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

Quilt No. 697 for The 70273 Project

This Quilt No. 697 for the 70273 Project.

It measures 55" x 74" and is now completely finished.

(shown here before the binding was attached)

The blocks for this quilt were made during last fall's

Davies Manor Quilt Show - you can see more photos

from that event by clicking HERE.

A few blocks were also sent from Missouri and New Hampshire.

(thank you Kevin and Lynne)

Each pair of red XXs represents one person

who was murdered by the Nazis

simply because they were disabled

and deemed to be a burden to society.

You can read much more about the 70273 Project HERE.

Quilted with a wide variety of unmarked liberated

and perfectly imperfect free motion motifs

using Glide thread in White.

I've been asked many times 

if there will be an exhibit with 

ALL of the Project's quilts in one place.

The answer is YES - that exhibit is currently being planned

by Jeanne Hewell-Chambers, the project's founder.

When the details are finalized

she will share the big announcement

on the Project's website,

in the Project's newsletter,

and on the Project's blog.

* * *

The Davies exhibit with quilts commemorating

roughly 4,200 lives was powerful and sobering.

I can only begin to imagine the incredible impact

of seeing all of the Project's quilts in one place

with XXs commemorating all 70,273 lives . . .

(I have two more quilts made with

Memphis block drive blocks to finish up --

I hope to share those next week)

Quiltdivajulie

Not a Mystery and More

While the 35 blocks hung out on the design wall,

I thought a lot about a comment Jan O. shared

last time I posted about this quilt.

She used the word "luminous"

and I realized that was a perfect quilt name.

But what to do with Not a Mystery,

which I also thought was a decent quilt name?

As I was taking blocks off the wall,

a solution dawned on me.

This is my fourth quilt project 

inspired by one of Bonnie Hunter's

annual mystery quilts.

So  . . .

I created a new page here on the blog

and titled it NOT A MYSTERY

It features Dandelion Detour,

Joy in the Journey, Party Hat Optional,

and now Luminous.

Naming problem solved!

* * *

Our master bath renovation has started with

most of the noisy (!) demolition completed.

While they are working downstairs,

I have been upstairs cleaning up the studios

and updating/editing project files/boxes.

I also laid out and assembled 

the second and third quilt tops

from 70273 Project block drives

held locally after last fall's Davies show.

The long skinny top (No. 768) is pin basted and

the other one (No. 767) is ready for basting.

I also pin basted the final two sample barn blocks

to be used when I teach from BUILD A BARN

at Fabric for the Flock in August and October.

Now when the mood to quilt strikes,

these will be ready for action.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Making progress is a process, so take it one step at a time."
Ziarising

Perfectly Imperfect

I finally got up enough nerve to start quilting

Quilt No. 697 for the 70273 Project.

This is the quilt that resulted from the block drive

at last November's Davies Manor Quilt Show.

After doing liberated ditch stitching around the blocks

I went ahead and stitched the border strips,

mostly so they were stable and 

wouldn't accidentally fold underneath later.

Working with white thread on a white quilt

means my bobbles don't show too much

so I am trying a number of different motifs

that I normally avoid - like pebbles.

White on white is also very hard on my eyes

since I am so close to the quilt's surface.

I've resolved that problem by

wearing my prescription sunglasses.

Laugh if you want to, 

but it works like a charm.

I like the swirls (a lot) but they only work

for the largest of the three block sizes.

(9" x 12")

I'm doing a lot of linear stitching -

vertical, horizontal, and diagonal.

I tried Christina Camelli's bear claw motif

mixed with a few echoed arches and like the look.

(if you haven't seen her newest book, it is terrific)

I even tried a combination block

mixing pebbles with echoes and arches.

I'm delighted that I finally stitched this

instead of just doodling it on paper.

I wanted to take the partially quilted quilt outdoors

so I could check my stitching in the sunlight but . . .

it is GREEN season here (and very windy)

so there is sticky pollen everywhere

and tumbleweeds of oak tree feathers.

Needless to say, I took these photos indoors.

Seven rows are quilted - only five more rows to go.

* * *

I've changed the needle and oiled the wicks

to keep Max humming right along - 

but I do need to wind more bobbins

before starting the next quilting session. 

Quiltdivajulie

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Kintsugi:  "The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a golden inlay. Instead of discarding the broken piece, it is restored. The gold serves to highlight the break and becomes part of the history and presence of the piece. Instead of a breakage being the end of something, it is the celebration of what was, and what now is.  The fault is not hidden but highlighted.  The piece is perfectly imperfect." 

Progress on Several Fronts

All 48 blocks for Dumpster Diving 5-Catharsis are pieced!

Over the next week, 

I want to get this top sewn together

so I can use the design wall for another project.

(and the generous handful of leftover 14" lengths 

of sewn-together strips has been added to the mix

for what will become Dumpster Diving 7-Respite)

After counting HSTs needed for 

Dumpster Diving 6-Lagniappe

(from the cut off corners of the Catharsis blocks)

I had a nearly 50 corners left over.

Those that were large enough

 were run through my die cutter

using the triangle-in-a-square Go! die

(along with leftover batik scraps for the sides)

and will become a 24" x 28" wall quilt.

