AHIQ 23: What Would You Say?

CCII

I'm continuing the multi-color border around all sides of this quilt but still have doubts. No matter what color is added, it needs something else. Right now it feels like it needs more blue, navy and perhaps purple. But I've cut too many reds. Although the yellow is much lighter, it adds some fun to the pennants. Maybe...

Continuing multicolor outer border, CCII

#AHIQwords

Kaja and I discussed some ideas and I spent even more time wondering what invitation to extend this quarter. We don't want to push specific blocks. Much as I love scrap quilts, this is not a scrap challenge. AHIQ encourages people to look at their fabrics for the story; to step away from perfect purchased designs and instead explore patterns that speak to your own heart, to discover your own voice.

Several times I've written about my desire to try new-to-me techniques. Although I frequently thread write and even quilted school chants over one quilt, I've never pieced or appliqued words. Why? Well, it's time to change that.

I love Janet Stone's abecedaries. Each is so different. I've read she plans to make twenty-six, one for each letter in the English alphabet. Ricky Tims interviewed her for TQS at the 2016 Quilt Festival.

Then there are phrases on quilts. Some, like Audrey at Quilty Folk and LeeAnna at Nifty Quilts, add nouns to the border. Others, like Monica at Lakeview Quilting, piece a poem or joke. Em enclosed one sentence inside another. Lynne at Patchery Menagerie lists many uses for leftover chicken.

Lorina Bulwer embroidered such long messages or protests across her quilts, they appear to be pamphlets.

Of course, you could simply write your name as Gertrude Knappenberger did on this quilt now in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum.

From the American Folk Art Museum collection,
possibly by Gertrude Knappenberger

Let's raise our voices. Consider how different it would be if we actually stated our goal or reason on our quilts instead of waiting to see what others read into it. Whatever way you choose, I hope you'll consider adding letters to a quilt this quarter.

Enjoy the day, Ann

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AHIQ 21 - Two Block Quilt Progress

I've been thinking about a second block for CCII. Oddly alternating choruses: Slow down versus move it along; try something new versus repeat something I can create with ease.

I thought this quilt would look more like Nettie's Stacked Bricks. Instead it's taking on a bright "Freddy Moran-vintage" feel. Like our children, we have many plans for their future but, to be truly successful, they make their own choices.

Stacked Bricks center

Whenever I go to a show or meeting, I think, "If a natural disaster strikes, which one will I save?" Not steal. But I could only carry one. There are so many quilts {and parts of quilts} I admire. Among my favorite quilts are ones with nuance and depth to their work that still appear handmade and touchable. These are the quilts I would save from natural disaster. A trivialization of Sophie's Choice if you will.

What does this have to do with anything? I don't want to copy but rather to let ideas percolate and metamorphose until I find a way to incorporate aspects I admire. Like the suns in Kaja's Little Bird which also remind me of my Cowboy Fireworks made using Sujata Shah's Cultural Fusion Quilts. Kaja's are rectangular and I think she individually cut her rays. How would it work with a stack of fabric instead?

Cowboy Fireworks quilt

What if I made star points instead of sun rays? I have some paper pieced New York Beauties in progress for years. Yes. I still think they're beautiful, still like the colors, and still plan to finish. I don't want to start a second one now. {I can't keep up with the papers already.}

Paper pieced New York Beauty
blocks, still in progress

Several years ago, Tim Latimer made a Suspension Bridge quilt. {His post also includes photos of a housetop quilt in progress and Kaja's been using that block. Hey. It's the circle of life, or at least the circle of coincidence.} What charming awkwardness of the points. He didn't paper piece. But he did write a post about his process: Tim's Suspension Bridge piecing.

So... How improvisational do I want to be? What method will work best for me?

How about you? I'm setting aside a couple of afternoons to read all the posts in detail. Be sure to check in with Kaja for more insight into two-block quilts.

Enjoy the day, Ann

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Neutral Strings Quilt and AHIQ #20

After washing and rebinding this quilt, most of the waviness is tamed. Not gone. It's worked into the interior though and doesn't show as much on the edges.

Love the striped binding. Remember it was printed with bias stripes so it's cut straight but appears to be bias. That straight of grain binding also helps tame waviness.

Neutral Strings baby quilt finished

Quilt Details

Size: 38" x 38"

Design: String

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100% cotton

Thread: Guterman tan cotton

Quilting: Spiral design with walking foot

Oddly, this was the dregs of the scrap bag - what I call the "swash zone" - that stuff you leave each time you empty the bag. It's turned into one of my favorite quilts.

