Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Modern Plus Sign Quilts Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Modern Plus Sign Quilts blog hop!  If you haven't visited my blog before, I hope you'll read the "About Me" to learn who I am!
This blog hop is a visual introduction to the wonderful book written by Cheryl Brickey of Meadowmist Designs and Paige Alexander of  Quilted Blooms,

I am fairly new to the quilting world so was surprised and honored to have been asked to participate in this book promotion.  The quilt I chose to make is called Bear Paw Plus.  Here is the beautiful version designed by Cheryl and pieced by Paige.
Photo by C & T Publishing
Photo by C & T Publishing

 My original plan was to make black and white bear claws with all of the plus signs a different color using these fabrics:

I got two of the blocks put together and it just was not wowing me.  So plan B!  I'm kind of glad I didn't go this route as I saw a lot of the other bloggers also had the same idea to use Alison Glass fabrics!  They really are yummy, aren't they?

I decided to go ahead and stick with all black and white. I chose Kona Black and Kona White.  They make  a very striking contrast against each other; however,  I had no IDEA how hard it was to find true black and true white.  The whites especially were hard.  They were either off-white or cream.  I auditioned . . .



and auditioned some more . . .




I was starting to get nervous because I couldn't find any fabrics I thought would work.   It may be hard to see it in these pictures, but almost all of these were a much different shade of white than Kona White.  I originally planned to do each plus a different fabric but since I was having difficulty finding any at all, finally settled on two  of them that were the closest and just alternated them.

So here is my final version of Bear Paw Plus!
This quilt consists of nine 21-inch blocks so finishes up at roughly 63 x 63.

Anybody who knows my quilt making style,  knows that I love bright colors.   To be completely honest, even though I love this design, sewing with only two colors had me struggling to finish!  So is it any surprise that I put THIS on the back?  This is Michael Miller Fabrics Garden Party Black Meadow Menagerie.

I LOVE THIS FABRIC!  
And to top it all off, I found it on sale for $5.99 a yard.  WIN/WIN!!

Gratuitous glamour shot.  (hee, hee)
Wow, out in bright sunlight you can see that even this swirl fabric is not quite white! 
I did the quilting in a graduated V formation on each quadrant of the quilt just following the piecing.  The lines are 2 inches apart and I should have done one more set of lines in between to make them one inch apart.  I opted not to do that as I was running out of time.  I can always go back later and add them.

Last but not least, thank you to my daughter Ashley (left) and her roommate Lauren for being willing quilt models!  They didn't even mind having their faces showing.  What is it about husbands who don't like to show their faces while they are holding up a quilt?  I have one of those.  I can't complain too awful much though, since he DID build me an awesome quilt room in our home.

Thank you so much for visiting my stop on the Modern Plus Sign Quilts Blog hop.

Signed copies of Modern Plus Sign Quilts can be purchased at:

Meadow Mist Design  Etsy Shop
Quilted Blooms  Etsy Shop

And digital and print versions from

Modern Plus Sign Quilts (C&T Publishing)

Have you visited all the other stops on this blog hop?  If not, here they are.  Be sure to leave comments for a chance to win prizes!


Monday, March 12th
Paige @ Quilted Blooms

Tuesday, March 13th
Kitty @ Night Quilter
Sophie @ Luna Lovequilts
Afton @ Quilting Mod

Wednesday, March 14th
Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal
Abigail @ Cut & Alter
Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl
Sandra @ mmm! Quilts
Karen @ Run Sew Fun

Thursday, March 15th
Bernie @ Needle and Foot
Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

 Friday, March 16th
Izzy @ Dizzy Quilts
Christa @ Christa Quilts

Monday, March 19th
Jessica @ Quilty Habit

Tuesday, March 20th
Katherine @ Sew Me Something Good

Wednesday, March 21st (that's today!)
Anja @ Anja Quilts
Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts (that's me!)

