Spiral Bound Garden!!!

SPIRAL BOUND GARDEN

This past summer I took a class and I was very apprehensive. The directions confused me, puzzled me, and made me nervous. I had to choose fabrics without really knowing what I was going to make.  I had seen a video by a woman who painted fabric, cut it apart, resewed it and then quilted it as a whole cloth quilt. I like that, so I decided to paint the background fabric and use it as a whole piece. Based on the colors in the background, I chose my fabrics controlled/ randomly. I followed the guidelines given in the instructions but tried to "not give it another thought" after I placed in the stack. 

I attended the class presented by MQA with renown quilter/ designer Marilyn Doheny. To my enjoyment I had two of the rulers she had developed and produced years ago. These wonderful 9 degree wedge rulers are creative and innovative. Check them out here.... marilyndoheny.com 

While I was attending the class, I became more and more worried...I chose the wrong fabrics, I didn't use enough of this color...on and on, but then something almost magical happened. I brought it home and looked from all angles changed and moved, added and subtracted.  I first placed the fan and spiral flowers and "wild" life, as the leaves and fronds were added, I began to relax.  The name of the quilt jumped to my mind as the ideas flowed. I chose the name Spiral Bound Garden first because the class itself was called "Instant Garden". Second, the ruler/ wedges were used to cut fans and spirals and last,  I kept "erasing" the layout and starting over,  much like on a sketchbook page.   The green borders are quilted with straight, close lines to imply pages in a note book stacked. The left side binding is wider to accommodate the notebook spiral binding, tacked on to complete the illusion. 

I had used these rulers before....you can see the piano keys,

But certainly I learned new uses and techniques. I loved the class, I enjoyed the vitality of Marilyn Doheny, and I appreciate her enthusiasm to share her talents.  There are a few more of these quilts spinning around in my mind. Stay tuned and see what has been planted.