My biggest mistake was pulling the quilt package as the walking foot wound the spiral. I should have placed my hands to offset the bias stretch rather than emphasize it. If I'd done that the quilt would lie as flat as each layer did.

The waviness should continue to wash out at the quilt is used. Fortunately it's designed to be used and washed frequently.

Previous posts:

1. Piecing the top
2. Piecing the back with Stephie's scraps
3.  Spiral quilting

Last quarter AHIQ worked through Chinese Coin variations. Check last month's linkup for enlightening results and ideas by other quilters. I've been preparing for our show, traveling, or fighting a cold most of this month so haven't progressed much on my CCII. I know many of you are still finishing yours and hope you link more this month.

The best news is IT'S KAJA'S TURN to lead the #AHIQ2017Invitational! This quarter she will be sharing an improv method that's been striking her fancy recently. I can't wait to read the details and start learning from this master improvisational quilter. Head over to Kaja's Sew Slowly blog for all the details.

Enjoy the day, Ann

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AHIQ #19

My first Chinese Coins went together so quickly I was sure this next one would, too. Not true. Of course, I don't have a deadline... and I unexpectedly went to a quilt retreat... and our guild show is this weekend and two of my entries weren't done. Why did I insist on entering my current WIPs rather than ones finished last year? Do you do that, too?

CCII is still on the design wall and I make a few triplet sets whenever I need to use up the last bit of thread on a bobbin. Here's what I made last week.

More sets for Chinese Coins II

What have I learned from #AHIQChineseCoins?

First, that I work better tackling one or two ideas than trying to copy a quilt. {I knew this already but it's always reinforced when I try to duplicate something - even my own work. As evidence I present my attempt to copy the petal quilting of a small Spiderweb onto a larger Spiderweb quilt.}

CCI took my niece's color sense, limited the values, and used a stripe effect. I learned why modern quilters prefer solids and white. When dark values are eliminated {or light values for that matter} the remaining fabrics must have some contrast. The print assumes greater importance because fabrics can so easily merge into one another.

Additionally it's hard to combine many neutrals in a soft quilt. Adding tan/brown to the greys and whites just muddied the background. I'm glad I took those out.

Chinese Coins I in soft blues,
yellow, grey and white

I {may have} learned to check twice before hand cutting columns. One of these columns is upside down from my original plan. Probably no one notices but me, yet it slaps me in the face each time I look at the photo. It's hard/impossible to turn hand cut columns. {I wrote 'may have' because this is a frequent mistake. Someday I hope to cease making it and move to a new mistake. Ha.}

I learned that simple walking foot quilting can create an excellent texture.

This quilt reemphasized the need to check several values of binding. Originally a light grey seemed like it would be the best choice but the blue improved the quilt greatly when I tried it.

Walking foot quilting and
blue binding finish a Chinese Coin quilt

I started CCII with the idea of making boxes similar to Timna Tarr's Summer Reading. It was a mistake to pre-plan that far.

Boxing Coins in red

Conversely, after looking over many of the links last month I realized I didn't want to pull random scraps from the bag. Many of yours were scrap-style but still had a planned value or color scheme that greatly enhanced the result.} So far I'm liking the semi-planned effect of blues and greens. Now that I have a large set, I'm ready to add a few more colors. No idea where it will end up.

Beginning Chinese Coins II
by sewing triads of strips

These days I'm always reminded to slow down and finish what I start. I don't have the energy to keep too many quilts in-progress - neither the space in my sewing room nor in my head. Unfortunately that means limiting the classes I take. But I'm also taking time to review my sketchbooks more frequently.


One Final Chinese Coin Link

While the center of this Anna Williams quilt, LII: Strip Quilts, may not be a Coin it gives a strong nod to them.  Irregular blocks of strip sets are joined into three columns. The left column has five blocks while the other two have four blocks. Along the left seam the same fabric matches from the two columns. What a good way to disguise the seam. She incorporated a few short rows of triangles and perhaps some crazy piecing. Take a while to look at the construction.


Thank you

So many of you added excellent links last month. It's enlightening to see how differently we can each approach a simple design. We build confidence in our vision and voices when we attempt new versions.

This month I'm sure there will be even more starts and some finishes to link up. I look forward to reading what you've discovered. Thank you all for accepting this Invitation.

Next month Kaja's introducing another project on her blog. I admire her style and can't wait to see what she plans.

Enjoy the day, Ann

InLinkz removed because it was hacked.

AHIQChineseCoins and AHIQ #18

Can you believe it's been a month since we started #AHIQInvitational?

