I've been busy designing and constructing a new tote. I was tired of (and sometimes embarrassed) carting my quilts around in plastic bags, grocery bags, and anything else that I could find large enough to hold them. I wanted a tote that reflected my creativity and here it is. It is 25"x18"x8" and there are 8 quilts in it in the above photo.
It started with the Japanese x and + block. I was attracted to the complexity of the block so I pulled out my scrap bins and made a few of them. They were tedious - 7 different fabrics per block! After putting them on my design wall I realized that there was way too much chaos to make them into a quilt, but a tote - YES!
Sometimes members of my quilting guild share fabric with me. I love it because it stretches my imagination by giving me the opportunity to use fabrics I wouldn't normally buy. It also reminds me of my amazing, generous community. That tote carries sooooo many memories!!! Last Monday at our monthly LAMQG meeting one of the members gave me a handful of batik strips. They were beautiful! This is what I made with them:
Don't cha love it!!! The animal print was my sister Roz's idea. Sassy, just like her. The side and bottom panels are made with the brown and tan animal print used in the front. Not only did I make another amazing tote, but I also solved my dilemma with the Japanese x and + block! The blocks are still complex and vibrant - but calmer. This could work as a quilt.
I'm off to work on a quilt that has been challenging me for quite some time. I trying to combine traditional with modern, neutral tones with lots of color, large with ... I dunno - I'll blog about it later.
Thanks for stopping by,
p
