Category Archives: kaleidoscope quilts

Cosmic Kaleidoscopes

by Dawn Posted on January 21, 2013

Allow me to introduceCosmic Kaleidoscopes, my second finish of 2013 and #6 in my series of kaleidoscope quilts.You may remember from a recent post, My Lucky Day,that I won a quilting session with NancyStovall of Just Quilting atlast month’s Portland Modern Quilt Guild meeting. Nancy was able to finish itin time for thismonth’s guild meeting (Jan. 17). I wanted to show it there first before posting pictures.

Here is my quilt,enhanced by Nancy’s lovely work:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background — Cosmic Kaleidoscopes, 60″ x 76″

Because the kaleidoscope blocks are so busy, I wanted the quilting in the background to be very simple.Nancy and I decided onslightly wavy lines that would simplyflow off the edges of the borderless quilt.

The back is another story.I inserted a strip of thefocus fabricand added somehalf-kaleido blocks made from the leftover focus fabric.Nancy used alighter threadfor the kaleidoscope blocks on the front, creating analmost lacelike effect on the back:

Just for fun, the label is the same octagonal shape as the kaleidoscope blocks:

My quilt was on display at the Pine Needlelast weekend . . .

.. .and today it wentto Silverton, Oregonwhere it will be shown at the Stitches in Bloom Quilt Show at the Oregon Garden this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25 and 26.

About the fabrics:the Jacobean floral is from the Ruby line by Timeless Treasures. Before sewing the kaleidoscope wedges together, I sewed on sashing strips of a soft mossy green (Shadow Play) and a pale coral dot (The Emperor’s Garden), both by Maywood Studios. The background fabric — a soft inky blue-black with hints of charcoal — is Modern Textures by Marcia Derse, from the Riverwoods Collection for Troy Corporation.

Posted in kaleidoscope quilts, Portland Modern Quilt Guild, update | 7 Comments

My Lucky Day

by Dawn Posted on December 28, 2012

My lucky day occurred two weeks ago, and I am still marveling at my good fortune.

I was at the December meeting of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, which I joined last spring. The guild was having a membership renewal drive, and those who renewed at the meeting were eligible for prizes. Of course I renewed on the spot. I’ve only made it to a few meetings this year but I have been so impressed with the creativity and talent of the women (and a few men) who belong to the guild.And every one is so friendly. I usually sit down next to someone I don’t know and introduce myself. By theend of the evening I have a new friend. This time it was a lovely woman named Vickie.

There must have been 15 or 20prizesawarded to renewing members,fun things like new books and bundles of fabric. Alas, I didn’t win a thing.Then one more prize was announced: a quilting session withNancy Stovall of Just Quilting. Can you imagine how thrilled I was when I heard my namecalled?Nancy is an award-winning longarm quilter. “Whatdoes ‘quilting session’ mean?” I whispered to Vickie. “It means she will quilt a quilt for you!” answered Vickie.

I was so excited that the very next day I took a newly-finished quilt topto Nancy’s studio, andwe talked about motifs andauditioned threads.Today I dropped off the backing, and now I just have to sit back and waittill Nancy works her magic. This is the quilt top:

I’ve named it Cosmic Kaleidoscopes.Right now it measures62″ x 82″, although the quilting process willdraw it upsomewhat.My goal is to get it bound and labeled in time for “show and tell” at the Jan.17 meeting of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild and for the Pine Needle’s Open House Jan.18 and 19.

Posted in kaleidoscope quilts, Portland Modern Quilt Guild, update | 4 Comments

A Table Topper for My Twin

by Dawn Posted on December 21, 2012

I drew my sister Diane’s name in the siblings and spouses Christmas gift exchange. And — she drew mine! That doesn’t happen very often.This is whatI am giving her:

It’s a table topper. You may remember seeing the unfinished topin an earlier post.Diane saw that post and fell in love with the fabric(from the Ainsley line forNorthcott Fabrics) andthe kaleidoscope block.When I drew her name, I decided to finish thetable topper for her.

I didn’t want the topperto be poufy so I used flannel for the batting. It’s quilted very simply. First I stitched in all the ditches and then quilted on both sides of thestraight lines in the center and outer edges. Then I quilted a triangle in each of the eightwedges of the kaleidoscope.The simplicity of the quilting keeps your eye focused on the flowers and leaves and vinesinthatgorgeousJacobean print:

Here’s the back of the topper:

I had never before applied binding toa quilt with obtuse angles(greater than 90 degrees but less than 180). Thanks toHeather Mulder Peterson of Anka’s Treasures, who posted a terrific tutorialon her blog, Trends and Traditions, it was a breeze.