Originally I called this a challenge but there are enough challenges of every sort in the world right now. So, let's call it something friendlier and more inclusive: an open invitation. For the first quarter of 2017 we hope you'll explore at least one variation of the Chinese Coin design. If this is your first visit, refer to the inaugural post here.

I've been working on a Chinese Coin quilt that will be a housewarming present to my niece. As usual, it's a learning opportunity. There are many variations but I felt she would prefer something quiet and restrained. Her colors are light blue, yellow, grey, and white. {Not my typical style. Not my personal choice of colors. A good challenge on many levels.}

In keeping with a quieter quilt, I used a striped effect. Each column was originally composed of a single pair of blue, yellow, grey or white fabrics pulled from my stash. When those ran out, I took strips from the scrap bag. For the final column (far left) I snapped this photo to help decide between the two lights. The top light is too beige so I used the cream with yellow poppies on bottom.

Columns of Chinese Coins ready to arrange

Once the columns were done I had to work out the order and decide whether or not to add sashing. Here are some of the fabrics I tested. The only one that seemed to add anything to the conversation was a dark grey hand-dyed remnant from Jonathan Shannon. Since that has only enough for one or two sashings, this quilt won't have any.

Some possible sashing choices for Chinese Coins

Moving the blue columns further apart while keeping the soft columns on the outside looks better. Although this top was ready to layer and baste, I realized I'd never shown some of the strip sets that were discarded. 

I thought this top was done

All I did was  position a few strip sets on top for a quick comparison. One is the yellow and brown plaid with floral while the other two were still lurking in the scrap bag.

Chinese Coins quilt top
with darker sections laid on it

They are too dark and dull but made me realize I like the way these block sets break up the long columns. Once they were taken off, the quilt looked awkward. Trying to use good art principles, I positioned variations a quarter or third of the way in rather than at the midpoint. But a good plan for a single column makes a problem when several a sewn together. The middle has a "bare" look and the darker blue column on the left and this middle column change colors at the same point.

I also noticed I sewed the right-hand blue column upside down.  {If I'd sewed that correctly it would have added more coin change variation.} Those seams were cut freehand so there's no turning it now.

After an hour playing with various strips {some of which were too short to use} I finally replaced one section of three. It's easier than it sounds. I unsewed the original trio, sewed a new set, pressed both, overlaid the original on the slightly larger new, and cut the new to fit that shape. No worrying about individual strips; it's the final size of the group that matters.

Replacing a section of one column

And here's the result. A very minor change: two whites substituted for two yellows in the middle. But it adds a bit of change in the middle of the columns.

Chinese Coins quilt top, final arrangement

That middle column still contains only three fabrics: blue, yellow and a Marimekko print. I've only reordered it a bit.

Value has been an object lesson for this quilt. Although they don't cover the entire spectrum, the quieter colors still need a range of values. Another discovery is that prints react differently with lower contrast colors. The grey and white column on the right and the yellow floral and plaids {that I excluded} are cases in point. As yardage these prints appear quite different but when sewed, they blended together more. Some were almost mushy. Value is more important than color.

Now I look forward to reading about your projects. Please include your current work, whether or not it's a Chinese Coins project. Everyone is welcome: beginners to experienced quilters. Over the past year we have noticed a wide diversity of construction techniques and specific areas of interest. It's not just a "photo op." Share what you've learned and join our exploration of improvisational and utility quilting.

Enjoy the day, Ann

InLinkz removed because it was hacked.

AHIQ 2017 Invitational Begins and Linkup 17

Kaja and I plan some changes to AHIQ this year to help newer quilters embrace this movement. Even experienced quilters have written of their diffidence with improvisation so we hope you'll enjoy our Invitational, too.

We invite you join us as we start a new quilt idea {or kernel} each quarter. The first month will introduce our quarterly theme. We'll share our progress the second month as well as our improvisational ideas. There could be finished tops to share by the third month. We hope you will write and link posts on your progress monthly.

Participation in our AHIQ 2017 Invitational is entirely optional. Continue to post your current improvisational or utility quilting, too. It wouldn't be improv otherwise.


#AHIQChineseCoins

I'm starting this party with a Chinese Coins strippy quilt. While making one last year, several more ideas occurred to me, always a good sign. This design can easily combine scrap quilting and improvisation. It's friendly to both traditional and artistic styles, beginners and experienced quilters, and has more variation than you might expect.

Chinese Coins or Roman Coins probably refers to the fact that these highly developed civilizations created standard coins quite early. At its most basic, rectangular scraps sewn together like stacks of coins form columns. These are sashed with lengths of a single fabric... or not.

