String Tulips Quilted, Bound, and Mailed

 Kaja prompt will be challenging for me since I strongly prefer symmetrical bed quilts. But before starting the new one, I wanted to finish the previous prompt. {Could there be a more symmetrical quilt than this?} It's served its purpose as a sample for the QAL. And friends of my son would like a baby quilt. It needed to be quilted... and bound,.. and signed... and washed... and mailed. All those small steps that weigh us down. Done and dusted.

String Tulip baby quilt 3

Since I didn't trim the fabric behind the tulips, it's pretty thick there making it difficult to quilt.  The decision was simply outlining near the major seam lines. The white background is stippled/doodled. Not terribly close together but there's only one start and stop in that section. {I hate burying lots of threads when I can avoid it.}  

String Tulip 3 stipple quilting detail

The ESS blocks are free-hand quilted in a zig zag design that moves easily from one to the other because nothing shows in all this busy-ness. 

String Tulip 3 zig zag quilting detail

The outer border is a free-hand loop. And it's done.

Three purple {approximately} half yard pieces sewn dark to light create a simply back. Not clever but an easy way to use up some leftovers that also adds more color. Because this quilt was so quiet... ;-)

String Tulip 3 quilt back

Thanks for playing along with the String Tulip QAL. 

Ann

Forty-Six - the Flimsy

And then, 

after all of the machine appliqué was completed,

 there was a flimsy on the design wall.

(no fusible was used - 

just lots of pins to hold the shapes in place)

I'm very pleased with the string pieced tulips

and the way they sway back and forth.

Their consistent stems

and pairs of scrappy leaves make me happy.

* * *

The top finished at approximately 48" x 60"

Quilting will happen later this year.

Quiltdivajulie

Forty-Six - Moving Forward at Last

Suffice it to say that I have spent HOURS and HOURS of time

pondering the seemingly millions of options for completing

the current AHIQ String Pieced Tulips QAL challenge.

I don't do hand appliqué so that route was not an option.

I've made dozens of string quilts including my Dumpster Diving series.

Which left the concept of tulips as the remaining challenge focus for me.

But with my chosen color palette inspired by the glorious images

from January 20, 2021, I was stumped over how to incorporate

all of them into a coherent whole.

So what am I going to do?

1.  Edit my palette.

2.  Honor my own way of doing things as well as the squirrel in me.

3.  Stop pondering and start making.

Step one was to edit my palette.

This large wall of pieced-together light blues

caused a massive attack of "blank journal page syndrome"

aka utter creative paralysis.

So it has been folded like yardage and put back on the stash shelf.

The colors that struck me the most on Inauguration Day

were those worn by Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, and Amanda Gorman

namely their aqua/teal/turquoise, purple, and that glorious yellow.

So the dark blues, pinks, creams, and reds were returned to the stash shelves.

But with several hundred inspiration images still haunting me,

now what?

Step two involves honoring my inner squirrel.

So I pulled another project from the gestation closet - 

one that featured even more inspiration from this book 

and that project's stack of  aqua/turquoise yardage.

By combining that project's ideas/yardage with Forty Six's challenge

and my own sensibilities, I have finally found my path forward.

I sorted through that box of hastily cut strips,

removing the reds, blues, creams, pinks, and blue violets

leaving only the red violet, yellow, and aqua/turquoise groups.

Step three involves MAKING instead of more thinking.

I will make the tulip centers from these newly-string-pieced yellow slabs.

I will make the left and right tulip petals from

the newly-string-pieced red violet slabs.

The stems and leaves will logically be from the basket of scrappy greens.

All of these will then be machine appliquéd in place.

 I will make my background blocks from this range of yardage - 

meaning those boxes of leftover teal/aqua/turquoise strips in the previous photo

 will go back to the closet for future Etcetera projects.

While any backing choice is still up in the air 

I plan to use this colorful batik for binding.

* * *

I cannot tell you how good it feels to have forward momentum again!

Quiltdivajulie

Month 2 of String Tulip QAL

 Welcome to the second month of the #AHIQStringTulipsQAL. How did the first month go? I anticipate many inventive variations of the ESS blocks. And explosions of color and creativity. 

