Avaland's 2018 Quilts & Other Creative Projects

A new year means new projects....

Hi, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Lois and I'm semi-retired here in New Hampshire. I have a room I called "the studio" which perhaps would be better named "the playroom." In the past few years I've tried to narrow down my activities mostly to keep the amount of clutter at a reasonable level.

Last year I did not get into the playroom much as I had a neck injury in March that resulted in an impeded nerve, resulting in months of pain that also radiated down my left arm (I'm left-handed). It was a miserable 7 1/2 months while it was determined that surgery was needed. Anywho, surgery was on Halloween, they removed the offending disc, and I am now pain-free. I am more conscious now about how many hours I spend hunched over a sewing machine(or a computer keyboard, a book ...etc.

I have an adorable grandson, now 2 1/2, who lives in the area. Another grandchild is due in June by way of another daughter who lives in the DC area. These are great distractions!

Congratulations on the new grandchild-to-be!

I am aware of the strain on my back, neck and shoulders when I am at the sewing machine. So do take it easy and look after your new neck.

You are lucky to have a designated area for your work. I spread myself between the spare room (for storage) the pool table (for cutting etc) and the study (for the sewing machine). Maybe in our next house . . . . .

Looking forward to seeing more of your projects in 2018.

>2 judylou: Thanks, Judy. I'm looking forward to yours also.

Is there to be a next house? (if so, definitely make sure there is a playroom for you!).

A next house? I can dream, can't I? Our house - we built in 1996 - was a great house for the kids. But it is way too big for us now. But the thought of sorting/throwing/moving 20 years of stuff makes me shudder!!

>4 judylou: I've just gone through that, Judy, and can attest it is NOT for the faint of heart. For us I think it's worth it because we moved to a location that offers us a better empty nester lifestyle, but of course it's a very individual/personal decision.

Congratulations on your new grandbaby. I see a baby quilt in amongst your 2018 projects, I sure.

>4 judylou: - I've just gone through that too, Judy. We were in our old house 23 years like you and Laura is right - it takes some doing to get rid of stuff. We were going into a community that was being built so I did have months and I could take it a little bit at a time.

>4 judylou: This fall I helped friends prepare to sell their house of 30 years. We both had built houses in the mid-80s and were next door neighbors until I sold our house after my divorce. They seem to have suddenly realized that their house was way to big for them—too costly and a lot work (they're in their later 60s). I couldn't do much physically, so basically I helped them with organizing and prioritizing, which is what I'm good at anyway. The house sold officially on the 15th. Their (her) problem was letting go of stuff, it all had meaning, so there is much to deal with in the near future (they are building a very small new house....)

>6 dudes22: Thanks. It's to be a boy. This daughter is more picky (perhaps I should call it 'more selective'), she will want a specific pattern with specific fabrics...etc.

Well, I am finally back in the studio, doing my warm-up exercises. I'm making more of those scrappy squares just to see what my tolerance level is for the activity (bones aren't fused in the neck yet). My son came over and installed some insulated roller shades in the room for me. I've had them for a couple of years and it took him a fraction of the time it would have taken me! (or my husband, and there would have been all that swearing...)

My head is starting to fill with projects, most are terribly easy ones, despite yearning to start something creatively or technically difficult and large. Thing is, I've given quilts to most loved ones...etc and what would I do with it? Maybe I can justify difficult smaller quilts! There is the new grandson expected in June but that daughter is very selective; she will have wanted to pick out pattern and fabric, as she did for her wedding.

There are still 3 quilts with the machine quilter and I have another queen-sized scrap quilt almost together and will need more ironing.

I'm feeling a bit more human these days.

>8 avaland: You could do Project Linus or QuiltsFor ___ (fill in the charity). There's always something happening via social media. I stalk most of the modern quilt guilds on Instagram after QuiltsForPulse looking for charity projects or something similar. Also, you could contact your local churches or shelters to see if they need quilts of some sort. While difficult projects isn't really what they want or need, it's kinda nice to have an outlet.

>8 avaland: So glad to hear you are "feeling a bit more human these days". It's amazing how injury, surgery, and/or illness can drag us down. But, it's a new year, the days are getting longer, the new grandson will appear and you're back in the studio.

I first read insulated roller skates, and being used to insulated footwear, had visions of you gliding around your studio, putting things in order and dreaming up new projects! Roller shades, while much appreciated, came as somewhat of a letdown.

Take care of your neck, don't overdo it and all the best in the new year. I'm looking forward to seeing what you will come up with.

I'm so glad to hear you're feeling more "human" and starting to get your mojo back. Looking forward to seeing what you decide on.

"YAY" to feeling more human. That's a state we should all appreciate being in!

I also have dozens of projects rolling around in my head but just can't seem to settle on any one thing. So I have started a small table runner for my mother. An easy and quick pattern to get me going again.

>9 lesmel: Yes, there are always charitable projects....

>10 SassyLassy: First, it seems, there the kitchen re-do. Although this is not as big of a project as the previous kitchen in the previous house, it still takes brain space. Not sure I will design a backsplash this time. Because of the crazy wallpaper, the backsplash probably should be low-key.

"insulated roller skates" LOL, too funny. I can see why "shades" might be a let down.

>11 dudes22: Thanks. Haven't landed on anything yet.

>12 judylou: I'm still producing scrap squares...I'm avoiding ironing that queen-sized top....

Picked up the batik quilt from the quilter on Friday. I like the stitching and, although I worried about how the thread color would look on such a multi-colored quilt, the gray we chose was the best possible choice.

Batik quilt, close up showing the quilting. Color is off in this photo and the photo is on its side.

{Photo Removed}

Back of the the batik quilt showing the stitching a bit better. This photo is also on its side (can be bothered to do the extra steps to right it this morning) Color is also off, this is a very vibrant, deep teal.

{Photo Removed, see finished quilt msg#24}

Will take better photos when I have it bound and out in daylight.

Here's an old photo as a reminder of what it looks like (and the color is better) Actually this is not the top complete, this is only 16 blocks, I think it's at least 30.

{Photo Removed, see finished quilt msg#24}

Oh, lovely! The colors are so bright and wonderful.

That’s a really nice pattern for the stitching, Lois. I find it hard to pick a thread color for the quilting when there are multiple fabrics, especially when it’s a big difference, like blue and white. The Christmas quilt I did, I ended up with a gold thread which worked out very nicely. (2017 thread 109) I’m working on a red, white and blue flag quilt and I’m thinking I might use multiple thread colors since there are stripes and it won’t be to hard to change.

Both quilts look absolutely fabulous.

>18 lauralkeet: Ah! But they are the same quilt, front and backing! But, thank you. Laura.

>17 dudes22: One of the machine quilters I use did black on a black background colorful scrap double Irish chain. The black thread looked great on the black but not so great on the colorful "chain" (we use that lap quilt to cover the coffee table to protect it from Oliver running toy cars over it).

>14 avaland: It looks lovely!

>19 avaland: oh, the same quilt. I get it! Still fabulous!

>14 avaland: Even if the colour is off, that closeup shot does real justice to the detail of the fabrics themselves --- lovely. The backing fabric is so lush and goes with the quilting so well; it really works. How do you select your quilting motif?

There is a grey Gutermann thread that a favourite fabric store swears by for quilting or sewing things with many colours.

>20 lesmel:, >21 lauralkeet: Thanks!

>22 SassyLassy: I tend to want to soften the angles in a pieced quilt like that, so I go with designs with curves (no sharp angles!). It also generally "knits" the quilt together. I'm not looking for artistry so much as balance & a kind of wholeness (that sounds a bit woo, doesn't it? :-)

This quilter has a notebook of ones she has done and some additional samples on white quilted pieces. I know it when I see it.

