Block Prints Quilt

Ever since I came home from Sisters, I have spent a lot of time in my sewing room. There are quite a few unfinished projects lingering in my head and in my studio. It is time to pay attention to those and make progress. 

"Block Prints" began in the classroom during Quilters Affair 2023. I always like to do live demo, give pointers and tip as I go along about the technique. After making a few blocks, my head kept going back to Jaipur, India, where the idea of making this quilt originated. 

I took the liberty to follow my own belief and decided to relieve myself from worrying about looking for perfection. I embraced the irregularities and imperfections that come along in this abstract interpretation of a block made with triangles. 

Before the book was published, I wanted to arrange the blocks in this setting but I chose the other way. So this was easy to decide. The picture you see here is the one from 2012 when I was making the quilt for the book.

I love how abruptly the triangles get cut, how they create a movement within the block and then somehow also create the rhythm going upward. 

This time around, I chose the colors and fabrics inspired by my experiences in India. The Pink City of Jaipur has left a lot of great memories. Watching  the block carvers and printers do their magic right in front of your eyes is something I will never forget. 

The colors on the buildings - shops, temples, homes, in old city are painted pink. They were painted in honor of Queen Victoria who visited Jaipur but the City Palace walls remained light gold. Ever since then, the buildings get the pink wash every now and then and so the city is known as The Pink City.

 

For this new quilt, I did not have to pull these pictures out to collect my fabrics. I rely a lot on my memories of places I have been and sites I have seen. Memories and conversations ultimately drive the creative process of making a quilt.

I finished the quilt top last night. It has been a long time since I made such a large quilt. I amused myself. It felt so good to be in the studio with the music on, picking and choosing fabrics in the shades of  terracotta, peachy pink walls and different shades of clay and dirt. In the village of Bagru, and surrounding areas, freshly block printed fabric and/or indigo dyed fabric is laid on the ground to dry and set with the heat of the Sun. The colors of dirt was important. I had also visited potters at the time and clay was important part of the blend.

 

 At the block printers, you can find variety of blocks in size, patterns, and designs.

So here is the quilt top. It took four years from my last visit to India for this to happen and 12 years since I had thought of making this quilt. 

 

 

I hope you are sewing something fun!

Sujata

 

2015-16 Works in Progress - Triangles

When we packed our bags for our temporary stay in the apartment, I was under a false sense of security that our house was going to sell soon and we will find our new home in the same time frame.

I also thought I was going to explore the city and this small place will have no space to do much of sewing. Needless to say, I did not pack a thing!

No handwork, no fabrics and definitely sewing machine.

Wasn't that silly? Stupid? Crazy?

All of the above, right?

Only explanation is "The Move"

We were so busy getting ready to move, sewing was the last thing on my mind. I finished one quilt I absolutely would not have left without and then decided to "wing" it once we moved.

Within two weeks of being in CA, I realized how big of a mistake it was! I should have shipped my machine, I could have mailed some fabrics.. I spent my empty hours in those days thinking of all the should've, could've-s.

I came up with the best possible solution. I went on line to search for a fabric store near by thinking to buy some fabric and hand stitching needles and applique a few things. I friend suggested a store in downtown, I walked to the place and bought needles and white thread and walked  back home with spring in my feet.

Applique did not go too far for some reason. I needed the humming of a machine to sooth my soul. I ask my friend of 30 years if I could borrow her machine she bought for mending purposes. I brought it home along with a pair of scissors fit for a kitchen. Next day I set it up on a little desk in the corner of my apartment.

Now I needed some fabrics!

Guess what? The Goodwill store is ten minutes away!

I began this part of my journey in stitches.

It started with shopping at the Goodwill Store with self imposed structure.

Purchase only the ones on sale.
Limit two or three at a time.
Wash, deconstruct, design and sew.
When run out of fabric, go back to the "fabric" store.

Buy any size that allows to grow as a designer..

Fabrics from tiny shirts add little bit of surprise in the design. That tiny shirt can add just what I need in terms of added texture and spark.

Here is a tip for taking those buttons off.
Use seam ripper instead of scissors. My seam ripper came with the bag of doo-daas attached to the sewing machine.

 

 I started with freeform hourglass blocks.

For some reason they turned into freeform triangles. I kept making them with no particular plan. Two shirts at a time, I used every bit of usable fabric and then moved on to the next pair.

This is how far I have reached. This picture was taken before the strips were pieces. My space does not have enough light to take great pictures. My design wall is space near the kitchen, couch if pieces are small enough or bed when the quilt wants to grow. 

I am not sure which direction this quilt is headed but just like my life, I believe it is evolving into something bright and beautiful. Lot of visual inspirations and emotional moments are being stitched together two pieces at a time, evolving into my new story.

Stay tuned!
Sujata

 

Distractions

A new idea is being explored...

With gentle curves of free-form hourglass blocks there are so many possibilities, it is hard to stop.

I see a new quilt evolving at a very slow pace. I am spending much of my time these days in the back yard.

There are many sweet distractions in the garden I must tend to.

For some reason this corn flower today reminded me of the triangle quilt from the book. I needed to see it and once I got it out, it ended up on the clothesline.

That made me think of start of another quilt.

You know how it is. 

If you give a mouse a cookie......

Distractions can be a good thing.. At least it is for me!

Have a great weekend!




 



 

Diane's quilt and Windmill class at Burkholders

Last night I received a lovely email from Diane Fulton from Wisconsin. She used the silk solids and pieces of Indian prints from her stash.
She writes, ''It was definitely a departure for me, but I sure had fun!  I'm not done with the book yet, I have a few other things in mind.''

Thank you, Diane for sharing your quilt!

I love her color choices. I think the bright solids and dark backgrounds play well together, don't you? Diane did quite the fusion with Indian prints and African colors.

''Triangles'' Quilt made by Diane Fulton inspired from Cultural Fusion Quilts

If you have a quilt you are working on from my book and would like to share, please send me an email. I will be happy to post it here or on Cultural Fusion Quilts blog. If you would like to be blog about it yourself, even for a post, I will be happy to send an invite. You can write about your process. I would prefer to hear about it in your own words. 

I also wanted to let you all know, I will be teaching a class at Burkholders fabrics on Wednesday, 1st April. This is my first class since the release of the book. It is going to be held at the Cocalico Quilter's Inn.  Come join me!!!

There are few spots left, if you are interested, please click on the link and click on classes.
  www.burkfabric.com.


Thank you all for reading the post from yesterday. It meant a lot to me.
Sujata