Scrap Happy in May

I don't have much to show this time around. This is probably the sum total of my scrap blocks to add to the Parts Department:

A 6" (f.) Hole in the Barn Door block and some stray flying geese. I did manage to piece a back for the latest Parts Department Quilt though. Recently I have been buying yardage for quilt backs as I really struggle to piece a back for some reason. The larger dimensions required throw me for a loop I guess.

The fabrics used have been in my stash for over 10 years, maybe as much as 25 for the central portion. Not scraps in the general sense of the word but they obviously weren't going to be put to use any other way.

James did an open meander to compensate for all the activity on the front of the quilt.

Actually, that red stripe might not be all that old...

The quilt top definitely qualifies for Scrap Happy Day. It all came out of the Parts Dept., which is made up almost entirely of blocks made from scraps. 😁

The next step is to trim off the excess batting and backing and find something to use for binding. Who knows, that could end up being a scrappy binding! 

Scrap Happy Day is open for anyone utilizing their scrap materials to make something new and useful or beautiful. It originates with Kate and her friend Gun in Australia and Sweden respectively. Participants share their scrappy adventures on the 15th of each month (in their own time zone). It's an inspiring trip around the world to visit every blog!

Kate, Gun, Eva, Lynda, Susan
Birthe, Turid, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill,
Claire, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Bekki, Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Bear, Viv,
Preeti, Edith, Debbierose, Carol

What Happened to the End of April?!

It's true: time flies whether you're having fun or not. I have been busy with happy things but the last couple of days have been a challenge. I may have mentioned that Luna has begun having seizures this year. (Or was it the tail end of last year?)

 

The vet put her on phenobarbital in an effort to keep them under control. It seemed to be working, up to a point. Then suddenly she had five seizures over the last 24 hours and three in the 12 hours prior to that. They are very stressful to witness, to say nothing of the lack of sleep involved and cleaning up afterward. You must know they don't occur during the hours I'm awake and alert. We have increased the dosage and so far have been without another event for over 12 hours. The poor dog is now blind and practically deaf. We have no idea how old she may be because she was a rescue. Fingers crossed we still have a few good years with  her. I won't be getting another pet. I'm just not able to be the responsible pet owner I want to be anymore. 

On a happier note, I have begun a new quilt project. The youngest of my nephews is finally getting married. They won't be getting a bed size quilt, nor will it be ready before the wedding takes place. Nevertheless it sounds like they will be pleased to have a couch quilt in colors the bride suggested. Or as close as I can get given differences in perception. 😉

She originally sent me a picture of a low volume quilt. The next photo she sent featured colors very similar to the starry quilt I just made.

Which apparently I need to get a picture of in its' finished state! Instead of more stars I have decided to do another version of Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips quilt. It's a process I'm comfortable with and can be worked up fairly quickly. I have also decided to have a go at a more low volume palette.

The original palette suggestion was ivory, tans, and sage green. The second photo was more teal and ivory and included shades of cinnamon. The teals in my stash were too bright so I've chosen to tone down the green overall and focus on the cinnamon instead. 

There has been some hand stitching since my last post, and the completion of the secret project (except for binding). In addition, James had the opportunity to do some quilting for a friend of one of my SIL's. 

This liberated log cabin was hand pieced long before liberated patchwork became a trend. Strips were pieced together to get the desired length, bits were added to corners to make it fit to the next block, and blocks were chopped in half. The outer border was sewn on with apparent disregard for any kind of consistent seam allowance. James used a handmade template to help create the fan quilting - all of his quilting is hand guided, not panto or computer generated stitches.

I don't know who made the embroidered label on the lower front corner.

 It will never be a square quilt but I trust it will be cherished for the family history built into it. It's pretty obvious that the fabrics came from a variety of sources. We've identified everything from pajamas to curtains and tablecloths. It's a true time capsule!

 

Eleven Days Later

That was an unexpected, unplanned break from blogging I just had. I'm happy to report that I've been busy while I've been silent though, not merely ill. There were bad days to be sure, but the past several days have been very productive. 😁 Just yesterday I finished up the binding on this baby quilt:

 

Everything in the body of the quilt was from my stash, some of it old enough to be considered vintage. But the border and binding print is brand spanking new. It's from the current Anne of Green Gables line. Of all the prints in that line this particular floral is my absolute favorite. I couldn't say just why, although that lovely deep eggplant color is one reason. This quilt is about 50" x 60."

