Catharsis (Dumpster Diving 5) - The Quilt

Catharsis definitely took the "scenic route"

while traveling a long and winding road

on its way to becoming a finished quilt.

It started in early 2018 when I pulled 

the purple, green, and gray strings

out of the pile that became sCRUMBtious.

In August 2018 I decided to use the strips

to create my version of Amanda Jean Nyberg's

Slopes design from her No Scrap Left Behind Book.

But nothing happened after making that decision.

Then in December, I agreed to present a trunk show

and lead an all-day Dumpster Diving workshop

for Kevin's Scrap Club in Missouri.

The waiting strings were perfect  to make 

a sample project for that workshop . . . 

Version 2 was going to be a take 

on Wendy Hook's Backward Log Cabin.

That plan quickly changed to Version 3 when I saw

Framed created by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

in Modern Quilts Illustrated #13.

(click HERE to see both of those inspiration quilts)

I did start sewing at this point but it didn't take long 

to know that the graphic design idea and

the DD approach were not playing nicely.

And then I got sick and had to cancel the trip to MO.

Once I felt better and returned to the studio

Version 4 was conceived.

Nine 8.5" diagonal string blocks

were cut from the sewn together sections

with 39 more blocks needed.

By early April the blocks were completed

and sewn together into a top.

So here we are near the end of October 2019 

and Catharsis is (at long last) finished.

Quilted with unmarked liberated free motion fans

using Glide's Aquamarine on top 

and Robin Egg in the bobbin.

(if you are curious about how I quilt these fans,

check out the linked post in the sidebar)

Backing fabric is Ardienne by Poetic Wanderlust

designed by Tracy Porter for Clothworks

(poeticwanderlust.com) 

The borders and binding are Moda's Concrete 

(Rock Solid #32995)

Finished size is 50" wide x 65" long.

* * *

Who would ever have thought 

Dumpster Diving 1 - Willy Nilly

would have captivated my imagination 

with a series of six completed lego quilts

and at least two more on the immediate horizon!

Quiltdivajulie

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Catharsis:  "the purging or release of emotional tensions, especially through kinds of art or music."

Lagniappe (Dumpster Diving 6) - The Quilt

Lagniappe

(number six in my Dumpster Diving series)

is finished.

If you want to read more of this particular quilt's story,

click HERE to read a series of posts I've shared along the way.

(the group will include this post - just scroll through 

to read the others in reverse order)

Quilted with liberated free motion totally unmarked fans

using Affinity variegated in Sea Foam on top

with Glide Robin Egg in the bobbin.

(Baptist fans?  Methodist fans?  

research shows they're essentially one and the same, 

so I'm going to use the term Fans from now on)

Totally unmarked fans is something new for me.

Previously, I had marked horizontal lines 4" apart on the quilt top

using a blue water erasable pen, which always made me nervous.

(I really do not like to mark my quilts)

I had another design in mind 

but it failed quickly when I started stitching.

That meant after all the unstitching was completed

 I needed to mark the lines on a top that was 

the same color as my marker - eek!

So I decided to give it a go 

without marking any horizontal lines.

I don't think I'll ever mark them again - it worked that well.

(and to Carol R. who left a question about my fan quilting

on the recent Conundrum post - you are a no-reply blogger

so I have no way to respond to you by email -  

please check your own blog - I left you a comment there)

The finished quilt measures 48 inches wide and 62 inches long.

I love the texture of the stitched fans

and how it adds so much to the quilt.

I'll have Lagniappe with me during my demo

at the Nov. 1-2-3 Davies Manor Quilt Show.

If you are in the greater Memphis metro area,

come see the Manor house, the grounds,

and lots and lots of quilts that weekend.

* * *

Next up?

Catharsis (DD5) is pin basted,

several bobbins are wound,

and Max has a fresh new needle.

More quilting time ahead!

Quiltdivajulie

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“Emulate those teachers that instilled the sense of wonder and curiosity that inspired you.”
Robert John Meehan

Conundrum - The Quilt

Conundrum is finished!

Measures 30" wide x 42" long

Created using the cut off corners 

from the blocks for Optic Strings.

Layout inspired by the "String Grid" quilt on page 22

of Roderick Kiracofe's Unconventional and Unexpected.

I'm counting this as a finish for Sujata's UandU QAL.

(Luminous, InspiRED, and Optic Strings 

are still waiting to be quilted)

Backing is by Keiko Goke ("stripe plaid")

I used the single leftover triangle to create a label.

Quilted with Affinity variegated Rainbow thread

(with Glide Bark in the bobbin)

using my unmarked liberated free motion all-over fans.

And here is where Conundrum will live

for the foreseeable future -

what you see when you first step through

the door to my design studio.

This is the view as you leave the design studio.

* * *

Next up under the needle?

Dumpster Diving 6 - Lagniappe

Quiltdivajulie

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"The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.  There is always more . . . "
Anais Nin

Tranquility - the Quilt

I bought the fabrics for this top during

a Cyber Monday blowout sale in 2017.

