The quilting came out really well: Acadia pantograph. I wanted something curvy and with some hint of plants.
I can never resist trimming a quilt at this stage–so I did stop everything and trim her. I had already cut the binding, so I sewed the lengths together and ironed it. Today I’ll sew on the binding before I do anything else quilty. The binding is that same lavender (Kona Thistle).
I used a medium grey thread, which worked really well front and back, which is a medium to lighter grey.
We got a little rain over the past two days. Not so much as an inch though. I’ll take what I can get–it’s more than I could put down with the hose. And it will be warmer and humid today–not quite 80 though.
Our family is starting to gather for Thanksgiving: one grandson flew in from college last night late; the other comes Tuesday. Three Enright families (sisters) from Boston rented a beach house and most of them are coming today. DIL’s brother and fiancé are coming from Minnesota. Altogether we will be 32 by last count.
It will all be a “party in motion” starting this weekend.
And I’ve spent the better part of the last two days reviewing my Medicare Advantage plan and comparing it to others that might be better for me. That switch will be made tomorrow morning at 8 am! Whew!
But, I’ve also had a lot of sewing time in the past week, which has been fun. Here’s my design wall right now:
These are blocks from Tara Faughnan’s online class where she gives us a block a month with which we can play and explore. The first was “Zipper,” and the second one Serpentine. You can certainly see that I have been playing,
When I started the class I pulled a large fabric palette from my stash, thinking that there might be a way to combine blocks into an improv quilt. And that may or may not happen. Here’s the palette–separated into warm and cool colors–and with attention to dark, medium, and light values:
I’ve already had to replace some of the fabrics with bigger pieces I’ve ordered online. LOL. That’s how that goes.
Maybe an improv quilt can happen. Maybe not. I am also playing with combining the classic 2-color big blocks with scrappy ones. And I made a few extra scrappy blocks to have better color placement choices. Each block has a warm and cool combo.
And, last night I cut out a 2-color lime green block, which means I’ll have to make another one–probably in Kona Thistle, the medium purple/lavender.
A new block will come December 1, and that should tell me if any kind of improv quilt is possible. If not, I’ll make Zipper a wall hanging and see what happens with Serpentine.
Meanwhile, “Red Positivity” is on the longarm.
This quilt is right at the edge of a length I can do on my Innova–which is 10 feet long. It’s right at 90 inches. And as it is going well, I’ll now confess that I sewed my finger on the longarm the first go-round with this quilt–something I have never done in 12+ years of having a longarm. I sewed right through the nail and out the other side on my left hand index finger. (No worries, it has completely healed now with no sign of any damage.)
I was struggling with a very bad wide-back fabric that must have been the end of a bolt. It was just wrenched out of all of my ability to make it lie true–and that effort took off about 20 inches of the length. (I ripped 1 inch on the top and bottom to get a straight-of-grain line, and by the far end 10 inches came off the top and the bottom.) And I had to shorten the side-to-side width to fit my frame. By now, the extra strip I was going to sew to the batting didn’t seem needed. BUT, by the time I basted down the sides, the batting was way too narrow, leaving me only about 3 inches on the right side near the bottom as the batting wasn’t straight either. By then I was tired and should have just…stopped. Instead, I sewed my finger and then stopped.
So, for a while, I was gun shy about putting this quilt on the longarm, even with a new backing and a new batting. But this week, I ironed everything and began again, having removed all the basting stitches from the first effort.
All is good now, and the quilt (knock on wood) is looking beautiful. Perhaps I’ll finish it today. I have the binding for it all cut and ready to go.
I’m nearing the end of hand-quilting Traverse, but will have a few more weeks of night-time sewing. I have the big “Bonanza” binding to sew down–followed by “Red Positivity” and the little unnamed quilt top of 1-inch squares, which will go on the longarm next. After these quilt bindings, I’ll start to hand quilt “Happy,” formerly known as “the quilt from hell.”
And I’m cutting into the 1020-1930s fabrics to make blocks for a quilt. The extra fabric to fill out colors is here, washed, and ready to go.
Back in Maine, before covid started and before I knew I was going to move to South Carolina, I had acquired rather a lot of Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics. And my stash was seeming to be way too full, laced as it was with the darker more traditional fabrics with which I started my quilting journey. I gave away some fabrics, and I cut up the whole of my C+S/RSS fabrics into useable strips.
