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







Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Fabric Arrives and a Finish



Hi everyone! All red flags on the beach this week---suddenly we have sharks here. OMG! Big hungry bull sharks, watch your toes.



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In the past week, a few of my fabric orders have finally arrived.



I was waiting with excited anticipation but also rather dreading the contents, because everything took so long I forgot what I ordered.


My mainstay Fat Quarter Shop, despite being in virus hot spot Texas, I think, is shipping more promptly finally.


I ordered more of the adorable newspaper Boaties, and in another color way.



 The Honey Bears.


Binding for the vintage Christmas top I got on Marketplace last winter. Bias look on straight grain for pretty binding results.


More yardage of TQC Browns, which includes some ashy greys, ivory, and a wide choice of brown shades. As friend Julierose said, ''this year it seems Brown is the new black."


On blog friend Nancy's recommendation I ordered try out cuts of Riley Blake solid cotton. Oh my just gorgeous, like silk. And brilliant cobalt Grunge Dots [fall throw pillows]--in person the dots don't show and , seems to be a theme this summer, arrived all wadded up.



French General, too, this perfect fine and silky blue cotton plaid and a maybe rough lineen for etsy hearts. Ordered despite my displeasure with Blue Baskets collage kit.


We've mentioned how hard colors are to match when ordering online, but scale is a problem too.

I love the larger brown print from last year and was excited to see it reprinted. But no, this year's version is denser and the fruits are tiny.


And then there is this light cheddar print. I'm always looking for cheddar fabric with colored sprigs.


Here is a few years ago---the print is huge scale, not a tiny calico. Just like the newest arrival. The flowers on both prints are about the size of quarters! Oh okay, nickels. But BIG.


Though the newest scale mistake [how can we tell, the online photo has is just a square scan, no reference items, like my glasses would be, above.] inclusion must have been meant to be, because it became the final frame border for my completed Day in the Country quilt top.



NEVER have I dithered so about how to finish this project. Begun January 2019, the blocks were completed early this summer.


I planned an additional applique border---I so dislike long rectangular quilts. My sewing desk is littered with sketches and other peoples' patterns. Then I decided not.


I tried red plaid.



Cocoa with pink polka dots...




And many more options. Every night I'd make a final choice then in the morning I'd decide it was a big fat No.

I tried the applique border again: Sunflowers, coneflowers, garden angels. Different sayings....




But in the end I went with the overscaled ''mistake'' cheddar'' print that serendipitously had showed up in FQS's most recent delivery.






So here is this fun primitive project, all ready to go to the quilter, as soon as I remove the embellishments I went ahead and added as I sewed. I can't abide birds with no eyes.




This is the backing.


It's a small wall quilt about 40" x 50". [I reduced the patterns 75% .] I had hoped to hang it in the late fall or early winter over the pine bride's bench, but that wall is only 36" wide. I guess when it's all done, it's true place in life will show itself to me? I don't hang quilts on walls anyway.



Thanks to blog friend Penny for the gift of her pattern, by Sarah Sporrer, c.1997-ish.

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Not to bore you all to tears but Blogger's latest Fail is to allow massive amounts of horrible spam, some abusive, some pornographic. Dozens of this garbage greets me each morning when I check in, ugh, ick!
I have blocked many ways to comment, to try to be sure you guys do not have to see it. Possibly you will not be able to comment for a while, pls forgive me ,and consider emailing me instead. Mel and Kel, you both may be blocked as being anonymous and/ or no-reply-ers.


As my mom liked to say, "this too shall pass!". Again, email me!




love

lizzy

gone to the beach.......