VAST Quilt

Yesterday I finally gave VAST, a quilt three years in the making because I couldn't decide for the longest time what pattern to use with the burgundy and neutral colors, to my sister-in-law, Krissy.  And it had stopped raining earlier, so that I could finally take a picture of her quilt in outdoor natural light.

Quilting in Progress: Constellation

I liked giant half square triangles and the shot cottons I found at the fabric and craft store so much that I'm sewing another VAST quilt.  You can see more of the line of indigo fabrics I bought on the last day of this sale.  

I plotted and planned out as best I could using modern solids in the traditional block called Constellation.

I got on my hands and knees to pin all the blocks below to sew together.  Last night I already stitched the equivalent of two indigo half square triangles....fourteen more half square triangle blocks to go.  I just bought myself a fabulous picnic knife, and this quilt will probably be the throw blanket on which to dine on bread and cheese and fruit on the beach.

VAST Reprise: Constellation

I love how fast the VAST quilt I sewed for my sister-in-law came together and have decided to make one for myself in a palette of indigos, pale blues, gray and white with a pop of mustard.  I also decided I was going to sew a traditional block but on a large scale like the VAST quilt calls for.  I got lucky at Joann's because their premium quilt fabrics and linens are half off.

From top to bottom:  Yarn Dye Winter Sky, Yarn Dye Blue Black Chambray, Yarn Dye Dusk Blue 

Yarn Dye Silver White, Mimosa Linen

I started planning and cutting fabrics and fell so in love with the softness and drape of these fabrics that I ran to Joann's to get even more fabric from the same line for yet another quilt.

From top to bottom:  Yarn Dye Rainy Day, Yarn Dye Light Chambray, Yarn Dye Dark Denim, Yarn Dye Two Stripes

So Little Time, So Many Quilts I Want to Stitch

I signed up for a class and joined an embroidery group at my local quilt studio.  I have extreme attention deficit disorder when it comes to crafting and sewing.  My embroidery instructor also teaches a crazy quilting class, which I declined on the plausible excuse that I don't have the because of my quilting habit.  But then I saw the book below and had to have it.  Of. course.

One of my co-workers has crazy rich friends who are the housewives of Burlingame, California.  And one of them is an interior designer, who had these gorgeous upholstery samples that she was just going to toss.  My co-worker thought of me the crafter who would want these sumptuous fabrics.  Of. course.

Purple and plum ad jewel tones color palette

Mustard, gray, black color palette

An "ocean" color palette

I also have white Korean silk given to me by my global traveler friend, Bob.  It's beautifully raw with slubs, and I want to use it as the "canvas" for the decorative stitches of a crazy quilt to adorn my walls. Sigh.  When though?

Work in Progress: VAST Quilt Sandwich Done!

I finished the straight line stitching of two triangles on my domestic machine last night.  My layers of backing, batting and quilt top last night are finally sandwiched, and so I started cutting fabric for binding.  My Vast Quilt is not perfectly square (a pucker here, a fold there), and I don't care.  Done is better than perfect.

Work in Progress: VAST Quilt

I straight-stitched and matchstick-stitched the center panel on my machine during the work week.

And this weekend I finished hand stitching all the solid blocks....and so my aim this week is to finish straight stitching the print blocks on my domestic machine.

Quilting Progress on VAST

I'm working from the inside to out, and this morning before clay class, I manage to finish the straight line and matchstick quilting of the center panel.