My Mom has been purging items from her home for a while now. Among those items were five unfinished Quilts. This quilt was one of the five. To get started with the project I familiarized myself with the pattern’s design, and instructions then worked to get my bearings on which steps were left to complete. From there it was just a matter of time before the bag of parts were assembled into a quilt top.
The quilt, as designed by the author, was supposed to have two borders. I made the decision to only use one. I quilted the body of the French Cottage Garden by echoing around the half-square triangles.
French Cottage Garden Quilt Top
In the border I stitched a continuous line of improv triangles to carry through the quilt’s theme.
French Cottage Garden Closeup
The backing of the quilt is a soft green fabric with a floral design.
French Cottage Garden Back of Quilt
This last photo makes it easier to identify my stitch patterns. With this quilt finished I have only one more to reveal. That quilt shall have it’s day very soon.
Thank you so much for sharing your time. I look forward to our next visit!
From a bag of scraps to a finished item this project has had quite a ride. The top, all by itself, is gorgeous. I just love the soft feel of the fabrics as my fingers lightly stroke their surface. The visual impact of the colors is equally as pleasing. Their varied hues entertain my eyes with an explosive pallet of color.
With three of my senses already engaged, how could this quilt get any better? The answer just has to be quilting! Being the creator of the quilt means I am in-tune with every fiber and every inch of its surface. This connection gives me an advantage when it comes to finishing it. From day one my mind was day dreaming about how I would quilt it. For Bits and Pieces it seemed only natural to compliment its design with straight-lines and geometric shapes.
A Tour
Lets take a look at my Bits and Pieces to see how it turned out.
Bits and Pieces, Art Quilt # 33
I think you will, agree after seeing the above photo, that this is a warm and earthy art piece.
Bits and Pieces, Art Quilt # 33, Closeup # 1
There are so many of my favorite colors represented in the above photo. The bright orange and gold the calming blue and lively green. All of them work together to create a grouping that will continuously draw your eye from one area to another.
Art Quilt #33, Bits and Pieces, Closeup #2
This photo was taken just slightly east of the previous one. The black and white floral fabric is another of my favorites. I like how the author used only two colors to create this striking, organically flowing design. My love for the fabric can be evidenced by its repetitious placement throughout my piece.
Art Quilt #33, Bits and Pieces, Closeup # 3
Many of the blocks within Bits and Pieces morphed drastically from their original versions. The two blocks on the right are great examples. Unfortunately since I failed to document their journey I can’t prove it to you. You will just have to believe me.
Art Quilt # 33, Bits and Pieces, Closeup #4
The area captured in this photo can be found north of the previous snapshots. In the bottom left corner is my reformulated log cabin block. I spoke about the block in more than one of my previous posts. Finding a design that the block and I could agree with was a lengthy process. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on it. This final version is spectacular.
The other blocks in this photo went through their own versions of reincarnation. They too are far more interesting now than their original versions.
Art Quilt # 33, Bits and Pieces, Closeup #5
I love all of the blocks in Bits and Pieces…but if I had to choose a favorite or two, I would nominate these two for that honor. I just adore the bright orange alongside the cooling mist of the blue in the adjacent block. The blue adds pizzazz with it’s bursting white images. Strutting through it’s center is a section of my original strip-pieced fabric.
Bits and Pieces Stripped Pieced Fabric
The orange block, with it’s unevenly pieced borders, sports an interestingly pieced center section. Smack-dab in the center of the block is another section of my strip-pieced fabric.
Art Quilt #33, Bits and Pieces, Backing with its artful quilting
The back of a quilt is not typically something that would draw our focus. From a longarm quilters perspective it’s often the best place to observe our work. With this quilt the solid color allows the abstract stitching to take center stage; there are no patterned fabrics to distract from the design. I’m quite pleased with the reflection I see in my stitching. From this photo can you see that my quilting was just as earthy as the fabrics I aimed to accentuate.
A Privilege
I had so much fun photographing this quilt. The fabrics are just so rich and inviting. I know I went way overboard with the quantity of photos that I took. Because I kept my shutter rolling it was so hard narrowing down the number of photos to share. I know that I have only scratched the surface of the possible angles I could have taken. Thankfully, I’m so very proud to have Bits and Pieces hanging in my entryway where I can see it everyday. Anytime I want to get a closeup all I have to do is pause and allow my eyes to take in the beauty of my Bits and Pieces.
A Slow Rendition
Well, there you have it; the finale of my story about Bits and Pieces. It has taken quite a while to get us to this point. Well-thought-out art develops slowly and so too should the telling of its story. There is no need to hurry along. Hasty renditions loose sight of the many important details and as a result the reader looses touch with the impact the author desires to portray.
Handloom Batik Fabrics
Enriched Experience
I have been so enriched by the journey Bits and Pieces and I have taken. My exposure to the world of improv art has been enriched through this adventure. Having successfully created another art piece, the experience has fanned the flames that fuel my desire to continue on this path. I hope one day to share my enthusiasm for this piece with the owner of Handloom Batiks. She is ultimately the spark that is responsible for the birth of Bits and Pieces. Without her fabrics my piece would not be as rich in texture and interest.
Woohoo! What a Ride!:)
Your Participation Means A Lot
I hope you have enjoyed following along! I love sharing my time with you and receiving your comments. Thank You for being a faithful follower!
For those that just joined in or those that would like to relive my quilt’s journey I have provided links below to the posts that have woven this story. Please enjoy!
Harvest Melody is another one of the unfinished quilts I inherited from my Mom. When I received the quilt the majority of the pattern pieces had already been cut out and some of the components had been stitched together.
Harvest Melody Quilt Pattern Pieces
Picking-up where my Mom had left off I finished assembling the remaining pieces to create the quilt top. The pattern was designed to include more than one border. Rather than attaching all of them I decided to only add one. I used left over fabrics to piece it together.
To quilt Harvest Melody I echoed around the leaves. A pattern of continuous square swirls was stitched in the border. For a binding I used a purple fabric. On the back is a fabric with multiple colored squares. Lucky for me I had this fabric in my stash which is always a bonus. Take a look!
Harvest Melody Quilt Top
Harvest Melody Quilt Top Closeup
Harvest Melody Quilt Backing
Before starting the process of completing this quilt I wasn’t particularly fond of it. The colors in the quilt as well as the pattern are not something I would be drawn to. I am, after all, an improv quilter at heart. However, I must say that my opinion of the quilt morphed dramatically after it was quilted. The designs created by the stitching added a layer of drama that greatly enhanced the quilt’s design. While still not one of my favorites, I am happy with it’s outcome and am honored to have it for my own.
