Emily’s Nonsense

I’m so excited to be able to share my quilt “Emily’s Nonsense” with you today!  This quilt is in the new Quilters Newsletter issue, “Tradition with a Twist Quilts,” available wherever quilting magazines are sold.

 

My completed Boys Nonsense quilt top!My initial inspiration was this quilt by the super-talented Sarah Stasiuk. (Shared here with her permission.)  Isn’t it stunning?  Sarah uses a traditional block called “Boy’s Nonsense.”

I saw Sarah’s quilt, on Instagram (she’s sarahbear621)  and Flickr, and was absolutely in love.   I looked up the block and saw quilts made using more traditional fabrics and value placements and was intrigued by all the possibilities.

When Quilter’s Newsletter put a call out for “tradition with a twist” quilts and I thought it would be the perfect excuse to play with this traditional block and put my own twist or two into a traditional quilt.

Before I go into my twists, let’s step back for a moment:  who is the Emily of Emily’s nonsense?

It’s the blogger and HGTV designer Emily Henderson. I’ve been following her blog for a while now and really enjoy the (as she puts it), “midcentury Scandinavian Japanese feel with a huge side of ‘weird’” of her new home.

I chose the fabrics for this quilt with the that house in mind.  Not so much to GO INTO the house, but to capture the colors and the feel of the house.  The blue is meant to match her beautiful blue couch. The wood grain fabric is  her floors. All the white fabrics echo the role of that color in her home. And the fabrics at the centers of my blocks are a quirky mix of handmade, Japanese, and commercial fabrics, much like the little accents and bits of art that Emily has in her house.

Here’s Emily Henderson in her home–couch and floors and white walls/ceilings in full effect! (This photo collage is shared here with permission).

Awesome, right? Do you see the connection?

My twists on the Boy’s Nonsense block are twofold:

First, I put in sashing and a border.  Not just any sashing, mind you, but a sashing that is boldly blue in a third of the quilt, with blue placed into almost half of the blocks, where they touch the sashing.

Secondly, I scattered little snips of blue throughout the quilt blocks.  I’ve got to tell you–I was scared OUT OF MY MIND doing that.  I wasn’t sure if it would look the way I wanted, but I just committed to the snips, put my head down, and kept working.   In the end, I love the look. And anyone who doesn’t like the snips can simply skip that step in the magazine’s pattern.
I quilted this using Leah Day’s “Pipe Maze” design.  A spool of variegated thread from Aurifil gave me just the weird and pretty look I was going for.

 

Starting a wee bit of quilting to make sure my plan works. Pipe Maze design from Leah Day + variegated #aurifil add just the touch of weird pretty I was seeking. Next week, this pup gets quilted!

The backing is a fun eyeglasses print and I did my usual screen-printed label in white.

 

Leave a comment letting me know what you think and I’ll pick a winner for this lovely bundle of fabric–Lakeside Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings from Moda–at 1pm on Thursday 1/29/2015. The drawing is open worldwide to anyone who has not won anything from Quilters Newsletter in the past 90 days; be sure to leave an email address where I can reach you.  The giveaway is closed.  Congrats to Karen!

 

Rossie

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This Post Has 133 Comments

  1. I love the snips! And that shade of blue, I just made a quilt using a very similar fabric. Your quilt is a lovely well thought out twist on the traditional block. Yay for quirky snips!

  8. I love love love this quilt!! The blue sashing is stunning and the blue snips add such a fun quirk to the quilt. I always love your work because you don't just think outside the box – you make your box pretty and your own 😉

  10. I love love love this quilt!! The blue sashing is stunning and the blue snips add such a fun quirk to the quilt. I always love your work because you don't just think outside the box – you make your box pretty and your own 😉

  14. No skipping the snippets – that's the best part! Love what a bright color blue you used. It's so out of place yet fits right in. My friend Pam is on the cover and need to pick up a copy, now I have another reason to.

  23. You are amazing! Congratulations on your publication. I love your twist on traditional with the sashing, especially the blue part. However, I can't get over the snips. They just aren't by style, but lovely work!

  25. I love hearing about your process. The blue snips are magic! I think it would be difficult for me to be "deliberately wonky"!

  26. I definitely see the connection between your inspiration and the finished quilt! Love the look of the snips of blue, and the woodgrain print.

  43. Oh, lovely quilt and block! And your quilting definitely gave me some ideas on how to quilt a soon finished top (not my fabourite part actually, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's got to do! 😉

  50. I love what you've done and the explanation of the inspiration. Each step of your quilt has a little surprise that will only be discovered upon closer examination. Thanks for the chance to win.

  53. I love your quilt, thank you for sharing. The giveaway prize is awesome. Have a wonderful day!
    dawnm1993(at)gmail(dot)com

  56. This is such a nice post on your inspiration to end product, and I really liked this quilt before I read this post. How odd that I have a home with mid mod, Scandinavian and japanese stuff in it? LOL

  57. I am crushing on the secondary pattern created by the sashing, the overall effect with the blue sashing and tiny blue snips make such a visually intriguing and lovely quilt. Thanks for sharing so much of your inspiration and though process behind the quit.

