New Beginnings

Is that redundant? Let's say: planning summer projects?

Hi everyone, hope your weekend has been good! It is still chilly here and the few trees we have are just beginning to show leaf buds. But summer will be here soon and I am looking forward to deck time and beach time.

I enjoyed the Porch quilt so much, loved having the handwork to keep my hands busy while enjoying the summer days.

So...a new applique project!   From Glorious Color I try to call it the Dream quilt but usually I say "Mr Sunshine" quilt.

"Celestial Dream"
by Susan Powell

I hope it isn't too ambitious for my skill level and attention span.

This pattern is the real deal ! Not a book but huge tissue paper patterns.

They're harder to work with, as I usually just run applique designs through my printer onto freezer paper cut to size. Maybe I can find a copy place that makes large scale copies...

And of course first thing I had to do was change it! That whale looks like no whale I've ever seen! And it is red? I will change it to a humpbacked Nantucket style whale,lol...maybe, um, grey? Lavender?

Here's all the bright blue plaids I collected for the Porch quilt back then did not use.

[still waiting for the purple, sigh.] They will make beautiful backgrounds for this new quilt.

Then I have a couple of machine sewing projects for late spring. Because I am getting a new sewing machine! Yay! A gift from my family, have not chosen it yet....[all I ask is fast sewing and needle-down ending! Can't spend a fortune...any suggestions?]

These embroidered blocks were gifted to me by my friend LDF. I've had them for awhile and keep changing my mind about how they should be used.

This is the current inspiration antique quilt.

I want to do more with these classic blocks than just a sewed together plain top.

Then a small quilt.

These are pre-Civil War era [1840?] star blocks I bought for the America Hurrah quilt.

I decided they were much too special and should have their own showcase. The old fabrics are fantastic.

I made a mistake though...I wanted to make a strippy quilt [setting is vertical rows or bands, for you non-quilters] and strip quilts often used large prints in the wide spacer bands. But I hate how this looks and laboriously removed this fabric. I'll go back to the brown pansies/ rosebuds I originally planned to use, above.

And here...far far in the future: Lori of Humble Quilts shared this antique quilt and her pattern so I can make a Big Top [Circus Stripe] quilt too. Her post is here
Thank you , Lori!

And from Collector with a Needle blog ,  this Pennsylvania Dutch applique  quilt.

If, like me, you love folk art and prims, you'll love it---Gaudy Dutch colors and all.

It is rather colorfully wild---so much energy and joy. Cool new techniques, like the Hawaiian-ish scherenschnitte [papercutting] center motif. I have many of the antique fabrics---and/ or vintage repros of them, in my stash. How could I resist!?

Click to enlarge plus onderful close-ups on their esty site: here

On the home front, the spring cleaning is moving slow...the wind kicks ups so much dust! I am wiping everything down daily, so tedious. But my deck is all cleaned, and the grill is ready for burgers. Optimism! Summer will be here soon?

love

     lizzy

gone to the beach....

all pattern photos reproduced with permission. Lori's Big Top quilt pix reproduced with permission. all links added with persion.
Thank you all!