I'm looking for ideas for the backing. A batik looks fine on the batik side, but not on the solid fabric backing. A solid looks better with the backing but not so much with the batiks on the front. I'm thinking my only answer is black. (I would rather not use black, but other solids that would go with that deeeeep teal is something else from the blue green family or its color opposite, orange, I think. Maybe I need a little stripe...What do you all think?

Quilt on the snow. Hanging in the branches. Finally finished! I ended up backing it with the same fabric as the backing fabric

WOW! That is great. What size did it end up? I'm sure you told us somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look back. You have a great color sense putting all those colors together.

Thanks, Betty!

It's 6 x 5 blocks, each block is 16 x 16 inches and made up of 49 pieces (if I remember correctly). It should measure 96x80 inches.

The colors are very cheering, which is why I felt I had to go out and photograph it on the hard snow. We've been having a melt and freeze cycle, so a couple of inches of hard snow and some ice out back, and some ground showing in places out front where it gets more sun.

I thought it looked large.

>27 dudes22: Larger than I originally intended -- I got carried away, I think.

I've finished the top for another queen-sized random scrap quilt (also mostly made before the neck injury), and it just needs ironing on the big table before sending it off.

Yesterday I spent some delicious time with Jinny Beyer's The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns: 4050 Pieced Blocks for Quilters*, graph paper and pencil. This is more encyclopedia than how-to, but I like to take an interesting block and see what might be done. I have made several quilts using blocks from this books. Usually, I make the blocks larger as I really don't wish to work on pieces much smaller than 2.5 inches (says she who felt the need not so long ago to use tiny waste triangles to make a quilt, LOL).

Which is all to say, I have some ideas.

*I love this book. It rarely is put away on the shelf as I am forever flipping through it, when I'm restless, not feeling well, just for fun... It's starting to show serious wear from overuse.

Large is good! Then it can be used for various purpose, nice and cozy! It's lovely. :)

Oh, that's gorgeous!

It's very colorful and lovely!

>28 avaland: I love those days just noodling away with some good designs for inspiration and an unlimited supply of paper. Do you keep the papers organized somehow afterwards? I have not yet found my sketch and thoughts notebook for ideas since moving and now that I have more time, it is beginning to bother me. I need it!

Lovely quilt. Those photos outdoors always get me.

That is GORGEOUS! Well done!

Thanks, all. It is rather exhilarating!

Diddled around with a few block patterns from the encyclopedia over the past few days, so today I took one into the studio with the intent to use up more scraps (I have boxes of 2.5 inch scrap strips, 4" and 5" squares...etc so it's easy to put together blocks using segments of that size).

This photo is on its side, but it doesn't really matter. This is four blocks (I think you can probably see where the block boundaries are*). It's very quick to work up and I'm thinking the white spaces will) show up some nice quilting. This works up really fast. I also thought this would look nice with a lightweight denim instead of the white.



This is an adaptation of the featured block in the encyclopedia, a 1929 block called "True Lovers' Knot." That block adds the other two corners and sides. I couldn't see how that block could made an interesting quilt unless it had borders of some kind between them.

*if you can't tell, each block is 4 parts: piece made of 9-2.5 inch squares, two pieces of 3-8.5 x 2.5 strips, and the white 8.5 square. I'm not being completely random about the scraps. I'm avoiding extremes like very dark or too bright a red...etc.

That's really nice. How big do you think you'll make it?

>35 dudes22: I'm thinking 5x6 blocks which would make it 60 x 84; however, there is a sort of half block that completes the design, so that would add 6.5 to each...so 66 x 90? I guess that would be useful on a twin bed, a little more than 10 inches on the sides (sorry, calculating as I post!)

This goes together very, very fast. I ran out of the white I was working with, may go see if I can find a match; if not, I'll use some other white I have. It is after all, a scrap quilt.

That's a nice size. Could even be a "couch" quilt.

>37 dudes22: Except now I'm getting a bit bored with it, so it might be just a large lap quilt!

>38 avaland: - I hear you. Sometimes after I get the blocks made and put into rows, it takes an effort to put the rows together.

Here are what the blocks in #34 turned out like:


This photo was taken Sunday. It's still there on the floor because after I returned from work today, I started to wonder about using my collection of big Asian prints. I cut an 8.5 inch square out of each, and two out of one or two of the fabrics and I have started to play with them. I don't think the same pattern will work with these, although I did think reversing the grid so white was black might work. Still thinking.



I don't think I have enough of the black with gold calligraphy to do much with it, so I was playing with the idea of framing each square with a thin strip of complimentary fabric (different for each square) and then a border. I might be able to use solid, flat black if I can stitch a gold design on it (or something). All of these prints have gold in them.

The lower photo above shows the doodling around process, LOL

They are beautiful fabrics. I can see how a "reverse" block would work with the squares. I have used some creamy white fabric with gold calligraphy on it in a quilt. I think that something like that would look good with it.

It looks to me from the pictures that these are sort of dark and I don't think the black fabric lets them stand out. I think the idea of a color around each block is a good one and then you could put the black between maybe. OR since they all have gold in them, maybe a tiny, gold border around each (like 1.4").

>41 judylou:, >42 dudes22: After playing around with things a bit, I took to "framing" each square with what will be (finished) a 1/2 inch border in a coordinating color. Each square has a different color. I'll now try a white or black or perhaps a gold between (although I'm not sure a flat solid gold will do much, but there probably is somewhere a gold fabric with some sparkle in it. Will also see if random small squares of Asian prints would look good in the space where four big squares come closest to each other.

Most of these fabric were done by Kona Bay years ago. Big, lush Asia prints, so addicting! Other fabric companies came up with their own prints some of which are quite good but didn't give me the buzz the Kona Bay one's did.

Will post another photo later today perhaps.

Here a photo of the squares with their "framing" and the various things I'm trying with regards to sashing. I'm leaning towards the narrow black pieces in the upper left, but haven't decided. Meanwhile, I'm putting the blocks and

(photo removed; updated below)

I should mention that the black pieces are showing their actual width on the design wall when they will be 1/2 inch narrow when finished.

>44 avaland: Those are truly gorgeous prints. I like the way you have inserted the narrower block in row 2, which somehow allows the sashing to work differently than in the other rows. Love the way you got "distracted" from your other quilt.

>45 SassyLassy: Thanks. A majority of the prints were printed by a company called Kona Bay, out of Hawaii & San Francisco. They closed down after 26 years, although I'm not sure exactly what year that was. I loved their prints. They also had some wonderful all-one-color prints: ginkgo leaves, mums..etc I was so addicted to their stuff (and addicted to Kaffe Fassett, and floral prints)

If you are referring to the three little squares, I had hoped that might work so I could use pieces of the other smaller Asian prints, but I think it makes it a bit busy and takes away from showcasing the big prints. I'm wondering: if I sash the large print blocks with the narrow black strips and then do a border made of 2 1/2 inch squares (like above) of all the small Asian prints....

>46 avaland: That's a brilliant idea!

I like that answer too. I think the narrower black strips work better. They seem to be in better proportion. Does the math work to make the side border just one long strip of squares or do you think you’ll match it to the block like in the picture? And I would put a black strip the same width as the others before adding the side strip to move it away from the body a little bit. I think a little less busy that way.

>47 SassyLassy: Thanks!

>48 dudes22: The math is my servant! I will sash in black (I think that narrower sashing is 1.5 inches, so an 1 finished (but I'll have to check) which would include the outer edges, then do a row of the small print squares (possibly with a bit of black between...if it looks better) and lastly either another strip of black or just black binding (I'm leaning towards the latter). I think some of this is what you are describing?

Sort of. I just don’t like those little squares so close to the big one. I was thinking you could also do a wide border with the squares within and maybe just around the corners. That way the math would work. Personally I don’t like the look of those little squares mashed up against the big square. I think it takes something away and the big square gets a little lost.

