Dumpster Diving 2.0 - Good Morning Sunshine - The Quilt

This quilt's beginnings were part of my 

late-2015 Great String Reduction Project.

In June of 2016, I ran across a photo of Pearlie Irby Pettway's

"Diamond in Square" quilt made of cotton, polyester, 

wool, and corduroy (ca. 1950 - 82" x 66")

and a light bulb went off in my head.

(you can see the inspiration quilt in THIS POST)

Then in 2017, one of the AHIQ challenges

involved making a two-block quilt

and another light bulb went off -

one that connected two year's worth of dots.

Twelve scrappy lego-style blocks

were used as centers for twelve economy blocks.

These were set with newsprint striped sashing.

The inner borders were staggered to use the last of

the newsprint striped fabric and filled in with 

the outer border fabric.

The top was completed in May 2017

and was hung in the closet with 

other waiting-to-be-quilted projects.

Quilted using Glide threads -- 

Rainbow (Affinity) and Zaffre on the top

and Sterling in the bobbin.

Backing - Newsprint from Carrie Bloomston's 

"Story" line of fabrics

Since the original Gee's Bend quilt was a true utility quilt,

I wanted to keep my quilting simple.

I chose liberated wavy crosshatching

or what I sometimes call wavy windowpanes

and I love the way it looks - front and back.

The finished quilt is one that I'm going to enjoy using!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Out of clutter, find simplicity."
Albert Einstein

Focus ... Focus ...

Focus is my goal for June.

I need to get all of these circle shapes

appliqued onto the background

for The Spotted Winkel.

I know how I want to quilt it

and I have the backing ready to go.

Fingers crossed it is ready for the trip to St. Louis.

I also need to quilt Dumpster Diving 2.0

aka Good Morning Sunshine.

I'm delighted to have it pin basted 

and hanging over the balcony

ready for its turn with Max.

And Rainbow Charms is pin basted 

(shown here hanging over the balcony)

and waiting to be quilted.

Focus . . . 

Focus . . . 

One thing at a time . . . 

I CAN do this!

Quiltdivajulie

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"If you've lost focus, just sit down and be still. 
Take the idea and rock it to and fro. 
Keep some of it and throw some away, 
and it will renew itself. 
You need do no more."
Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Lots of Things Happening

Nine of the twelve RSC-color-prompted rings 

and their four-part setting blocks

in my Liberated Wedding Ring Quilt

have now been quilted.

Only three more rings

(pink, dark-med. blue, and lime green)

and ten more gray segments to go.

Plus the border . . . 

The quilted texture looks good on the back, too.

I've finished hand stitching 

the binding along one long side of GLORIOUS.

The quilt measures 70" wide x 80" long

so I figure it will take me four 

Wednesday morning quilt groups 

to finish the binding all the way around.

I love how GLORIOUS looks with our hydrangeas.

I've started pin basting Dumpster Diving II

which has developed a new secondary name -

Good Morning Sunshine.

I've also decided on thread color

and an overall quilting design.

(yes, I could go with custom quilting

but I was inspired by a vintage utility quilt

so an all-over is more in keeping with that vibe)

I also prepped Rainbow Charms for sandwiching.

One pool noodle holds the backing,

a second noodle holds the batting,

and the third noodle holds the top.

As soon as I finish the Wedding Ring quilt

I'll have enough pins and Pinmoors 

to pin baste Rainbow Charms.

I've finally settled on a quilting design for it

that suits the quilt and won't wear me out.

And I need to order another roll of batting

for the final group of quilts in the Waiting Closet.

(the ones slated for the second half of this year)

* * *

And I shall turn my piecing focus to The Spotted Winkel.

The top is ready to appliqué all of the circles

which is all that needs to be done

before it can be quilted.

I've chosen a thread color and happily found 

a nearly perfect quilting design 

from one of Christina Cameli's books.

I'd REALLY like to get it finished in time

for the lecture/trunk show in St. Louis.

* * *

And until Google/Blogger resolve the problem

with comment notifications by email,

I'll continue to respond to 

your comments here on the blog.

I understand they are now actively working

on a solution to the problem.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Don't try to be different - own the fact that you already are."
Debi Payne

MERAKI - the Quilt

Introducing MERAKI.

(formerly known as the solid coins project

from an AHIQ challenge earlier this year)

MERAKI means 

"to do something with soul,

creativity, or love;

to put something of yourself

in your work."

The finished wallhanging now lives in our home office

along with And Sometimes Y.

