For the front, what if you took some of the scraps from the other sarongs and appliqued down sort of a collapsed pile of diamond “beads” and “streamers” along the bottom as part of that playful element? It adds something unexpected. I feel like borders as such aren’t very “post-modern”. What if you framed the flag in the blue of the flag so it was like part of the flag was bleeding into the background and yet didn’t really exist as a blue band separate from the background? Not sure if it would achieve that effect or not, but might make the viewer think about how to perceive the flag. Anyway, those are the ideas I have. PS You inspired me to make my first quilt using reclaimed denim as a quilt background! I have it all cut out and I’ve pieced 9 blocks out of 36 so far.
I would add a border all the way around the quilt top to finish it. Makes it easier for quilting, and adds a frame to the business of the quilt design. For the back, again I would finish with a solid around the flag. You’re doing great!
This project is coming along beautifully! Yes, add a border of the grunge around the edges of the top. The flag looks perfect! Perhaps some crunb blocks along the top and bottom of the backing with the flag floating within. Great use of the denim BTW!
I love how the quilt is turning out. I think a narrow border of the Grunge background all around the top would frame the piecing and give you some wiggle room if you had to trim down the top. The flag for the back is beautiful and I think it should be the star of the backing. You mentioned that it was a Norwegian ship so perhaps surrounding the flag in some different blue solids/grunge would be my suggestion. Also, if you add a lot of pieced blocks to the back, between the top and the back you might end up with lots of bulky seams to quilt over.
It's fun to watch your creative process. The grunge borders would make it easier to handle on the longarm but I think having the strips go all the way to the ends on the top and bottom fits better with what you're creating. As for the back, I like the flag standing alone. Best of luck with this project!
For what it's worth, I notice your Norway flag is pretty square. I immediately saw, in my mind, plain strip underneath followed by 2 side by side flags that are rectangles. same flag, different proportions. Rows with smaller flags different proportions would be great but awfully fiddly. Basically several flags with very different proportions. Seems playful and ironic to me. Love what you've done. When you cut through the flowers on the black I had a moment of chest pain but I'm over it. Strong work so far. Onward and upward.
I recently did a quilt top with diamond shapes and it is a challenge, for sure! So, good for you for going for it! As for the border, yes, I may be late since I'm watching this a week late, but I think it'll be a good to have a border at the top. As for the back, framing the flag is definitely the way to go. The rest can be an after-quilt. That would be lovely. BTW, you did a fantastic job of putting that flag together. It looks perfect!
Love your improv creative take on the top! The grunge purple around the top is a good idea so you don't lose your point. Maybe add more of the lighter denim strips to the lower left of the diamond for some contrast. Love that you used some denim! For the back, I would frame the flag with black so it will shine. I like the idea of denim above the flag and below it. Maybe use some of the starfish fabric in the lower part of the denim so it represents the ocean. Just some thoughts going through my head but you are the artist of your quilt and whatever you come up with will be fabulous! I myself would have been scared to cut into the sarongs, but watching you create, helps me to push myself to cut into fabric that I've been waiting to tackle. If you have some pieces of fabric left, maybe a pillowcase to go with the quilt! Your uncle Keith is going to love your quilt!!
Thanks for all the suggestions! I may steal some of those ideas for the back. I had the same thought about pillowcases/cushion covers too. I think that might be the way to go to take the pressure off of me to use ALL the fabric!
What about a strip of nautical flag designs using the surong scraps at top and bottom of the back? It would be a refrence to the ship. Nautical flags I've seen are very simple color blocks. If the red in the Norwegian flag is a patterned fabric you would do the same to nautical flags.
If you look at images of the titanic museum in belfast, they use triangles to evoke the sea. It might give you some inspiration to include a nautical or adventuring reference. Large triangles could mirror the sails of a tall ship. Maybe an idea for the afterquilt. Maybe?