Diane’s table topper — #5 in my series of kaleidoscope quilts — measures 22″ acrossand 22″ top to bottom.

I hope she likes it — and I hope she doesn’t see this postuntil after she opens her gift!

Posted in family, kaleidoscope quilts, table topper, update | 6 Comments

Are We Having Fun Yet?

by Dawn Posted on November 6, 2012

Oh, yeah! Since giving myself permission a few days ago tospend partof my sewing time playing with fabric (and not fretting too much aboutprojectsset aside for the time being),I’vebeensketching out ideas, making sample blocks,and washing and ironing the fabrics I have (ahem) recentlyacquired.

I even finished a quilt top.It’s a small top, but it’s still a top. Remember that Northcott fabric line called Ainsley that I was swooning over a couple of posts ago?I made a large kaleidoscope block outof theJacobean floral border print:

One block, eight45Â°triangles.Very simple. Since I was making only one block, I fussy-cut thetriangles rather than stacking eight layers of fabric.I added the narrow black and green strip and the outer smallgeometric — both part of the Ainsley line — to thetrianglesbefore sewing them together. Here’sthe back:

I haven’t decided yet which fabric to use for the binding on this little table topper.Once I do, it shouldn’t take long to finish it.

Thisprojectbarely put a dent in thefabric I bought. Not to worry. You’ll be seeing plenty more of it.I alreadyknow what I’m going to make next.

Posted in kaleidoscope quilts, update | 4 Comments

Fun with Fractured Images

by Dawn Posted on September 25, 2012

I’m scheduled to teach a class on Fractured Images in a couple of weeks so this seems like a good time to updatemy class notes and look over my class samples.

Fractured images are created when four identical layers of fabric are cut into squares and sewn together. Three of the four repeats are trimmed different ways before being cut into squares. When the four sets of squares are arranged in a grid and sewn together, a striking ripples-in-a-pond effect emerges. Squares can be cut in many different sizes but 2″ and 3″ squares are the most common. Bold floral designs withsecondary motifs in the background and lots of contrast fracture especially well.

When I taught this class last spring at the Pine Needle, the shop had just received some fabrics in the Hickory House line by Faye Burgos for Marcus Brothers Fabrics. I was curious to see how one of the florals in that line would fracture and whether it would be more striking made from 2″ or 3″ squares. Here is the image before fracturing . . .

. . . and here are the two fractured images side by side:

The image on the left, which measures 13″ square, contains 81 squares, each square finishing at 1Â½”. The image on the right, which measures 14″ square, contains 25 squares, each square finishing at 2Â½”. Which one do you like better?

One way of cutting the fabricfor a fracture istopin the layers together, matching design elements, and then cut only the image intended for the fracture.What to do with the remaining fabric that’s already layered and pinned? Why, cut it into 4-Patch Wonder blocks, of course. (“4-Patch Wonder” is my name for a block made of four identical layers of fabric that are cut in squares and then rotated to make a pleasing symmetrical design. If you’ve looked at the quilts in my Gallery, you know that I’m a big fan of this faux-kaleido block, as well as its more sophisticated cousin, thekaleidoscope block.)

Look how dramaticthese4-Patch Wonder blocks arethat were made withleftover Hickory House fabric:

Let me show youanother fractured image made froma beautiful tropical floral fabrica friend brought mefrom Hawaii. Here is theimage before fracturing. . .

. . . and after:

This one was made a little differently. Instead of sewing the squares together, I arranged them on a piece of featherweight fusible interfacing and fused them in place. Then I covered the raw edges with grosgrain ribbon held in place with Â¼”-wide Steam-a-Seam-2. I added a pink polkadot flange and a wide black border. The squares were cut 3″, by the way, and the piece is 21″ square including the border.

I haven’t decided what to do with this fractured image. I think it could hold its own as a finished piece, but it looks so good set on point that I can also see it as a center medallion in a larger quilt . . .

. . . perhaps accompanied by some of these 4-Patch Wonder blocks made from the leftover fabric:

If you’ve never fractured an image before, I recommend that you try it. It’s a lot of fun, and I predict that it will forever change the way you look at fabric!

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, fractured image, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 13 Comments

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Category Archives: kaleidoscope quilts

Cosmic Kaleidoscopes

My Lucky Day

A Table Topper for My Twin

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Fun with Fractured Images

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