Don't Make Me Break Out the Flying Monkeys

Who remembers the flying monkeys

 from The Wizard of Oz movie?

I was afraid of them when I was a child.

Honestly, they still creep me out.

* * *

In 2008 I was part of Tonya Ricucci's online Summer class

where our challenge was to make a two color quilt.

I struggled for weeks to come up with an idea.

On July 11th during a perfectly awful day at work

I realized exactly which phrase I would create

with free pieced letters on my class quilt.

It didn't take long to decide on my two colors

(a multi color dot on black and a collection of yellows)

and get the first few words pieced.

I also started testing potential border ideas.

By July 21 all of the words were pieced.

I shared this photo of a sketch showing 

my asymmetrical border plan on July 24th.

The inspiration for my borders 

came from Collaborative Quilting

by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran.

I had made lots of piano key borders 

but this was the first time I'd added 

one of Gwen's serpentine strips.

This photo of another border's design

shows the black background print really well

as well as some of the many yellows.

I had nearly 6 yards of that background when I started

and only very small scraps when I finished.

So typical for liberated free pieced quilts -

ALWAYS buy more background

than you think you'll need.

At least twice as much and more if you can.

A double row of broken dishes blocks

created an interesting secondary design

for the quilt's top upper edge

and it helped balance out the large 

monkey wrench blocks at the bottom.

I debated about adding a third color

since it was a two-color challenge

but since the quilt NEEDED the pops of red

and we all know I'm not all that good

about sticking to "the directions or the plan" . . . 

I shared the finished flimsy on August 24.

It measured 61" wide x 86" long.

I then handed the top and back off 

to my good friend Chris

for custom free motion quilting.

I shared the completely finished quilt on October 1, 2008.

(that's just under three months from idea to completion)

Here's how Chris quilted the serpentine border.

And here's how she quilted the broken dishes border.

The custom work she did on this quilt

was light years ahead of what she had been doing . . .

I don't know which of us was the most thrilled!

In November, I shared the quilt during the 2008 edition

of the annual Davies Manor Quilt and Fiber Arts show.

And in December, DH hung the quilt 

in our newly-painted foyer.

(the door trim wasn't even installed at this point)

* * *

Fast forward a year or so . . . 

Tonya Ricucci was in the process of writing a book

about liberated letter making.

She had already asked to include my quilt

from her 2007 First Ever Online Class

AND SOMETIMES Y.

(you can see "Y"in this photo

taken during AQS Nashville 2008)

Tonya sheepishly asked if I would be willing 

to also let her include The Flying Monkeys

and, of course, I was happy to say YES.

Both quilts were shipped to her publisher in January 2010.

In October of that year, The Flying Monkeys

traveled to the Houston Quilt Show where 

it made an appearance in the Martingale booth.

Look closely and you can see Tonya holding the quilt.

(she was so surprised at how large the quilt was)

The quilt also travelled to The Quilt Show

when Tonya made an appearance there

to promote her book's upcoming release.

(episode 907)

My quilt was too large for the stage set

so this impromptu photo was taken

of Tonya (and someone else) 

holding up the quilt backstage.

Both of my book quilts came home on December 9th,

eleven months after leaving Tennessee, and

my copy of WORD PLAY QUILTS arrived on December 14.

What a happy day for liberated letter makers everywhere.

(this photo really illustrates the scale of the letters)

* * *

So I'm sure you're wondering why 

I am sharing this particular post today . . . 

Lynne has been telling the long and winding story

 of our friendship in a series of posts on her blog.

(look for Julie and Lynne - Our Story in the sidebar

below the SSOBB logo and before the Labels list)

Last week she shared her 2013 photo 

of The Flying Monkeys hanging in our foyer 

and we both discovered that I'd never 

put together a comprehensive post for the quilt.

This post was the closest I'd come.

The oversight has now been corrected.

Enjoy!

(and you can see more of my liberated letter quilts HERE)

Quiltdivajulie

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“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”

Karl Menninger

Two Future Baby Quilts Finished

After making two versions ( Part 1 and Part 2) 

of last year's Davies Manor Mystery Quilt

plus a tablerunner,

I still had pieces and parts leftover.

So I made a crib quilt to become

a sometime-in-the-future gift.

The Grape Pansy Caper Part III 

was quilted by my friend Chris Ballard.

(she was testing out a new design 

and we would both rather practice

on a real quilt v. a muslin sandwich)

Much better than having those leftovers

languish in the scrap bins!

I had also pieced this top 

as another sometime-in-the-future gift.

Chris practiced another new-to-her design on this one.

The backing describes "The Perfect Treehouse"

with diagrams, text, and directions.

Again, I'm glad these leftovers were turned into

something wonderful and useful.

* * *

I have no idea when or to whom 

these two quilts will be gifted,

but they are finished and that makes me happy.

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------------------------
"Plans are great and so is diverging from them."
Alice Dustin

Letters From Home - Then and Now

Julie, Angel, and Chris  ~  February 2009

You need to click this link

to begin at the beginning of the story.

I'll wait for you to read and return . . .

Miss Angel (1995-2010) giving Letters From Home 

her quality assurance furrs of approval.