Wow....fascinating to see the working-creative process taking shape like the making of an abstract painting. Your gut feeling about leaning towards darker colors is dead on as regards the quilt's future home... The width of course can be increased since "tucking in" or allowing it to hang over are both natural options for any quilt. I hesitate to make too many suggestions because I'm enjoying the direction the project is going and I sense you know where you're taking it. I believe you said as much near the end of this video. How interesting to see those rather complex and autonomous batiks reforming into a brand new design in which they carry on a kind of dialog with each other.....in ways I wouldn't have imagined! As for the flag on the back I'm sure your design instincts will lead you to a happy resolution.... Abrazos, Keith
The grunge border idea is appealing. A strip of a few larger after quilt scraps on the back might tie the sides together, add interest without adding too much bulk. If you like scrappy bindings that’s another option for incorporating some fabric from your uncle. Your process is what imbues your quilts with your spirit.❤
I LOVE it!!! Your creative process is a blast to watch! So different than mine. I rely so much on math/geometry (which is easy for me and fun too). But I'm starting to loosen up and leaning more towards winging it on some things. As for the top. The central diamond if AWESOME!!!! I love how you are using the "border" fabric as strips. I also love the grunge and making a border with that is the way I would go. The pops of the lighter denim really make a nice contrast to the darker fabrics. Plus I've always loved how stone-washed denim and sarongs pair up anyway. For the back, consider framing the flag with the grunge or denim. Perhaps "Karen Brown style" after-quilt blocks above the flag and then vertical strips below ... again with the nod towards the Wanderer's Wife motif. Just an idea, I'd have to see it laid out first and as always the choice of fabrics make all the difference. I'm sure whatever you come up with, it will be wonderful! You are so talented and imaginative and fun!
I have to say - this would have been scary design process for me! 😅 But you are doing a fabulous job! As for the front, I think your idea is a the one I would go with - put a small purple grudge all the way around. The seam allowances (binding and center) will take up most of it and let the center quilt piecing "float". I don't think the back needs anything more than the flag - but if you want use up scraps and do some piecing - I personally would keep that towards the edges so the flag "floats" in the middle. Again - WOW!!! U R DOING GREAT! 😊
Don't unpick. Grunge border sounds good. Looks wonderful! I wouldn't worry about being a little bigger than he wanted. Is your Uncle really that picky?
Hey, Kristen! I love the idea of the diamond medallion. Add ing the solid strips feature both the print in the centre, and the printed strips that surround it! The quilting added so much texture. I think of it as being Bohemian. Perfect for an artist. I hope you added info re the fabrics and your design process on the label. Who knows? Some day it might be in a gallery or museum with some of your uncle’s art. Great representation of the Norwegian flag! Looking forward to seeing the finished project! Congratulations! Stay well! Muskoka ON 🇨🇦
Regarding the quilt dimensions, I wouldn't sweat it too much. His dimension sound good to put on top a double bed. When I make a throw quilt, I strive for the width to be 54-58 inches and the length to be 72-78 inches. I'm rather tall (just shy of 6 ft) and these dimensions work best for me.
I now have Norway flag on repeat in my brain. You could also do a single large hexagon flag. As long as you keep the vertical stripes to one side of the shape it would read Norway flag. If you had some blue/white stripe fabric or an old blue and white stripe shirt you could reduce the fiddly aspect. Playing with the flag shapes and sizes would be "playful". Sorry, I'm retired and the concept of idea exchange with someone in Edinburgh while I'm in central US just delights me as my life is 70% pre internet. Godspeed.
You are so brave! I like the Karen Brown after quilt idea for the back a lot. Adding more of the fabric your uncle provided seems like a good idea to me. As far as the front: would you consider some horizontal "stripes" of the fabrics you are working with? If it were my project, I would be concerned that with so much linear movement, any 'odd' angles or stripes that don't lie perfectly in line with others may look like mistakes or unintended additions. I think something that breaks up the long lines around the diamond may add interest. Another option is to be bold and cross cut some of the long lines(sewing them back together after moving them end for end) and make it somewhat like @afullenglish might do. That way all the original fabric is there, but completely reimagined and more exciting(if you ask me). Good luck! I think you are on to something wonderful which ever way you decide to go!