(final layout not yet decided upon)

I've named this small project 

Dumpster Diving 7 - Respite.

(meaning: a delay or cessation for a time 

or an interval of relief)

I had intended to get Quilt No. 697 for the 70273 Project

quilted and finished by the end of the month,

but all things considered  I am content 

to have it pin basted and ready to quilt instead.

One good thing about all that time being still

and resting/recovering in the recliner is this - 

The no-longer-loved quilt top for Partly Sunny

has been unstitched and returned to its

HSTs-in-waiting status.

A little at a time,

these blocks are being pressed and,

as soon as DD5 is off the design wall,

I can re-create my original layout plan.

* * *

"Nothing can be done except little by little."

(Charles Baudelaire)

This month has absolutely been proof of that.

Quiltdivajulie

March Goals

The quilt top of the month for March

will be Dumpster Diving 5 - Catharsis.

After two design changes, a third one is in process

and I'm finally ready to rock and roll

to get this to flimsy stage by 3/31.

My number one quilting project for March

will be the 70273 Project's Quilt No. 697

from last fall's Davies Manor quilt show.

The top currently measures 56" x 77"

and commemorates 86 lives.

I also need to put away all of the quilts

from the cancelled trunk shows.

They were heavy before and they're still heavy

so I'm dealing with them in very small groups

since my stamina is still recovering.

When I teach at John C. Campbell Folk School in September,

(class project photo pending on their website)

I want to take 12-14 journal covers to sell in their Craft Shop.

The outsides are assembled and linings have been chosen.

Next steps will be to assemble the covers and quilt them.

Hopefully they'll all be ready for the final steps

by the end of the month.

If not, these might spill over into April.

I'll be teaching Lynne's Liberated Birds

 at our local quilt shop on March 18 and 25.

(day and evening classes)

AND I need to prep enough quarter square triangles

 to assemble forty blocks for my RSC Mosaic project.

This month's color is GREEN - which should

look really good against the blue backgrounds.

* * *

And in my non-quilting world,

I need to prepare for and chair my first 

Davies Manor Association Board meeting,

and get things ready for our tax guy.

One thing at a time . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Set realistic goals, keep re-evaluating, and be consistent."

Venus Williams

Layout Begins for 70273 Blocks from 2018 Davies Quilt Show

When I tallied up the 70273 Project blocks made

during the 2018 Davies Manor quilt show,

there were 30 small ones (3.5" x 6.5")

plus 50 medium ones (6.5" x 9.5")

and 6 large ones (9.5" x 12.5").

Now how to arrange them?

I made several sketches

and played around with the math on paper

before deciding to use the six large blocks

as the quilt's anchor points.

This was the first layout option.

This was option two.

They both worked for the plan I had in mind

but neither of them excited me.

And then I tried this -- which I like and will use.

I used my trusty plate system

to sort the medium and small blocks

so I could piece 30 large blocks.

This approach used each and every one 

of the blocks made during the show.

Now there are thirty large blocks

waiting to be pressed and laid out on the design wall.

From that point it won't take long

to turn these into a quilt top.

Projected size is 54" wide x 72" long

before adding the 2" borders all around.

The finished top will be shared with

the Uncommon Threads quilt guild

at the end of January.

The guild members are making blocks 

for a second Memphis-based quilt 

for the 70273 Project 

along with the residents of 

Robinwood Retirement Resort.

Chris is going to quilt the Davies quilt

and I am going to quilt the second quilt.

* * *

And the last time Jeanne updated her totals,

over 60,000 of the Project's 70,273 lives

have now been commemorated with XX blocks!

Our Davies quilt will commemorate another 86 

and the second quilt will commemorate even more.

One life at a time . . .

Quiltdivajulie

Weekend Recap

I took six of my recent quilts

and one from 2010

to this year's Davies Manor quilt show.

Rise and Roost . . . 

The Spotted Winkel . . . 

Epicenter . . . 

Scrappy Bow  Ties . . . 

(the heart quilt was made to hang

in a local cardiologist's office)

The Scrapbook Quilt . . . 

(with a king size quilt hanging

on either side of it)

Tea Party . . . 

(due to lack of entries, 

the Panel Mania challenge was cancelled)

and Asian Odyssey.

I spent all three days with the quilts 

from the 70273 Project.

SO many stories were shared.

Ms. Andrea comes every year with her hand crank machine.

She was such a help with our XX block drive.

Even those who sat at the admission desk

got in on the XX action.

There are now 80 completed blocks 

with more to be turned in on Wednesday

when people come to pick up their quilts.

That will be enough to piece TWO quilt tops!

(I will quilt one of them

and Chris volunteered to quilt the other)

And after seeing the quilts, several people 

expressed interest in hosting block drives,

including a visitor from New York state

who is taking information back to her quilt guild.

Little Man and his parents came to the show

and with Ms. Andrea's help, 

he made his very own marble bag.

(she said he's the youngest bag maker to date)

He also made his very own XX block.

He picked out two buttons

and then put the others 

back into the zipper bag

one button at a time.

Priceless.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Gratitude is a many-colored quality, reaching in all directions. 
It goes out for small things and for large . . . "
Faith Baldwin