Quilting Round Up ~ mid-May to mid-June

Hello! Mo and I just got home from a long sunset walk, celebrating the Solstice and a glorious sunset on this first day of summer. As I move my sewing work from machine sewing to hand work only on the deck and beach, I am looking at what I have going and I'm feeling a smidge overwhelmed. First up, Temecula Quilt Company's 1880 Sampler. 4 [4 1/2"]" blocks. Here are the most recent.

Isn't my chicken wire window prop cute!

But this past week we were taxed with the assignment of making FIVE crazy blocks, each incorporating an adorable but perhaps intimidating 2" block in each. My mind skidded to a horrified halt.I really enjoy this project. I can usually get one a week done, or four or five at a time. Nine or ten? I'm not so sure and who knows what this week will bring.

These blocks were all fun to make though, so I'll dither along as best I can.
Here they are with their worksheets. I don't follow the instructions though so I only print the barest dimensions.

If we go back and look at the inspiration quilt, there is little or no blue in it, so I am moving to a Hideous [Jamestown by Nancy Gere]  palette of poison greens, yellows, reds, double pinks, instead.

I did do one blue star, because I wanted to look through my Turkey red fabrics and fell in love with the center piece here.

Here are all the blocks so far. 19. I'm not sure how many we are going to make, 52 +? or what, so this is drop in the bucket time, also discouraging in a way. I hate falling behind.

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Pattern photo, NOT my work

Here is another project that I am working on in a lackadaisical way. It's called Feathered Star and is by Jan Patek, a very old pattern that has been resurrected for a FB sewalong. I think the quilt is beautiful. But the directions and patterns are hopelessly awful. Plan  is to do only the applique bits this summer, then set it aside. Or I may just drop the project entirely. Unusual for me but I am unhappy with it.
I subbed pineapples for the clunky Tulips. The pineapples could have more color and contrast but I am trying to stay within the parameters of the black and cream original [even though it really was red/ white/ and blue, it seems, on close inspection of the marginally useful photo]. But see how the original Tulips form almost abstract tassels from the shield of the Star center. The fabrics for the PAs and my changes have negated that. Not good.

Now I am doing the Birds in Baskets blocks.

Pattern photo, not my work, below. Fabrics provided in the sewalong are beautiful but  dark and  dull, above.

pattern photo, not my work

Then there is the handles problem.

You can see that  my finished piece exactly matches the pattern, on the  original printout, right? Look at the handles. BUT pattern photo shows the handles somewhat set in, with little ears. And truly the handle should be even more. And then the side spacers are set oddly with a short seam and a cutaway. Why? I am annoyed with myself because I knew the handles looked bad and that seam looked awkward but I was following a not at all clear pattern.

pattern

It is crucial in a design like this that each block finishes exactly as intended or the whole thing won't go together. So I didn't fix the handle and with 3 1/2 birds done [think tiny, finicky], I can't see redoing it. It is the exact size, as I perceive what the exact size ought to be...but who knows, it's a Jan Patek pattern.

I always say I never have unfinished projects but this one may be UFO number one, sadly. I'm pretty upset right now. Cute though. And no saltbox house with dog, since it's early.

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Last on the sewing list is my SG Album project with Barbara Brackman. I have a few weeks before I'm behind with that one.  No pics. I guess that's on deck for the next rainy day. [October?]. I don't mind getting behind on BB projects, there's no show and tell or competitiveness in her projects.

For some reason I am struggling with my beach sewing, mostly due to the high winds. Tomorrow I plan to prep Bitty for hand quilting, leaving tiny appliques for deck  time. And I might...just might!...soon start my all applique Christmas quilt.

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Happy Solstice, Welcome summer.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

What's Happening in the Little Quilt Room?

 Hi! What's Happening in the Little Quilt Room? Or...More importantly what is going on with Blogger? Comments here are no longer being forwarded to my email account. Now and then one appears on my phone, but not online. Some regular emails seem to be disappearing too, so maybe it is not Blogger's fault. Please forgive me if I do not reply, our conversations are very important to me. For now I am going to try to reply here on the blog and see if those go on to my email, from whence I can send them on to you. But for a few days, we may be stuck here in Blogger Land, so please check back.
Another personal note: Hunter, we your friends are worried about you! If you read this please let us know how you are! I realise the volcano is far from you in Maui, but still...we worry, we miss you, we care about you. Hugs and love, and hopefully blue skies of Maui magic.

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This weekend was odd. Friday and Saturday were gloriously sunny and though not hot, at least warm. Saturday was a perfect [if very windy] beach day with the Navy's Blue Angels soaring right over our heads. Boy, are they loud. And so exciting.

local news feed pic

But Sunday and Monday/ Memorial Day were a bust. The airshow's second day was actually cancelled, due to flash flood warnings on the beach where most spectators gather. Plus it was just dismal, back to default---cold, dark, and rainy. I worked on the May blocks for the Schoolgirl Album quilt instead of going out.

This block is called Album block, or Chimney Sweep. It's a very common pattern, I have at least three or four antiques in this design, bought more for the color than the design.

I make the block differently from many directions. I do a simple 9-Patch then add the ''wings" , easy-peasy.

Here is the blue version, 12" ;

and notes to redraw the pattern for scissors cutting.

I was quite disappointed in the result, though. The duck egg blue is so dull here; the mixed indigos, a gift from a friend and much treasured by me, also look uninteresting. Monochromatic is not so easy.

On the other hand we also have Hideous to enjoy.

At first I was boggled by how to draft the smaller block, but the diagonals derive easily from points at 1.5". 3", 3", 1.5" = 9". Thank goodness I didn't have to do the a squared + b squared = c squared,blah blah blah. And lo and behold, the squares were exactly 2", again easy.

This version is always fun. The fabrics are so gaudy and ghastly and indeed they POP. 

Off topic, on one of my quilting groups we were asked what we enjoyed LEAST about making a quilt. Mine was removing all the threads on the back.  I only trim them immaculately if someone else will be quilting, otherwise, oh what the heck. Shoddy, I know.

I know I laughingly call this fabric group, Jamestown, ''hideous'' but I kind of love it. I am planning now to skew my TQC 1880 Sampler's colors more towards this grouping too, to keep it closer to the original. Yes--hideous, but authentic.

The toile center is the crack pipe Boy.

Probably he is smoking one of those long white Dutch clay pipes that always turn up in Manhattan excavations.  Mel and I discussed him--could it be a whistle? [no]; could it be a bubble pipe? [ no! yeesh. That's what I thought about a redwork version]. We know he is a young man because he has no beard...so it must have been okay back in the days of make-believe rural life for young teens to smoke pipes. This type of toile, often featuring lascivious peasants,  is usually called Country Life, by the way.

colonial era pipes. Google image

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Meanwhile, Saturday at the beach: it was nice but extremely windy. I'm out of practice in high wind applique and only did one pineapple body. But it was enjoyable. I love making the tiny stitches in the bright sun, so easy to see well and do it all nicely.

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Mo had the zoomies just now, pant-pant-pant.

Have a good week!

love,

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Dutch "Old Master" paintings, 1600s thru 1700s, many of woman! are quite interesting.  Almost shocking how many people used pipes and how popular and acceptable the fad was.

HERE