A quilting interlude
Jul. 1st, 2007 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voxwomanSo I planned this quilt for my MIL, because "it's her turn" for a quilt, and she's done above and beyond this year for us (and all the other family members who have also gone that extra mile for us already have quilts by me.) It's a pretty complex Drunkard's Path king-sized quilt and I spent hours in Illustrator creating this layout so I have a reference when I start putting blocks together:
And these are not close to the colors of the fabrics I really have for this quilt, but it's the closest approximation I could get using web-safe GIF colors. There are slightly less than 500 blocks in this quilt. I figure it will be ready to give to her by Yule if I start in August sometime. I've prepped the fabrics (prewashing and ironing), and I have the template. I may start cutting the pieces this month, if I get the baby quilt for my friend out of the way (more on that one, later).
After the evening spent torturing myself with Adobe Illustrator, I decided to look into quilt design software. I had heard of some on the quilting shows I watch. So I splurged and bought myself EQ6 (Electric Quilt - not EverQuest!), and it's been as much of a time sink as any RPG. So far I have a handful of designs from just farting around with the tutorial and some standard blocks. Here, let me show you:
I really like that one, and I intend to make it at some point... once I acquire the fabric that is either the match for the ones in the software, or close enough. This is going to be harder than you might think, because I'm down to one quilt store within (reasonable) driving distance - my favorite store (I just found out) has gone out of business.
The thing about the software is that it's got a fabric library that has tons of popular fabrics (many I actually have in my stash!), and you can effortlessly swap fabrics and play with color. So, I also designed this wall hanging, using the same 2 blocks as the quilt above:
I realized later on that I was being influenced by my visit to Alex Grey's gallery last week withsaminz. He uses these kinds of color juxtapositions.
But of course, I'm not working on any of these immediately. No, the next quilt I'm making is for a coven sister's baby (due around Samhain). I designed that quilt on EQ6 as well, but it's going to look way better in person than in the program. It's a Rail Fence block (pretty simple to construct), but of course I have to make things difficult for myself and use 36 different fabrics in it (which I just went and selected at the local JoAnne's Fabric and Crafts store, which does not have the best selection in the world, but they're a chain and still open). I am actually going to try to make 2 of these at once (at least the quilt top) so if it turns out good, I'll have something to either show at a quilt show, or sell if someone comes along looking for a baby quilt. Anyway, here it is:
The colors in the real fabrics have a much better gradation to them. I will post pictures as I actually complete these various projects. It might take a year or so, but then again, maybe not. I do have a dedicated quilting room, now, and it's got a TV in there...
And these are not close to the colors of the fabrics I really have for this quilt, but it's the closest approximation I could get using web-safe GIF colors. There are slightly less than 500 blocks in this quilt. I figure it will be ready to give to her by Yule if I start in August sometime. I've prepped the fabrics (prewashing and ironing), and I have the template. I may start cutting the pieces this month, if I get the baby quilt for my friend out of the way (more on that one, later).
After the evening spent torturing myself with Adobe Illustrator, I decided to look into quilt design software. I had heard of some on the quilting shows I watch. So I splurged and bought myself EQ6 (Electric Quilt - not EverQuest!), and it's been as much of a time sink as any RPG. So far I have a handful of designs from just farting around with the tutorial and some standard blocks. Here, let me show you:
I really like that one, and I intend to make it at some point... once I acquire the fabric that is either the match for the ones in the software, or close enough. This is going to be harder than you might think, because I'm down to one quilt store within (reasonable) driving distance - my favorite store (I just found out) has gone out of business.
The thing about the software is that it's got a fabric library that has tons of popular fabrics (many I actually have in my stash!), and you can effortlessly swap fabrics and play with color. So, I also designed this wall hanging, using the same 2 blocks as the quilt above:
I realized later on that I was being influenced by my visit to Alex Grey's gallery last week with
saminz. He uses these kinds of color juxtapositions.But of course, I'm not working on any of these immediately. No, the next quilt I'm making is for a coven sister's baby (due around Samhain). I designed that quilt on EQ6 as well, but it's going to look way better in person than in the program. It's a Rail Fence block (pretty simple to construct), but of course I have to make things difficult for myself and use 36 different fabrics in it (which I just went and selected at the local JoAnne's Fabric and Crafts store, which does not have the best selection in the world, but they're a chain and still open). I am actually going to try to make 2 of these at once (at least the quilt top) so if it turns out good, I'll have something to either show at a quilt show, or sell if someone comes along looking for a baby quilt. Anyway, here it is:
The colors in the real fabrics have a much better gradation to them. I will post pictures as I actually complete these various projects. It might take a year or so, but then again, maybe not. I do have a dedicated quilting room, now, and it's got a TV in there...
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Oh - WOW...
Date: 2007-07-02 12:49 pm (UTC)I'm sure your "drunkard" design will look splendid, too - but this pink is just awfully distracting ;-).
The "Alex Grey" one: Looks terribly dark on my monitor... Does it make an "infinite"? Beautiful :-)!
Re: Oh - WOW...
Date: 2007-07-02 06:40 pm (UTC)Re: Oh - WOW...
Date: 2007-07-03 12:09 pm (UTC)GORGEOUS!!!
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 04:31 pm (UTC)Hmm... quilting shops. Sounds like a three-day jaunt to Wisconsin might be in order. I can think of five or six within a stone's throw. :D
no subject
Date: 2007-07-02 06:38 pm (UTC)There is a great quilt store near my mother's old house - I dropped a lot of money there when we were closing her house and selling it, because I knew we weren't coming back.