The blocks are quilted in large swirls, with the half feather in the borders.

I've also completed the binding on this baby quilt that I think you may have seen as a flimsy recently.

It's about 48" x 56." James did some custom quilting on this one.

The star blocks have a large, simple swirl through them.

The scrappy Hole in the Barn Doors quilt has also been quilted and bound.

I wasn't thrilled with the paisley print that I used for the sashing, borders, and binding but I really love the way the quilt turned out overall. I'm going to be sad to part with this one! 

James created a stencil so he could quilt this in a Baptist fan type pattern. It shows up best on the back.

There are some fun novelty prints in this quilt.

It's about 62" x 84" so it will work on a bed for a teen or young adult.

 And now, inspired by how much I like those Barn Door blocks (really, can't we just call them Window blocks in this century? One of my favorite things to do is to put a fussy cut patch in the middle of those blocks, as if you're looking out of or into a window!) I have pulled out my friendship quilt columns from 2017 to see if I can finally turn them into a quilt. Here's the only picture I can find of what I'd done with those blocks at that point:

I remember that at the time I was aiming for a vertical format strip quilt, alternating columns of the friendship blocks and these batiks:

The problem is that my notes are not clear, much less specific, about what I had planned for those alternate columns. So I have gone into the Parts Dept. to see what I might have that I could use. There are batik Window blocks (as well as others), some of which used the same fabrics that are in the friendship blocks. The first columns will finish at 6" wide. If I make four more columns also 6" wide I will have 54" altogether. A simple three inch border all the way around will give me the 60 x 80" dimensions I find so useful.

I do remember working to arrange the lighter/brighter blocks toward the center of the columns and the darker ones to the perimeters so I will probably carry on with that plan as I fill in with the scrappy Window blocks. I may or may not stagger the placement of the Window blocks relative to the friendship blocks but that's where I'm starting. All I need now is to sustain my energy and well being so I can carry on! 

 

Slowly

Remember that neutral print scroll I showed you recently?

I sort of got stuck after a while, as you do, and started another scroll. That one is nearly complete - but I'm not going to show it to you yet. One thing at a time! The happy news is that I've picked this one up and started working on it again.

First, I used the technique I just learned for making hexagons out of folded circles to make a few hexies that may or may not go on this scroll. I've done some additional stitching too, only some of which is very visible.

Those triangles are part of the selvedge edge of what may be the last section of this scroll. It hasn't been stitched down yet. That will either be the last piece of this scroll or I will have to add to the batting strip I'm using as a foundation for my stitching. 

On another front, with the return of some sunshine to our part of the world I'm finding myself thinking about making quilts again. I haven't done anything more than just think about it yet but it's a step in the right direction which makes me feel better overall. James has made a quilt though. 😁

He'd come across a couple of map prints he really liked last year but couldn't figure out what to do with them until he decided he needed a new quilt for his bed. Then he looked for a block/quilt pattern he liked and settled on this Storm at Sea design. It's only the second quilt he's made that was primarily pieced. Of course he did his own quilting (which doesn't show up unfortunately but is pretty basic). He used a cotton sheet for the back. The binding was machine applied but sewn down by hand, by him. This came together over the space of about a week once he'd decided what he was going to do. There were some mis-cuts along the way but it sounds like the process went as smoothly as one could expect. You would be right in assuming I'm one proud mama. 😊

First Gifts of Chirstmas

Still fairly quiet around here, sewing down bindings and doing some embroidery. I've completed the little book of shapes I've been stitching for our new granddaughter. I figure I can share it here since she's not likely to see it before Christmas morning. 😁

The three basic shapes are appliquéd to the cover with blanket stitching. The cover ended up a bit short of the pages in spite of what I thought were careful measurements. 

The cover isn't stitched any further, just more blanket stitching to secure it to the first and last pages. Well, and a little bit of backstitching on the back cover. I don't know whether you can see it or not.