>50 dudes22: Ah. Yes, I agree! Having the small squares within the main part of the quilt distracts from the large scale prints. I think doing an outer border of them, with the black sashing between that and the first of the large prints, should visually separate them and perhaps make them more of a compliment.

I'll mock it up and re-post a photo soon. Had the grandson for an overnight in between shifts at the bookstore, so no time in the studio.

While I was unpacking boxes in my sewing room, I came across a small wall hanging that I had done with some Japanese pints when I was first learning to appliqué. I guess I should add it to the list of projects to finish, although I don’t know what I’d do with it.

>52 dudes22: I guess if you don't want a wall hanging, how about making a lovely carry bag out of it?

Too small for even that. Maybe I’ll use it on top of a table.

OK. I have sewn in the black verticals between the floral squares, and laid out black horizontals. This is not a very large quilt --- those large squares with frames are only 9 inches. The rest is a mock up for the study of possible borders.

On the upper part, I've mocked up a narrow inner border with an outer border of 2.5 x 2.5 in square prints, finished with a black binding.

On the lower, I've mocked up a somewhat wider inner border with the same outer border of little squares but this time with small black horizontal pieces to separate them visually. Then another narrow border and/or binding.

I kind of like the lower mock-up but I have no idea how the math would work for that all to fall just right. I would need to actually sew something up and see.

What do you think?

I have to agree that I like the black in between the smaller squares. I think if you consider the finished size of the square plus the sashing as one number, then you could divide it to see how close it would fit. Of course, you would need to add one more finished sashing size for the other end. Or you could put a solid black strip in the middle of the sashing of some indeterminate length and that way you could absolutely make it work.

I definitely say go with the lower one. Also, for the math part, I'd say start in the middle and work outwards, and just have the black making up whatever extra space there is at the ends. So long as it's the same amount top & bottom, I think that'd look good. At least, it does in my head, lol.

>55 avaland: I love these conundrums.

My thoughts would be the narrower inner border and black binding rather than the wider inner border if this is a small quilt.

The smaller floral squares are a great idea. When you speak of the math, do you mean trying to balance a certain number of smaller squares beside and within the length of a larger square? While the small squares look well either way, I think I like the ones without the small black horizontals better as they seem to flow around the quilt better, emphasizing the wonderful swirls in the larger squares and carrying the colours around.

>56 dudes22: Yup. that's the math plan. Hopefully, i'll get to it soon. The kitchen is getting demolished on the 12th!

>57 .Monkey.: Yes, that is how I would calculate. Whether I go with that might depend on how much "makeup" black there is.

>58 SassyLassy: I think I expected it to be bigger... 'Tis true about the flow, too. I should probably cut those squares and see if the actual prints would look any different. It's possible I may be able to run the squares around without trying have three squares beside each large square...

You've all given me some good thoughts; I'll mull and play around some more.

I did finish sewing the quilt in #40 together (it was just laid out in the photo). It will need a good ironing before I can send it off. Still waiting for two previous to come back from one quilter.

What did you decide to quilt in the big white squares? Or do you wait til your quilter gets it and then talk it over?

>60 dudes22: I have one quilter (Carla the quilter) who has an early quilting machine and can only do freehand stuff. She does great freehand feathering, which she did on a quilt I made some years back for my daughter to raffle to benefit the American Lung Cancer Assoc. It was a double Irish chain with large white squares and a "chain" of bright, batik-like, scrap squares. It looked faboo.

Which reminds me that I have to call "Cheryl the Quilter" about the two she still has.

Soooooo, I fussed with the math for the strip of 2.5 inch squares for quite a while, trying out various sizes of black "separator" strips between the small squares. To make them line up exactly with the edges of the large squares is just too fussy for me (we are talking eighths of an inch). Not only do I want to maintain the joy in making the quilt, but I'd like my sanity to remain intact, so I have decide to widen the black border to 4.5 or possibly 5 inches, which will make more of a visual separation between the large and small squares. Then the border of 2.5 inch squares (2 inches finished) with black separation bars that are 3/8 to 1/2 finished (my 1/4 foot is a bit more than 1/4 inch, it seems). Finally, just a black border.

Here's the mock up. The strip of small squares is sewn together but the rest are just positioned. I think it looks okay.

Those small square are some stray pieces and leftovers from cutting the large squares, so I have a lot of cutting to do from my stash of smaller Asian prints.

Don't know how much I will be working on the this in the near future as my kitchen is to demolished a week from Monday, so that the new cabinets, sink, flooring, countertop, appliances...can be installed. For those who have been here a long time, you might remember I did this in the old house back in 2011(?)

>63 avaland: Yikes -- do you have to move out temporarily? Can you reuse any of the cabinets in a sewing room? It's all exciting though. One more reason to try and keep the quilt simple to keep your sanity intact!

>64 SassyLassy: We will just move the refrigerator and dishwasher into the adjacent room. We have a wall oven and stove top and they are being replaced. We will have to pack up all the stuff in the cabinets and stack the boxes and put them also in the adjacent room. We will set up a table for the microwave, sandwich press and toaster, which will be useful while the new cabinets/countertop/flooring are going in.

We are saving the upper cabinets to use in the laundry room (i don't have any wall in the sewing room to put them on).

Not sure I'm going to get back to that quilt for a while. I think I have to buy more black before I can. I do have two quilts that need ironing so I can send them to quilters, so that's something to do.

It's interesting to be matching the kitchen to the glorious wallpaper!



The cabinets are cherry, the countertop is a medium dark gray variegated granite; called "silver pearl" with a "leathered" finish (though still debating the finish).

1st - quilt - I like that arrangement of the squares. Hope you can get back to it soon.

2nd - kitchen - hope you’re not out of commission for too long. I remember when we did ours over. Just keep telling yourself “it will be worth it, it will be worth it” :)

>66 dudes22: Maybe between packing up and unpacking the kitchen? It's all in the timing. I think I have all the ducks in the row, as best as one can. I may have to retreat to the studio just to get away from the chaos, ha ha.

It is always fun to think about color, style, patterns, textures, and function in these projects. The only thing I haven't put much thought to yet is backsplash.

I did play with one idea of having a collection of book pages or poetry and things like pressed flowers...etc under glass...but I might be too ambitious and have to drop it down a notch.

Fabric haul from the "Fabric Extravaganza" sale held annually at a reasonably nearby Holiday Inn. I had to brave the snowstorm to get to an 8 am appointment in the area so I hung around for the show to open. It features 7 quilt shops and one sew & vac store selling items at sale prices (and they have homemade cookies out for attendees!). Each were different but there were fat quarters for $1, yards for prices as low as $4 or 5. It's not the top-of-the line stuff (imo) or designer lines, but there are some nice deals for someone like me who is prone to scrappy quilts.

And the quilt shops represented were not immediately local, although the sew & vac store is (I believe they organize it).

That looks like a good haul. My favorite store has a big sale around St Patrick's Day - this year on the 17th. it started as a way to reduce inventory for tax purposes and they've just kept on doing it. I'd like to get the fabric to make a quilt for our bed, but I can't find the book with the pattern I want to use. Pete gave it to me for Christmas right before we moved and I suspect I packed it in a box that wasn't quilting stuff. I thought I'd unpacked everything, but I guess I'll need to do a thorough looky-see.

>69 dudes22: Packing and moving, there are always those disappearances. I have another two days to finish packing up the kitchen and I hope to avoid "losing" something (even temporarily).

I've not gone every year to this big fabric sale. There are a lot of bolts of fabric there that they will cut, but I rarely have specific projects in mind to be able to say I want 3 yards of this or 2 yards of that. The exception being a piece I can use for backing; or neutrals. Mostly, I'm thinking of the stash or the scrap bins and what the mix might be lacking.