I started with quilts made with Churn Dash blocks made with pieced backings–all from the C+S/RSS fabrics. At some point I cut strips into 3-inch squares and made several quilts with those. And then, as I worked on a project, I cut leftovers into 2 and 1 1/2 inch squares. That journey is all on this blog, and there have been so many quilts made from this years-long project–that is apparently still in process.
At one point, after the Maine house had a buyer and when I was all packed up and waiting for the time when the movers would arrive, I set up a small sewing station and started sewing the 2-inch squares into 9 patches and the 1 1/2-inch squares into 4 patches. (Piecing has always been soothing to me.)
Now in South Carolina, I sewed the 4 patches into these larger blocks (16 inches) and surrounded them with this text fabric. This picture does not capture the vibrancy of these tiny blocks.
This picture is better–at least on my screen.
I’ll tackle the 9 patches at some point.
And, yes, there are still some strips of this fabric left! And two bins of the 3-inch squares. I seem to buy more fabric from these designers for backings here and there–to include one for this quilt as I didn’t have a backing that would fit this size quilt and not enough yardage to piece a backing. I do love those designers.
The other day I pulled out a bag of 1920/1930s reproduction fabrics I bought over 16 years ago when a local Maine fabric store closed as the owner retired. The bag had, also, some neutral muslin yardage, so I’m making some blocks that are color oriented. LOL, I had to buy some extra fat quarters of these fabrics to fill out the colors. The secondary patterns will be fun with these blocks.
It never ends…
Anyway, these are very fun blocks happening, which is interesting as I lost my interest in these 1920/1930s reproduction fabrics some years back.
And, there are 2 quilt tops to longarm quilt and a quilt which needs its binding sewn down and…the hand quilting on Traverse and the former “quilt from hell.” And Tara Faughnan’s very fun block of the month project in solids.
The Holly Berries along the roadside where I often walk are so beautiful now. I hope mine in the front of my home turn this very pretty red.
Some days are cool enough now that dinner on the porch is best when sitting in a sunny spot and wearing a sweater. But not all days; the past two days have seen me finding a pair of shorts and a short-sleeve t-shirt–at least in the middle of the day.
The air fryer does a great job with fish filet coated lightly with a gluten-free panko and sweet peppers. The asparagus got cooked in the microwave. The berries are a treat.
Last week a host of repair men were in and out of the house–at the 11-month occupation “clean up” of things needing fixing. I roasted a chicken last Monday, so had some meat for a few days. The cauliflower and baby bok choy was pan sautéed in a little duck fat–with herbs and garlic, of course.
I decided to go back and add a middle line of quilting to the solid bar strips in Traverse–and I’m so glad I did. They just needed…more. I am nearing the end of this hand-quilting project, but have some wide bars to do before I can say “done.” My stitches, front and back, are so much more steady and reliable now.
Yesterday I had dinner with Bryan, Corinne, and the girls–and Corinne’s mother (Cheryl) who is here for a few days. I have not seen her in over 10 years, so it is delightful to see her again. Cheryl is a very special person.
Two granddaughters went with me for a quick walk on the beach late yesterday afternoon–and they went swimming–though the water is colder now. You can just see their heads out among the waves. They warmed up in the tidal pools left up on the beach.
We used to call these pools “buffalo holes,” and I have idea why–it came from my Georgia mother way back in the day.
I’ve almost finished a quilt top made with 1 1/2-inch squares I cut from the Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics. When I had leftover scraps I cut them into useable pieces–based on quilter Bonnie Hunter’s scrap system. I should have a picture to share in a few days.
The Patchwork Gals met last Wednesday, and as always, the “Show and Tell” was awesome. The turnout for this meeting is strong, about 25-30 very talented women.
This group had been working on a “mystery” quilt for some months, and during this meeting, they started sharing. Each person made the quilt differently, of course. I could not get ALL of the versions, and there will be more next month, but I wanted to share these three. But know that every single quilt shown was so pretty.
I really loved the scrappy nature of this version. Of course, I love green, but even the sashing was scrappy.
This 2-color version in blue and white is dramatic and graphic. This version took the 4-patch into the outside borders, which extended the line of squares, which I very much liked.
This one is made of 1930 reproduction fabrics–and next on my list is to tackle a collection of those fabrics which has been residing in my stash for nearly 20 years. I had thought to make another churn dash quilt, but I am drawn to this type of scrappy “Jacobs Ladder” form. Maybe I’ll do this type of quilt, though it would mean separating the various 1930s prints. Who knows? I may also look to the Modern Quilt Society patterns for ideas for my collection of 1930s fabrics.
