Wednesday, March 27, 2024

wiltshire rows, a start


on sunday, i was reminded that a friend, neighbor, and church family member of 21 years will soon be moving, and i realized i want to give her a sunday liberty lap quilt to take with her. i thought about those i am completing and neither seemed right, so it'll need to be a new one. 


i fell asleep stewing over ideas for what to make and came up with a good plan (large courthouse steps with end borders). 

whilst thinking on this quilt and the need to make it sooner rather than later, probably omitting the handquilting option this time, i also realized there is another sunday liberty lap quilt that needs making. my 3rd daughter/5th child will be leaving for college in the fall and i want to send her off with her own liberty + chambray church quilt.


d3 is very partial to the liberty "wiltshire" print, and has mentioned she wants her own church quilt made of many "wiltshire" colorways like the "betsy" quilts i previously made. consequently, i have been collecting "wiltshire" with such a quilt in mind for the last few years. 



i realized now is the time to make that quilt. we'll be taking d3 on her senior trip to (mostly) wales in a few months and i would really love to have this quilt ready to take along with us. i imagine we can find a little welsh chapel somewhere as the setting for photographing the quilt, which would be perfect. the last quilt i made for her got completed at biltmore on her 12th birthday, which made for fun quilt photos. i'd like to repeat that.



generally, these quilt tops come together quickly, so i think i can pull this off. i'll either add the handquilting on the trip or maybe complete the binding, depending on how far i get by then.


monday afternoon i cut all the 2.5" chambray strips i'll need and began working on the "wiltshire" pieces. i still haven't decided on exact measurements, but i'll be making something very similar to "betsys all in a row," hence i'm call this one "wiltshire rows." 

i'm hopeful for a speedy make so i can also get to work on the courthouse steps project.
wish me luck!

Saturday, March 23, 2024

crossroads, a finish


my original "crossroads" quilt is complete!




as i mentioned, i have been working on the binding of this quilt from a comfy chair in my family room, and have lately made a special effort to take advantage of the late afternoon timing when the light hits the spot just right, lighting everything up beautifully. it's been magical.


one last golden hour stitch session and this quilt is now complete! i immediately put it in the washer and then dried it, so it's soft and crinkly, ready to go.


i got to thinking how nicely books and quilts pair together, so i looked over my collection of nice book editions for one to pair with "crossroads." the little prince happened to go best.



here's a look at the two prints i used on the back: a lovely heather bailey large-scale floral and heather ross's sleeping beauty print from ffa3 in yellow. i included both selvages in the backing, but the sleeping beauty one shows best.



you can also see the grid formed by the echo quilting i did outside the road pieces and on the joining block seams in a light yellow aurifil 50wt thread.

binding is a basic 1/8" navy and white stripe from riley blake designs.


"crossroads" is now in the quilt basket in the family room, ready for cuddles and naps. 
i think it's going to be a favorite!

two more crossroads coming up.

Friday, March 22, 2024

handbinding, upstairs and down

 

although i took a break for a bit to work on some sunny and citrusy march projects, i have not been neglecting all those quilts i prepped for handbinding in january. i work on the sunday lap quilts on sundays, naturally, and have two others also in process in two strategic locations.


if i'm downstairs in the family room, i might find some time to work on my original crossroads quilt. i have it draped on the arm of a comfy chair so i can snuggle and stitch when time permits. the last bit should be completed today. i'm waiting for the golden hour when light pours in on this spot and turns it to magic.


this is going to be so good to have around when it's washed, crinkled, and ready to go. the navy binding works really well with the navy couches in this room, a happy coincidence. i did think maybe i should not have used the touches of navy blue once the quilt top was complete, but they've grown on me and do make this quilt more at home in this particular room, where it will be housed and used.


but sometimes i'm upstairs and have a minute or need to bargain myself into doing housework, so i've recently started work on "aunt bet's mother's day" quilt in my bedroom. (as for the bargaining - if i complete a short, designated project i don't want to do, i give myself permission to sew one thread length of binding in place. it helps keep me balanced between life and sewing.)

