Another one done

The colors of this quilt are like the faded colors of summer flowers and memories. Just a simple double 9 patch and my favorite free motion concentric tear drops and meandering feathers quilting. I finished it on one of those chilly mornings because I knew the afternoon would be too nice to be inside and those sunny warm afternoons will soon be faded memories. —Ann—

Machine quilting

 It seems like it has taken a long time to get very little done. Slow going on the machine quilting, just the border left I think a feather all around will compliment my meandering concentric teardrop. That design always works on floral fabrics for a traditional look.

 I couldn’t figure out why I had blue crumbs all over the quilt as I was working……then I rubbed my hands / gloves together more blue crumbs. Time for new gloves I used them for 7 or 8 years. The new pair were in a package of 3 and are very stiff, I don’t like them as well but the good kind are sold out for the season, I’ll have to wait until next spring to get a new good pair.

Jump ahead to quilting on the baby quilt even though I haven’t completed the pastel. I’m just quilting geometry………swinging an arc from point to point.  Ann

progress

 

I had all these squares on the wall before the little trip with DD then when I glanced at it when I got home I really did not like the darkest blue (large 9 patch in the top row) so I switched it out for a lighter set of four squares and I like it much better.  Last week the temps were cool enough to open the windows what a glorious feeling to have fresh air moving through the house and to be able to sit outside or walk without dripping in sweat. Needless to say not much happened in the sewing room then but normal hot temps have returned with productive time in the sewing room. --Ann--

Double nine patch

I was looking though my little bags of leftovers from previous quilts because sometimes my stash is overwhelming and intimidating. Does that give you an hint as to the size of my stash? I pulled out some bags of pastels thinking  they might work with the appliqué flower blocks I have worked on every summer since......one block left to finish.   The largest of the bags had 9 patch parts a lot of them but not the right colors for the appliqué project but there are plenty of fabrics in the stash that will work with these 9 patch parts. Sometimes I have to coax fabrics out of the stash.  I started sewing 9 patches and placing parts on the design wall. It was a bit of a mess.  Go back and look at the inspiration quilt by Laundry Basket Quilts back in 2014 or 15 fortunately I took a screen shot the last time I searched for that quilt. I really studied the photo and the photo of the similar quilt I made. I studied the placement of lights and darks.  The darks are not in the corners of the small 9 patches but in the sides. And the large squares (5”) background fabrics form rings around the large dark 9 patches. Mine are more medium value but it works. It has taken days to get this figured out but now I know what it needs and where I’m going. —Ann—

Indigo quilt

 

This quilt has been whispering finish me......finish me........sew I finally did, a little bit at a time between piecing other quilts or maybe machine quilting while I thought about what to do next on whatever I was working on.  Finished finally!!  I pieced this back in 2020 when every day felt like a snow day because we were supposed to shelter at home, lock down, avoid gatherings, etc etc.  Good thing I had a large stash of fabric and I still do.  These were all Asian indigo fabrics that I purchased in a bundle several years ago,  I just felt like I had to keep them together and I wanted to show off the prints.  Its done.  --Ann--

Ta da da done the second

 

Another one done!!  Just simple free motion machine quilting from point to point.  The backing fabric is a piece of hand dyed fabric that my mother got some where local it just seemed perfect for this quilt, it was a little narrow so I had to add a strip.  Used binding scraps just sew another strip to the strip and viola' its done.  --Ann--

Another two steps

 Two steps yesterday, the 9 patches and the side triangles on the pinwheels. It was hot again but I’m not complaining the downstairs was cool and full of natural light. Hubby pulls the shades as soon as the first sunbeam comes in the west windows making the upstairs feel like a cave. It does help keep the house cooler but I need light and lots of it so I spent the afternoon sewing.  --Ann--

Small steps

An afternoon in the sewing room……..all my 4 patches are sewn. Next to cut all the 3 1/2 squares to make it a 9 patch. Just one little step at a time. —Ann—
 

quilt seeds / scraps

The start of another quilt from my little bags of quilt seeds leftovers from previous quilts.   I take out the parts then reach for fabrics to add and start cutting and sewing and cutting and sewing some more.  This little bag of scraps even had the recipe for the quilt complete with the name of the book and author.  Most of my decisions were already made for me.  Happy quilting.  --Ann--