I’ll have to have a look at Chris English’s stuff again to understand what you mean but I get what you mean about trying to keep everything straight being problematic. One of the types of quilts Keith referenced as something he likes is the Gees Bend quilts so I don’t think the lines need to be spot on straight - so I’m going for straight-ish I think. But I’ll have a look at a full English again and see what you meant - can’t quite picture it just now.
Girl you are so brave! lol Just watching you gives me anxiety lol. I’m just not as adventurous as you. Keep doing what you’re doing because I love your work. I’m still more comfortable with a pattern to follow,maybe one day I will get adventurous too.
I'm glad you described the "grunge purple" fabric, because on my tv it looks blah brown and I wasn't feeling it at all. I would use it to border the central motif. Love the flag! I would separate that out as well.
Have you thought about making log cabin squares? I can see a long strip of those across the very bottom under the flag or create a larger block with them to piece into the back. I do NOT think you should orient the flag up and down, then it's no longer a Norwegian flag, but a religious cross. I paint watercolors, and your Uncle may agree with this. We use whtite as a highlight and call it the "Sparkle". I can see the starfish fabric as your sparkle. I'd distribute that in order to give you highlights in a balanced way if that makes sense! This is quite the undertaking! Very artistic and you are a master for being able to create this from what you came up with when you tore down the sarongs! What a masterpiece this is going to be! Can't wait to see it quilted and finished! P.S. I do like the idea of the grunge border all the way around the front! P.S.S. Tell your Uncle he is an amazing artist! His work is phenomenal...I'd feel extremely lucky if I were able to own that calibre of art!
Thanks for this - especially the point about the flag - hadn’t thought of that! Keith’s art is amazing. It has been a privilege to grow up with it and see it so often. I don’t have the large expensive pieces in my home obviously - in fact some of the ones I have are ones I rescued from the bin outside my Dad’s house when Keith was having a clear out !! They are all still fabulous.
If you add to the flag as it sits, I'd think about having a sky blue/ocean blue background representing the flag flying at sea. As for the front, my head is spinning; but WoW on your concept. I love that huge diamond center!
You are doing an amazing job. Being inspired by the wanders wife is great. Don't cut the diamonds off. How you protect them will only be noticed by a quilter so that is less important. If i was doing the back I would create something that reminded me of the place. For example Alberta would be a strip of bright blue Alberta sky, a strip of mountains and a strip for wheat fields.
Boarder on front would make your job easier and less worry about cutting off points. On the back, you could do 3 versions of the flag with different fabrics or 3 different flags. This would make it a 2 sided quilt, allowing for more ways to display it.
I think a grunge border for the front is a good idea, helps with quilting and also frames the sarong blocks. For the flag, I love how you've used the sarong for the red part, and I'd be worried about losing that simplicity by making it too busy with more blocks from the front but if you turned it the other way the dimensions are good for the front and you could add more blue/white/red crumb piecing - I have loved the other crumb pieced fabric you've used in various ways in your other quilts and I think that would add more of your style to the back. Good luck with the rest of it, I am looking forward to the next video!
I like the idea of extending the strips at the top. If using a border, I'd do that after the strips are added. I enjoy the consistency of the strips. For the back I usually like the idea of an after quilt, but in this case I'd like to see the flag stand on it's own. The front is unique, scrappy, and busy, and the back can be a little less so, but still beautiful. If anything, just a border, but not necessarily from the front bits. I'd make it uniform all the way around. I sound like I don't like scrappy, but I often do LOL.
Throw a border to keep the integrity of the points. This is a great looking quilt, very unique and love when you share what your thinking while creating. I struggle with "improv" type piecing. Thanks for sharing your process.
Yes top off the top edge with background color strip just to contain the sparklies and give them the justice they deserve. The colors need some surround before the binding like a frame. Just enough to not cut off points. Not wide. Completely different backing might demand a two color binding with seam at the fold/turning point.
Also how about a thin white border in between two purple grunge borders, will give lift to it and make purple pop and frame quilt… very interesting quilt so far…looking forward to final masterpiece🇮🇪🧵🧷
This is a project that messes with your brain!! Lol For the backing I would just do the white all around the flag and leave it simple. You have enough to figure out with the main quilt top and it looks great!!
