Tag Archives: quilt planning

Planning Our Spring Circles Quilt

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While I work on the Alabama Beauty quilt for my aunt seen here, I am daydreaming about the one I will start for us.  I love making that block.  The two containers I have filled with shabby chic and other fabrics that work with them are out where I can see them and think about which shapes I’ll print on which fabrics.  There is one very special fabric that I’m hoping I have enough of to use for all the outer pieces around the entire king-sized quilt.  When I get to the point of starting to print for our quilt, I’ll measure to ensure there is enough.

After all the fabric reorganization is done, I think I’ll probably have one more container full of fabrics that will also work for Spring Circles.  As I want each circle in the quilt to be made with a different fabric, the more the merrier!  It will be marvelously scrappy and have a wonderful cottage shabby chic look to it, which is exactly the look I want.

I did not get around to any blogs yesterday as our connection was impossibly slow — so-called high-speed cable was anything but!  Hopefully it’s better today.

Has anyone else noticed that on One Flower Wednesdays they get more spam comments than on other days?  I’ve noticed it now every week.  It’s not an issue as Word Press has a great system for detecting those comments and stopping them from appearing, but I find it curious that posts about hexagon flowers seem to attract more spam.

Lester was, once again, on the windowsill Wednesday.

Smudge was doing his best lounge lizard imitation on the chair.

We’re supposed to have absolutely amazing weather the next couple of days, although rain is forecast for the weekend, and I’m planning to take Friday through Tuesday off.  I’m not sure if I’ll be blogging until Tuesday, but one never knows.

A Change in Plans

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Half the arcs for the next Summer Picnic Dish block have been done and the pieces are printed, cut out and ready to stitch for the rest of that block and for a few more.

The change in plans?  My aunt’s birthday is coming up in August, at which time she will be 90.  There will be a party for her and I’ve decided to make her a lap quilt.  She’s an amazing lady, sharp as can be and funny.  I have some absolutely marvelous memories of playing double solitaire with her in the summers at a cottage.  The two of us would end up in fits of laughter as we tried to be the first to go out and win those games.

Now the decision is whether to make the summer picnic dish into a lap quilt for her, which is Mr. Q.O.’s choice.  He thinks that something bright and cheerful is the best idea.

The other idea?  Doing something with Winding Ways blocks using fabrics like these:

I have to decide and get started on it this weekend as I want lots of time to make this the best lap quilt I possibly can.  She’s my only aunt and is someone who really does appreciate items made by hand.  I gave her a lace tablecloth which I had crocheted when I was in my early 20s.   She still talks about it.  The same with an afghan I knit for her when I was a teenager.  She’s a small lady, so it will not be a huge quilt.  I’m thinking something in the range of 48 by 54 inches or thereabouts.

The fabrics I’m thinking about for the winding ways idea in the picture above remind me, to a degree, of a chintz couch she has but they are more subdued than the floral and green in the pickle dish blocks.  Any thoughts on this are more than welcome.

We did a little shopping on Thursday, which included a stop at Staples.  Mr. Q.O. bought one of the Bamboo tablets for my computer.  Getting used to it as a mouse took no time at all.  I haven’t even scratched the surface of its capabilities which include, I think, the ability to add written captions to photos.   I’m looking forward to playing with it this weekend.

Watching Smudge the last couple of days has been an absolute joy.  I still can’t get over how lucky we were.  This was taken shortly after he had his nightly yogourt treat on Wednesday night.

Lester was incredibly lively Wednesday night.  One of the medications for his heart condition is only given every 3 days and on the days he gets that one, he acts like a kitten.  Wednesday night was one of those nights.  It’s wonderful to see him like that.

Finding the Right Pattern

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This fabric has been in my stash for ages.  I love it and constantly look at it, thinking about what I want to make with it but just as constantly come up with no idea that seems quite right.  I’ve made a few blocks here and there that incorporate some of it, but nothing that has struck me as being the right idea for a quilt featuring this fabric.  The picture is of a piece that’s  about 8.5″ x 8.75″, to give you an idea of the scale.

Perhaps because it’s spring and everything is getting so beautifully green with flowers soon to follow that I’m once again drawn to this fabric and wanting to make something special with it.  I used a bit of it in a few 12″ blocks of a Drunkard’s Path variation.

While I like that, it’s not quite what I’m looking for.  Any ideas on what would be a good block to really showcase this fabric?  Maybe it needs to be paired with a white on white fabric.  Perhaps a Dresden Plate variation?  Perhaps an Improved 9-Patch block?

I got another row of Spring Circles added to the first quadrant, but it was too windy on the roof garden on Monday to dare try to take a picture out there.  One of the things we’re going to do in May is reorganize and try to find a spot for a proper design wall.  That would definitely help when needing to take pictures of something like Spring Circles.  Hopefully today we’ll be able to take a picture of it out there.

We got some great shots of Lester on Monday.  This is one.

Smudge relaxing with his paws stretched out.

Planning

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The little bands of triangles I showed in yesterday’s post got me thinking about some design ideas.  These ideas may completely change what was going to be my project to work on during the Olympics, but that still remains to be seen.  In the meantime, though, I am dreaming about some designs using these fabrics for some bands of triangles!

 
Monday is “Family Day” in Ontario, so it’s a long weekend.  I’m going to try to get all my work caught up today so that I can take Friday as well, as I would love to turn that into a 4-day weekend.  
Our ISP seems to have had some issues late last week and through the weekend and I have realized that some e-mails just aren’t getting through — received or sent.  It appears to have cleared up now so if you’ve sent me an e-mail to which I haven’t responded, please try again.
Thankfully, we didn’t get the snowstorm that seems to have been all around us but Wednesday was cold and, at times, quite windy. 
Lester loves to have a bit of milk every once in a while.  Wednesday we got this picture of him having his little treat. 
  
