Friday, January 4, 2019

Fireburst, Fundy and Strings


My final three finishes for 2018 are ready for their big reveal. The first is my Fireburst quilt, made during Tish's quilt along


Tish published clear, step by step instructions each month to make a quilt in one of two sizes. I chose the baby size, with a final block size of 32" x 32". I added a simple border to bring it up to 37" square.


It was really fun to watch my piles of navy, baby blue, and orange morph into this bursting star design!  So cool.



I used some wool batting scraps and a pieced backing, and quilted it up with floppy feathers. The result is a super light, but fat and poofy quilt.


I'll be donating this to Little Lambs, which is located in Utah and serves childen in the foster care system. I figure the wool will make it nice and warm for a small person who could use a quilty hug.


The second piece was made using the Fundy Skies pattern by Cannuck Quilter. Joanne asked me to be a pattern tester for the baby size, which is a single block. I pulled out some red, navy, gold and gray fabrics to play with. 


The pattern was really easy to follow, and I love this on-point square shape! However, the fabrics I chose didn't feel very baby-ish.  Hm, what to do? I had some small panel blocks in a lighthouse theme, so I added those to the top and bottom of the Fundy block to make the quilt a rectangle.

Fundy Lighthouses finishes at about 36" x 50", which is a great wheelchair quilt size. The narrow width keeps the quilt from getting caught in the wheels, but it is still long enough to warmly cover an adult's lap. I used the rest of more wool batting to keep is light and cozy, and quilted it with a medium stipple using variegated blue and white thread. 


The thread is really pretty on the spool, but I feel there was too much contrast between the darkest and lightest parts of the variegation. In the future I'll look for more subtle shading for that type of thread. 


With the nautical lighthouses and the patriotic colors, perhaps this quilt will appeal to a Navy vet.  I'll send it to my friend Doris, and her guild in Alabama will pass it along to a nursing home.


And here's the final finish for 2018. I've been making string blocks each month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I love them! It's so satisfying to turn a jumbled pile of miscellaneous strings into neat, tidy blocks. 


However, I used fabric foundations for the stitching, so the blocks turned out double thickness and quite heavy. Rather than make a complete, but heavy quilt, I decided to donate this 50" x 70" top to Victoria's Quilts. They will quilt it up with a warm flannel backing and give it to a person in Canada who is living with cancer. I figured it's cold enough up in the neighborly north for a super heavy quilt to be useful.


And here is an early glimpse into some things I've been playing with lately. I bought a mini Quick Curve Ruler to try some new curvy blocks. Isn't this a fun shape? It's supposed to be a Christmas ornament, but I used a charm pack of pretty metallic pastels and has a different feel. Sort of Moorish.


I also delved into my neutrals and brights string scraps and made some rectangular blocks using paper foundations. I don't want to end up with another set of double thick, heavy string blocks with fabric foundations. I really like  the wonky diamond shapes but the paper bits are annoying.  I was tickled to read that Diann of Little Penguin Quilts is also making rectangular/diamond string blocks, and hers look so great in red and cream. So interesting how an idea like this seems to pop up in multiple places at once!

25 comments:

  1. Great assemblage of quilts! I am always amazed at the variety that comes off your boat! The new design does look Moorish and is soooo pretty.

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  2. What a bunch of gorgeous projects! It's always inspiring to read your blog posts. You do such creative things, like making the baby sized but not baby looking quilt into something useful but not what was originally intended. And I've seen a lot of creative uses of panel fabrics on your posts as well. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I was admiring your finished Starburst quilt over on Tish's site this morning. Your version turned out beautifully! Congrats on all the finishes. The ornament block is gorgeous! I love the Moroccan vibe it's got. Looks like you've got lots of fun project to play with in 2019.

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  4. really lovely quilts there... you got heaps done.. I have used the bigger curve ruler and want to try the mini one... good to see you have had success with it...

    So 2019 brings lots more quilts...

    Hugz

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  5. Louise, more great finishes. Looking forward to seeing Fundy Lighthouses in person. You do such a great job with your quilting. String blocks are one of my favorites and I use paper foundations because I don't like the weight the fabric foundations give. Love all three quilts. Doris

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  6. Happy New Year Louise! I love all 3 of your finishes. Such fun yet perfect color combos. I really like the blue and orange firebusrt, it reminds me of a quilt I made.

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  7. So many great quilts, Louise! I really like how your Fireburst turned out; the dark backgrounds really make that quilt pattern sing! You are off to a good start for 2019!

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  8. Hi Louise: I love how the fireburst quilt looks in baby size. It compacts the design and it looks great in the colours you used. I also really like the design in Fundy Quilt. It's very striking and also looks great in the colours you used.

