The Prodigal Quilt Returns

WAY back in January 2020 I submitted a small quilt to be part of a touring display to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American women winning the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment.  My quilt featured 36 rosebuds (worn by supporters of the amendment) because Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the Amendment, making it official.

Perfect 36

Because the first women to vote in a previously closed election after the 19th Amendment went into effect did so in South St. Paul, Dakota County Minnesota, the Dakota County Star Quilters hosted a nationwide challenge to create small quilts honoring the American women's suffrage movement.  (Coincidentally, 36 quilts were submitted from 16 states.)

The first display was at the Dakota County Historical Society Museum in South St. Paul March 3 - August 5, 2020.  Unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown began March 15, 2020 and display venues in Washington, Indiana, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, and New York were cancelled.

I was able to see the display when it began circulating again at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY September 1-October 16, 2020.

From Paducah it went to Winona, Minnesota through the end of 2020 when more shutdowns began.  Circulation began again in June of 2021 and my little quilt visited Hastings, MN; Hamilton, MO; Minetonka, MN; Hudson, WI; Winterset, IA; and St. Cloud, MN.

Well, my little quilt has fulfilled its mission and returned home yesterday, 

complete with a commemorative label.

Welcome home, little quilt.

Snow Days

 
The first week of the month is usually slow for me.  My one scheduled obligation on Tuesday was cancelled due to the weather so I have had a whole week to catch up in the sewing room!

We had more snow on Thursday, wet and heavy making it hard to know how much accumulation.  This was the view from my "office" (really a guest bedroom) yesterday morning.

It was snowing so much we couldn't see across the lake!  And it snowed off and on all day.  

This is the view this morning:

The cardinals and finches have been taking turns on the Droll Yankee feeder DH gave me for Christmas.

It's one of those "squirrel proof" feeders that will spin a squirrel off if it puts any pressure on the perch.  I can't wait to see that happen!

Earlier in the week I had knocked out my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks; yesterday I took care of the latest clue in the Meadow Mist Designs mystery.  I made 60 "doublets" out of the flying geese from previous clues ...

... and put flip corners on 54 HSTs from a previous clue ...

Today I put the first frame on the Overhand Knots and I've been auditioning fabrics for chandelier blocks to expand the runner to throw size.

The first one I made will finish at 6" and I think it is a little chunky.  I'm going to try 5" and see if I like it any better.  The inner red square in the knots finishes at 4.5" and I'm thinking I might need to go down to that size for balance.

Monday, Again

Where did  the week go?

Last Monday I cleaned house (and, boy girl folks, did it need it!)  

Tuesday I entertained the neighborhood book club.  My book was Everything Beautiful in Its Time by Jenna Bush Hagar. -- a memoir of a daughter/grand-daughter of presidents.  Other hostesses have tied their refreshments to the theme of their book, so I served Texas caviar, Maine cranberry chutney with baked brie, and beaten biscuits to honor Tennessee's presidents. (You may need to read the book to get the gist ...)

Wednesday we attended a retirement luncheon for our pastor.  Alex is on the search committee for a replacement.  We have a couple of interesting candidates; we hope the search won't take too long.

Thursday I ventured to Knoxville while the skies were still blue-ish to finish my Christmas shopping.  I still have a few gaps but I had hoped to get the stocking stuffers off in the mail by Saturday.  Not so; definitely today ...

So Friday I played catch-up.  Cards are in the mail, what little decorating has been done, stockings -- really brown paper bags -- have been stuffed. I took advantage of Hubby's absence to wrap his gifts.

I spent much of Saturday just puttering, waiting for some old church friends to "drop by."  Well, they finally dropped around 4, totally throwing my dinner plans out of whack, but it was delightful to see them.  We ate the steaks Sunday night, instead.

After posting the stocking stuffers this morning I made it down to the sewing room.  Obligated is a flimsy!

It is 48 x 56 and I'm going to finish it as-is without a border. I have selected fun fabrics for the back and binding. 

Next up is stitching the rows of my RSC stars.  

I am in love with both of these quilts.  They will go to my favorite LAQ for finishing soon.

I did a little more organizing and planning in the sewing room before I called it a day.  With no place to go and nothing to do, I hope it will be a productive week.  

Slaying Dinosaurs

Back at the beginning of the year I listed 6 dinosaurs I intended to slay this year.  I wrote about it here.  Since then I've been thinking (a dangerous thing, I know) and realized I had some EVEN OLDER dinosaurs in my closet, so I have revised my list thusly:

Bicentennial Sampler

1.  The Mama's Bicentennial Sampler (1976).

Mother started this about the time she was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  That could explain why she never finished it, although she made at least one other quilt before she passed away in 1979.  It could also explain the quality of workmanship which was not up to her standards (or, I should say, my expectations of her standards).  I was determined to get into quilting for the sole purpose of finishing that quilt, but it is still in the box.  I can give a litany of reasons:  It's 60% polyester, couldn't find the pattern, couldn't figure out what she was intending -- now I've run out of excuses.  38 years is long enough!!  Even if I don't do anything more than assemble what she had finished.

from Quilter's Newsletter, Nov 1975, Issue 73

I discovered that I do have the pattern!  It was in the box -- duh!