Thursday, March 22nd
Janice @ Color Creating and Quilting  You are here!
Joanne @ Quilts by Joanne

Friday, March 23rd

Paige @ Quilted Blooms


I HAD SO MUCH FUN DOING THIS!!  Thanks, Paige & Cheryl!


55 comments:

  1. This is striking, Janice, and I really can relate to the white/off white difficulty you ran into. I think the prints you chose work well and I love the bright binding to finish it off. It's been such a treat to follow along the blog hop and see all the amazing finishes. :)

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  2. I love the Black and White. The binding is perfect.

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  3. I am blown away!! What a stunner! I adore black and white quilts, but this is one of the most creative ones I've seen lately. It is just ... so different from the original one, and so creative. When I was scrolling through and seeing all the individual blocks, I thought they were so pretty, but when I saw the final quilt, my jaw dropped.

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  4. I think this version of the quilt is just stunning Janice! I love the extra interest of the prints!

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  5. A fantastic version of the quilt Janice. Your instincts were spot on, in choosing black and white instead of brights and in the bright binding which sets it off so beautifully. Love your quilting design. I know exactly what you mean about true black and white, I have found the same with reds too, either too pink or too orange.

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    1. Forgot to say, love your pics, the one on the car is great and what a wonderful backdrop on the second one, stunning. Ashley and her friend look very happy to help with those big smiles, lovely girls.

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  6. WoW! Your quilt is so striking and amazing! Your instincts were right on! It’s just beautiful! Love the backing as well. You have the best all in one quilt, hehe. Great job! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Wow, this is stunning, a great layout, What super photo shoot pics, and models as well, thanks to them too.

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  8. I favor bright colors too, but the contrast of the black and white is very striking. And the bright binding is a great choice. Beautiful!

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  9. Just WOW! The black and white version is stunning! I really like the red binding, it really adds to the drama of the quilt and makes a great frame.

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  10. Amazing! Love the black and white, plus the beautiful backing. A stunning quilt with a colorful surprise on the back.

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  11. Your daughter, her roomie and your quilt are too cute!!! Love the glamor shot. What happened to all the audition blocks?

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  12. Beautiful version! The black and white is so crisp and the colored border adds such a great pop. Thanks so much for being part of the hop!!

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  13. Oh Janice, you knocked it out of the park. I am such a fan of black and white anyway! I've to study your quilting plan closer because it's fabulous! Thank you for contributing to the hop!

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  14. Someone certainly knew what they were doing when they asked you to participate in this hop, Janice, honey! It’s astoundingly beautiful!

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  15. I think this pattern is just stunning, especially the secondary star pattern that shows up when you put it together. The black and white just kicks it up another notch. Beautiful work, nice finish! Nice touch with that backing too.

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  16. That is a lovely version. Black and white is a great combination and I like how you made it more you with the backing and the binding.

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  17. All that auditioning paid off ... This finish is a lovely one and the palette is timeless. Well done!

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  18. I think it is awesome! I love two color quilts and yours has me inspired! It is very difficult to match whites and blacks. I've learned that the hard way on several occassons. I also love the binding! It gives it a little pizazz! As does the backing! I know you were really unsure with this quilt/colors/quilting...but you nailed it!

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  19. Your black & white color scheme turned out to be perfect for this quilt! Love your backing fabric! Thank you for sharing, Susan

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  20. A really beautiful finish! Love your models - beautiful women.

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  21. This is my most favorite quilt so far on the blog hop. I love the Black and White and then the back with the colorful flowers. Congrats. It's spectacular.

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  22. Wow! Look at you! There always has to be an over achiever in the bunch! That is gorgeous!

    https://prayersformymom.blogspot.com/

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  23. Oh Janice, that quilt is sooooo striking! It really is different for you-the colorful lovin' gal, nice work. The backing is awesome too.

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  24. Janice - why is it we fret about the colors so much? I do the same thing. Sounds like you spent a gob of time finding just the perfect matches. And even though you don't think they're perfect, they sure work! Excellent finish!