Not getting any sewing done because of....
This...

(lots left to do...countertop, backsplash, floor...)

And this...

Overnight during the last storm (Tues->Weds). Best use of quilt, don't you think?

And this...

work, work, work... (I kept the photo small so you wouldn't be distracted trying to read the titles)

And did I mention this...

(luckily in March the snow melts down between Nor'easters. This was a short lull in the most recent, the 3rd big storm)

>71 avaland: I had a nightmare's worth of snow winter before this one, and you have my sympathy. That is, indeed, the best possible use of a quilt, and a picture you would want to save forever.

Even if someone else is doing the work, renovations interfere with everything else. And when we did ours, everyday I was cleaning up dust even though the contractor was very good cleaning up.

Great use of quilt. We've had a bunch of snow here also. But it's been the winds knocking down trees and electric wires that are causing the most trouble. My brother's farm lost electric for 5 days. Luckily, they do have a generator to keep the meat freezers running and the well. We never lost it. But you are right, the snows melt pretty fast this time of year.(Except those huge piles in the parking lots.)

>72 Lyndatrue: Thanks, but it's March so melting faster than it would in January or February. It's not so bad, really. Not nearly as bad as three winters ago, when we had several feet of snow in the back yard.

>73 dudes22: The wind was bad that first storm. We had a lot less wind for the 2nd and 3rd Nor'easter. We have a generator, so we are all set if the power goes it (it only went out for overnight during the 1st or 2nd storm, I forget which, and we didn't bother with it then).

So the granite comes in on Monday next week, the plumber on Tuesday, the appliance installer/electrician on Wednesday. The floor won't go in until the end of the first week in April. Not getting much quilting done, but I am planning to go to the Chelmsford Quilters Guild show in May. It's not huge, but it's enough to get the needed "buzz." ha ha.

Is the nor'easter we're supposed to get tomorrow night going to reach as far north as you? We're supposed to get another 4-6". But there's bare ground here and all the snow from the last storm is gone. I could use a quilt show. I'm tired of winter.

>75 dudes22: It's supposed to reach all the way up here to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. We lost power last week, but the winds aren't supposed to be as high this time, so here's hoping. Freezing rain may do the job of the wind though.

>74 avaland: Sounds organized. Can you get local granite? Please post pictures when it is all done!

>75 dudes22: It was 5-8" here but now they are saying 1-3" but stand by for updates as the nor'easter hasn't even formed yet.

>76 SassyLassy: If you don't have a generator, I'd recommend a Honda.

I don't know if local granite is available. We are the "Granite State" after all, one would think it might be available, but I've not seen any that are touted as such. I will have to ask the countertop people come Monday. I will have to try not to mess the kitchen up before I take the photo!

I still don't know what I'm doing for a backsplash.

They've actually upped our total for tomorrow. Now they're saying 6-8".

Today it's back up to 3-6" but stay tuned, they say, could track more northerly. Yawn.

And we ended up with basically nothing!

>79 avaland: We had about an inch when I left for work but temps went above freezing and the roads cleared. We do have plenty still on the ground, of course.

Somehow I lost track of threads here. Love seeing your projects as usual, and that wallpaper!

A friend and I had a nice lunch out in Henniker, NH...with a stop at one of my favorite quilt shops. I didn't know the 2nd floor was open to traffic but she explored it with her camera in hand. I like to think of this as "woman in her native habitat"

So how's the reno going?

Oh, while I was way up in northern ME & NH, our backsplash was done (hubby was home). Will post a photo tomorrow.

The tiler arrived just before I left for parts north and did the backsplash in two days.





The second photo show it in relation to the wallpaper, although the wallpaper guy now needs to come and finish the papering, which will bridge that gap. The backsplash by itself is somewhat icy but added to the warmth of the wood cabinetry, the mostly black counter and the nearby wallpaper, I think it goods grand.

I think the papering will finish the project.

I had been putting in many more hours at the bookstore since November due to a couple of reasons, but there is a new general manager now and he's nearly up to speed on the software so I will soon have much more time on my hands.

That’s really very nice looking.

Seeing the quilt on snow reminded me of a practice that works great on woolen items -- if you live in a warm-winter area, and have access to snow. Once a year take the rug, jacket, wall hanging, etc., to snow country. Set the item out on a sheet, or the trunk of a car, and let it get really cold. You don't want it to get wet and melt snow in the next step. When its cold, brush snow into the woolen area, and brush it out again. This will kill all the warm winter woolen bugs that will infect and eat up your item..chomp chomp...
Cheap, no chemicals. I used it on Navaho rugs for decades.. skipped a year and yes,... I had damage.
For the rugs, I put them on the snow and used a broom to sweep the snow on and off. It does a great job of cleaning, too, without hazardous chemicals. The freezing temperatures kill the eggs and larvae. When I visited relatives in snow country, my woolen winter coat was perfect... Skipped the trip one year and the next time I looked, there were holes where I could see the lining.

>88 Lace-Structures: That is a fascinating process but thankfully I'm not working with wool :-)

>87 dudes22: Thanks

Got two quilts back from Cheryl the Quilter and have finished the one that is made from the fabric squares my Nana salvaged over the years. The fabrics date from the 30s to the 60s or 70s. She came to live with us in '58 and passed away in '81. Some of the roughly 4 inch squares were hand-pieced from smaller scraps. I recognize three fabrics that were dresses of my mother's, and two from aprons. The binding is from a large piece of fabric that had the skirt of a 1950s my mother wore. Clearly, it fell out of fashion and she salvaged the cotton fabric (and I used it for binding!)

This is also a somewhat popular pattern with me, isn't it?

I couldn't wash the fabrics ahead of time, so the quilt was washed after I finished it, which gave it a nice, pebbled sort of texture.

>90 avaland: You made me misty-eyed with memories. I love my quilt from my Granny, and I love recognizing all the bits and pieces of her life (and mine).

Your quilt is lovely, on its own, and the memories in it are an extra gift, a layer of love and family.

Very nice. Love the colors.

>50 dudes22: Thanks. It's such a simple pattern, put together imperfectly, which seems just fine for what it is. I like to think of it as a connection to the sewing women who have gone before me (my mother, my nana and my great grandmother all worked in the textile mills, too)

>92 mnleona: Thanks! (I have to say: I really had no part in the color choice - except to avoid solids)

I like this pattern. As a matter of fact, I decided to start organizing my scraps and am planning some HSTs for a quilt.

Here is the 2nd quilt I got back from Cheryl, the binding was finished yesterday while I was cowering in the AC.





This is the one that is paper-pieced. 6 1/2 inch block. Quilt is roughly 5' x 7', made from mostly random scraps but I did have to cut some of those larger triangles from stash. I really like this one and I'm tempted to make another. I printed the template a zillion times on my printer for this one, but perhaps I could get Staples to enlarge it to 8.5, the width of the paper and then print it on cheaper paper.

So, today I paper-pieced two "pineapple" blocks. These blocks finished would be 7 inches, and that means that about half of the block I'm working with very small pieces. The center you see is a 1.5 inch square finished to 1 inch. And because I was working up samples, I forgot that one has to sew with very small stitch in order to pull the paper off after (so, getting the paper off the back of these two blocks is going to be a challenge).

I might be able to enlarge it a bit more and still get the pattern on an standard piece of copy/typing paper (8 inches would be the limit). It would take 49 squares to make a quilt 56x56" The quilt above in #95 was a 6 1/2 inch block, paper-pieced.

Or, I could wing it and do a larger block freehand.

*2 block photo removed, see 4 block photo next message*

I do have some artsy quilts; ideas I want to play with, but the pineapple blocks came up because I have tons of small scraps. I imagine that, like my reading, I will eventually settle on something.

Exchanging the one picture above (2 blocks) with this of 4 blocks, arranged so the colors connect.



I timed the last one and it took me 50 minutes to make one 7.5 inch block. It might get a little faster if I continue. I plan to get some purple in there also, maybe some some blue-greens (if I continue. If I don't these are the perfect size for potholders.

I really like those blocks. They sound laborious but the results ... ooh la la.

Those are nice, Lois. I did a pineapple block for my Christmas quilt sampler a few years ago (red, green and gold where you have white.) I've pinned a few pineapple quilts in Pintrest as ideas for some color combos. An hour to do a block isn't bad at all.

>98 lauralkeet: Therein lies the rub!

>99 dudes22: I've pulled the scraps out of the various buckets now, and made little color piles, so it may go a bit faster. I've got Pineapple Plus by Karen Hollaby, which has various tricks to making the blocks, and I did look at it again, but decided to go with the paper-pieced.

Ooh, love that!

{photo removed, see update below}

It's slow going, but I try to do at least 2 blocks a day. I fixed the odd, orange plaid corner on the first block I did (constructed before I knew what direction I was taking), but I refrain from over-engineering the colors and fabric choices. It's supposed to look scrappy.

The background pieces are also a variety of white, off-white, butter & light tan prints and solid scraps (waste triangles, mostly)

I am tempted to do one of these in an extra-large block (no paper piecing)...but then, I suffer from too, too many ideas and this is just one of them.

Love that! That kind of color work is favorite and I love the block design.

>102 avaland: Thank goodness you are not in the business of selling quilts. I would probably pay stupid money for this one, and I have no need for another quilt, nor the room to store it (or display it). It is simply beautiful.

That's really nice, Lois. I've "pinned" a couple of quilts that are similar to use for ideas. Some day.

>102 avaland: I love pineapple quilts! Even better, I love Jenny's tutorial on making these with a fancy-dancy ruler gadget. In fact I love most of the tutorials from MSQC.

>103 mabith: Thanks! (alas, not my design. It's a standard "pineapple" block and I found the paper-piecing template on the web)

>104 Lyndatrue: Aw, thanks! funny you should mention selling quilts... my quilts are just now starting to "pile up." After decades of making quilts for others, most everyone seems to have one.

>105 dudes22: I had picked up a book on making pineapple quilts, various methods; but then found the smaller paper-piecing block....

>106 lesmel: I can't tell you how many specialty gadgets I have picked up over the years to make one kind of quilt or another. I have rarely used them.

----------------

Because this is made with scraps, I stitch on a piece that covers the area and after doing all four around, I fold the paper over and trim the excess to 1/4 inch (if you could see the buckets of random scraps! sorted by small pieces, short strips, long strips, triangles. And then there are the buckets of 4 and 5 inch squares, 2.5 inch strips.

It gets really messy at times but I love it. I consider it the adult fun equivalent to childhood finger-painting! How fun is it to reach into a bucket of scraps and turn it over looking for that one piece amongst all those colors and patterns???

>107 avaland: buckets of random scraps ... the adult fun equivalent to childhood finger-painting

I don't completely understand how the piecing works, but I love learning about it and the bucket method is both fascinating and fun!

I did a Mariner's Compass class once, Lois, with Judy Martin and liked her technique for paper piecing with freezer paper. You fold the paper on the stitching line and cut your 1/4" seam and then put your second fabric and instead of stitching through the paper, you leave it folded out of the way and stitch just next to the paper. There's a little more to it than that brief explanation but there's no paper to take off at the end. The freezer paper just peels off.

>108 lauralkeet: imagine yourself in a netted play area with all manner of skeins of yarn....

>109 dudes22: Ooooo, Judy Martin! Interesting! Because the pieces are small, the paper is coming off quite as easy as my last paper-pieced quilt, but I save the paper peeling for while I'm watching (actually, just listening to) the news discussion on the television.

I have 35 of 49 blocks done. It will probably take another 8-10 days. I do at least two a day, when I'm home. Then, I will have to think about a border.

4 blocks left. We have the grandson* the next day and a half so no sewing for me (although, I'm sure he would like to rearrange the design board).



When I look at this I want to "fix" certain things, and I have fixed one or two corner pieces. But, I've talked myself out of it. I find the imperfection endearing -- like Harley Savage and Douglas Cheeseman, from Kate Grenville's The Idea of Perfection.

Not sure what the borders will be yet. A friend has suggested a small inner border of purple and another of blue, before a wider one of white. The binding could then be magenta.

*I have two! grandsons now, of course, but only one is local.

What imperfection? We are our own worst enemies sometimes. It's beautiful, Lois, and you will be the only one who notices the tiny bit that could have been different.

>112 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura.

Well - I had thought I posted a comment, but I must have forgotten to actually hit the post button. Anyway, I really like this. It must have taken a lot of thought to get the colors in the right places. I almost always think I want to change a couple of things when I work on my scrap blocks. But I'm usually just too lazy. But now I'll just say "it's endearing"..

>114 dudes22: I did draw a grid of the squares on paper and using colored pencils marked the corners with the colors. I didn't want to overthink it, but I wanted to make sure the colors were scattered across the quilt.

All the blocks are done now. The last block took 27 minutes (the first had taken 50 minutes), mostly because I had taken to laying out the scraps ahead of time, and I was more efficient with the paper-piecing. Which doesn't mean that I didn't completely fudge up the 2nd to last and had to chuck it out half done and redo the whole block!

I've got an itch to go to a quilt shop. Haven't had that itch for a while. May hold off until September as I hope to be in other parts of Northern New England for various reasons.

I'm currently marking this quilt which I pinned today, so that I can do some simple linear quilting on it. I plan to finish the binding lakeside on our little upcoming vacation!



I've also put together a simple, roughly twin-sized charity quilt with some of my copious amounts of fabric. It's made of large and small squares. Will post when complete. I have the blocks for another cut out.

Also, I have been thinking of what to do with various unfinished projects. One is about 30 pink, pieced blocks which I have put together. Assembled it's maybe 3x3.5 ft so I'm thinking of adding a larger floral border that has pink flowers. This will also be a charity quilt (I've found a bit of pink fabric that would go with it but not enough, thus the border idea)



I also have been thinking about what to do with leftovers from two quilts you might have seen in my previous threads from 4 or 5 years ago. The square blocks in these quilts were cut on point from a constructed "fabric" made from complimentary strips (same color family, different prints). What I have left is mostly half squares triangles. Thinking of doing a flower basket block with these pieces as the 'vase" and a print as the flowers. BUT, I have another idea that involves half triangles with scraps of poetry (as if you cut a triangle out of the page)



I'm continuing to create my random scrap squares when I'm in need of some mindless sewing. I have a serious problem with an overabundance of ideas and it's hard for me to decide between a shiny new project and finishing something that's been abandoned for a while (sometime ages!).

-----------------------------

I also bought an air purifier for the studio as I think I stir up quite a bit of cotton dust and am probably am inhaling it. It's quiet and doesn't take up a lot of room, and wasn't too expensive. Will let you know how it goes.

Well, I like all of these. I'll be interested in how you quilt the pineapple block. I always have a hard time deciding how to quilt a busy block like that. (I think I have used that blue as a border before too.)

I like the idea of a floral border for the pink block too. And I'll be interested in what you do with your "scraps"..

>117 dudes22: Betty, I'm just going to stitch straight lines through the centers and corners (thus, through the colors) which will make a basic grid. I haven't done any of my own quilting for quite a while (and I keep in mind my recent cervical injury & surgery). It will probably be just off-white thread, although I'll take a look at my quilting thread stash.

This will amuse some of you. I ran across a folder of paperwork from the 1980s, in the earlier days of my sewing, quilting, knitting...etc; and when my kiddos were small and I sewed on the kitchen table.