It looks like she may have settled on just four blocks (see her numbers on the page).  Or, knowing my mother, and judging from the amount of unused fabric, she may have been planning to make one for each or her three children.  I'll never know, but it brings me closer to her just imagining what was going on in her head.

Brian's Jeans

2.  Brian's Jeans (1979)

Crazy patchwork on a muslin foundation was the only type of quilting I had done until 2000.  Apparently I started this in the period between marriages.  I embroidered the date on one of the blocks, as well as a B for Brian.  I'm sure some of Noel's jeans made it into this, as well.  I either gave away the rest of the jeans or ran out of what I had because I have 7 partially-done blocks.  I think I'll make a trip to a thrift store to get enough for 12 blocks.



The next three were on my previous list.

3.  Irish Chain (2001)

4.  Nosegay (2001)  

5.  Strips 'n' Curves (2003)  

I started SnC in a guild class with a teacher from Alabama (her name escapes me at the moment).  I made the strata and cut a few of the blocks, but never got far into the overall design.  So I took a class with Louisa Smith, creator of the SnC concept, in 2007.  This is as far as I got.  It's still rolled up on the noodle.




6.  Weaver Fever (ca 2006)

A Jackie Robinson pattern that ends up in a woven ribbon effect.  Apparently I never took a picture.  I do recall that one of my fabrics was a poor choice, but I have since replaced it and even have several blocks together.  It's one of those patterns that really demands an accurate 1/4" seam and I know I wasn't doing so well in that department when I started this, so it may be a struggle to finish.

That's my design wall for today.  Stay tuned throughout the year to see how I'm doing.  I plan to make a page tab to track my progress.  In the meantime

Keep Calm

and

Quilt On

Linking up with Judy L at Patchwork Times for design wall Monday.

On My Way ...

... to a retreat in Kentucky.  Looking forward to accomplishing a lot during the week and soaking up all the creativity generated by everyone.  I never cease to be amazed at the talents of my friends and what I can learn just by being in the same room with them.

Cruise Quilt

Here's my plan:

1.  Trim the cruise quilt, make the binding, and attach the binding.  (Read more about the cruise and the quilt here.)

Dusk to Dawn

2.  Add inner and outer borders to "Dusk to Dawn."  Make back and file for quilting.

 3.  Finish Star Struck -- lay out remaining rows, sew together, add border(s).  Make back and file for quilting.

Star Struck

4.  Having finished two UFOs, I can then proceed with a clear conscience to start something new.  I have pulled Stars of Summer off the shelf.  It won't get finished this week, but I'm hoping to make some good progress on it.  I plan to use printed panels as the star centers.  Strips are cut and I'm looking forward to working on something new.

Stars of Summer

5.  In between all this, my leader-ender project will be making the 9-patches for Jack's Chain.  The strips are all sewn; just need to cut the 1-1/2" chunks before I can start sewing.

Jack's Chain

6.  I'm also taking along Celtic Solstice.  I believe I have all the units made and if I can just finish the Birthday Girl blocks at this outing, I will feel like I've accomplished something.

Celtic Solstice

Not wanting to miss the Olympics, I hope to do some hand stitching on bindings in the evenings (that is if the TV in the lounge is working).

I'll report in on my progress next weekend, if not before (assuming the WiFi is working).

Weather will be a lot warmer next week, thank goodness.  Hope it's the same for everyone else.  Hop over to Patchwork Times to see what's on design walls around the world.

Olympic Moments

Jamie Anderson at Sochi

Have you been watching the Olympics?  Have you noticed the patchwork motifs in the sideboards at the skating rink and on the skiers' bibs?  And on the US snowboard team jackets?  I especially love their bright, fresh colors.

I'm inspired to make a quilt....

Duh!  Sew what's new?
Anyway, it's a serious thought.
Meanwhile, take a look at this mess.

Design Wall 2/9/14

I spent Sunday morning trying to pick fabrics for Summer Solstice by Judy Neimeyer.  I had hoped to use a gorgeous batik my son and DIL brought from Hawaii, but I finally decided that it was limiting my choices -- which sounds impossible as I think about it now because it contained every color in the rainbow.

I went through pinks, greens, purples, and oranges before settling on this grey/gold fabric as my inspiration.  I still need to come up with an accent color to use in the Lemoyne star center.  I am determined to use nothing but stash.

Since I have five classes coming up in March, I need to get myself organized.  Summer Solstice is first at Peg Bingham's Spring Training Camp in West Virginia.  I go directly from there to Pigeon Forge for Mountain Quilt Fest where I have classes with Jan Krentz (Variable Hunter's Star), Bonnie Hunter (Smith Mountain Morning), Karen Kay Buckley (border design), and Bonnie Goolsby (Jack's Chain).  I started Jack's Chain a couple of years ago, but I'm clueless about how to put it together.  I hope Bonnie Goolsby has some good tips!  Karen Kay Buckley's class is just design, no prep there except getting my tools together.  I've started cutting Smith Mountain Morning.  The Variable Hunter's Star is going to require about as much thought as Solstice.  Again, I'm determined to make it from stash.

