Ukiyo - the Quilt

Ukiyo is finished.

(noun "living in the moment, detached from the bothers of life")

55" x 71"

This was the second quilt as part of the 2021 AHIQ Symmetry or Not challenge.

(the first quilt top was Pandemonium - later donated to Mercyful Quilts by way of Alycia during Hands 2 Help 2022)

No outdoor photos - just too darn cold thanks to Winter Storm Elliott.

I do love the binding (cut lengthwise from KF yardage).

Here Ukiyo is laying on the floor in the sunroom with late afternoon sunshine.

Quilted with Glide in Pink Rose using my liberated all over spiral fans.

I absolutely love this quilt!

* * *

Hoping to have one more finish by year end . . . wish me luck.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Art is chaos taking shape."

Pablo Picasso

And Then THIS happened ... Introducing UKIYO

When I finished the quilt top for Pandemonium,

I took all of the scrappy leftover orphans 

and stuck them up on my second design wall.

And there they have stayed.

Until yesterday.

I want to layout the tumblers for the Dr. Seuss quilt

so I really needed this mish-mash

 to become something coherent

or go back into a project box.

Ultimately deciding against the project box,

I started designing the scrappy backing

for Pandemonium.

Things were trimmed to even widths and sewn end to end

before being cut to 80" lengths.

More bits and pieces were sewn together

to create the two scrappy 'panel' sections.

It was at this point I realized there was nearly enough

scrappy leftover business to make the entire back 

without using any of the planned yardage.

(pink flowers on black -

see first photo)

OR this could become a truly asymmetrical quilt top

which totally fits the current AHIQ challenge.

Hmmmmm . . . .

I pulled out the Pandemonium quilt top

and realized I didn't want to use the scrappy back;

 so I checked my stashed backing yardage

and happily discovered the piece on the left.

(City View by Michael Miller)

These two were meant to be together.

So it was full speed ahead 

to create a scrappy quilt top . . . 

By the end of the afternoon,

this flimsy had happened.

I've named it UKIYO

which means 'living in the moment,

detached from the bothers of life.'

The name couldn't be more true -

I left our lunch dishes in the sink

and forgot to finish the two loads of laundry

that were underway.

The top measures 55" x 71"

and I'd need to sit and study it to know

how many previous quilts are represented

by its many, many fabrics.

When I visited the backing stash again, 

I chose this print, not knowing at first

that the yardage was already cut/seamed together.

Better yet, it was even large enough to use as is.

After a quick glance at the stash,

I chose this Kaffe zig zag for the binding.

It is refolded here - I plan to cut it lengthwise

rather that across the WOF to get

a more interesting binding.

And this was all that was leftover . . . 

just enough to make a reversible mug mat.

* * *

Whew . . . I never saw all THAT coming!

Quiltdivajulie

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“Every so often change your palette.  Introduce new colors and discard others.  You will gain knowledge of color mixing and your work will have added variety.”

Kenneth Denton

Pandemonium - the Flimsy

And then there was a flimsy on my design wall.

54" wide x 66" long 

Pat left a comment the other day 

wondering why I persisted with this project . . . 

Hopefully you can see why I didn't want to give up.

Wonderfully scrappy . . .

Full of interesting bits to look at . . . 

And ultimately satisfying - 

now that the top is complete.

(that's the planned binding along the right edge)

* * *

Joan wondered if Pandemonium didn't need a new name.

I did consider changing it given how the top evolved,

but I'm not going to since the scrappy back 

will not be nearly as calm as the quilt's front.

Getting this AHIQ quilt top completed

was one of my primary goals for September.

I'm happy to cross it off the list.

(the back will likely not happen until next month)

Quiltdivajulie

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“Color can overwhelm… One must understand that when it comes to color, ‘less’ is often ‘more’ – a lesson taught us by the masters but ignored by many artists.”

Joe Singer

Pandemonium - an Update

After a bit of tinkering and rearranging,

this was the way Pandemonium looked on the design wall.