There are few exact instructions. The strips can be any width or height as can the sashing and these can vary from one column to the next. You can even omit the sashing. Columns can be turned vertically or horizontally. I've seen strip columns made of crazy piecing, UFO blocks, and selvedges. {Some people would classify these types as strippy quilts but let's be more general.} Repeating the sashing fabric in some of the strips gives an open grid design.


Traditional Example

This is a philanthropy quilt I made years ago. The sashing was cut from a single striped Halloween fabric. Six-inch-wide coins of various heights were sewn together randomly until they matched the length of the Halloween fabric. Everything was cut with rotary tools. Notice the same fabrics appear in each column.

Halloween Chinese Coins scrap quilt

Improvisational Example

Next is a more improvisational version of Chinese Coins. Each column contains only one of three sets of fabric. Many of these came from my scrap bag but there are also remnants and yardage in it. I used both rotary tools and scissors to cut the strips. Once the columns were sewn, I butted them together to trim overlap and determine where vertical strips were needed to fill empty spaces. More notes about this quilt on posts listed here.

Chinese Coin Improv string quilt

More Examples Across the Internet

Here are a variety of quilts that push the boundaries of Chinese Coins classification. Some are more improvisational than others. Most of them have additional aspects so their makers may not consider them Chinese Coins. I group them because they have a basic design of stacked strips in columns (or rows).

Sometimes the simplest construction highlights the most masterful quilting. These are listed first because of their straightforward {basic} construction. But make no mistake. Each of these is a masterwork of fabric, layout, and style.

Chinese Coins by Freddy Moran, used with permission. Photo by M Beach

1. Freddy Moran made this Chinese Coins with her signature colorful fabric.
2. Gina Abayan of the Philippines created her quilt from solid fabrics only. She rotated her work 90 degrees so the coins are vertical. Her columns (now rows) appear to be hand-cut but about equal width.
3. Wanda at Exuberant Color also rotated hers. She organized her printed fabrics by value so well that you can almost see the sun highlighting this quilt.
4. Cassandra Ellis lists the variety of "found fabrics" used in Katie's Quilt in her post. It's also rotated. {Am I seeing a theme?}
5. Edeltraud Ewert created one of my favorites which seamlessly crosses boundaries between traditional, improvisational, and even modern. Art at it's best.

Applique can easily be incorporated into this design.

1. All a Flutter by Judy Crane appliques trees, leaves, and birds on a Chinese Coin background. Notice the strips are divided by color and the coins are rotated again.
2. Mel Beach used a McCall's pattern to applique cheerful floral vines with cute buttons on the sashing between her Coins. As usual, her color sense delights.

If you want to try more challenging improvisation or think Chinese Coins is too simple, look at these three quilts.

Build Me a Wall by Kaja Ziesler, 2016 (Used with permission.)

1. Kaja's Build Me a Wall incorporates vertical strips (rather than sashing) and reverse applique squares into a basic columnar Coin layout. Her middle section divides into two columns at the top. Notice the visibility of each column despite the fabric repetition. The vertical seams create their own boundaries. Her borders unify the composition without encasing it.
2. Sue Kelly recently made a top based on Point Reyes seashore. Her final version reminds me of horizontal Chinese Coins with sashing strips in several colors and widths.  
3. Nettie Young of Gee's Bend created Stacked Bricks in 1928. Her quilt is composed of rotated double brick (or coins) columns that are sashed and posted.

Do you need still more inspiration? Check out my Chinese Coins Pinterest board or Google "Chinese Coins", "Stacked Coins", or "Strippy quilts."


Getting Started

Although we are approaching this improvisationally, I was planning to write instructions to aid beginners until I found Mary Johnson at MaryQuilts and HeartStringsQuiltProject already posted great directions. Her traditional version guides you through the basic construction.

1. Overview on Chinese Coins quilt.
2. Construction directions.

How much fabric? Assuming a 50"x60" quilt {without borders or sashing} and 2"x5"finished coins, you will need between 2.75 and 3 yards of fabric. Changing the coin sizes, adding sashing, or any other variations will alter the yardage requirements.

Are you in? Then go through your scraps, remnants, and yardage for the colors and fabric that speak to you. Try sewing some coin blocks or units. You don't need to sew an entire column all at once. Let's meet back here next month to share where we are, what we've discovered, and any questions we have.

Be sure to tag your photos with the hashtags #AHIQ2017Invitational and #AHIQChineseCoins so everyone can find them more easily on social media.

Enjoy the day, Ann

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