Sunday, July 31, 2011

Wonky is as wonky does

I had an interesting phone conversation this morning with my mother-in-law, who lives in Bendigo. I told her it was cold here in Canberra, and I was going to spend most of the day making a quilt from a pattern and some fabric I'd bought in March. And that I had a lot of kits and patterns-with-fabric that were wallowing in my sewing room and I really wanted to sew them. My mother-in-law is 83 years old and also a quilter. She said she understood what I meant, and that she wouldn't have time to make everything she had kits and fabrics for, and she worried what would become of her own sizable stash once she was gone.

Wow. It was a maudlin conversation, but one that rings true for any of us with a sizable yarn or fabric stash. What happens with our stuff when we are no longer here to enjoy it?

So I went back to my pattern-and-fabric and suddenly hit a wall of frustration. I'd ironed my fabric, and on reading the patterm, templates were mentioned. I don't do templates. Can't stand the things. If I'd read the back of the pattern when I'd first seen it, I would never have bought it.

And then I remembered I had a ruler for patterns such as these. And I decided not to bother using the pattern I'd bought. I was going to go it alone.

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

I'd bought this ruler at a quilt show after attending a demonstration on how to use jelly rolls. And I've never used it before today (and yet I have quite the collection of jelly rolls!)

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

And here's the problem I now had.My fabric, bought on recommendation from the quilt shop I bought the now-rejected pattern from, was a Kaffe Fassett stripe, and it's not at all straight. The stripes are almost freehand, so trying to get a neat intersection between the four pieces was providing impossible. However, I was getting some pretty cool, if not wonky, results.

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

I know there will be people reading this post who will gasp in shock and horror at my non-perfect blocks. But I like them. I'm embracing the wonkiness of them. But I can guarantee that each one will measure 7.25 ".

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

And here's where the design wall comes in. I've mentioned my design wall before, and some of you asked for more information about it. Design walls are all different, depending on personal preference, but mine is a length of flannel fabric, about $11 a metre from Lincraft. I have previously used pellon batting as well. When you hang the flannel or batting up against the wall an amazing things happens when you put a quilt block on it. It sticks. No pins or glue required. It's a quilting miracle. My wall is curently just pinned on the spare room wall with thumb tacks, but eventually I will be making a permanent wall with foam core board and screwing it to my sewing room wall.

Using the design wall means you can see things at eye level. And you can start playing. When I put my 7 completed blocks up, I realised that while they were wonky, they were also a little conformist. So I put some pieces on the wall and mixed them up to see what I had.

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

One block is made of four different cuts, while the other is made of just two. And mixed in with the other "all the same" wonky blocks?

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

It kind of gives the quilt a bit more zing.

In keeping with the wonky theme, I'd decided to make a log cabin border around each block, with each log being a different width. Once the blocks are rotated, they will look off-centre and give, hopefully, an optical illusion of different sized blocks (which they won't be at all). But I had to audition which colour fabric would look best as a background, for the logs.

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

Grey looks pretty good. A little bit industrial, and certainly doesn't look traditional, which is what I'm after.

Wonky squares quilt - the design process

And white looks pretty good too, although I'm not much of a white fabric fan (don't let the fact I have 3.5 metres of the stuff in my stash fool you).

I'm going to leave these on the wall for the day and keep walking past it. As I do so I'll be forming new ideas and rearranging blocks as I make more of them before I put them all together into a quilt. And that's what makes having a design wall such a valuable quilting tool.

20 comments:

  1. I'm here, I'm here! One handed tho as Punk just knocked Spence over on the floorboards & I have a crying bebe & a frazzled mind.... BUT....

    GO THE WONK!! ;)

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  2. OMG I am in love! The wonky blocks are so cool - it's sort of like looking into those old optical illusion telescope thingies (sorry but I have no idea what they're called).
    I've decided to donate all my fabric and supplies to my craft group if something happens to me. At least I know it will all be appreciated!

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  3. SO wonderful to meet another lover of wonk! your wonky blocks are fabulous, i agree with cam it looks like an optical illusion.

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  4. Oh I like the wonkiness of it, makes me think of a kaleidoscope!

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  5. CurlyPops - kaleidescope?

    As for what to do with my stash when I'm gone, massive blog give-away?

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  6. I love the wonk! It looks great. I agree with curlypops it is definitely kaleidescope looking.

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  8. I love the wonk! It gives them movement. And the colours are lovely!

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  9. Really funky and a great colour combo!

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  10. The blocks look great. I think the grey really shows them off.

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  11. It wouldn't be the same without the wonk. Voting white (or lighter grey?) for the extra PUNCH!

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  12. I LOVE the Wonk! I actually love the random placement of them on your wall. Fabulous! (and I know you didn't ask, but I really like the white fabric for the background...and I wonder what yellow would look like?)

    I decided some time ago that I will not die while there is yarn in my stash that I love! Hope that works, heh!

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  13. Love the arrangement on the wall :-)
    The one made from two different fabrics has real POP factor. Each arrangement has that one drawing my eye.

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  14. Great blocks! You could have a look at a dark blue background...

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  15. Oh my how much I love these Michelle !!!! ...I personally love it with the grey, I love the whole industrial look too. Sometimes straight lines aren't always the best - wonky works for me :D ..did I mention I love this..lol

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  16. The wonk is fabulous, without it I imagine it would look rather constrained. I also love the mixed up blocks in there.

    As for stashes, I once inherited a small component of an elderly ladies stash....oh my. I can still recall the look of bewilderment and shock of her husband as he wandered through her 'room'. It made me really conscious of how easy it is to go OVERBOARD. That said my stash is still very considerable...but I'm working on it.

    P.S. The square elephant print zippered boxes I bought from you yonks ago have proven the best school lunch boxes....they fit a sandwich box & a small ice brick perfectly.....my kids love them...have been meaning to say thanks for ages!

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  17. Wonky? What wonky?! It is a work of art. It is so beautiful.

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  18. Loving this and especially how the wonkiness came about. It's gonna be a fabulous quilt.

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