Magic Vine

For a long time, I considered making a version of the Magic Vine quilt. I waffled between the blocks offered, free, from Gayle at Sentimental Stitches; and the book of patterns by Eleanor Burns. Finally I purchased the book, and I'm glad I did. She has re-printed all the original newspaper articles that were used to make this quilt, which makes greaet reading; the book also offers great ideas for embellishing with hand embroidery, machine stitches, crystals, and ribbon. There are many quilt layouts in various colour schemes to give lots of ideas on how to make your own Magic Vine.

Here are three blocks I've made - I did them as needleturn, with starch turned edge on the leaf that sticks out of the top, mean to be sewn down as the blocks are joined as vine - quick and easy to sew, and the embellishing is a little bit extra to think about.

I think this looks pretty good - almost a keeper! But, I'm not sure those really are the colours I want to use; and I've now decided to set each block on point instead of in a vine, in a strippy setting. I'm going to shrink them to 6" from 7" and do a 25 block layout, so I should end up with a nice size wall hanging. Well, that's the plan for now.

I went digging through my stash yesterday, and found this odd piece of focus fabric, and then dug up a whole new selection of colours that could make a bright spring version of magic vine -

I think I'll try a few blocks with these colours, and see how it looks.

Note to self - add more busy and/or large print focus fabrics to my stash! It really is a pretty easy way to pick colours, an idea that I rarely make use of.

What's your end of day or morning clutter?

In response to my friend Peggi's great question - what's on you're cutting table? (her blog is at http://pwl-cyberhome.blogspot.com/ - I've slightly revised it to show what is also surrounding my cutting table! I won't show the ironing board, or my sewing table (that would be just too much information :) - but here's what my cutting table and work area looked like this morning -



Here, I have a new "fit to frame" applique pattern by Lori smith. This one has a little dog under a tree, a great cute chicken, and few other motifs that just made me *have * to get it. The fabric baggie is a possibility for this little project. Also, is one of the new spools of thread that I just received from Tristan B.C. They sell a terrific selection of European cotton threads, including Aurifil. And, the kitchen scissors somehow got on to my cutting table.

Hmmm....here I have some green fabrics that are now leaves on a vine, for Garden at Dusk, my version of Cindy Lammon's quilt in her book Gathered from the Garden. The cover of the new Lori Smith pattern is tossed on top of that book. The plastic storage box is for my sewing feet - that bo does not belong there.... Then, because I have age-onset a.d.d., I had to pull out a file of patterns pulled from Australian Patchwork & Quilting, looking for something that had just jumped into my head for yet another idea on a blue and white quilt.

Cottage Crossing Quilted

Here's a little corner of finished quilt - I'm not up to getting a whole picture - I’m quite happy with how this quilt turned out – and I didn’t un-stitch too much, either! There are free motion curves in each courner of the geese crossing block, and free motion vines/leaves in the houses. Just straight stitching on the sashing, and on the borders. Now here is the problem - for the first time *ever* my lovely quilt has ripply edges, and the solid blue looks almost like its been feather quilted, but it hasn't - its gone all ripply. It hasn't yet been washed, so hopefully it will sort itself out; and, this is a gift for my sister, and I sure don't like something weird like this happening to a gift quilt - and why this one?! I can't think of one thing I did any differently than anyother of my quilts.

Here's a pic of the whole quilt top, before it was quilted -


I have actually got some other projects started that are actual keepers! I'm going to try to get back to posting every day or two, as I almost always have something, or some idea, to share.

So much indecision

This “hobby” of quilting just seems to feed my habit of not being able to make a decision.

In real life, if you make decision, and act upon it, its done. Rarely do you get to go back.

But in my quilting studio, boy do I go back! and forward! and left and right!

I have spent the last several days – as I often do – just shuffling patterns and fabric.

I made one block from the gypsy rose fabric and nutmeg flannel, for the Plain and Simple quilt.

This looked good, and you’d think I’d leave it alone. But….I’ve been thinking about the new applique pattern called Southern Gentleman that Sindy at FatCat Patterns has offered – pulling out some yardage for the Plain and Simple quilt, as well as some pieces that were meant for finishing some orphan blocks – and doesn’t that look pretty?

