Red IS a Neutral

Blogiversary post 2 of 10

In the Fall of 2016, Barb Vedder hosted a block swap: broken dishes blocks made with solids- any red plus one other color. 

I chose to use a pale yellow and pale blue for my blocks.

Barb mixed them up and returned an assorted pile of blocks to us.

I pieced my top on November 1, 2016 and started quilting on the 3rd.

I had just taken a Craftsy class with Christina Camelli, so I had a blast quilting in red thread. It is the neutral in this quilt, after all!

Do you see the star shaped area below with less quilting? That was a design choice that quilt judges don't like. I did it anyway!

The binding was stitched on November 5th!

The purple binding was the best choice and it looks good with the Jane Sassaman print on the back.

 Freddy Moran says every color looks better next to red!

Red IS a Neutral

32" X 32"

Started 9/21/16

Finished 11/5/16

Best Use of Color, Ninigret Quilters 2017

Mother's Day

 A few months ago, my sister bought this quilt from me as a gift for her sister-in-law. Her mother-in-law loved it so much she wanted to keep it. I suggested that a lap quilt would be a nice Mother's Day gift. So here is a gift for Estelle.

 My sister and I chose a focus fabric via text messages. Then I turned to the stash for an assortment of fresh greens, pinks and reds.

 

I was scrolling though Instagram and saw a pic of the Quatrefoil Quilt from Missouri Star Quilt Company. After piecing a test block, I knew it was the perfect choice.

After doing the quilty math, I realized I would not have enough background fabric to complete the project as intended. The stitch and flip corners were going to waste too much fabric. I devised a way to cut my background triangles to the right size, place them on the square just so, and stitched a 1/4" seam. All that was "wasted" was a corner of the colored square.

I couldn't resist piecing those little triangles into pinwheels.

Those bonus pinwheels are now a couple of mug mats.

 

 The top came together quickly. My go-to loopy quilting took a few hours to complete on Saturday night. Yes, that's how I rock a weekend!

Everything came from my stash except the backing and binding.

For Estelle

59" X 72"

Started April 10, 2016

Completed April 25, 2016

Border: Martha Negley Dahlia

Backing: Martha Negley Crabapple Path

Blue Star Mom

 For my modern quilting lecture that debuted last week, I needed an example of alternative grid work. Since my son left for his first overseas deployment, I felt ready to hang a red star banner. This quilt killed two birds with one stone!

"The Service flag is an official banner authorized by the Department of Defense for display by families who have members serving in the Armed Forces during any period of war or hostilities the United States may be engaged in for the duration of such hostilities." You can read more about the Blue Star banner at Blue Star Mothers. Pete is in a relatively safe place, but I do miss him more than when he is in his office in North Carolina. I try really hard not to worry.

I started piecing when I was on retreat in January. My first attempts at wonky 5-pointed stars were horrible!

I turned to a crazy piecing technique that worked much better for me. It creates a positive and negative block at the same time, so I have a stack of white stars on a blue field that might become a flag someday. Only a few of the blue stars were bordered in red. I used some Kona solids and some prints.

The blocks were laid out on Peggy's bed since we didn't have a design wall.

After making a couple more stars, I had to figure out how to fill in the negative space around the blocks. I couldn't just start cutting white fabric and wing it. My brain doesn't work like that. So I drew it all out in my graph paper notebook and came up with a piecing plan. The numbers are finished sizes without seam allowances.

It didn't take long to complete the top.

The quilting was done at home a few days later. I selected a star to echo quilt around. In the photo below, the red lines indicate the sections that are already done. The blue tape marks the line I'm getting ready to quilt. 

This style of straight line machine quilting with a walking foot is really tedious! I was ready to quit after three sides, but I knew I had to see it through and complete all five directions.

Oh, the texture!

I had a Marine Corps print in my stash that I had to use on the back. 

When I showed this quilt to the Clamshell Quilters, a lovely woman presented me with this star to send to Pete. I had read about this project before, and I wanted to cry when she gave this to me. Now I remember why I was saving my worn out flag and didn't give it to the scouts to burn.

Rather than putting his stuff in storage in NC, he brought it all home! I found his gloves in his car and the cover was on his desk. Yes, his dress blues are hanging in the closet.

Modern Blue Star Mom

28" X 39"

Started 1/30/16

Completed 2/3/16

QOV for Leo

How long does it take to make a quilt you aren't working on? Oh, about 7 years! 

This quilt had to ripen for a long time. I guess it was waiting for the right recipient. I started it as a class sample in 2008. The lattice pattern is from a book by Nancy Brennan Daniel called "Slice 'Em and Dice 'Em." It is a variation of a disappearing 9-patch.

A few weeks ago, a friend was cleaning out her sewing room and found her unfinished Quilts of Valor. I suggested that we both try to finish one by July 4th. She finished quilting hers on Friday night and was on the hunt for some binding.

I really enjoyed quilting this one. I wanted stars in the blue squares, and meandered around from one to the next. The inner blue border is quilted with "USA" over and over. 

The backing is a great flag print that I bought on sale at least a year ago.

This QOV will be presented to Leo, a WWII veteran and my coworker's dad. I hope it will bring him some comfort following a recent stroke.

Lattice Quilt of Valor

52" X 68"

Started 2008

Completed 6/24/15