Stardate 2016.91.1

A Day Off of Work Does Wonders for the Soul        

A long time coming, I was finally able to get a day off of work to have for myself.  Sure, myself includes playing with our German Shepherd Dog throughout the day, but he protects, while I manage to quilt, so some play time is much deserved. 

The pup, playing in the snow. A bit dark, but you get the idea that quilting inside was a better option that day (at least for me).

Turns out, it was a great day to part from work. The cold weather set in (yep, anything can still happen in springtime in the Rockies) and the snow started to fly even as the peach trees are trying to bloom.  But, I remained cozy and warm in the house, stitching away on several projects. 

I finally found a border fabric I liked for the pink and chocolate quilt which I’m making for a wedding gift.  I got the border sewn on, and I think it kind of adds a retro/vintage vibe to the quilt.  And now, I’m busy working on free-motion quilting the quilt.  I’m still trying to get used to the new machine I got – trying to figure out how to best maneuver all the bulk of the quilt around without getting frustrated.

Now with the border fabric attached, I'm ready to quilt.  So far, it looks like I'll have this done in time for the wedding in August.  Yeah! 

I also spent some time working on the offset log cabin quilt that I have in the works.  I never thought I liked the Log Cabin pattern (fact is, I still kind of don’t), but I love this offset variation of the pattern.  So, I managed to get some more blocks made for that quilt.  It’s going to take a while because I have to make several blocks with different colors…but I’m at least on my way with this ongoing project.

Blue/Aqua blocks and Orange blocks of the offset log cabin quilt that I'm plugging away at slowly.  Each full "ball" block takes four blocks and each individual block has about 12 individual pieces.  It's taking a while, but it's gonna be cool...

Here's a full "ball" block in the purple color range.  When the quilt top is completed, it'll have several different color "balls", all made in the offset log cabin pattern. 

I also managed to finish another one of the red applique blocks.  That makes 7 blocks completed!  Yeah!  I designed the #8 block, and am currently working on that…Seems I’m never quite happy with re-making someone else’s quilt; I often times find myself injecting my own ideas in the quilt patterns.  So the #8 block will be the second block that I’ve designed to replace some of the original block patterns. 

Here's Block #7 done up in some electric colors.  I think the color combinations turned out well, and will go nicely with the other blocks I've made already.  This quilt will be a long haul, but the turtle wins the race, eventually. 

I love how I'm seeing my color combinations and color tastes change over time with this quilt.  I find myself getting wilder with the color combinations and pleasantly pleased with the outcome of each block.  

It’s great to have productive days off – especially when they involve quilting. I hope you find productive days off – or just productive time to further your own quilting creativity! 
Linking up with Let's BEE Social at Sew Fresh Quilts...

Stardate 2016.62.1

With Others in Mind

We make quilts for a lot of different reasons:  To exercise the creative light inside, to provide warmth and comfort for ourselves and others, to provide hope to those experiencing desperate times, to satisfy our insatiable need to play with color, patterns, and textures, and to memorialize a soul who has passed to another world.  No matter your reason, quilting is a love to share with those you know and those you’ve yet to meet.  

Whenever I decide to make a quilt for someone else – you know, to give as a gift or give as part of a community charity, I try to think of the person I’m making the quilt for.  Maybe that’s just putting too much time and effort into the thought process, but for me, if I’m able to picture the person in the creative landscape of the quilt I’m making, the whole process feels more personal and thoughtful.  Plus, knowing I have someone in mind for the quilt helps me to fuse different little aspects into the quilt that will hopefully speak to them and they’ll enjoy the quilt just that much more.

About two-thirds done and pieced together...just a bit more to go now...

Enter the current pink and chocolate quilt I’m working on for my husband’s cousin who will be getting married later this year.  Luckily, I had a bit of lead time, so I’m pretty confident I’ll get the quilt finished in time for the wedding. I started all the cutting for the quilt last year (2015) and am now finally at a spot where I can provide a sneak peek at the quilt.  The couple strikes me as the romantic type – especially as their engagement story involves the beach, a helicopter, and many strangers helping him spell out “Will You Marry Me” on the beach so she could see the proposal from the helicopter ride.  What a story they tell.  They’re also rooted in family and enjoying and appreciating family possessions of the past, all the while adding a new spin to their own lives.  Plus, he’s an aviation mechanic, so there’s an interesting component to incorporate into a quilt…

On the design board, waiting to be sewn together...

In keeping all that in mind, I thought pink and chocolate just seem to evoke the air of romance and I had several fabrics in my stash that I thought would work well.  I gathered up a more traditional pattern which I also had from making a previous quilt, and here’s where I am now…

The pattern is from Bonnie Blue Quilts, called “Glory Bound”.  I’ve seen the pattern made in more traditional/vintage fabric, and also seen it done in solids for a more modern take. Both colorways make a nice quilt… 

I have four more rows to stitch together, then I can finish the rest of the quilt top. 

Stitching on the rows.  It's the more dull part of making a quilt top for me, and I work to plow through all the matching of points and seams, and get excited about the progress I'm making.

Now, I know the quilt isn’t solid pink and chocolate; for some reason, most likely for the unexpected element, I brought in some baby blue pieces.  I thought that would give the quilt some interest and would eventually help me tie in the quilt backing to the front.

Remember, I said he is an aviation mechanic?  Well, I happened upon this great aviator blueprint fabric that I thought would appeal to him and so, I thought the splash of blue on the front would help tie in the blue backing I was intending to use.  This is “Aircraft in Indigo” by Savannah Lockie for Robert Kaufman.  The collection is called, “Vintage Blueprints”.

This is the backing fabric for the quilt.  I think it'll appeal to the aviator ...

I still need to find a border fabric for the quilt, but while I hunt for that, I keep plugging away on getting all the HST’s sewn into rows.  That part gets monotonous for me, so I can only do it in spurts.  I’m hoping that spurt will come along soon so I can move this one to the quilting machine and start in on piecing another quilt…hopefully that challenge quilt that I’ve been rolling around in my head…

Linking Up this week with Sew Fresh Quilts...