It's Parsonsfield's Turn to Be Quilted

This is Parsonsfield, a small quilt sewn with Lori of Humble Quilts when she hosted a sew-along about a year and a half ago.  It seems I'm usually behind the times when it comes to layering and quilting sew-along tops (or any tops, for that matter!).

I decided a small quilt would be perfect to hand quilt after finishing Everyday Patchwork, so my One Monthly Goal for May is to choose backing and batting, then layer and baste this quilt.  Maybe I'll be able to begin hand quilting it, but that's not part of my goal this month.  Just choosing backing and layering and basting.  (Because verrtigo has returned again, I'm not sure how much I can get done.  Better to meet the goal and get more done than not meet the goal.)

Thoughts on backing fabric.  I used mostly reproduction-style fabrics for this quilt but this does not look like an old-style quilt to me.  It looks more modern, maybe only because of the light colors.  At first I thought of the backing fabric you see beside the quilt, the tannish and off-white print.  The tannish fabric is linen, somewhat loosely woven.  I doubt this quilt will get much wear or need to be washed often but so it should be fine on that point, but it seems just a little boring to me.  So I'm on the hunt for other backing fabric I can use.  There must be pieces I have on hand that I could stitch together to make a 30" square, or maybe one piece that large.  (The quilt is 23½" square but backing needs to be larger for hand quilting.)  Maybe fabric with red, since there are several pieces with red on the front.  I'll look again tomorrow.

I'll probably use flannel for batting.  I like small quilts to be flexible.

I'm linking this post to May One Monthly Goal at Stories from the Sewing Room.  Thanks for hosting, Anne-Marie.

--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #31

I have just a few links this week.  Maybe you'll enjoy one or two of them.

I do not read, speak, or understand Japanese but I thought these embroideries of the Japanese alphabet by Tomoko Kubo were whimsical and delightful.  I appreciated that the post begins with a tiny lesson about the Japanese alphabet.

This interview with Ken Burns is a little long at about 20 minutes (and is excellent and well worth the time, in my opinion) but I share it because he is a collector of quilts and during the first few minutes of this video you can see several quilts hanging in his home.

In honor of America's 250th anniversary, he has made a new documentary series about The American Revolution which will be broadcast in November, 2025.  He is a story teller at heart who works to present all perspectives of a story. 
There are several quotes that I especially liked.

• "Sometimes we sort of say, 'Oh, you're bad and you're good,' and what we understand from honesty about ourselves, we've got both of those things in us [as did people in the past]."
• "For everything... the opposite thing might also be true."
• "American history is a mirror that holds up to us an incredibly complicated story of us."

I thought these patchwork pieces were really interesting, especially considering that the creator cut and sewed these thousands of circles together by hand.

And this post, Nine Changes You Need to Make to Your Google Security and Privacy Settings, may not be fun but it is informative, especially for a non-tech person like me. 

I hope you have a good weekend!
--Nancy.

Straight from the Quilting Hoop

At long last and with not much time to spare for my April One Monthly Goal, the quilting on my version of Cheri Payne's Everyday Patchwork is finished!

I first posted about this quilt in June, 2018, when I began making blocks.  Gosh, that's a lot of years!  I'm glad it's almost finished.

It is quilted with Baptist Fans, beginning at the bottom right side of the quilt and finishing across the top from right to left. I always wish the top edge of the Fans would end a quarter inch from the top edge of the quilt because I think the lower vertical edges of the Fans don't look quite right.  (You can click to enlarge this photo and see what I'm talking about.)  I suppose most people, including me, don't notice after the quilt is completely finished.

I have a question for you quilters who are reading.  When you cut the batting and backing edges off a top that's been quilted, do you cut along the quilt's edges or do you use a straight edge and a square at the corners to make sure the quilt is square?  I never have but I also notice that sometimes my quilts are not square, with one side or end a little longer than the other.  I'm just wondering what you do.  Thanks for responding (if you do).

I'll post details about this quilt after it's bound, washed, and dried.

I'm linking this post to
  >  April One Monthly Goal Finish Link Up at Stories from the Sewing Room
  >  Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.

Progress but Nothing Finished

I've made progress on several different quilting projects this week but have no finishes.  Here's what I've been up to.

Never underestimate the amount of time it takes to cut 143 3½" blocks!

I cut a few on Thursday so I wouldn't be starting something on a Friday.  Today I imagined spending half an hour or so to have them done.  Well, maybe if I'd had a die cutter, but with a rotary cutter it took longer.  Maybe four times longer--or at least it seemed that way.  At first I thought, "What was I thinking choosing a setting with alternate blocks?!"  By the time I finished I was thinking, "Gosh, I'm glad I have a rotary cutter instead of having to cut these with scissors and a cardboard template."  Above is just a small section.

I thought maybe I could sew them as 9-patch blocks, alternating 9-patch and plain squares on the corners, without a layout, just as I picked them up from the pile.

Then I realized that if three greens or browns or oranges were clustered together, I might not be happy.  So I'll choose where I want them to go, then either sew 9-patches or sew them together in rows.

Scrappy Ohio Stars have also seen some progress. 

I don't think I will need them but since the pieces were already cut I decided to finish them.  I really don't like making blocks and then cutting them to size but it seemed prudent for these small blocks this time.

I cut and stitched three more blocks for the Blue and Lights (plus browns) sampler.

And here they are with all the other blocks.  The new ones are the bottom three on the left column. These may make sense only if you know I chose blocks that had either a square or an on-point square in the center surrounded by a square in the opposite orientation.

