Hey, Wassily! #1

     I have continued on my free cutting experimental quilt pieces, still inspired by the workshop by Maria Shell in April.  I started with just playing around with a odd shape, and deciding to see about going around it.  I pulled some summery solids inspired by nature:

Flowers my husband gave me for my birthday.

A recent sunset over Lake Erie.

    I started just putting pieces around a center shape that I just cut without any template.

After I finished that, I tried a different shape, with the same fabrics in different positions.   It is hard to get rid of the lumpiness in come of the inner layers!

I decided not to worry about how much fabric was being cut away, bur rather, tried to make interesting shapes.

Then I put the two pieces side by side and tried to decide what to do.

I made two more pieces, and then started setting them into a white border.    Easier said than done.  Fortunately, I had lots of white Kona.

  They were all such odd shapes, so trying to figure out how to put them into one piece was a challenge.

    Eventually I got to a place where the 4 shapes were all sewn together.  So many narrow little pieces to make it fit.

   This being my first try at this, the shapes, especially in the first block,  don't lay quite flat, and I tried to quilt them into submission.  It didn't really work, but I did discover a method for quilting that worked better than going round and round after this one block.   Notice how the quilting in the other blocks are within each separate piece.  

     I was moved to add that little piece of green on the one block, and quilted that with tiny bubbles, in contrast to the matchstick quilting on the rest of the piece.  I also experimented with changing direction of the quilting in larger white blocks, and ended up binding it in my go-to black and white stripe.  Unfortunately, some of the orange shows through the white, or else it bled.   Now I know to be more careful about pressing direction!   I did block it a bit, which got rid of some of the bumps, but the first block I did is still lumpy.  Good to know I got better by the 4th block!  

    I quilted using thread matching the fabric in both the top and in the bobbin.   I used a light gray Kona for the back.  

 

Here is a close up of some of the quilting.

    The final piece measures 20.5 square.  I put a picture on instagram (snugharborquilts - please follow me!) and asked for name suggestions.  I had been thinking of "hot fun in the summertime" and got a few more great ideas.  But,  @raspberrypie suggested "Kandinsky's Child", which caused me to google Kandinsky's work, some of which I had seen in my design class last semester.  Up popped his Color Study, Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913.  

Wassily Kandinsky, 1913, Color Study, Squares with Concentric Circles

     Love, love, love!!!!!!  Now I want to continue to play with this concept, and try out different color combos.    As an homage to Kandinsky, I am calling this piece Hey, Wassily!  #1, with the thought that I'll have a whole series of these done by the end of the year.  

    Before that happens, I am finishing up a piece for a guild challenge, which is due to be presented at the early July picnic.  The theme is "Mad for Plaid".  I am using some fabrics I purchased a few years ago in Scotland.  I'll share the finished piece soon!    I am also getting ready to pick pieces to submit to the Erie County Fair, and someday, I'll finish the "On Ringo Lake" quilt!  

   Enjoy the beginning of the summer! 

Take care,
Gretchen