Book Review: "Modern Plus Sign Quilts"

It's been a while since I've seen a new quilt book with really exciting patterns, so today I want to share a bit about this great new C&T Publishing stashBOOKS, Modern Plus Sign Quilts by Cheryl Brickley and Plaige Alexander.

This book has something for everyone.  There are pieced quilts, appliqued patterns and foundation pieced patterns. They range from a simple table runner which would be great for a new quilter to complex geometric designs.

There are 3 quilt patterns in this book that I really want to make. My favorite is "Plus Surround", a quilt with concentric circles of plus signs. Because of the circular design, it looks complicated but all the but all the blocks are square!  It's a really fun quilt!

Another of my favorites is "Celestial", the navy an white quilt shown above on the cover of the book. This pattern makes a queen size quilt, using large blocks, so it go together quickly.

My other favorite quilt is "Transparency Chains".  It uses a single Irish change with pieced plus signs that appear to float inside the chains.

These are modern quilts with deep roots in classic patterns. They have lots of negative space with many of them using 3 to 7 plus yards of background fabric. I often guesstimate yardage when purchasing fabric but I recommend you make a list to take to the store if you are going to make these quilts!

I can't wait to start sewing...but first, a shopping trip!

Back cover

Floral Latte Quilt Finished!

I hope everyone in the US enjoyed Thanksgiving Day with your families yesterday!

This seems like a good day to show one of the quilts I just finished. This is Floral Latte, a low volume Plus Sign quilt. The design is my own.

It has a wool batting--the quilt is light, soft and has lovely loft.  I like my wool quilts to puff so there is a minimal amount of quilting. It's a warm has having a Springer Spaniel on your lap--only less wiggly!

"Floral Latte"--Low Volume Plus Sign Quilt Top

Here is my "Floral Latte", low volume plus sign quilt design, finished top.

"Disruption" in pattern to create more interest has been my theme this fall. In this quilt the disruption is in the 3rd vertical column of block from the left. All the blocks in the horizontal rows are the same block. But in the 3 vertical row, it's the opposite block.

I also added the narrow orchid strip and a plain border just on the left side of the quilt.

I tried out lots of various layouts on my design wall--but this is the layout that I found the most interesting and the most pleasing!

I left the background in the photo this time--I like how the autumn color in the trees and the leaves on the ground compliment this quilt!

And speaking of compliments...a shout out to my friend Suzanne for giving me the inspiration for this quilt's name!  Thanks!

Low Volume Plus Sign Quilt in Progress

I'm zipping right along with the Low Volume Floral Plus Sign Quilt!

As shown above, there was a near catastrophe on the design wall when two of the dogs decided to wrestle right in front of my quilt! Fortunately I moved the excitement to another room in time!!  (Though for the record, I did have a back up photo of my design).

Solid Color Challenge 2016 for the Boston Modern Quilt Guild/Quilt Show

The Boston Modern Quilt Guild is having a Solid Color Challenge.  The quilts need to measure under 36 inches and the fabrics must be a solid color. Those are the only rules. These Challenge quilts are on display now as part of the the BMQG 2016 Quilt Show at The Fabric Basement in Natick, MA.  The quilt show is free and open Saturday and Sunday afternoons 12-4 PM through May 1, 2016. (See show poster at the end of this post).

I decided to make a play on the Pantone 2016 Colors of the Year--Rose Quartz and Serenity, a blue using the Kona® fabrics I had in my stash. They aren't an exact match, but they are similar.

A couple months ago, Cheryl Arkison, whose blog is The Diningroom Empire, posted a photo of a Canadian sunrise with a comment about the Pantone 2016 colors. The sky was a soft blue and on the horizon, the palest of pinks.

Then I started seeing them in the Boston sunsets.

My quilt design is a off-center variation of the Log Cabin Courthouse Steps pattern, with a central plus sign.

Here is the back--the fabric is Mormor, designed by Lotta Jansdotter, printed by Windham Fabrics.  It's the perfect backing for the oh so quiet front!

One of my friends commented that 9 to 12 of these blocks would make a sweet baby quilt!

Here's the poster for the BMQG Show.  Hope you get to see it!

Working on the "Snow Melt" Quilt

The irony that I was working on my "Snow Melt" quilt on a day when it was snowing (again!) was not lost on me!  But the the silk screened of crocus card that I made years ago, tucked into my ruler stand, added a hopeful feeling to the day!

Here are a couple of pictures of the quilt top and back.  I can't decide which I like better!  It was very windy the day I took these photos. The only place I could keep the fabric still was draped over the deck railing facing the wind.  

"Snow Melt" Quilt top

"Snow Melt" quilt back

Part of the quilting I'm doing on this project is grid work.  I've used an pastel sea green thread for most of the stitching. At the moment I'm adding diagonal quilting with yellow thread--sun beams!

My diagonal yellow stitching extends over 1/3 of the quilt.  I used painter's tape to mark the first line of diagonal quilting. Additional lines of quilting are stitched using the marking lines on my walking foot, following the first line of diagonal stitching.  The painter's tape works really well. It doesn't leave any sticky residue.  However I wouldn't put the tape on a quilt and leave it there for more than a day. I've read that masking tape will leave a residue of glue on the fabric so make sure you use only use painter's tape.

Here's a photo of diagonal quilting using painter's tape as a marking line on the "Early Birds" quilt that I just completed.

Painter's tape on the "Early Birds" quilt, ready for quilting a long diagonal line

I'll keep you posted on my progress!