June and July Quilts

Hi everyone! Mid-July already, must summer pass so quickly? 

Today was an odd day weather wise, 

July has been lovely and cool. The wind howled all day, maybe 30 mph---you try hand sewing tiny TQC pieces as if you're hanging out of a speeding car window. Quite the battle, I am exhausted. Anyway that was followed by dark skies and a looming storm, a fizzle!~ Now we have puffy angel clouds glowing apricot and lavender behind the ugly locust tree.

note the many bungees, for the wind.

The TQC Slow Stitch hand pieced tiny quilt is quite fun. Find it HERE

Enjoyable. The many points and layers of their trademark style were a challenge to piece securely without bulk.

Handpieced blocks, like handquilted quilts are much softer, more stretchy, more organic than  machine pieced quilts. This is the first time I can recall hand sewing blocks, especially such tiny blocks.

One block was Friendship Star which I dislike, so I did the pink and black Birds in Flight, using the pink Gap shirting from friend Penny, celebrating our love of shorebird watching.

I hope the softer stretchy aspect helps everything fit together okay, looks iffy here, even though I constantly carefully measured.

..........My June handsewing/ decktime project: I finished the hand appliqué of the Pineapple/ Gather quilt.

I deliberately sewed the leaves with a pulled running stitch to add texture.

The hearts will be added when the corners are sewed on. As is, they are too big and too traditionally fat.

I like the look of the project, but sadly it is HUGE. Again. No way can it be a door banner, probably not a wall hanging either. The linen looks hard to hand quilt, too.

I am stumped as to where to  go with this. Probably will eliminate the 3 or 4" hsts and borders. I also don't think the words I'd planned will work. To be balanced size wise they will be overwhelming. And you know, ''word art", so twee, so screams of 20-teens, right? [2010-2020]

Gather

WELCOME

 Pineapple may need to hang in the closet for awhile, as blog friend Julie julierose https://julierosequilts.blogspot.com/ says about some of her projects.

..

.......

Speaking of hanging, here is Giraffe's hanger, the inspiration block and various possible backings and borders.

I always keep in-work projects on hangers so they do not go lost or get neglected. 

The redwork block does have a few age splotches. Should I try to pre-clean them? I don't want  "I wish I had..." issues like I have with the bloodstain on Autumn Lightning. [Poor Autumn Lightning! I think I now know why it went unfinished. I posted it on Humble Quilts FB page, and got the usual negativity, "too bright, too garish, etc" reaction. Sad.]

And i still make an hourglass block or two after most sewing sessions. I will need a minimum of 42 HG blocks.

..............

On a positive note, I want to share, with permission, Marian Edwards' Little Flag quilt. She is I think Australian which makes it extra charming that she wanted to be inspired by my little H Sandy quilt. She made it half sized too! Adorable. Pattern info is in a page here, on the header. [or maybe not on the header, so here: https://gone2thebeach.blogspot.com/p/little-flag-quilt-pattern.html H Sandy Tiny Flag]

 

She makes the sweetest  labels.

And unexpected ''happy mail'' from blog friend Bonnie. A great new rotary cutter and fun fabrics for summer projects. I am thinking kids' shorts and sundresses, though that pink is so pretty---quilt back or borders?

..........................................

Mo was expected to have a long weekend away but again got sent home early. He was exhausted. I felt so bad, having pictured him in the carers' lovely yard. They didn't give him his "Composure" calming treats, so I am not surprised he got a smidge frantic. Poor little man.

Hope your rest-of-July is lovely! As I finished this post I put the AC on, only second time so far this summer.

love,

lizzy

gone to the beach...

old pics, beach was flooded: high winds, storm, full moon overwash...