A photographic history of a chevron quilt

This post is about my first ever totally completed quilt. I made it as a gift to my friend with a new baby girl. I wanted to make something for a girl and yet with a modern kick. So I chose to make a pink and white chevron quilt. (Inspiration found HERE.) And while pink isn't usually my color of choice, I figured it was time to try something new. Plus I hoped that by making it in pinks I'd get less attached to it and it would be easier to give away. It was fun trying something new, but I was wrong about not getting attached to it. I really enjoyed making this quilt. There was a lot of work involved, but I am so happy with how it turned out. It is no where near perfect, but I still love it.

(Click on any photo to see it bigger)

This quilt was made with lots and lots of half-square triangles. 

Tons of half-squares and lots of pink and white

I then pieced those half-triangles together into a zigzag quilt top: 

Laid out on the lawn.

Detail of quilt top

My dog decided to get involved

For the back I went almost all white back with little blocks of color from the front of the quilt that made a band that alternated different sized sliced of pinks with white. Photos of the back will follow. . . 

Next came the longest portion of the whole process-- quilting. This was my first time experimenting with free-motion quilting. I alternated patterns doing free-motion squiggles on the white zigzags and long thin zigzags on the pink (to echo the overall design of the quilt). I created a lot more work for myself going this route, I realize now, but it is what I wanted to do. The top thread was a pale pink and the bottom thread was white.

squiggles and zigzags

Quilting detail

After spending a couple of weeks attacking the quilting in short bursts it was done. And after straightening my edges and making sure the corners were square, it was time to round the corners. I used a bowl as my template on one corner and just copied that over and over-- it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

Again, I had a little helper while doing the photographs for this portion of the process...

Notice the cute pup as well as those crisp edges

Then it was time to get to binding. I made my own bias-cut binding 2" wide and then got to work pinning it down on the quilt back. 

Cute roll of binding just waiting to be put to use.

I machine sewed the binding on the quilt back and opted to hand sew the binding in place on the front. Call me a glutton for punishment. It went by much more quickly than I'd anticipated. Slow as I am, I completed it by the time it took me to watch a few shows on Netflix (spread over a couple of days). 

A few teasers of the finished quilt--

Front

Back (detail)

Back with panel of pink slices

Now, onto the whole picture: 

So, I hate our cinder block walls, but just look at that sky against those pinks. 

Quilt back (notice the rounded corners)

This last shot was thrown in to show the texture of this quilt. This is the just completed quilt, and I expect that it will get all the more crinkly and lovely as it gets washed. 

And while I have ended up entirely smitten by this quilt, I am still giving it away. It has been a great experience and I realize now that I have it in me to complete quilts. I have a few others planned and a couple more sketched out already. 

Sequoia National Park

Last weekend was my first trip out to Sequoia National Park and it was a blast. I loved every minute of it. The only thing I wished for was more daylight hours. Alas, there was only one day on our schedule for running around and taking in the big trees, so we made the most of it.

We walked around the Round Meadow and not only got to see so very many giant trees, but also two brown bears. It was so exciting!

Enough story-telling. Here is photographic evidence of this wondrous place:

I love how Polaroids can capture a moment and give you a physical image instantaneously. And yet, I had a couple of other cameras out and about on this trip as well. I dusted off my Holga and two other less often used cameras. Each camera has its own personality and asks me to take photos from different angles and in different ways. I've found that certain cameras are made for certain shots. So once everything is said and done, I should have a few different flavors of California to share. I can't wait to get that film developed. Alas, there is no where local for me to take my 120 format film around here. This means that either I'll have to start developing at home, or I have to deal with paying shipping. Currently I've just been waiting for my infrequent trips north to get my developing done in  huge batches, but that gets old, you know?

Recesky

I'd first written about putting together my DIY TLR camera on my old blog HERE. I shared a few other photos HERE. That was back in December of last year. So it has been a while since I've shared any photos taken by my plastic wonder. Too long.

To make up for it, here are a few I've taken over the last month and a half--

Desert Willow in bloom at the Virgin River.
I love the vignetting you get when you get close to your subject.

Roaring Virgin River

One of my favorite orchids

Off of Babylon Road in southern Utah.
I just love that soft-focus!

Perfectly broken down shed.

Red Cliffs Desert Preserve.

Waves in the sand.

Reflections at Red Cliffs Recreation Area.

Quiet, peaceful, contemplative spot.

Quail Lake

A place to return to

One of the local spots that I like to go back to over and over again is the Red Cliffs Recreation area. Normally it is somewhere I hike with friends, but on occasion, I like to go when I know it will be quieter and I walk through the hills and canyons alone.
On one of those quiet days, I took the following Polaroids:

standing in sunlight

its' complicated

season attraction

Of the above photo, my Flickr friend Jacki wrote, "Like a dream that fades into the light when you wake..." I really love her way with words. For me, words and images occupy separate and distinct places in my brain. If I am thinking in imagery terms, that is when I photograph what is around me. If I am thinking in terms of words and verbal connections, then I write. But writing about my photographs has never been my strong point. It is something for me to work on, for sure.

view of red cliffs

This last image wasn't actually take at Red Cliffs, but just outside, in Leeds, UT. It is a pioneer-era building that is now on the edge of a mobile home park. It was such a contrast. There was this old stonework building still holding on, still claiming the shape of a home after 120+ years, and it was next to so many pre-fabricated quickly constructed homes. 

homestead

The blue-toned photos were taken using Blue 100 Type film on my Polaroid 350 land camera.
The remainder of the photos were shot on my SX70 Alpha camera using PX 70 Color Shade film from The Impossible Project. These were some of the first photos I shot on this film.

Polaroid Week Favorites

Here are some of my very favorite images from Polaroid Week. Not all of my favorites, but a lot of them. Enjoy!

If you close the door, the night could last forever..., a photo by ludwigwest on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by abdukted1456 on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by ludwigwest on Flickr.

Grand Canyon NP, AZ, a photo by moominsean on Flickr.

 a photo by deader than yesterday on Flickr.

Horsies in the rain, a photo by emilie79* on Flickr.

Dune, at Sunset, a photo by dreamscapesxx on Flickr.

'Roid Week - Last Day! - We Made It!, a photo by Jezlyn26 on Flickr.

fetch, a photo by Urban Gazelle on Flickr.

leads me back, a photo by er_code_blue on Flickr.

Lil' Squinty, a photo by jbhalper on Flickr.

bed head, a photo by .{kim unscripted}. on Flickr.

These last few I couldn't pull the actual photo, so you'll have to click to see these:

Across a Field, by Falling Thru the Lens (Jacki)
'Roid Week #10, by sol exposure

Barn, by Steph Parke

The Fog Returns, by joyzipper,
allée, by lawatt

Joshua Trees, by Cynthia Wood

Untitled, by zazazed

Untitled, by David Tinius Rossi

The rest of Polaroid Week. . .

It was such an amazing, inspiring week. There were people that came out of the woodwork, so to speak, and tried their hand at using their old Polaroids and found that they could work magic. There were people who had taken an amazing shot months ago and held onto it to share it during Polaroid Week. And there people like me, running around taking road trips so that they'd have a few new sights to share. Granted, I didn't get that far away from home, but I still wanted to try to share a few new things, some stuff out of my comfort zone. . .
So here are the rest of my submission from Polaroid Week:

at the dock

curious lamb

little lambs

beachcomber's collection

radishes

wading

homestead

view of redcliffs