  64. I think the snips of blue (my favourite part of the quilt) and the blue sashing have lifted this quilt from an ordinary one into an extraordinary one, I love seeing how quilters change things just by adding something a little bit different.

  68. Great job! I love it that this isn't so feminine. Also love how you worked from an inspirational photo to execute your vision. Really, this is beautiful.

  70. I love your turning traditional into modern, wish I could envision those possibilities also. I do see your inspiration in Emily’s home design. I love her sparse design and skillful use of navy and see that you do too.

  75. Wow, I honestly don't know what to say! That twist you made to that quilt(which I loved the original) is just fantastic! The boldness of that blue color changes the whole dynamic of the quilt. I love and the more I look at it and see the textures of the prints upclose, I love it more. WTG

  77. I love your colour combos in the quilt. The snippets are great. I did something similar by mistake whilst making Kristy Dunne Modernized D9P . One of my blocks were too small so added a dark skinny strip. I loved the effect and added more throughout the quilt. 🙂 Thats why I love modern quilting. Anything goes!I think you really captured the essence of Emily's beautiful house.

  79. Love the style going on with this quilt, and the house, and the fabrics — just my cup of tea! So would love to win the fabric bundle!

  81. I would have been scared about the blue snips but once you pointed them out I think they are fantastic. The blue sashing is great makes you take notice and think about the quilt.

  88. Congrats on such an interesting quilt, and on being published! I like how you walk us through the inspiration and your process.

  90. Love your explanation! I thought when I first saw it that you were showing how you marked the quilt with painter's tape before you quilted it. 🙂 Your explanation is MUCH better!

    Sandy A

  96. Love your reinterpretation of boy's nonsense. The snips of blue really add dimension to the quilt. It is fresh, modern and the dark blue sashing add a quirky Japanese feel to the quilt. What I particularly like is that it is a quilt that is suitable for all ages and genders. Those kinds of quilts are hard to come by. I'm adding this one to my to do list for sure!

  100. I think your quilt is fun and so chic! The modern twist is unique and the purple eyeglass backing fabric just makes it all the better. I'm sure it will be loved and cuddled for years to come!

  105. I love the addition of the blue snips. I was drawn to those areas and tried to figure out what you did and then I read the article. It's such a pretty quilt. Patty
    paweis at yahoo dot com

  106. It's amazing how interesting your quilt becomes with the addition of the little blue snips. I love them!

    wlinda_ca(at)yahoo(dot)com

  107. I love the idea of making a quilt to match a house and its style! Your quilt is delightful -everything from the pattern to the fabrics to the thread choice to the quilting to that wonderful backing! Thanks for sharing it's story!

  109. I absolutely love this! And, thanks for describing how you arrived at the final design and your trepidation with the snips– it is interesting to see how things that are inspiring were inspired

  110. I love hearing what the inspiration is for a quilt. The more that I looked at this quilt the more I noticed and I'm impressed! I really like the little snips of blue. Like you, I would be scared to do it, but I'm so glad that you did! Definitely gives me encouragement to try new things and just commit to them!

  112. Lovely idea to find inspirarion with a person you "know". The quilt is FRESH! I love you daringness!
    Good job!!!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt(at)yahoo(dot)com

  115. Fantastic quilt and thank you so much for sharing how the design evolved and the influences behind it. I'd love to be in the draw and will have to look out for the magazine here in the UK. Thank you 🙂

  116. Wow love the quilt and choice of fabrics, and love the house too, very mid century, what a great combo!
    Pauline
    bollygosh(at)bigpond(dot)com

  118. I am new to patchwork and quilting and love how the same blocks can look so different according to the fabrics chosen and the little tweaks to make them unique

  121. I'm following your blog for quite a while now and this quilt is the one I like most so far. (I think..) The color palette is my kind of style and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the splashes of the blue. Hope to snatch a copy of the magazine here in Germany. Greetings from the other side of the ocean!

  127. I think your quilt is fabulous, that's what I think! And I also admit I have one of those BAD couches, and she's so right! Ugh!

  128. Worlds colliding – my favorite blogger making a quilt inspired by my other favorite blogger's house! Totally gorgeous. Your fabric combinations are so lovely and subtle. A+

  130. […] Cotton Couture.  I’m a bit obsessed with that blue lately.  It’s the same blue from Emily’s Nonsense. The prints are from left to right, starting at the top and going row by row:  Skinny La Minx […]

  131. Can u tell me what fabrics u used. I love this quilt would like to use same fabrics.

    1. the hand printed fabrics are from Lucie Summers; the blue is Michael Miller Malibu, the wood grain is Joel Dewberry, the dots are La Crema. Good luck!

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