* * *

Then this happened in December 2010.

Lynne's Letters From Home was included in Tonya's book.

So were two of my quilts ~

And Sometimes Y and Flying Monkeys.

* * *

Now fast forward to the present.

Letters from Home is hanging in my studio until October 

when Lynne and I will meet face to face for the very first time in St. Louis.

The countdown clock in my sidebar is ticking . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

Introducing . . . Afterglow

 Over the long Thanksgiving weekend,

I taught our younger son how to use my rotary cutter.

He had a blast cutting random strings and strips from

 the pile of scrap fabric Chris gifted to me.

(from her Borealis quilt named Free Spirit)

I've finally spent time stitching some of those strings and strips together

and cutting the first few segments for my longtime bucket-listed

Marston-Moran-inspired Liberated Wedding Ring quilt.

Here are the four quarter blocks that form Block No. 1!

And then, there were three blocks . . .

* * *

I've named my quilt-to-be Afterglow.

Photo by sudarshan vijayaraghavan

The photo above explains why . . .

(taken at Adyar creek, Chennai, India)

If you're curious, you can read a more scientific explanation here.

* * *

Once Free Spirit and Afterglow are finished

(sometime next year)

Chris and I want to photograph our two quilts together.

In the meantime,

I LOVE playing with these colors!!

Quiltdivajulie

-------------------------------

“The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire.”

(Pamela Hansford Johnson)

Alpha Palooza - The Quilt

I LOVE IT ! ! ! 

Alpha Palooza measures 42" x 60" 

Chris quilted this with free motion Baptist Fans 

using a variegated thread featuring raspberry and turquoise.

This project is mostly Lynne's "fault" . . . 

I was part of her Red Letter Quilt Along.

(except my letters were 25 purples & 1 turquoise)

But I can't blame it all on Lynne ~

I've wanted to make an alphabet sampler 

ever since I learned to make free-pieced letters during Tonya's First Ever Online Class

(that's when I made And Sometimes Y)

and I had a whole box of 1.5" strips left after making Dumpster Diving,

one of the many legos quilts made after Tonya shared her idea with everyone.

Photo taken with late afternoon sunshine.

(and yes, that is the toe of my rainbow shoe)

You can see more photos in the Picasa Album here.

SO happy with the way it all came together!

Quiltdivajulie

Ready to Add Binding!

WOO HOO!!

Alpha Palooza is ready for binding!

Chris and I met up over the weekend . . .

I LOVE the free motion Baptist fans she quilted!!!

(C is for Chris, after all)

More photos soon!

Quiltdivajulie

Results of Field Trip . . .

I needed just a little more fabric in the mix 

for the upcoming liberated wedding ring project.

How better to gauge prospective color relationships

than to snap a photo before going to the warehouse sale?!?!?

(If you supersize the photos, you will be able to see the phone photos more clearly.)

Also needed more of the black and white background

plus something else with a "kick" for the scrappy back of Alter Ego.

(Wait 'til you see how AE has evolved!  Serendipity is hard at work!)

These are for my next free-pieced project . . . 

the fabric on the right will be the backing

(the cows will make sense ~ plus they really are very fun).

Oh, and I'm happy to report that using the phone photos this way works well ~ 

these  new fabrics are playing very nicely with those in the stash!

Quiltdivajulie

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for color . . .

. . . and for friends, like Chris,

who share their gloriously scrappy leftovers . . .

. . .  and for each of the talented quilters/bloggers/mentors/online friends

 who shared their work for my White Coat Project . . .

The coat won the "Clothing" category at last weekend's local quilt show!

Quiltdivajulie

Happiness Is . . .

Having Dumpster Diving back at home

now that Chris has finished quilting . . .

(taming and binding ahead!)

and

. . .  this wonderful pin from Chris!

Quiltdivajulie

Quilt Swap, Faith, and an Almost-Finish

Chris and I met Saturday morning for a quilt swap ~

despite the high humidity and the heat index,

we managed to stand in the parking lot and yak for almost 30 minutes

before we had to retreat to our air conditioned cars.

While I was out, I picked up these long-suffering vincas

from the big box store's nursery department

(don't you love end-of-the-season prices?!).

Our fried marigolds left the premises a week ago

but the barren pots just outside our kitchen window

bothered me more than the fried flowers!

Maybe this time, these plants will be able to survive the heat

(with watering morning and evening).

click twice to see more details

I spent the afternoon binding Waiting for the Mail ~

here you can see the finished back.

I hope to have pictures of the whole quilt by tomorrow

(the front needed a little extra attention 

what with the raw edge appliqued bits).

double click to see more details

Chris chose a soft lavender thread

and surprised me with a new panto ~ Hyacinth.

The results are wonderful.

Gathering all these text fabrics has been a labor of love

spanning nearly 5 years. 

The binding fabric (also with text)

was found at the last minute and,

despite considerable anxiety on my part,

ended up working perfectly.

* * * 

Here's to the rest of the weekend ~

stay hydrated and cool, ya'll!

Quiltdivajulie

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p.s.  You are not imagining things ~ I pulled down the video clip post from yesterday.  It slowed everything down and wasn't all that great anyway.