My Quip – Blumish Two Quilt Top Completed

Good Day,

And we’re just waiting for our third winter this season. Yeah, that’s right, Tampa has mini-winters. This cold snap should bring in some possible freezing temperatures. There’s supposed to be snow up in Tallahassee. Guess there are enough quilts in this house to keep warm, and I so glad, not necessarily pecuniarily, but we had a brand new AC – Heat pump put in this week.

We have finished the top of our new Blumish Two quilt. Here is a preview taken this morning in the sunshine.

Blumish Two is a composition of 56 six-inch and unique blocks. Inspiration of our Blumish Two can be attributed to the works of Yoshiko Jinzenzi and Kimberly Einmo. The fabrics are of Robert Kaufmann Kona Cotton and Moda Bella Solids. We worked with a gradation of blues and beige-browns. The overlay of an intermittent grid has been created through our process of a machine appliqué. Obviously there is an inspiration of sorts from the works of Piet Mondrian. In our recent quilt, Mondrian I, (See Q98), we created the grid borders by sashing.

Our guesstimation for the final and completed size of Blumish Two will be 54” wide and 66” long.

We have been working on the designs for the quilting for both our Blumish (See My Quip – Blumish) and Blumish Two quilts. I believe we have settled on initial complimentary patterns.

Stay tuned to Quilts SB and check our Quilts SB Facebook page for updates of our progress.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Blumish Two – A Peek at Our Progress

Good Day,

Blumish Two is beginning to take shape. The top, constructed of 56 original blocks, is now complete. Each block is uniquely different. The only similarities are that they all are the same size and constructed of shades of blue and brown. The fabrics are both Robert Kaufmann Kona Cotton and Moda Fabrics Bella Solids. The borders, which aren’t really borders, have been added.

And we are trying something very new, that is, new to our quilt workings. From our design for our Blumish Two, we included a number of strip-like borders which provide an offsetting highlight to the top. Andy has created each strip individually and is endeavoring to machine appliqué the strips to the top. We are not adding them to our pattern design as sashing.

And here are a couple more previews of the work on Blumish Two.  Lighting and shades are somewhat variable in each image.

I am still working on ideas for the overall quilting design… and each day I get closer to something that I hope will be a part of the art-form and complement the complete design.

Continue to follow our progress on Blumish Two. And stay tuned for our new work, Cosmos’ Moon.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy.

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My Quip – Blumish Two – New and Progress Update

Good Day,

As you know we finished the quilt top to Blumish, our deconstruction of Kimberly Einmo’s Mystery Amish design. (See My Quip on January 27.) And we were toyed with the idea of using the leftover scraps to create the backing.

Well as I was designing the back of Blumish I flipped through Yoshiko Jinzenji’s book Quilting Line + Color and thought that we could attempt a construction with similar attributes to her designs. Then one thing led to another, and we realized that Andy and I were actually creating another new quilt. Thus our Blumish Two.

Here are a few more of the 56 blocks that we created for Blumish Two.

Initially we began with the idea of 49 squares. Blumish Two will now be the construction of 56 six-inch squares. Each of the 56 blocks will be uniquely different. Including the borders it will approximate 54” wide and 66” long. In our design Andy is going to attempt something that is sort of like sashing but yet not really. He is also going to attach the irregular sashing in what we think is akin to straight line machine appliqué. We hope it works.

I’m toying with ideas for quilting Blumish Two. I like the idea of straight parallel lines, either horizontally or vertically across or crisscrossing at 90° angles. Stay tuned for the updates.

Thank you Kimberly and Yoshiko and to all who have provided comments, thoughts, and questions.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Test 40 - Progress

Good Day,

Progress on Test 40 continues.

Sewn, we decided that the each completed block size should approximate seven inches square. At present we are completed 120 blocks. The direction for each block will be dependent upon our overall and final design.

As Andy and I are always in a learning and discovery mode, we approach our designs from many different angles. Test 40 actually began with the thread... a new variegated thread from Aurifil. I extracted about 19 colors from the thread. After settling on seven colors, then then we discussed and examined possible styles of construction that may compliment the thread. The design of our quilt, Test 40 starts with color of the thread which will be used in the quilting.

I stumbled upon Maggie Ball's technique, published in her 2008 book Bargello Quilting with a Twist after we had decided that we would attempt a Bargello-style quilt, without restricting ourselves to a sine or cosine curve. I like the innovative way that Maggie Ball’s simple construction technique allows for the idea of design and in some way, kaleidoscopic assembly. I like the idea of optical illusions and so I have been able to create a design that may provide that effect.

As to the final quilting to highlight the thread, I am drafting a number of stylings that should compliment both the thread and the quilt design. Presently I am examining a combination of the use of flagging tape by artist Megan Geckler and the classic simplicity of the quilt work of quilt artist Yoshiko Jinzenji.

