Wednesday 27 February 2013

WIP Wednesday

So nice to finally be able to share a WIP! I'm working on a piece in green Oakshott cottons (leftovers from this cushion).  I should be working on the Aviary quilt I'm making for Siblings Together, but got distracted by the Pantone Emerald Quilt Challenge on Flickr.  Despite the horrible time I had with my sewing machine yesterday it's coming on and I'm auditioning threads for quilting.

The piece is supposed to represent a cut emerald in a clasp setting:
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The layout above was my intended one but I was distracted by my love of dog-tooth stars.  Is it a square stone, or a round one?


Anyway, I was trying to use the subtle difference between the two palest colours and play with the direction of the grain of the Oakshott to suggest light on the facets.

You can see the effect a bit better in this pic. The central square is cut from one fabric, but the triangles reflect the light differently.  Oakshott is extraordinary and looks different all the time.  Sometimes the greens look much closer to the very bright green thread but they are difficult to catch in a photo.



 I'm bordering it in plain linen because I like the idea that it could also be a rough emerald still to be cut from the rock.


Above are the threads I'm thinking of using.  On the subject of thread, I have so far done all my piecing with Gutermann thread, as that is what's available in my local store, so I will have to try Aurifil some time to see if there is a difference.  One thing you really have to admire about Aurifil is that the way they have the social networking thing sewn up, so to speak!  A year or so ago, it hadn't really occurred to me that there was any variety of sewing thread - duh! - until I wrote to Leanne to ask about some she had used.  I so appreciate the helpfulness of the blogging community.

Linking up with:


WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

20 comments:

  1. Love your quilt top, it really does look like a faceted emerald! All these quilt challenges seem to pass me by, where do you get to hear about them?

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  2. It's looking amazing and I totally see the facets and the clasp settings. It's just beautiful Catherine. Have you seen Dan's diamond quilt at Piece and Press - he posted a few days ago so you should be able to find itt easily. Glad you got the machine sorted and Leanne's just the best :-)

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  3. that's gorgeous! I love the effect of the light.

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  4. It's lovely - I love the idea behind it.

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  5. Totally gorgeous - your idea is fantastic and I love the way its looking. I agree that Oakshotts are totally amazing - I love the way they look different colours at different angles, and that you used that feature of them deliberately.

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  6. Both layouts are lovely Catherine, I couldn't choose between them.

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  7. Beautiful quilt, I love these colors together! The threads on the last photo are wonderful with your top.

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  8. It's lovely...the colors are just perfect...and I've always love emeralds...having been born in May. =) Visiting from WIP Wednesday. Have a great day.

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  9. That block is gorgeous!! I love those colors, they remind me seaglass.

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  10. i'm so glad things worked out after the tension headache of yesterday. Loving the emerald look

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  11. Really great piecing, beautiful use of colour. Can't wait to see where this one goes!

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  12. This looks amazing, I can see why you were so annoyed with the cat! My Nana had an emerald engagement ring and this really reminds me of how different it looked from different angles. Well done you!

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  13. This looks wonderful. It's amazing that centre square uses all the same fabric. I love the way you emerald reflects the light and changes like a real gem. I'm sorry I can't see it IRL :)

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  14. Wow, I love the way the light plays with the different cross grains of the fabric. It really is a beautiful piece.

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  15. Fabulous design - the shot cottons are such beautiful fabrics too.

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  16. That's a stunning use of those gorgeous Oakshott fabrics - really beautiful. :-)

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  17. This is just gorgeous! I've never seen Oakshott cottons in person, so interesting to see how the grain & angle effects the look. Cool!

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  18. I've been trying to make progress on an emerald quilt too without much success. It seems we both have a similar idea of representing a cut stone although I'm using a different block. Yours is turning out great.

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  19. This is very, very beautiful!

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  20. I am not really a "green" person, more into blues, but I love the shades you are using :-)

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