I started piecing the top in December of 2017 

using the well-known tutorial shared by Bonnie Hunter.

The top was completed in January 2018.

Since then, it has been waiting to be finished.

45" wide x 58" long

Quilted with my unmarked liberated orange peel design

using Glide thread in Warm Grey 4.

The backing is Phillip Jacobs Brassica

purchased in September 2017

at Hancock's of Paducah.

I used the same fabric for binding.

Tranquility will be gifted at the end of September.

It feels good to have this one finished -

I'm not sure why I waited so long.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” 

Neil Armstrong

Partly Cloudy - The Quilt

I started this quilt in September 2017

as part of my "USE THE STASH" effort.

The design is called Sky Blue and is from

In Love With Squares and Rectangles

by Amy Walsh and Janine Burke

of Blue Underground Studio.

My version finished at 50" wide x 65" long.

The top was completed in November 2017.

Since then it has been hanging in the "to be quilted" closet.

Last week I pulled it out and

spent a few days pondering how to quilt it.

I decided to try my untested idea for 

liberated oversized orange peels.

I love the results.

After changing back fabrics several times during

that almost two-year waiting period,

I finally chose Carrie Bloomston's Story.

I used Glide thread in Graphite which blended beautifully

between the scrappy blues and low volume four patches.

I'm very happy with this finished quilt.

* * *

Partly Cloudy will be gifted at the end of September

to someone who loves to read the newspaper -

both when it is current and again

when it is about to be used for fire starter.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.  There is always more . . . "
Anais Nin

Where the Green Grass Grows - the Quilt

I shared this photo a week or so ago

when I chose threads for quilting.

This sample/demo/teaching barn block 

was initially pieced in September 2017 

when I was teaching barn building at JCCFS.

I shared its May 2019 makeover from 

Cows at Sunset to Where the Green Grass Grows HERE.

I used random scribble-zig-zag stitching 

around the cows' feet and in the grassy areas 

and added some gentle outline stitching 

around the bushes and a few of the cows.

I like the textural results.

The rocky area was stitched 

with lots of tiny liberated pebbles

to push it behind the grass and barn.

The sky's batik told me how to quilt using

random pebbles to outline and fill as needed.

Once again, I am very pleased with the result.

The door and haymow as well as the borders

were quilted with uneven and fairly close matchstick lines.

So why did I name this Where the Green Grass Grows?

That's a lyric fragment from an older country music song

that suited the quilt's theme and depicted scene.

Finished size is approximately 19" x 19"

This one is SUCH fun.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” 

E.B. White

Rosewood Farms - The Quilt

This was the last photo I shared of the pink barn.

(created in 2016 as a  demo/presentation 

sample block for my book BUILD A BARN)

Since the threads-chosen photo was shared, 

I have been pondering how to quilt

the barnyard and the sky . . .

And then I saw these clouds and knew what I wanted to do.

(photo taken through the windshield while DH was driving)

From flat to fabulous --

My liberated free motion all-over fans

created perfect texture for the sky and

using the barnyard fabric design as my guide

provided realistic texture for the bushes and plants.

If you look closely at the previous photo and this one,

you'll see that I put the quilt back under the needle 

after the binding was sewn in place in order to 

add stitching in the haymow and on the barn door.

Now the quilt looks finished.

The batik binding works so well -

what a happy find from the stash.

Here's a detail photo to show 

the roof line ribbon candy motif

as well as the haymow and door details.

Rosewood Farms finished 

at 22" wide by 21.5" high.

I absolutely love it.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Anne Lamott

Quilts 767 and 768 - 70273 Project

Quilt No. 767 for the 70273 Project is finished.

34" wide x 57" long

with blocks made by members

of the Uncommon Threads Quilt Guild

commemorating 42 disabled individuals

who were summarily murdered by the Nazis

simply because of their disability.

Quilted with a multitude of many-sized 

liberated free motion spirals

using Glide thread in white.

It took four bobbins to quilt the entire surface.

The texture is worth every stitch.

And this is Quilt No. 768

as it was prior to being quilted.

Now finished it measures 15" wide by 46" long

with blocks made by staff and residents

of Robinwood Retirement Community

commemorating 21 lives.

Quilted with multi-directional 

and multi-sized liberated free motion fans

using Glide thread in white.

This quilt's backing is a length of damask

cut from yardage originally meant for placemats.

After laundering, it became buttery soft 

and the quilted texture is wonderful.

After a couple of local show and tell outings

all three of these Memphis-made quilts

(No. 697 can be seen here)

will be packed and shipped to the Project's founder

so they can be included in the coming display

for commemorating all 70, 273 lives and more.

What a humbling experience to have been 

involved in this effort.

You can read more about the 70273 Project HERE.

(announcements regarding the  coming exhibit/display 

will be shared on the same site)

Quiltdivajulie