Medallion Challenge and a New Baby Quilt

 

Barb (Fun with Barb) and Randy (Barrister’s Block) and I wanted to do some sort of challenge that was simple with very few rules. We decided on a medallion quilt where each of us would choose a border. Sort of a “Round Robin” where the bird never leaves the roost. We started with a center applique (or in my case this lovely cheater panel!) and then chose the next 3 borders (in any order we pleased) – flying geese, four patch, and half square triangles with stars as an added bonus if we could work them in.

 

I finally finished mine over the weekend. I use my favorite “eccentric” print from Marcus Fabrics and just pulled scraps out of my bins. We had a lot of fun!

 

It is amazing how different the three of them are. Visit Barb’s (here) and Randy’s (here).

 

I also finished a baby quilt top for my niece who is due in November. I made baby quilts for each of my 10 nieces and nephews when they were born and I have made one for each of their children (14 thus far).

 

Diana’s nursery “theme” is based on her love for the artist, Dahlov Ipcar. The giraffe and simple tree shape along with the little flowers in the corner blocks were inspired by Dahlov’s “Calico Jungle” book. I ordered a cute jungle print from Hancock’s but when it arrived, I discovered it was a heavy indoor/outdoor fabric (no attention to detail these days!), so I had to re-group. I looked around “Alewives Fabrics” website and found this adorable print with little girls climbing trees and the color was perfect!

 

Dahlov made only one quilt (for her son) in the 1940’s, but she did make the most elaborate and colorful soft sculptures. I wish I could have shared this quilt with her. She would have loved it. She always told me she had no patience for quilting, but she loved to look at them. She passed away in 2017 just shy of her 100^th birthday.

 

Hope you all get some quilty time this week!

Spread a little kindess

 In Janet’s (Rogue Quilter) post of her monthly mini on Monday she asked us to do something kind for our neighbor. Lori’s (Humble Quilts) post today asked us to start a movement of kindness posting. If we can all post a message of peace and kindness and maybe even a little joy, perhaps we can lift the spirits of someone in need.

 Keeping it quilty, this is a little quilt I made a few years ago for the Quilt Index auction. I called it “Earth on Piece”. 

I am sending all my positive vibes to everyone on this planet. Everyone! Whether I agree with you or not, we all deserve a little human kindness. 

Peace be with you all.

 

Fig Leaf and Flowers

 

 

I purchased another “Collector with a Needle” pattern by Dawn Cook-Ronningen some time ago and I have finally stolen found the time to begin the applique. 

 It took me a while to find the perfect background. I didn’t want to go the conventional route of just plain muslin. I first chose a 3 Sisters print, “Aster Manor” by Moda (the fabric on the top of the photo) but I didn’t have enough so Cyndi (Busy Thimble) came to the rescue with this gorgeous Ro Gregg from Northcott. 

 Dawn and her daughter start with a fabulous and unique antique quilt and then develop a pattern. This is the 4^th I have purchased and I have loved them all. They are very concise with no adjustments necessary. However, I have (as usual) modified the pattern just a tad as a matter of personal preference. I didn’t like the stem sneaking in behind the center wreath, so I simply snipped it off and ended it abruptly at the base of the leaves. 

 Whenever I have a design that is symmetrical or needs attention to placement, I use the backbasting method.

This allows for accurate placement of pieces and since there are 183 petals along this whirling vine, I think it requires proper placement! I am having a ball with this. There are 727 petals in all (if I have counted properly) and I plan to cut each of them from a different fabric.

 You can visit the Facebook page (here) to see all the variations. There are some wonderful color combinations. Enjoy the eye candy and have a great day!

August Mini

This month’s mini is aptly named, “Pea Soup”. August on the coast of Maine is often plagued by dense fog. We’ve had many a boating day where we had to stop and listen for the bell bouy to lead us home. It seemed doubly appropriate for these days when so many of us seem to be living in a "fog". I think we are all looking forward to brighter days ahead. 

The delicious green (pea soup) background fabric is paired with some leftover 4-patches and the final pieces of one of my favorite border prints. This photo is a better representation of that wonderful pea soup green. 

 Do visit my fellow mini makers to see what August has inspired them to make.

 

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter)

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Vicki (From the Button Box)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Shasta (High Road Quilter) 

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Teri and Kara (Telling Stories Through the Needle's Eye)

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)

Supper's Ready!

        May I present, “Community Supper”

       Quarantined quilters taking a bite out of Coronavirus – one block a at a time. 

Back

 

To recap: On May 16, I posted a request for an “orphan” block and label with each person’s sentiment about this pandemic. Ten days later I had over 40 blocks and they kept coming. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision making this quilt with 80 other quilters. The last block came in on July 23^rd, all the way from Japan. I would like to thank everyone who participated. This is your quilt!

The quilt is constructed in the potholder method whereby each block is individually quilted and bound and then stitched together. You can read more about this method of construction in my January 2019 post (here). I used printed patchwork or “cheater” prints on the back of each block and attached the labels, making this a true “two sided” quilt.

 I struggled a bit with the layout of the blocks. They were so diverse, there was no right or wrong way to arrange them. So, I took the easy route and simply laid them out alphabetically. The 64 ten inch blocks are alphabetical (by maker) from left to right and the 16 five inch blocks are alphabetical from top to bottom.

I usually hand stitch my potholder blocks together but, I really wanted to finish this project by the end of summer, so I decided to use the machine. It was easy to keep the individual blocks together as I zig-zagged along, but when it came to assembling the rows… it was a bit like steering a fin keel sailboat through a rough current. It was hard not to over steer to compensate for the drag. I managed to make headway and keep things moving, but my stitching is far from perfect! I suppose this adds even more meaning to this unconventional “story” quilt.

I machine appliqued the header piece along the top and then took a fabric pen and drew images to remind us (as if we would ever forget) of the things that quickly became part of our daily lives. 

 This project has been my salvation during this pandemic. It allowed me to focus on something meaningful while the outside world was spinning wildly out of control.

I have truly enjoyed my connection with all of the 80 quilters from 31 states and 4 countries.

I have stayed away from all social media except for my blog during these past months but I hope to upload this post to the Quilt Index Facebook page, “Come Tell Us: Quilters Share Stories from Covid 19”.

Let’s hope this pandemic will end soon and we will use what we have learned to help heal damaged bodies and broken hearts.

 Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. May all your quilts be happy ones.

 

Medallion Challenge - Round 2

 So on to round two of our little medallion challenge. We are having such a fun time chatting once a week about our progress, our families and life in general. It makes me feel connected in an otherwise disjointed world. 

This week I added the half square triangles. I will be adding another plain (coping strip actually, so I don’t have to do any math!) border before moving on to the next round of 4-patches.  

 Weather is something I do not often complain about since it is going to happen whether I like it or not. But… the heat and humidity this summer has really knocked me out. It was the hottest and driest July on record in Maine and August is following along in its footsteps. There were days when it was hotter here than where my son lives in Florida – seriously?? So, I am dreaming of cooler days and nights and hoping all of you enjoy some comfortable temps in your “happy place”.

 

Cassandra Circle #7

 

Here is block #7 in Barbara Brackman’s Cassandra’s Circle sew-a-long. Maggie Howell’s Wild Rose. 

 I hope you have all enjoyed the stories behind each of these blocks as much as I have. I love to do applique sew-a-longs and Barbara makes this one even more fun with interesting tidbits of history. Do take a moment and read about this one (here). You will also enjoy seeing what others have done with this month’s bock on the Facebook page (here).

 This is my favorite shade of blue. Bright, but soft. And, of course I like it even more when I can add a bit of yellow.

 Thanks Barbara for another great block.