I made the eagle months ago and lost it, found it, and began working on the quilt. This eagle gets a flag across the bottom of its block. I hope and think it will be quick and easy. This is one of the early blocks. I'm far, far behind schedule with only June's and July's sections finished. This eagle section will help me catch up.
More time-consuming will be two other blocks. The first is the "Victory Bowl" -- a bowl with flowers, stems, and cherries, and two doves. The second is a "Liberty Fish" weather vane with flag. Plus six paper-pieced stars (not in photo below). I'll probably adapt those and either applique them or machine-stitch them.
Such whimsy. I am enamored of both blocks and look forward to working on them.
If you're working on Sweet Land of Liberty, with or without a pattern, I found a helpful blog, quilting with ragdolls, where the quilter shares some of the challenges she had making the quilt and gives some pointers to make it easier. (We all know that Cheri improvised a lot as she worked and her patterns give us the same opportunity.) If you click the link it will take you directly to her posts about Sweet Land of Liberty.
Of course, I have other things I hope to accomplish this month but I'm setting these as a priority.
We've had a week of hot, humid weather. The thermometer was in the high 90s most days, and the humidity and dew point combined sent the heat index to 100 degrees or above. Today, finally, it will be a high of about 80 and there's a wonderful breeze. Today is my kind of summer day! I hope you're staying cool, or warm, depending the hemisphere where you live.
I'm linking this post to One Monthly Goal - July link-up at Elm Street Quilts. Thank you for hosting, Patty.
--Nancy.
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Looks like fun. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck with your project.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patty. It is fun but it's also challenging. Thanks for hosting One Monthly Goal!
DeleteI love seeing what fabrics everyone is using. Hugs
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Cathy. I sometimes look at the photos on Lori's Facebook page and see so many variations. Some with really muted fabric, others with brighter fabric. I just keep hoping my fabric choices all look fine together in the end!
DeleteYour blocks are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie. You can't see much in the photo with this post but I'm leaning toward medium to dark fabrics as Cheri did, but I love seeing the brighter versions like yours, too.
DeleteIt is fun watching you explore your primitive side. I think you are doing a great job. It sounds like the blog you linked to is a great resource for those making this quilt.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janet. I'm not sure I actually have a primitive side -- feel like I'm just trying to create one or pretend that I do. Ha ha. I think others doing this quilt might find the blog interesting and helpful.
DeleteSuch fun to read along as you put your quilts together, Nancy. I didn't know Morning Glories had that name. Love your blocks and something to admire is the way Cheri told us over and over to enjoy the process and to that end, change up the patterns to suit.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jocelyn. I think there are more than a few varieties of morning glories so the name I used is only for the variety that's dark purple. Yes, I'm grateful for Cheri's casualness about perfection and her encouragement for us to adapt and accept. It makes for challenges but fun, too.
DeleteSeeing the fish block reminds me that I still can't find that section of the pattern - sigh. That quilting with ragdolls blog had some really good information and is very helpful. So glad, again, that you found your eagle and decided to continue on with the quilt. We're having upper 90's weather here too. We don't have the humidity but we have the smoke. . . from all the wild fires.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're able to find the pattern for the fish, Robin, but if you don't here's an option: I made a screenshot of the fish at the ragdoll blog, then printed it as a pattern. Lori gave all the other dimensions so it should be easy enough. I haven't started it yet but hope to choose the fabrics tomorrow.
DeleteI'm glad I found the eagle too. I'm finding this sew-along fun but also a challenge. It pushes the limits of my tendencies toward perfection. I find I'm searching for a different kind of perfection -- perfectly imperfect. Ha ha.
I forgot about the smoke from the fires in the western states. Our news occasionally shows photos which are always horrific and frightening. You probably have to keep your windows closed all the time. I wonder what people did 100 years ago, without air conditioning or even fans. I suppose we moderns have made ourselves more sensitive to the extremes because we can adjust the heat/cool to whatever feels comfortable at any season.
I love the primitive look, but I've never been able to pull it off. You're giving me hope, though. Please carry on - I'm enjoying watching you! (And maybe I'll get brave enough to try it myself!)
ReplyDeleteI love the primitive look, too, Gayle, and I have no idea whether I can pull it off or not! A good pattern helps but all the other choices can (imho) make or break the primitive look in a quilt.
DeleteYou already have such a wonderful style, Gayle. If I were you, I'd have to really, really WANT to sew primitive to even think of trying it.
So it looks like you have a pattern. Is this a quilt you wanted to do for a long time? I wish I'd known about it in 2007! I'd definitely have bought the pattern, or else the kits from Buggy Barn! And the ABC Sampler, too. Now I'm going to have to wing it, but I talked a friend into flying along with me. LOL
ReplyDeleteHi, Susan. I first saw this quilt when Lori announced that she was doing a sew along. I belong to Cheri's Facebook Group and did her Baskets of Plenty last year and thought this would be a fun sew along, too. I think most of us are winging it but Cheri seemed to reuse parts of patterns in different quilts and her FB group files include plenty of similar patterns that can be used in this quilt. I wish I'd looked more closely at Cheri's list of patterns before she closed her online store.
DeleteGlad to hear you're going to make the quilt with a friend. I think it's a quilt that is more fun with others sewing along.