beautiful and I like the different color threads. I hope you can feel much better soon. Hugs,

Jocelyn said...

You are my most amazing talented friend. I am in awe. 💕

Kyle said...

Yes, your change layouts went from good, to better, to best. The quilting is perfect and the colors fit. The backing is just what we would expect. 😊 Hope your feeling better soon.

Barbara said...

I just love this quilt! You make the best modern quilts and the colors are fantastic! The last version is my favorite. I wish I could get used to hera marking. I can never seem to see the lines well enough but maybe if I learn to not be such a perfectionist it would make a big difference,lol! The quilting looks great with different color threads. Hope you improve soon. Thinking of you!

Diane said...

Absolutely the best! I love this quilt and your thread colors are perfect! I love that you have the fun backing as well. I'm so sorry you aren't feeling well, I do hope you get some relief soon. I'll be thinking of you!

Angie said...

Love the quilt, the backing, the name! All those colors, shapes, and lines are happy-making, for sure. Continuing to send healing vibes! I'll put in a good word with Marie Laveau for you.

cspoonquilt said...

Your new wall hanging is wonderful! I think your final layout was the right choice. All the bar repeats worked really well and using two of the narrower bars on either side helped to balance and bring in the design, Perfect! I hope you feel better real soon, take care.

Anonymous said...

Another notch in your belt of creativity. Is there no end to your talent? I’m jealous!!! Feel better.
Norma

Thimbleanna said...

What a fun quilt Barb! Sorry you're still feeling under the weather -- hope the Dr. was able to help and that you're having a good weekend!

audrey said...

Absolutely beautiful! Lovely version.:)

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

Wow, another vibrant striking Fun with Barb original! Love it. The backing is perfect. Good better best bestest. Hope you continue to rest and mend.