I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Welcome Spring




Hi everyone! The other night I went out with friends for a Celebrate Spring dinner. As the long harsh winter drags on, well, any excuse for a celebration!


We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Best peach margaritas!


And delicious fajitas and steak tacos.





Good ideas for the coming summer, things to make on the grill. Note to self, look for fajita marinade recipes. And remember all the ''fixin's".



And look at the amazing sky we saw as we headed home. Sunset now is at 8 PM. Crescent moon and HUGE planet, I'm told it is Venus [I thought Jupiter, but no].



I think you can still see the planets at sunset, go out and look? [the pinker spots are planes landing at JFK].



I've had this quilt top out in my bedroom all winter, folded by my desk while I contemplated what to do with it and how to finish it. It's a perfect spring project, with its sweet pink sashing.


It was quite soiled so I rinsed it gently with Orvus soap and Retayne, by hand. Rolled it in many towels to remove the heavy water, then hung it to dry. It was too dirty to handle otherwise. I did not try to do a deep clean or soak and some age stains remain; I will attend to them after it is quilted.


The top was very long and narrow, so I have removed two sections of the blocks [Chimney Sweep] and tiny pink polka dot sashing. I will add this to the side to make a more ''normally'' shaped textile. The 1 1/2" blocks are hand pieced with the most perfectly even tiny stitches. The sashing is machine sewed, very firmly. It took me almost two hours to remove just the one seam! The sashing is actually not a polka dot but is instead four tiny pink diamonds set in a square, each just a pinprick in size.


I want to finish this top because the fabrics are so interesting and adorable. I always think a top like this would be wonderful inspiration for a designer of quilting fabric. I love studying the patterns and designs. Despite its scrappy style, the palette is well thought out and carefully limited to pink/ reds and black/ gray/ indigo, with a few pastels. No yellow or bright green or purples have snuck in.
Here are some of the blocks up close:

















Is this a Prussian Blue and Madder red? Or just tacky late 1800s scrap bag bits?


This is my favorite block. You have to look close!



I was so surprised  and thrilled to see this tiny face peeping out from the corner!


Another lucky horseshoe corner,


and fussy cut bluebells or fuchsias in the other corners.


The maker used every tiny special piece she had. The corner triangles are about 5/8" finished.

The bad news is that, upon close investigation, I can see why the top was not finished, perhaps.


This sudden jog in the side seam is a challenge. Do I try to undo it and make it all fit or should I just piece in a section of an antique shirting ,like a shim in a wooden wall?


The sun is shining today, so I'm off to the beach with Mo! Gotta walk of that margarita! And Mo's birthday cooky, a gift from his crush Molly the Maltipoo.



love

lizzy 

gone to the beach








8 comments:

  1. Great fabrics in your quilt. I'd take apart and remake the wonky block.

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    Replies
    1. Yes I think you re right. Best to do it correctly instead of shoddily that I regret.

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  2. I had to go look up pics of Maltipoos. Oh, my goodness. They look like little stuffed toys. I really like the ones who favor the multi side of their poos. LOL.

    The quilt is so special. Can you imagine how excited the stitcher would be to know that someone appreciated all of his or her work?

    Mexican food is my absolute favorite. Now I want a chili relleno. Last time I made them I cheated and peeled the peppers like apples before I roasted them. Not quite the same flavor, but so much easier that I'll fix them that way again.

    Take care and thank you for my chili relleno and strawberry margarita craving. ;-)

    Hunter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And Mo's little heartthrob is even cuter than the pix on Google. I have to ask if I can take her picture. She is like a little doll. She and Mo have the same birthday. And when he sees her, cartoon hearts fill the air.
      Whoa...now I am jonesing for chili rellenos and a strawberry marg. Yum! Too bad we can t hang out together. Mexican food is my favorite too, tho I also love Thai and Japanese.

      Delete
  3. I love that quilt! I think it could be an easy fix before layering and quilting.
    I fix fajitas quite frequently! Yours looks delish!!

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  4. Your picture of the moon & 'star' came out pretty good - my camera just won't get it. Darn. Sometimes I miss my old SLR.

    The old quilt top is more like something my mom used to make, using up those bits and pieces from other sewing (she made most of our clothes). Whoever made it would be so happy to know someone like you saw it's worth and was taking the time to finish it!

    I love Mexican food, too, and love fajitas! I know McCormick makes a fajita seasoning mix, we used it several times. Now we just to the restaurant in town!

    I hope to see a picture of Mo and his 'crush' soon! Ah, puppy love! (you knew I was going to say that, didn't you!?!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! LOL "puppy love'' never occurred to me! So funny. We just saw Molly, her in her little pink raincoat, Mo in blue! Hearts symbolically flew in the air, but it was raining too hard for a picture,

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  5. LOL, I recognized the drink as a peach margarita even before you told us! Mmmm.

    The sky looked stunning, the pics came out pretty good. Sounds like a wonderful evening.

    The quilt is so sweet, it's going to be wonderful when you're done with it.

    Kel

    ReplyDelete

Hi! I'm allowing comments from everyone, even anonymous for awhile, to see what happens. With comments moderation. Hopefully the awful porn spammer has gone elsewhere. Or you can always email me! I love to hear from everyone.