Glorious - The Quilt

The binding on Glorious is finished!

Designed collaboratively long distance with Lynne Tyler

Pieced by Lynne in NH

Quilted by Janet-Lee Santeusanio

(Lynne's long arm quilter in NH)

Bound and labeled by Julie in TN

Shown here hanging over our back fence

in the early morning shade.

There are SO many great fabrics in this quilt --

We purchased 13 for the "giants" after using 

e-quilter's design board/wish list feature.

Of those, only eight made it into the final quilt.

The others were edited out for one reason or another.

At one point Lynne told me we used 42 different fabrics  -

some from our joint long-distance shopping adventure,

some from my stash, and some from her stash.

Lynne made me five of her long skinny zipper bags

using some of the leftovers,

including three of the "giants" fabrics we edited out.

(sunflowers, peacock feathers, and seed packets)

I think this black and white photo is very interesting . . .

See how the different sizes and shapes of diamonds

float in and out across the surface of the quilt?

You can see more full-size color photos

 from Lynne's photoshoot before the quilt was finished

by clicking HERE.

I am so happy with the way the binding fabric 

works with both the front and the back.

Our original idea was to create a quilt 

that showcased the many colors of spring.

After a lot of editing and discussion,

we both agree that we "nailed it."

As an aside, for those who have never tried growing

WAVE petunias - we are delighted with ours.

Purchased as marked-down frost-bitten plants,

they have done nothing but bloom and thrive.

And they look pretty good with Glorious as a backdrop, too.

The finished quilt is approximately 70" x 80"

and fits beautifully on the back of our couch.

Sending a BIG shout-out to Lynne 

for another awesome collaboration!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Gratitude is twofold - love coming to visit us 
and love running out to greet a welcome guest."
Henry van Dyke

18 in 2018 and Beyond - May's Roundup

On the PIECING front,

I made more progress on The Spotted Winkel project.

Not on the 18 in 2018 list,

but very much on my to-do list,

I also pieced these blocks

for the 70273 Project.

Also not on the 18 in 2018 list,

I designed, cut out, pieced, and quilted 

a class sample quilt for Fabric for the Flock,

where I'll be teaching a half-log cabin class in June.

From the QUILTING list,

I quilted and finished Colorful Crumbs.

I pin basted my Liberated Wedding Ring,

another hold over top/back from RSC 2016.

I've finalized my design decisions 

(after much deliberation)

and chosen multiple colorful threads.

So far, I've quilted about 1/3 of the quilt.

From the COMFORT quilt list,

I pin basted my RSC yellow Doll Like Me quilt.

I used the scraps from the class sample quilt

to piece a Doll Like Me top.  

Since this photo was taken,

the blue backing has been sewn together

and this one is also pin basted.

May's RSC color has been PINK and ROSE.

I am working on a big stack of paired HSTs

(current leader-ender project)

for a 36" square top for Jack's Basket.

(it will be backed with a scrappy back

made with the two alternating pink squares - 

and I'll use the sassy binding from

a previous project to finish it off)

I also quilted and finished Geese for Misty,

a 48" x 56" lap quilt.

This one is being handed off today

and will soon be on its way 

to its destination.

In the OTHERWISE category,

I spent some time reorganizing my stash.

The resource and crumb boxes 

were moved to the two lower shelves

so that the folded yardage would all fit 

on the three upper shelves.

This arrangement is SO much easier to work with,

I just wish I had done it months ago.

My collaborative quilt - GLORIOUS - 

is here and I've sewn the binding to the front.

I'll get it hand stitched on the back a little a time. 

PT for the bursitis in my hips 

and the sciatica in my lower back 

is going well -- 

but I don't want to add anything else

to the list of aching body parts.

I've also decided that I will use the fabrics

set aside for a project named Franklin Square

to make Abilene - one of Laura Heine's fabric collage quilts.

I've never made one of her quilt designs

and I'd like to try one just for the fun of it.

And there's something about a purple-ish cow quilt

with a neon green print backing

that amuses me to no end.

* * *

To see what the others are sharing

for their May 18 in 2018 recap posts,

CLICK HERE.

Here's looking forward to June!

I have 3 (and hopefully 4) more to quilt and finish

before my St. Louis lecture/trunk show in early July.

* * *

And until Google/Blogger resolve the problem

with comment notifications by email,

I'll continue to respond to your comments here on the blog.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead."
Robert Brault

Binding for Glorious

Option No. 1

Option No. 2

Option No. 3

Option No. 4

At this point, I narrowed the choices to Options 3 and 4

Option 3

Option 4

Can you guess which one I chose?

Option No. 4

Why?

I like the mottled nature of the slightly-darker 

and less-yellow'ish green background.

I like the seemingly random appearance 

of the design's darker green.

And I like how the scrollwork design 

reminds me of wrought iron garden gates.

