Melissa Gelder

"Covid Blues" detail. Piecing #3 Quilting #2

Melissa Gelder
Northland NZ
100 days of improv blocks using (mostly) Oakshott cottons.
 
Taking part in the Aotearoa Quilters 100 day project was a way to keep a structure to making something I’d always wanted to do, using improv construction methods for blocks. Starting out I thought it would be one big quilt, but during the first 20 or so days new colourways were calling and I started to imagine the pieces as wall art. I made a total of 5 pieces, and the further into the project I got the wilder the shapes became.

Day 47 - the blue colourway process. 

We all have fabric we love so much it’s hard to cut up… for me it is Oakshott cottons.  Cutting and slashing freehand cured that problem. 
 
This is the 2nd piece, and remains unquilted.

I missed the odd day, but mostly stuck to it. The last part of my project was quilting the 5 pieces I’d made. I use a statler long arm so a lot of the quilting was a bigger learning curve than the piecing! 2 of the 5 remain unquilted, and I probably should have switched to the quilting part sooner, but the improv process was too much fun! My goal is to have all five done for the Great New Zealand Quilt Show.
 
"Solar Wind" #5 pieced, #3 quilted 

Taking on a 100 day project is a great way to carve out a daily chunk of time to create something.  I kept myself accountable by posting the blocks daily on Instagram, and enjoyed the feedback that generated. But best of all is feeling happy about what I’ve made. I’d absolutely do it again.

By day 100 this was ready for a facing

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