So far my Diary Quilt is still just rows or columns of 2.5" x 6.5" strips, one for each day of the past year. I put the last strip on the last row on November 19.
I have 13 rows/columns in total but they won't all fit on the design wall until I get them sewn together. Therein lies the challenge: what to use to set the rows? I've got every color in the rainbow in the strips. I used white for Sundays and wrote a scripture verse reference on each one. Whatever I use to set the rows needs to recede into the background, not compete for attention with the rows. I can't sew them together until I've made that decision because each row needs a compensating strip added to the top and bottom to make them all the same length. Whether or not there will be an outer border remains to be seen.
I'm already missing the act of choosing a strip a day. There were days when sewing a few strips together was just the ticket to get my day started. One of the fun things about choosing strips was the chance to feature a novelty print.
Sometimes those novelty prints were actually going into a quilt I was working on at the time!
I mentioned how much I enjoy fussy cutting novelty prints in a recent post. I've been making stars featuring prints that reflect the interests and activities of my daughter's FIL. He's a fan of science fiction and a follower of Dr. Who. Here's the Doctor's space ship, the TARDIS:
The star points were cut from a separate Dr. Who print that has the sound the TARDIS makes as it materializes and dematerializes. There have been special episodes of Dr. Who on television for Christmas every year for the last few years. Naturally I had to use a Dr. Who TARDIS print around a Santa print!
He also owned more than one diner throughout his lifetime, which involved pouring a lot of coffee.
Everyone should have lots of money in their lives.
You can't have enough Peanuts either. ;- )
I'll be linking up with both LeeAnn and Audrey. Do yourself a favor and go have a look for yourself!
I love your idea for your Quilty 365 project! Looking at it on the design wall, I think it has a really neat pattern. You found some fun prints to fussy cut for those stars, too! That will make a very special quilt for your daughter's FIL.
ReplyDeleteSo many fun fabrics!
ReplyDeleteSerious Whovian fabric envy from here! I like your idea of daily strips instead of circles, less of a challenge, and for me, more likely to get done. Nice work all round, Sue.
ReplyDeleteSEW sweet of you to make a quilt for your daughter's FIL!! Regarding the Quilty 365, I'd be tempted to leave it without sashing. I believe it looks good the way it is. Of course, if you simply want a bigger quilt, just disregard my suggestion.
ReplyDeleteMy daughters are both Whovians which is just as well as they usually have to explain what's going on to me - a lot of the more recent episodes have been seriously whacky! So, needless to say, I love the Tardis block
ReplyDeleteI guess it depends on whether you want simply quiet space for the eye between rows, or if you'd like it a bit livelier. If quiet, a mid warm grey would recede well, but my own instinct when I looked at it said "pale leaf green'. It would make for a happier overall effect, perhaps... Whatever you pick will be what the quilt tells you though, won't it? Your stars are tremendous fun, who knew Peanuts or Dr Who would ever feature together...!
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on the 365 quilt. I like your strips idea. Choosing setting/sashing fabrics can be the most difficult part of the process!
ReplyDeleteI like the way your 365 strips look. Much easier than daily applique, IMO. If you want a receding background-ish look, I'd suggest a darker solid fabric for your sashing. But light would work too. Solid or almost-solid. But it certainly looks good just like it is.
ReplyDeleteI too have a weakness for a great novelty print! I've never been able to break myself of the habit of buying/using them. Now I just embrace it. I like a little humor in most everything I make. More interesting, and you can't have too much humor!
Fabulous stars - especially Dr. Who!
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