Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti - the Quilt

And the twelfth in the series of Dumpster Diving quilts is finished!

DD 12 aka Confetti was started in November 2022 - you can read one of the early process posts HERE.

The finished quilt measures 55" wide x 68" long.

You can see the finished quilt top's reveal HERE.

I'm so glad I listened and left out the sashing strips.

DD 12 was quilted with Glide thread in Turf (green) using my all-over liberated free motion spiral fans.

There are roughly 4,000 inches of sewn together scraps in this top.

You can see some of that work in progress HERE.

And now the series feels complete.

Twelve quilts - each unique - yet so very related to each other.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

Vincent Van Gogh

Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti - the Flimsy

A little while ago I shared the center portion of this quilt top (click HERE).

But now the quilt top is really, truly, finished with its inner and outer borders.

Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti, the flimsy, measures 56" wide x 69" long.

Here is the upper right hand corner detail . . . 

and here is the upper left hand corner.

The inner border is Brandon Mably's 'Brollies" fabric.  I tried the green from the abandoned sashing strips but it did nothing.  Then, at Lynne's suggestion, I tried a bright orange.  I loved the energy but the single color stopped the riot of color cold.  

When I tried this busy, bright, slightly wacky fabric I knew it was absolutely 'the one' to keep Confetti's party going.

* * *

Next up will be getting the blocks for Moxie laid out on the design wall. 

They can then be clipped for webbing and I can continue sewing the HSTs for Tussie Mussie in the process of creating Moxie's quilt top.

(poor Macnas is still rolled on the pool noodles waiting for me to do its pin basting . . .)

Quiltdivajulie

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"My mission with my art is really quite simple.  I seek to inspire joy in the viewer."

Laurie Russian

And Then She Changed Her Mind - DD 12 the Flimsy

For those of you who may have lost track, this was one of my Nov. 2022 inspiration photos for the twelfth Dumpster Diving quilt named Confetti.

When it came time to finally sew DD 12's blocks together yesterday, the sashing shown in previous posts was left behind.

It wasn't needed and it actually detracted from what I've always loved most about the DD quilts, namely the way the colors crash into and collide with each other.

Here's another of the inspiration photos . . . 

And another of the freshly pressed quilt top.

(too windy for outdoor on-the-fence photos)

* * *

I'll add a 2" border of the backing fabric all around to contain the many, many seam ends, but that will be trimmed back once I get to the point of binding (much like I did on No Ugly Flowers).

And if you want to see the previous eleven DD quilts, click over HERE and follow the links.

Quiltdivajulie

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"I want to access the part of my brain that is willing to surrender control and learn new things.  Play allows me to do this."

Sarah Gardner

Studio Time Pays Off

As I stitched together the final seven blocks for Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti, I stitched one HST at the beginning and end of each DD seam.

By the time I finished the seventh DD12 block, I had also sewn 130 HSTs together!   

(the ones with the green fabric facing up are the ones that are sewn, the 60 pink-side-up pairs are still pinned)

I just had to press four sets of eight HSTs . . . 

Then once the final blocks for DD12 were pressed and squared, they were laid out on the design wall.

One of the reasons this project has been stalled is that the wide sashing and cornerstone approach was not making me happy.

So instead of cutting the sashing strips at 2.5" for a 2" finish, I will cut them at 1.5" for a 1" finish.

(the one above was cut at 1" so I could visualize my plan)

Oh, yes - this approach I like.  

I'll trim down the already-cut green strips and cut some new ones at 3.5" for a border that will be trimmed back to 2" after FMQ.

I pulled out the leftover backing from Young Man's quilt (he's graduated from Little Man - thanks for the suggestion Elaine) and added it to the yardage purchased for DD12 (shown on the left).

It feels so good to see such definite progress on two different projects!

Quiltdivajulie

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"I think rules are the ruination of the art world."

Iris Apfel

Getting Ready

This has been the main focus for the past few days . . . getting things set up to do a live Zoom presentation on my Dumpster Diving series and my book for a Pennsylvania quilt guild on Monday the 8th.  