Your quilt is coming along beautifully. Yes to adding the grunge border to the front of the quilt top. I love the idea of doing the Karen Brown after quilt with quilt top scraps if you can make it work but I agree the flag remains the focal point of the back.
Oh my goodness you are very brave Kristen - well done! I would turn the flag on the back up and down, and put your grunge around it then do rows of left overs sandwiched in between your grunge colour that will bring the front and back together and he can have a 2 sided quilt. Yes do a 1 1/2 or 2" border up the top, it will allow you to trim and keep your points.
You go girrrlllll! It looks fantastic and your ideas are working well. I love the flag, keep following your process and it is going to be terrific. Cheers from Minnesota.
I made a quilt for en extra-long twin when my daughter went away to college. That was 14 years ago, so I don’t remember the dimensions, but it was very long and rather narrow.
The border Idea seems to be the one. As people say, it would pull it all together. What about a different colour border, maybe denim? Is weight an issue with the quilt? I love what you are doing, the way you have an idea and just go for it. 💜
Thanks! Weight is sort of an issue in that it eventually has to get from Scotland to Mexico 😂 either in a vacuum bag in the post or in my Uncle’s suitcase…. Not sure that factor will stop me adding more denim though…😂
I would finish off the back with denim,,, and then come on out with the purple grunge on the front to frame around what you have created,,,❤ what you got going on ,and also seems like a little bigger quilt would not hurt,, it would just hang off the sides of the bed,you need some wiggle room when you are creating a master piece 😂😊 love ya .
Wow, this is looking so great! Thanks for sharing your process on this quilt, I really love to see it and find it so inspiring. I like the idea of letting the flag be the star on the back, but I think you could still do some piecing in darker colored scraps if you wanted to use more of the sarong fabrics - that bright red and white will still glow. For the front, I like your vision of extending the strips instead of cutting them off, but hopefully you have a sense of how much difficulty that might add to the quilting step.
Thanks for this! So great to get everyone’s opinions. Thanks again for the feedback and yes I’ll have to think about how annoying extending the strips would be…not sure yet.
Yes, a border along the top to allow the completed blocks to be visible. I don’t have a suggestion on what to add to the back, but I do think it would look better having the flag off center. I’m impressed with what you are doing with the sarongs!
Thanks! And yes - once I got started it became a fun challenge- the answer is always to start when something is stressing you out. I know that but sometimes I need reminding!
Are you going to be able to use the triangles from the red sarong on the front or back? I think it would be a pity not to use that part. Re the back: it seems to me that you would need less other piecing if the flag was vertical. You could frame it with borders (maybe different shades of denim?). I think for me the trickiest fabric is the star (fish?)
If you mean the strip of brown and red triangles - yes I was going to use that on the front. It is the closest in color to the rest of the fabric in terms of what was in the red sarong. Thanks for the idea about turning the flag. Someone else said that too - so I’ll ask Keith what he thinks.
If it was me I'd do a border for trimming on the front. For the back I'd use up as much of his fabric as I possibly could. But frame the flag in denim since that's your signature fabric. I'd also have the flag going long ways in the quilt so that if he had that side up you see the flag right way up. Since we walk up to the side of the bed to view quilts a lot of the time. Thanks for sharing!
You are doing so well with this and something cohesive seems to be appearing from an initially confused picture. As for the border, I would do whatever makes it easiest for you to finish it off. For the backing, I would use all your scraps as you always seem to come up with lots of interesting ways to use them up.
A border is a good idea. Do you have enough from the bag to make the border. I think it would add some brightness/lightness to the design. Love your design abilities the quilt looks awsome.
It's going great! I say add a border of the grungy border.The blocks and strips will look good floating. For the back you sold pieces with two horizontal strips of the odd bits left to break it up
I think you need to unpick and add to the strips as if you just fram it you won’t be happy and would probably just look like you added bits to make it fit, leave backing until you finish front then you will know what to do , or do the other flag he mentioned 😊nice creativity
I like the grunge border idea. I also like the flag being the star but maybe border thin background color and the border that with left over fabric. Just an idea
On the floor on the right I see strips of sarong that look like bunting. That could look cool on the back, separated from the flag. And yes to the small grunge border on the front all around. Some sort of scrappy binding would look interesting.
