Friday, August 12, 2022

Accidentally modern

 Hi all! Well, the summer travel is over for us. Sadness! We did have some great trips, and we have now seen both ends of US1, but the good times are over for now and it's back to the grind. I will say that nothing makes you appreciate your own home quite like traveling. Especially your own bed. Good-smelling sheets!

If you've been around the blog for a bit, you know that "modern" is not really my thing. All that empty space! Most modern quilts look unfinished to me, though I do admire many of them. What can I say? I love piecing. If you don't, you do you! 
 
A few years ago, I attempted to make a temperature quilt. I failed miserably. It felt so much like a chore, making a small block every day, no matter how simple it was. And then life happened and I put it off for a few days, and then another, and another. . .you get it. I had made a temperature scale, though, and I kept it after I abandoned the project. It has turned into this:


Okay, it's a little odd, but I like it! This is long and skinny, something like 42 by 60, so it isn't really a lap quilt. I think it's just an art piece that I'm planning to hang in my hallway. That's why it has such a cute quilting design.


That it turned out at all and didn't get thrown away was completely accidental, of course. I think I intended to cut it up and at least save the Kona white from the sides. I never did, and when I was prepping some other quilts for the longarm, I also saw this and decided to quilt it up. The quilting pattern turned out perfect for this piece, I think. It's Daisy Swirl from Clothwerx and I love how it turned out.


The backing is just a leftover piece from another backing. If you look really closely, you can see that it has a very pale pattern on the back so it won't show through to the front.  The binding was surprisingly hard to choose. It took quite some time before I settled on this multicolored polka dot fabric, which is subtle enough that it doesn't give the quilt a hard edge.


So there we are! An old mistake turned into a nice piece for my hallway. I should say that the ceilings in there are 9 feet high, so this will look like just the right size in the space.

Hope everyone has a really good weekend. I'm doing laundry and getting my big stack of books ready to carry back to school. Meetings start this coming week. Oh, boy-- aren't meetings everyone's favorite part?


Sharing at Finished or not Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, and the Patchwork and Quilts linkup at Quilting Patchwork Applique.

16 comments:

Hubblebird said...

I always love the tone of your bright and happy posts. I think the quilt is gorgeous even though I, like you, am not a fan of swathes of white empty space. I’d like this to hang in my hallway! It’s great. And kudos for finishing it.

Preeti said...

Accidentally Modern caught my eye and made me smile. Beautifully done. Love the quilting and the choice of binding is perfect - all while you were repurposing scraps and bits. I'd say it is Deliberately Mari!!!

Susie H said...

Good job for getting it 100% finished. It sounds like it will be beautiful in the hall with those tall ceilings. I'm a piecer too but the quilting added a nice dimension to your piece. On a side note, the schools here started this week already! I'm shocked, so early!

Laura said...

I am also not a fan of modern quilts (although I do like some of them). You turned this project into treasure! :)

Kathleen said...

What a wonderful quilt - an totally an accident - I love it. I can see how it would be perfect in the space you described! Good luck with the year.

grammajudyb said...

I feel your pain about the temperature quilt. Mine is a flimsy, but that is as far as it went. I feel the guilty need to finish it, but it's not current so does it still have significance. Maybe? Maybe not? A conundrum for sure!

Love how your "accident" turned out? A "Happy Accident" for sure.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That's a great use of something leftover, Mari! I'm such a fan of the rainbow of colors all in a row like that. It looks perfect for hanging in a tall space! I've thought about making a temperature quilt, but afraid I'd get bogged down in the daily needs of it, like you said. Happy new school year - glad you got some travel in this summer!

Sara said...

That is an excellent use of those pieces. Modern isn’t my normal style either, but this is really pretty. The texture is really great.

MissPat said...

Sounds like you have just the right spot for this wall hanging. I think it turned out really well and you'll smile whenever you look at it. Good luck with the start of a new school year.
Pat

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

Great save!!! Wonderful mod quilt, Mari!!!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Excellent way to make use of that abandoned project, Linda! It is sure to cheer your hallway.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Whoops! Apparently, I forgot where I was. Sorry about that, Mari!

Ivani said...

A beautiful modern quilt with lot of negative space and great quilting.

Bernie Kringel said...

This is a great piece for a tall wall - I also like the quilting and choice of binding. Well done Mari!
How is it time to go back to school? Time is playing all sorts of tricks on me these days. Hope this is a good academic year for you! Sharpen your pencils and clean out your backpack. :-)

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What a great mistake!! I like it!!!

piecefulwendy said...

What a great quilt from your temp strip! It will be a fun quilt to have hanging in your home, too. I like the quilting design as well. Can't believe it's time for back to the grind already - why do summers fly by so quickly!