Sunday, August 30, 2015

Sunday Stash #296 New Bedford by Denyse Schmidt

New Bedford by Denyse Schmidt
for Free Spirit Fabrics

New Bedford is the most recent fabric collection by popular designer Denyse Schmidt. Inspired by and named after the seafaring city of New Bedford in Massachusetts the collection comes in three distinct color palettes ~ Sorbet, Sun, and Sea ~ a coastal theme.


The collection consists of 9 different designs in up to three colorways. Designs include medium scale floral prints, printed plaid on the bias, directional stripes, small scale dots and a grid plaid, as well as almost solids with intense color. 


I really like the use of the black to create the strong color contrast in this collection, as well as both stripe designs. You also cannot go past this grey and yellow color combination ~


NEW BEDFORD BY DENYSE SCHMIDT is available from:


Enjoy Sunday!
Rita
Click on any image for a larger view.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt

And a picture post.
The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
QUILT STATS
Quilt measures 50 inches x 50 inches.
20 rows each of 20 squares.
100+  different quilting cottons including 
numerous beautiful Liberty of London Tana Lawn prints.

The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

The color palette of this quilt is not my usual palette, but I have grown very fond of these muted tones, and together with the pops of brighter colors - like the yellow prints - I don't think that this quilt is that much of a stretch in terms of my "normal". I love the finished quilt, even with all those purple fabrics!


I have quilted the quilt by ditch stitching all seam lines, thereby creating an all over 2.5 inch grid of intersecting lines as well as a single set of diagonal quilting lines (cross-hatching). Ditch stitching with a low loft  batting is functional rather than decorative, allowing the fabrics to feature, whilst still giving the quilt  a subtle texture.

The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

For the back of the quilt I have used a single fabric - a small scale red floral print with white background - from The Simple Life collection by Tasha Noel.  And for this quilt I felt it was necessary to deviate from my standard black/white stripe binding fabric, instead using a soft pink print ~ Squared Elements in Rosewater (Art Gallery Fabrics) to complement the overall tone of the quilt.

The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

This quilt is listed for sale in my Etsy Store.

See the listing details here: 

The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita
The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

RELEVANT LINKS:
Red Pepper Quilts Etsy Store
The Color Purple - A Quilt in Progress
Checkerboard Tutorial and Strip Piecing Tutorial

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Sunday, August 23, 2015

Sunday Stash #295 Gracie's Schoolhouse by Judy Rothermel

Aunt Grace - Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Aunt Grace - Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics
by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric

Reproduction fabrics, more specifically 30's reproduction fabrics, continue be an obsession, and I love incorporating these into my quilts together with modern and contemporary fabrics.

Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics is exactly that, a collection of classic 30's small scale  prints reproduced in colors associated with the 1930's pre-depression era; purple, pink, yellow, green, blue, red ~

Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

These small scale designs are great for introducing reproduction fabrics into modern projects as you can readily assign a color to each - red, pink, lavender, minty green and blue (above). You can then color co-ordinate your fabric selection, mixing and balancing the color palette of your project as you go irrespective of whether the fabric you have chosen for your project is a modern designer fabric or a reproduction fabric.
Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

Gracie's Schoolhouse by Judy Rothermel is available from:
Westwood Acres
The Fat Quarter Shop

Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Gracie's Schoolhouse Classics by Judy Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabric | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Enjoy Sunday!
Rita

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Friday, August 21, 2015

Hayley's Comet Shawl - A Finished Knit

Hayley's Comet Shawl - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
It's been some time since a knitting update, although that's not to say that I haven't been knitting. Instead I have been slow to take photos, often gifting finished items prior to snapping a picture.

Hayley's Comet Shawl - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Hayley's Comet Shawl - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015


My most recent finished knit is Hayley's Comet Shawl, a pattern by Plucky Knitter.  This shawl is a relatively easy project with a nice balance of knit, knit, knit as well as a more detailed stitch pattern repeated across one side of the shawl. The pattern was charted which I prefer (written instructions also form part of the pattern). Perfect for TV knitting.
Plucky Bello Yarn - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Yarn: Plucky Bello in the following colorways:
As You Wish 
Narragansett Gray 
Skies of November 
Overcoat

The yarn (which I purchased as a kit for this particular project) is a gorgeous fingering weight yarn - 55% Merino, 45% Cashmere - easy to wind from skein and a pleasure to knit with; no knots, not splitty, no color run, and blocked beautifully. I love these wearable colors and I also really like that the shawl is long, measuring more than 65 inches along the straight top edge. It will wrap and wrap beautifully. Perfect for Winter.

Hayley's Comet Shawl - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Hayley's Comet Shawl - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
Hayley's Comet Shawl - Plucky Knitter | Red Pepper Quilts 2015



For more photos and all the details including links to the Hayley's Comet Shawl Pattern see my Ravelry page.


Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Ashburn Shawl also with Plucky Bello Yarn
RPQ ~ Ravelry
More Red Pepper Quilts Knitting Projects

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Monday, August 17, 2015

The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress

The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

The joy of simple patchwork and fabric play! I really enjoy color studies with fabric, and I love mixing colors and designs that more often than not would not be considered to "go together". I am all for sewing fabrics together regardless of style (modern, thirties reproduction, text, vintage, Japanese, Liberty of London). If I can sew it together, it goes!

The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

The color palette for this quilt is a challenge that I set myself: to use some of my stashed fabrics in colors that I use less often. The overriding tones for this quilt are pink (a color that I do use often), brown, purple and yellow, a rather pretty color palette. Who would have thought that I would make a quilt with quite so many purple fabrics? Purple is a color that I used to avoid, and until quite recently I had very few purple fabrics in my stash. But I never say never, and slowly the color purple has crept into my work. 

The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

I can say the same for the "brown" fabrics that I have used in this quilt, although I see these brown fabrics more like a neutral fabric; rather than dominate the quilt these brown fabrics act like a background fabric that allow the surrounding fabrics sparkle.

The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

This quilt was strip pieced as per the Checkerboard and Strip Piecing Tutorial (the fabric strips for this quilt were cut as 3" x 11" strips), and each finished square measures 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches. The quilt top measures 50 inches x 50 inches. I enjoy this cut, sew, press, cut, sew, press, and repeat process, and although selective about my fabric choices I don't overly concern myself with the final placement of the fabrics other than not allowing the same fabrics to fall alongside one another.

The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015
The Color Purple ~ A Quilt in Progress | Red Pepper Quilts 2015

Ready for basting, quilting, and binding.

More soon.
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
The Color Purple - A Finished Quilt
Checkerboard and Strip Piecing Tutorial

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COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission.