Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Monthly Archives: June 2013


by 6 Comments

Gray and Orange Strings are Finished!

wpid-IMG_1754_1.jpg

Here is the result of the 40 six-inch string blocks I pieced last week.  I really like the way it came out.

IMG_1756

The back is the end of a bolt of a kind of Japanese feel taupey gray circle print.  I just barely had enough, and it is perfect on the back.

Dark gray would have worked for the binding, but was a little hard to coordinate with the backing.  The soft orange hand dye looks good to me.

wpid-IMG_1749_2.jpg

I’m very happy with the quilting.  First I stabilized it by stitching in the ditch on all the vertical and horizontal seams with Bottom Line.  I almost always start like this.  It isn’t very noticable in the finished quilt, but it really does keeps things from going askew.

IMG_1751

Then I quilted randomly placed leaves all over the top.  I cut an 8 1/2″ template and traced about 60 of them (they are so random they are hard to count).  I used two strands of light gray Sulky rayon thread to do the stitching.  There are also two “special” leaves where I tried using a silver metallic or a dark gray thread.  I didn’t stick with either, but I left the two experiments to be surprises to discover.

wpid-IMG_1761_1.jpg

This did start as a donation quilt, but it is only 48″ x 72″.  I like that size for a throw, but quilt drives often prefer larger ones, so it’s going in my Etsy shop soon.

What have you finished?

I’m linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.


by 2 Comments

WIP Wednesday: Tulips!

image

I don’t know if I’ve ever had more trouble photographing fabric than these four fabrics.  Every light in my studio is on (cue country song), and it’s daytime, but I still can’t get a true picture.  Take my word that these fabrics really do play nice together.  The pink is a little on the strawberry side, but nowhere near as dark as it looks.  My favorite blocks are the ones with the two tulip prints.  This placement works, but I may move some things around, too.  You’ll just have to stay tuned.

I’m using the Disappearing Four Patch technique (D4P), which I think is a lot prettier than the 9 patch.  I’m sure there are lots of tutorials, but I learned it from Mama Vesuvius when she was collecting blocks for Hurricane Sandy quilts.  Scroll down a little on that page, the tutorial is there.  These are the 12 1/2″ blocks she is showing.

 

image

I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


by 1 Comment

Getting it Done in May and June

IMG_1748

Well, where did May go?  It’s always a busy month, with end of school stuff (not so much for me anymore, but my son did have to be moved home from college), birthdays, and holidays.  Still, I was thinking about reporting for the month about the 27th, and then…poof!  It was June.

 

May Goals

1. Finish Project Hope Online Quilt Show art quilt.

2. Make pair of pillow cases to coordinate w new queen quilt.

3. Make primary baby quilt

4. Scrap donation quilt. (orange and blue)

June Goals

1.  Make donation quilt (Tulips).

2.  Nautical baby quilt.

3.  Make pair of pillowcases (Nicey Jane).

4.  Piece top for SIL Christmas gift quilt.

 

Yes, I made all my May goals.  Considering that I’m retired, these were not lofty goals.  I prefer to make them very attainable, and feel the satisfaction of getting them done.  Without them I am sure I would wander around and do far less.  Plus, it gives me a place to write down new projects as they occur to me.  I know, some people track everything on spreadsheets, but that isn’t me.  My Goals page, my Flickr destashing group, Stash Reports, and my little calendar with the cat on the front are where I track my progress.  It’s working.

 

tBwL_socmedlogo_big_-300x300

In addition to the goals I wrote down, I also made the aqua and gray zig zag baby quilt, and a flag for To Boston With Love.  Have you seen the flags hanging?  Look at this video of 1500 of them hanging in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

 

Project%20Hope

The most satisfying May goal was the Project Hope Online Quilt Show.  Go there and see more of these beautiful, thoughtful pieces.  Lots of good vibrations sent out to combat the hatred in the world.  Be inspired and add yours to this great project.

 

I’m linking up with Getting It Done at Patchwork Times.

 


by 4 Comments

Design Wall Monday: D4P

Urbana-20130603-00876

 

Today’s fabrics aren’t even on the design wall yet.  I spent time today repairing the damage to my fabric closet after The Great Stash Cave In.  The problem was the extremely close quarters inside the closet.  There is not enough space to pull the baskets straight out to remove them from the frames.  And I have some backings hanging in there.  And packing boxes.  And I was in there.  So that was an ordeal.

 

Urbana-20130414-00786

 

But while I was at it I pulled several older, floral fabrics that I do not wish to see anymore.  They are lovely, and perfectly good quality.  I once was obsessed with tulip fabric.  I collected quite a bit, and made one of my nieces a twin sized quilt using a lot of it.  But I still have a lot left.  And I’m just not as into it.  So I want this to become my next donation quilt.  Perhaps someone else can indulge a tulip obsession.  Or at least keep warm.

My concept at the moment is to do a Disappearing Four Patch that transitions gradually from one fabric to the next as it goes across the quilt.  I’m still working out how to do that, but I think I’ve settled on the fabrics.  The florals and the pink are definite.  I’m reluctant to include my wonderful green Grunge because I like it so much, but that’s silly, isn’t it?  I bought it to cut up and sew into quilts.  I just want to use it and keep it, too, like cake.  But it wants to be in this quilt, so I will probably use it.  I think.

 

Are you playing with fabric today?

 

I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Time.

 


by 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: A little out, a little in. 6/2/13

 
image

It’s been a busy, hot week, and I didn’t sew as much as I would have liked.  I need to make sure I get up early and not linger over the coffee and tablet.  Our woods are deceptively cool, but by noon my upstairs studio is usually too hot for sewing in this weather.  We’ve also been away a fair amount.   This week I used 6 1/2 yards for the Orange and Gray String Quilt.  I’ll blog about it soon.

 
image

Some fabric was purchased.  10 1/2 yards.  but isn’t it pretty?  Those are little gray flying geese on the white one!  I passed by The Fabric Shack twice in the last two weeks, but I couldn’t look the other way the third time.  The geese were on sale…  Aaa, I have the rest of the year to make it to -100 yards!

 

This week:  +10.5 yards,  -6.5 yards

YTD:  +83.5 yards,  -144.4 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -61 yards

 

How are you doing with your destashing?

 

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.