Smudge was guarding their absolute favourite toy — or was he hatching it?  Hmm …
 
 

Pink and Green

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While I work on the red and pink Winding Ways blocks, I keep thinking of a soft pink and green idea that seems to be demanding to be made. So I got these fabrics out as a start to finding just the right pinks and greens.


There’s a tropical blue and green idea that keeps floating through my mind too, so I think I’ll look for those fabrics in my stash this weekend. So many ideas!! And, with any luck, I’ll have the small Winding Ways quilt top finished by the end of the weekend.

Lester didn’t seem quite as good on Thursday as he was Tuesday and Wednesday. He has only two more doses of the antibiotics, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they work their magic. Here he is recuperating in one of his favourite spots.


Smudge, on the other hand, is taking the challenge from Gandalf to heart — and was getting in some serious lounge practice!

Harpsichord Block

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The Harpsichord Quilt is another that I don’t want to let languish too long so I made this block.

The back:


I wore the contacts all day Tuesday with no discomfort. As an experiment, Tuesday morning I went to the grocery store without the readers to see how well I could manage. I was pleasantly surprised at what I could read, but realised I absolutely have to have the readers with me when looking at best before dates on perishable items. This morning I head to the optometrist’s office again, to try out another type of contact.

I’m in the throes of planning a red and white quilt. My experience with white on white prints has been not great as the heavily painted-on designs are so difficult to needle and finding a white on white which has the design woven in rather than painted on seems to be an impossible task. So I’m thinking this small print on white might work for my red and white quilt.


The mail brought this — the replacement iron from Rowenta. It’s not the same model as the one I had. My initial thought is to use this iron for things that need a steam iron for as long as it lasts and keep the little Sunbeam iron for dry ironing, which it does brilliantly. I have to give Rowenta credit as they must have put this replacement in the mail immediately upon receiving the cord from my old one. Now I just hope the iron works longer than its predecessor.

Smudge loves water. Absolutely loves water. If you click on this to embiggen it, you can see the water dripping down his ruff, how wet his face is and the water drops on his side. His preferred method of drinking is to stick his whole face in the water bowl and then catch the water as it drips down his face. Part of his ruff usually is in the water. This is his variation on lounging by the pool.


Lester was keeping his eye on the practice golf ball that is one of his favourite toys.


Ideas for A Future Quilt

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A couple of months ago, a friend sent me these gorgeous pieces of hand-dyed fabrics. I’ve had them on my sewing table since, and look at them daily as I love the colours. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with them, but am playing with ideas. I put them with the print in this photo just to get an idea how that might work as a background to go with them.


Perhaps a black fabric is the answer for the background with them. The colours seem more vibrant against the black. Stars may be part of the design, or perhaps some curved piecing.


Edited to Add: Poppet at quiltcontemplation has been practising for the De Cat a Lon — by the looks of it, she’s determined to win a medal!

Smudge practising for the imitating hockey puck competition:


While Lester is resting after some vigorous stretching:



Beginnings

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Do you ever get a design idea and just have to stop whatever else it is you’re working on to try it? That’s what happened to me over the past few days. The idea has been sort of percolating away in my mind for a week or so and I finally gave in, picked out some fabrics and started working on it. It will eventually be a table runner.

These are the fabrics I chose after a little trial and error. I initially had a fourth Fassett print rather than the white, but it just didn’t work. I needed the part of the design that will be done with the white to really stand out.


The weekend was bitterly cold and windy. Sunday we had a wind chill value of -20C. Saturday wasn’t all that much better. In fact, looking at the forecast for this week, it looks like it will be more of the same. I thought I heard we were to have a mild winter. This does not sound like mild weather!

The cats are in serious training for the lounging competition. First, Smudge who was, I think, perhaps working up to some training for the hidden head competition:


And then Lester, perhaps training for the sleeping curled up as a circle competition:


Baking

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… was the only creative thing done around here Tuesday night. Ten dozen cookies were baked. Six dozen gingersnaps and 4 dozen chocolate crinkles. I had made the enormous macaroons the day before. That’s it for me except for another 3 dozen butter tarts, but those I’ll make Christmas Eve so that they’re fresh for dessert on Christmas Day.


To keep this somewhat quilt related, the fabric on which the plate is sitting is the red fabric which I will use when I start my red and white quilt. I still don’t know what design that will be, nor do I have a white but that is definitely the red. Once Pink Ice is finished, I’ll have 2 of the series of two-colour quilts done. The red and white will be next. A green and white will be after that and then a yellow and white.

Smudge relaxing:


And Lester back in his favourite spot on the windowsill.


Sunrise Beginning

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The fabrics for the sunrise block have been picked out, the diamonds printed and some of them already cut. I can’t wait to get this block done! The quilt, which I’ve now started calling the rainbow quilt, is slowly coming together in my mind. The sunset and sunrise blocks will occupy two corners of the top. I haven’t got a definite plan for the other two corners yet, although I’m contemplating a small rainbow block for one of them using split diamonds.

The rainbow quilt has really taken hold of my imagination. Even when working I’m planning it. All I need to find is the right red and right yellow batiks for it. Guess a trip to Sew Sisters is in my future. Hardly what one could call a hardship!

Although this picture is a bit fuzzy, I couldn’t resist posting it. If you click on the picture to see the larger version, you’ll see that Smudge has his tongue sticking out just a bit.

It was Lester’s turn to curl up with a teddy.

I think spring is slowly getting here. The forecast looks like we’re gradually getting into warmer temperatures. What a relief after the winter we’ve had!

Have a great weekend.