W.I.B.W.O.

I had planned to finish up with one or two non-quilty posts and, by then, dump the photos of the most recent from my camera's memory card so I could show all the finishes from the past few months. But somehow a "draft" got posted with photos and temporary text so, rather than take it all back, I just added the correct text to the pictures. 

Graduation quilt for D#1's boyfriend.  He's from Seattle, spent a semester in India, and went to school in Washington DC.   The quilt, called "Oh, the Places You've Been" is made up of fabrics representing these places and was quilted by my usual long-armer.

The back is pieced from yellow (his favorite color) polka dot fabric with a strip of green for his environmental studies degree.  There's also a scrap of London fabric relating to the time he spent with us there over Christmas, and a strip with the Canadian flag (a late addition since I didn't find it until the back had been pieced) because he was born in Canada.

Our hand-sewing group made baby quilts for the Baby Bureau as a summer project.  Nancy posted photos of them here.  I'd forgotten to take mine to the meeting, but had finished up three small projects that were in process when we'd decided on the summer goal.  All of these were quilted by me.

My personal challenge from a while back.

Center was from sample blocks from previous quilts, bordered with a lot of scrap 2 1/2" squares.

Yet another way to use the "V-blocks" which I made by the hundreds!

I didn't put a label on these but did embroider my initials on the corner of the backs. 

More posts (and quilts) to come.

W.I.B.W.O.

When I get my act together (no breath-holding, please!), I hope to do a couple of posts with actual writing.  Want to finish up my London trip, and put up a few photos of subsequent travel.  Till then, here are some of the quilts I've finished and photographed.

The pattern for the main part of the quilt below became known as "The Quilt From Hell" as it flummoxed blog-free Honna, one of our White Oak Group, a while back.  Consequently, I gave her some small assistance so she could finish the large one she was making as a gift.  I just knew that, with the right fabrics (contrast, contrast, contrast), it would be lovely.   Last year, I decided to make it in purples and pansies for D#2's "new" room.  (We've only been in our house ...um... 3 years now...).  When I asked Honna if I could borrow the pattern, she graciously rescued the pattern from the trash and gave it to me for keeps!  I lengthened so it would fit D#2's bed and designed the pieced borders, using actual math!  Unfortunately, when I started to put them together, I discovered that my "actual" math was wrong.  I therefore named the borders "the borders from Hades"!   But, when it was FINALLY completed, I was mostly happy with it!   Size is a touch small to be the generous bedspread I wanted, but it still covers the mattress and box spring.

An office colleague has two daughters, each of whom announced in January that he would be a grandfather!  Their due dates were just one week apart and the babies' actual birthdates were back-to-back!  "Standard issue" baby quilts for both!   His favorite color is orange, so a nod to granddad on both bindings.

The organization "Quilts for Kids" hosted the Philly Modern Quilt Guild for a sew-in a while back.  I went along as the guest of my friend, Bobbi.  There I started putting together a pre-cut kit of fun Laurel Burch cat fabrics.  Finally finished it so it could be returned to QfK.  This photo was taken before I added some additional quilting, per the organization's request. 

Years ago, a pattern called "Pointless Wonder" was floating about -- one of those stack-and-slash patterns where end up with all the fabrics mixed up in each block.   Not long after 9/11, I'd made one in red, white, and blue, one of many delivered to the families of the firefighters killed that day.  

Last fall, I brought to a close (temporarily at least) my relationship with a therapist who had seen me through the worst of my "annis-es horriblis-es".   I wanted to make her a "parting gift," so to speak). I decided this pattern, with stars whose points were all chopped off, would be appropriate, partially as a representation of my struggle to break free of my perfectionistic attitudes. I chose the fabrics because she and I share the favorite color of purple, she works with many women, hence the pink, and green is the color of growth.  Thought I'd call it "Perfect Points are for Perfect People", but that was way too long, so I settled on just Pointless Wonder, and included a note about the rejected name as well as the color scheme. 

The last of my purple trio -- a free pattern from Susan Mallery called "Land of Happy Endings." Oddly, though I am known for my love of purple and I own a ton of fabric in those tones, I'd never made a purple quilt!   Then, for a while, I had three in progress -- the purple pansies for D#2, PW for T, and this one.... just because.  Currently a quilt with no owner, it was made of scraps, with the yellow and white 9-patches my leader-ender project for some time.  I was so excited when I found that polka dot border fabric!  You may be able to see it more closely if you click on the photo.   

I've already had a couple of offers to take it off my hands....

W.I.B.W.O.

Finishes, actually.  Just late in posting.   Hand quilted baby quilt.  Recipient to be named at a later date.

This "mystery quilt" turned out to be "just right" as a wedding gift for someone who has been an important part of D#2's recovery.  