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  9. It’s always Sew much fun to read your posts! Your Fireburst quilt came out spectacular! But, I have to tell you, Fundy Lighthouses makes my heart sing. It will be such a blessing to it’s recipient. What a beautiful block you made with your new curved ruler! I can’t wait to see where you go with this. Last, but certainly not least, those string blocks worked up into a beautiful flimsy and Canada is the perfect place to send it!

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  10. As usual,Louise,more winners. The Fireburst navy print sparkles, especially with the contrast quilting. Fundy turned out beautifully as well. Keep up the good work!

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  11. Those are some great finishes, Louise! I love the colors you used for the Fireburst quilt especially. Of course, a rainbow of string blocks really appeals to me, too! I'm using paper foundations on my blocks, too, because I didn't like how the muslin foundations affected my quilting on the String Star I made. I'll have to check out Little Lambs to donate some quilts to - my finishes tend to be smaller, so charities that give to little people might get more use from my quilts!

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  12. Love the colors of the Fireburst quilt! Plus the string blocks! This is the year of the string quilt, apparently, because they're everywhere. Will you make more curved blocks? The test block is so pretty. Happy 2019!

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  13. What great quilts!!! Your Fireburst is such great colors!!! Good job on the Fundy Skies Lighthouse! And that rainbow scrap quilt is such a beauty!!!

    And what a surprise--there's still more to come!?! I see you're working with the QCR Mini! You will find endless pattern possibilities with it. Your ornament is beautiful! And another string quilt--great use of fun colors!!!

    Happy new year, Louise!!! ~Nancy

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  14. I'm always amazed at how many quilts you make, especially when your space is limited, I applaud you! I think the sea air must have a beneficial effect, you're showing us another three wonderfully colourful quilts, I especially love your string quilt.

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  15. Great start to the New year - beautiful quilts - colours and styles. Good luck with the curves too, look lovely.

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  16. How did I miss that great quilt along? Fireburst is wonderful. Your colors look spectacular. I agree with everyone who so enjoys seeing your postings with lots of wonderful quilts. I’ve been wanting to start some string blocks...I’ve got a great collection of strings in a bag. But I’m not sure I’ll do that for this years scrap challenge. I’ve got another plan going on in my head! Happy stitching I. The New Year. B

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  17. Wow, what a lot of beautiful finishes! Good fabric choices too. I love the rainbow strings. I'm always a sucker for a rainbow quilt!

    One thing that might help with the strings is to just not use a foundation! Check out Gwen Marsten's book on string quilts - that is the method she uses. It helps to have a template the size & shape you want the finished block to be, which makes trimming easy. I've done both fabric base and paper base, and they both have their drawbacks. I hate taking the paper off! Anyway, I hope this helps!

    Happy New Year!

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  18. As usual, your quilts are all bright and cheerful. I love yourFireburst, and of course I am partial to your Fundy Lighthouses. Thanks for the shout out and link to my pattern. I hope you're having fun with your Quick Curve Ruler. I have the large ruler, but I have been planning to get the mini. I downloaded that ornament pattern just yesterday...

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  19. Hi Louise such beautiful work you have done,love the quilts you are very clever,thankyou for sharing with us,and Happy New Year my friend xx

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  20. Oh, wow, Louise ! January is not even two weeks old, and already you have 3 finishes! That is amazing. We love them all, and the Moorish design done with the curved ruler is especially pretty. You're off to a fantastic start ! Happy New Year, with blessings from Marina and Daryl Lynn

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  21. Wow! So much eye candy and inspiration in this post Louise! Love the new strip tease quilt LOL, and the finish from last year is awesome, great idea to send it up to the neighbourly :-) north. Fireburst packs quite a punch! Love the orange bursties. And Canuck Quilter Joanne's new pattern turned out great; she does the niftiest blocks. I agree on the Moorish feel to your ornament too!

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  22. You are such a prolific quilter. So how many quilts did you make in 2018? Your final finishes for the year are fantastic & will be loved by some very special people.

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  23. Wonderful finishes! Congratulations! The quilts are all so striking!

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  24. Another wonderful set of quilts, Louise. Of course I love the strings, and I like how you solved the problem of the weight by shipping the quilt to Canada for a flannel backing. I'm also struck by your last quilt top. I like doing the RSC, but I have a lot of scraps that I'm not using that are multicolored, and I was trying to figure out how they might look in a string or coin quilt. Your quilt is showing just how that might look. Thanks!

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  25. What great quilts to finish up the year. I think your Fireburst is one of my favorite variations. Love the color choices! And yes, Moorish, indeed!

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