Disclaimer: Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Accuquilt and Aurifil supplied fabric, batting, dies/cutter and thread for this project.
Welcome to my May Island Batik Ambassador Project – Night Flight. This month’s challenge is sponsored by Island Batik AND Hobbs Batting and is called Make it Modern with Hobbs! The quilt I make should be a crib size or larger quilt, use Hobbs Batting and include some of the qualities that make a quilt modern as defined by the Modern Quilt Guild.
What are some of the qualities of a modern quilt?
– the use of bold colors and prints,
-high contrast and graphic areas of solid color,
-improvisational piecing,
-minimalism,
-expansive negative space, and
-alternate grid work.
I have been playing a lot in Electric Quilt 8*. In addition to playing, I am taking a monthly class with Kari Schell (On Point Quilter) and have learned so much. The above image intrigued me when I was fooling around with half rectangle in a star block. This reminded of the birds that travel near the river we live on – and I often hear the geese flying overhead – even at night. I was surprised by the night flight (though why I was is beyond me). So, back to the quilt – I decided on an 8″ square…because I had Accuquilt* and Sizzix* dies that would work! So, when I finalized the design I needed 9 8″ blocks.
The preparation was pretty easy:
1. Cut 18 HSTs (half square triangles) with my Sizzix Die, #657611*
2. Cut 18 Half Rectangles with my Sizzix Die # 657622*
3. Print 9 paper piecing templates for the small isosceles triangle.
4. Cut 9 rectangles for the body.
I redesigned the pattern you see above, so that the extra blocks were strips in the rows. I figured out the strips I needed and cut 8 1/2″ wide strips to complete the top.
The sewing went quickly and then I had to figure out the quilting. I loaded the EQ image into an editing program and drew designs. In the end, I wanted air currents. So, the quilt was sandwiched, using the 80/20 cototon/poly Hobbs black batting*. This is the second time I used it and I love it for dark quilts. Those yellows really pop against the black an there is no lint on the front of the quilt!!
You can see that I did the air currents at about 3/4″ apart.
Once I did the first air current in a section I used those guides to make the lines consistent. I could have eyeballed it, but why leave it to chance? Almost every walking foot comes with them and I did switch it to the left or right bar depending on which side I was quilting.
What do you think about more quilting? I am indifferent as to whether to add some quilting to flatten the area around the birds. Also, there is not quilting in the birds – should I? Tell me what you think. I wanted to finish and figured I could go back if I really wanted to.
Once this was done I cut my 2 1/2″ binding strips on the Accuquilt Go. It was so fast to cut those binding strips!
Did I make a modern quilt? Indeed I did! Night Flight contains the following elements:
-the use of bold colors and prints,
-high contrast and graphic areas of solid color,
-minimalism,
-expansive negative space, and
-alternate grid work.
I also learned that I can make a modern quilt of my own design! I can quilt with little or no marks on the quilt, I just freely drew these lines in each section – no chalk lines as was my first thought about quilting. This was also one of my quarterly goals, for 2019 Finish Along.
Night Flight 40″ x 40″
Inspired by watching the birds fly near the Malden River and hearing them at night!
Island Batik black, wild things #11803048, and yellow #BE32-C1
Hobbs 80/20 Black Batting
Aurifil white for some piecing
Mettler dark grey for quilting
Sizzix and Accuquilt Dies, Paper Piecing
Coming Soon:
A finished quilt for Hands 2 Help
From Designs to Quilts – how do I do it?
Linking up with:
TGIFF
Finished {or not} Friday
What I Made Monday
Chameleon’s Color Party
Sew Fresh Quilts
2019 FAL Quarter 2
Wednesday Wait Loss
May UFO WIP Challenge Link-up
Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup
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You certainly nailed the modern look, good job!
Thanks, Vicki. The second time around it was much easier and a lot of fun!!
Beautiful and striking, this is really a modern quilt!
Thanks, Anita. It was really fun to make and quilt.
KATHLEEN!!! This just rocks. I love this design, I love the fabrics you chose, I love how you quilted, and most of all, I love that you designed it in EQ8. LOVE this. You might just inspire me to paper piece this . . . or maybe ask you if I can share your design in a quilt-along? Hmmm. Anyhow – this whole project just could not get any better in my mind. ~smile~ Roseanne
You are so sweet. I will be writing a pattern – tester???
What??? EEK – that sounds scary. ~smile~ Roseanne
I like it so much as it is, no more, those flight lines are perfect. This will be so modern, and on a black night sky background, birds fly so well.
Great finish, Kathleen! I think you can just leave the birds as they are; the quilting shows the flight idea well enough, at least to me. You did a modern quilt, for sure. You know I love it, because of the birds.
Thank you so much, Wendy. I do think it is enough quilting for its purpose, but maybe a little more someday when I take it down from the wall – hung it up very quickly!
What a fun quilt, I enjoyed seeing the process you went through.
Thank you! Sorry to be late to respond – a computer change on the 15th boggled my work efforts!
Super cool! I love the quilted air currents. Thanks for linking up to What I Made Monday!
The air currents were really fun to quilt – thanks for the linky party, too!
Cool quilt, Kathleen!!! I love the unique bird shape you came up with. Reminds me of Japanese paper cranes.
The do look like cranes. I kind of think of them as geese, but the color is a bit wrong…
It looks great and the birds are interesting. I probably would have outlined the birds and quilted up to them but not in them. The reason being, I would be afraid of distortion after its laundered.
Thanks, Denise. I did do a straight line around them (not mentioned) and am thinking I may add the lines still. Most likely it will remain a wall hanging and not a baby quilt, so less likely it will be washed, but it is always one of those things to consider isn’t it?
Thank you for linking up. Your quilt will forever be on my page to admire 🙂
That is so much fun! Good luck with the linky. I keep meaning to come up with one…now is the time.
I love seeing this quilt Kathleen! It has even more joy because of seeing it designed in the challenge a month ago or so and now seeing it come to life! I love the way you quilted it. Personally I would quilt something in the birds because I like the quilting even across the quilt.
I love seeing this quilt Kathleen! It has even more joy because of seeing it designed in the challenge a month ago or so and now seeing it come to life! I love the way you quilted it. Personally I would quilt something in the birds because I like the quilting even across the quilt.
This is a great design. Well done. Thanks for linking up with Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday.
What a great take on the Modern challenge. I need to get moving on mine, now that I’m back from Market. Love the quilting. If you wanted to do more in the birds, perhaps something that indicates wings? It’s perfect as is though so not sure if I’d add more or not. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.
Love WWL and sharing with you. Yes, wings was a thought, and one I am still working on. I already hung it, so it will wait a bit.
Well done you! This is a great quilt, and all your own design. I am looking forward to using that black batting too… no lint on the front, that will be a welcome change in the black areas!
I am just catching up from being away. I did enjoy designing this and the black batting is so awesome!
I really love this design, the yellow birds pop off the background and the quilting is a great compliment to the piecing.
Thanks, Cheryl. I really love it and immediately hung it over our bed.