Atomic Ribbons - a quilted rug

That's what I'm calling my quilted rug that I started in the Al Cote Quilted Rug Workshop that I took yesterday....Atomic Ribbons. Al is a great instructor - very informative, helpful and attentive. There were 19 students in our workshop and I think everyone felt she/he received plenty of personal assistance, attention and oodles of encouragement.

We needed three to five fabrics and this is what I decided to use and the order I chose to use them with the dark green on top, followed by the gold check, then the orange red, the pale green and finally the turquoise.

We made our rug sandwich and Al provide instructions and helpful tips for developing our design. We spend some time making simple sketches to get an understanding of the design process. This was my favourite sketch - I liked the curved lines. My plan was not to recreate this sketch but to use it as inspiration for my rug.

We sketched our designs on our rug sandwich and quilted them! This is my rug from the back. I pinned my fabrics to the lover left corner. When my rug is finished those scraps will go in the scrap bin!

We started removing fabric layers to reveal different colours. This technique is very similar to chenille but there are some differences. I really liked the Atomic Age feel of my rug. I also liked the "ribbons" running through it - they created flow hence the name Atomic Ribbons! I'm not sure if I'll remove more layers of fabric. For now I'll put it up on my design wall and give it some time.

Once I'm satisfied with the design I can quilt it, wash it and bind the edge with a facing. And voila, I'll have a quilted rug!

If you belong to a guild in Ontario and are looking for a great speaker Al has a very inspirational trunk show. If you are looking for a fun workshop that is suitable for most skill levels I highly recommend Al's quilted rug workshop.

Until I post again, happy sewing!
Karen H

My Guild meeting and two more blocks

Last night I went to Guild and we had an amazing speaker, Al Cote of Niagara Falls, Ontario. Al has been quilting for 11 years and he has an amazing body of work. I didn't take pictures but you can visit his website to get a feel for his work. The pictures on his website just don't do his work justice; it has to be seen in person to be appreciated. His colour sense is divine and his use of prints is inspirational! Much of his work includes beautiful raw edge applique. In fact he told us he was getting so good at it that it almost looks like needle turn (true) so now he does shlapplique! What's that? Well he does his raw edge applique and then he schlaps some threads on top to create the appearance of fraying! One group of the items he showed was "quilted rugs". They are stunning and meant to be worked upon! This picture of three of his rugs is from Patchwork Garden Quilt Shop in New York. He taught a class there this summer! I saw the quilted rug in the middle and it was amazing. The picture just doesn't do it justice!

He also taught at Quilt Canada  this summer and the picture below is a close-up of the rug in the middle.

My Guild will arrange for an Al Cote rug workshop so you can bet that this girl will be signing up! If your Guild is looking for a wonderful speaker who will inspire and excite Al is a great choice! You won't be disappointed!

Today I'll share two more Gardens of a King pieced blocks. There two might just be my favourites! I would even consider enlarging the pattern and making a quilt with just this block!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this colour combination! The fabric in the centre has been used in other blocks in this quilt and I've also used it in my red Soupcon quilt and it is in my Love Entwined (must get back to that quilt this winter)!

That's it for today, Tomorrow is Value Proposition Hexagon Quilt Along and I'll publish Block 16. It's a dilly of a block and one of my favourites! So until I post again, happy sewing!

Karen H