She and her new husband loved it!   Don'tcha feel good when someone truly appreciates the gift of a quilt??

W.I.B.W.O. -- O.B.S. version

Time for a catch-up on What I've Been Working On -- Obsessed By Scraps version.  In the past few months, I finished one quilt that was made from block-swap blocks, made another that began as a leader-ender project, made a dozen blocks from scraps and put them together in another quilt, and finally started digging out blocks that were made out of scraps and put away.  I had become obsessed with working with the pieces/parts that were already done.

For several years, I made different units out of scraps.  Either I stored the units (whatever they were) "as is," or I sewed them into blocks and put the blocks aside.  In my zeal to use up things I'd already begun, I've managed to finish 3 more tops.  The first was made of more the the "v-blocks" used for the baby quilt I'm currently hand-quilting.  This will made a nice "snuggle" quilt for a young boy (stereotype, I know, but check out the novelty prints) either through children's hospice or through another organization.  I bought flannel to back it and I will quilt it myself, probably without batting. 

Another habit of several years' duration was to sew scrap triangles into half-square triangles (mostly) of various sizes into 12.5" blocks.  I had accumulated 24 of these before I made myself stop.  For some unknown reason, I drug these out of the drawer and decided to set them into two tops.

Pretty wild, huh?  If nothing else, these two tops illustrate about any possible way that HSTs can be used.  I think I'm going to call these "Too **** Many Triangles", Parts 1 & 2.    Someday I'll put a thin, near-solid border on each one and call them done.  Right now, they're put away for later.  

In a drawer of "sample blocks", I found 9 that fit together fairly well, in size and color scheme:

This whole center piece is just 18" square, so I thought a border of small squares might work, though it first needs a small border to frame the center. (This was my "audition" green, but I ended up with a different shade..)

Needs something other than squares to finish out the corners, maybe, so I'm considering scrappy log cabin blocks.  This will be a "companion" to the boy quilt above, also backed with flannel and quilted with no batting. 

In between, I detoured to make another of my "standard issue" 30's repros baby quilt.  This is for the second grandchild of a friend.  The first grandchild (a girl) was given the usual 9-patch version, so I wanted something a little different for the second grandchild (a boy).  I like to make up the repros into traditional blocks so I did 9" churn dashes.  The colored parts of the border were (yep!) scraps. 

Finished this top yesterday at UDLC's Quilt Day. Another for me to quilt on Lizzie.  Baby's due in late November, so I have a little time. 

I realize that, in some ways, I've begun to feel like I can't have my dessert until I've finished my dinner, that is, I can't start a new project until I've completed the many projects for which I already have some or all of the blocks -- something neither practical nor desirable!  Unfortunately, for me, the attempt to be a good steward of my resources (use up my scraps) can morph into that obsession that says I have to save the "good stuff" for later.  This easily transfers into my life in general and brings fear and stress.  Years ago, I heard a sermon that has always stayed with me.  It addressed whether we give out of a sense of scarcity or out of a sense of our abundance.   One type gives what's left, but only after other needs/desires/whatever have been satisfied, the other gives first, recognizing the many gifts that have been received.   Sometimes -- not often, I hope -- but sometimes, I forget the abundance in my life. 

So I'm walking away from any more (new) scrap projects for now (even thought those crumb blocks are calling me...and I even have the sashing picked out!). Very soon, I will cut into these luscious fabrics to start a quilt for D#2's "new" bedroom. 

W.I.B.W.O.

An update on a couple of finishes.

The past few years, members of our monthly hand-sewing group/guild have each taken on the summer goal of finishing a healing/comfort quilt for a given organization.  This year's designated group was "Rebuilding Together Philadelphia."  Previously, I had planned to make a zig-zag pattern which used scrap nine-patches alternating with plain cream-on-cream squares, as shown in a book I own.  So, as a leader/ender project, I had already made a bunch of nine-patches from scrap 2.5" squares -- you name it, it was in there: novelties, florals, batiks, everything.  To move the project along, I decided that this would be my donation quilt -- after all, I already had I had I-forget-how-many dozen blocks ready to use.  I tried out the arrangement on my design wall.  Didn't like it.  At All.  My re-thinking process told me that half-square triangles lent themselves to so many possible arrangements that I was sure to find something I liked.  So I paired the plain squares with the made bunches of HSTs.   On the last St. Paul's Quilt Day, I laid out the top in this barn-raising setting.  Machine quilted this one myself, first on the neutral, echoing the seamlines several times, and then zig-zag across the sliced nine-patches.   As I still have a lot of these nine-patches left, I will eventually make up more HSTs and try another arrangement. 

