Overlapping Octagons with red centres

As I haven't posted here for some time I thought an update on my Overlapping Octagons was due.  This is a lap quilt inspired by a photo in the book "Unconventional and Unexpected, quilts below the radar" by Roderick Kirakofe The original quilt was made around 1950 in New York by someone associated with the garment trade who used off-cuts of shirt fabric. It was pieced by hand. In line with the invitation to use "red as the new neutral" I used red for the block centres, and neutral, as any other colour in the frames to the red squares.

This is the last photo of my Overlapping Octagons before the final Y-seams to bring it all together.

This has certainly been a challenge reproducing a historic quilt but using a sewing machine. The challenge is not yet over! Because a photo is flat it's difficult to show how the triangle sections between four red squares are refusing to lie flat.

bubbly triangles!

I have re-sewn some of the seams in the bubbly triangles; the rest I'll try to tame by hand when I finish joining all the columns. I think I probably have more control over the fabric when hand sewing, like the original sewer.

Much as I like the effect of the vertical white fissures in the first photo, they are not a design feature; my next task is to join columns 1 and 2, and then to join that section to columns 3 and 4. Lastly I'll be joining the seams between columns 4 and 5. Somewhere along the line I see I need to add a couple of small triangles in the edges, and to add triangles to three of the four corners. I haven't yet decided whether or not this quilt is calling for a border. What do you think?

Happy sewing

Marly.

Always Happy To Finish Another Adhoc. Improv. Quilt!

My Red is a Neutral quilt is finished! I've written all about it over at my blog. It's such a wordy post, I've almost bored with it myself. The post, not the quilt! I'll be having a hard time giving this quilt away though. It turned out so much better than I expected!

Lattice Quilt

Just wanted to pop in over here and give a shout out to Kaja and Ann. They always come up with the most interesting challenges!

Red is a Neutral has been such an interesting challenge! You can read more about my finished quilt top over here at my blog. I think after a couple other projects get some attention, this is one that I will definitely return to.

#AHIQRED and #UANDUQAL quilt top

UandU Plus Red is a Neutral Challenges

When Sujata published the challenge to use a quilt from Roderick Kiracofe's Unconventional and Unexpected I jumped aboard immediately. Over the years Rod's books and periodicals have been mainstays of my quilting education. So a quilt inspired by one in his collection was exciting.

Then I waffled. Sujata has a great idea. I like that quilt... especially with the lozenge-shaped octagons and quiet colors. Then Maureen showed her progress. Another quilt I'd like to make. In fact, as every quilter has posted her choice I've wanted to make "that one" too.

I saw a quilt Rod posted on Instagram from Eli Leon's collection that he says is in UandU. I couldn't find it; however, I already have red and white strips cut and sewed. They would also work the Red as Neutral challenge.  The strip sets were a Chinese Coins idea that didn't work out. Since then they've been folded in my stash; sorting brought them to light.

Here's what I have to start {plus some assorted unsewn strips.}

Red and white stripes

My first thought was cutting diagonal strips and then cross cutting diamonds... until I realized the stripes will parallel one of the sides rather than run perpendicular to the long axis. On to Plan B. Perhaps my kaleidoscope ruler will help.

Here's what I have now. Only enough for one star. I don't want to make more of these strips.

On to Plan C.

Enjoy the day, Ann

My First Attempt at Red is a Neutral!

I've finished with all the Lattice blocks now and am attempting to figure out the proper layout. You can read more about this quilt over at my blog. This particular quilt is a combined effort of trying to play with the 'Red is a Neutral' and also the UandUQAL challenge of making an Unexpected and Unconventional inspired quilt. 

Throwing the first blocks on the wall....

I feel that there will probably be another Red is a Neutral quilt some time after this one. Sometimes there just needs to be a starting point to get the mind going in the right direction!

NOT a Mystery - My AHIQ Red Project Begins

This is the quilt from Unconventional and Unexpected

that Sujata suggested for the U and U quilt along.

I knew from the beginning that I would not

be making mine in the style of the original,

so I've been waiting to see which direction

my version would take.

In the meantime, I ran across this vintage beauty

photographed by Ann Champion and shared on Flickr.

And my brain immediately leaped to a quilt design

I've made twice before.

This version was named Happy Happy Joy Joy 

(or HHJJ for short) was made 

during the 2016 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

And this version, named Girly Girl,

 was made shortly thereafter

to celebrate our great niece's birth.

In HHJJ, I used strings to fill in the side triangles.

In Girly Girl, I used half square triangles.

So with the design method settled,

I moved on to my waiting fabric pulls.

I had pulled these scrappy pieces

shortly after Bonnie Hunter introduced

her 2018 Good Fortune mystery quilt.

I never planned to make her mystery quilt

but I was drawn to the colors and her inspiration.

This photo was taken by our DIL in the Forbidden City 

during one of her Asian business trips.

It captures Bonnie's inspirational color palette perfectly.

(I even used this photo as my desktop wallpaper 

back when I was working at the law firm)

I also had this fabric pull set aside

for the current AHIQ Red challenge.

Once I started looking, the overlap between the two

was obvious and they quickly became one project

that suits both the UandU QAL 

and the AHIQ Red challenge.

With the intensity of my colors,

it was clear the low volume prints

needed an upgrade.

This long-stashed Marblehead was my choice.

  

I pulled these four fabrics from the stash

to use for the quilt's pieced back.

Initially I was not going to add the narrow strips

along the sides of the center insert.

But when I cut one WOF strip of a well-aged red batik

and laid it alongside the first pieced center segment 

you can see the results -- Those rich red 1" strips 

simply HAD to be part of this quilt.

I'm planning a layout 5 blocks wide x 7 blocks long

for a top that will measure 50" x 70" 

8 blocks made, 27 more to go.

And when I trim the center strips to 4.5" wide,

these marvelous lengths are the cutaways.

I already have a plan to use them 

in another small quilt!

Hooray for the UandUQAL 

and the AHIQ Red challenge

and for shopping my stash to create this project.

Quiltdivajulie