Mixing and Mashing Technique

 While I'm designing, I often get lost in the moment. I find this to be a great asset to creation of a new design. Over the summer, I've been perfecting this technique. This mixing and mashing kind of construction is freeing in all aspects of designing. Its a technique that leaves you thinking about further adjustments that might be beneficial to the end product.

The quilt police are likely to pick up that the seams don't match or that the piecing looks not coordinated or straight or whatever. I am not concerned about that. I'm concerned with developing a fun and fast way to piece and then create from there. 



Again the technique is so simple but leaves a complicated look at the end. Here's how to start: Decide on your background color. I like to use solid colors, but I've had good results with a print as you'll see in further postings. Then pick 5 colors for the complementary strips. Then cut (1) 10 in. square from each complimentary color. Lay each one on top of each other, being careful to think about lights and dark's not being up against each other in the stack.

 Then, cut 4 random slices through the stack vertically. These random cuts seem to work well, if not even or perfectly straight up and down. Varying the slice is part of the mystery to this technique. The on the first stack slice, take the top piece and replace underneath, then top two from the next and so forth, with the last slice not changing at all. Sew the strips together one square at a time. If you try to do all the left side two pieces, then the middle two pieces then the last piece, you tend to get mixed up and may loose the whole look, so just do one re-sewn square at a time.When all the 10 inch squares are sewn together, press and turn the stack once to the right and cut across the stack again, re-sew the pieced strips and press again. Then for further pieced strips, you are ready to cut the stack into whatever strip width you like and create from here.


Have fun, let me know how it works for you?

You might be interested in this new link for the tutorial technique at Quilting Gallery.
http://quiltinggallery.com/2011/08/16/two-hour-table-runner/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_campaign=0&utm_content=416375



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