Welcome to the first week of the blog hop! I am joining Kristin and Hollyanne for a 5 week journey in exploring the book by Christa Watson Piece and Quilt with Precuts . Be sure to get your copy here  or Amazon carries the book as well. I am journaling about making my version of Gridwork from the book and I will show my progress each week. The quilt is on a journey, too, from Northern Michigan to a booth at the International Quilt Market and Show in Huston in November!  I hope to have it all finished by the end of the hop! I am making my quilt from Christa’s fabric that will be available in November. It is called Modern Marks by Bernatex. Click on the link to see all of the collection. It is so gorgeous! Ask for it at your local quilt shop.

 

I also want to spend time each week talking about free motion quilting. The first part of the book is about walking foot quilting. I quilt on a long arm but I am showing how I adapted those ideas! In fact the first 2 chapters talk about using wavy lines. I love wavy lines! I have done this in small sections of a quilt but not the entire quilt. I did it on my quilt and I am so pleased with the results, look at that texture. It didn’t detract from the piecing at all! Here is a couple of pics of using improvisationally placed wavy line quilting. It is as easy as making wavy lines, all over!!

 

Here is a mug rug that I did use a walking foot on. I made a straight line grid over the entire piece then rotated it to make the crossing lines or cross hatching for the grid. I like applying this idea for a wavy line!

Here are my test blocks for 3 of the quilts in the book’s first section. I love every one of them . I think I am going to join each test block up in the end and make a sampler! It is one of my favorite things to do! These are test blocks for Gridwork, SWAK and Squiggles. Aren’t they the cutest!

These are made with fabrics from my stash to test out the patterns and make sure I understand them. I see that the blocks in the book are all different sizes and I will have to have a creative setting to join them together in a quilt.

 

I am making Gridwork. It is a really modern block that is going together quite well for me. I am making each block one at a time.  You can get so much done in a 15 minute segment of time and I can get one or two of these done  a day! I make fewer cutting mistakes and don’t mix up the components of the blocks.  There are really three blocks and their mirror image in this quilt. That is the secret to this really fun modern setting. Here is a picture of the blocks I have made. This is not the setting, just putting all the pretties on the design wall.

 

What I am finding is that so much of this quilt’s success is choosing the right colors for each block. I would suggest using high contrast color combos. I have several more combos to make. I am not sure if I want to have two of the same block color combos in this quilt or not but I am making two of each for now. I will think about this more over the next week. I may have a bonus quilt at the end!

Be sure to check out my Free pattern this week on how to make quilt postcards here. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can have free patterns, updates and events delivered right to your inbox! I also have a podcast, long arm quilt for others and have a YouTube channel. Click on the tabs above to explore !

 

Quilt on!

Vicki

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