Improv Tumbler Wall Quilt from African Wax Prints

This is one of my recent quilts in a series made with African wax prints, an improv tumbler design with a solid khaki (Kona) background. I source the fabrics on Etsy.com from sellers in Africa, the US and the UK. Buying a scrap bundle now and then adds even more variety to my collection.  Wax prints are a little bit shiny and stiff, but soften with washing. The fabrics come with large stickers attached. Sometimes it's hard to get the stickers off, and then there's the adhesive to deal with. So I just cut around the sticker if it's a tough case. JoAnn has started carrying similar prints in cotton (not wax) for three times the price ($30). They are found in the apparel section of the store.

Interestingly, African wax prints are made primarily in Holland. 

The quilt measures 55" x 65." It's available for purchase. 

African Wax Print Quilt

This quilt is the first in a series made from African wax prints. I love the African vibe that comes from using these bold colorful prints with solid black. The triangles are pieced, but the prints provide most of the design punch. I like that eye-catching sunflower in the middle.

This quilt is available for purchase on Etsy. Four are listed now, and more coming soon.

African wax prints are available online from Africa and the US. Etsy is a good place to start collecting wax prints. Most of these fabrics are offered for sale in 1 yard and 6 yard pieces. Scraps and precuts are also available. 

Sarah Nishiura's Quilt

Sarah Nishiura (from Chicago) made this machine-pieced, 

hand-quilted quilt in 2013. It measures 87" x 85." 

See more of Sarah's quilts here.

I'm interested in the pink/gold color combination.

 It feels like Indian summer to me: goldenrod and the last of the pink roses (below). 

 

Another Quilt Finish and a Useful FMQ Tip

Here's another wall quilt (33" x 39") that I made to practice free-motion quilting skills.

Here's a fmq tip for you: Leave the feed-dogs up and set the stitch length to "0."

It seems wrong but I tried it both ways and this is better! It's a big help. 

Box Wall Quilt with Hidden Apples

My latest finish! I made this quilt top for the purpose of practicing my free-motion quilting, and I'm surprised that I really like it. You can see the quilting better in the close-ups below.

See more photos of this quilt here.

I bought some Fons and Porter quilting gloves at JoAnn. They're supposed to be rubbery so that moving the quilt under the needle is easier. But these gloves aren't very rubbery at all, so I don't recommend them. I ordered some Machingers online from Leah Day. Her online videos of fmq designs are wonderful (and numerous!). 

Red apples appear in only one block. 

Christmas Tree Quilt

Treez, an improvisational batik quilt by Jan Mullen of Stargazey Quilts in Melbourne, Australia.

Very clever, Jan!

Graffiti Quilt - Almost Finished!

I'm planning to finish this quilt today. It's a combination of machine piecing and raw-edge machine applique (both straight stitch and zig-zag). And there's a lot of decorative top-stitching too.

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This is a custom project for a quilt collector in San Francisco. He wants a graffiti-style wall quilt that's hip, something that feels like it might be from the 1980's. It will measure 60" x 60." We have been sending photos and drawings back and forth. His original inspiration was the Kenzo shirt shown below. I love quilts that surprise me, and this one certainly has. 

Graffiti Quilt close-up photos show some of the top-stitching.

Originally I planned to machine wash and dry the finished quilt to fray the raw edges, but we decided to hold off so he can see if he prefers the crisp raw edges. 

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Click here to see the listing on Etsy.

Quilt by Maria Shell

Oh this looks like so much fun! It makes me want to run to my sewing machine and get busy.

(Most things make me want to do that, but still.) This quilt by Maria Shell of Anchorage, Alaska is called "Treasure Map" and it measures 29" x 29." Nice color mix and improv lines. Yayy, Maria!

Improv Wedge Quilt

This quilt was just added to my Etsy shop. See the pattern here.

It measures 58" wide x 65" long. All Kona cotton solids. This quilt is fun to make. 

It's a little short to use on a bed, but it looks awesome on the wall, especially with a spotlight on it.

(The narrow outer stripe is the binding. It was photographed on a white wall.)

Joanell's Quilt

Take a look at this happy quilt by fiber artist Joanell. I love how the bold fabrics add so much excitement to this quilt. The best fabric is the green with red/pink veins. And the black and white stripes, of course. Nice!

Sea Glass Quilt Top is Finished

 

This is a close-up shot of part of the Sea Glass quilt. I'll show you the finished quilt soon.

There are about 9 different solid color fabrics in this quilt. All the shapes and the arrangements are improvisational, so this is a very carefree project. 

Scribble Doodle Embroidered Quilt!

I'm not fooling you (on April Fool's Day), this is an embroidered quilt! 

Quilt by Anna Torma. Found on flickr and Pinterest.

It's called "Just My Imagination."

I want to make something like this!

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The winner of the gray wool pincushion is Regan from Maine! Yayy!

Her blog is Floating on a Quilted Cloud. 

Adirondack Quilt

This is my new camp quilt "Adirondack." It was beautifully machine quilted by Linda Aquavia of New Hartford, CT. The quilt measures 65" x 88," good for a tall person's bed quilt. I like the saw-tooth borders and the odd fabrics. Some are the latest prints and some are oldies. 

Take a close look in the photo below to see the quilting, a digital design called "Curly Arcs." The quilt top is so busy that the quilting doesn't show up very much.

Sampler Quilt with Fans and More!

Sampler quilts are so much fun to make because there's very little repetition. I made this one years ago. See the photo above, in the middle, there are 4 red and gold 9-patch blocks? That's what started this whole quilt. I made them with 1" wide strips, so that was enough! Instead of making more, they became the centers of 4 log cabin blocks. There are 2 more identical 9-patches in the quilt; see them (below)?  

This quilt has 2 center medallions.  Notice there are solids and a few prints? There are even some batiks in there. I like the triangles in the outer border. I was surprised (and delighted) to see how this quilt looked when it was finished.

And yes, here are some more fan blocks. See the pattern for them here.

Improv Fans

This is the quilt that's growing on my design wall. These fans are fun to make. No paper, no foundations. 

More on this soon!

Modern Art, Antique Quilts

This quilt was featured on ArtFixDaily. In the article Laura Fisher (NYC Americana dealer) says that collectors are looking for quilts with innovative design and visual impact. Modern art in a vintage quilt.

 I can't imagine how this quilt went together, can you? Look at those tiny serrated edges. I'm not going there!

Sarah's Quilt

My sister Eileen Lovett of Michigan made this beautiful quilt for her niece Sarah who started college this fall. Like Sarah, it's full of energy. And come to think of it, so is Eileen.

Each block is 8" square, so this quilt measures about 48" x 64." 

Nice job, Eine!

Siddis Quilt and Oleander Girl Book

This quilt was part of an exhibit at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. It was made by Siddis women. Their ancestors came from Africa beginning in the 1500's and settled in western India. Their  traditions are a combination of Indian and African.

See the close-up photo below for a good look at the dense quilting. 

Last night I finished reading "Oleander Girl," a novel by Chitra Divakuruni. It takes place mostly in Kolkata, India around 2002. It is a very engaging story and full of the sights and fragrances of India. I recommend it for all ages.