After the meeting, one of the women told me about the Charleston Modern Quilt Guild, which will meet next Tuesday night. This group of women is separate from Cobblestone and might belong to the Modern Quilt Guild organization. This group also sews together monthly on a Saturday. I’m going Tuesday night, for sure.
THE TUNIC
I’ve wanted to make this tunic for some time now. I acquired this pattern back in Maine, and some months back I got some cotton fabric to try it out. I wanted a longer tunic that covered my bum to wear over some luscious leggings that Tami gave me for Mother’s Day. They are a soft aqua color.
I had to order tracing paper as I could not find any locally. And last week I traced off the pattern and cut out the tunic.
It’s so, so cute! And it fits! I like the curved hem. I will layer this top with a t-shirt given my old-lady droopy skin arms.
Note that the back is longer than the front–and it curves very nicely over my bum.
Here’s the back.
And here it is with the color of the leggings.
Someone with better legs than I have now could wear this tunic over shorts.
Also, the cotton fabric above works great for the tunic, but I also think a lighter, more “drapey” fabric would work even better, like a lawn or a double gauze. And I’m wondering about an Essex linen, which is thicker but which drapes really well. Note that this pattern was “fiddly” to make, given the construction of the bodice piece and the side pockets. I liked a lot the easy construction of the bias binding armholes, however. It’s perhaps not a good pattern for novice garment makers.
I ordered this fabric in warmer weather, and it now feels too summery for our colder weather. So I ordered a darker color of flannel that I can wear with the leggings maybe. But I’ll be trying out a different pattern–and yesterday I traced it out and am ready to go when the fabric comes on Monday. I can always wear this other flannel top with my jeans or knit pants if I don’t like it with the aqua leggings.
Here’s the tunic I’ll make this next week–it’s the orange one in this picture.
The online class I’m taking with designer Tara Faughnan kicked off October 1st with her improv block “Zipper.”
I immediately went down a rabbit hole, and here’s the outcome of many hours and some days of playing with fabric and “zipper” combinations.
Tara gave us a palette, but I wanted to pull my own palette, having had fun with that exercise with the “Summer Camp” mystery quilt. The guidance on the mystery palette was build your palette and trust it. I did add white and one more pale color along the way–as I wanted a more “sparkly” look. And, a deep mustard, but never used it. I found I had enough dark colors already for this project.
I am going to save this palette for November’s block–just in case I want to use this current piece as part of a quilt. It’s likely, however, to be a stand-alone little wallhanging–it’s about 27 inches wide–and the project may need some sliver trimming to make sure it is square–for which I’ll use a 24-inch ruler. I don’t really have a need for a big pillow, and I’d like to keep this project…around here. I’ll probably hang it somewhere upstairs in my studio.
If you want to see Tara’s beautiful Zipper projects, check them out on her Instagram page. It’s well worth the time. Meanwhile, the most astonishing blocks are showing up in our online community for this project. People are so, so creative.
And, Oh My Heavens! I do love this quilt. Something about it just strikes my fancy big time.
*Note that the camera and my manipulation makes it look not square–it is perfectly square.
This “Summer Camp” mystery quilt was designed by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle at the Modern Quilt Society–and back in the early summer I kind of stumbled on to online posts which had people choosing their palettes and making their first sets of blocks. I just could not resist joining in. No two quilts will be the same as we all chose our own fabrics, our own blocks, and our own settings (out of three choices). The MQS web page has a gallery of these quilts if you want to see others.
I quilted with a medium grey thread, using the Deb’s Swirls 14-inch pantograph. I wanted texture but not really intensive texture. And I had enough of this “Newsprint” fabric by Carrie Bloomston (Windham) for the backing. I thought it a grand choice for a very modern quilt. And I bound in the same “field”/background fabric I chose: Kona Juniper.
Here are some close-up pics of these very, very fun blocks.
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This quilt is my 216th quilt.
Now, back to Traverse, who has been waiting for me to sew down the Summer Camp binding so I can show it at next week’s Patchwork Gals meeting. The 12 wt. threads I ordered from Red Rock Threads for Traverse should come next Monday, so I’ll be able to do the row I skipped for the moment.
And it’s really cool this morning. I had to switch out my short-sleeve t-shirt for a long-sleeve t-shirt. I’m NOT complaining.
With one thing and another, I didn’t cook until early afternoon on Friday, so I ate a really late dinner meal (on porch with book!). I tried the convection feature on the new oven, but I’m not convinced the convection fan is working right, or at all. But the lamb rack was delicious nonetheless. So, I had easily-heated leftover food yesterday and for dinner today.