And about my One Monthly Goal of finishing the hand quilting on Everyday Patchwork.  My rotary cutter needed a new blade.  Not a problem, I have a pack or two on hand.  Have you ever noticed that the new blades seem to have oil or grease on them?  I didn't want that on the fabric I was cutting so I scrunched up a tissue and pulled it across the blade.  I've done it before, no problem, but this time I somehow let my hand move back into the blade.  It's not a big or a deep cut but it's enough of a cut that my index finger is now sporting two band-aids, one on top of the other, because it was bleeding so much.  I'm not sure I'll be able to hand quilt with those band-aids on.  I may need to edit my OMG for April.

My older daughter and her husband and their five children were here last week for a few days.  Gosh, it was busy but oh so fun to have them here.  And I forgot to take photos!

I've been terrible lately about making notes of quilts I've started and progress on the ones I started earlier.  I just realized how much I rely on this blog (and digital photos with dates) to keep track of when I started a quilt and the progress  I made.  Of course, I love posting and reading your comments, too!  In fact, I think that's the best part of blogging.

I"m linking this post to
  > Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
  > Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework (on Sunday)
.
Thanks for visiting and reading and, if you do, for leaving a comment.
--Nancy.

One Monthly Goal Finish for March, Declaring a Goal for April

My One Monthly Goal for March was to hand quilt 3 more rows of Baptist Fans across this quilt, Everyday Patchwork. 

I met that goal by the end of the first two weeks in March, but my fingers were sore.  I took a little break, then continued quilting, and now, today, have finished 4½ rows of fans.  (I hoped for 5 or 6 rows but wasn't fast enough.) 

I'm so close to the top, to the finish!  So I'm setting April's One Monthly Goal as quilting 2-2½ more rows (or how many ever it takes) to finish this quilt.  I'm sure I can do that!

When I read others' progress posts for either hand or machine quilting a large quilt, I usually can't see the progress (unless there are a lot of photos) but I'm always cheering for the person posting.  Quilting takes a lot of time and effort.  When I'm the one doing the hand quilting, it's always so evident to me exactly how far along I am on the quilting.  I suppose that's because I'm so close to the quilt, the one doing the stitching, making the progress.  

I'm linking this post to
> One Monthly Goal Finish Link Up at Stories from the Sewing Room. 
> April One Monthly Goal at Stories from the Sewing Room
Thank you for hosting, Anne-Marie.

--Nancy.

Another Little Plaid Basket Finished

One more little plaid basket is all stitched, including zinnia flowers, stems, and leaves...

and I started appliqueing the next basket.  I love this red and army green plaid even if it isn't the most generous fabric for hand stitching.

When I applique these baskets stitch around the outside edge of an empty basket first. When that part is appliqued, I place the stems, the flowers, and the leaves, decide the order to applique them.  I usually stitch the stems and leaves first, then the handle between the flowers.  Sometimes I have to juggle the order of stitching and do a little of the handle, then part of a flower or leaf or stem.  Eventually everything gets stitched.

I have this basket to finish and one more that needs flowers, leaves, and stems.  Then I should be done!  I'm looking forward to turning these into a top!

I'm linking this post to
  > Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Kathy.

--Nancy.

Scrappy Stars in the Red Range

I've been making these stars for a few months, sometimes as leaders/enders, sometimes in earnest.  I now have 48 finished, with five more in progress.   It's time to think about how to turn them into a quilt.

My first layout idea was this.

But after looking at these a few times over a day or two, I realized the stars really need some space of their own.   They're just too mashed together and congested, creating a very busy quilt.   So I moved on to my next idea.

This is a straightforward layout:  on-point, diagonal set with alternate squares between.  I like that each star gets its own space to shine.

I'll use this layout unless a better idea comes along.

Next I need to sort out fabric for the alternate squares.  I always imagined using a light/lightish fabric, maybe leaning toward pink, since all but a few of the stars are in the red range.  I have two pieces of yardage with enough fabric to cut all the alternate blocks (and hopefully side setting triangles, too). 

This fabric looks more pink than the other because it has red vines and flowers with little grey/charcoal/black circles.

This fabric has a white background with little heart flowers.

You can see both fabrics in this photo.

The arrangement of the stars needs some work, something I'll decide after I choose fabric for the alternate blocks.  And, I guess the other possibility for the alternate fabric is to choose a darker or brighter fabric.  I'm still playing and considering.  I welcome your thoughts on these blocks, layout, fabric, and color.

If I use only the blocks I already have, the layout will be 6 blocks by 8 blocks. A 6" block set on the diagonal measures about 8½".   The quilt would measure about 51" x 68", so a smaller quilt, not even large enough for a twin bed.  But someone might like it....  Or maybe I'll make six more blocks....

I'm linking this post to
  > Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts..
  > Oh Scrap at Quilting is more fun than Housework
Thank you for hosting, Alycia and Cynthia

--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #30

I haven't been getting around the internet much so I have only a few links to share today.   I hope you find one or two to enjoy.

 A late addition:  See beautiful photographs of beautiful antique quilts for sale at Flying Geese.  Thanks for the reminder, Lizzy.

There are some interesting tie-dye fabrics from 425-1100 A.D. here.  So much detail for tie dye.
These slices take the cake!  (Pun intended.)  Though inedible, I think they impressive.

I'm not an avid traveler (I love sleeping in my own bed) nor a world traveler but I found Kevin Kelly's 50 Years of Travel Tips interesting, insightful, helpful, thrifty, fun, or just plain wise.  Maybe I would enjoy travel more if I used some of his tips?  Kelly uses a tiny font on this blog which is hard on my old eyes.  I follow his blog on Feedly and have no problem reading it.

Lizzy sent me a link to Gary Bunt's paintings and poems (where there are links to more of his paintings).  I found their somewhat primitive style enchanting and delightful.  Maybe you will, too.   Look at the paintings at the link and, if you enjoy them, watch the short video below. 



I hope all is well with you in your world!

--Nancy.