All of this means that if I am starting four new projects, I'll need to finish eight first!!!  Wait, wait .... technically, I can count Jack's Chain and SM Morning as UFOs since I started them before the first of the year. LOL!


But first, today is guild Monday.  I've been putting together a series of back-to-basics lessons for this year's program meetings.  We're using McCall's Quick Quilts "Studio Sampler" series as our "text".  At the end of the year they will have enough blocks to make a quilt.  I believe many new quilters started right in with specialty rulers and catchy gadgets; they have no clue how to analyze a picture and create a quilt without a pattern.  I'm on a quest to change that!

Looks like snow is going to the south of us today.  Yay, I can get down my hill!  Still cold, though, so

Keep warm and quilt on!

Check out other design walls at Patchwork Times.

Monday, Monday

No more pictures of Rock Island Campfires.  I finished the flimsy yesterday!

My original goal for 2014 was to finish two before starting one.  Amendment 1.a to that goal is if I start something new I will finish it.  (I did pretty well on that last year, up to a point <g>.)  So even though circumstances arose that dictated I would start RIC before finishing two (I had at least finished French Braid!), I persevered and finished before moving on.

Now if I get busy this week I can put the borders on Cathedral Stars and reset my counter to zero.

Cathedral Stars before borders

Today I made a backs for Rock Island Campfires and Brite Irish Grandmother which will give me at least 8 yards out for the week.  If I finish Cathedral Stars along with its back, I should be close to equalizing my stash report next Sunday.  Whoo-hoo!

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Keep warm, and quilt on.

Monday, Monday

Good Monday morning to all!

These three quilt tops will soon be on their way to comfort tornado victims in Washington, IL.  I'll be making backs for these this week and finishing up the Tall Tree.  I think that is all that I can reasonably expect to accomplish with the holiday in the mix.



This is one of my favorite go-to baby quilts -- no pattern, just pieces and parts. 

Studies have shown that infants respond to high contrast colors like black/white and red/white.  I used a double-dozen 6-inch charm squares with leftover WOWs.  So easy!  I try to keep one of these on hand for last-minute gifts.  Guess I'd better get started on another one! <LOL>








This was a sweet panel of Hawaiian-style stencil-looking blocks.  I framed each little panel with coordinating color and found the perfect sashing fabric.  Border I bought at a shop on Kauai.









The third top is a pattern called Peppermint Twist.  I had planned to make three of these as Christmas quilts for DILs and SIL -- even had them all cut out.  I quit after just one.  I was working with a new machine and hadn't mastered the quarter-inch seam on it.  Nothing was coming out to the correct size.  I have since incorporated all the cutout pieces into other UFOs.



So excited that the two older grandchildren (ages 29 and 23) will be coming over Friday.  We don't get to see them often enough as #1GS is gainfully employed by a startup energy company in DC and #2GS is soon to graduate from Northeastern Univ. in Boston.  I am so proud of them and what sweet and thoughtful young men they have become.  I even have two wedding quilts in the queue for any eventualities (none, yet).

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  We've got bad weather heading our way and though TDOT has improved its methods of dealing with freezing road surfaces, southern drivers don't always know how to drive in it.

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.

Throwback Thursday

Salvaging the Draft

Thanks to the recent reorganization by Blogger, I've discovered a few posts still in the "draft" stage that apparently never got published.  So here's a moldie-oldie  from October 2013.

I'm new at this blogging thing.  Today I will attempt two new things:  inserting photos and linking to another blog.  So here goes .....  Wow, the photo part was easy!

This is what was on my design wall this morning.  I call it Sand and Surf because it reminds me of the beach colors DH and I saw on our Caribbean Cruise last February.  The pattern is "Bob and Weave" by Colleen Wise.  I started this in a class with her at Tennessee QuiltFest this past July.  The hardest part was selecting my fabrics.  (Isn't that often the way?)  I had planned to use a true black as the "background," but it was too dominant.  I found the perfect brown/black at Somewhere Sewing in Millersburg, OH (formerly of Johnson City, TN) in August and finished the top soon after that.




This is the fabric I want to use on the back, but it's not long enough.  I want to try John Flynn's diagonal technique, but I'm not quite sure how to make it work.  Anybody out there tried it?  You can find it on his website http://flynnquilt.danemcoweb.com/ under free lessons.  Overall the diagonal seam makes a lot of sense because it reduces bulk when rolled onto a longarm frame. 

One thing John says is to simply cut the fabric on the diagonal and insert a strip.  I guess that will be my fallback if I can't figure out the formula. 

Now I will try linking to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.  Fingers crossed.



Libby in TN