DH and I have spent quite a bit of time tweaking the temporary technology set up in my sewing studio to keep things as streamlined  as possible.

While he fiddled with wires and connections, I cut additional sashing strips and corner stones to simulate the final layout for DD12.  Twelve blocks are finished with eight more to go for the 4 wide x 5 long layout.

Seeing this much of the WIP quilt top on the design wall is really making me want to sit and stitch those final eight blocks next week.

I've also been doing prep work for my January journal (playing along with Meg's Journals "Junk Journal January" but doing things my way, of course).

When DH finished this particular Sudoku book,  I nabbed it before he could throw it away.

I used scraps of papers like this one (packing paper for something DIL brought home after her trip to Asia last year) to partially cover each of roughly 70 page sides (31 days in the month x 2 page sides each).

Even Ikea instruction sheets found their way into the mix.

I tried using a no sew method shared by Roben-Marie Smith but my packing tape was self-adhesive instead of her water activated variety and my final assembly didn't work out at all the way I had hoped (as in half the signatures failed to adhere to the spine).

So what you don't see here is my use of bright rainbow colored cording to tie each of the five signatures into the cover of this 1937 copy of Heidi in order to make my altered book journal functional.  

It's a bit wonky to be sure but somehow that fits with the "junk" (as in rescued) journal aspect of the month long challenge.

I left the torn edges on the pages when I took them out of the original book because they add so much textural interest.  And I used stick on letters to spell out each daily prompt on the left-hand page of each two--page spread.  

I've gone ahead and collaged my ideas onto the pages with prompts I knew how I wanted to handle.  

I'll spend the rest of the month filling in the others my own way after (maybe) watching the daily videos that are part of the collaborative challenge. 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide."

D.W. Winnicott

Studio Time - Part 2 (photo heavy post)

The box contains a lot of more-or-less 14" strips of Dumpster Diving segments ready to be pressed.

(Note of explanation - my iron is plugged into the same power strip as the lamp on my pressing table - if the lamp is on, the iron is on and when the iron is off the lamp is off - and the quilt on the wall was made by Wanda Hanson)

It took a couple of sessions but all of those strips are now pressed flat and ready to be sorted and sewn into more blocks for DD12 - Confetti.

I also pieced the backing for Inglenook.  

Now the top, the batting, and the back are rolled onto pool noodles ready for pin basting.

I don't think I've mentioned it here on the blog, but I signed up for Fodder School 3 (you can read all about it HERE).  

My overarching approach to FS3 is to learn as much as I can in order to move my own projects/ideas forward (unless the instructor's project completely captivates my attention).

This month's project is creating a bespoke coptic bound book.  I started off in one direction then completely changed my mind (huge surprise) and have chosen a different path (more on this once the book is assembled).

That shift in direction left a stack of prepared signatures without a home - so I used a small cardboard box and made a cover (front and spine shown above).

This is the back cover and spine.

A peek inside the front cover . . . 

And a look at the inside back cover.

(I plan to leave the cardboard edges showing as part of the journal's overall vibe)

Here are the prepared but still unattached signatures tucked inside the cover.

All of the black and white pages in the signatures came from a thrifted book on architectural drawing technique.

I plan to use a version of long-stitch bookbinding (another first) to assemble this journal.

Then, when inspiration strikes, it will be ready for collage to be added.

In August, I mentioned playing along with Francisca's Flowers Magic Art Fest 23.

I had plans to make two different journals but after watching all of the videos, absorbing so much new information, and letting things gestate for a while I am not going that route.

At the very end of September, I happily chanced upon this wonderfully intact thrifted 5-ring binder/book . . . 

And now my ideas have coalesced into actual progress!

I've covered the front/back of each of the 17 tabbed dividers and spent several happy hours sorting/prepping papers to become the pages (still more work to be done but that's okay).

