Thursday, December 11, 2014

Low Volume Projects--Who? Me?



Even I have to snicker to myself when I say that I really enjoy the look of low volume quilts. Super-color-saturated-me! Perhaps it's the yin and yang I crave. I had my first introduction to it with A Month of Sundays by Cheryl Arkison. Also inspiring was Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison. I think this one book gets pulled off my shelf weekly. I started digging deeper into the low volume theory, and I believe that Malka Dubrawsky was the first person credited with the term, but there are others, too, who were involved in it becoming the trend it is today. Looking at Dubrawsky's work, she's also a strong user of saturated color. So, maybe finding balance is in our nature.



I told you that #2 son moved out on his own last week. His house is still pretty generic, and it takes a while before we leave our mark where we live. I was hoping to make him something that would feather his new nest, and remind him of his dear mom a little. Quilty things can be so girly, so you have to be careful sewing for guys. I had been hoping to do this pillow project sometime, and the opportunity was finally at hand.


                          by Malka Dubrawsky


This is the project featured using low volume prints. I was looking for an exercise in a more muted approach to my fabric choices. I changed the pillow dimensions to meet my needs, a square instead of rectangle, and the block dimensions, too.


I limited myself to fabrics on hand. Low volume means different things wherever you look. Some say only white, cream, beige, and grey backgrounds with a subtle prints. Others include pastels. Some include brights and bold colors as long as they are balanced with a neutral background. You get it. Fuzzy definition, for sure. I chose what worked for me, and I suggest if you're going to try it, do the same. The idea is not to copy a piece of work, but understand what the artist was trying to convey in color and print choices.


This guy loves numbers, music, and simple graphics. His furniture is all neutral colored, and could use a little POP! The sisters and girlfriend that saw my fabrics all said it was, "So (him)." You can see that I wound up with all monotone prints in an assortment of colors. My solids were a mix of creams and whites. I was surprised at how much more depth I achieved blending them, and would never have ventured to do this on my own. 


I had to share this photo. I did what the author did, and zigzagged, pretty much with abandon, through the solids, leaving the prints unquilted. After I had done the first section, I saw that the quilt was drawing up, and I was VERY nervous. I kept on going since I was already committed, and it started to develop this amazing texture. I was down there oohing and aahing out loud, and all six of the dogs had to come running to see what was so neat! The scrunchy look was so different, and it produced this great texture over the whole thing.


The lighting under my machine made the piping look purple, but it's chocolate brown in reality. I used a cording to make piping. If you're going to have rounded corners, you need to cut your fabric for the piping on the bias. It curves nicely then.


I tried to talk myself out of putting a zipper in. I've done dozens, but it still makes me cringe when I know I need to do one. Well, today I'm over it. This was a cinch, and I'll never flip out again. Why do we make things seem so much harder than they really are?I found this simple ticking at Material Girl Outlet in Bolivar, and it added to the manly look. Ta-dah!



Exciting Family Addition
This is dd's newly adopted boy, Cecil. We found him through the classifieds online, and he was a rescue in search of a forever home. We're so pleased that he's adjusting well to his new home and herd, and seems to be the happiest of little llamas. Misha's still got his panties in a twist, but he'll come around to having a little brother soon. The alpacas and Evie, the resident horse, think he's a nuisance, but hopefully they remain kind to the little guy.



Sewing tomorrow, Friday the 12th of December, 2014.
9 am-11:30 am. at Joann's in New Philadelphia.
See you all there!

Linking up with~

Val's Quilting Archives

1 comment:

Marly said...

Lovely cushion, Julie, and thanks for sharing your ideas on the quilting. I'm always on the lookout for quilting inspiration.