Wonky Star Mini Quilt

Anyone got some sunshine where they are? Care to send it this way?  After the wettest June on record here and massive flooding in my village this week, I am completely and utterly depressed by the weather. But although talking about the rain is all anyone seems to do these days round here, its time for me to focus on some sewing fun.

When we kicked off the Modern Quilt Guild of Ireland earlier this year, Cindy and Pam of the Atlanta Modern Quilt Guild organised a mini quilt swap. It all seemed very far away back then in April, but last week I realised that I needed to get this project done and in the post early next week to be sure it would reach my partner on time.

I had lots of scope in this swap - my partner liked lots of the same design elements I did and after having a look through the Modern Blocks book for inspiration I decided on the "3 wishes" block, with stars inside stars. I changed up the measurements a little to bring this up to approx 17" square, which was very simple to do as wonky stars are so easy to work with. My partner likes blues and my FQ basket has a huge selection of blues, so I decided to stick with that. I was able to find prints incorporating other colours and different shades and values of blue and even though I had some doubts about sticking to one colour, I really liked how it turned out. It feels fresh against the white.

I particularly love the tiny star in the centre - this was made with teeny tiny 2" pieces and the block measures only 5" square (unfinished).

I thought about how to quilt it and decided to settle down with some perle cotton and outline the star shapes. I used big stitches, varying the thread colour around each star shape. I like the simplicity of it.

Its bound with some LouLouthi blue and all ready to be posted off early next week to my partner. I hope she will like it! Meanwhile, I must try to finish organising my fabrics for my month as Queen Bee in the new Modern Irish Bee, as they need to go in the post tomorrow. Hope you're having a nice (sunny) weekend!

Modern Quilt Guild of Ireland: Launching!

After a lot of discussion in the last few months, myself and Cindy have launched the Modern Quilt Guild of Ireland!

You can't imagine how excited I am about this! Since I started quilting last January, having a modern quilt guild in Ireland is something I aspired to and thought about. While there are 2 very active organisations already in existence - the Irish Patchwork Society, and the Quilter's Guild of Ireland (of which I am a member) - I absolutely loved the thought of a community of quilters dedicated to the modern aesthetic and interested in having some fun with it.

We have set up a dedicated blog, a Flickr group and Facebook page, and I would just love if you came over and joined us. If you are based in Ireland and you are interested in modern quilting, please come and take part. We have an introductory post here with a registration form and information about modern quilting here, if you are not sure what we are talking about!

One of the things I love most about modern quilting is how it is accessible to both the experienced or the novice quilter. I also love the bold use of colour, modern fabrics, the clean lines, the simplicity. I love how you can make a stunning quilt from lots of negative space, with a few pops of colour. I love how it draws on traditional patchwork, but modifies and interprets it for a modern look. I love how it throws the rules out the window for one quilt, and yet draws on and embellishes those rules for another.

So you might have guessed by now...I just love modern quilting! Do you love it too? Want to have some fun? Want to try and set up local meetings with like-minded folk? Please, please, join us!