Think...Fast!
My notes for this quilt said, "Do whatever it needs" - loose custom.
Translation: make it look good, but don't spend too much time on it!
First, I ditched the idea of ditching, opting to do only one round inside the black border, and no more. (Just enough to stabilize the quilt, along with pin basting.)
I then chose fillers that were fast and hit close to the seams to help nail them down.
A triangle filler I'd learned from Angela Walters worked perfectly in these giant geese!
The back looks really cool! It caught my eye as I folded the quilt after trimming.
Here is the top BEFORE quilting:
And here it is AFTER quilting:
(oops! fold marks will disappear once the quilt is washed!)
And, done. :-)
It worked!
My lino cut experiment (started in this post) has become a small art quilt!
When I carved my block, I imagined the horse overlooking a water scene. As it happens, I'd done some indigo dyeing last summer and had the perfect fabric for my idea.
After printing and painting, the fabric looked promising.
The challenge became one of integrating the printed block into the rest of the scene.
First, I divided the space into pleasing proportions, with the lake becoming the intended focal point. Collaged squares and rectangles repeat the shapes of the quilt and print block, unifying the print with the rest of the piece. A little quilting helped to set the scene.
Here is the statement that goes with the piece:
You Can Lead a Horse to Water
The appearance of poisonous weeds in the foreground is a hint that more may be happening under the surface of the seemingly placid water. Or perhaps they are just weeds.
Warning - deep thoughts ahead!
As I worked, I was thinking of the toxicity of textile production on our water system - which is also why I incorporated "rescued" upholstry fabric as collaged elements to try and reduce wasting what was "costly" to produce. Blue is the most toxic dye colour to produce, yet to us it represents the sparkle of fresh water. These thoughts found their way into the piece and its statement, as did the idea that the situation is easy to ignore because textile manufacturing tends to happen on the other side of the world. Maybe the water is fine. (and as a quilter, ironically, I know I'm part of the problem...)
Also Fresh off the Frame
I couldn't decide which picture to add of the next quilt - the floating illusion is so cool! - so I added two.
House Update
We are on the home stretch (ha! "home" stretch!) with the new place, and anticipate starting our move at the end of the month. ONE MONTH!!!
Okay, deep breath. deeep breath....
Client quilts (and related paperwork) will move directly into a designated studio closet where they will be safe while the rest of the household is moved. Their care will be my priority, as always.
I'm still happily accepting quilts from people, with the understanding that quilting will be put on pause for a couple of weeks at the beginning of May.
I'm probably going to regret ignoring the need to pack until the last minute, but that's my plan.
We will be moving everything ourselves, so it's going to drag on longer than it would if we hired someone - BUT - it just seems too ridiculous to pay a couple of thousand dollars to move one block away!
We've done this before, and can do it again.
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
My notes for this quilt said, "Do whatever it needs" - loose custom.
Translation: make it look good, but don't spend too much time on it!
 |
| Client quilt FreshofftheFrame.com |
First, I ditched the idea of ditching, opting to do only one round inside the black border, and no more. (Just enough to stabilize the quilt, along with pin basting.)
I then chose fillers that were fast and hit close to the seams to help nail them down.
 |
| client quilt FreshofftheFrame.com |
A triangle filler I'd learned from Angela Walters worked perfectly in these giant geese!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
The back looks really cool! It caught my eye as I folded the quilt after trimming.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Here is the top BEFORE quilting:
 |
| Client quilt, BEFORE FreshofftheFrame.com |
And here it is AFTER quilting:
(oops! fold marks will disappear once the quilt is washed!)
 |
| Client quilt, AFTER FreshofftheFrame.com |
And, done. :-)
It worked!
My lino cut experiment (started in this post) has become a small art quilt!
When I carved my block, I imagined the horse overlooking a water scene. As it happens, I'd done some indigo dyeing last summer and had the perfect fabric for my idea.
 |
| Water challenge in progress FreshofftheFrame.com |
After printing and painting, the fabric looked promising.
The challenge became one of integrating the printed block into the rest of the scene.
First, I divided the space into pleasing proportions, with the lake becoming the intended focal point. Collaged squares and rectangles repeat the shapes of the quilt and print block, unifying the print with the rest of the piece. A little quilting helped to set the scene.
 |
| You Can Lead a Horse to Water, by Carole Gold FreshofftheFrame.com |
You Can Lead a Horse to Water
The appearance of poisonous weeds in the foreground is a hint that more may be happening under the surface of the seemingly placid water. Or perhaps they are just weeds.
Warning - deep thoughts ahead!
As I worked, I was thinking of the toxicity of textile production on our water system - which is also why I incorporated "rescued" upholstry fabric as collaged elements to try and reduce wasting what was "costly" to produce. Blue is the most toxic dye colour to produce, yet to us it represents the sparkle of fresh water. These thoughts found their way into the piece and its statement, as did the idea that the situation is easy to ignore because textile manufacturing tends to happen on the other side of the world. Maybe the water is fine. (and as a quilter, ironically, I know I'm part of the problem...)
Also Fresh off the Frame
 |
| Client quilt - Whirlpool panto (reminds me of wind - perfect for pinwheels!) FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Client quilt - Ripples panto (something swirly!) FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Client quilt - sorry for the fold lines! It's lovely and flat, and the floating illusion is super! FreshofftheFrame.com |
House Update
We are on the home stretch (ha! "home" stretch!) with the new place, and anticipate starting our move at the end of the month. ONE MONTH!!!
Okay, deep breath. deeep breath....
Client quilts (and related paperwork) will move directly into a designated studio closet where they will be safe while the rest of the household is moved. Their care will be my priority, as always.
I'm still happily accepting quilts from people, with the understanding that quilting will be put on pause for a couple of weeks at the beginning of May.
 |
| Nest, awaiting an occupant? FreshofftheFrame.com |
I'm probably going to regret ignoring the need to pack until the last minute, but that's my plan.
We will be moving everything ourselves, so it's going to drag on longer than it would if we hired someone - BUT - it just seems too ridiculous to pay a couple of thousand dollars to move one block away!
We've done this before, and can do it again.
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
I think it is harder to move one block than it is to move 1000 miles! I've done both. Tip - fill the boxes full and close with tape just like you would for a cross country move, you won't regret the extra few seconds and the boxes stack much easier. Your quilts are just gorgeous! Your thoughts on textile producing are worthy of contemplation, but all we can do is recycle everywhere we can.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job on them all. On the first one with the triangle quilting, were you able to travel back out and continue on or did you cut thread?
ReplyDeleteLove your horse piece!
ReplyDeleteYour quilting is beautiful,. Lead a Horse to Water is extraordinary! Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! A fantastic look into your quilting mind. I love it! And congrats on you being just a month away from your big move. How exciting!
ReplyDelete