The entire gallery of Uvulati quilts is found on Nancy's blog.

Last spring I caught granny-square fever (it was going around) and dropped my then-current project in favor of making a dozen blocks out of scraps, each with a single color and a coordinating small print background.   My original plan was to sash with a stripe of some sort to frame the blocks strongly.  I took this project to our spring retreat to audition some stripes from my stash, and even ended up purchasing some additional fabric, based on comments and advice from fellow White-Oakers.  (Yeah, I know, it was a chore to shop...)  

But somehow, whenever I'd put the blocks up, nothing that I tried "felt" right.  One day a few weeks ago, I was reorganizing my stash, happily fondling fabric, when I discovered a yard of white fabric with large brightly colored dots.  Excited, I spread it out and put the granny square blocks on top, and it was clear that I had a winner for the sashing!    More prowling in my "geometrics" drawers provided the check that had been a recent acquisition on my first trip to a new LQS.  They were having an end-of-bolt sale and the bolt with the last piece of this bright summery check just jumped into my arms!  The result is, I think, a much more "airier" quilt than if I'd used a stronger or darker sashing with any of the stripes I was considering.   My talented long-armer quilted "bubbles" (circles of different sizes) on this, which I absolutely love!   "Sherbet and Gum Balls" is a gift for a friend who has had some recent health problems.  Hoping it will both add some cheer to her life and stand in for some warm hugs from me. 

Quilt Day and W.I.B.W.O.

A few weeks ago, St. Paul's had its semi-annual Quilt Day.  

As always there was great food 

excellent company (here's Bobbi),

and a variety of projects to admire.

(Pat's fascinating kaleidoscope)

(makes me want to get out black and white fabrics and PLAY)

 

(A bad photo of a great quilt by Bobbi! Hope this is "clickable" for detail.
I will find just the right project for my Kaffe collection... soon...)

My progress for the day was to

1. determine that the mystery quilt top I'd completed needed 

different binding than what I'd chosen (when it was still a mystery).  

This one is next up for the long-armer.

 2. pin-baste the 30's repro V-block baby quilt

I recently started hand-quilting this, just for funsies.

3. lay out and begin to sew together the blocks for my scrap 9-patch HST top.

Top is now finished. I have to piece the backing and sandwich.

Planning to quilt it on my Lizzie (QE4) as my guild comfort quilt.

Since that day, I've been keeping busy too.  Even finished up a couple of projects:  

bound the Traditions charm quilt

      

quilted and bound Jelly/Fish/Race

and bound A-Tisket A-Tasket (a block swap quilt).

I set the blocks into a top a couple of years back and just had quilted by my talented long-armer.













Almost finished with a couple more tops too.  Saving that for later.

W.I.B.W.O.

What have I been working on?  Been in the sewing room and in the yard.  First, I'm so pleased with the way my front porch looks now.

When I moved in it was bare and pretty stark.









After two springs of planting a few shrubs and some perennials, improvement was apparent, but recently I bought a couple of new chairs, potted up some flowers, and had lattice put up on the end of the porch where I will plant several colors of clematis to add even more color.  This is how it looks today.

Also recently tried my hand at some more complex machine quilting than I'd done before.  Think it came out pretty well, but I confess I got really tired of doing it after a (not very long) while.  Was "stuck" finishing what I'd started, since I couldn't very well change what I was doing part way through.  All that's left on this one is sewing the binding on by hand.  (Photos should be "clickable" to see the quilting more closely.  Please be kind.)

Front

Back

Pin-basted the Jelly Roll/Fish quilt (now known as the Jellyfish quilt), and will also do that one myself, but with a far simpler pattern.  No matter what, I will only get better by practicing.  That star border was such a find!  And I had the exceptionally suitable backing in my stash.

I have almost finished the top of the Mystery Quilt that Pat and I were doing.  You can see hers here.  (Bonus photos of adorable baby on the beach!)   No photos of mine yet, but you may remember I chose fabrics that were somewhat out of my comfort zone.

And, just because I like the way it looks so much, my completed Rubik's Rings on my bed:

W.I.B.W.O.

Considering my travels, my household "issues", and the on-and-off presence of one or both of my daughters, I'm kind of surprised I've gotten anything done at all.  However, I did finish the Rubik's Rings quilt, including a couple of miles of binding.  Quilted by my favorite local long-armer.

Between binding sessions, it would be draped over the back of the chair in the living room.  Tabbitha approved.

Did a little gardening and appreciated the progress of last year's plantings.

Still have more planting to do -- some more perennials in the ground, and some annuals in new pots for the front porch.

I can only garden in spring and fall -- too hot and humid otherwise.  That's when I hide inside in the air-conditioning and sew, read, and watch movies.  Not complaining...