The second half of my two-part Making Prints improvisational piecing workshop with Maria Shell was this past Monday evening via Zoom. Our assignment from Part One of the class had been to create a palette of solid color fabrics and then construct a bunch of different units using those fabrics and techniques that had been demonstrated in class. Despite being down with Covid all week, I managed to get a bunch of these chunks made, slapped them on my design wall in the main hallway of my house, and then every time I walked by I either stopped to scowl at everything but left things along, or started rearranging the units. Here's what I had going on the last time I touched it, on the morning before the last class:
My Design Wall, 11 AM on Monday |
In Part Two of the workshop Maria introduced several techniques involving triangles and I might make some of those to mix in with what I've got here so far, or I might make some additional units like what I already have so I can balance things out with a little repetition. I do want to finish the workshop piece and put enough thought and effort into the composition to get everything I can out of the class, but the danger for me with an open-ended assignment like this -- and no grades or deadlines to rein me in -- is that I could easily go on and on, arranging and rearranging ad infinitum and never actually finish the project!
I haven't moved anything or made any new units in the last two days. Still feeling low-energy and needing daily naps from the Covid and just decided to let what's on the wall marinate for a bit while I am resting.
However, the portion of Monday's class where Maria discussed different composition structures (grid, row, medallion etc) reminded me of a client's quilt that I long armed about a year ago and never shared with you.
Carrie's Traverse Quilt, Pattern by Tara Faughnan
This gorgeous Traverse Quilt is a kit designed by another modern quilter I admire, Tara Faughnan. I just checked on Etsy and found lots of options available if you'd like to make one of your own, from complete Traverse kits in these exact fabrics still available, to patterns only, to completed quilts for sale. (This post contains affiliate links).
Detail of Traverse Quilt, Designed by Tara Faughnan, Pieced by Carrie, Quilted by Me |
Looking at these photos again after taking Maria Shell's workshop, I'm seeing some similarities between these two quilters: Both are working exclusively in solids, and both use a large palette of solid fabrics with a nice assortment of hues and values. Both are creating print-like patterns in patchwork stripes of fabric. Maria sometimes sets her pieced strip units in rows like Tara has done in Traverse.