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Monday, October 28, 2013

Cycles 2 for the Blogger's Quilt Festival

Cycles 2

Let me introduce you to Cycles 2, my entry into the wall hanging quilts category of the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

AmysCreativeSide

If you are a new visitor to my blog from the festival, welcome and I hope you will take a minute to look around. Thank you to Amy from Amy's Creative Side for hosting the festival. If you are a more regular visitor here, I apologize because this is a total repost of my ta da post for this quilt, which was just a couple of weeks ago. I just could not resist entering this quilt, as I continue to be totally smitten with it. So thank you for not minding the almost instant replay.

Cycles 2 is the second quilt in what might be a series of Cycles quilts. My first Cycles quilt is here. Cycles 2 is 37.5" x 39" after washing. She is made from Kona solids and Essex linen, there is Kona white on the back and the binding is Essex linen. I hand stitched the binding.

Cycles 2

The modern industrial matchstick quilting was done with a variety of variegated threads - for the backgrounds I used golds and browns and for the circles I used a blue variegated thread. The different coloured threads gives a subtle striped effect.

Cycles 2 - detail

I washed this quilt and the added texture was just enough to really make this quilt shine for me. The quilting is about 10 lines to an inch, give or take, so there is not a lot of fabric to crinkle, but it still did crinkle.

Cycles 2

 The colours are taken from the sun drenched, west coast, northern Pacific Ocean beach palette. The texture is meant to evoke weathered, eroded rocks, driftwood, cliffs, shells. I hope you might also think of waves, tides, wind and even rain and ocean storms.

Cycles 2

It is also geometric, asymmetrical, uncluttered using simple shapes and loads of negative space - a modern quilt.

Cycles 2 - back

You can see the thread colours better on the Kona white back fabric. Cycles 2 is meant to hang on a wall, so the back will be seldom seen.

Cycles 2 - detail

I wish you could see her up close. It is surprisingly hard to sew the lines unevenly like this and I found myself returning to evenly spaced lines all the time.

Cycles 2 - detail

A nighttime detail shot shows some of the thread colours better.


Here are some of the threads from an instagram photo. I used all of these and maybe a couple more for the background. The encouragement from the instagrammers to use them all helped make that decision. In fact the encouragement on instagram really helped with all steps of this quilt, thank you instagram friends. 

Cycles 2 - sundrenched

You can see the texture in the early morning sun. This photo is before washing.

Cycles 2 - basting

A reminder of what she looked like when I basted her. The change the quilting, binding and washing adds is remarkable. I still love the quilting part of quilting the most, this quilt shows you why.

Let me explain a little about my term industrial modern matchstick quilting. I was inspired to use matchstick quilting by Jacquie Gehring, who blogs at Tall Grass Prairie Studio - her matchstick quilting is very evenly spaced and stunning. My spin on it is to use the wobbly unevenly spaced lines I often use in straight line quilting even in these tight quarters. I am sure others have done this but the term industrial quilting is one I made up to describe these intentionally wobbly lines that create uneven texture. Having made it up does not mean that someone else is not already using it too, so let me know if you have seen it before.

Cycles 2

On last shot, in this one she is being held up. I still need to make a hanging sleeve and figure out which wall to hang her on. I already have an idea for another version, there may well be more in the Cycles series.

Quilt Stats:

Name: Cycles 2
Pattern: I made her up myself
Size: 39" x 40"
Fabrics: Kona colours and Essex linen
Festival Category: Wall Hanging Quilts

You have time to enter up to two quilts in the festival if you have not yet done so - go here to see all the categories - and there are some quality hours to be spent pursuing the entries, they are fantastic.

Best,

Leanne

33 comments:

  1. Oh Leanne, this came out amazing!!! And I'm saddened now, because I already did a viewer choice nomination, and I would love to nominate this one! So beautiful!!

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  2. I'll take an instant replay on this one any day - one of my very favorites!

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  3. I love the texture all that quilting adds. Its beautiful

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  4. it's a beauty! I can't imagine how long it took to finish the industrial matchsticks though!

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  5. An absolute stunner that deserves to win!

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  6. it's such a gorgeous quilt, Leanne. And I just love all that amazing dense quilting, just perfect!

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  7. The quilting on this is fantastic. I will need to try that soon - it is so effective!

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  8. GORGEOUS! A great example of modern quilting at its absolute best! There isn't a thing that I don't love about this quilt. Amazing work! Bookmarked for future inspiration.

    I'm giving a presentation on texture at our modern guild meeting next month. May I show this post as an example?

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  9. I LOVE your stitching! Really, really need to learn how to do that. So great that you used different colors of thread too. It's such a beautiful quilt, esp. with the stitching and texture.:)

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  10. This is breathtaking. Congrats on a gorgeous finish :)

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  11. Truly gorgeous & unique!! I've been admiring your progress pics... this turned out just fabulous!! :)

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  12. This is so amazing! The texture that you put into this is just breath taking! I love everything about it.

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  13. this quilt makes me happy - the colours, the layout, the quilting - all good stuff!

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  14. Love this Leanne! Definitely one of my favorites!

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  15. She's still gorgeous. Can't wait to see more in the Cycles series!

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  16. Just love this! Can't remember if I commented before, but well worth another if so! Stunning! And can't believe the change from pre quilting, shows what an essential element of design the quilting is!

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  17. It's just stunning Leanne! I'm going to have to give matchstick quilting a try! Inspiring as always!

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  18. I am so glad that you have entered this one - it really is amazing!

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  19. great entry and beautiful work I hope one day I can make something as beautiful! xx

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  20. I love this quilt. And your dense quilting is so perfect with your work!!!

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  21. Well, you already know I adore this but I am telling you again. You continue to inspire me each and every time.

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  22. Just amazing. Love the colors and the linen!

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  23. Beautiful I love the matchstick quilting, quite inspirational

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  24. I just love how the simplicity of this quilt makes such a big impact!

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  25. What a beauty! I'd be thrilled to have her decorating a corner of our home. Bravo!

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  26. I have loved following this every step of the way on IG - it's a stunning quilt. I only wish I could see it in real life!

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  27. Oh my goodness. I loved seeing the contrast between the basting picture and the completed quilt. What a difference all those lines make! Your colors are gorgeous, but the quilting takes the cake on this piece.

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  28. What a beautiful quilt. Thank you for sharing all the details!

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  29. This quilt is even nicer than the other one! I followed you quilting it on IG, and it's great to see how you persevered to finish it. The adage: "The quilting makes the quilt" very much applies in this one. Excellent!

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