Modern Mini Challenge, Time to Vote!!! Slash & Sew, No Rules, Just Right!!!

Ok, let me just start out by saying THANK YOU to danih03 for telling me about this challenge! Because of her, I got inspired to do this :) For those of you reading this who do not know what the Modern Mini Challenge is, click on it! So, now that you know, it was a quickie challenge (5 weeks) and it has some fabulous prizes! I'm writing my blog essay about it so that I can be entered in the contest and get voted on ;) Let's get right down to it. Here it is: 

In case you did not click on the rules here they are:

The Modern Mini Challenge is a 5 week series that kicks off with some seriously inspiring work from some super talented bloggers. Spark your creativity with ideas and inspiration from some amazing mini quilts and mug rugs*. 

Get ideas flowing for color, fabric, technique and style. This is your opportunity to try something new, something fun, something on a small scale. 

Take that big idea and give it a try in mini form. 

So here’s how it will work: 

2/6/12 - 2/19/12 

Weeks 1 & 2 - Inspiration Weeks - Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hop  

Bloggers share their modern minis and kick-start your creativity. Get inspired, get creative, get those ideas flowing!

2/20/12 - 3/4/12 

Weeks 3 & 4 - Sew. Sew. Sew! 

Work on those minis and create your Modern Mini Challenge piece. 

3/5/12 - 3/9/12 

Week 5: Enter the Contest!

Link up your Modern Mini Challenge piece at Ellison Lane Quilts. Voting begins that week and winners are announced on March 9th!

Size Requirements: Minis should be smaller than 36." 

*mug rug=very small quilt typically used as a coaster :)

So, while I got tons of inspiration from the daily blogs, I already had some inspiration from my Mitch kitty :) I blogged about his love of quilts and cotton batting here and also here.

He really, really, really needed his own quilt to lay on! Since he loved laying in the kitchen, I started thinking about the colors in our kitchen and what kind of fabric would be kitty-centric. 

Here is a picture of our kitchen:

Then I started thinking "how could I make it modern?" Well, I have not been quilting long, so I mostly knew how to sew together rectangles and triangles (which is usually not considered modern). But, I was doing the Craftsy Block of the Month where they showed me how to do slashing/stripping. I decided that it was time to just start slashing and sewing with no rules, just whatever struck my fancy :) I used kitchen fabrics (peppers and the red with the kitchen words on it - hard to see in the pic). I went to JoAnn's and found a $10 bundle of fabric that had orange colours and kitties. And, then I just started improvising.

Here are a few of the pics of my progress:

Slashing.

 Ironing as I slash.

 About to put the border on. 

 Putting the border on.

 Sewing on the border. (Orange thread I used to quilt it is also in the pic.)

 Working on the back fabrics.

Spray basting it. Interesting note: I save all the batting and fabric that I cut off when I square final quilts. The batting was in two pieces (scraps) from previous large quilts that I had finished and I just lined them up to make it fit. You can't tell in the final product!!!

In the above photo, I was practicing on my quilt sandwich scrap.

In the above photo, I had accidentally forgotten to put the foot down and this is a view of the stitching from the underside. Good thing I was only warming up !

This is me quilting it.

This is me squaring it off (above).

This is me (above) about to sew the binding strip ends together. I use a technique I learned here at Moose Quilts. I love their approach to making the ends come together. It works purrfectly every time!!!

The ends after sewed together (above). The finished product (below): 

For the back, I used leftover fabrics and my signature.

 Here I used my labeling technique which I have fallen in love with.

And, here is Mitch showing it some love :)

And, Charlene Elizabeth Baltimore (Charlie) showing it some love with her best friend Mitch Hennessy!

Anyway, I hope you all can show me some love and vote. Also, please follow me, comment, +1 me, and share this on Facebook or through email with your friends!

Until my next post, I wish you all the best!

Mike.