Gone Dotty - the Quilt - and Beyond

Gone Dotty is a finished quilt.  

54" wide x 65" long.

Quilted using my liberated free motion (un-marked) orange peel design with Glide thread in Dijon.

I love the texture and feel, not to mention the colors.

And this is the back, chosen by Little Man (who also chose the top's borders).  

(Kaffe Fassett's Rainbows in black)

The Dijon thread worked well for the multi-color backing and, in the right slanted light, shows the fun orange peel texture playing with the rainbow arcs.

The quilt has been sleep-tested and two-thumbs-up approved by LM.

After dinner tonight, Gone Dotty will go home with him.

And then, switching gears a bit . . . 

Flowers from my sister for my birthday yesterday - one of those ends-in-zero milestones.  

Little Man finds it hilarious that I am now ten times older than he is (just for this year).

A second flower delivery from Lynne posing in the late afternoon sunshine.  This bouquet has numerous still-budded blooms that will open over the next few days - fun!

DH brought me these beauties - they have a lovely deep fragrance.

It was extra-fun having LM here to lead the Happy Birthday song and help me blow out the candles on my cake.  

And many thanks for the emailed/texted birthday wishes and thoughts - they were very much enjoyed and  appreciated!!

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p.s.  Last weekend's overnight 'olive oil head soak under a shower cap' process worked as the first grade classes have all been lice-free this week.  Yes!

Quiltdivajulie

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“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”

Emily Dickinson

Week Two - an Update

Introducing Ninja Man . . . he nabbed this strip that had been trimmed off the backing for Gone Dotty.

Gone Dotty is pin basted and ready for FMQ.  

Pretty sure I'll be doing this while he's at school this coming week (his stay has been extended until Friday).

This is a view from earlier in the week when the truck was spreading powdered concrete on the other street in our neighborhood that is being "stabilized" - the concrete and dirty dust have been plentiful this week.  

Our street (seen in the lower part of the photo) has been partially stabilized since this photo was taken.  They'll be back early week to "hand dig" and stabilize the last 6-8 feet along our side's curbing (too many obstacles for the big "landfill compactor" as LM calls it) to work safely.  That means more back hoes, men with shovels, graders, smaller compactor vehicles, and LOTS more dust.

LM's school celebrated International Dot Day on Friday - be sure to notice the two different dotty socks.  

And Friday overnight we responded to the school nurse's plea that ALL families have their children use an olive oil soak to help smother and end the head lice issue that has plagued a couple of the lower grades.  LM has remained clear but we did our part and soaked his head as directed.

Lots of laundry the next morning including triple pillowcases on his pillow, doubled sheets on his bed, and the removal of his Dr. Seuss quilt in favor of a thermal blanket that could be washed in hot water.  

He was a good sport about it all - thankfully!

Saturday - time to chill and relax.  He did not spend the whole day here - we made a trip to the dollar store, he spent a few hours on the swing, rode his bike and scooter around the block numerous times, and battled his matchbox cars over and over, along with a lot of other nonsense and fun.

Mommy sent this photo from the Meerkat Cafe (Seoul or Saigon, I'm not sure which).  Guests sit on the floor with blankets over their laps and the meerkats roam freely.  There were also raccoons (who do high fives for treats), a young kangaroo to feed, two foxes to observe, and a couple of dogs wandering about cleaning up any leftover treats missed by the others).  She told us "It was wonderfully weird, kind of smelly, and hilarious."

And Daddy sent this sunrise photo from Florida (double click to supersize).  

* * * 

And the adventures continue . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

Week One - an Update

It has been a busy first week complete with a visit to his pediatrician and a positive strep test.

Thankfully, the antibiotic has done its job and, while still tired, he is recovering quickly.

Over the weekend, he decided it was time to revisit Gone Dotty.  

When I asked him if he'd like to try sewing again, he quickly agreed so we started by practicing his 1/4" seam on paper.  

He did pretty well but definitely preferred stitching ON the line instead of following the edge of the 1/4" foot.

