Sunday, October 28, 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival

It's time for Blogger's Quilt Festival again, brought to us by the lovely Amy of Amy's Creative Side.  Yay!  I love seeing all the wonderful quilts that everyone has made, and I especially love hearing all the stories of how and why each quilt came into existence.  If you love that too, grab your favorite drink and go take a look at them all by clicking on the link above.


My entry into this version of the BQF is my wallhanging Lib Logs (and Prosper).  (Regular readers of my blog are probably tired of seeing this quilt, so please, bear with me.)  I started this in a class with Gwen Marston on "Liberated Log Cabins".  I loved that class - Gwen is so knowledgeable and generous with her time, attention and information!  Plus, she's just so funny!  


And one of the best parts of the class was that I got to meet and stay with a bloggy friend, Sharon of Grass Roots Quilting.  We had such a fun weekend talking, laughing, eating and quilting together.  Sharon donated a strip of the hot pink fabric to this quilt, which was exactly the zing it needed.  Thanks, Sharon! 


This is such a happy quilt - at least it makes me happy seeing it hanging on the wall.  I love the bright, cheerful colors.  This is my husband's favorite quilt too.  He was the one that insisted that I enter this quilt in the Western Washington Fair, where I won a Third Place ribbon on it!


The log cabins are all free-pieced, which means no pattern, no particular sizes of cut strips and no planning.  Just cut up some strips and start piecing.  It is hard to "let go" and be improvisational, and yet it's the most fun I've had in quilting in years.  If you're interested, I recommend Gwen's books Liberated Quiltmaking II, Collaborative Quilting (with Freddy Moran) and Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again as starting points.

I started with the plaid fabric as my focus fabric and used it for the centers of the log cabins, and then put the last of it on the outer borders.  All the other colors were pulled from the focus fabric.  One of the unexpected things I like is that the green dotted fabric in the first border creates a "see-through" effect in the log cabins where the same green fabric is.  It really gives some depth to the quilt.


The pieced borders are also free-pieced, and were a lot of fun.  So much so that I plan on using the triangles again in another quilt (or two)!

I did an all-over "organic" straight-line quilting (which is really not-so-straight) on this quilt on my Bernina, and I like how it seems to unify the quilt.  The whole quilt is rather flattened from the quilting, which I think really lets the piecing show well.  However, I quilted around the big dots in the aqua fabric, just to make them pop.  Fun!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Stats:

Quilt Title:  Lib Logs (and Prosper)  #378
Quilt Measurements: 31.5 inches square
Special Techniques: Liberated Free-piecing
Quilted by: Me, Sharon K.
Best Categories: Home Machine Quilted Quilt, Wall Hanging

Don't forget to vote for your favorite quilts November 5 - 8!

23 comments:

  1. Very nice! I like how you switched up the border: strips on half and triangles on half. I taught a few friends how to make wonky log cabins today. Lots of fun!

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  2. I love log cabins and improv piecing so this does not disappoint! Lovely!

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  3. Well heck eye-ow this should be a favorite!! It's one of mine!!! This quilt with all it's great color placements just speaks to me.......it want's to come LIVE IN TEXAS!!! ha! Seriously....didn't you hear it it!!!???

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  4. LOVE THE QUILT...AND ITS NAME! VERY CLEVER.

    Judy

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  5. Love the colors and cheerful whimsy in your quilt. Well deserved price!
    ; )

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  6. oh I never tire of seeing this quilt, hearing the story either.
    its a beautiful quilt and has wonderful memories for you
    what could be better?
    Kathie

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  7. I love this liberated quilt. It is so happy looking, like a party!
    Can I pin it? I love the color combinations - wonderful quilt!

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  8. I like the bright colors in this quilt. It makes me smile!

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  9. Love Love your quilt. I am a huge fan of liberated quilts.

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  10. Beautiful quilt! I love the color scheme and the liberated blocks, they create such great energy. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. This quilt is so much fun! I read Liberated Quiltmaking a few weeks back, so it's awesome to see this in action! I think the borders are my favorite part! :)

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  12. Love this quilt! The colors are so charming and you're right, the hot pink is the perfect accent. Beautiful work!

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  13. This is such a great quilt! I love the colors, so me!

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  14. I LOVE this quilt, every time I see it!

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  15. Your quilt is lovely. Thank you for the comment on mine....guess we are birds of a feather in the kind of quilting we like..so much fun....

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  16. This quilt just sings to the creative side of me that likes the freedom to do as I please. Your quilt entry represents the order that I need when I attempt something and it pleases my eye to see repetition and order within that modern approach! LOVE it! You're an inspiration to budding Gwen Marston's fans.

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  17. This is so delightful--makes me smile. I love making liberated logs (often as word play quilts). THis makes me want to start sewing -- thanks.
    Thank you for visiting and commenting on my antique red zigzag quilt.

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  18. Free piecing is just the perfect name for this kind of quilt. It's so playful and even restful at the same time. Looks like a real joy to make!

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  19. Sharon, this is too awesome!!! Love the improv pieced log cabins and using the plaid as the center is just brilliant! I would love to take a class with Gwen.....you are so lucky.

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  20. I just love this quilt....the colors and the wonky pattern. Super quilt.

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  21. You rocked the colors on this quilt. I love it.
    By the way I tagged you in a bloggers game. http://createinthesticks.blogspot.com/2012/11/ive-been-tagged-fun-blogging-game.html
    Happy Day!

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  22. Oh my goodness, this quilt is really beautiful. I love the colours/ fabrics together. Fabulous border too!!

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