Optic Strings and Conundrum-Week Four and More

These are this week's seven strip sets

for my Optic Strings/Conundrum project for the

Unconventional and Unexpected QAL.

Week Four's seven blocks for Optic Strings.

28 blocks done / 52 more to make

And Week Four's flying geese blocks for

the quilt I've started calling Optic Geese Conundrum.

(another "if you give a mouse a cookie" project)

* * *

In other studio happenings last week . . . 

Squares Aplenty is now webbed/ready to assemble 

including a scrappy pieced backing

for Kevin's SSSSQ (not a mystery for me) quilt.

I have finally started working on Inspi(red) 

(my variation of Amanda Jean Nyberg's Birch Trees design)

for the AHIQ Red challenge from earlier this  year.

This is yet another

 "if you give a mouse a cookie"

project because the inset strips are 

cut offs and scraps from piecing Luminous.

(also for the Red is a Neutral challenge)

My local Build a Barn 101 classes have been 

scheduled with Fabric for the Flock for 

August 15 and 22 (day and evening sessions).

I will have the Pink Barn (above) quilted 

and finished in time to share with the students.

I will also have the Cows and Balloons barn

quilted and finished to share during class.

There are four sample barns at the shop now:

the Hay Bale barn, the Minimal Barn in solids,  

the Yellow Barn, and

my SSOBB gallery quilt Flying Lessons.

Months and month ago, I pulled fabrics

to make Sunset from Cultural Fusion Quilts.  

That plan fell through and I used the fabrics 

to die cut snowballs / multiple shades of purple corners.

The project box has sat and sat - waiting.

I pulled it out this week and grouped the sets

of four snowballs with their corner triangles.

(future leader-ender sewing)

I also designed a scrappy back using 

an abundance of purple squares

and end cuts from the top's WOF strips.

All in good time - but I think I know where it's headed.

* * *

And - there were FINISHES this week!

First is the Instructor Display Case sample for

my September class at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Quilted with liberated matchstick-style quilting 

using 8 different colors of Glide thread.

I love the way the backing and purple binding

tie in with the scrappy colorful front.

Second is this 24" x 30" chair back quilt

made with leftover blocks from the 

pink and green strata quilt top.

Quilted with liberated free motion (unmarked)

multi-directional fans using Pink Glide thread.

And my big finish for this week is Flower Garden.

I made the Lattice quilt top earlier this year

when I taught the design from

 Sujata's Cultural Fusion Quilts

at Fabric for the Flock.

When I learned last week that 

one of my two primary attorneys from the law firm 

was going into hospice care for an aggressive 

and no longer responding-to-treatment cancer, 

I knew this quilt was meant to be his.

Quilted with Glide thread in Mocha

(as a nod to his love of coffee)

using free motion liberated Baptist Fans.

I truly hope it brings color and comfort to him.

* * *

I took Wanda's advice and ordered an 8.5" square

felted pressing mat for the small end table

that fits under my sewing table.

(I already had the iron and the two-sided turntable)

* * *

Be back again next Monday

with another weekly recap.

Quiltdivajulie

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Summer Breeze - The Flimsy

The quilt top for Summer Breeze is sewn together.

39" x 39"

Inspired by Sujata Shah's Sunset design

in her Cultural Fusion Quilts book.

Now I need to consider how it will be quilted.

* * *

I'll be posting less often for the rest of July

while I invest some time in myself 

with a “build your own artist residency."

(phrase borrowed from Lynn Harris)

My weekly recap posts for Optic Strings

will continue and I'll pop in here and there

with any finishes that are ready to be shared;

but otherwise I plan to keep a low online profile

and focus instead on stitching and quilting.

Quiltdivajulie

Summer Breeze Revised

After making fourteen blocks, I stalled.

The 45" x 45" finished size of 

Sujata's Sunset design did not excite me. 

And I had grown tired of the process.

After playing with straight settings,

settings with alternate blocks (all of which failed),

and a few different table runner layouts,

I hit upon this one.

Inspired by Sujata's but not just like her version,

I am ready now to sew Summer Breeze together.

Quiltdivajulie

Summer Breeze - Making Progress

One or two seams at a time,

I've managed to make a few more blocks

for Summer Breeze.

(Sunset design from Cultural Fusion Quilts by Sujata Shah)

I added a few of the side setting triangles

just to see what it was going to look like.

I like it!

Now there are 13 completed blocks

with 11 more to be made.

I would rather that this become a rectangle

so it can be used as a lap quilt --

I have an idea but don't know if it will work.

