Blogger Quilt Festival number two, Two Color Quilt

This quilt was inspired when my sister's guild held a challenge activity a couple of years ago to make red and white quilts.  There had been a fabulous exhibition of them and the pictures were fascinating.

Then a lifelong friend's son was getting married.  His new bride is a fashion designer, loves romantic styles and has developed a fine appreciation for hand made and sewn objects.  They live in New York City, so the urban influence on their lifestyle would not be neglected.  Thinking of a red and white quilt seemed logical, but then I saw their wedding registry included red and gray color schemes.

I wanted to make a bold statement, yet a traditional design and something they would be able to use.  I chose a traditional block, Jacob's Ladder, and came up with an original arrangement of the blocks.  The red fabric is a glowing print, and the gray is Kona cotton.  The back is a red roses on red print, a wide backing fabric.  It is 5x5 12 inch blocks plus two borders, about 80" square.  Even though I made 25 identical, two-color blocks, I did not get bored making this quilt.  I quilted it with red thread on my Jewel long arm.

I've entered this into the Blogger Quilt Festival as my second contribution.

Blogger Quilt Festival

Quilt festival once again!

Check the fabulous quilts on the quilt festival!

This quilt is made from blocks I received in the Bee Pieceful Flickr bee in 2010.  It took me a couple of years to decide the setting, make the rest of the parts and quilt it.  I now use it on my guest bed.  Thanks to all the ladies who participated in that bee.

March On

March has arrived, hard to believe.  We spent the first day in Chicago for medical appointment.  It was decent weather.  Also enjoyed dinner with DD#1's in-laws, a nice visit.

Yesterday I sewed a dress for G for Easter.  I hope it fits.  In my memory, it was easier to sew for children when they were around to check fit as I sewed.  Anyway, it won't be too small, so she can wear it eventually if it's too big now.

Here are some photos of my bird medallion quilt that my sister and I did "round robin."  I made the center, she added 1, I added 1, she added another, I added the last parts - the flying geese border and the darker green print border.  The quilting was finished awhile ago, but I haven't had opportunity to take any photos until today.  I've been enjoying this quilt on the couch these past few cold weeks.  My sister and I have both become smitten with making medallions now - it is quite challenging yet the results are so wonderful, no matter what you decide to do next.

I've been working on a special secret project, too.  And a fun activity lately has been putting together strips and scraps to make some potholders and "chunks" to be used in something fabulous, I'm sure.

I hear it is supposed to snow again later this week.  I wish it would warm up a bit so I would get motivated to run more.

52 Lists #1

This appeals to me, so I am making some lists.

Starting with something easy - Places I have Lived

1. Alexandria, VA
2. Grand Rapids, MI
3. Peoria, IL
4. Normal, IL
5. Bloomington, IL
6. Hudson, IL

Or

1. My mom and dad's house
2. My college dorm
3. My apartment
4. My and my husband's home

Quilts Lately

It has been months since last posting. I have not disappeared. Many of my projects have come and gone, but I'm still here making more. The year of 2012 was hectic and full. I work for an election authority, and the presidential primary and election took up many hours, and what time was left I preferred to spend with family, running or sewing/quilting, hence barely any time for chores and none for keeping a record of any of it! I would like to add some photos of recent (within the last year) quilts and sewing productivity, just to keep it all in one place.

From Top:

1. Pink bird-in-center medallion - started out as free piecing/wonky style, which I abandoned because it was trying me.  Then it never straightened out as I wished.  Finished for 3 yr. old granddaughter.
2. Puss-in-corner blocks I arranged in strips, using up lots of nice fabrics I had bought with no purpose in mind.  It was a great project to use up my family room floor when my hubby was out of town for a week in summer 2012.  As of now, not quilted yet.
3. Sampler made from blocks sent to me in a Flickr bee in 2010.  Love this color scheme!  Finished and using on my guest bed, 2012.
4. Red Fiesta - Most of the medallion round robin I did with my sister last summer, 2012.  She started this one, we took turns and she put on the last round but has not yet quilted it.
5. Bird-in-center medallion quilt which my sister also did with me.  This one is my center, took turns adding.  Shown is the last round I put on, including 72 flying geese.  It is now quilted and my OWN couch quilt.  More pictures later.
6. Red and Charcoal Jacob's Ladder, summer 2012.  Made for a wedding gift for the son of some of our oldest friends.  I didn't get bored making 25 identical 2-color blocks.  It is sort of a modern Amish style.  As far as I know, the block arrangement is my original idea (interlocking forks), as I never saw one like it.
7. Maple Leaf - my sister and I each made several leaf blocks and setting blocks, then got together at her house to put them together and make the piano key border.  This was given to our brother and his new wife.  They love trees, birds, and music - she plays piano and sings.  All the prints have leaves, feathers or birds.

I'll try to find some better and more photos to record for posterity (is blogging historically permanent?)

So long for now!

Some Quilt History

I think I could title this one, What Have I Been Doing Besides Blogging? ...or I better put this info on my blog before it becomes like Ancient History!

The photos are displaying in the reverse order as I uploaded them, so you get most recent news first. This top layout is made from 12 of the blocks I received in April 2010 (1.5 yrs. ago - maybe it is ancient already!) The flickr group is called Bee Pieceful. I finally figured out a setting design and made the setting pieces the last couple of days. It should go together fast from this point. Sometimes the thinking takes up a lot more time than the actual sewing. I will not include the table legs in the final construction.


This is a top I finished putting together a few days ago (my co-worker is inspiring or shaming me into getting busy on my projects, hence the high output in the last weeks or two). The centers of wonky log cabins are fussy-cut out of some old scraps I found in my ancient 4-H sewing workshop materials (I was the teacher, not the student - so they aren't prehistorically old.) I started putting together the blocks about 5 months ago. A picture in a book inspired me to go for the black stripey sashing, and that was motivation to find fabric, cut sashing, decide on borders, and finish up the top.

This is a finished quilt I made for DD#1. The nine patches are made from a charm pack I received as a birthday gift on my last birthday one year ago, so that was fairly quick - less than one year from pieces to finished!

The next two pictures are the back and front of a baby quilt made for my first great niece. She was born in March and I sent it to her in July, so at least she was still a baby! The pattern is simple and these prints were fun to work with. The back has a pretty, girly print of butterflies.

I hope I haven't repeated old news here. I definitely need to keep track of this blog a lot better than I have been. It is a good record of my projects, finished or not!