The binding strips have now been cut and pressed.

One day soon I'll get it sewn on 

and start finishing it by hand.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Focus on the journey, not the destination. 
Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."
Greg Anderson

Glorious Has Arrived!

It's here!!!

Glorious - a long-distance collaborative quilt

Designed by Lynne Tyler and Julie Sefton

Pieced by Lynne Tyler

Quilted by Janet-Lee Santeusanio

Binding and Labeling will be done by Julie

The day the quilt arrived was very busy so

I haven't had time to really explore the quilt yet --

but the parts I've looked at are totally awesome.

Hopefully by this weekend

I'll have found time to choose a binding fabric

and get it sewn in place.

I want to finish the binding by hand

so I have lots of bonding time with this quilt.

I'll share scenes from the photoshoot

once the quilt is fully finished.

For now you can see lots more photos

and read about the process

by visiting Lynne's blog.

Click HERE to see all the posts

she shared during the quilt's making.

* * *

And for those who asked yesterday

about a pattern for The Spotted Winkel --

no, there will not be a pattern.

This top is a one-of-a-kind original.

However - I will compile a list of links

from the making of the quilt top

and share those along with 

my list of inspiration resources

in an upcoming post

so you can follow my process and

combine your skill set with my insights 

to create your very own original design.

In the words of Gwen Marston:

"You all get up in the morning and dress yourselves 

and you look darling - you have the ability - 

all you need is the faith to make these quilts on your own.”

Quiltdivajulie

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"I like the idea of collaboration - it pushes you. 
It's a richer experience . . . "
Frank Gehry

A Wonderful Weekend

Lynne texted Saturday morning 

to let me know she had picked up 

our collaborative quilt 

from her long arm quilter in NH.

She also sent me this photo later in the weekend

to let me know that the quilt had been

thoroughly kitty-tested and approved

by her resident QA Manager, Millie.

GLORIOUS should arrive at my house mid-week.

I can't wait to see it in person!

This past weekend was a two-night sleepover 

for Little Man (now 21 mos.) and his dog.

He and Dee-dah had to fix the stroller,

complete with a trip to Home Depot for repair parts,

after the dog's leash got wrapped around the axels.

Later on Saturday, we made a trip to Ikea

to pick up two of their white 2-step stools

after Dee-Dah saw an Ikea Hack online

for turning the short stool into a toddler learning tower.

While Dee-Dah loaded the box into our cart,

Little Man just HAD to inspect

the inside of an aisle-closed cone.

(with the help of his new fuzzy puppet

Mr. Whoo-Whoo)

On Sunday, construction began in earnest.

By the end of the day,

they had built a tower for our house

and a second tower for Little Man's house.

They also shared smiles and giggles

and made some good memories.

* * *

Needless to say,

nothing happened in the quilt studio.

And I don't mind one little bit.

Quiltdivajulie

Diamonds Collaboration Continues

My friend Lynne in NH has made several

of these fabulous diamonds quilts.

A comment I left on a recent blog post of her's

triggered what we've started calling Julie's Diamonds -

a long distance collaborative quilt

that will eventually live at my house.

Go read Lynne's first post HERE

about this project's beginnings

and how we shopped together

 for these giant diamond focal fabrics

without either of us leaving home. 

Gotta love technology when it enables efforts like this!

After 90 minutes on the phone Friday evening,

this was my first fabric pull Saturday morning 

for the small four-patch diamonds.

After a lot of back and forth

about needing colors that were 

"brighter" and "more intense" and "zippier"

("you're being too conservative")

Lynne texted this ... 

My response?

Back to the stash to punch things up a few notches.

Editing and adding in yet more colors 

from the stash with more texts back and forth,

including this:

LT:  "You do know that although you have a hand in this 

that I will over rule you if I think my way is better."

followed by:

LT:  "You're close. Really."

I responded with this photo and message:

 "I will cut strips for the four patch diamonds 

from these and let you pick the rest 

once you have the neutral green in hand. 

Moving on to the medium diamonds now."

I tested the medium diamond waters

by sending this photo to Lynne.

Her response?

"Yeah."

After a bit of rummaging in the stash,

these are the twenty fabrics 

I pulled for medium diamond consideration.

I know Lynne will edit these

once she has them in her studio

so I'm not going to over-stress about 

whether or not they're exactly right.

I also know she'll add fabrics from her stash

as needed to make this top as glorious 

as a beautiful spring morning.

In fact,

THAT should be the quilt's name!

 Glorious

double click to supersize for more detail

Collage showing small diamond fabrics (left),

medium diamond fabrics (right),

neutral blender in the middle,

and the giant diamond fabrics in the background.

We'll both be posting about this project

as it evolves, so stay tuned for further updates.

I can't wait to see what happens next!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Art must take to the road and risk all for the glory of adventure"
Lawren Harris