Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Strings and Churn Dashes

Yesterday I finished sewing all the blocks for this string quilt. 
scrappy string quilt

I was uncertain about whether to stitch the corner squares on every corner or on alternating corners.  I decided that every corner needs them.

scrappy string quilt

I think light/medium tans will look better than very light fabric on those little corners.  I'll choose the fabric tonight or tomorrow and begin cutting and sewing.  I think the corners help unify the variety of colors, plaids, prints, and plains in the quilt.  I'll probably use the same fabric for all the squares to add more unity.

The finished blocks will measure 6".  There are 99 of them which equals 9 blocks x 11 blocks and 54" x 66".  It seems a little squatty and I may add more blocks.  I'm planning to add a border or two which will increase the finished size.

I'm almost finished hand quilting the plaid churn dashes.  Two or three more fans on the row with the hoop and another row of fans and I'll be done.  You can see only about a third or a quarter of it in this photo.  I love this quilt!
quilt from plaid shirts

It's interesting how some fabrics quilt more easily than others.  I was very new to quilting when I made the blocks for this quilt.  There's a great variety of fabrics, even though they're all plaids, which are not woven the same.  It was fun to sew them and it's been fun to learn about how different fabrics quilt.  When I buy plaid shirts for quilting now I lean toward some kinds of fabric and leave the others behind.  (But first I look for color when I buy shirts -- or any fabric, for that matter.)

That's the current state of quilting affairs in my world.

I'm linking to WOW on Esther's Blog; WiP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced; and Scraptastic Tuesday at She Can Quilt and Mrs. Sew and Sow.  Thanks, ladies!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

--Nancy.
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Friday, October 10, 2014

Cutting Up Fabric to Make a Quilt

Some years ago the women of our church gathered to make quilts and clothing for a service project.  One of the women worked at home with her family and brought an armload or two of fleece blankets to donate.

Later we were talking and she said,
My husband just doesn't understand the point of buying long pieces of fabric only to cut them up into smaller pieces and then sew them back together to make a quilt.  He thinks it's ridiculous. 

As far as I could tell from our conversation and her body language she agreed with him.  I was surprised because I'd never before heard anyone be so adamant against quilts.  But because I don't have a ready wit, I didn't have a response.  A few days later, when it was really too late to say it, I thought,
I guess it's like cutting up long pieces of lumber to make a floor . . . .
Or a table, a chair, a cupboard, or a house....  I guess a floor is more like a quilt because they are both flat.

I feel sad to think that they misinterpret the love that goes into a quilt given as a gift, the joy of sleeping under a handmade quilt, and the beauty of such a quilt.


Do you know anyone who is anti-quilting?

--Nancy.
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Saturday, October 4, 2014

Four Quilts from the 2014 Ohio State Fair Quilt Show

I mostly wasn't impressed with the quilts at the fair this year but part of that could have been the dark hall in which they were shown.  There were not many quilts, either.  Several photos came out clear enough to post.








Just a few.

--Nancy.
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Quilts from a Local Quilt Show

Just a few photos from a tiny quilt show during a local arts festival a week or two ago.  The quilts were hung in the basement of a church and were too close for good photos.











 

Many of the quilts in the show had a white backgrounds.

My personal favorite quilt was the red and green (the one with the blue ribbon).

Happy quilting.
--Nancy.
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