I find the humble house shape an intriguing element in quilts. Even in its most basic form, stripped of color or embellishment, the five-sided shape conveys meaning of shelter or home. But add a palette or a little design interest, and it transforms into a symbol of belonging, family, community, and more.
What you see here is Modern Maisons, my submission to the Ruby + Bee Fabric Challenge for QuiltCon 2023. I used the challenge as an opportunity to play with the house shape. (“Maison” is the French word for “house” and the origin of “mansion.”) After making (and scrapping) a few blocks with more intricate piecing, I homed in on bolder, more basic patchwork and watched how the house outline changed those blocks. Foundation paper-piecing was the way to go here, giving me the precision I wanted both with the internal designs and with the thin black outlines.
Originally, I set out to make 16 blocks. Then I decided 9 would do. With the deadline looming, I settled for 6 and made them something special by sewing them in off-set columns and extenuating a few of the motifs into the quilting.
Will Modern Maisons be juried into QuiltCon? I’ll know in another month. (Edit: It was not! Maybe I will have better luck next year!) One way or another, I’m proud of this finished project and happy to have invested the time in creating it. : )
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Very cool, Michelle! This is a fun and interesting quilt. I’m thinking it would be so interesting if real houses were painted like these.
ReplyDeleteMichelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
I think having just 6 houses is perfect. They're all so different, and they definitely look modern. Good luck with the jury!
ReplyDeleteYour 'maisons' quilt is really eye-catching, and a great idea. I love house blocks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts as you made your quilt. It looks terrific. I’ve never given much thought to pentagons and really didn’t connect them to houses. I hope it is accepted to QuiltCon.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to see quilters make something different than they normally do. It is very nice.
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