Stay tuned for our work in progress.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip – Dogwood Steps Update - Progress

Good Day,

The top of Dogwood Steps quilt is just about 99% completed. This is a stunning quilt. We are both extremely pleased at the symbiotic relationship of the fabrics.

Dogwood Steps currently is measuring 100” by 100”, 254 cms square. All top pieces, minus the binding have been sewn.

You can see a preview of the bolts of the two fabrics at My Quip.

Stay tuned to see our final design and construction. This will be a beautiful quilt. You may be astounded.

We are always looking for new designs and quilt challenges. If you are interested in commissioning your quilt please contact us.

Check out our newly posted Twisted Basket and our currently available quilts at Quilts SB Etsy.

Also check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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My Quip - Dogwood Steps Quilt - Progress Update

Good Day,

We are working on a new commissioned quilt, Dogwood Steps.

Dogwood Steps will be a California King-sized quilt and a large under-taking. The design of this new quilt will be based on our quilt, Coral Steps. Coral Steps is our adaptation and inspired by the works of quilt artist Yoshiko Jinzenji.

Preliminarily the quilt top will be about 100” (254 cms) square. The Dogwood Steps quilt top will be constructed of 1,188 pieces from two fabrics. The 1,188 pieces will make 46 rows of pieced squares in a “step-progression”, either vertically or horizontally.

You can see a preview of the bolts of the two fabrics at My Quip.

Stay tuned to see our final design and construction. This will be a beautiful quilt. You may be astounded.

We are always looking for new designs and quilt challenges. If you are interested in commissioning your quilt please contact us.

Check out our newly posted Twisted Basket and our currently available quilts at Quilts SB Etsy.

Also check out my new experimental format of my Blog, Quilts SB Test. Certainly would appreciate your feedback.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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Q80 – Quilt – Coral Steps

Good day,

Our new Quilt, Coral Steps, is finished. Three fabrics; a simple, geometric design; and variegated thread… this is our 81st Quilt.

Coral Steps, our adaptation of a design by Yoshiko Jinzenji, is complete with the dimensions of Width – 66 ½” (168.9 cms) and Length – 87” (221 cms). The coral pink, deep red, and centers of yellow are set in a lacy background of floral white and beige. The khaki tone of the backing provides a juxtaposition between the colors and shades of the top.

The construction of Coral Steps is made up of two size pieces; 759 2” (5.1 cms) by 4” (10.2 cms) rectangles and 46 2” (5.1 cms) by 2” (5.1 cms) squares. This is double the size of Yoshiko Jinzenji’s original design. Our Coral Steps is a smidgen larger than a twin size quilt.

Here are some more images of Coral Steps. Please note that there may be some change in the true colors of the fabric due to my camera, the sunlight and shade, and your browser.

We are currently working on five new quilts. Stay-tuned for She’s Here, NCBB, Colored Windows, Mystery Jelly, and DW’s.

Check out our currently available quilts at Quilts SB Etsy.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of Coral Steps and the available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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Q79 – Quilt Wall Hanging – Born This Way

Good Day,

Our 80th Quilt has been finished… even though this is labeled Q79. The missing quilt is at home in North Carolina and we haven’t been able to get some photos, as yet. (Hint, hint, SG…)

Q79, Born This Way is a wall hanging.

Born This Way's dimensions are: Width - 31” (78.7 cms) by Length - 45” (114.3 cms) and the top is seven batique cotton fabrics. The batique colors are beige, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Born This Way is an inspiration and adaptation from the works of fabric artist Yoshiko Jinzenji. The top is constructed of 791 beige and 58 colored rectangles. Each rectangle, including seam allowance is 1 ½” (3.8 cms) by 2 ½” (6.4 cms). And yes, the title of this new wall hanging has credit to a certain Lady G…

Here are some close-up images.

We are currently working on six new quilts. Stay-tuned for She’s Arrived, Coral Steps, NCBB, Colored Windows, Mystery Jelly, and DW’s.

Check out our current available quilts at Quilts SB Etsy. Also scroll down any page in our Quilts SB Blog to our Grid. You will see a portfolio of all our finished quilts and wall hangings.

To see previously posted quilts, there is a visual Grid presentation at the bottom of the Quilts SB page. Move your cursor over any mini-picture found there and click to see an enlargement. Move your cursor to the "Q#" link to see the quilt's details. If the quilt’s title is highlighted in yellow or in red, it has found a home in a collection and is no longer available.

If you are interested, and would like some more information of the available quilts, regarding costs, shipping, and insurance, please check our Quilts SB Etsy shop.

If you have any questions and/or comments please feel free to get in touch with me via email.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy

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