OUT Chapter 4: Red Red Completely Red

You are going to flip over my next guest.  I am so pleased to introduce Astrid of Red Red Completely Red.  I actually first came upon her on instagram.  She posted photos of a black and white cross quilt that I fell in love with and I was hooked.  I think maybe she whipped up this project in 25 minutes or so, she is wickedly fast.  Welcome, welcome, Astrid!

Oh, what a pleasure! Oh, what a thrill!
I'm so glad to be here at No Big Dill.
No T-shirt or trousers, no jacket or kilt --
I've taken a book, and made you a quilt!

This book is about places and spaces you'll go,
and one of those places made me want to sew.
Just look at these stripes -- a circus gone wild.
I saw all the colours and instantly smiled.



So take out your fabrics, take out your pins,
take out your scissors and let us begin!
This quilt is not made with patterns or plans,
simply start sewing, and see it expand.

First pick your colours: pink, red and white?
Blue, orange, violet? Pastels or brights?
Sometimes, you'll find that colours that clash,
can get along nicely when put in the mash.



Cut fabrics in strips, all the same length,
From selvedge to selvedge -- use all your strength!
Vary the width of your coloured strips,
But keep whites all even evenly-sized when you snip.

(In my quilt, the coloured strips were cut between 2" and 4" wide, while the whites were almost all 2")

On your marks, get ready -- soon you will see,
How much fun it can be to sew improvisationally!
Simply take a white and a non-white in hand,
And stitch down the long side -- like this, understand?



Sew strips in groups of seven, eight, or nine,
and soon you'll have lots of blocks full of lines.
Now here's the good bit part -- the best part, the fun,
take out your scissors and slice into one!

(To get started, I measured the width of one block of black strips, and cut a block of red strips to the same size, lengthwise, to fit perpendicular to the first block. The quilt grew out from there, with most blocks being rotated 90 degrees from the block next to them, and some longer, thin strips used to fill in awkward gaps.)



Keep testing and adding stripes, this way and that,
Sew quarter inch seams and press them all flat.
There's really no rule as to how big to go --
Trust that your creative intuition will know.

When you get to a place that feels like enough,
Stop! Put down the needle! Eat a cream puff!
When you are ready, back, baste and bind,
Then take your new quilt outside and unwind.



Where will you and your quilt go to next?
To London? To Paris? To Rome or Quebec?
One more idea, to remember your trips,
Free-motion quilt each place name onto a strip!



After reading her contribution to OUT, I not only think she gives Dr. Seuss a run for his money with her cleverness, but it makes me think I can actually quilt!  (Orange?!) Thank you so much for being here today, Astrid!