Yes, I like rare meat. Rare is where all the nutrients are. And, in the yummy meat fat, which gives me long, slow, steady energy. I roasted the peppers in the air fryer, cooked the frozen green beans in the microwave, and boiled the potatoes on the stove. I reserved my daily fruit for supper, but did have my after-dinner espresso, with raw milk and raw honey.
Yesterday was filled with small tasks, like the trip to Loews where I bought these beautiful cyclamens to replace the spent plant in that pot. (Yes, that pot needs to be scrubbed in the sink–a task for today.) I went back and forth with the red or the deep pink cyclamens, and settled on the red to pick up the red in the Croton Petra plant on the porch. I didn’t consider the red roses, but… It’s all good. And cheerful. And fresh looking.
Cyclamens are perennials. And they are fairly cold hardy. In the Mediterranean region where they derived, they bloom in the winter, die down in the spring, and come back in the fall. Pansies are great plants in the fall too, and Lowes was filled with them in so many beautiful colors.
Here is the Croton Petra plant on the porch–pink cyclamens would definitely fight with the Croton Petra. This plant is actually a tropical evergreen shrub, and outside it can get to be about three feet. They don’t like temps that go down to the 50s.
Tara Faughnan’s 6-month improv, creative block project (online class) started October 1. The first project is called “Zipper,” and I pulled this palette from my stash yesterday. Later today I’ll start playing. “Zipper” looks really fun–the block could make a nice pillow. Or, a block that gets put into an improv quilt alongside other blocks. The solids are more graphic, but there’s no reason someone couldn’t use prints if they wanted to do that.
I am waiting for more garment pattern tracing paper to come on Tuesday to finish tracing a tunic pattern I want to make–it is meant to go over the gorgeous leggings DIL Tami gave me earlier this summer. I tried two local stores for this paper, but neither had it. I wanted a top that could be layered and that covers my bum.
I did get the binding on “Summer Camp” yesterday, and I halted on Traverse to hand sew down the binding so I can show it at the next local quilt meeting. Traverse is pouting on the hassock, but I keep reminding her that I’ve ordered two spools of Aurifil 12-wt thread from Red Rock Threads to go in that lavender-ish bar you can just see at the right edge of this picture. (One of the two colors ordered will go well with that fabric and will be added to my 12 wt threat collection.) I was working on the row below, with the orange-ish elongated hexagons set on the gold/brown fabric, and it is coming out nicely.
I really love this “Summer Camp” mystery quilt.
Later today I’ll walk in this lovely cool weather, and I’ll do another round of watering the grass and plants. I’ve been watering every two days as it is so, so dry. And I do not see any rain in sight. I play my music while walking and sing along. When watering, I “Zen out” with the music and the hose–stopping only to visit with neighbors who stop by to indulge in short visits.
What a fun, fun project “Summer Camp,” the Modern Quilt Society’s summer mystery quilt has been.
Here she is, all quilted. I did find time to trim her after I took pics, and she is now waiting for her binding to be installed. Later today?
I wanted a pantograph that would give me some texture and curves, but not be too, too intense. I think this one worked well: Deb’s Swirls at 14 inches. The medium grey thread worked well too–on both front and back.
I spatchcocked a chicken and roasted it in the new oven the other day. Oh my! It cooked in the time it should have cooked and created a nice crisp skin on top. What a difference. It’s clear that the original oven was broken in many ways that impacted its operation, including that it just didn’t get hot enough.
I cooked both the collards and the potatoes in water on top of the stove. There is, also, an apple cut up off to the side. And a freshly made espresso to have with the apple.
I enjoyed this meal on the porch with a book in hand.
I finished quilting the last row at the bottom a few days ago. And I started the other side with that row of X’s and pink squares, having finally figured out a way to quilt that row without overwhelming the colors in the pattern–which has been my goal for this quilt.
Here’s a close-up of some of the rows.
And here’s the bottom row. I wanted something with a pattern, not just a straight line. And I didn’t want a dark navy because as I said, I don’t want the quilting to stand out so that it draws the eye.
That’s a size 6 Tulip embroidery needle and 12-weight Sulky cotton thread. I have colors in both Sulky (petites, which are inexpensive, so one can acquire lots of colors) and Wonderfil on hand. And I’m learning to bury my knots in seams as I can as the Artisan Cottons in this quilt (shot cottons) don’t like knots pulled through the fabric. The knots can throw a run so easily.
I think the Sulky is a bit thicker than the Wonderfil, but both are lovely. I’m sure Auriful 12-wts would be too.
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