The design on the left was for a Christmas stocking, which I did make but didn't finish because I could find the original instructions on how to turn the heel and finish it off. The quilt block on the bottom became a pillow, hand-quilted. I made two of those cathedral window pillows and a crib size cathedral window quilt when I was pregnant (the last time) in '84 with my son (who tomorrow turns 34). I still have that quilt and the sample I made. Lastly, I made the knitted vest with the hearts (navy with pink hearts) for my 2nd daughter who yesterday turned 36! The vest looked adorable with a navy (with little pink hearts) OshKosh skirt I had spurged on. Memories, eh?!

I should note that this was well before the resurgence of knitting with its lovely artisan yarns which I saw begin about 20 years ago. I've more or less decided to give up knitting now as it makes the arthritis in my thumb joints worse. Just have not let go of the collection of needles...etc. (which still includes the white, size 10, Susan Bates needles my mother taught me on).

I finished the binding on the pineapple quilt while lakeside in Maine last week, so I couldn't resist an outdoor photo....



BUT, when I got home, I washed the quilt as I routinely do and a scrap in the quilt BLED INTO ADJACENT PIECES!!!!!! I am religious about pre-washing all my fabric so it has to be some random scrap that was too small to wash. Ugh.

I also finished the binding on a charity quilt I made. I have a lot of fabric, so I thought I'd make a quick quilt using 5 inch squares and 9 1/2 inch squares. The binding was done with the leftovers of about five previous bindings. I quilted the quilt in a diagonal quilt pattern.



Currently, I am about to quilt this quilt. This is what happened to the squares mentioned above in #116. While my younger daughter was home in the week after Labor Day, she said: Mom, isn't that the fabric (the black floral) that you made the curtain for in the old house? I had completely forgotten that I had made blouson curtains with a black & white striped underlayer in the 90s. This was the yardage I didn't use (I'm fairly certain that curtain is in a box here - can't let good cotton go to waste...).



I've just pinned the layers together and marked the diagonal grid for quilting. That will be tomorrow's project.

PS: For the backing of both quilts I used some light green yardage once bought for a statue of liberty costume. For the pink quilt, I pieced together leftover batting (same company, same weight) to use.

>120 avaland: - That's too bad. I always throw one of the Shout Color Wash sheets in with a quilt the first time - just in case. But it's very pretty. I may tackle a pineapple one of these days. I did a small one once as a table runner for one of the brides I did table runners for.

>121 avaland: - You've reminded me that I have a couple of charity quilts for Project Linus that I need to finish. Is there ANY way I could get an extra day in the week? ;)

Oh, those are lovely, as usual! And dang, that stinks about the bleeding. So frustrating.

Lovely quilts as always, Lois. How annoying to find you have a rogue scrap in there. Hopefully it's the sort of thing that only you will notice? But still ... I know how that is.

>120 avaland: Every time I read this I want to weep for you. That's just such a beautiful quilt, and I hope that the damage isn't as severe as you seem to be saying. I just find that pattern, and the colors in it, to be so beautiful. It really stirs my heart.

Of course, I find all your quilts lovely. :-}

>122 dudes22: I use the Shout when I’m pre-washing. I have never had this happen before! Obviously, I will use the Shout on this round now, also.

>123 scaifea: Thanks

>124 lauralkeet: Thanks. I think it’s very noticeable:-(

>125 Lyndatrue: I thought about trying to take it apart but it would never look the same. Well, you never know, I could become nuts enough to try.

I'm going to try using a Clorox Bleach Pen carefully on the white areas around the color bleed and add a Shout Color Catcher and see what happens. Have to pick up a new bleach pen, it seems.

>120 avaland: Maybe it helps it look aged? - trying to think of a positive spin on it!

>121 avaland: Lovely photo and quilt with the screened porch.

>127 avaland: - I'd try that before deciding to try and take it apart. I gave my niece twelve table runners as a wedding shower gift and when I saw the Dec one on her table a few years later, some of the cranberry fabric had run. This was before I knew about the Shout Catchers. I never said anything - I figure she probably felt bad enough.

>120 avaland: Did you dryer dry it? If not, there may be a way to pull the color bleed. There's a couple products out there worth a try. Of course, can I remember the name of either, no. Might want to ask your LQS. They are marketed often for JUST this sort of thing.

>128 SassyLassy: Thanks. I think I'm taking it pretty well :-)

>129 dudes22: Some years ago I gave my daughter a square blue & white table topper and they spilled coffee on it which stained it. I took it back and tried to get the stain out without damaging the blue, but it persisted. I may try the bleach pen on that, too.

>130 lesmel: Yes, it's been dried by dryer, so the stain has been set. Good idea for the future, though. Thanks.

Will let you all know what happens. In the meanwhile, I finished quilting (diagonal grid) and the binding on the pink & black quilt above. It's destined for donation. My usual charity has just moved to a new, temporary warehouse location and are currently dealing with the crisis around the 50 homes destroyed in the recent gas explosions. I'll drop them off by the holidays.

Have not tried fixing the "bleed" yet. Haven't picked up a bleach pen....

After toying with several different project, I decided to make a quick quilt for the newest grandson, now three months old. I have used one of my favorite "quickie" patterns and have just finished the top earlier this evening. Will post soon.

The quick quilt:

That's cute, Lois. Reminds me of those "I Spy" quilts. Lots of busy prints and colors for exploring. How big is the block within the quilt?

>134 dudes22: The block is made up of one 6.5 inch square, one 4.5 inch square, a 2.5x 4.5 rectangle and 5 - 2.5 inch squares. Calculating....so the rectangle block is 10 x 8 finished. If you look at the bottom left hand corner, the block includes the little dinosaur square and the larger light blue square above and slightly to the right of it --and the pieces on the right of the smaller square and the left of the larger square.

I should really make one of these out of batiks because I have a lot of leftovers from that big batik quilt I made, many of which are the same size as these pieces.

ok - I see it.

Another method for fixing color bleed: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-helpful-remedy.html

>137 lesmel: Thanks for that. I'm not sure I understand how that works, but I've got some Dawn and a bathtub so I'll try it. I haven't done anything to it yet. Will let you know!

>137 lesmel: - That was a great article. Very informative.

Here is the top of the batik quilt done in the same pattern as the quilt in #133. I have made at least 4 and possibly as many as 6 of these quilts. The first one was a scrappy holiday quilt, a more recent one was made with just blue prints. They are very easy. I cut or trim the first day. Assemble the blocks on the second day and lay them out on the floor trying to make sure same colors or prints aren't together, and assemble the rows on a third day. It's a tough quilt to keep track of which end of which row went there, easy to get them totally mixed up. This last time I numbered each row in the 1st block on the left to avoid screwing it up.



And for those interested in making one, here are the components for a block as noted in #135 above.



I still have batik scraps in abundance, Betty, if you are thinking of making one.

Thanks, Lois, but I have plenty of scraps. I went through a bunch of larger scraps and cut them down to smaller sizes a month or so ago, but not in those sizes. I might see if some of the sizes I have will work together even though the block will be a different size. I didn't cut any rectangles, but I have strips I can cut.

I had a quilt where I needed to keep track of the rows. So I wrote numbers with a sharpie on my flower pins and put them in the top left corner of each row. I 've done this a few times and it really has helped me.

Have a quilt idea using this pattern:



For nearly all of my adult life (yipes! more than 40 years), I have saved leftover fabrics scraps from almost every garment, quilt, curtains, and misc project I have ever made*. Many of these are cotton or or a cotton blend. I want to incorporate those bits into a quilt with photos of what was made out of them (yes, I often took photos), After doing so, I'll be able to let go of the excess

I thought this pattern might work as I could use the small triangles for the fabrics and two of the four larger triangles for the photos. And perhaps make a Wild Goose Chase border with just fabrics from the 50 or so quilts I've made. I have managed to enlarge the pattern close to 8".

