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Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Zephyr - 30th Quilt Top of 2019



The sewn together half-hexagons
 measured 40" x 52" so I added side columns 
pieced using random lengths of 4" wide scraps
to make the top 48" wide.

The top and bottom borders were pieced 
using 3" squares sewn into four patches
which made the top 62" long.




Then I spent a couple of evenings piecing other 
leftover end cuts, strips, and chunks of low volumes
into twenty slabs which were then cut into
uniform 12.5" squares and arranged 
more or less like a rail fence layout.

I needed a back 5 squares wide x 6 squares long
so I bordered the pieced squares with 
single-fabric pieces 6.5" wide x 12.5" long.

(only the side and bottom half-squares are shown in this photo)




I used the very last strip of batik
from Lynne's Hidden Potential quilt.

(above and to the right of the sunny rainbow)




I also used the last segment of the rosy circles
which has to date back at least 10 years.




2.5" squares from Bemused 
that were undersized were pieced together.




Scraps from the fabrics used in 
Tea Party's back were also included.

(the bowler hat)




The last of Rise and Roost's haymow fabric 
has now been used.




More undersized squares from Bemused,
and one of several strips of the sewing fabric
used to back Cherie's Broken Dishes . . .




What a gloriously scrappy combination of fabrics.




I can already tell that this back is going 
to become one of my all-time favorites.




Prior to piecing the scrappy back,
I had sewn together a lot of short lengths
of various low volume fabrics
to be used as binding.

(shown here laying on my ironing table
waiting to be folded/pressed)




I do love a great scrappy binding.

* * *

Zephyr now becomes the 17th quilt top/back
hanging in my "waiting to be quilted" closet.

(I did manage to quilt and finish 15 quilts
and a number of smaller projects this year 
or that waiting number would be much larger)


* * *

And for those who are wondering about 
the 30 tops completed in 2019 - 
three of those were for the 70273 Project where
others made the blocks and I assembled them into tops;
several were unquilted barn teaching samples that
were re-worked and turned into tops worthy of quilting; 
several were long-term projects that 
came to fruition this year; and one was a top that
was taken apart, rearranged, and sewn back together.

Looking at these stats, I'm amazed.

Clearly, a little along really does pay off.

Happy New Year to all -
see you again on January 6th.



Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
"Much silence makes a powerful noise."

African Proverb

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Monday, December 23, 2019

Contemplating and Looking Ahead




After a period of soul searching,
I have chosen my guiding word for 2020.

Previous guiding words have included 
ENJOY, SMILE, MINDFUL, 
and most recently SHOSHIN / WONDER.

I could write all sorts of words to explain why I chose LISTEN
but the short version is that I want to do a better job of it -
listening to myself AND listening to others.

I've already started gathering quotations to share
at the end of posts next year - those will serve as
ongoing reminders to stay the course
and keep me focused on the challenge.


(for the record, FOCUS was my runner up word)


Looking ahead  . . . 




I want to spend less time stirring/planning
and more time actually stitching - 
piecing AND quilting.




I want to stop obsessing about my paper trail
and spend that time making and doing.




I want to use the fabrics in my stash
instead of impulsively acquiring more.




I want to savor the process instead of 
fretting so much about whether or not
my chosen outcome is the "perfect" one.




I intend to keep sharing what I make
here on the blog and spend less time
watching what others do on Instagram.




I want to spend more time reading the books I've purchased.

(hard copies have returned to favored status
over digital books - simply because of screen time
and the easy access to online distractions)




I want to meet my own personal challenge
of making monthly quilts for our kitchen table -
resisting the urge to get too fancy and
focusing instead on colorful and functional.





I've set a personal goal of making five 
24" x 24" quilts for the GREEN challenge 
to be shared during the annual November
Davies Manor Quilt and Fiber Arts Show -
each of the five showcasing a different aspect
of my process / style.

And yes, I'm also planning to 
share their making here on the blog, 
unlike some of the participants 
who choose to work in secret.




Most of all, 
when I assemble a fabric pull like the ones 
shared in this post, I want to honor my 
scrappy, colorful, liberated, eclectic nature,
staying open to new ideas and changes of direction.



. . . including being influenced by my studio squirrels!

(in their honor, 
I have a 2020 studio calendar
with silly photos of squirrels 
ready to hang up come January 1st)


* * *




With all of the above shared for the record,
these wise words from Calvin and Hobbes
 will now be my focus for the rest of the year.

Wishing each of you comfort and joy.

See you again in the new year.


Quiltdivajulie
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Friday, December 20, 2019

Zephyr - The Beginning



Last April I pulled a stack of low volume fabrics
from the stash and cut these 5" wide strips.

The fabrics at the top were pulled as potential backing.




A month or so later I used my die cutter
and cut those strips into pairs of half hexagons.

The backing fabrics from above also changed
to this yardage that came with flanged binding already made.

(previously planned for another project
but set aside at the last moment
in favor of an alternate choice)




This week I laid out those half hexagons 
and discovered I had not cut nearly enough.




Yup - this squirrel made me pull out that box
and put those pieces on the design wall
instead of pin basting the two Christmas/winter tops
that I hope to have quilted before month end.




This was the cold, rainy view from my studio window 
as I was arranging those pieces on the design wall.




Is it any wonder I call this time of year "khaki season" ???




As I stood looking out the window I had an idea 
to deal with the insufficient number of half hexagons . . . 


