Have you been following the Optical Illusions blog tour? It’s been loads of fun for me to see what everyone is saying about our book. If you’ve missed out on getting the scoop about our book, take a look at the previous posts!
- Angela Walters: Quilting Is My Therapy
- Penny Layman: Sew Take a Hike
- Melissa Corry: Happy Quilting Melissa
- Lynne: Lily’s Quilts
- Fat Quarter Shop
- My Stars (for Mary Kay Fosnacht & Karen Hansen)
- Jamie David: Patchwork Architect
- Tia Curtis: Tia Curtis Quilts
- Elizabeth Timmons: And Pins
- Tammie Schaffer: Crafty Tammie
- Katie Larson: The Crafting Shell
- Jenifer Dick: 42 Quilts
- Trisch Price: Hadley Street Quilts
The only people left off this list are my guest bloggers and myself. Who are my two guest bloggers? My friends Jacquie Gering and Shea Henderson were fabulous enough to join me on this tour. Jacquie and Shea are both incredible ladies & phenomenal quilters. Jacquie is one of the co-authors of Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisional Quilts. You can find Jacquie online at Tallgrass Prairie Studio. Shea Henderson is a pattern designer and just came out with her first book, School of Sewing. You can find her at Empty Bobbin Sewing. They are both very busy ladies and were so wonderful to take the time to be my guest bloggers. Please stop by their blogs and see what they have to say about our book.
Now, onto the juicy details!
A friend of mine sent me an email letting me know that the people at KC Star Quilts were looking for designers to submit quilts with optical illusion qualities. Not really one to turn down an opportunity to something like that, I hopped on the internet and googled “optical illusions” and started translating those ideas into quilt designs. I wanted to create something that was pretty simple to construct, but had a huge visual impact. I came across the rippling idea and ran with it.
I messed with the idea in EQ7 until I settled on the proportions of the triangles in the corner. It’s not quite as straightforward as the traditional snowball with 45 degree corners (I tried that and it doesn’t ripple), but it isn’t that far from it.
It took me a while to decide how to quilt this one, too. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t have Angela Walter’s chapter on quilting a modern quilt in front of me to help me decide. 🙂 Luckily I have most of her other books in my library and could reference them for help. In the end I went with the obvious rippling water lines to help drive the idea home.
It’s fun working on challenges like this one and I hope I get to be a part of another project like this again in the future.
Leave me a comment below telling me about your favorite quilt in the book and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Optical Illusions: Innovative Designs for the Modern Quilter. Yes, I know I’m asking you to pick a favorite out of the book being given away and how could you know what is inside? Well… I’ve conveniently placed a link to all of the stops on this tour at the top of this post. Visit those stops and you’ll get to see lots of photos of the quilts in the book. Pick one and leave a comment with your answer below. Leave your comments by Monday, November 17th at 11:59 pm and I’ll I pick a winner on Tuesday. Make sure you leave a way to contact you, so I’ll know how to get in touch if you’re the winner.
Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to visit the rest of the posts in the blog tour if you haven’t already. They are all giving away something fabulous.
Jess Toye Quilts 
Wow! There are some really great quilts in this book and I have enjoyed seeing all of them. My favorite is Old Dutch by Melissa Corry. I would love to make that one. Thank you for the Blog Tour and for the chance to win this fantastic book.
Jamie David’s Aura quilt is my favorite in the book, it is stunning!
I love your quilt but my favorite is Curvilinear. there’s just something about it that catches my eye. Thanks for the chance.
If I say yours I’ll seem like a suck up, right? But I have to say that the ripple effect in your quilt is surprising and delightful. I am also a fan of Curvilinear.
I have to say that I really like all of them, but my favorite is 3-D Diamonds.
I love them all but want to make Water Ripples first, then Curvilinear, then everything. And I love Angela’s quilt advice – What is the most important thing. Can’t wait to quilt them too! Great job.
Mary Kay Fosnacht’s Tangerine Tumbler is awesome. I can’t wait to make this one. I am dreaming of the color scheme already
I am awestruck and a bit overwhelmed by many of the quilts shared. To name one I think it would have to be curvilinear I believe but as mentioned above all of them are amazing.
Jane, you’re the winner! I’ve just sent an email to you, so check your inbox shortly.
Thanks!
Jessica
I love your quilt – it’s my favourite so far! I’d also like to make Aurora!
Yours is lovely but I think my favourite is 3-D Diamonds by Jennifer Dick. Thanks, and congratulations!
HELLO, love your quilt! I think I’d like to make Aurora too!
Thanks for sharing !
It is hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, it would be 3-D Diamonds. This book looks awesome! Thanks!
I like the quilts shown on Deb Rowden’s page. Love the effect optical illusions can have.
I’m to pick just one favorite–a nearly impossible task. I do like the one on the cover–Aura by Jamie David. But then again it’s on the cover and I can see that it would look great hanging on the wall of an art museum. It’s been fun to follow this blog hop and read more about each quilt. kthurn@bektel.com
I am amazed by your quilt, so gorgeous! But if I don’t count it, my favorite is Tangerine Tumbler.
I know it sounds “butter-upy” but your quilt is my favorite. From the ones that I have seen (not sure that I have seen them all) it is the most illusion-y.
(No I’m not usually so hyphen happy.)
I’m not sure, maybe Curvilinear.
Oh, I like Tangerine Tumbler.
I love your quilt, and the others in the book are wonderful too, but my absolute favorite is Aura! Thanks for the chance to win!
I’m intriqued by Curvilinear! I would love to make them all, though!
Wow, there are so many great quilts to choose from, not to patronize you, but I really luv your quilt…and it looks perfectly gorgous in my favorite color combination, blue, black & white. There are so many great patterns in this book, which is the best reason to purchase one for myself (if I don’t win). 😉
This is a hard task. Guess I would have to say Jamie David’s quilt is one of my favorites. Love them all. Thank you for being one of the designers.
I love the 3D diamonds, though I’m not sure I’d make it…very cool, though!! I think I’d probably be more likely to make curvilinear
I loved quite a few of the projects I saw! I think if I have to pick a favorite it be Old Dutch Windmills. Thanks so much for a chance to win a copy!
tdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com
Not sure I could pick just one as a favorite, but it Tia Curtis’s quilt, as I have a soft spot for half square triangles.
This one is my favorite — I LOVE how it “ripples”!
My favourite quilt is Old Dutch. Visiting all the blogs on this hop is inspiring me to try an optical illusion quilt.
I really like 3-D Diamonds and your quilt. Very cool idea for a book.
I love Tangerine Tumbler. The colors are wonderful, and the quilting is supreme!
My favorite is the one from 42Quilts whose inspiration was Victor Vasarely. Loverly.
Oh, man, do I have to pick a favorite??!! Staring at yours has made me yearn to try out your pattern, so yours it is – for today, at least!! Thanks for the chance to win!
I think my favorite is the curvilinear quilt. There is something about it that sings to me – I really like the ripple effect of your quilt, too! Thanks!
I like them all, but I love the rippling in yours!
I really like Curvilinear by Katie Larson …
It’s tough for me to choose between Jaime David’s quilt which is fabulous and Curvilinear which is incredible too. Guess I would have to choose Curvilinear as a fav.