Saturday, June 20, 2020

Basket #9

I've been steadily working on unfinished and half-finished quilt blocks and tops this year.  All old and no new makes for a little dull me and also makes me itchy to begin something new.  But no, I committed to these finishes so I'm keeping at it.  (Of course, I'm also making a list of the next new beginnings, too.)  I have three interim finishes to share from recent weeks but today I'm posting about only one:  Baskets of Plenty.  This is my version of block/basket #9 of Cheri Payne's Baskets of Plenty sew-along.

Baskets of Plenty #9

Cheri's pattern for this block was not the 10" x 13" of most of the other blocks but a smaller sized horizontal layout which had a branch and a bird instead of a basket.  Since I wanted a basket block the same size as the others I made up a basket pattern I thought would look okay with the rest then used flower patterns from some of the other blocks, using them in ways different from previous blocks. 

I was thinking of cone flowers but didn't want the traditional pink/violet ones.  I really wanted dark red-orange-rust but didn't have fabrics that I thought worked.  In the end I chose these colors.  I like them a lot and I think they work with the rest of the baskets.

These are all the Baskets of Plenty, in no particular order or arrangement.   The backgrounds look a little creamier in this photo than they are in real life.

Baskets of Plenty for Cheri Payne's quilt-along

These baskets will finish at 10" x 13".  I'm planning to add a border around each of these blocks -- at last 1½", maybe 2"-- for several reasons.  I think the flowers need more space, a little breathing room, so to speak.  I also like the look of borders on blocks.  The first time I tried them was with the Everyday Patchwork blocks and I think they add a lot.  Borders will also increase the size of the finished quilt.  I want a quilt that is larger than 30" x 39".

I'm imagining pieced blocks for sashing, perhaps hourglasses, but I'm not sure.  I'll have to play a little before I make a decision -- colors, size, etc.

We've been out and about a little more these past few weeks, always with a mask, always avoiding anyone with a cough, and always washing hands before touching eyes, mouth, or nose.  It's good hygiene which I always tried to practice but about which I'm more vigilant than ever.

Please note:  If you've left a comment on posts during the past week please know that I read it but cannot respond via email because Google won't let me access my gmail inbox.  As if 2020 isn't already challenging enough, Google "improves" blogger and won't let me read my emails.  This is a year that often finds me wondering what's coming next.  I know it could be much worse but I hope it gets better!

I hope you and those you love are healthy!

I'm linking this post to
> Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
> Patchwork and Quilts at Quilting Patchwork Applique
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
.

22 comments:

  1. Good for you finishing up starts!! I am so bad at that right now--I am not even doing much, if any sewing--lost my mojo.
    Your cone flowers are so lovely--nice addition to your other blocks...
    As for blogger and google --I am totally disgruntled...why do they
    insist on making life more difficult..we have more than enough going on...Take care and stay safe, we are not out the woods yet Julierose

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    1. Thanks, Julierose.  I'm pleased to be making progress with finishes but if I didn't have those I think I might be like you and not be doing much of anything.  Mojo's a hard thing to come by (for me, at least) during these Covid times.
      I'm disgruntled with Blogger, too.  I was thinking the other morning how many, many bloggers these days are people over 40 or 50, some in their 60s and 70s.  It seems like the younger set have moved to Instagram or Facebook.  Because of the older demographic of blog users, I would think Google would want to make Blogger simpler rather than complicate it.  So many of us just want to share what we're doing/making and see and comment on what others are doing.  We're not interested in all the tech stuff.  But who knows, maybe Google/Blogger has plans I don't know about.  I hope it's not the death of my blogging "career" because of its difficulty.
      I hope all is well with you and your husband.

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  2. Making a list of projects you want to do while finishing up older ones is such a good idea! That way you're not jumping into something without fully considering it. For years, I was bad about starting projects that way. I still am somewhat, but have seen the error of my ways and now try to be better. This way, my projects have a much higher chance of getting finished rather than becoming UFOs. And the block? Perfect design!