His legs are so much longer - it was no problem at all to reach the presser foot.

He asked me if I would please sew the borders on - he didn't think he was quite ready for that.

They're sewn in place and the top is pressed, ready to roll onto the pool noodle for pin basting.

And all the while the road work on our street continues.

The re-paving began last February.  However our street and the main in-out street had so many areas that needed repairs after the initial paving that the whole project was put on hold for a month or so while they did some drilling and soil testing.

Turned out that both streets needed some serious soil stabilization, which we as residents already knew but the crews needed formal tests to document the need.

So last week 6" of asphalt and surface dirt were milled away leaving all of us to drive SLOWLY on uneven, obstacle strewn dirt streets (water mains, man holes, etc.).  

This coming week the soil stabilization crews will be working - spreading dry concrete/cement on the surface, using heavy equipment to mix it into the dirt before compacting the surface.  It will be a dusty, dirty process and we are very glad our cars fit inside our garage (many houses here use the garage as a storage annex).   

Never a dull moment . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

Here, There, and Coming Soon

The backing for Coddiwomple has been pieced and pressed.

I used the same fabric for binding.  

I debated on a border but decided "no" since I love the top just the way it is.

This pin basted panel has been quilted and finished meaning Autumn Ridge is ready to hang on the dining room wall come October first.  

(finished photos later)

Heart Throb, a wall quilt for February is noodle-rolled and ready for pin basting.

(also a panel, it won't take long once the opportunity to sit and FMQ presents itself)

And then there is January.

I had cut a LOT of grayed neutrals into 2.5" strips to make a couple of comfort quilts that didn't happen.

The strips have been reclaimed and will be used to make a new January kitchen table quilt named Brumous.

(more on that in another post)

The rest of the strips will be used to make January's dining room wall quilt.

Some of you may remember my quilt named Comfortable that inspired Jo of Jo's Country Junction to make her Brick House quilt (see this post).  I'm going with a variation of Comfortable's process to make Gnomeville.

Why gnomes?  Scroll through this post and you'll see how this all fits together.

Gnomeville's segments have been cut and pinned - ready for leader ender action.

My quilt ladder had to be temporarily moved from its spot in our home office.

It now resides between Max's tables and my pressing table.  I like seeing it there so it may not go back to the office.

And since Little Man is with us until mid-month, I have his Gone Dotty quilt on my design wall.

I've made the binding (left) and hung the laundered backing fabric (to be pieced and pressed once I know how large the top finishes). 

Border strips were cut per Little Man's previous instructions. 

As time permits while he's here we'll work on this so he can, hopefully, take it home with him.

Needless to say you may not hear as much from me for a couple of weeks.

(this silly photo was taken during his first 'dress uniform day' as a first grader)

Quiltdivajulie

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"That's what it takes to get what you want.  Not big scary leaps once a year.  It takes small, but irritating moves every single day."

Mel Robbins

Friday Updates

The new flexible-use design wall has been covered and attached to the wall at long last.  Next week I'll paint the screw heads and washers so they don't show quite so much against the white flannel.

The earlier 18" test block is on the left and a new 12" version is on the right. 

I think I want to go forward with this project, but if I do I won't be using KF fabrics for the baskets and flowers.  I haven't decided if there will be a controlled palette or whether it will be entirely scrappy yet.  

And then, it might not happen at all.  Time will tell.

All of the four-rectangle strip sets (pieced using leftovers from Dot to Dot and Ferhoodle) have been trimmed into 1.5" and 2.5" cross cuts.  

The 2.5" units will be used for Ohana (see previous posts using the label below).

For now I am planning to incorporate the 1.5" strips into a future scrappy Dr. Seuss crib/toddler quilt.  

Unless another idea for the polka dot strips that has been rolling around in my head becomes reality . . . 

Finally, with the scrappy back fabrics for La Colcha off the design wall and put away, I was able to lay out the nearly 200 HSTs left after making Gone Dotty.