today, oldest daughter and her two littles ended up sitting in the window and hanging out with me while i put some stitches in. that window is a lovely place to be this time of year as the weather is so perfect and the tree just outside it is beginning to bud.

the last few nights i've slept under this quilt, making sure to safely tuck the needle in first. i'm enjoying that, but it does have a bit of stiffness to it since the spray basting hasn't been washed out yet. i'm definitely anticipating the softening and crinkling of a wash.

a few stitches a session, a session or two a day, and it all adds up. that's how quilts get made.
i'm on a bit of a roll, so look for a finish or two coming up!

Thursday, March 21, 2024

spring break stitches, 2024

 

i slept under this quilt for 3 nights before i realized the needle was still in it from last year's spring break stitching session, haha. i had it well tucked in to the quilt, so it never poked me, thank goodness!

once i completed my first project, "beach brellies," i got to work once again on handquilting "cheery (easter) quilt." i was so glad i found the missing threads so i could work on the colors which had come to a halt. 


on occasion, i had a cute companion sitting with me while i worked. 

i spent most of the flight home stitching away. toward the end of the flight, the stewardess asked me if i'd gotten as much done on my trip as i'd hoped to. i just laughed because this part of the the project seems endless. every time i think i've gotten a lot accomplished and am getting close to done, i start counting what's left to go and realize i'm a ways off yet. 

with the machine quilting i did between blocks, the extensive handquilting i've already done, and the binding completed, i could call this one a finish at any time. but i keep adding to if anyway. sometimes i wonder to myself why i am investing so much into this particular quilt that was a branching-out experiment for me. i like it, it makes me smile to see it, but it's not one of my very favorite makes and certainly not the one i thought i would put so much time and handwork into. 

honestly, the handwork is probably the most special part of the quilt. but i don't know that adding more and more is making the quilt any prettier or more special to me. who knows?

in the end, adding handstitching to it over spring break every year for a few more years isn't going to hurt any, is it. so i guess i'll just keep stitching away.

Monday, March 18, 2024

beach brellies, a finish



"beach brellies" quilt went on our spring break beach vacation and was completed, but admittedly never actually made it on the beach. i just didn't feel like messing with it in the sand and thought the sunset photos i took of it on the penthouse patio were good enough.



afterall, the views from up there are pretty spectacular.


most of my stitching was done in the shade next to the pool off the beach.

i thought i had packed well for my quilting intentions, but when i pulled out my supplies to begin work, i discovered the only threads i had on hand were the green for binding "mildred and ethel", 12 wt for handquilting "cheery (easter) quilt", and 12 wt white thread from a previous handquilting project. 

so i used the 12 wt white thread to do my first big stitch binding. it was surprisingly fast and seems pretty durable. my only qualm with it was this quilt already has chunky 12 wt machine quilting in yellow. i was afraid the two didn't compliment each other, but i gave it a shot. i think they're fine together.


i also did some handwork while indoors keeping a sick 12 year old company.


this quicky little quilt is all finished up and ready to gift to my grandson when he turns 2 in a few weeks.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

lost and found

 


as i’ve been spending more time in my sewing room lately, i’ve realized just what a sorry state it’s in. consequently, i’ve been cleaning it up a little bit every time i’m in there.

last week i rummaged through a tote bag that didn’t seem to have much in it and found a missing box of threads needed to complete the handwork on “cheery (easter) quilt.”


i spent quite a bit of time going through every place i thought these threads would be last year when it was time to take the project on spring break with me, to no avail. i worked on the other colors in the quilt instead, completing the bronze bits and the sunrays. they turned out wonderfully, but i really did want to complete the other colors, too. 


i don’t ever recall the thread box being put in the bag where i found them, and had quite despaired of finding them again, so this was a very happy discovery for me.

i was either going to just give up on adding more stitching or order new threads, which i really didn’t want to do as they are around $10 apiece and i only need them for the one project, which really needs to be completed. so i did nothing for months because the quilt was out of season and i wasn't sewing anyway.

problem solved.

now i need to figure out how to pare down and simplify my sewing room so things like this aren't an issue anymore.