Nine Patch Blues

 

A finish last week.  Now to start something new from the stash.  --Ann--

Busy Day

 Busy day yesterday I added the border to this graduation quilt then I basted two quilts, today I put my foot on the pedal and machine quilt. Another chilly overcast day a good day to spend in the sewing room.  --Ann--

Design wall

The next graduation quilt...... this one for niece, she likes blue, but she is not going to the school that has the beautiful blue and yellow colors, the school she chose has brown and yellow for school colors  what kind of a school choses brown for a school color??? I thought I would do the same pattern as the helitrope and hollyhock quilt I finished earlier this year with the navy where the light squares were.  I do not like it.  There is not enough contrast so I moved the 4 patches.... they create a line of interest but still not working.  Its chaotic.  Flip through some books, look at it from across the room, glance at it while I flip the lights off and on, make a cup of coffee.  Rearrange the blocks into a double 4 patch that was boring so I rearranged the 9 patch block so the 4 patches are in the corners and the solid squares are in the sides. 

That is a big improvement.  I had the 4 patches all turned the same direction but like them better radiating from the center of each 9 patch.  That is what a design wall is for arrange the blocks on the wall not on the floor on my knees even though I was on my knees for the bottom row.  Then step back and look, squint my eyes and look.  I have two grays for sashing and a cream which is so close in value to the flannel  you can't tell the difference.  I'm leaning toward the gray but yardage will be the determining factor.  Maybe add a couple yellow cornerstones. Use it up and make do.  --Ann--

Another one done

 

I chose the easy way of quilting another quilt with my favorite meandering concentric teardrops and feathers, my plain vanilla quilting, it just works so well on scrappy traditional blocks.  I did spend some time looking through the quilting books but the traditional quilting patterns that fit  neatly in a nine patch block just didn’t work in my head with these offset blocks. The colors make me think of heliotropes and foxgloves guess that will be the name of this quilt.  Another one done. --Ann--

One Done

 

The easy one is done.  I just quilted from point to point on the pinwheels and setting triangles and a diagonal line through the 9 patch and 4 patch chain, pretty easy and quick, I found two 4 patches that I turned the wrong way when I was piecing the blocks. Oops. Then I found 3 bright pieces of binding in the box and they were more than enough for this quilt.  As I worked I thought about how to quilt the splats and as inspiration struck I pinned another sheet of tracing paper to the quilt with a few possible designs.  Still not sure how to quilt it.

--Ann--

flimsy done

 

Our snow melted and then the weather got warm, sit on the deck and read warm, change into shorts and enjoy the sun warm, take son's dog for long walks warm and then I needed to go downstairs to my sewing room to cool off.  The blocks and rows were finished.  At first I was thinking 5 by 6 rows but that was pretty small so I added a row to the length and then one to the width, so now it is 54 inches by 63 inches, a nice size throw.  A couple more warm days in the forecast to sit outside and read or knit and then we return to our regularly scheduled weather and back to the sewing room.  --Ann--

Something new, something blue

 

And all from the stash.  I saw this at One Sister Designs last summer.  Last summer doesn't that seem like a long time ago!?! Its just a 9 patch with some 4 patches cut 3 1/2 inches and 2 inches. Couldn't be easier then the row are off set so the 4 patches run in diagonal rows.  I cut, I sewed, I pressed, I crawled on the floor putting up the last two rows of squares why didn't I reach a little higher when I put the first squares on the design wall??  That's what I did on my snow day.  --Ann--

Tadada done

Some days I just have to finish something, its been basted for months and half quilted for weeks, doesn't that sound like a half baked turkey.   I just quilted my favorite free motion concentric teardrop meanding feather design with a multicolored thread. The pattern is from Miss Rosie's Farmhouse Favorites called Scarlet Begonia, very easy pattern with a churn dash and shoo fly block set on point.  She used the red corner fabric for the borders which reinforced the Scarlet Begonia name, I used the fabrics that I had in the stash.  Fly in the Buttermilk seems more fitting for mine. --Ann--