RED, ready . . . AMBER, set . . . GREEN, let's go!

There are many parts of quilt making that I love; the hunt for the fabric, the smell of singed cotton as you iron, that first cut, the free motion quilting. But there are few things as gratifying in life as that last stitch on a finished quilt, when the hundreds/thousands of pieces come together as ONE! This quilt (named after some song lyrics by the 80's Rockabilly group, "The Polecats") was such a blast to make. This is my 2nd One Block Wonder quilt . . . . and probably not my last.

I often find that the back of a freshly completely quilt top can be just as beautiful and exciting as the front.

Quilted with a 'Super Spiral', starting in the center.

Boo models his new do for the Summer.

Done!

In the end, the whole quilt folds up into a little 'pocket' on the back, and ultimately becomes a pillow for the living room sofa.

A "Quillow".

You'll have to wait for the quilt/lapse production for this one, though. It's just the first chapter of the 3-part challenge I'm working on with Chip from Seattle. The footage so far has been terrific! I promise, this production will be worth the wait!!

And now . . . "Challenge #2 - SPECTRUM"

I'm really looking forward to beginning this one!! Back to my usual color pallet (all of 'em), and trying out a new (to me) technique involving raw edge applique'. It will provide me with lots of improvisation and 'playtime' with placement of colors and color flow . . . just like the One Block Wonder. But this will have to be my "rainy day project", when I'm stuck inside the house and can't get outside to finish the monster quilt I began last year . . . . . .

Because, now it's time to go back "INTO THE WOODS"!

I've had to put this one away for the Fall and Winter months. But Spring has finally arrived here in the Great Northwest and the sun is shining again. Hooray! There's A LOT of work to do to finish both this quilt and this ambitious production. There's some REALLY BIG plans coming up this Summer (particularly for my last act, where I take this production on the road and shoot all over this great state of Washington). And I plan to take you along for the ride . . . every step of the way!

Here we go!

I'M A HOT ROD QUILTER AND I NEVER SEW SLOW

RED . . . Ready

AMBER . . . Set

GREEN . . . Let's GO!

The first 'challenge' with Chip has begun! First up . . . "PILLOW TALK". We're making pillows. But since I'm always up to challenging myself with something I've never tried before, I took it up a few notches and am creating something a little different. It's a quilt that folds in on itself and tucks neatly away in a pocket to transform into a pillow. A 'quillow'!

To create the quilt, I'm repeating myself with the One Block Wonder technique I learned when making "The Complicated Queen". It was such a blast to make, and I loved the end result!! This time around, I'm keeping it, so I'm making it in the color pallet based on this gorgeous Halloween panel;

(*the subject was a little too . . . 'charming' for my own taste,

but I LOVE these colors and knew it would make a good One Block Wonder quilt.)

The technique is still the same;

Line up 6 exact pieces of fabric, aligning all repeats in the pattern (this is my first panel which makes the process a tad bit easier) and cut it up into 3.5" strips.

Cut the 6-layer strips into equilateral triangles.

Make hexagons from the 6 triangles,

And let the fun begin!

This is the part of the process that is very improvisational. Very playful. Very personal. You can give 100 people the same fabric, cut it up the same way, and you'll get 100 different OBW quilts! And that's what I love about this technique. No two are ever alike!

I wanted to play around with design and employ similar ideas I used in "The Complicated Queen", (separated 'frames' and flanges). To see what kind of colors, patterns, textures and color flows I had to work with, I laid out the triangles on my new design wall for a couple of weeks, changing the layout day after day . . . and eventually the treasure slowly revealed itself.

After I knew what I had, I laid out a simple, dark brown fabric, 5 compartment 'frame' to contain all that color!

I wanted to achieve a sort of swirly, galaxy feel to the color flow. It would eventually be emphasized with a big, ol' super spiral of quilting from the center on out. Not as easy to achieve as you might think. Sometimes you have to let the fabric tell you where to go . . .

In the end, I'm hoping it will end up looking something like this.

The sewing begins tomorrow!

SHE'S HAVING A BABY

Man

Woman

Life

Death

Infinity

That's a pretty heavy, existential name for a baby quilt!

I'm sorry . . . but I've had to keep this little beauty a secret for a while, so I haven't been able to talk about it.

Earlier this year, I found out that my niece Angela, was pregnant, and was expecting in early November.

Within seconds, I already knew the quilt I was going to make for her! I had purchased a couple of colorful charm packs of fabric a while ago (a collection coordinating colors and prints, measuring 5"x5"), and have been eager to try a process that creates a 'puff/bubble/biscuit' quilt. PERFECT for a baby. And perfect for Angela's new baby boy.

I also knew what piece of music I was going to use for her quilt/lapse production. When I heard the news, I immediately started singing the title song to John Hughes' 1988 movie, "She's Having a Baby".

I had always liked the tagline to this movie, , using symbols to convey a message. And as I proceeded on this project, the more I thought about it . . . the more I thought it made sense that this series of symbols would be the name of this quilt.

This was the most intimate, personal and smallest production for Quilting in the Fast Lane. It was created at our kitchen table, when the early Autumn light would allow.

The whole quilt and production had to be accomplished without Angela knowing about it, but I still wanted her to be involved. I did manage to collect many pictures throughout the stages of her pregnancy. And in the end . . . Angela is quite involved!

You may notice that I'm wearing all black during this production. It was my attempt to blend into the background, like live theater puppeteers, and draw attention solely on the making of the quilt . . . and Angela.

Gilda Approved!

And finally . . . . Quilting in the Fast Lane is HAPPY to present;

SHE'S HAVING A BABY