Just a few more Aura Pics....I coudn't stop

I must say, the migraine I had before starting this project was well worth it. I'm so excited by these angles, especially now that I've joined one row and squared it up.

 I laid it on the table to give you a bit of an idea of the scale of this piece so far......It would make a pretty cool table runner, if I don't say so my self. 

 

 

 

 

 

There will definitely be more "Aura Action" in my studio!!

Let the Joining Begin

 

 

 

 

Before making any more of these angular shapes, I thought it would be best to actually join a few and see what happens. I just might be on to something.

Just think, My aging brain might actually be getting more CREATIVE!! Imagine that......a most interesting read for those of us hitting some of those rather big birthdays.

I'll take some more pictures tomorrow, in daylight and when my creative brain can figure out why my computer is acting like it's ready for the retirement home.

What's My Angle?

So, what's up with all these QAYG angular shapes?? Well, in my experience triangles and any other odd angled piecing can be tricky!! Matching those little points, which naturally never quite match up and let's not mention those crazy bias edges!! And if that's not enough, how do you get that nice angular quilting?  Doing it this way bypasses so many of those problems.

As my husband is off for another week of sailing....yes another whole week, no wonder I feel no guilt when I find my self wandering off to the nearest quilt shop.....I'm playing with some very sail like shapes myself.

I'm experimenting with angular shaped pieces of batting rather than my regular square ones, which will be joined together after being quilted. Is there any advantage to that, you might ask?? I hope so....the emphasis being on the word experimenting.

As you can see, there is definitely an advantage when it comes to quilting the straight line angles that I so love. If I was quilting with a long arm, ruler work would most likely be required. Or, if I was quilting the whole pieced top at once I would have to wrestle and turn that quilt under the machine multiple times.....not my idea of a good time!!

 

 

 

 

All the different angles are leading to a few unexpected surprises as well.

My motto is....... let the unexpected take you, where perhaps your imagination would not have.

Just What I Need.....More Fabric!!!!

I started this project using mostly Kona Cottons........ but I always find them so very solid. I had some of those jelly rolls....I believe that's what they're called, shows you how I often I use pre-cuts. I had them in three different colour ways and yet I found myself hunting for more fabric.

Something with a bit more texture usually calls my name...plus that black and white print by Marcia Derse (from my stash) and I think I might be on my way. I also nixed the woven stripes by Kaffe Fasset for this particular project....I'm not sure why, they just didn't feel right. 

 

 

 

See all those lovely fabrics at the bottom of the page......

Color Weave by P&B Textiles, not on sale by the way, but I couldn't help myself. 

In my experience, I find it easier working with woven look fabrics or shot cottons rather than the pure solid cottons because they seem to flow together more easily and have a bit of a painterly quality, which I love.

Since most of my shot cottons are back in Alberta I had no choice but to go shopping...right??? Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Aura I.....Underway

Not sure what way...but started nevertheless. 

 

 

 

I so appreciate so many of you commenting on my Let's Talk Quilting post. Hearing about your quilting experiences is of great interest to me. It was my own struggle with machine quilting large projects that had me researching various Quilt As You Go methods. Finding a method that I enjoyed and actually finished projects with was my goal. QAYG was my ticket.

 Regardless of the fact that I have a longarm, my love affair with QAYG is far from over......it is after all, my first quilting love.

Aura I is about pushing QAYG into more angular or should I say Aura like directions. Let's see where it takes me....

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Upside of a Migraine

There's an upside to a migraine??? Sometimes....in this case it was the aura before the headache that set my creativity in motion. Or perhaps it was the drug I take to ward off the headache itself, that was speaking to me. 

 

Let me back up a little....I had some inspiration floating around in my brain but no idea how to execute it simply (that's the lazy gene in me). So as I was working on other projects my brain was searching for solutions. 

Then one evening, last week, out of nowhere an aura hit..... For those of you fortunate beings that don't suffer migraines, an aura is a visual disturbance that indicates a migraine is on the way. Shimmering lights and visual patterns explode in front of your eyes for about twenty minutes before the headache hits. I'm very fortunate that mine aren't severe and if I pop one of my pills right at the onset...the headache is stopped in it's tracks.

Funny thing with a migraine......I seem to have a heightened sense of creatively. Now I have never researched this thought, but have noticed it on several occasions. This time it was the actual flashing lights that sent me running for my note pad......

 

 

 

 Several pages of illegible notes later....and I just might have my solution.

I'm back on the west coast and just might have time to make sense of those notes. It just might develop into a new quilt....which I will name Aura. There were so many ideas flying ......perhaps a series???

 

 Hmm... let's see if I can make sense of all the crazy jargon in that little striped note book.

This might actually work....or it could be a bust, those migraine drugs can make one a little loopy.

Let's Talk Quilting

As my husband sailed the English Channel last week, I spent many happy hours in my studio. Organizing....you know rearranging things endlessly in a rather compulsive obsessive manner, but hey it works for me. 

Last Saturday, five of us fellow quilters went to a quilt show here in town. We had a great time....lot's of fun and laughter. Something that surprised me was the amount of quilts in the show that were quilted by someone other than the "quilter".  Is it the trend that more and more quilters are outsourcing the actual quilting? Our machines are getting fancier and yet.......someone else is doing the quilting.

Obviously this is a personal choice....neither right or wrong just personal. For me, I wouldn't be able to give up creative control. My question is what are the major roadblocks that stand in the way of quilting your quilts....if that is something that you actually want to do?

I decided my long arm had been sitting idle for far to long.  I am so addicted to Quilt As You Go that I have not really pushed myself in the long arm department.

There's nothing like a pool table to measure that monster roll of quilt batting!!! 

 It had been so long since I loaded a quilt, I really had to think.

 

A little wonky but hey, I like that "organic" look. 

For me, I hate loading the quilt and piecing the large back. I let that become a roadblock for using the long arm....plus the fact it was being repaired didn't help. The longer I put it off the harder it became to get at. Oh, and did I mention that a quilting frame can easily become piled high with fabric and works in progress....sort of like a treadmill, need I say more!! 

One good thing....I've lost 25 lbs since the last time I used the frame, so much easier to get around to the back of the frame....it used to be a bit more of a squeeze  Seriously, the frame takes up most of the room.

What are your quilting road blocks? Let's talk quilting.

Update: Thanks for all your fabulous comments so far. My plan is to write more "Let's Talk" type blog posts in the future.  In order to promote discussion I will be replying directly on the blog rather than with individual emails, whenever "Let's Talk is part of the title.

Thanks again
Marianne

Should I Be Worried??

 Usually It's pretty smooth sailing with these QAYG log cabin blocks.....

But would you look at the size of that pucker....not exactly smooth sailing, more like a luff sail (a saggy sail in sailing terminology), my husband will be so proud I actually picked up something from his sailing world.

Dare I just quilt it out?? You have to understand, since these blocks are QAYG , meaning the seams are already quilted to the batting, nowhere for the bubble to go.

Oh well...I'm always saying what a wonderful walking foot my Bernina has. I'm going for it. 

Would you look at that!!!! 

My machine ate that pucker for breakfast!!!! 

Success!! 

By the way....Ten Blocks down, two more to go!!! 

Six Blocks Done

Six blocks done and six to go...... 
I'm trying to use lots of neutrals and some negative space but, there's always the temptation to turn up the volume and fill every square inch.