Quilt Block-of-the-Month #4 & #5

No holds barred!  I am ever pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone - and this month I really tried to let loose with color.  Since the last two blocks were "cool" colors, I already knew I wanted to use "warm" colors again, which will lay diagonally opposite. So enough with the chit chat.  Here are the blocks-

I started with these pictures, because they show what the block looks like before the applique work.  It is pretty "simple" and one-dimensional looking.  As the appliqueing begins, detail and dimension begin to emerge.

 

Two blocks were completed for this month.  Here is the other one;

 Here are the four blocks as they will be arranged in the center of the quilt.  I still need to add the borders.

By the time I was working on the fourth and fifth blocks, I was really enjoying using contrasting colors and every different stitch I could think of.  It certainly creates a lot of visual interest.  I am finally starting to feel like I am "breaking free" from my "box" - my limited, conservative use of color and texture.

Oh, and one more thing...thanks to my little photographer who took all these pictures because she wanted me to blog about this.  I love my Rebecca Pearl!

Quilt Block-of-the-Month #3

Ah, decisions, decisions!  I think this quilt is more about decisions than about sewing sometimes.  I had wanted to work more "cool" colors into the second quilt block, but somehow, I didn't.  So I thought I would continue that color palette for the third block, since it will be arranged diagonally with the second block.  I seem to have purple on my mind this month.  But at the same time, I must also leave some color options for the other two blocks in this four-block arrangement.

Here is the third block:

Again, it is missing the borders, but I will decide that after next month's blocks are together.  Although the colors seem pretty simple - green and purple- there are really four different fabrics in this block.  But the visual detail mostly comes from the patterns and colors of stitching that were used.

Many different stitches - each with different stitch widths and lengths were practiced, before deciding which ones would look the best.  My Bernina is an old mechanical 1031, so it does not have a lot of stitches the newer computerized machines have.  But I don't care.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It is the best machine I have ever sewn on and I am grateful to have it!  Let's just say I have to figure out how to achieve some of the desired "looks" without simply pushing that button on my machine.  The "circular tool" was the newly introduced tool this month.  The corners of this block were cut from a circle which was first embroidered with this tool.  I was unable to use one for my older machine, so I had to make do without it.  But that is okay.  It gave me the opportunity to really use my skills and a little ingenuity to achieve the same look without it.

 

Btw, the owner of the Bernina store was looking at my machine while I was at class this month and said this was the machine that he just can't keep in the store.  It was only made for one year, so there aren't many of them.  He said whenever he gets one in on a trade, it is gone the same day!