The project box in the foreground
contains the contents of my "cream" and "camel/tan"
crumb boxes, roughly sorted by width/size.

I'll use those to surround the hexagon panel
and enlarge this to lap quilt size. 

The box in the rear holds an eclectic assortment
of low volumes from the "warm neutrals" resource box.

I'll have to decide later whether I want to use these
to piece a scrappy back or stick with the
yardage/binding shown earlier in the post.

(my money is on the scrappy back - see below)

* * *

For the record this project has been named Zephyr -

"a gentle, mild breeze that does not disrupt,
nor cause chaos, but merely brings a
pleasant sensation on a warm summer day."

* * *


That silly squirrel also encouraged me to 
make some low volume pillow covers
to use during January/February
 once Christmas is packed away until next year.

Whole cloth tops are cut and paired with batting -
they're waiting and ready for quilting. 

And the backing yardage shown above for Zephyr?

It will be used to make the backs
 of these new pillow covers.

(I had a feeling a scrappy back for Zephyr would happen)



Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
“I would rather have a mind opened by wonder 
than closed by belief.”
Gerry Spence

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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Dumpster Diving 7's Scrappy Back



This is the photo I shared the other day
as the beginning of a scrappy back
for Dumpster Diving 7 - Respite.




And this is the now completed scrappy back.

You really didn't think I could throw away
those 700+ inches of leftover scrappiness did you?

(only one horizontal seam ended up without the insert -
that will be at the top of the quilt's back
and may very well end up being cut off as excess)



I used Wanda's webbing technique once again,
adjusting it to allow for the insertion of the scrappy lengths.

I'm quite pleased with the results.




And I'm even happier with the almost-perfectly-lined-up
vertical lines of the back.




The fabrics include leftovers from the backs of
Dumpster Diving 5 (Catharsis) and 6 (Lagniappe)
as well as the turquoise squares previously cut for
a long-ago abandoned project
and a few other pieces from the resource boxes.

Yes!




And this 22" length was all that was left
after the back was completed.



No - I didn't throw it away.

I added it to the growing collection for 
the still-in-the-gathering-stage project
known as Dumpster Diving 9 - Feisty.

(clearly the squirrels are still alive 
and thriving in my studio . . . )



Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
“Art is living stopped for a moment of wonder.”  
Kenneth G. Mills

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Monday, December 16, 2019

Dumpster Diving 7 (Respite) - The Flimsy



One row at a time
I started stitching the long
previously-sewn-together-length-of-purple-scraps
to the bands with turquoise, green,
and the die cut triangle in square blocks.




After so many hours of sewing 1.5" scraps end to end,
it was a joy to stitch the long lengths together
and see the top begin to appear on the design wall.




Auditioning inner and outer border options.

(at least six inner borders had already been voted off the island
by the time I pulled this one from the stash)




And then there was a finished quilt top.

52" wide by 64" long (plus or minus)

(and if you're wondering, I had roughly
700 inches of purples left after finishing the top)


Another view of the top . . .

(you may recognize the border fabric
from the back of Grape Pansy Caper No. 2)




I found this fabric in the stash to use for binding -
turned it out was also designed by Chong-Ahwang.




So now the 12.5" squares for a scrappy back
are pinned to the design wall
waiting to be sewn together.

* * *

For those who have commented that I am on a roll,
it does indeed feel good to move these projects forward.

They've been in various stages of near-completion 
for weeks (some for months)
and I'm delighted to have them ready
 (or nearly ready) for quilting.

Working in short bursts is definitely paying off.


Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
“You should love turning points.  They’re called edges.  
That’s when the magic happens.  That’s the space you’ve been waiting for.”
Victoria Erickson

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Friday, December 13, 2019

Bemused - the top and the back



This tray held 64 sets of four strips,
each strip comprised of four 2.5" squares.




One set a time, I worked my way through the stack.

As each sixteen patch was sewn,
I attached it to the previously sewn blocks.
(arranged in rows of 8 blocks)

Since this was a scrappy postage stamp style project,
there was no great need to lay out the blocks
prior to sewing them together;
in fact NOT laying them out
probably gave me a scrappier look
than I could have achieved any other way.




Row by row the design wall began to fill up.




Eight rows of eight blocks or 
1,024 squares cut at 2.5" from the scrap stash.




The sewn-together top measures 64" x 64"

Bemused will be one of my monthly toppers
for the kitchen table in the coming year.

(Bemused: "to occupy the attention of; absorb or engross")




Here's a detail shot of some of the many fabrics.




The back was pieced using four different 
well-aged Yuwa 30s collection prints.
(purchased during a deep discount online sale)

Since these remind me of my 
grandmother's kitchen table cloths,
it seemed fitting that they back 
one of my kitchen table toppers.




I pulled out the long leftover strip
of border segments from Sea of HSTs, 
pressed that 3" strip to be used for binding, and
trimmed it to equal my usual 2.5" binding strips.




I'd like to get Bemused quilted before month end,
but if it happens in mid-January I'm okay with that.

(my knee and leg have felt better this past couple of days
with only minor twinges when going up or down stairs . . . 
hopefully this means I can start working with Max
in the coming week or two)

* * *

And to all those no-reply bloggers 
who left comments on the previous two
For the Birds posts - thank you!


Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
“The most important work we will ever do is within the walls of our own homes.”
Harold B. Lee

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