They are now becoming a baby quilt named Spots and Dots (shown here with the horizontal rows sewn, ready to finish webbing the top together).

Here is the 36" x 45" flimsy with its intended backing and binding.

And here's a close up of the binding.  There are rows of little dots in between the binding fabric's rainbow stripes; and the giraffe and others on the backing have colorful spots, all in keeping with the ongoing polka dot theme.

 

Quiltdivajulie

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“There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”

Norman Vincent Peale

Ferhoodle and Dot to Dot - Two Flimsies

Dot to Dot has achieved flimsy (quilt top) stage.  

It measures 48" x 64" and is destined to become an oversize crib or toddler quilt.

My sister recently shared that she is happily waiting for her sixth grand to be born this fall. 

After several texts, she and I have chosen the quilt (Winsome) for the parents, so I am thinking about gifting Dot to Dot to my sister for her house.

Ferhoodle has also achieved flimsy status.  It was made with many of the excess rectangles cut for Dot to Dot.

This top measures 36" wide x 50" long and is destined to become a crib quilt.  

Since Winsome measures 51" x 62" I may send Ferhoodle along with Winsome so they have a choice of sizes for different situations.  I need to look and see if I have a quilt to send along for the baby's new big brother.

* * *

This leaves Spots and Dots to use the excess HSTs from Gone Dotty and Ohana to use the rest of the excess rectangles from Dot to Dot and Ferhoodle.  When I cut the WOF strips from that long ago polka dot fabric pull, I had NO idea that they would yield five quilts!

* * *

P.S. You can use the labels at the end of this post to see earlier posts for each of these projects.

Quiltdivajulie

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“. . . you can find magic wherever you look.  Sit back and relax, all you need is a book!”

Dr. Seuss

Gone Dotty - the Flimsy

Gone Dotty is now a flimsy (quilt top).  

With the slightly oversize borders to allow for straightening after FMQ it measures 56" wide x 68" long.

And this is what it looked like on my sewing table after I finished added the final border.  The crumpled look is so different from the more graphic flat-on-the-wall look.

I need to set it aside now for a bit while I get busy on the FMQ for the four remaining placemats I'd like to have ready to use on Easter Sunday.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”

Federico Fellini

Gone Dotty Progress and More

After a week of pondering I decided the current layout was fine and didn't need any further tinkering, so I started sewing things together.

I knew that there would be some "shrinkage" when I sewed the sets of 5 HSTs into rows, but eight inches is a LOT!

At this point each of the four rows is sewn.  Next comes joining the rows together and adding the borders.   

This is the first of the six placemat slabs after quilting.  The second one had major tension issues that required a couple hours of unstitching before being re-quilted.  Both are now trimmed and ready for binding.  The other four still waiting for their turn with Max.  

My goal is to have them ready for Easter's family dinner.  

The cherry trees here have been simply magnificent.  

Memphis is full of buildings like this one with rows of blooming trees but this year I've noticed far more people stopping to take photos.  

With a week of rain predicted I'm not sure how the blossoms will fare, but for the past ten days or so they've been absolutely glorious.

Quiltdivajulie

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“He said, ‘and above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely place.  Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

Roald Dahl

Gone Dotty - Revised

So this is where we left things at the end of last week. 

And just as a reminder, this is the vintage inspiration quilt.

Friday evening I did a bit of rearranging and this is where things are now.

I like the calm vibe and consistent diagonals of the first layout but it also feels a bit predictable.

I love the energy is the revised layout but I want to do a bit more tinkering and pondering before I sew the HST strips together.

Perhaps this will be a good week for some FMQ while Gone Dotty rests on the design wall.  Or maybe I'll take a few days off from the blog and do some cleaning out and editing of the resource and crumb boxes (they're getting very messy and overcrowded).

There was no sewing over the weekend, in fact I never even made it up the stairs to the studio.  Puzzles and lego building, coloring and so much reading, lots and lots of time outdoors, and a couple of Disney movies completely filled the days.  It was awesome.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

C.S. Lewis