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    1. Thanks, Katie.  It's taken me a few years to realize it's a bad idea for me to jump into new projects.  I made a few quilts that way and haven't loved the finishes like I hoped I would.  On the other hand, I can sometimes think too long and talk myself out of quilts!  Somewhere there is a happy medium and I hope a list helps.

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  3. Your baskets are so charming--it's going to be an adorable quilt! I have a pretty long list of "some day" quilts, but new ones keep getting in the way--lol!

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    1. Thank you, Karen.  I'm chuckling that new quilts take precedence over some day quilts.  You're so prolific, I'm sure you'll get to all of them one of these days or years!

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  4. Your Baskets are so adorable! What a success, they're lovely and all go so well with one another. I love them. No new projects for you, but the fun challenge of finishing, planning sashings etc, must be rewarding too.

    The woodland walkway is so inviting!

    lizzy

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    1. Thank you, Lizzy.  The baskets were both fun and challenging to make.  I hope I can make a success of them for a finished quilt.
      Yes, it is satisfying to move these in-progress quilts closer to finished tops.  I wish hand quilting went as quickly as piecing, though.

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  5. I think your new block is perfect with all the others. I love coneflowers but never seem to be able to keep them going from year to year. Are you using the new blogger? It's really squirrelly about so many things. I "think" I've finally fixed the comments so they will show up on my google mail. Did that in the blog settings under moderated comments and told it to send comments for moderation to my email for approval. That seems to work so far. Still haven't figured out how to update pages within the blog without them disappearing altogether. Had to revert back to the old version to fix that mess. Hope you get your issue fixed soon.

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    1. Thank you, Pat.  I've never grown coneflowers.  I'm not much of a gardener though I used to have an herb garden.
      I haven't used the new blogger yet and I wish I didn't have to.  I looked at it and played a bit but didn't even try a post.  I don't understand why Google is doing/changing all the tech stuff that appeals to younger people (who are so good at it so easily) when it seems to me that so many bloggers are older people who (most of us) just want to write posts and read and comment on others' posts without having to deal with new technology.  I know I'm going to have to try it and one of these days I will.  I'll probably have a long list of complaints after I do.  It sounds like there are plenty of changes.

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  6. The last basket is very much like Cheri's style. You did good!

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    1. Thank you so much, Karen.  I appreciate that thought!

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  7. Your baskets look great together. Your new one fits right in. I think these will look really good with borders. Look forward to seeing your finished top.
    I am trying to stick to UFOs for the big quilts and squeeze in a new mini now and then so I don't get too bored. But I must say, I get pretty happy when I make real progress on something that has been sitting in the closet for years. :)

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    1. Thank you, Janet.
      Yes, good progress on a top is very gratifying and satisfying, and even more so when it comes to a finished top!  I have to look at my to do list for this year again and see when I can start something new.  Maybe soon....

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  8. Your baskets are very pretty, and I love the flowers all differents. Your thougts about sashings are very interesting, and I'm sure you will find the perfect pattern for them!
    Thank you for sharing these lovely baskets with Patchwork & Quilts link party.

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  9. I love the sweet cone flowers. This adds just the right touch. This is going to be such a fun project to quilt. I bet it will go fast. The quilt I'm working on is an overall pattern and it is hard to gauge my progress because it all looks the same. The way I'm trying to finish up things is to get some of the old tops quilted. And, I've cut out 3 scrap quilts trying to use up the ever increasing box of scraps. Using up the scraps is really satisfying.

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    1. Thanks so much, Robin.  I'm looking forward to arranging these, looking for balance in basket size, colors, etc.  I hope they all play nicely together.  I'm beginning to think of how to quilt these.  I've not yet quilted a top that's been almost completely appliqued like these blocks.  Hmmmm. 

      I wish hand quilting went as fast as making a top.  I could keep up with the tops I finish but I seem to be slower at the quilting side of making a quilt.

      I'm looking forward to seeing your scrap quilts!

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  10. All of the blocks are terrific. The colors you chose for the coneflowers are so nice. It will be fun to see what you choose for borders.

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    1. Thanks, Cynthia.  I'm looking forward to making the sashing and borders and am just beginning to think about colors.  Fun!

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