Going Big and Bold at QuiltCon!

by Nicole

Hello dear reader,

Would you believe it’s taken me almost 2 weeks to recover from QuiltCon?!? It was a blast!

While I was there, I had the pleasure of taking a class with Denyse Schmidt. Here we are holding a couple of my blocks to make her Proverbial Quilt pattern.

At some point, I will make a quilt that says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

In addition to taking a class with Denyse, I had the honor of teaching at QuiltCon for the very first time!

I taught my Big and Bold workshops on large-scale freezer paper piecing. I had two wonderful groups of participants.

Related: Big and Bold Quilt Making: A Look inside a Mama Love Quilt Workshop

Everyone was so engaged and focused. It truly was an honor for me to work with these lovely, talented folks.

Here is the sample quilt I made for the workshop.

One of the things I love about this technique is that you can have a finished quilt top in no time. Because of the size of the pieces, the quilt comes together pretty quickly. Many people in the workshops walked away with a finished top!

For the quilting, I opted for straight lines that were about 1/2″ apart. I was going to do my go-to echoing of the shapes, but at the last minute, I changed my mind and decided to do something different. I marked random triangular spirals and echos in the individual pieces. I let the individual shapes determine the kind of marking.

I’m pretty happy with how the quilting turned out. I think if I had to do it over again, I would make the lines 1/4″ apart. There’s something about narrowly spaced lines that makes my heart sing.

Here’s a look at the back of the quilt. If you look closely, you’ll see different colored threads, matched to the threads I used on the front of the quilt.

I used facing to finish the quilt. I didn’t want a binding to interrupt the edges of the quilt and I was not up for piecing the binding to match the fabrics on the sides of the quilt.

This was my first time facing and I clearly have some practicing to do at the corners, but that’s how we get better. Am I right?!?

So now that I’ve recovered from QuiltCon, it’s time to figure out what’s next on my stitching list!

Nicole Neblett signoff Modern Quilting blog

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16 comments

Rosemary B March 11, 2019 - 11:15 am

Nicole, I am always happy to see a blog update from you
The improv quilt is very pretty, I love your thought process
Those words, to live by faith, not by sight, are good ones.
We live in a very “triggered” society here in the US. We need to continue to pray for our citizens. God must help us
protect each other. This current generation coming into adulthood, concerns me on many levels. So many very brilliant kids
but they have to deal with a lot of foolish decisions like legal pot etc etc and the ramifications (sorry off topic)
I am glad you have a great adventure at Quilt con

Nicole March 11, 2019 - 11:55 pm

Hello Rosemary! I hope you are well. Yes, life seems to be getting more complex. I’m so thankful for the joy I get from playing with fabric and thread. And I’m thankful for people like you, always ready with warm, encouraging words. Thank you, Rosemary!

Amy Barta March 11, 2019 - 12:14 pm

I love everything about this post!! Denyse Schmidt!! Whoop!! Teaching classes at Quilt Con!! Awesomeness! Love your new top and the way you finished the edge. That’s on my list to learn how to do!

Nicole March 11, 2019 - 11:56 pm

Thanks, Amy! Sounds like you are a Denyse fan like me! Isn’t it great that there’s always something to learn with quilting?!? Happy stitching to you!

Angie Yerry March 11, 2019 - 2:49 pm

It so fun meeting and chatting with you at QuiltCon! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Nicole March 11, 2019 - 11:57 pm

Hi Angie, it was a pleasure meeting you too! Until next year!

Meredithe March 11, 2019 - 4:56 pm

Yay! Well done you. Bet your students had a great time.

Nicole March 11, 2019 - 11:58 pm

Thanks, Meredithe! Yes, I think they did have a fun class. The teacher next door later told me that it sounded like we were having a party! LOL

Sue March 11, 2019 - 5:12 pm

Nicole, I love this quilt and plan to make one. Thank you for your inspiration.

Nicole March 11, 2019 - 11:59 pm

Thank you, Sue! Go for it! It’s fun, quick, and easy!

Heather B March 11, 2019 - 6:11 pm

It looks like you had an amazing time at QuiltCon no wonder it took two weeks to recover. I can’t wait to see your 2Cor 5:7 quilt. What an amazing idea!!

Nicole March 12, 2019 - 12:00 am

Yes, it was a wonderful time. Way too much inspiration and fun!
I can’t wait to see that quilt either. It’s on the back burner for now, but someday…

Heather B March 11, 2019 - 6:55 pm

I am happy you enjoyed quilt con. I have always wanted to go to the Tokyo Quilt show. May be one day I will make it. I love your quilt with the large fabric pieces, I might try it.

Jackie

Nicole March 12, 2019 - 12:01 am

Thanks, Jackie! I bet the Tokyo quilt show is amazing! Yes, go for it. It’s a quick make. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cindy March 12, 2019 - 9:15 am

Nicole, I’m glad it was a great experience for you. And your students. Your work is so beautiful! If you ever write a blog post on how to do facing vs binding, I’d drop what I was doing to read that!

jodi March 13, 2019 - 9:17 am

loved your big piecing freezer paper technique. I will definitely try it. Your work is inspiring. Measuring with the metal quarter inch ruler was helpful. Jodi

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