On the third wall hangs this framed notecard

with a watercolor by Kat Frick Miller of Nova Scotia --

And this painted tree that was purchased 

October 2016 at River Arts 

(big annual art fair)

and gifted to me last Christmas --

And this new print of a pastel done by a North Carolina artist --

(purchased at River Arts a couple of weeks ago)

And this framed cross stitch that I did

when we lived in Northern Indiana's Amish country.

Artwork makes such a difference in a room.

MERAKI measures 31" x 31"

and can be hung either direction

since there are fast finish triangles on all four corners.

Quilted by Chris Ballard

(hand guided unmarked free motion on her Nolting long arm)

I love it!

Quiltdivajulie

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"The simplicity of form, the drama of rich, intense colour, 
the joy of challenge, and the challenge of endurance . . . 
The piece, when it is over, is not what is made, but how it is made."
Andrew Kuntz

Words to Live By - The Quilt

Words to Live By is finished!

Measures 48" wide x 60" long.

Quilted with liberated free motion Baptist Fans

using Eggplant Glide thread.

These photos were taken outdoors 

on a very overcast (damp) morning.

Indoor photos just did not do the colors justice.

I am so very pleased with the way this came together!

Thanks to Ann and Kaja 

with the Ad-Hoc Improv Quilters

for their "words on quilts" challenge.

The texture and feel is wonderful.

Fully recliner-tested and approved.

* * *

Take-in days for the upcoming Davies Manor quilt show

are Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Thursday is hanging of the quilts day.

The show runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10-4.

If you are in the greater Memphis area,

I hope you'll come see the show!

Quiltdivajulie

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"No matter what people tell you, 
words and ideas can change the world."
Robin Williams

Words to Live By - The Flimsy

Indoor photo of WORDS TO LIVE BY

50" wide x 63" long

(photo should supersize if double clicked)

I think I auditioned at least ten different fabrics

for the vertical sashing strips before 

discovering this leftover backing

in one of my resource boxes.

I love how the deep darkness 

sets off the brighter colors in the charms

and lets the words become the stars.

I used two different Moda Bella solids for the words

so that they would offer yet another layer of interest

and a subtle sense of repetition with their placement.

I'm delighted with the result!

Next step will be to design and piece

the scrappy back with more words/phrases.

Hope to have it ready to share next week.

Thanks to Ann and Kaja 

for a thought-provoking AHIQ challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

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"You have asked for and been given enough words - 
it is now time to live them."
Meher Baba

Words on Quilts - AHIQ Challenge

Ann of Fret Not Yourself shared this quarter's

Ad-Hoc Improv Quilter's ("AHIQ") 

challenge in THIS POST.

I've done a lot of quilts with free-pieced words

and I wanted to try something different this time.

But what?

I spent a lot of time browsing photos of quilts online

as part of my contemplation process.

When I chanced upon the quilt shown above

I knew I was onto something.

(the quilt was a previously sold item from Etsy 

without any information on the maker)

A while back I shared this photo of the starting point

for this quarter's AHIQ challenge quilt,

so I was looking for an inspiration quilt

that was somehow related 

to the KF charms I have in abundance.

Last week, I finally found time to sit down

and start stamping using Kaja's tutorial.

The ink is meant for fabric use and once heat set

is washable in cold water.

I tested a couple of words and it seems that will hold true.

I also played around a bit with the positions

where I would insert the words

in order to create quilt top in the 48" x 60" range.

In these photos,

I've grouped the stamped words into sets of four.

All of the words relate to me as a quilt maker.

Some describe my attitudes.

Others describe my preferences.

As I was stamping words,

I decided to change the plan for the quilt's scrappy back.

The blues shown in the earlier photo

fell out of favor in lieu of these purples.

Time will tell if this group makes the final cut.

More stamped words.

I actually scrolled back through blog posts

looking for words that appeared frequently.

"Listen to your quilts" prompted the word LISTEN.

And my gestation notebooks

prompted the word Gestation.

The quilt that hangs above my sewing machine

reminded me to include PLAY in the collection.

It took several hours to stamp all the words.

But it was a day when I was physically tired

after being sick so sitting and stamping was perfect.

And, in the midst of stamping, the quilt named itself:

WORDS TO LIVE BY

There are now forty stamped words for the quilt's top.

I stamped a few more to include on the back,

but before I worry about that step in the process

I want to get the top sewn together.

Stay tuned!

* * *

Linking up with Ann and Kaja 

for this month's AHIQ gathering.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Creating art is an affirmation of the 
conscious nature of our existence."
Ian Semple