Tuesday 28 February 2017

AHIQ - share your improv #18 and some Chinese Coins

Now that I've got a better grip on what I am doing, I am enjoying this challenge.

Out of the box today came this piece


and good assortment of coin strips and little pinwheels. I have been making bits and pieces for the past few days but didn't have the space to lay stuff out and have a good look until today.  

After playing around for a bit I decided that I'm not going to stick to the vertical, but will add in horizontal strips if I fancy it.  Like this:


So I filled in the gap down the side to get this:


It doesn't look too bad in most of the photos but I am finding that one of the things about using every last bit of a shirt is that quite a few pieces are cut on the bias (sleeves especially) so sometimes there is quite a lot of stretch.  It's not too much of a problem.  I could keep trimming everything to keep it even but have decided to roll with it, making little adjustments where I can,  until a particular area is running out of control and then I will piece in wedges to bring it back to order.   


Of course this may not work and the whole thing may run wild, but I'll worry about that when I have to and  not before.  In the meantime I will just keep going.  I am enjoying this a lot, and definitely learning stuff too, which is the whole point isn't it? 


22 comments:

Marly said...

I love the way you have taken the traditional pattern, changed it slightly and then run with it! I'm still dithering as to where to go next; changing the position of the new pieces every five minutes. Yours gives me hope!

Quiltdivajulie said...

I like what you're doing - especially the pinwheel blocks. Just keep going!

patty a. said...

I like that way yours has a more scrappy look to it than mine. I have too many fabric choices which I think leads to a less interesting top. I like the look of your top a lot!

Monica said...

I like the little pinwheels that were thrown into the mix! This all looks like it's working well, and I think it's because you have good contrast and consistency with those narrow, darker coins. Plus, I love the green! Looking good. :D

Julierose said...

Oh I really like that horizontal line--right in keeping with "Chinese" of the coin quilt pattern--
Like a table you would stack them on..very nice WIP hugs, Julierose

Ann said...

In the first photo your pinwheels looked like starfish. Then I decided the darker coins wiggled around like kelp on the beach. I like the way you're mixing wider and narrower stacks as well as making some partial towers. As usual, you mix everything so beautifully.

JanineMarie said...

Fun pinwheels! I think I see a button, too. (Swoon!) What I like best is how you mention the possibility of running wild but worrying about it later. Mentoring words for me to live by.

Anonymous said...

What a great top. It looks like a lot of fun.

Hunter

em's scrapbag said...

I like that you used both vertical and horizontal rows.

Magpie Sue said...

The pinwheels are a fun surprise amidst the squares and strips. It's fun when you finally get on a roll and things fall into place, isn't it?

Cathy said...

Good for you using up every last piece! And using them beautifully, I might add!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Love how this is progressing! Your colour combo is a little different, but I do like it, especially the ?olive green bits!

Mary Marcotte said...

The linky is back up. I was getting nervous that I'd forget to come back. lol I would so do that!

This quilt is get more and more interesting. First, I like the greenish tones. Secondly, I like your laisse faire attitude. (I can't seem to pull that off, much as I'd like to.) Finally, I like that you added some sideways strips. Like the pinwheels, they are an unexpected surprise.

Mystic Quilter said...

Wonderful little pinwheels in there, a great idea. If you tried to cut and straighten every bit of stretch you'd end up with very tiny pieces!!

PaulaB quilts said...

You are certainly doing a good job with shirtings. Putting the horizontal at the base grounds it well. The pinwheels are nice accent pieces and just seem to belong there. Keep up the good work!

Doris Perlhuhn said...

Wow, a lot of work you have done. This -for me not so nice- green gets a completely new attitude in this surronding. It works well and gets a fresh outlook. You are a wizzard of colors.

Stephie said...

It was an inspired decision to work the pinwheels into this piece Kaja, love it! And that green, oh yes! It kind of reminds me of pistachios with the pink, no idea why though, haha! I think half the fun of working with re-purposed fabrics is trying to get them get it to work in a technical sense - biases are a pain in the but, but the 'multi-seam' has become my friend! I used to think it was 'bad sewing' because I couldn't sew properly, but that's just a load of rubbish, haha!!! x

Stephie said...

Oh if only I could stop using exclamation marks and 'hahahahas' all the time :D I swear my vocabulary and grammar is getting worse as I get older! Oops there goes another one...

pandchintz said...

Cool!

Sharon said...

I like what you've got going here! I love the inclusion of the pinwheels - that adds whimsy, which I love! And I really like the mix of both vertical and horizontal - that makes it way more interesting.

If that stretchiness is really bugging you, you might try ironing with a shot of starch. It might control it just enough until you get something else sewn to it. Or....you could just wing it, which seems to be working for you!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

oh, yeah, it definitely works

audrey said...

Loving these colors and the wonderful whimsy of this!