Out of the Box

My entry for the Modern Quilt Challenge my guild is hosting is officially complete. The rules for the challenge were to make a large (5'x7' minimum) quilt using only solids, one of which had to be white, and embrace some of the techniques that are emerging in the world of modern quilting. Unfortunately it was windy when I was taking pictures so I couldn't get a shot of the whole quilt however there's a good picture of the top here.

I've decided to name this quilt "Out of the Box." This quilt was definitely outside of my quilting box. As is frequently the case with stepping outside of the box I find I really like what's out there. I'm already planning more quilts featuring solids although I think future quilts will probably have more planned blocks and less randomness. I'm also naming this quilt "Out of the Box" because I forced randomness on myself by throwing all of my fabric into a bag and sewing together whichever pieces I pulled out.

I wanted to try making a quilt that could be reversible. I made a large four patch for the opposite side of the quilt. I wanted it to be asymmetrical so the white sashing is 3" wide on two sides and 6" wide on the other. Knowing how to do the quilting is always the hardest part for me. I was worried about doing too much on this quilt so I did straight line quilting with a walking foot at random intervals. Looking back I wish I had done lines every 1.88 inches (the width of my masking tape.)

One of the rules of this challenge was that the binding had to be solid too. I was struggling to find a single color that really finished off the quilt until I read Sunday Morning Quilts and learned about scrappy bindings. I love how it looks on this quilt.

My husband is interested in modern art so I decided this quilt would be for him. He gave me a lot of input as I was working and pushed me much further out of my box than I intended to go. I love the support my husband gives me in my quilting. I know I would not have the courage to attempt all of my quilting dreams without him. I'm so glad that I can finally give him a quilt of his very own.

Modern Quilt Challenge

Every year my quilt guild has a challenge category. This year's challenge is to make a modern quilt. The specifications are that the quilt needs to use only solid colors, be at least 5 feet by 7 feet, and use white. My husband loves modern art and was very excited by this challenge so he dragged me kicking and screaming helped me stretch outside my quilting box. I ended up cutting my fabric into 6" or 3" strips and then randomly cutting those into pieces. I threw everything into a bag, drew out pieces, sewed them into a long strip, and then cut the strips into 7 foot sections and sewed my quilt top together.

It's very different from the quilts I've made in the past, but it has a quirky kind of charm. My husband really loves it. He says it reminds him of the DNA tests, perhaps there's a name floating in that idea. The back has been giving me a few challenges. My plan is to have a large four patch (each block is 12") in the lower left corner with asymmetrical white sashing surrounded by blue. Sounds simple, but I can't seem to get enough of the same shade of blue to finish this quilt. I had it half done with one shade of blue, went to my LQS to get more of it only to get home and discover the blue I bought at the LQS was not the same blue I bought online. I ripped out the old blue thinking I'd just use the new stuff and learned that I didn't buy enough to do an entire quilt back.

I think this weekend the modern quilt is going to be put on hold and I'm going to focus on finishing my Penguin quilt top. Earlier this morning I was thinking how much I hate modern quilting compared to the penguin quilt. Then I remembered that the Penguin quilt is a queen size quilt done completely with solids and my finished block size is 13" square. According to the guild's guidelines Penguin is a modern quilt too. There's just no escape.

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