Three people have already shared the blocks they've finished to date. Look at them all and compare how the choices they made change this block. Each has interpreted the basic directions to suit herself. None is "more right" than the others. It's simply a matter of choosing your own way.

1. Sharon at ascensionheart already finished all her ESS blocks. Wow. Her light sides make the Xs stronger and the colors are bright and cheerful.
2. Maureen posted hers here and on MysticQuilter. If you read her blog you'll know she's a master gardener and it shows in the sophisticated prints and selections that make her Xs look like flowers in bloom.
3. Kaja's blocks frequent use ofa  blue and white gingham at or near the center strengthens her design. She was the most free in the placement of her values. Notice how the Xs weave from side to side depending on her placement of lights and darks.

This time we'll decide on the center background, and cut and sew the tulips. More thinking this month and a bit more time to finish the ESS blocks. 

String Tulips quilt

Size the Center

Before making tulips, we need to calculate the size of the center of the quilt and choose a background that works with the borders. Remember we are working like a kawandi - from the outside in. Measure your blocks to determine the center size. For my baby quilt, the sum of four string blocks finished is the finished size of the center. Add seam allowances. 

Then add another inch or two because sewing the appliqué often causes the base fabric to shrink a bit. Just remember to re-square the center when the the appliqué is finished. {I learned that from Audrey. Thanks!}

My blocks are 5.5" unfinished or 5" finished. Four of them equals twenty inches finished or 20.5" for the unfinished length. I cut my center 22" and marked a 20" perimeter with washable marker inside it to locate the maximum extent of appliqué. If it pulls the center in, there will still be a bit more "open space" before that seam; i.e., the final seam will be between the marked line and the outer edge.

Choose the Background Fabric

Over-planning kills creativity. My quilts are more creative when I just play with the strings first. The end result is much freer than if I plan the center and try to match strings to it. So now that you have a free-spirited collection of blocks, look through all your stash with open minds for unconventional and unexpected combinations... as Rod would say.

A twenty-two inch square is larger than a fat quarter. Some choices. 

1. Use a larger piece of fabric like String Tulips 1 which I cut from 2/3 of a yard.
2. Piece the background from a single fabric like String Tulips 2 where I sewed the extra width from a half yard to enlarge the background.
3. Piece several different fabrics together. These could be four quarters or an off-centered arrangement. Audrey’s Seedpod quilt is a lovely example. 
4. Sash the center.
5. Think of another way yourself.

Lay the ESS blocks around an open center and place different fabrics inside until you find one {or more} that pleases you. It's surprising what pops so try many values and colors. Don't worry about the tulips until the background is settled.

Create Tulip Templates

Because the crossed tulips are radially symmetrical, I only needed a quarter of the design {in my case that's ten inches of paper} to plan my tulips. I taped two sheets of graph paper together, marked off the side measurements and added a main diagonal to keep it symmetrical.

I wanted three separate petals that filled up most of the space. My working sketch shows how I enlarged the tulip repeatedly to fill the area and create larger outer petals. If you don't want such full-blown tulips, adjust your sketch. Paper is cheap.

Tulip sketch fills
a quarter of the center

If you choose to use leftover ESS blocks as your side tulip petals {as I did}, double check that the templates {and seam allowances} fit inside a scrap block by laying them out and making sure there's room for the seam allowance. Here's mine laid over a string block on my light table. 

Checking template size against ESS block size

Once the tulip looked okay, fold the sketch along the diagonal and cut both sides at once, choosing the side that looks better to you as the cutting template.  Or make both sides different. You're the designer here.

Tulip template folded and cut

Trace that tulip on a new sheet for backup. Adjust as needed. {That's where the copy came in handy.}

If you want room for additional applique {such as those circles, leaves, or birds which may be centered between two quadrants} make the tulip smaller.  If you don't want to use ESS blocks for a petal, the templates can be longer. A narrower center template will draw the tulip together. 

Templates with seam allowances on all sides

When you're satisfied, cut your template into the three pieces, trace them, and add seam allowances. If you choose to raw-edge applique your tulips, they only need seam allowances between the petals themselves.

You are welcome to use my tulip template for a twenty-inch center. Cut and add seam allowances as required.