Will keep you posted.

* The special occasion fabric is another story - that might end up in a holiday tree skirt, ha ha.

Quilt in #133 in use!

>143 avaland: Not fair! How can other quilts possibly compete?

What a cutie!

>143 avaland: so cute! He looks like a happy little guy. Those are some pretty wild undies too!

>143 avaland: - He looks like he's having a great time!

>143 avaland: Oh, goodness, what a cutie-patootie!

And I love the idea for the project scraps quilt!

Thanks, Ladies. He's almost 4 mos.

>145 lauralkeet: fancy dancy cloth diapers!

>147 scaifea: My original idea was to use photos of the creations in the large triangles (because I did take pictures over the decades of the things I made) or use photos of the patterns sleeves (yes, I kept those, too) but yesterday I printed off a few photos on one sheet and I realized it's not going to work the way I imagined it. No matter, I can use fabric the larger triangles. I could put the photos somewhere else on the quilt but it's hard to tell in some photos that the fabric matches. More thought it required.

Example:



Maybe the backing can have the photos with just a tiny piece of the fabric near it, or perhaps it could be in a wider border.... Of course, the other option is to use the fabric in a quilt and put the photos in one of those VistaPrint albums (or not...). It's really only a sentimental thing for me and I thought that if I used them in something, I could let the leftovers go....(honestly, I have curtains I made in '78 or '79)

I have begun what I am calling my "Swedish Death Sewing." The fabrics above have been incorporated thusly:



Not sure what will happen with the idea of photos in a border. The paper didn't come off the first printing.... Anyway, the collection of the oldest scraps will make 16 blocks (each"X" is 4 blocks), then I think I will start using scraps from various quilts I have made (ironic as so many of my quilts are scrappy, so what fabrics do you choose to represent them). My quilt count is close to 60 or so, but it's likely far less, perhaps half, can be identified by their scraps, if you know what I mean.

Wow! That's a lot of quilts.

I think I only made 7 between 1980 and 1994, but I was doing smaller quilted projects and still making a lot of clothes for myself & the kids. I started up again with the quilts in the very late 90s. That count could include some wall hangings.

I bet if you counted all of yours, Betty, you would be surprised at the number. When did you start quilting? (you can answer on your own thread, if you like...I love to hear histories)

Progress! None of these blocks are in a final position but generally, the 18 lighter blocks in the center, which represent the oldest fabric projects, will remain in the middle. I am making a hellavu mess scrounging for scraps from the quilts that have recognizable fabrics in them. Soooo many are scrap quilts (!) and often the same fabric shows up in three or four quilts. I think I can do a couple more blocks from quilts off the list, but additional blocks might have to be commonly used fabrics or just some favorite fabrics.

I think if you liked it enough (or had enough) to use in multiple quilts, it should go in this one. (my 2 cents)

>152 avaland: It's looking nice!

>153 dudes22: Good point, but that might mean a lot of fabric bits (!)...if I can find pieces.

>154 thornton37814: Thanks!

Your quilts are always such beautiful expressions of color.

>152 avaland: I know I've said it before, but this is one of the loveliest patterns I've ever seen. Okay, maybe I didn't say exactly that, but I thought it. It reminds me of the quilts I used to see at the local fair, and some of those were totally amazing. Oh, wait, they were all amazing. I love quilts and quilting, and await the finish of this one.

You might consider making notes on the pieces as you put them in (a little journal, or even just a sheet or two of paper).

>156 mabith: That's sweet, thanks.

>157 Lyndatrue: I think, I'm going to try to either border the quilt with a photo montage of quilts and me/the kids/ wearing various clothing made with corresponding scraps mixed in. I did print up some photos but I did so on older fabric photo paper and the backing wouldn't come off! However, I'm not sure a scrappy-looking montage as a border around a fairly disciplined pattern like wild goose chase would look okay. I have also thought to do the montage on the back of the quilt but then I can't control where quilting lines end up.

Continuing with my "Swedish Death Sewing," I have two bins of needlework and linens made by my mother, grandmother and two great grandmothers. Tatting, crocheted lace, hardanger, embroidery... and I've been wondering what to do with it. Certainly my girls (nor my son) are the slightest bit interested in the stuff. What about making a Christmas tree skirt with it, I thought, and also use some of my older Victorian Crazy Quilt scraps? Sound good? ------Sounds daunting.

>158 avaland: - HA! HA! You should see the eye rolls when I talk about "Swedish Death Cleaning". Same idea - getting rid of the stuff like you will die tomorrow and what you don't want your relatives to have to take care of.

>158 avaland: Speaking from a different perspective, on the tatting, crocheted lace, hardanger (that one alone made me pay close attention), embroidery, and on the age of those who created it:

Oh dear. Oh my. I know, I know, it's in your way, there's so much of it, and no one seems to have an interest, but... Down the road, you may have a granddaughter (or grandson) that will love and want to know about each and every item. I have the precious remnants in my own cedar chest (it used to be my mother's) of my mother, her mother, and her grandmother, and my daughter knows even more of the stories about each piece than I do. Until she showed up, my mother felt the same way you do, but it was clear that my daughter loved and cared about each piece.

(As an aside, she started embroidering at 3. Yes, really.)

It's true that often, younger generations have no love for those items from the past. You just never know.

I'd at least document the items, with who did them, and what they were.

You could always just give me the hardanger works. :-}

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardanger_embroidery (for the curious).

When my eyes were better, cross-stitching and hardanger were the needlearts that I did. (before quilting) We moved my SIL last week and she has a Christmas picture that I did that uses both.

>161 dudes22: I used to do a lot of cross-stitch and I experimented with hardanger. It's so pretty. I didn't get very far with it, but I think that was just because real life intervened -- babies, most likely -- and I never quite got back to it.

>160 Lyndatrue: I know what you are talking about. I'm that daughter; however, I think there has been a shift in the continuum that's bigger than just my immediate family. My girls have been able to take advantage of opportunities that I could not, and their gender roles are much less restrictive, more expansive. And there is something about the digital age ... I taught them both to knit, do cross-stitch (even though I was not a big fan) and to sew. All three of my children (my son included) have sewing machines and know how to use them, but still, (and they range from 34-39) there is some disconnect with the past history...

I thought if I incorporated into something "useful" they might be interested.

I will dig out the harbinger and see if you really might like it.

When my niece was getting married, I made her twelve table-toppers as a shower gift and for one month I took some of the old linens I had from my grandmother and cut them up and used them. To be honest, some had stains or rust marks so I didn't mind cutting them. At least she has a small piece of the past. But I know what you mean. I have our grandmother's china and glasses and I don't think anyone's going to want them.

>163 avaland: and >164 dudes22: It always hurts me to know that families, at a certain point in life, seem disinterested in items from the past. I cannot tell you the number of times I've heard someone my age say "I wish I still had my..." and you can fill in the blanks from there. When the collection's not too large, I often suggest noting the items, and the history, and packing them away. I recognize that doesn't work so well with a set of china, but a nice cedar box will keep an enormous amount of history for later on, when they'll want those items. I long ago sent off the few pieces of monogrammed silverware my late mother had managed to keep from her mother, giving them to a cousin who I knew would value and love them, and pass them on.

I think our past becomes more important to us as we draw close to the veil of life's ending (I don't mean to sound grim, and no, I'm not planning on leaving any time soon).

No one carries hankies anymore. I still have a couple of mine that I had at five and six. My milk money was tied up in a corner of them (7 cents, as I recall).

I still carry hankies and have a bunch which I distribute to family when we have to attend a funeral.

