SSMQG – Sew Bittersweet Designs

Quilts for Pulse – South Sound Modern Quilt Guild

2 Comments / Charity, Custom Quilting, Customer Quilt, Edge to Edge Quilting, free motion quilting, Innova, Long Arm Quilting, SSMQG / By Melissa Dunworth

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild put out a call for Quilts for Pulse – heart quilts. My local guild, South Sound Modern Quilt Guild (SSMQG) answered the call. I donated 20 blocks to our guild and there were so many blocks donated that two quilt tops were pieced by our wonderful guild mate Teri. I volunteered to quilt one of the quilts. I feel so blessed to have gotten to work on these quilts.

I decided to do a simple all over heart design on this quilt. Partially because the more quilting is done, the heavier the quilt becomes and as these quilts were heading to Florida, I thought a heavier quilt might not be as cuddly, heavier = hotter. I also wanted to do a simple heart design that kept with the heart/love theme.

This is before I trimmed the quilt, that is a Kona White background but getting the color balance just right on this photograph has proven to be a bit of a challenge for me. Some day I will invest in editing software…today is not that day.

I love how filled with love this quilt it. It was my first time ever quilting with Hobbs 80/20 batting and the first time Spike encountered polyester batting. It went really well. I used Superior Threads Omni on top and So Fine on the bottom, the perfect pairing of threads.

Have you been able to sew anything for Quilts for Pulse or Quilts for Peace?

Feeling Loved

2 Comments / SSMQG / By Melissa Dunworth

This week was the three year anniversary of the first meeting of the South Sound Modern Quilt Guild. When I started this guild 3 years ago, I have to say, I wasn’t quite sure what would happen, would anyone show up or would I be at the quilt shop with Anne for company. Little did I know that we would have a huge turn out and I would quickly find myself as president of a quilting guild for the next 2.5 years. I love this guild, and I have been so grateful for all of the wonderful women who are part of it. They are all so wonderful, caring, giving and loving. At the end of our meeting this week, I was called up to the front of the room, now that I’m not president anymore I tend to hide in the back, and was presented with a stunning quilt made with love from the most wonderful ladies.

These ladies know me so well. There are so many blocks that I truly adore in this quilt. I’ve been having a rough week and yesterday I truly felt as though I had been wrapped up with love. People do not understand what it means to be a quilter until they gift a quilt and see the joy in the recipients face or they receive a quilt and feel all the love that is stitched into the quilt.

Thank you South Sound Modern Quilt Guild. This gift has truly deeply touched my heart and soul.

Anne’s Sunrise

3 Comments / 2016 Finishes, Improv, Innova, Spike, SSMQG / By Melissa Dunworth

In 2015 I was the president of my local Modern Quilt Guild, South Sound MQG. One of my outgoing acts as President involved working with the outgoing Vice President to come up with a challenge for our yearly quilt show that takes place during Spring Arts Walk in Olympia, WA. The fabrics we selected were from V & Co Color Theory. I got the Navy Poppies colorway.

This color way is right up my alley, I pretty much love all things blue. The other part of the challenge, because picking out one fabric wasn’t enough for us, was that the quilt needed to be an improv quilt. Meaning that there should be no real pattern used, make it up yourself.

As I was pulling fabrics for the challenge I got in my mind this image of my daughter, Anne, standing at our upstairs window looking at the sunrise before school this winter. The sky turns these brilliant shades of blues, pinks and yellows and it always makes her so happy, mostly because when we see these colors it means it isn’t raining and in the winter in Washington we always enjoy a rare break in the rain!

I decided to make a sunrise quilt for Anne. I pieced together different width blues and grays for the sky and then I sliced the piece apart with slight improv curves and inserted curvy rays to make a sunrise.

I had so much fun quilting this quilt on my new long arm! In the background I used Magnifico by Superior Threads and quilted flames, and in the rays themselves, I quilted pebbles with a yellow thread by Signature. I absolutely loved quilting this one, it is a custom design and while there is at least one pucker, which is mostly due to the nature of improv quilting and I’m still learning, I am 100% happy with how the quilt turned out, and more importantly, so is Anne!

So yet another finish f0r 2016! If you live in the Olympia/South Sound area, South Sound Modern Quilt Guild will be exhibiting at Canvas Works in downtown as part of Arts Walk on April 22nd and 23rd. Stop by and see all of the incredible improv quilts that were created by the talented members of the guild!

Black to White Challenge

3 Comments / Modern Quilt Guild, Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns, SSMQG / By Melissa Dunworth

As a member of a Pacific Northwest Modern Quilt Guild, I have the opportunity to compete in a fabric challenge for the Quilt! Knit! Stitch! show that is this summer in Portland, Oregon.

I drew up what I think is a fairly cool design and started pulling fabrics. I am working with prints and solids.

I also pulled all of my black and gray solids.

I find new quilts so exciting to work on. I just hope I can get the top finished before we have to move out of the house because right now it covers two different design walls and I really don’t like the idea of having to take it all down and reassembling it. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow is the linky party for March Finishes! Remember you have until March 31st to link up. Good luck finishing!

Zentangle Inspired Quilting

12 Comments / free motion quilting, Sew BitterSweet Designs Patterns, SSMQG, The Modern Quilt Guild / By Melissa Dunworth

The entire reason I decided to start doing Zentangle drawing is because I was hoping it would help me with my quilting. I wanted to be able to see a space and fill it with designs. Now, I haven’t figured out how to do the shading or filling in, but the line drawings of Zentangle translate quite nicely to quilting.

I’ve been working on my March goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes and have finished all the quilting. All that’s left is binding but before I can do that I need to make my Do Good Stitches blocks. In the mean time here are some pictures of the back of my quilt.

This design was inspired by the Zentangle design called Paradox. I started with a triangle of blue tape on my quilt. I used my walking foot to outline the triangle and then removed the tape. Every subsequent line I eyeballed. I continued adding triangles until the bottom half of the quilt was filled. Here is an in progress shot:

I added some boxy spirals in my background fabrics and some wishbones in my main fabrics to finish the quilt. The wish bones were the only part that I did with my free motion foot, the rest of the quilting was all done with my walking foot.

I have to say that this is the quilt that I am the most proud of the quilting. I worked really hard on it and I love how it turned out. Once I get the binding on maybe then I will be ready to reveal the front…we shall see!

Happy Tuesday!