PMQG Michael Miller Neon Challenge: Mission Complete!

Well, I was going to do a few blocks out of the neon selection from my last post, but after some pondering I went in a completely different and nerdy direction.

If you know me then it's no secret I have kind of offbeat interests (as if you couldn't figure that out from my blog theme), and this is no different. Leave me to my own devices and every project wills imply reek with nerdiness. I'm primatology geek and my favorite of all the monkeys, lemurs, apes, etc is the gorilla. They're badass, period.  

Any questions? I rest my case.

So, since I was in need of a new makeup bag for my purse anyway, on account that my old one is looking just pathetic, I decided it was time to give it a whirl. Here's the result...my killer gorilla makeup bag. I'm pretty proud because I actually managed to improvise the whole thing, and even popped in a zipper, which I haven't done in years. 

The front

The reverse

The interior

It's all quilted with glow in the dark thread.  Just because. 

After this, I can't wait to see what our next challenge will be! 

Portland Modern Quilt Guild: Michael Miller Neons

I'm a member of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild and during March's meeting, we were given a challenge to use the Michael Miller Neons and a few of their neutrals in either a 12.5" block (raw) or an accessory to bring to April's meeting.

These beauties, plus three neon solids, which you'll see in a minute.

You all know me at this point and so when comes to color... mo' louder, mo' betta.  I've always loved neons, ever since I was a little kid telling my mechanic grandpa to paint me a car in all the hot colors when I had a car someday.  Had he made it that long, I know he would have!  But this project excited me because now I had an excuse to use alllll the hot colors and no one can tell me it's too loud. Ha!

While I was in the meeting, some knowing soul piped up and said that she had heard the neon solids weren't color fast and that they should be prewashed first because they were SO supersaturated with dye to get that lovely neon.  When I got the fabric in hand, wow...it was bright!  But it was also stiff as a board because of the copious amounts of dye.  I never, ever prewash my fabrics before using them, because I like the crinkly look they get when they're washed after being quilted, but this time, for sure, I was going to prewash those suckers like the lady said.

So here we are...just a couple weeks away from the next meeting and I"m getting ready to make my project.  I can't decide between a couple blocks or a super kickass dino makeup bag but anyway, it's time to prewash the solids. It's not like I travel a lot or anything...mainly that I'm clumsy and neurotic...but I have a pack of those handy dandy Tide sink pack to wash clothes in hotel sinks with.  Yeah, I use them at home for fabric too.

The lovely pink solid before washing, and you know, a little product placement. 

I set to washing the pieces in order from lightest to "darkest," so from yellow to pink with orange in between.    Yellow, when dunked in initially, didn't bleed out at all.  It took quite a bit of agitation before it got the excess dye out. But still, not as much bleed out as I expected.  I don't know what I was expecting really, I guess it wasn't going to look like an exploded highlighter. 

I don't think I need to outright say what I thought this looked like, when I giggled about it like an 8 year old boy.  Make you own joke here. 

The orange I have to say, was pretty color fast.  That I was quite surprised at after the yellow.  No change to the water at all, and I'm not exactly gentle on these pieces of fabric when I hand wash them to get excess dye out...an industrial washer is probably gentler than I am. But hey...well done orange.

And now the pink.  Oh, the pink.  As soon as I dunked the fabric in and submerged it, this happened: 

I hadn't even agitated the water yet! And there is is...it's like sink full of soapy Rosè.  It only got worse the more I agitated it.  So...word to the wise...wash the bejesus out of your Michael Miller pink neon solid, it is the most saturated of the three here.  

I was kind of hoping it would make the fabrics softer, but it didn't...the greige goods themselves are just rough, which I assume is necessitated by the volume of dye that is in there.  This challenge isn't just fun as a quilter and a guild member.  As a store manager who sits in on fabric ordering, this is REALLY good info to know.  If we order these solids, it will definitely be made known far and wide to our customers to prewash the ever living out of these solids.  Retayne will be a good ally with these guys!  

Now that being said...block, or dino makeup bag...block, or dino makeup bag? 

   

Cabins in the Stars

Here is one of those current projects I mentioned a couple posts ago. This one is called Cabins in the Stars by Rita Fishel in her book Everyday Quilts. I loved it, and it's outside of the box for me. You know how I feel about piecing...I usually stick with applique when I can help it. But this one, basic though it is, really called to me and I had just the fabrics in mind. Consider of course the fluorescent lighting in my house and the camera phone, but the colors are much more intense than shown. The pink really glows next to the purple and copper metallic.

Rita Fishel's book. It's a really good one, lots of beautiful, versatile patterns.

This is the pattern I'm doing. I know it's hard to see but it's basically Log Cabin blocks and Variable Stars. It goes to show how color placement and block arrangement can make a simple pattern spectacular!

This is that pink/purple (both batiks) combination in the log cabin. Where you see the orchid purple in the pink is actually a really electric pink in an otherwise magenta and rust batik. It really is a stunning piece in person, and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw that shock of glowing pink in there.

Again, it's hard to tell but the center fabric (a batik) isn't that dull. It has the purple, magenta and copper in there so it really pulls everything together. The background is a deep chocolate brown (not a batik) and that copper (Also not a batik, it's Fairy Frost in "Coin" by Michael Miller) really makes the log cabin and center fabric just pop.

As you can see, I did mix batiks and regular quilting cottons together in this quilt. Usually I opt for one or the other, but in this case the subtle prints in the browns and the Fairy frost really offset the batiks well. As far as sewability, they sew together just fine! I have to say, I LOVE the way batiks sew. They press nice and flat, they don't ravel as much...Beauteous.

Since I'm on Mom-mandated day off from work today, I'm going to try and get this done. Oh, and I'm teaching my roomate how to sew too! I'm excited for her to start :D Mo' quilting buddies, mo' betta'!