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

18 in 18 - The Quilting Edition

I plan to participate in Lynette's 18 in 2018.

Just preparing the following summary

of my waiting quilting projects 

helped clarify what I want to accomplish

during the coming year.

I do not necessarily feel pressured to finish these,

but I am very (!) tired of them hanging in the closet

and making it difficult to use the shelves they block.

So, without further ado . . .

RISE AND ROOST 

Old MacDonald Mystery Sampler QAL 

Date Started – January 2016 in conjunction with RSC 2016

Top Completed – November 2016

Flimsy Reveal Post – November 26, 2016

Back – Ready 

Binding – fabric chosen

Quilting Plan – sketched 

Threads – on hand

SHIBORI NINE PATCH

Date Started – September 2017 (fabric inspired)

Top Completed – October 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post – October 6, 2017

Back – Ready 

Binding – made

Quilting Plan - sketched

Threads – on hand

CHERIE’S BROKEN DISHES

Date Started – September 2016 – gifted during AQS Chattanooga

Top Completed – October 2016

Flimsy Reveal Post – October 2, 2016

Back – Ready

Binding – made

Quilting Plan – liberated FM Baptist Fans

Threads – on hand

PLAID-MANIA

Date Started – October 5, 2016 (first post)

Top Completed – November 2016

Flimsy Reveal Post – November 10, 2016

Back – Ready but I may change my mind

Binding - made

Quilting Plan – liberated FM Baptist Fans

Threads – on hand

SCRAPPY BOW TIES

Date Started – Barb’s 2015 swap

Top Completed – May 2016

Flimsy Reveal Post - June 2, 2016

Back – Ready

Binding – made

Quilting Plan – liberated FM Baptist Fans

Threads – on hand

PARTLY CLOUDY

Date Started – October 2017

Top Completed – November 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post – November 23, 2017

Back – Ready

Binding – already made

Quilting Plan – sketched

Threads – on hand

PARTLY SUNNY

Date Started – October 2017

Last Post

Back – Work in progress

Binding - made

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads – on hand

DUMPSTER DIVING 2.0 – SYMPHONY

Date Started – April 2017 (AHIQ project)

Top Completed – May 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post – May 30, 2017

Back – Ready

Binding – made 

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads - TBD

DUMPSTER DIVING 3.0 – WATERFALL

Date Started – May 2017 (AHIQ project)

Top Completed – May 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post – June 1, 2017 

Back - Ready

Binding - made

Quilting Plan - sketched

Threads - on hand

COLORFUL CRUMBS

Date Started - RSC 2016 project

Top Completed – January 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post – January 11, 2017

Back - ready

Binding - ready

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads - TBD

STACKED SQUARES

Date Started – RSC 2016 project

Top Completed – August 2016

Flimsy Reveal Post – August 2, 2016 

Back - ready

Binding - ready

Quilting Plan - sketched

Threads - TBD

THE SCRAPBOOK QUILT

Date Started – May 2017

Top Completed – November 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post – November 16, 2017

Back – ready

Binding - ready

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads - chosen

LIBERATED WEDDING RING

Date Started – RSC 2016 project

Top Completed –October 2016

Flimsy Reveal Post - October 8, 2016

Back - ready

Binding - ready

Quilting Plan - TBD

h.Threads - TBD

RETIRED, TOO

Date Started – November 2017

Last Post

Next step – continue piecing alternate string blocks

Back - Vintage backing ready

Binding - ready

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads - TBD

SIXTEEN BY SIXTEEN

Date Started - RSC 2016 project

Top Completed - April 2017

Back - Ready

Binding - Ready

Quilting Plan - Sketched

Threads - TBD

SUNFLOWER SUMMER

 Formerly the back for Rise and Roost (see above)

Date Started – January 2016

Top Completed – August 26, 2017

Back - ready

Binding - Fabric chosen

Quilting Plan - sketched

Threads - On hand

(Again, I won't be surprised if the outer border 

for this quilt top is changed before it is quilted . . . )

PEACH CYLINDERS

Date Started – August 2017 – Improv Stripes QAL

Top Completed – August 2017

Flimsy Reveal Post - August 16, 2017

Back - ready

Binding - ready

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads - TBD

MOON AND STARS

Donation quilt for Church Health Center at Crosstown

Date Started – adopted November 2017

Top - Work Underway

Back - TBD

Binding - TBD

Quilting Plan - TBD

Threads - TBD

* * *

Check back in a day or two

when I'll share my list of piecing projects

I want to work on during 2018.

* * *

I've linked this post

with Lynette's introductory post

so you can check out what the others

are planning to work on in 2018.

Quiltdivajulie

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"How often in life we complete a task that was beyond the capability of the person we were when we started it."
Robert Brault

Dumpster Diving 2.0 - The Flimsy

First I sewed the four rows together.

Seams were pressed open.

The rows were then attached to each other . . .

Of course I ran out of the newspaper collage strips 

before I could finish the outer borders 

so I used a KF print called Clover and Dots

to fill in the gaps.

Here it is turned 180 degrees.

The top was a bit on the smallish side

so I cut strips to add another border all around . . . 

And here is the finished flimsy!

Dumpster Diving 2.0

measures 50" wide x 65" long.

I plan to back it with this favorite newsprint of mine

 called Story by Carrie Bloomston.

I am beyond happy with the way this top came together!

Stop by again on Thursday to see what happened

to all those leftover lego scraps.

* * *

Linking up with Beth's Monday Making

and with Em's Moving It Forward.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Like all photographers creatives, I depend on serendipity... I pray for what might be referred to as the angel of chance."
Sally Mann

Sashings and Block 12-1/2 for Dumpster Diving 2.0

Even before finishing the blocks,

I started playing with sashing ideas.

The first test was a group of 2.5" strips

left over from a gifted jelly roll

of Modern Background-Ink fabrics.

Not at all what I was looking for.

(if you want to get caught up on the

evolution of this project,

just scroll back through the last week's posts)

In keeping with the eclectic mix of fabrics in the blocks,

I pulled a sampling of low key neutrals from the stash.

While I like the mix, it did nothing for the quilt blocks.

I also did a fabric pull from the black and white stash

focusing on stripes, checks, and a few dots.

I really like this combination

but they just weren't right for the blocks on the wall.

And then I remembered these 2.5" strips of

Newpaper Collage by Carrie Bloomston

(purchased in 2014 during 

my visit to Quilted Threads with Lynne)

Oh, yes -  THIS is what I was looking for!

However the sashing choice confirmed 

my uncertainty about the background 

on this particular block.

Time for some unstitching action.

MUCH better!

Here is the revised plan on the design wall.

I can't wait to get this top sewn together!\

* * *

Linking this scrappy quilt-in-the-making

with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

CLICK HERE to see what

the other RSC'ers are sharing this week.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life." 
Vincent van Gogh