This is not the piece I was thinking of, but clearly this is another. It does have a rust line somewhere in the middle of the piece. I have no idea who did this one.

I must have another bucket somewhere. The hardanger I'm thinking of is a set of something, I think. Might be in some of my husband's family stuff.

I'll return later to respond to your replies.

In my family I'm the one who is now creating great piles of embroidery that someone will have to struggle with! I hang so little of it on my own walls, and framing is such a pain.

It's a hard balance with the keeping when it doesn't feel productive. Maybe a few of the best pieces could be saved whole and others made into things? I know I'd trade half my books for embroidery that my great-grandmother did (my grandmothers were not lovers of any fiber arts, just doing the bare minimum practical things for their kids). At the same time, I've always been like that, no one was hanging onto things waiting for me to take an interest.

>168 mabith: For me, every now and again, I'll open a bin and go through the items. I understand how much work is involved in the pieces, and have a honest respect and admiration for these women.

It's all in the making, isn't it? It's a need, or a drive, or a compulsion. What you suggest is probably the best idea. I will note that my younger daughter took a framed botanical cross stitch that my mother did home with her after her last visit. So, all is not lost. But she remembers my mother, her Nana.

In that now vacant spot I hung a pastel painting my daughter did.

>164 dudes22: I have some wine glasses that my father sent my mother (they weren't married at the time) during WWII when he was in Belgium. Not a complete set, mind you, not all survived the shipping. Kids not interested. He also sent some pieces of Belgian lace that I once thought I might frame....

>165 Lyndatrue: A smallish cedar box might be just the thing.

MY girlfriend took a crewel embroidered pillow that her grandmother had made and took it apart and had the front and back framed separately. She also has a framed crocheted piece done in that thin crochet thread of a knight on a horse that her grandmother did. I remember her from when we were in high school and she did some fabulous crewel embroidery. After my friend's mother died and she was cleaning out, she gave me a few smaller pieces of crochet that she had done.

I'm also reminded that I moved with me a crocheted bedspread my mother had made. I'm sure you remember those that were white granny style squares with big (mine are ) pink 3-d roses in the center.

>170 dudes22: I think those 3-D roses you're referring to are called Irish Roses. I have the pattern somewhere, if you wanted it. I've made it up several times; it's a great one to put into that kind of spread.

Now I'm wondering where my granny square spreads are...

>171 Lyndatrue: -Oh no! Thanks anyway! Crocheting was never one of my needlework skills. I did a few snowflakes one year - I think that was all.

Too much and not much has been going on in the studio.

1. I bought some fabric on fabric.com. for kid PJs and one is not suitable for children's apparel and the other (a red plaid) seems to be skewed and I lost some yardage trying to line up the plaid pattern. Weird.

2. Finally got back the king-size scrap quilt from the quilter so that was 36 linear feet to bind! And I put the binding on backwards (turned out ok, I think) and made it to a laundromat to wash it. It came out lovely. PHOTOS coming.

3. Besides the "Swedish Death" Sewing quilt blocks on the design board, there are the photos on fabric of projects done and its corresponding fabric. Those two projects may merge...or not but it seems I won't get back to it before the New Year. PHOTOS of the latter coming.

4. Then there is the lack of holiday tree skirt...I thought about a temporary one, but I don't want to spend the money...WAIT! I could use the skirts of the holiday dresses I made for the girls in the 80s! They aren't really wearable at all anymore due to staining during the decades of storage....

5. I have a new sectional coming for the living room in January and picked up a nice tangerine-colored rug and have been unable to find deep cerulean curtains, so I'm thinking of using some Kona Cotton with a separate thermal backing...perhaps with some quilting to give them some texture...(head spinning)

6 And my head is filled with quilts I want to make (i.e. a purple scrappy quilt—I did a magenta/fuchsia one a few years ago) and a B&W scrappy quilt to name two) and UFOs I wish to finish (& likely donate).

I've been cajoled into working the holiday season at the bookstore (After I told them I'm retired. I'm so weak!!!) But, the whole schedule has messed terribly with my creative plans.

I thought writing all this down would help. It doesn't. LOL.

>173 avaland: You are quite creative in your tree skirt solution.

I sympathize with lots of ideas and not enough time it sounds like. Before we moved, I went through all my boxes with a really critical eye to decide if I really was going to do anything with what I had (not fabric, just needlework stuff) and got rid of almost all of it. I tried to be as unsentimental as I could.

>174 thornton37814: Thanks, but I haven't dared to do it yet!

>175 dudes22: Good job!

I needed something to mindlessly* sew during this lead up to the holiday. Something soothing. So, I decided to make a purple scrap & stash quilt (because not all of it comes from the scrap bins).

Finished the 100 blocks working a number of hours during the last three mornings. Finished about noon today.

Here is the best photo I've been able to get. The color is a bit saturated but not bad. I've moved most but not all of the blocks with lighter prints toward the edges. It's busy, yes, these scrap quilts are meant to be. I have stuck some little playful bits in it: an orange fish from a Laurel Burch print, a little crab motif...etc.

I will continue to fuss with placement for the next day or so. NOTE: The foreground looks darker in this photo and it not so in reality.

*not entirely mindless, of course, but there is no pattern to follow, only a few rules and just ago with the flow.

>177 avaland: Oh, it's purty! I love it, and am excited to see the finished product. Have you considered yet what you might use for the reverse?

I'm going to declare you the Queen of Scraps! Who knew someone could have that many purple fabrics. Do you find that all those seams make the quilt heavy? I've only done one truly scrappy quilt and that's what I thought. And do you have any trouble with seams meeting? BTW - how big do you think it will be? Sometimes it's hard to tell from a picture.

The Queen of Scraps is a perfect title, I love it.

>177 avaland: That is fabulous. I love purple! My alter ego would have a Janis Joplin wonderful purple velvet chesterfield, not the one on Pearl, but the huge kind with the really deep rolled arms that you sink way into. My more rational self has restrained my alter ego on this one.

Am I seeing pears toward the middle, the same row as the rose?

Oh, that's gorgeous!

Have just had a revisit here to look at all your lovely quilts. Made me happy!

>178 Lyndatrue: Thanks!

>179 dudes22: I admit I had a "purple crisis" last week and went to the two nearest quilt shops to try to find a few more purple fabric for the mix. I have a lot, don't get me wrong, but many are prints that mix other colors that were distracting. I found about 6 fabrics to add, thankfully. 40 years of saving fabric! (and 20 years of buying lots of fat quarters just because I like them)

>180 lauralkeet: Thanks. Oh, yes, purple velvet...! If you are looking 2 left of the purple rose, it's a upside-down Japanese iris.

>181 SassyLassy: Thanks. Remember the fuchsia/magenta one from 2016?

>183 tiffin: Aw, thanks, Tui. You should come back and join us for 2019. We would love to see your work!

>183 tiffin: You should come back ... We would love to see your work!

I second that!

>184 avaland: I do remember it - it was gorgeous. I just went back to your 2016 thread to see if I could put in a link to the photo, but most of your photos are gone.

>186 SassyLassy: I used to use Photobucket until it went commercial and quit the site. I have been using the 'junk drawer' for more recent ones photos but I mean to set up something on Google.

Here is the fuchsia one:



And here is the splendor of autumn one. This has long since been sewn together but has not been quilted. I want something more artsy for the quilting on this and haven't made connect with a quilter (I keep thinking I will do it myself, but not sure if I can...so, waffle, waffle)



I like making the completely random blocks as something to do when I can't work on other things, but I do like the doing color-themed ones because it is much more intuitive and free-flowing, less logical and in-the-box. And I love to see what I can get away with in them!

That autumn quilt top is gorgeous! I love those colors so much.

>188 rosalita: Thank you! I aim to get it quilted this year.