Hey, Macarena!

Hello all! It’s been a while since I posted a bona fide, start to finish, made with my own two hands kind of quilt. I made this Spider Web, aka Kaleidoscope, in a fabric exchange with my Elmhurst "Piecemakers" quilt group. 

The theme for our swap was “pastels.” Each participant contributed six yards worth of assorted pastel fabrics, precut into various width strips.

On the day of the swap, banquet tables overflowed with strips of every value and hue. We paraded around the room to the rhythm of the “Macarena,” snatching a strip from each table we passed. Between the festive music, hysterical laughter, and fabric flying we looked more like a drunken conga line than our usual sedate selves. "Hey, Macarena!" 

Some quilters chose strips at random while others had a particular color scheme in mind. I selected 1930s-style colors and prints for my quilt. 

After sorting and sewing our strips into sets, we used this handy 45 Degree Kaleidoscope Wedge Ruler to cut the eight segments needed for each block. 

Coordinating the colors within each block was fun... 

but I liked the scrappiness of mixing random strips almost as much.

Nothing went to waste. Even leftover strips found their way into my scrappy border.

I used a 1930s-style floral print on the back and bound the quilt in pink. Isn't it sweet?

Kaleidoscope or Spider Web 

84" x 100"

Machine quilted by Stover Quality Quilting.

Another Year Older

                                         23 February 2017

Dear Barb,

My birthday quilt arrived and I wish you could see the ear to ear grin on my face. What a happy piece of patchwork to open on a gray February day!

I just love these scrumptious pinks and blues sitting side by side like this.

The elegant bird toile on the back is a perfect foil for those quirky conversation prints on the front of the quilt. Baseball players and baby faces--So much fun! 

    

Thanks for your beautiful birthday quilts, Barb. They always take the edge off turning another year older. 💕

Scrappy Birthday

I'ii never forget a visit to my friend, Barb's, sewing room where she revealed the secret behind much of her design process. It was a drawer full of miscellaneous quilt blocks leftover from previous projects. Wouldn't it be fun, I thought, to arrange them like puzzle pieces into various quilt designs?

It turns out that's precisely what Barb did when she made this year's birthday quilt. All the elements were "pieces and parts" of other projects made to fit by adding on or trimming down as need be.

I’m guessing Barb started with the vintage Shoo Fly block, then added Broken Dishes to continue the classic blue and brown color scheme. When the strip of Flying Geese was too long, Barb simply lopped it off leaving a quirky little partial block behind.

Adding to the "make do" charm is a backing pieced from three strips of beautiful bird chintz. It takes a keen eye to spot the seams. Can you find them? Barb also varied her binding strips just as a frugal seamstress might had she run out of her intended fabric.

Finally, a gentle tea bath gave the quilt its aged appearance. Don’t you love Barb's attention to detail?

Weeks before my birthday, I spotted a vintage blue bowl on Etsy. "That's just what I need," I told myself. "Wouldn't it look great filled with old buttons sitting atop a scrappy quilt?"

When just such a quilt arrived, I raced back to Etsy and bought the bowl. Happy birthday to me!

By the way, here are Barb's actual "miscellaneous block" drawers. Do you see the allure of reaching in and having a rummage around? 

Barb, Thank you for another great birthday quilt! They always manage to surprise and delight me. ❤️

Sweet Hearts

Happy Valentines Day!

At Times Like These

Hello everyone. Where were we when I last posted? Oh yeah, smack dab in the middle of the worst year ever! Twenty-sixteen brought an unrelenting onslaught of disasters--everything from wildfires, hurricanes and floods to mass shootings, civil unrest and unprecedented political farce. In the midst of it all, a sudden death in the family left me paralyzed with grief.

It's only been nine months, but I'm ready to start dealing with things instead of just wallowing in sadness. Creative endeavors have helped in the past (here and here), and to that end, we did a deep dive in my sewing room. 

ooking for something to pique my interest. Well, something finally did--an assortment of homespun plaids all cut and ready to sew. Kathie Holland, do you remember sending this kit to me years ago?

Blocks are pieced using Mary Ellen Hopkins' “connector corners” technique. Stars cleverly appear as the blocks are sewn together. Wanda Hanson assembled the quilt and added plaids of her own to make it a more functional table runner size.

Wanda chose a lovely striped backing and binding in my favorite colors. I like how her diagonal machine quilting echoes the linear theme.

Plaid Fancy

18" x 27"

Some of the comfort a quilt provides comes from the soul of its maker. This one's imbued with the love and kindness of compassionate friends, who in bringing it to life, restored a bit of my own!

Welcome Spring

Hello everyone! Today was perfect for a visit from my friend, Terri. The first thing she did after walking through the door.warm and sunny today -- just right for opening the windows to the  air. In fact, that was 

Sunshine settled on our faces as we basked in the warm breeze. No words necessary; our smiles say it all!

Over lunch, we talked nonstop barely getting a bite in edgewise for all the catching up we had to do.

Before leaving, Terri offered to do a little something around the house. I knew she meant cleaning, but dust can wait! Instead, I asked if she'd arrange a little tableau with the tulips she brought and a little quilt from my stash.

As you can see, it's nothing special -- just a few random nine patches swapped with friends. Even so, a humble quilt like this deserves its day in the sun. 

Thanks again, Terri. Your arrangement will keep me smiling all week!

 

The Lincoln Memorial

Hello everyone. Today I'm sharing another birthday quilt made by my friend, Barb Vedder. She sent it to me a few years back, but I'm always happy to revisit it.

I call it "The Lincoln Memorial.” Sure, it's a "monumental" name for a miniature quilt, but I love the play on words.

The medallion-style format features Abe at its center surrounded by three deceptively simple borders. According to Barb, "Fabric choices really matter in small projects like this. When only a few are used, it can be challenging to pick just the right ones."

After trying a "gazillion" options, I'd say her persistence paid off! Barb's savvy fabric choices add depth, complexity, and gravitas to an otherwise simple design. 

I wonder if Barb had Ford’s Theatre in mind as she auditioned fabrics, or was it happenstance how closely they resemble the scene of Lincoln’s demise?

From the rich red carpet

and brocade upholstery...

to the heavy swag draperies of the Presidential Box, the similarities are striking!

Even the riverboat scene on the back is accurate to the Civil War era.

This is just one of many patriotic quilts inspired by Barb’s love of U.S. history. She displays her quilts and collections throughout her lovely home. Be sure to check them out!

Incidentally, there's even a connection between Mary Todd Lincoln and our little town of Batavia, Illinois. Ten years after President Lincoln's assassination, Mary was deemed mentally unstable and committed to Bellevue Place, a rest home and sanitarium just blocks from our house. Her stay was brief, a mere four months, but long enough for her to earn a prominent spot in local lore. In fact, the Batavia Historical Society still keeps the bed she slept in on display!