If My Mug Could Talk

If My Mug Could Talk prompt #artjournal, a photo by quilter4010 on Flickr.

I eat cookies for breakfast at work. Some people think it's weird, but I do it anyway. My mug is tall, colorful and sassy, a gift from dear friend Debbie S. I used junk mail and snippets of embroidery floss from recently made quilt In Verdant Dreams.

Thanksgiving Quilt

Thanksgiving 2013

10" x 11"

All from stash

Completed 11/28/2013

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I whipped up this little quilt in a couple of hours. I had been searching for Thanksgiving pictures to post to my personal Facebook page, when it occurred to me that I could make a small quilt block and use it.

I searched Pinterest and found a cute little placemat by Dark Horse Farm Designs. I simplified the design but the idea is still there. I chose a couple of fabrics from stash. I traced around my hand on the back of the red fabric, cut it out, then spray basted to the background. I made a quilt sandwich and zigzagged over the edges.

I did some straight stitching just inside the edge of the hand. I could have done a zigzag with invisible thread but I was looking for speed. The little quilt won't be washed, so the edges will be fine.

I hand sewed an eye, beak and legs. I thought about writing Happy Thanksgiving on the background but my handwriting isn't very good and I was afraid I'd ruin it. Not bad for a couple hours of work.

Debbie

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WIP Wednesday 11/27/2013

In Verdant Dreams

 For retiring co-worker Cecilia K.

Inspired by a tissue box in shades of green, Cecilia's favorite color.

Raw edge applique. Partly from stash. 

Original design. 60" x 72". 

Completed 11/26/2013

Inspiration for In Verdant Dreams

Part of a tissue box donated by co-worker Margarita A. after another co-worker Veronica B. did some spying and learned that green is Cecilia's favorite color.

Close-up

Petals are from the tissue box, magnified many times.

Also from the tissue box

The "eyes" bothered me for a while, but I came to accept them when I set them upright like this. I think of them as eyes on peacock feathers.

I just finished In Verdant Dreams for co-worker Cecilia K., who will retire tomorrow (Wednesday). Update: I delivered the quilt to Cecilia and she loved it.

For many more photos and details about the quilt, please read on.

Using a light box to complete the "circle" shape

Drew in horizontal and vertical lines to keep each shape oriented properly. Using just one paper pattern for all four layers of the circle, trimming as I go.

Wrote "top" on the paper pattern, used flower pins to mark the top of each cut shape, all in hopes of maintaining the proper orientation of each layer.

Three layers stacked

Blue sewn to dark green with zigzag

Completed circles

Circles laid out close to flower

Background - lots of 6.5" blocks plus a few large squares

Wasn't till after the sections were sewn that I realized piecing them together might be a problem, particularly around the 4-piece square in the lower center. Had to really think about it to avoid painting myself into a corner. A partial seam in a strategic place would help.

Trying out the circles

Another possibility

This and next few photos: Trying out the flower with circles in different ways.

Trying with a green circle. Doesn't bring much to the party.

My favorite for the circles. They remind me of the eyes of peacock feathers.

Circles sewn to background

Trying out the background fabric. Looks good!

Moving the bottom circle to different locations

Didn't like this one, either. Decided to stick with the original layout.

Paper circle - 3" (golf ball printed from Electric Quilt)

Will use as the center of the flower, temporarily.

Ball centered on background

First four petals spaced evenly, although they won't stay like this since there are seven petals, not eight.

Seven petals spaced pretty well

Petals held in place with safety pins. Will zigzag stitch around each petal, one at a time. Leaving paper circle for now, in case a petal should wander.

Petals sewn down, paper removed. Leaving center unfilled. Implied is more artful, I think.

Close-up

Back - silver thread in bobbin, which I figured wouldn't show too much on front.

Sewing sections together - bottom left section and the left edge of 4-piece center.

Stopped sewing about an inch from the bottom edge. This is a partial seam, which will be finished later.

Flower section added (horizontal seam)

Basically, I'm making my way around clockwise.

Upper right section added

Lower right section added. Left side of this seam meets the partial seam area.

Preparing to complete the partial seam

Black pin is where the partial seam ended. Nothing to the right of the pin has been sewn yet.

Seam completed

Pressed seam. Pencil points to the partial seam area. Nice, smooth and straight line. No Y seam!

From the right side of the quilt - very nice

Main part of quilt top done

Wide background added to top and bottom

Border completed

I have to say that I was floored at how good the quilt looked with the border added. It isn't often that I'm blown away by my own design, but I was this time. The border, with its busyness, adds a lot to what I was afraid was an otherwise too-simple design. In my mind it more than makes up for all of the white space where I "didn't do anything."

Close-up

I tie nearly all of my throw-sized quilts. I usually have blocks to help determine the spacing of knots. But in this quilt there's just an awful lot of white space, with some white square blocks. To help create a grid in the wide open spaces, I used safety pins to mark 6" lengths.

Then using the pins and seams from the 6" blocks, I applied masking tape. The plan is to tie one knot per 6" square.

All done

Close-up of flower area

Close-up of a circle

Next, I'll make a quick fundraiser quilt. The theme is Christmas. I found a cute Santa fabric in my stash, which was probably a donation from someone, because I don't remember buying it. Anyway, I'm hoping to make most of the quilt top from stash. I may need a little for the border. Right now I'm thinking nine-patch blocks, and I may throw in a few snowball blocks to reinforce the theme. I'll get started in the next few days.

Debbie

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