Bee Blocks - November

Heather Flegel asked the Hope Circle of Do. Good Stitches to create Half Square Triangles with Stitch & Flip Triangles. I began with four 5" chartreuse and Kona white Half Square Triangles. Then I added stitch and flip triangles to the white halves in her selected color scheme. All the other 9" blocks with have monochromatic centers surrounded by white, with Stitch and Flip Triangles in assorted coordinating colors.

Jill Fisher of Pie Lady Quilts asked the New Blogger Bee to create two improv trees using the tutorial at Pinkadot Quilts. There were no size parameters, and due to the free-pieced nature of the process, every tree will be unique. Jill requested a low volume background.

My greatest challenge wasn't the improv piecing; it was putting together the pieces after my children decided it would be fun to toss them into the air like confetti. At least my directional birds gave some indication as to how the pieces should be reassembled. Next time I do slice and insert, I'm doing a single slice at a time.

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 6

Welcome to my sixth installment of inspiration from the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX. Descriptions were written by the artists.

Homage by Jacquie Gering

This quilt was made as an homage to teacher and artist Josef Albers. His book Interaction of Color has been a touchstone as I have learned about color and explored color. The quilt illustrates the color principle of making one color appear as two.

Fissures by Debra Jeske

The blocks were begun in a class on the slice and insert technique. I chose to group them together and surround them by plenty of negative space. The line of each of the solid green "sticks" was extended out to the edges, and the wonky spiral quilting emphasized those lines. More spirals were done in each section of the blocks to help the "sticks" stand out.

Entropy by Elisa Albury

My original idea for this quilt was the shapes and negative spaces that are created when dropping a container of ice cream sprinkles.

Made for inclusion in Minimal Quiltmaking by Gwen Marston (AQS 2014). I explored the concept of minimal design using these elements: unbleached muslin combined with small scraps, all set with the simplest units - the humble square. The quilt is simultaneously chaotic and ordered, a fabric representation of both expansion and contraction.

Citrus Wedge by Jennifer Carlton Bailly

Citrus Wedge was the first quit that I made just for me out of my favorite colors. Inspired by citrus fruit, I played around with a true quarter circle and scraps. Raiding my friends' fabric stashes to make sure this stayed truly scrappy, not one fabric is repeated. The bottom left red square is my signature. In every quilt I make, you'll find a red square.

Spiced Chai Quilt by Katie Blakesley

Traditionally, a full quilt of Tea Leaf blocks would start with a standard quilt layout of repeating blocks set in a grid with sashing in between them. In this case, a few key design changes - eliminating the sashing, using a larger than standard 12.5" block, and rotating several of the blocks so they aren't all facing the same direction - update this quilt for the 21st century. The quilt's neutral palette with a few pops of color creates dramatic focal points.

Didn't Get the Memo by Alissa Carlton

These improvisational pieced triangles lend movement to the quilt design. The quilting lines follow the edge of each triangle, and that one lil' orange triangle didn't get the memo that it is navy/gray day!

If you missed out on the first five posts, here they are:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 

Part 4

Part 5
Don't forget to get in on my giveaway too!

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase: Part 5

Have you seen my previous MQG Showcase posts? If not, feel free.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 

Part 4

My epic giveaway is another not-to-be-missed post, in case you're catching up on your blog reading or stopping by for the first time.

Modern X by Christa Watson

X marks the spot wit this bold, graphic quilt! I challenged myself to make a modern quilt from simple shapes iwi than obvious focal point. The pop of green draws the viewer in, and the minimalist quilting emphasizes the design.

Back to Basics by Meslissa Corry

This bold geometric design might look random, but take a closer look and you will see all kinds of secondary patterns start to emerge. I created this quilt for the Riley Blake Basics Modern Quilt Guild challenge. As the challenge was focused on basics, I designed this quilt using my three favorite basic quilting units, Half-Suare Triangles, Flying Geese, and the good old Square. The quilted spiral seemed like the perfect way to finish it off and soften all of those sharp points.

Summer Break by Amy Anderson

A desire to explore minimalist ideas combined wit ha need for a baby gift resulted in this quilt.

Off Center by Charlotte Noll

This quilt ws was designed for t he modern Quilt Guild Riley Blake Challenge. I added chevrons to the supplied challenge fabrics which have a white background. The front is appliquéd, the back is pieced. I machine quilted it with free-motion double lines.

Amazonia by Nathalie Bearden

When I was a child growing up in Brazil, I spent much time dreaming of adventures in the Amazon rainforest. For years, I read books about this magical land of undiscovered tribes and beholder of secrets to cure many diseases. I am grown now, and while my childhood dreams never came true in reality, in the imaginary, the dreams are alive. Amazonia is a modern quilt creation, my minimalist take on the mystical jungle. The gradated hues represent what one might find in the Amazon: ochre for the dirt and bark, green for the vast leaf canopy of the trees, white for the few rays of light that fight to penetrate the dense vegetation, and blue for the beautiful skies.