Still not loving this . . . 

(a) Backgrounds around the two broken dishes blocks are too light

(meaning I unstitched them for a do-over)

(b) The scrappy-framed block (bottom) and combination block (top) 

just don't fit the evolving "vibe" of the top

(meaning both were edited from front to scrappy back)

and

(c) and there is no "singing" going on when I look at this

whether in real life or in photos.

(meaning it was time to stop and ponder some more)

As I pondered, I remembered the 12 paper-pieced arcs

from my class earlier this year with Sarah Bond.

(any plans to make enough of these for a lap quilt

evaporated a long while ago)

I quickly laid the arcs on three different pink fabrics - 

oh, yes - these need to be brought into the mix.

So I cut twelve 8.5" squares and used a small zig zag stitch

to machine appliqué the arcs to their backgrounds.

And after more editing, more unstitching, 

and more re-arranging, I do believe I have found my layout.

The next challenge will be fitting it all together.

* * *

The current AHIQ challenge 

involves symmetry v. asymmetry.

I had thought I would work toward asymmetrical

with this orphan block project, but in the end

I have come back to a gently off-balance symmetry.

That really doesn't surprise me -

I have never been able to force a quilt 

to become something it didn't want to be.

The scrappy quilt back will likely 

become a very different story.

I am quite sure it will qualify for

 the asymmetrical aspect of the challenge.

Time will tell.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I don’t think I will ever get tired of wearing pink.”

Emma Bunton

Pandemonium - Layout Chosen

After yet more re-arranging, this is the "almost it" layout.

I'm also thinking I might add a border of pink

on the outside of the HST borders.

I've printed out a black and white photo of the layout and

drawn lines to define what will become larger "sections"

that can then be assembled into the top -- completely do-able.

My order of additional "pinks" arrived over the weekend

(they're the seven on the bottom of the stack)

which means I start thinking about which ones

I want to use where to create those larger sections.

It's a good thing I enjoy pondering!!

p.s.  For Mary Jennings who left me a comment on Bloglovin' 

(there is no way to reply there) - my liberated fans inspiration and process is explained HERE.  

Quiltdivajulie

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“Pink isn’t just a color.  It’s an attitude.”

Miley Cyrus

Well THAT Changes Things

After sewing the first three HST border strips together

I put them back on the design wall and quickly realized

that all of those orphans were not going to fit

inside the approx. 51" x 63" frame.

With the fourth side of the frame in place,

I spent an afternoon fiddling with the elements

and left it at this point.

I have several ideas for how to add fillers and I'm sure

more than a few things will be rearranged in the process.

I also did some serious curating for the scrappy back.

The leftover HSTs from Gerful were sewn into a column

as were the rest of the front frame's newsprint HSTs.

The 18" four-part Jazzy blocks are back in the orphan box

since they no longer fit on the front and 

they added nothing to the mix for the backing.

* * *

I'm going to let this rest for a few days

while I work on some lined drawstring bags

and get this month's FMQ tops pin basted.

Quiltdivajulie

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“The distant lawnmower scents the air with green.”

Derek Jarman

Pandemonium - Decisions and More Questions

After yet more tweaking, this was the result.

Meh.

(click here to read another great MEH story)

I went downstairs and printed out a color copy 

of the previous photo so I could cut it apart.

So much easier to rearrange pieces of paper

instead of the fabrics on the design wall.

The dark green/gray quarter log cabin block was voted

off the island and sent back to live in the orphan box.

Even with it gone, this still feels Meh.

Getting closer so back to the studio I went.

I spent more time rearranging 

but got sidetracked while thinking about 

where I really wanted Pandemonium to go next.

A long time ago I took a class with Mary Lou Weidman

who had us "make your border/frame first" and then

fill in the center with lots of "hoochy-mama blocks."

I can do that.

Which led me to browse through the backing stash 

where I found the yardage on the left.

Yes!