Time will tell.

* * *

My outpatient procedure on Monday went smoothly.

The bladder biopsy came back "negative" which is good news.

The smaller of the two kidney stones has apparently passed

since the urologist could find no sign of it.

The second stone is embedded in the kidney wall

meaning he did not try to remove it.

Eleven more days of antibiotic therapy remain.

Things are slowly improving.

One day at a time.

Quiltdivajulie

Here and There and Back Again

This is the way my design wall looked last Saturday, 5/25.

Six blocks for Summer Breeze completed

with stacks prepared for seventeen more.

This was my view from Sunday the 26th

until late Friday the 31st.

Beige walls, beige floors, and beige furniture.

Thank goodness for my quilt from home

providing a burst of welcome color.

I'll spare you the details but it was a week

of tests and waiting for results.

By the time I was discharged late Friday

they had identified and started treatment

for a recurring UTI and C. Diff.

and I'll have an outpatient procedure 

later this month to deal with two small kidney stones.

Needless to say, this is a much more pleasing view.

Being home feels wonderful.

Quiltdivajulie

Summer Breeze Begins

I have long admired this quilt in

Sujata Shah's Cultural Fusion Quilts book.

I don't typically make quilts on point,

but this one really appeals to me.

After several false starts these are my chosen fabrics.

Sujata's blues will be my solid blues.

Her yellows/oranges/reds will be my variety of greens.

Think blue skies and a variety of leafy green trees - 

inspiration for the name Summer Breeze.

These are my sets of squares - sorted and ready for piecing.

And these are my first three blocks.

I must be missing something because my blocks

don't look quite the same as those in the book.

Sujata's have more fabric showing in the small triangles.

I've tried re-sizing my starting block three times

and the third try (left side) seems to yield better results.

I will tinker a bit more and then cut more squares 

since I don't like the heavy clunky flow 

of the first two blocks (center top/bottom).

This little ruler makes quick work of the

trim and sub cut process.

Don't remember where I found it - but it's a keeper.

Setting triangles and potential binding . . .

both of which have been lurking in the stash

for a very very long time.

And I plan to use this slightly outrageous 

Tula Pink print from the stash

to back this 45" x 45" quilt.

* * *

One block at a time.

Quiltdivajulie

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Sujata's personal blog, The Root Connection, is HERE.

Let It Snow - The Quilt

Earlier this month, I taught two LQS classes

(day and evening sessions)

for Sujata's Peppermint Pinwheels 

from her book Cultural Fusion Quilts.

I made step-out (demo) blocks

using my stash of Christmas fabrics.

Between week one and week two,

I turned those demo blocks into a quilt top

and found time to get it quilted and bound.

I had long-planned to create this scrappy back

using a really nice deep-discount panel with

lots of other scrappy holiday fabrics.

Quilted with simple wavy horizontal lines

using Glide thread in Buttercup.

The block centers were machine appliquéd in place.

(no fusible involved)

When I made No Ugly Flowers

I left off the centers.

Two very different looks . . .

I used candy-cane red and white striped 

binding to tie it all together.

Come December

 this quilt will be put to use in the recliner.

* * *

I posted about the students' work 

on the Cultural Fusion Quilts blog.

Click HERE for week one

and HERE for week two.

They did a GREAT job

and we had a whole lot of fun.

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------------------------
"In the end, we'll all become stories."
Margaret Atwood

Planning Ahead

In October, I'll be teaching Sujata's Peppermint Pinwheels

from Cultural Fusion Quilts -- so I'm making step-out blocks

to show the students how things look at various stages.

I decided it was high time to use that deeply discounted 

Christmas fabric I gathered over the past two years,

so I started by cutting twelve pairs of fabrics 

for those step-out blocks.

Two blocks are sewn - only ten more to prepare for class.

I'll use this elegant panel as the back's focal area

and the other four fabrics will be used 

to create a scrappy surround.

The candy canes will become the binding, 

or at least I think they might.

And while the holiday fabrics 

were strewn about on the cutting table . . . 

. . . I decided to go ahead and cut pieces and parts

for three additional Christmas quilts.

One will be a 16-patch.

48 blocks require 48 pairs of fabrics.

At this point there are two sets on each plate.

I'll be able to use a strip-construction method

for those with WOF strips.

The others with shorter varying lengths

 will be cut and pieced square by square.

I'll use these reds for a giant four-patch back

and the green should work well as binding.