Monday, February 26, 2024

beach brellies, an evolution


i have had the immense pleasure of coming up with a new quilt from what was once a "mistake" which resulted in a set of "wasted" pieces. this new quilt came together as i played around with the culled pieces from a previous quilt. because the pieces were already cut, all i had to do was make a configuration and put them together. the resulting quilt is one i love so much. it's funny how this unplanned quilt has turned out better than many quilts i did plan ahead.

when i first started making "citrus season," i was thinking of citrus colors against the bluebird skies of our local citrus season, my favorite time of year, so i made the star of citrus colors and the background of bright, light blues. 


it didn't come out feeling the way i envisioned, so i changed the background color to almost-white colors rather like the pith in citrus fruits. it was much better. but it left me with several large blue & citrus hsts and blue pieces already cut. i also had the excess hsts from making the replacements with the white background.

i found all these extra pieces last week when i was working on the pinwheel border. i mistrimmed a few pieces for the pinwheels and had to look through my scraps for replacement pieces. i remembered i wanted to make a different quilt with all the extra pieces and began considering what to make with them as i continued to work on completing "citrus season."



i put all the extra hsts together in four large pinwheel shapes, which i liked a lot. it was a start, but needed more to make at least small-sized throw quilt. eventually i decided i wasn't going to use the pinwheels for the border on "citrus season" after all, and thought i would use them here instead. but, the small pinwheels felt too busy and show-stealing with my large pinwheels, so i paired them with some of the border pieces at the ends instead. this made a very pleasing, small-ish quilt i could easily & quickly put together.

the pinwheels in the summer-y colors reminded me of beach umbrellas, so i named it "beach brellies." i was going to make an all-solids backing with blue "water" running down one side and "sand" on the other, with colored strips in between, all to resemble the beach. but then i realized who i was making the quilt for and picked some youthful prints instead. it turned out to be the perfect place to use two heather ross prints, that came in sets i bought, that i did not think i would have any use for.  


the top came together almost instantly and i got the backing made right away, too. i was doing all this while also working on completing "citrus season," actually preferring to complete "beach brellies" because it was being easier. 

all was going along swimmingly until i trimmed down the main backing piece while it was over the top, and accidentally snipped off a corner of the top.


quilting has taught me fortitude in a new way. when all these problems occur, i just have to do the work to fix them and keep moving forward. that's the only way to get a quilt finished. no use fussing (too much) or despairing, which i am occasionally tempted to do.

fortunately, i had more of those background pieces still, and it was a small matter to remove the damaged piece and replace it. 


i chose to outline-quilt the seams in a yellow 12wt aurifil thread. i love the thick, chunky look of it.


here you can see the blue gingham i chose for the main backing fabric and the seahorses that found their perfect home on this beach-y quilt for a little boy.


 the strong orange on this paper hats/boats print is cute, but i was always puzzled where i would use it as it doesn't fit the aesthetic of what i usually make. so i'm really happy it found a home here because it adds a fun touch to an all-solids topped quilt.

"beach brellies" is all quilted up now and should be ready for handbinding over our spring break trip, which will allow me to take pictures of it completed at the beach. wouldn't that be perfect?

and as for those pesky pinwheels that keep getting culled from quilts, i have a new idea for them, too, one where they will be featured and won't pull attention away from anything else going on, which means i will eventually have three-for-one from the original "citrus season" quilt. and then there's all the leftover backing print pieces i want to make into something, too. this is turning into quite a chain-quilting event as the various pieces keep evolving into new projects, finding their own place.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

valentine’s crushes



i was just scrolling all my saved posts on instagram and now my mind is exploding and i want to make about 30 new quilts, stat. ugh. i wish i had the time.

