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| My oldest WIP? Not anymore. |
I have a love-hate relationship with quilting workshops. I love getting together with quilty friends, meeting popular teachers, and learning novel techniques. I hate leaving each class, however, with a new WIP.
In November 2017, I took a class on bias-strip applique with Latifah Saafir to make her No Latitude pattern. It was a great day. Latifah is lovely, and the tricks she shared were well worth the cost of the workshop. Plus, once I got my bias tape made, it was clear the pattern’s oversize blocks would come together quickly.
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| Don’t let the applique intimidate you. It’s easier than you think. |
Months later, when I decided to finish the lap-size quilt I started in the class, I realized I didn’t have enough background fabric. Attempts to match it and buy more failed. When I was thinking about my sewing goals for 2019, I knew I had to finish this project. It had become my oldest WIP and had the potential to languish longer if I didn’t make it a priority. (That’s also why I added it to my Q2 Finish-A-Long goals.)
This was my solution to the problem (see picture at the top of the post): I made three blocks with the fabric I had, cut one of the blocks in half horizontally, and used a strip of leftover background fabric to make a square quilt. It hurt to cut one of my awesome blocks to make this design work—especially because I love Latifah’s original design with four complete blocks so very much—but I thought this was a clever and beautiful compromise.
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| I accentuated the minimalist design of the quilt with diagonal quilting lines spaced an inch apart. |
The finished product is approximately 60 inches square. I used Essex Linen in flax for the background and Kona Cotton in Peacock, Teal Blue, Green Tea, and Cyan for the bias strips and binding. Those colors were all pulled from the Heather Givans’ print on the back. (Which is exactly what I did with this quilt ... let a fabric from Heather Givans dictate my palette for the front. Weird, right?)
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| This print from Heather Givans’ Succulents line set the stage for the palette. |
What have you been working on? I’m hoping you, too, have a fabulous finish to share in this week’s Beauties Pageant!
Linking up to Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup and Needle and Thread Thursday ...
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The pageant rules are simple:
- Post your finish in the linky tool. (No links to your own giveaway or linky, please!)
- Point your readers back here with a text link or use the button above.
- Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.
Looks great! Congrats on finishing! My oldest UFO is from a workshop with Karen Stone when my youngest was a toddler ( he's at university now lol)!!!! I love workshops but I often don't finish the project - sometimes I wish there was a follow up to keep my interest level up and to encourage me on!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've abandoned a bunch of workshop-started WIPs. Honestly, it's made me get pickier about which classes I take!
DeleteI have a Karen Stone workshop UFO hiding in my closet!! Probably about the same age as yours, mumbird3!
DeleteI'm very impressed that your oldest UFO was from 2017...mine was started in 2004. This is such a fun way to make do with what you had and I think the half blocks are a fun added design element.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! What a fabulously clever idea. I still would have been lamenting the unfinished UFO - it never ever would have occurred to me to cut a block in half. Ouch - I'll bet that hurt but you can see the fabrics recovered excellently even if you didn't. It's a good sized finished piece too! I thought it was a wall hanging until you gave the dimensions. Woot-woot to another Q2 project finish. Happy Friday!! ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteWell done and such a clever solution! It took some courage to cut the blocks and make it work. Bias tape is a fun technique and one I'd love to try again!
ReplyDeleteGreat solution, Michelle. Sometimes we need to let something simmer so we can find the best path forward. I love how this came together!
ReplyDeleteNo finish for me this week - however what a great way to fix your fabric shortage issue Michelle. This is so pretty! Was making the bias tape tedious? Also, did it leave you with lots of chopped up fabric? I am making a t-shirt and thought about making a cute print bias tape to finish the inside of the neckline so I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBias tape making *is* rather tedious. I made some the day of the class with a friend's electric bias-tape maker, which was faster than making it by hand. (Electric bias-tape makers are no longer manufactured; sometimes you can find them on EBay or elsewhere secondhand.) Latifah taught us a clever way to fold fabric and cut bias strips ... Another quilter offers a tutorial on the subject here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wOU8FR3S4o
DeleteYour neckline will require much less bias tape, so it will be faster. I say, Go for it!
It totally looks like you meant to make it this way. Great finish!!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Your solution seems like it could have been a deliberate design choice! It’s such a fun and pretty quilt- Congrats on the finish!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations of your finish! I despise UFOs and there for have very few but it always feels good to get one done. Blessings! MelvaLovesScraps(at)NolanQualityCustoms(dot)com
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant solution!! Fabulous modern quilt. Super neato!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great. The block cut in half looks like a design choice.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't even occur to me that this was not the intended design. It looks just phenomenal! Great job xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful compromise! Did you start knowing you would use this backing or discover that it would work perfectly afterwards? It's a fabulous finish. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt & glad you got it finished, even after such a long time. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI love how you changed the design to make your background fabric work. The half blocks add a lot of interest to the quilt.
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