Hi everyone! Welcome August! High summer....
The angle of the sun has changed, did you notice that? The light is more golden. Days are now uniformly hot, blue, and breezy. Sunset comes a little sooner each day. I have graduated to floating in the pool with a Styrofoam ''noodle'' each afternoon. NO swimming, but just to float and relax is a joy.
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I was surprised when I gathered the pix for this post, I did more than I realized! But doesn't Fourth of July seem like it was just eons ago? A long but short/ fast July~
Here is what Mo and I worked on during July.
The ever present Summertime, only six more rosettes to go. OMG, the hours spent on this project, yeesh. I will be thrilled when this is done and folded away in the closet, yay!
In my bin of blue fabrics I found a perfect backing for Sand Pails and Starfish.
I was going for use a Beacon [looks like a lighthouse] feedsack but decided this is too perfect to pass up. It will get miniature Baptist Fan quilting.
I finished the last of Fall Festival's applique blocks. This is the banner that goes across the top of the quilt.
I have to make 40-50 Flying Geese and set them into the sashing, sew the whole thing together, add borders---maybe in January unless we get a rainy Fall.
I made some changes as always. A white crow. Oak leaves.
I wish my Jack o'Lantern was smiling, have to figure out what's wrong with his smile!He looks appalled.
Beginning Bitty. [Bitty's Quilt, from Minick and Simpson]. My friend Sue is making Bitty also.. Here is her background, very pretty
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And mine, rumpled as always.
This is the big blown up full size pattern.
I don't have a light box so I had to use my window. It wasn't easy to do, standing there trying to trace and mark the designs. But something to experiment with.
This very simple design has a lot of things ''tucked under'' or layered. My hope was that tracing the design would make that work easier/ better. We shall see.
For the beach, I prepped the applique squares of Jan Patek's Midnight Clear.
I'll need a day to sew some of the white star blocks so that I can work out how to put only the bottom fifth of the quilt together, borders and all!, so I can continue the applique.
And my other Patek quilt, Pumpkins and Pinwheels.
I'm not happy with this at all. I think the big issue is that the entire project is very mingy and small? Looks like a full sized quilt in its photo but is only 49" square. I almost feel like Patek's original was bigger and the directions are for a reduced wall hanging version or throw.
Here are the little Pumpkin blocks also sewed at the beach, fine. BUT the pinwheel blocks come out bigger than the little pumpkin blocks, which I stupidly cut to exact size. The little pumpkins are very wishy-washy small ovals, no bigger than my Dotty circles. And the stems should be green.
Look at the awful left side of this poor Pumpkin! The wind was howling. I picked out the stitches when I saw what I had done,lol.
I hate to just discard this project. I love the white pumpkins; I love the fabrics I have gathered for the quilt [yes, same palette as Fall Festival, but different fabrics], and Pinwheels is one of my very fave traditional blocks. Quandary. My feeling is to enlarge the design, to 150%, that would make it a 75" square quilt. 7.5 or 8" blocks instead of 5" blocks? Even 6" blocks would be an improvement, I think.
I'll work on Bitty for awhile and think about that. What do you guys think?
Mo says Hi!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
PS oooh, I forgot to say I knitted half a mitten too! Mo lets me knit now, he only ''ate'' one ball of yarn.
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I just love that jack-o-lantern face, appalled maybe to have oak leaves/vines growing out of his top - maybe?! I think you're right on about that pattern, a larger size might just be more pleasing. So, if we were to cut two squares on the diagonal and sew around the edges and then cut them diagonally, we'd end up with 4 HST's on grain, if I'm reading that right. Sounds like an interesting concept anyway, I might just try it when I have nothing else simmering, lol!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, the 4th does seem like it was along time ago. Time flies! And you have done a LOT this month!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing Summertime finished, although I can understand you wanting to be done with it! Too much hand sewing to finish!
Are you going to quilt Sand Pails, or send it to your quilter? I love that backing, perfect!
I think the Jack on Fall Festival is appropriately scary-looking, lol.
I'm not a big fan of Bitty, but I hope it goes well for you. And it's always fun to see what two different quilters make of the same pattern, so it'll be fun for you and your friend!
Do you realize you're going to be working on THREE dark quilts with similar colors all at the same time? Make sure you have good lighting to work on them, LOL! I didn't realize Pinwheels and Pumpkins was so small - but maybe it'll be nice to have in the fall when the evenings get cool, to pull over your legs?
It's always fun to see everything you've been up to, and see Mo. The picture of him sleeping on his face made me laugh, and him with his chew stick - looks like his cigar! Mo is so funny, I'm glad you've had him to keep you company.
Thanks for sharing!
Just put a 1 1/2"border around all the pinwheels. Save what you have and all the lovely fabrics. You have had a busy year of sewing, well done. I'm working on my Sue Spargo 2017 BOM and don't seem to have time for anything else, and I can't show any of it so no photos. I don't think I'll do another one, so much work each month.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, that is a whole lot of work. All that quilt talk is gibberish to me. I am not one who sews and do not have patience or precision. :) Happy August! Kisses for Mo.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! Make the pumpkin quilt larger and maybe make a runner or pillow with what's started. I've never regretted upsizing if it bugs me like you say! I'm anxious to see Bitty come together!😊
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouraging words! I think my next step will be to make larger pinwheels toget a feel for the right scale. But it's going to the back of the to do line now, I don't machine sew in the summer or fall much unless we get an unusual amount of rain. [unlikely].
DeleteThanks for visiting!
Great month of loveliness! Bummer about the Patek quilt pattern! Aargh! Not surprising though.
ReplyDeleteLove your pumpkin!!
I like your pumpkin face! Very Halloweeny. Looks like you are very busy. Kudos to you. I am a bit lazy lately. It's all I can do to keep my place watered. Enjoy your August! :) Kit
ReplyDeleteLazy is good! Enjoy your summer and your garden!
DeleteThat backing fabric is awesome--so perfect for the sand pails quilt! I agree with others--salvage your blocks for a runner and do the quilt the size you want. I learned to hard way to read through a JP pattern several times and never cut anything the size it says in the pattern--lol!
ReplyDeleteBackground fabric for sand pails is so pretty! Thanks for displaying my background version of Bitty. All your Autumn projects are so sweet! My favorite time of year and pumpkins - love em. Your applique workmanship is inspiring. Many stories and stitches in each of your creations. Mo is a riot! Those expressions - priceless as he is.
ReplyDeletePostuing for Kelley, who couldn't get her comment to post. Anyone else w/ issues?
ReplyDeletefrom Kel:
Love your umbrella. The days becoming shorter, though making for beautiful sunsets out here, always makes me a bit melancholy. Life marches on, doesn't it. Mo is so cute sleeping on his back!
He's a pip :)