i’ve had this pile of red, pink, and low-volume sitting on my pressing board for years (no, really - at least 3 years, i’m that slow) that i want to use since it’s february and all. i was thinking of a companion quilt set something along the lines of these cuties: a modified log cabin block and strip quilt. 




 i did walk into my sewing room with the intent to start these valentine's quilts, but then i worked on my citrus season quilts instead because i want to take them with me on our spring break trip for handbinding.

it was only the desire to have the other quilts ready for handbinding that kept me from starting the new quilts. i have no problem starting new projects no matter how many wips i have on hand. i make quilts because i enjoy many parts of the process, and sometimes it's simply the act of sewing and creating that i want to do regardless of the outcome. my quilts do eventually get made, so i will continue to work on the part of the process that i feel like at the moment. sometimes the part i want to do is the starting.

however, i'm deep in citrus season now, these valentine's ideas will just have to wait until i get the itch again. so i'm filing these ideas away til later.

Monday, February 19, 2024

citrus season, again



i went into my sewing room to start something new because i needed a creative break, but then i (wisely, reasonably) decided to work on this old wip instead. 

i have this pile of valentine's fabrics i've wanted to make into a quilt sitting just off my pressing board for a few years now, and since it was only valentine's a few days ago, it's still february, and i'm still noshing off our family's valentine's dinner candy bar, i was in the mood for some pink and red.

but, i thought about how march is right around the corner and it would be nice to have this spring-y, citrus-colored quilt put together. maybe i can even take it with me on our spring break trip to handbind. that is asking a lot, but it's not impossible.


this "citrus season" quilt was originally my march version for my "stella grande" quilt series (started way back in 2017! seven years ago! talk about a time speed warp). first it was on hold because my original background color didn't work.

then, somewhere along the way i did the maths for the border incorrectly and that needed fixing. i oversized the hsts for the border pinwheels by quite a lot. 

i finally worked out that i didn't have to make all new ones, i could just trim them down after pressing them open. it's an unfortunate waste of fabric, but not too much.


i was resolved to all the pressing and trimming (not exciting, rather monotonous work) when i accidentally turned my bloc-loc ruler the wrong way and messed up these two hsts. i almost despaired and gave up, because i had no idea how i was going to match the solids and didn't want to do all the work for two little cuttings.

fortunately, i noticed my neat piles of colored scraps leftover from all the "stella grandes," and i found large enough pieces of both colors right away. whew! that was a relief.



i thought i had all the pieces for the border all sewn up and ready to become hsts and pinwheels, but as i got making, it seems maybe not. i have more of some than others. maybe some are missing? or maybe i have too many? i'll know soon.


if i am short, i'll just figure that out. i definitely still have scraps of the exact fabrics. i was just really hoping to be done with this part and don't look forward to circling back to the beginning of cutting more pieces for hsts. 

at least i can cut them the correct size this time!


my favorite part of this quilt is probably acutally the back, which is saying a lot because i really do like the colors of the top. but all the citrusy pieces i picked out are just so good that i want to make a different quilt with them, too.

and then there is that gorgeous sandi henderson "meadowsweet" rose print in just the right colors that will be the focus piece of the backing. soooo pretty. it's part of what's motivating me to finish the quilt.


Turns out I am not short on pinwheels, but now they are done, I don’t love them as a border. That was an evening’s work to get them made. I suppose I can use them in another related pinwheel quilt instead. Yay, it’s already half started! Happy two-for-one mistake, I guess?


I like this stripe border instead. It keeps the feel of the quilt that I want. The pinwheels were just screaming at me with their loud, contrasty boldness. These still feel festive and lively, but not distracting. 

In the small photo, the effect is lessened, but I know what I’m seeing in person. And how strange is the change in the lighting in my piano room just a few minutes apart?


searching the blog, i realize i never really posted much about this particular "stella grande" in the midst of the rest. i did put some photos up on instagram as i got started.


this is my original backing pull. such happy colors and pretty prints together. i still love this.


don't the trimmings look like citrus pith and zest?
yummy.

this really is a good quilt. i'm looking forward to having it complete and snugglable.