Fusing Frenzy: Fusing the Grid with Sue Benner

My iron has been busy fusing a fun and colorful assortment of fabrics in preparation for Sue Benner's Fusing the Grid workshop (along with another top secret project).  Sue's supply list called for an assortment of fat eighths or fat quarters of fun fused fabrics.  When it came time to start pulling fabrics, I drew inspiration from this recent clipping from a Bed, Bath and Beyond mailer.

You never know where you might find quilty inspiration...

Tower of Color

And ended up with this fun stack of fabrics in lime, teal, blue, rasperry--along with some black and white cotton prints, plaids and madras, sheers and even some holographic performance fabric.

With my fabrics selected, it was time to fuse, fuse and fuse some more.  In fact, I think it took me 3 sessions (and several tv episodes) to fuse everything in time for the workshop!

Background Grid #1

Sue Benner did a great job of teaching us how to start with a background grid and develop the midground and foreground of our quilts with different layers of interest--and with a few simple variations-totally disguising the foundation grid.

Here is my first gridded background...starting with a glowing lime center surrounded by darker teals and blue squares.

Then the fun started by layering with more fused fabrics shapes and colors.  I started by cutting thin strips of black and white prints--thinking about a Tic, Tac, Toe game.  I kept this X and O theme in the outer border and then created a smaller grid within the 4x4 center adding layers of interest with plaid squares, strips of black and white print and sheer diamonds and inner borders.

Fusing the Grid Top #1

Background Grid #2

Now that I had my first piece done, it was time to move onto further exploring this grid concept.  The second grid played with a four patch background--each with matching black and white printed squares and similar bright colored squares.

For this piece, I continued to layer the 4 patches with a bright square within a square at the intersection.  And then I added smaller squares at the remaining intersections.  And I am thinking of adding even more embellishments (either buttons or fabric paint) after it is quilted for yet another layer of interest.

Fusing the Grid #2

I had so much fun just playing and experimenting.  What is nice about fusible is that you can just keep cutting it up, moving it around and nothing is permanent until you actually iron it down (and even then--you always have the option of covering it up with more layers!).  That night I had vivid dreams of more grid work!  Lucky for me, I have plenty of fused fabrics remaining to just play and explore.  While at the workshop, I was exposed to other fun fabrics that can add interest, so I treated myself to a fun trip to Joann's to purchase additional sheers and other fun fashion fabrics to incorporate into future pieces in this series!!

Sue also did a presentation on quilting ideas using the grid as a foundation...so lots of ideas to add yet another layer of interest with threadwork and quilted texture!

Let the Fusing Frenzy Continue!

Believe it or not, I actually went through 15+ yards of Wonder Under this weekend!!  Last night--this was all that was left in my studio...mere scraps and an empty bolt!















Lucky for me, today's post contained the 2 new 10 yard bolts I ordered online...phew!