Pick Tulip String Colors/Values 

Consider what values will show up best on your background. The green and chartreuse center of String Tulips 1 is a dark medium which meant the tulips needed to be much darker or lighter to contrast. The medium values of most of my ESS blocks got lost. So I sewed more blocks before making all the tulip petals. {That's how the black tulips were born.} On the other hand, lighter tulips fit String Tulips 2. No new blocks were needed. 

My current ESS blocks work well with the pink background but the prepared tulip {in the middle} gets lost. If I want to use this background, the tulips should include strips like the dark set or possibly the whites. 

Strip choices for tulips
against a pink background

Determine Strip Direction

Most antique tulip quilts run the strips across the petals but I ran them vertically the length of the petal. What would other directions look like?

Tulip petal template on ESS block

Warning 1: Because several seams crowd the bottom of the tulip, vertical seams can make it difficult to turn a seam allowance on the outer edge. If you choose vertical strips, try to space them so bulky seams are minimized. Remember there are two more seams when you sew the three pieces together.

Warning 2: The 1.5" rule for the corners of ESS blocks applies here, too. Is there enough room to turn the last string under or will it just be multiple seam allowances?

The center petal can be more strips running the same direction or perpendicular. Or it can be a single piece of fabric. {I chose the latter.}

Pin the templates to your fabric or strip sets and cut them out. OR sew new strips on top of each of the eight petals, remembering that the side petals of each tulip are mirror images. 

Two string tulip petals,
back of left side and front of right side

Prepare the Tulips

Sew the side petals to the center petal. Pin together matching start and ending points. Start a few stitches from the first pin and backstitch to it. 

Backstitch at the beginning
and end of the seams

Then sew straight to the final pin and backstitch a few stitches. This stabilizes the sewing and makes turning the seams under an easier task. 

Stabilized seams with
more ease to turn seams

I folded and pressed seam allowances around the tulip. I like the end result but it is bulky. There are many other choices. You can needle turn the tulips, finish with raw edges, sew them interfacing and turn. What else? Use a method you like.

Tulip on light background

Next month we'll attach stems and tulips to the background. In the meanwhile, play with your ESS blocks and choose an exciting background. Then seriously consider the strips that would create a showy tulip. 

These directions are posted here and on my personal blog, FretNotYourself.

 There are many ways to imagine the center. Consider what else you want to add and make sure you have enough room. There was a beautiful applique quilt from Pennsylvania at the American Folk Art Museum a few years ago. Do any of these motifs strike a spark with you? Would your tulips prefer to be in a vase or set individually? 

Have fun! Ann

AHIQ Prompt January 2021: String Tuliip QAL

A new year means a new promt. As always, many ideas run through my mind but something different kept coming to the top. Repeated comments about the angled strings and the tulips gave me the idea for a quilt along instead of a prompt. So this time, let's have an Electric Socket Shock QAL. I was asked if there's a pattern. Answer: Of course not. I was making it up every step of the way. But it's a simple variation of a string quilt and those are always useful for clearing out the scraps. And it will force me to write something down.

Electric Socket Shock quilt

I'll start writing guidelines for us and we'll head out. Remember, they are merely suggestions. Change anything you want or go in a completely different directions. That's why we love improv.

Interestingly the tulip quilts were constructed like kawandi. I started with the border and worked my way in. So we will do the same with this QAL. We will start with the string blocks and then move to the string tulips. You can make one or both parts and add your own variations. 

String Tulips quilt

My previous quilts are about 40" square - baby quilt sized but you should choose a size that works for you. The final size will determine how many blocks you need to make. And BTW, my blocks were 5.5" unfinished/ 5" finished. Feel free to change those up, too.

You'll need assorted strings and scraps, about 2/3 yard for the background {more if you make a larger quilt}, and some leftover binding for the tulip stems. Or you can pull from your stash. Or go shopping. I also used newsprint for a base. You can do that, or nothing. If you sew with a fabric base, you should increase your seam allowances due to the extra bulk.

This is posted here and on FretNotYourself. Are you in? Let me know in the comments. If it's a go, we will start sewing next month and continue monthly.

Enjoy the day, Ann