HOPE

Here's a small quilt I made this week that I absolutely love. The pattern is one block of the Tattoo Quilt by Berene Campbell at Happy Sew Lucky. You can purchase patterns for the whole quilt or individual blocks in her Etsy shop.

I immediately fell in love with this block because the Rhode Island state motto is Hope. And I love tattoo art. And barn swallows are cool.

I downloaded the pattern and started piecing on Tuesday. I thought a scrappy green background would be fun. It. Was. Not. The completed block went in the trash!

Restarted on Wednesday. I wanted to use the same deep blue for the birds, but I wasn't sure if there was enough. I traced the pattern shapes, added generous seam allowances, and cut out the pieces. Joost-a-joost, as my grandmother would say!

My favorite bit of piecing is the life light in the eye.

The quilting texture in the background makes me happy.

My goal with this binding was to match up the flange at the join more accurately than past attempts. Nailed it! I used the tutorial by Sew Fresh Quilts, but made my binding a bit narrower. (I cut my strips 1.25" and 1.5" wide.)

Glamour shot. Julia bought these lunchboxes on a high school trip to NYC. They haven't moved from this spot since!

HOPE

15" X 20.5"

Pattern by Berene Campbell

Started 4/29/2020

Pieced on 4/30-5/1

Quilted and bound 5/3/2020

These are two of the five neighborhood deer that snack in our yard almost every day. I wish they'd stay away from the lilacs!

AMB Blog Tour- Rhode Island

Welcome to Rhode Island! It is my pleasure to represent Little Rhody on the American Made Brand Blog Tour. 

Even though I grew up in upstate New York, I've always loved Rhode Island. I was the shortest kid in my class, so I always felt a connection with the smallest state. I came here on vacation with my parents in the 70's, and our car broke down in the town where I now live.

From the beaches and lighthouses to Newport mansions and Waterfire, I invite you to Discover Beautiful Rhode Island.

If you visit, and I hope you will, you will need to try the clam cakes at Aunt Carries, doughboys at Iggy's, Del's frozen lemonade, and jonny cakes.

And then there's Coffee Milk, our state drink. Imagine chocolate milk, but replace the chocolate syrup with coffee-flavored syrup. I had never heard of it until my son started drinking it for lunch in first grade. He's a Marine now, and this is what he asked me to buy for him when he came home last weekend.

Rhode Island is the smallest and possibly most misunderstood state in the Union. Let's have a little fun with a True/False quiz. (answers at the bottom of the post)

1. Rhode Island is part of New York State.

2. Roger Williams founded Rhode Island after being kicked out of Massachusetts.

3. Rhode Island is smaller in area than Los Angeles and Dallas.

4. The state bird is a chicken.

5. Rhode Island has a strong history of textile manufacturing.

6. Quahog is a town in Rhode Island.

Here's my license plate for the 50 states tour. I was inspired by Rhode Island's sandy beaches, sea glass, and the state motto. 

Click here to download the pattern for my Rhode Island block. I pieced the background from eight 3" Bright Hopes blocks in sand and sea glass colors. 

The block does require sewing partial seams which is not difficult, and it is a good technique to have in your tool box. Visit this tutorial if you've never tried it before. 

For my vanity plate, I machine appliquéd the word HOPE in navy blue. To finish it up, "Rhode Island" was embroidered with a running stitch in navy thread.

I know you're really here to enter the giveaway! American Made Brand is offering a pack of fat quarters at each stop on the tour. I am offering a second prize pack including one of my paper pieced lapel pins, some chocolate made in my little town, and a set of AMB 5" charm squares in almost all 50 colors (sorry, I miscut my leftover piece of navy). You must have a US mailing address to be eligible. To enter, leave a comment telling me what state you are from and be sure I have your email address. Winners will be randomly selected on Monday, June 2 at 0800.

Enjoy the rest of the tour!

Quiz Answers:

1. False. Rhode Island is not the same as Long Island.

2. True. Roger Williams settled in 1636 in an area called Providence Plantations. The official name of the state is "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."

3. False. Rhode Island: 1,212 square Miles. Los Angeles: 503 square miles. Dallas: 385 square miles.

4. True. The Rhode Island Red is a popular breed for small flocks.

5. True. Samuel Slater started the first cotton spinning and textile manufacturing mills in Pawtucket, RI. There is a great quilt shop in the old Lonsdale Mill in Lincoln.

6. False. A quahog (pronounced KO-hog) is a type of clam. Family Guy is set in the fictional town of Quahog. Creator Seth MacFarlane graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. 

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for visiting!

Love and Hope for Boston

 I've been sewing for Boston today. First up, a flag for "To Boston With Love." This initiative is being lead by the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.  The goal is to bring messages of peace and love to Boston. Rhode Island has an anchor and the word hope in the middle of the state flag, so I chose both for my flag.

I paper pieced the wonky letters. I didn't trust myself to free piece them and have them come out the right size, so I drew out the paper piece blocks.

For the back, I used freezer paper stenciling to paint the anchor. I'm not happy that the front shows through, but they asked that no batting be used so the flags can fly free.

 

Click on the button for details, and be aware that the deadline has changed to May 21. The flags will be displayed during Memorial Day weekend.

 

Next up is a block for "Quilts For Boston" by the Boston Modern Quilt Guild. I had just signed up for Jacquie Gering's new Craftsy class, so I watched a few lessons and made a mini swirling stars block. The yellow star looks more like a diamond, but I'm OK with it.

Click the button for details:

This is what happens when I can't find the right vase! Beer bottles are the perfect size for a single rose (from Pete's senior night track meet).  And an aperitif glass is perfect for a bunch of stray grape hyacinths, picked out of the lawn before mowing.

Up next, a couple of bird blocks for the Modern Stash Bee.

WIP Wednesday

Finish: This star quilt was the perfect project for a beautiful Spring day. Read more about it here.

In Progress: I've been working on other outreach projects because they are mindless sewing. Yesterday, I finished the blocks for this bricks quilt that a little boy will love.

I finally started my flag for Boston last night. I chose the anchor from the Rhode Island state flag that stands for Hope. I used a freezer paper stencil technique with fabric paint. I'll heat set the paint when it dries and hope it doesn't run if it is out in the rain.

 

For the other side of the flag, I will piece the word HOPE. I am not good at have never tried improv piecing, so I drew out some wonky letters to paper piece. (I was excited to get an email from Craftsy, announcing Jacquie Gering's new class!)

I also pulled fabric for my block for Quilts for Boston. This project is using a tighter color palette. If the HOPE letters come out OK, I might enlarge them for this block.

Simmering: Two secret projects for two special people are due soon, but not started. I need to get going!

Mod Bento has been pin basted for weeks. Maybe I'll finally quilt it before next Wednesday.

On the back burner:
I ordered backing fabric for the Magenta quilt and my Three by Three top that has been waiting far to long to be quilted.  (Yikes! That 9-patch swap was 6 years ago!)

It's time to link up, then get stitching!