I think at least a grunge border around the flag before adding more of the sarong fabrics to the back. I think a framing border of the grunge for the top and then bind in the grunge also. The grunge gives a stopping/resting point for the eyes. Thanks for sharing
I love where you are going with this. The denim works well to break it up a bit. And I do think that you need the grunge background all the way to the top.
your doing a great job i know i could not do it but i do think you should frame the flag either put in the middle and go around it or the top but it does need to be frame i think
The front is turning out awesome. Surround the fabulous floral flag with Lt. blue sky colors and then uncle will have a double quilt. Light on one side and that amazing darker side. You think so different than me. So fun to watch this happen. That’s a good thing. Have fun
Thanks! And I do realise this isn’t the way a lot of folk would approach this - I probably make things more difficult for myself by not planning but it’s more fun for me this way!
@@ScrapFabricLove However it comes out of your brain is how it works for you. I was meaning that is all. I think in linear as appose to how it looks when you think like it seemed to be bubbling out of you. It was sooo fun to watch. Maybe I should just bubble out sometimes. Thanks for the inspiration.
It is looking great! I love to watch you work...Yes, do a strip of grunge. Also, when thinking about the size, quilts usually shrink a little with quilting. I would have the flag lengthwise, but that is just me. Either way it is great.
@@ScrapFabricLove Either way will look fine for the flag. You sure have done an amazing job with this quilt. You are an artist, too. When you showed the sarongs, I thought how in the world are you going to do anything with them. And here you are well on the way to have it done. And it is awesome.
About the top section... Didn't your uncle say he plans to hang this quilt? You could give the top hanging tabs and do something interesting on the tabs with the floral cutout section you planned to use on the backing. It could look like an organic spill of pattern. Just a thought 🙂
@@ScrapFabricLove I just watched your chat with Uncle Keith again to double check and no, he didn't say he was going to hang it 😳 But..... He did say he'd put it on the bed for special times - 'so company could see it on their way to the bathroom,' you said. 😄 So if that's the case he might appreciate some sort of sleeve for hanging it when not in use... cuz that's what what you do with art, right?
Random is good. Central diamond is brilliant. It is the focus in a quilt that is otherwise random and like a kaleidoscope. I'd have been terrified to cut the sarongs in the first place. Fearless! We like that about you. ))) You give us permission to "have at it". WONDERFUL happens ))))
The quilt is coming along beautifully, I love watching your creative process, I like the idea of the grunge border. And love the flag on the back and making it the star on the back.
For the back. I love the idea of using all the scraps from your uncle as an after quilt surrounding the flag motif on the back. And after thinking on it, I also like the idea of putting the purple grunge as a border on the quilt top as well ❤ but it will look amazing no matter what you do! Just keep having fun and it will be fabulous
This is absolutely beautiful. The grunge border would be helpful for quilting. The flag turned out amazingly. I agree with the person who suggested to put something from that country to finish the backing. You are so creative I’m sure you can come up with something, the other alternative is to use up the blocks and the grunge fabric leftover from the front to make an after quilt.
Thanks for this! The whole Norway reference is a bit odd given the ship wasn’t even sailing near there when he was on it so I’m not sure what he wants to reference with it to be honest! I’ll give it a think though- thanks!
Wow this is going to be beautiful, your creativity never ceases to amaze me. So much work and thought is going into this, your uncle is going to love it.
Kristen I love your creativity which is your own and that should be celebrated. I am sure your uncle Keith is going to love it. It will be the connection to you and not necessarily how the quilt turns out in the end, though that will still be a marvel in its own right. Whilst not knowing what it will look like in the end at this time I am thinking that with the busyness of it all, it may be an idea to consider facing the quilt. There are many tutorials about it online but I like the ones that are demonstrated by Nancy on her channel OnPoint-TV and Quilting with Nancy. Thank you again for sharing your talents with us.
Thanks! I have faced quilts in the past. Definitely an option but I was thinking of binding it maybe in the same colour as the background fabric…we’ll see where it takes me.