After a lot (!) of fiddling with the HST borders,

I chose the sawtooth look over the flying geese.

(oops - I see now that the bottom and left-side 

HSTs are still aiming the wrong way - sheesh)

Inspired by the pink flowers in the backing,

I pulled the very last of this soft mottled pink

and cut 1.5" strips to use as an inner border.

I also enlarged the HST frame 

so it will yield a border  51" x 63".

In the interior area, those 2.5" low volume squares 

were unstitched from the two Otsego Revisited HSTs.

The two HSTs were also unstitched from each other and

then sewn back together but in the opposite configuration.

The large aqua/teal block from Awaken

was unstitched along its center seam making it into

two units since it was just a too-big blob before.

While digging out the border pieces,

I pulled a stack of low volume prints with pink

as potential filler fabrics.

Workable but also underwhelming.

Sitting on the drafting/cutting table was this stack

of freshly-laundered recently-thrifted shirts.

(for once I got lucky with colors I don't usually find - 

I especially like the shirt fifth from the bottom

and the fact that the plackets, cuffs, and collar

are lined with that blue paisley)

Now I'm wondering if I should mix a few

of my paler stashed shirting fabrics

into the filler mix for Pandemonium.

Hmmmmm . . . 

* * *

While I continue pondering,

I think I'll go sew those HST borders together.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Pink activates endorphins and energizes my creativity. 

It is a colour of femininity and fierceness.”

Janna Cachola

Pandemonium - an Update

I had a stack of Kaffe Fassett die cut triangles

and another bigger stack of newsprint die cut triangles.

First step was to turn them into just over 100 HST units.

I used those freshly-pressed HSTS to form 

a border roughly 48" wide x 60" long 

(before seams)

and rearranged the orphans and other bits/pieces 

so they fit inside that "frame."

I tried adding the longer strips as an outer border.

UGH.

I will use them to piece an orphan-ish backing

when the time comes along with the strips

I had auditioned inside the HST border.

A bit more tweaking with a few of the 

still-in-pieces elements sewn together.

I sewed a few more bits together and

swapped the upper right corner and lower center blocks

along with separating Cherie's two broken dishes blocks.

I have another box full of low volume 2.5" squares

so I used a few to attach two elements (near the bottom edge).

I also used a saved section from the sky

 of Cherie's SSOBB barn

to frame four flying geese 

pieced from Spotty Town extras.

And then I wondered -

what if the HSTs were turned into 

scrappy flying geese units?

Hmmm . . . 

I want to rearrange the HSTs so that 

the geese are still scrappy but read as

"pink" or "yellow" or "gray"

before I make a decision.

* * *

LOTS (!) more puzzling lies ahead.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Colors must fit together as pieces in a puzzle or cogs in a wheel.”

Hans Hofmann

Pandemonium - an orphan block project

I posted about my orphan block stash here.

Since then those blocks have not been quiet 

about remaining in their project box.

\

Once I had LUDIC clipped for webbing

leaving the design wall empty again,

I pulled out all of the orphans.

Hmmmmm . . . 

Almost immediately I removed the orange blocks

left behind after piecing the top for 

October's kitchen table quilt (Trick or Treat).

I will use them to make a pair of end table mats.

I also decided that I will NOT be using 

black and white prints as filler.

(I've been watching Agilejack and lots of her blog followers

making Frankenbags and thought Anne's b-w ideas 

might work with my stash of orphans)

Instead I have pulled out several unused 

2.5" strips and a few more pieces 

of quilt back trimmings.

This mixture definitely has possibilities.

Next step will be to measure the various blocks,

count the scrappy rectangles and misc. HSTs,

add in the extra HSTs from Ludic, and

play around with graph paper and layout ideas.

* * *

I have named this project Pandemonium.

(meaning 'a wild uproar')

AND Pandemonium has unexpectedly become

my asymmetrical project for the new AHIQ challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I’m crazy for color.  

Color embraces you.  

It wakes you up and keeps you present.”  

Tracy Reese