And what if I added some navy?

And now that looks so nice, maybe I need to find a different pattern – do I really want that combination to be used on Southern Gentleman? What else is lurking around the corner to tempt me?

Here are a few applique blocks I fiddled with this week – then I gave up on the idea of vegetables as really, what would I do with a fruit and veg themed quilt? Although it would be fun to do….

And, sometime this past week I decided I *really* did not like where I was going with some blocks I made for Eleanor Burns’ Egg Money quilts sampler – thirties on red. I’m not even showing a picture :) So I’ve decided to re-do these in a them I’ve wanted for a long time – solids on black. Some of the blocks are prepped and ready to sew.

Can I also admit that I’ve given up already on Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler in blue and white? It just wasn’t looking like a project I could stick with – only 8 blocks in so that’s a good time to stop before I get much further. So what else can I make with blue and white? And I ordered a dozen red and cream fat quarters that I fell in love with – something else to puzzle over.

Finally – and this is a good thing – I finished the top from Jane Patek’s girl gang quilt. Isn’t it wonderful? *this* will be Fraser and Kaitlyn’s wedding quilt….yes, I did order and have a pile of fabric for a more modern quilt that I was going to make them….but this top just calls to me as their wedding gift quilt.

Some sewing done this past week….

I did three blocks towards the Secret Garden quilt by Cindy Lammon, with hand applique leaves on the honeybee block.

 

I kept up with Pearl P. Pereira’s mystery block of the month – and here’s my version of the quilt to date.

 

I decided that the some of those large flower prints from the Portugal line were just too much for me – so I cut up the fabrics I did like to start a Sunshine and Shadow quilt, pattern from the book Radiant Sunshine and Shadow by Helen Frost.

I caught up on the bunnyhill tisket a tasket blocks – redwork version.   I was going to change the stars to maple leaves on the July block, but then thought that leaves will likely show up on a fall design.  So I added a moon, because I thought of the nighttime summer sky (maybe while camping...).  But my moon looks like its backwards.  I kept the sheep because he's cute.  I completely changed August - cupcakes don't mean much to me, and I thought of what August might mean when I was flipping through books for design ideas when I found a doodle by Betty Alderman - just the idea of August when you have the chance to have to daydream on a hot muggy day.

And…I did get a quilt sandwiched, although it nearly did me in, but its ready to go when I am.

 

 

 

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Design and Planning frenzy

Over the past couple of weeks, since my last posting of August 2, I've been in a frenzy - or daze - or an obsession - about planning some new quilts. I've finished up the tops that I really wanted to get done...the leaf border on one of them will have to wait. I really needed to find some new fabric combinations, some new block designs, something interesting to keep me motivated. I haven't done much sewing at all during these two weeks, just a lot of book and magazine browsing, EQ designing, web shop browsing, and of course going through my stash over and over and over.

So these will be my latest works in progress, I think -

Sleep Tight in Poseyville, by Beth Ferrier, using fabrics from Moda Portugal line. The green leaves in each corner of the blocks are appliqued. I've got one block sewn, and is it ever a departure from my usual colours - pale yellow, white, and pink.


Secret Garden, by Cindy Lammon, using Moda Glace. I think I'll be making changes to some of the blocks - switching one for another. I've never made a primarily red and blue quilt - and these colours are softer than the usual repros I commonly use.



And, Plain and Simple bed quilt from Kim Diehl, using Gypsy Rose charm squares and a "nutmeg" coloured flannel - its about time I had a flannel bed quilt for winter!


During all this dreaming and planning, I was hoping to come up with a couple of miniatures and or wall hangings. I have lots of scraps, put into zip loc baggies so they're kind of coordinate. Somehow I ended up with all large quilts...but I do hope to soon make a small one to freshen things up for late summer/fall. Oh, and of course get to some quilting of the tops I do have ready to go.

Scrap Quilt Surprise!

I’ve finished sewing together the top for Pick & Choose – it looks much different than the original, because of the sashing substitution.

But before the big picture - imagine my surprise when pressing the top, to discover…

Who *is* that man in my quilt?!!

He must have just jumped in at the last minute ‘cause its amazing his whole self is in that triangle!