Project Update: 26.08.2021

Hello Friends and Welcome to Another Project Update!

There is now less than one week left of August. Friends, where has the summer gone? Time has been flying past, and I've been sewing and quilting that time away!

Since our last update, I've progressed on several of my ongoing projects, including Simply Woven, the National Quilt Museum's Block of the Month, and of course, the Summer 2021 Mini Quilts Challenge!

So without further ado, onto the Project Update!

Simply Woven

My current, ongoing quilting project, Simply Woven, is progressing as hoped! Since the last update, I've kept to my goal of making progress, even just a small amount, every week! And here's the progress since last time:

As usual, the completed quilting has been marked on my diagram in white. I've quilted an additional three bars into the broken frame design since last time, check out my previous Project Update to see where those were added!

The amount of completed quilting on this quilt doesn't actually look that significant yet, but I am proud of it regardless! I'm looking forward to more quilting progress in the coming weeks, and I'm excited to one day have a second completed quilt!

For anyone who is interested in the Simply Woven pattern, it was designed in 2013 by Jess Kelly of Sew Crafty Jess. The pattern itself is available free on the Moda blog!

National Quilt Museum Block of the Month

While I am still a little behind on this BoM project, I have managed to make more progress than last time!

For the July block, One Day in Summer, designed by Ann Brauer, I've decided to completely deviate from the improvised block in the original instructions.

Last time, I made the decision to completely deconstruct my first attempt at the One Day in Summer pattern. The design I had originally been piecing wasn't quite lining up, and overall, I was quite discouraged by the result.

With only a small amount of effort, that block is now back into fabric strips, and I'm feeling a lot better about the whole situation!

Once the block was back in pieces, I returned my attention to the sketch that originally inspired me to deviate from the instructions (the centre sketch):

I still really love this layout and colour placement, but I know it isn't something I can achieve using the method from the One Day in Summer pattern. Instead, I've drawn up something more in like with foundation paper piecing that I'll be making my block from.

I drew up this full sized diagram with the general idea of colour placement and seam order to act as my instructions as I went along:

However, I do want to preserve some of the improv nature of the original block. I won't actually be following colour and seam placement to the line as shown on the diagram, instead, I've divided the block into chunks (marked by yellow lines) which will be pieced individually in a vaguely improvisational way based on the size and shape of the available fabric pieces. Here's an example of one of my semi improvised chunks:

While working on this chunk, I was in a hand sewing mood, so this one has been arbitrarily sewn by hand. I'm not sure all of the others will receive the same treatment, it will depend on whether or not I find myself back in a hand sewing mood.

Once I've made a few more of these chunks, I can trim them to the shape of the corresponding chunk from the diagram, with additional seam allowance, and assemble them into a completed block. But I'm not quite ready for that yet, we'll have to see what the next update brings in that regard!

As for the August block, En Pointe, designed by MJ Kinman, I still haven't started on the block, but I have continued with my colour planning!

You may remember that last week, I was thinking of abstracting the block a little, but after a few sketches, I find myself appreciating the simplicity of the original block more and more.

Specifically, I like the blue gem on the green background the most! I do think the abstracted version of the block creates a really interesting effect, and I'm really glad I experimented, but for now, I'm quite happy to take the simpler route!

If you're interested in checking out this BoM project for yourself, you can find the free patterns on the National Quilt Museum's website!

Summer 2021 Mini Quilts Challenge

As usual, most of my time these past few weeks has been spent completing mini quilts for my Summer 2021 Mini Quilts Challenge! Check out the original Challenge Announcement post for more information regarding prompts and guidelines.

The last update left us with an incomplete mug rug for the week eight prompt, which I have since completed! Mug rugs are an interesting and recently coined genre of mini quilts used to hold snacks and beverages. While they generally function as a mix of coaster and placemat, they can also be used decoratively or to protect surfaces from objects placed upon them.

My mug rug mini quilt ended up with a secret garden-esque theme, inspired by the many floral prints I found in my stash. I love the effect of the watercolour background with the dark applique overlay!

If you'd like to read more about the making of this quilt, or the research that went into it, check out my Mug Rug Mini Quilt post!

Moving into week nine, I embraced the free motion quilting prompt! Free motion is a method of domestic machine quilting that involves dropping the machine feed dogs so the quilt can be moved in any direction. This directional freedom allows the quilter to make much more complex and detailed motifs without needing to rotate the quilt!

I decided to use this mini quilt as an opportunity to practice some of the motifs I'm planning to include in the March block, Firework, for the National Quilt Museum's BoM. Those motifs include a leaf design and a combination of stacked circles and serpentine lines. The third design, an elongated Lotus motif, was improvised to add more variety to the mini quilt.

The minimalist piecing really lets the quilting stand out on this design and I'm really happy with the finished effect!

Read more about the research and making of this mini quilt by checking out the Free Motion Quilting Mini Quilt post!

Finally, the current mini quilt is in response to the hand finished binding prompt. This is the method I usually use to finish the edges of my quilts, more specifically, I use the double fold binding method. But something I've never done is try to bind a quilt without right angles!

This week, I'm planning to make a hexagonal or octagonal quilt to try using double fold binding to finish a quilt whose corners aren't square!

The pieced design will make use of strips of remnant fabric, I've decided on a black and white colour scheme. To contrast the piecing and help it stand out, I'd like to bind this quilt in a bright colour, though I haven't picked one out yet. Feel free to let me know what colour you think would suit it in the comments below!

To see the finished mini quilt, check back with me on Monday when I release the Hand Finished Binding Mini Quilt post!

That's all for this week Friends! I'm so excited about the progress I've made and I can't wait to continue working on all of these projects!

Let me know what you've been up to by sharing stories and photos in the comments below! I'm always so inspired to see what other creators have been making! If you've made any of the patterns linked above, please share photos and tips if you have any, I always appreciate advice!

To keep up with my projects between updates, feel free to visit me on Instagram, @vafibrearts! I also share post announcements and updates there if you're interested in those!

As always Friends, thank you for joining me for another Project Update! I love sharing my progress on recent projects, even when that progress is minimal, and I can't wait to see what the next update will bring!

Until Next Time Friends, Keep Creating!

VA