I just repeated the shapes from the front cover, although not in the same positions! The cover panel and the pages are all backed with a layer of cotton batting so the whole book is soft and squishy. Also washable. 😉

The first and second pages:

The circle is chain stitches and blanket stitches surrounded by Colonial knots. The large triangles are done in stem stitch and the little ones in the background were made with fly stitches and a single straight stitch.

The third and fourth pages:

The squares are more stem stitch with seed stitching in the background. The octagon was also stem stitched, then fill in with straight stitches. I used 8 pointed star stitches for the background. 

And the last two pages:

I believe the heart shape was back stitched, then decorated with fly stitches and more back stitching. I filled the background with cross stitches to represent all the kisses I would give the baby if it were possible for me to be with her. The last page has French knots scattered around the inscription. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. 😊

The quilt I built during advent last year has been finished, laundered, and gifted to our son and daughter-in-law so they can use it during advent this year. 

Here's a close-up of the quilting:

And finally, we just gave this quilt to our daughter and her family for the Christmas season:

I believe the center panel is a Susan Winget design. It was a freebie, partly because of the color shift across the panel. Here are a couple of detail shots:

James did custom quilting in the panel and then stippled around the blocks. It's a very cheerful quilt if I do say so myself. And I do enjoy fussy cutting imagery to be featured in the star blocks!  

The next big job is to get the house decorated for the season. We never really go over the top like some folks. I hardly decorated for Halloween this year so I would like to do better for this final holiday season in hopes of a much better 2021. 

Welcome Blanket Project Part Two

This is one of those projects that's just about making itself! When last you saw it (a week ago!) I was auditioning 4" hourglass blocks for a border.

I debated about making some kind of cornerstone blocks but ended up sewing the hourglasses together and then adding a one inch strip (finished) to either side. That made that border 6" wide, an easier size for me to work with in terms of cornerstones. In fact, I found three blocks in my Parts Dept. that fit the theme and color scheme so I only had to make one additional Shoo-fly!

At that stage the quilt would have finished 40" square. I was determined to make a 60 x 60" quilt though, so even an adult would find it useful. Given the rather short deadline for this project (and my basic impatience) I was reluctant to make a (relative) ton of new blocks to build the next border. I was delighted to find a stripe print in my stash of older fabric that would give me 5.5" x 24" four times with very little effort. I made some little freestyle log cabins and filled in the gaps with compensating strips.

Once those bits were assembled I needed 7.5" cornerstone blocks to complete the round. Friendship stars seemed like the perfect choice. Then I went around the whole thing with a band of the navy blue and gold print. Ta daa, 60" square!

There was another piece of yardage from back in the day I'd never been able to put to good use. It made a great start for the back of this quilt. :- )

James got it quilted up for me in just a couple of hours. He created a meander with the occasional star thrown in for interest.

Now I'm going to bind it with what's left of the navy blue and gold print and maybe have it ready to ship by the Fourth of July! It won't go out on that day of course, but it will be fun to have it done by then. Woohoo!

The Welcome Blanket Project was initiated by folks who play with yarn and sticks but quilters are welcome to participate. They're only asking for 40" square blankets and there's still time to make a contribution if you're so inclined. :- )

His First Quilt

First of all, let me beg your pardon for gloating over my youngest son's recent accomplishment. James has been long arm quilting other people's quilts for over three years now. He just put the finishing touches on the first quilt he made from start to finish. He designed it, pieced it, appliqued parts of it, did the quilting, and put on the binding with a flat piping to add interest. I give you his interpretation of Majora's Mask from the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda, Majora's Mask:

Naturally the colors don't read true to life in the photograph. The head is more purple in person. It's actually a blue and pinky-purple batik. The eyeballs were fussy cut and appliqued onto the black background. The horns are appliqued as well. Everything else is pieced.

The quilting disappears on most of the front but really stands out on the back:

Looks a little scary in fact!

The most noticeable quilting on the front are details or outlines. When you look closely though, the border treatment is impressive.

And is easier to see on the back:

I've added a link to his business page on Facebook in my sidebar. Just look for the hearts he quilted on my yellow block from Grandma's Box of Crayons. I'd be happy to put you in touch with him via email if you're not on Facebook. :- )