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  25. Hi, Janice, Great quilt and story to go with it. I've been collecting fabrics for a black and white and yellow quilt. I can definitely agree that true white changes with lighting. Or they might be yellowing in front of my eyes. Nice finish on this quilt.

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  26. Oh, Janice! It's even more gorgeous than I had imagined it!! PERFECT choice for the binding color. I'm so glad you went with the wild n crazy floral backing, and I love the photo with that against the stark beauty of the black and white front. Stunning!!

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  27. Love the black and white ❤️❤️❤️. Very striking.

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  28. This is very striking! I have not sewn a black and white quilt. I do use a lot of Kona white, I believe that there are other Kona white colors, such as Snow. I'm sure I would have given up earlier, but you definitely persevered. And it's a lovely quilt to enjoy!

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  29. I LOVE it in the blacks and whites. It's just a classic combination and with that pop of red binding, just gorgeous!

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  30. Oh I Love, Love, Love this!! The black and white with red binding is just fabulous!! I now it was probably out of your color comfort zone, but it works so well. Beautiful!!!

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  31. I love your take on the two-color quilt. The center plus adds so much interest and b&w is a always winner. I backing, binding and the truck make this so classy!

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  32. Janice I love this black and white version of this quilt. I think my favourite part is that you used patterned fabrics in the pluses....but I am happy that you went with your heart and put colour on the back.

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  33. Janice, it's absolutely stunning! I like most of your audition blocks, too, but your final choices with just two interior fabrics looks amazing. I'm glad to see you got some of your signature colorful style on the back! They look really good together, I think the bright print is a good complement to the black and white front. Amazing quilt!

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  34. Your black and white version turned out great. I love the bright binding and your backing is perfect!

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  35. Janice, this is so beautiful! I love the black and white top, but adding the backing and binding you did just really hooked me! A wonderful finish!

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  36. Your black and white version is beautiful! I love your choice of fabric for the back too!

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  37. A beautiful quilt. The black and white quilt is just stunning and the backing is beautiful. I think you made a great choice with your fabric selections and being able to back away from your original plan shows that your creative side is wide open to change.

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  38. Wow! This is striking! And that backing is perfect here. Beautiful finish!

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  39. Love the black and white! I think it came out great!

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  40. Beautiful Thanks for sharing!
    cork@pa.rr.com

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  41. Very pretty! Love the bright binding!

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  42. So stunning in black and white! Love it!

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  43. Janice, it is beautiful! What a terrific idea to do black and white, and yeah I can see that the AG would have been great, too, but a common theme in the hop for sure, so be different and you were with great success! Love your sweet quilt holders. :-)

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  44. A very striking quilt - well done!

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  45. I think the quilt turned out great! and thanks for showing some Idaho scenery as well, always love seeing it

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  46. It looks amazing in black and white. Well done!

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  47. What a fantastic quilt!! This just looks great in black and white - truly great! Hmmm better add yet another quilt to my ever growing to do list. Be thankful your husband at least holds up quilt without his face showing - mine's reluctant to even do that!!

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  48. Beautiful!! I can completely relate to white is not white problem. I love that the pluses are made of prints and rest are made of solids, and the pink binding is lovely. Wonderful photography too! Ashley and Lauren are such good sports :)

    -Soma

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  49. I am behind in my blog reading for sure! I completely missed this post and your fabulous b&w quilt. That backing is so cool! Good job!!!

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  50. Love your choice of bold black and white although I too would have struggled with it ultimately, because I love color too! So perfect to put that wonderful fabric on the back.

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  51. Hi Janice, I had to visit your blog after your nice comments on my Random Intention Quilt. This black and white modern plus sign quilt is so awesome, and that photo with the truck is a show stopper! Take care, Mary (Quilting is in My Blood)

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I LOVE meeting new quilting friends and always respond to comments so I'd love to hear from you!