Neutral Nuance: New Chalk and Charcoal fabric in my wonkie hexies!

Hey Beautiful Makers out there!!
Thrilled to show you my lastest collection, Chalk and Charcoal (for sale) made up in my Polygon Quilt Pattern with a little twist. Yes, I have made a few of these quilts from my latest pattern (C&T Publishing) and part of the pleasure of repeating a theme/pattern is to delve deeper and discover more about a set of shapes and how they relate when different guidelines are applied. 

Instead of doing a solid, one piece background on which to appliqué my wonkie hexies, I cut bands of 4" wide strips (10 strips to be exact, by width of fabric) choosing all Kona neutrals that coordinate with my new Chalk and Charcoal Collection. The only strip that isn't 4" wide is the very bottom, steel essex which is 9 1/2" wide by width of fabric. I also oriented the polygons in a landscape format which I really enjoy. It gives the pattern a whole different feel.  

Below: 2 movie clips showing (can see on website blog only) up close and personal video of new collection: Take a nice long cleansing breath. These vids are slow and easy....just how I like my fabric petting time :)

Chalk and Charcoal- Movie Short Dark Combo

Chalk and Charcoal- Movie Short Light Combo

I built my quilt as I stitched the background strips together starting with the three center strips. That way I could layout two columns of polygons on top of the three sewn background strips and machine appliqué with MonoPoly as I went along. I used two charm packs to make Polygons: One of Chalk&Charcoal and the other of my Chalk and Charcoal Coordinate pack. Background stripes used 1/8 yd of Kona Khaki, Natural, Silver, Haze, Snow. 1/4 yard of Essex Steel, Kona White, Oyster and Doeskin. These notes in my blog today will offer extended benefit and more ideas to the pattern for those of you who have purchased it and making your own Polygon Play Quilt. The options are many!!

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By having these 4" strips which finish at 3 1/2" you have built in lines to follow with your polygon center seams and no need for marking pencil or tailors chalk. I like the ease of this approach too. For the fun of all you makers out there, once again I have chosen twenty coordinating fabrics to go with Chalk and Charcoal prints out of Robert Kaufman's Essex, Essex Metallic and Essex Homespun. You can see all the fabulous, yummy texture that happens between my prints and the various wovens. I also had fun with transparent effects (notice the white band on left give the feeling it's a translucent strip shrouding polygons)

Note the November 10, 2017 date up above. This is the final stage of putting together a collection. I work a year in advance to bring you new fabrics!

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Hello Stitch, one of my favorite local sewing studios in Berkeley California, did the wonderful quilting on this piece and they always help me out in a pinch. And I usually am in a pinch as promotion for release and marketing is always a very real deadline! 

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The back of the quilt highlights two of my favorite prints from Chalk and Charcoal, Marble and Lyrical with the selvage as the dividing dark line. I use my custom labels I made for all my quilts now. Yes, I have grown up in that regard and very much enjoy the lovely finish of taking the extra time to execute these details with patience and pride. The facing instead of traditional binding is also a nice, modern touch.   

Chalk and Charcoal  Designed in my California studio, 26 fabrics printed in Japan, are shipping to your favorite stores  May 2018. (I HOPE they have ordered it for you!!)  If not, I am also taking preorders in my shop for 1/2 cuts and FQ bundles. There are also Rollups, Ten Squares 10" and Charm Packs 5" squares sold as precuts. I love what I do and feel so fortunate to be able to share my passion of design and textiles with you. Let me know if you have any questions. Hearing from you brightens up my day!

Now GO CREATE and HAVE FUN!
Xx
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