I also cut 28 pairs of 2.5" WOF strips 

to make another 2x4 top.

This one will clearly be much scrappier

with bolder and more varied designs

so I think I'll be okay with this version.

I also have a plan hatching to convert

the 7" x 8" blocks to 8" squares,

but I won't know if that works 

until I start stitching and can test my thought.

I'll use these greens for backing

and the red plaid for binding.

(all plans are subject to change as things progress)

I also cut loads of 1.5" strips 

(some WOF but most from leftovers and scraps)

for Dumpster Diving IV - The Christmas Edition.

I have a design in mind that will utilize 

two and maybe three of the lights shown on the right.

We'll see how that plan evolves.

I'll use a mixture of these reds for the scrappy back.

And that wavy chevron stripe 

should make awesome binding.

* * *

I figure whatever is left over after sewing these tops,

 piecing their backs and then trimming 

away the post-quilting excesses 

can be turned into a string quilt for December 2019.

It feels SO good to have these four ready to go

instead of seeing that stack of yardage on the shelf.

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------------------------
"Go to your studio and make stuff."
Fred Babb

Epicenter - The Quilt

Instead of a binding for Epicenter,

I chose to add a facing -

the first one I've ever done.

I used the excellent tutorial by 

Victoria Gertenbach at The Silly Boo Dilly.

But why a facing for this particular quilt?

Well . . . 

There's a story behind the decision 

and I'm going to share it with you here.

I'll break it up with photos of the finished quilt

taken before I delivered it to the quilt shop.

In 1996, one of my mentors wrote her original version 

of this testimonial for Mertie Buckman (now deceased), 

one of our area’s great philanthropists.  

In 1999, I learned Beth intended to share 

the following version at a high-level luncheon 

for the college's womens' philanthropy group.

I was the admin assistant helping to coordinate

all aspects of the luncheon and I shared my idea

for what I thought needed to be done

with my two bosses --

and they agreed with great enthusiasm.

That weekend, I went out and found several hundred 

unassuming rocks and wrapped each one in 

clear cellophane tied with red/black grosgrain ribbon.  

(red and black = the college colors)

As the guests arrived for the luncheon, 

they found a wrapped rock at each place setting.  

Despite some initial confusion

(thinking the rock was some sort of candy) 

when the event was over, 

not one of the rocks was left behind.  

Mine still sits beside my computer monitor.

Here is what my mentor Beth shared with the group

as she dedicated the luncheon gathering to Miss Mertie:

". . . It's such a tiny, inconsequential gift 

that I'm going to tell you what it is.  

It's a very simple little rock that I picked 

by the side of a lake in Arkansas 

where I spent many happy times this summer 

with my young grandsons throwing rocks into the water.  

We loved watching the rocks splash 

and make ripples which spread out and out on the lake.  

We would wonder where the ripples - 

"circles" they called them - might end up.  

On one of those occasions my mind was racing ahead 

to this day and I was wondering what I might ever say to you. 

Suddenly those ripples took on new meaning.  

I could see them as the ripples of kindness 

set in motion by your gracious acts of generosity.  

I could envision the countless numbers of people 

whose lives would be touched - 

people whom you will never see or know - 

people who will find hope and encouragement 

and opportunity they might never have imagined.  

Those of us who have been fortunate enough 

to stand close by you on the shore have seen 

the enormous splash and the resounding waves 

produced by your generosity - 

even though your gifts have been given so quietly 

and with such modest grace.  

We can imagine those waves becoming 'circles'

spreading out and touching lives for years and years to come.

There is no way to measure the effect of your generosity 

and kindness in the lives of others. 

What we can know is the effect in our own lives.  

I have seen so well what it has meant to have your help 

in shaping the purpose and the plans for this organization. 

Your wise counsel and your presence - and most of all, 

your example - are clearly reflected in what we hope 

to accomplish as we encourage others to become 

more deeply committed as leaders and benefactors.

Of all the gifts you have given, none, I think, 

is as important as the gift of your example.

  

Behind those bright blue eyes there is a spirit 

of kindness and grace that reaches deep into our hearts.  

You show us what it is to live believing in the future 

and believing in the potential of others. 

You show us a life lived with faith 

and compassion and selflessness.  

And most of all, you show us what we might become.

And so I give you this simple little rock, 

in the hope that it will remind you always 

of my deep affection and admiration and 

of my gratitude for having stood in your presence.  

God bless you and keep you."

* * *

So now you can understand

why I didn't want standard quilt binding

on this particular quilt.

Quiltdivajulie