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Bartow Quilt Finally Finished.

By carolyn friedlander on October 19, 2018 in Featured on Home, my patterns, tutorials | Comments: 3

This quilt top has been sitting around in the studio since 2014. But good news, this Bartow quilt is finally finished!

Back in 2014 Robert Kaufman released a new batch of Kona solids, and my Bartow design became a pattern that I created for that release. (Free pattern here, and notes on the first version here.) I’m pretty sure that this version was my first version, or at least it was where I got inspiration for the design.

At a Quilt Market around that time I saw a charm pack featuring a custom palette of Konas by Elizabeth Hartman. Elizabeth does a great job putting together colors, and I really liked this set and how they were arranged.

I wanted to have little slivers of all of the great colors transitioning in the same way that her charm pack was arranged across the quilt. Maybe it looks tricky, but it was pretty simple. I kept her colors in order and sewed them up by following the Bartow pattern. On my other Bartow quilt I kept the borders the same color as the background, but here I opted for colorful ones with a little bit of print mixed in. I think the borders here are mostly Flame Kona.

The top has been finished since 2014 and was sitting on a shelf in the studio. I dug it out and sent it off to Gina Pina to quilt. She quilted it up with a 1″ grid, and I just LOVE it.

As for the binding, I had it in my mind to use a piece from Friedlander Lawn, but as I was sewing it together I realized I had a scrap of Polk binding that would be perfect to mix in as well.

On the back is one of my Friedlander Wide prints. This colorway has been one of my favorites from that collection. It adds just the right pop to the back.

Feels good to have it finished!

Pattern: Bartow (free pattern from me via Robert Kaufman)

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cf Mini QAL: Conclusion. (+ giveaway)

By carolyn friedlander on September 13, 2018 in Featured on Home, my patterns, Quilt Along | Comments: 14

cf Mini QAL: Conclusion. (+ giveaway)

We’ve made it! It’s been a full (and fun) 8 weeks of mini quilt making. How do you feel now that we’re to the end?

As for me, I’m pretty stoked about making quilts, and I hope that’s the case for you too. Like I said in the beginning, making minis is always a great way to explore ideas and churn up some creativity. I hope the challenges each week helped you feel more confident and encouraged to try something new and/or see things in a slightly new way.

The challenge this week proved that point to be true for me. I went Wild with my mix of prints, colors and types of fabrics, and in the end I was having a hard time making myself stop.

It all started with a charm pack that I liked.

To which I added other things that I liked.

And then I got to sewing.

This first batch of Babson blocks is wild both in terms of color and print, and I just loved it. It made me excited to keep going.

Something I love about these blocks is how I was able to incorporate fabrics that I’ve accumulated both recently and not super recently in my travels. Do you get a sense of satisfaction when you’re finally able to work in something you’ve been holding on to? I definitely do.

I especially love the edge of grey that resulted in some of the last blocks I sewed (below, right), and I’d love to explore this idea more.

My favorite thing about a project is when it encourages you to keep going. This one does that for me, and so I’m really tempted to keep making blocks and sew up something larger–maybe a throw.

Doing a little bit of math, there are 224 blocks in the throw size of my Babson pattern. I have 56 this week, plus the 25 from last week that I think would be fun to add to this group. This leaves 143 to go, which breaks down to about 12/week for 12 weeks.

I don’t know if I’ll totally hold myself to this number, but it is helpful to calculate how it could shake out. I’m never good about finishing things if I don’t give myself a deadline.

Fabrics from this week’s wild fest included London Calling 8, Nani Iro, Arroyo by Erin Dollar, Woodland Clearing by Liesl Gibson, UPPERCASE by Janine Vangool, Suzuko Koseki, as well as Friedlander, Friedlander Lawn, Architextures, Gleaned and Polk from me.

Thanks for following along! As promised last week, I’d like to do a celebratory giveaway this week. Up for grabs is a charm pack of Polk, plus a stack of more 5″ squares of fabrics that were used in the original Babson and a pair of my favorite Kai snips. And if you don’t already have a copy of the Babson pattern, I’ll throw that in too!

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me something about your cf Mini QAL experience. I’ll randomly select a winner Tuesday September 18 at 11am EDT.

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cf Mini QAL #8: Wild (or Mild)!

By carolyn friedlander on September 6, 2018 in Featured on Home, my patterns, Quilt Along | Comments: 0

cf Mini QAL #8: Wild (or Mild)!

I can’t believe that we’re already to week #8! How’d that happen? I hope you’ve enjoyed this QAL as much as I have. Before we get on to the final challenge, here’s where I took the challenge from last week.

Using my Babson pattern, I print-mixed it up! I started with the Forage print by Anna Graham and some of my black prints from Gleaned and Carkai. Then I gradually worked in the gingham and some Polk.

I like how the prints bring a softness to the Babson design, and how the darkest and lightest colors help pack some punch.

Ready for the final challenge?

This last challenge is Wild (or Mild)! When thinking Wild, I think of something crazy, loud and/or dominate. Have you ever embraced a print or fabric/color combination that kind of screams at you? This final challenge is all about finding a way to harness that energy so that it can power your mini. Here are just a couple of Wild examples. (From top to bottom, Cowboy Circle Lattice from Savor Each Stitch, my Doe Couch and Eads)

Cowboy Circle Lattice_Carolyn Friedlander

Wild doesn’t have to mean any one thing. It can be bold in the fabric choices, strong in the colors or impactful in the way the blocks are working together.

You’ll also notice that there’s an (or Mild) alternative for you this week. Maybe Wild isn’t your thing, or maybe it already is? Going totally Mild can be just as much of a challenge. How far can you take a whisper but still make it engaging? (From top to bottom, Eads QAL blocks, Facing East from Savor Each Stitch, @indigobird_designs Eads)

Reaching the right level of softness is all about striking another sort of balance, and it can be just as good of a challenge.

With 2 big things to think about in the projects ahead, here’s a hint at where I’m taking mine.

Babson works perfectly with a charm pack, and ever since picking this one up (of the latest London Calling) I’ve been eager to use it. Now is the time!

There’s such a diverse mix of prints in this pack, plus the smaller prints will be fun to pair with a bunch of other things. Keeping the Wild theme in mind, here’s some of what I’ve pulled to go with it.

I think that the vibrancy of the Nani Iro piece (bottom left) can help pack a punch, while the larger scale of the Japanese print (top left) can bring a taste of calm along with some good colors. That’s the plan! I’ll be adding in more as I go and as it shapes up. The trick with going Wild (or Mild) is the decision of how Wild (or Mild) to go. Like everything else, it’s about finding the right balance.

You can do it!

Tips:

+ Let loose a bit and see what you can put together!

+ Think about all that we’ve learned over the last 8 weeks. When going wild (or mild), everything can come into play–contrast, how your colors and prints are working for you and the stories you decide to let them tell.

+ Not sure of what to put together? If you’re scratching your head you can always start with fabrics from all of your challenges thus far. This can be a fun and challenging way to get many things to jive together.

Come back next week for the final wrap up and a special giveaway. Thanks so much for following along!

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