I even found the perfect way to (1) cover up the divider pages' printed tabs and (2) actually use pieces from the snippet roll I made.

For now I plan to leave the cover itself as it is but, to no one's surprise, that could change in the future.

* * * 

Lurking in the background are three more five-ring binders that will eventually become more scrappy, eclectic journals.

I enjoy working on the pages before they are added to the journal and the flexibility of a binder makes the arranging process even easier.

SO many possibilities . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Art is literacy of the heart."

Elliot Eisner

Progress Comes in Many Forms

I did manage to get two more blocks sewn for Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti, but not until Wednesday afternoon.

While the iron was on, I pressed the various sections for January's dining room wall quilt - Gnomeville.  

As it turned out, the panel I thought I would add to widen the backing is not going to be needed so it will become a runner on its own.

I spent a morning sorting already-cut strips for January's new kitchen table quilt named Brumous (adjective meaning "of gray skies and winter days").

There will be sixty-four 8" (finished) blocks in the 64" x 64" quilt, hence the stack of plated strips.

Click HERE to read about my series of Kitchen Table Quilts if you aren't familiar with them.

In other news, DH hung up the artisan-made lavender Icelandic glass star that the kids give me for my birthday last month.   (They brought it home with them earlier in the year after their adventure in Iceland)

* * *

October and November are the months for a number of annual doctor appointments - so far all of my test results have been good.  

Two more to go - fingers crossed that the run of "good results" continues.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Being okay if it happens and okay if it doesn't is a very powerful place to be."

Kate Eckman

Decision and Forward Motion

So how do you go from those incredibly long strips of sewn together segments to a finished block?

In the case of DD 12, I measure out 14" (ISH) lengths and separate (tug apart) the long strip of segments at the 1.5" seam line on or just beyond the 14" mark.

The shorter strips are then pressed and stacked ready for layout.

The prepared strips are then sewn into slabs of 14 (above).

I finger press each seam and tug out any errant threads as I work to make the pressing easier and to save de-threading time later.

Once the 14 strips are all sewn together, I iron/press the slab before using my 12.5" ruler to square it into a block.

The decision mentioned in the post's title is to go with the 2.5" cut sashing.  

(I've unstitched and removed the 2" cut test strip shown in the previous post)

Even with only these first five blocks on the wall, I like the weightier sashing.

These three sashing strips came from my 2.5' WOF test strip - but I'm not going to cut any others until all 20 blocks are on the design wall.

I'm also going to wait on the cornerstones, just in case I change my mind.

* * *

I am SO loving these scrappy colors.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Don't ever be ashamed of loving the strange things that make your weird little heart happy."

Elizabeth Gilbert

DD 12 Returns

I have scrolled past this online photo for years, always thinking to myself that it was a fun quilt showcased in a most excellent photo shoot setting.

And yesterday chancing across that photo yet again resolved my long-standing dilemma over what layout to use for DD 12. 

(source link)

I pulled out the boxes holding 5,000-plus inches of prepared 1.5" segments for Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti and started shopping the stash to see if I could find fabric for sashing that wasn't black.

This vibrant Grunge yardage won the prize.

For cornerstones, I'll use Confetti's backing fabric.

Last night I sewed up two blocks (there will be 20 in all) and cut a 2.5" strip of sashing (lower portion of photo).

I went back and made a third block but this time cut a 2" strip of sashing (upper portion of photo).

I want to get all twenty blocks made and on the design wall before I decide between the pattern's 2.5" cut or my 2" cut strips for sashing and later corner stones.

I love the stability and pizazz the wider sashing brings to the inspiration quilt but I also don't want DD12 to be dominated by a too-powerful grid.  

Chances are I'm worrying needlessly . . . 

It feels so good to finally know where I am going with DD12.

I'm hoping to stay on task and not get distracted by so many other projects waiting for attention.  

Quiltdivajulie

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Gökotta - (Swedish) -  Waking up at dawn and going outside just to hear birds chirping and singing. 

(it's time to prepare myself for the season of SAD)