Showing posts with label Granny Cabin QAL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Granny Cabin QAL. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Halcyon - the Quilt




Halcyon is finished.

57" x 57"




Created during the Fall 2019 Granny Cabin QAL,
Halcyon is another in my series of Kitchen Table Quilts.




I like the top and its mix of colors,
 but I absolutely love the scrappy back.




Here's an overview of the whole back.




Quilted with Glide thread in Warm Grey 4
and my unmarked liberated free motion fans and flowers.

Marvelous texture.




The binding was made from 2.5" strips cut for binding
on a previous quilt but not used after I changed my mind
and went in a different direction.

I'm glad I did because it was perfect for Halcyon.




Even though this one is a tad on the smallish side,
it's going to look so good on the kitchen table.

(you can read more about this quilt's back-story 
by clicking on the labels at the bottom
and scrolling back through the various posts)


Quiltdivajulie
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“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”  
M. Scott Peck




Friday, October 18, 2019

Halcyon - The Flimsy



The top for Halcyon is sewn together.

Here is a view of the back side . . .





And here is another view of the alternate block's back side.

(I made this in response to Then Came June's
Granny Cabin QAL - you can read my 
introductory post HERE)





Halcyon's flimsy measures 58" x 58"
and will be perfect (when quilted)
as a table topper for our round kitchen table.





I am so pleased that I decided to go with
the mix of scrappy light blues
for my background.





And I'm pleased with my color choices
for the two focal blocks in the quilt top.





I didn't follow the pattern's directions (gasp)
when it came time to assemble the top.

I sewed mine together in "rows" based on the 
assembled purple/pink and yellow/green blocks.

Some rows were block width while others
were the width of the larger light blue squares
and there was a bit of fancy dancing done
to make those rows coherent.

Why?  

Because I chose to use a scrappy background
and had laid it out on the design wall 
rather than using a single background fabric.





Halcyon's scrappy back is still on the other design wall
waiting for me to sew it together.

But in the meantime I've gotten sidetracked 
by another long-waiting project.



When I share For the Birds with you next,
it won't look anything at all like this photo.

And I'm pretty excited about that.


Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
"It would be wise to embrace your childlike wonder and see nature in all her glory anew.  For then you would renew your connection to the planet that sustains your very essence."
Akasha

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Visible Progress




Amazing what gets done when 
there is nothing big on the calendar
so I could sit and sew.

This is how things looked after I added
the Block B (green and yellow) elements
and the small two-square connectors.
(background and lightest purple)




And this is how the design wall looked
after I added the scrappy background squares.





Rows 1 and 2 sewn and ready to be pressed.

(the stained and dirty ironing board fabric on the left 
will soon be replaced with the fabric on the right)




Here's a detail photo showing the corner of
Rows 1-4 sewn together.

(yes, some of the background squares
were cut from scrappy pieced sky strata
leftover from one of the barn quilts)




This shows the size difference between
 those four sewn rows and
the remaining five unsewn rows.




The final five rows have now been sewn 
and after they are pressed
I'll be able to finish assembling the quilt top.

(I'm not waiting for the rest of 
the Granny Cabin quilt along schedule -
I wasn't participating for the prizes anyway)



I cut three 12.5" squares from 
each of the twelve different fabrics.

I can already tell that I'm going 
to love Halcyon's scrappy back.


Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess.  Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best.”

Author Unknown

Monday, October 7, 2019

Moving Ahead




Work in progress on the Block A parts
for the Granny Cabin QAL.

(my quilt has been named Halcyon)

Five full blocks, four corners, 
and four half blocks were my goal for this past week.



And here they are on the design wall
in a very rough approximation 
of the layout for a 58" x 58" table topper.

This week's assignment hasn't been announced yet
but I'll be making the Block Bs using greens/yellows.

THEN the fun will begin with the scrappy background fill.



Away from the studio --

With the shifting seasons, 
it gets dark earlier day by day and
we haven't even hit the "fall back" point yet.

My solution is to string up our "winter lights"
along the back fence - they stay in place
until Valentine's Day or a little after.

(they're set up with a remote so I can
turn the lights on/off from inside the house)

Those little white lights in the back yard 
make me happy and help ease my S-A-D.



Here's another perspective of the lighted fence.

And for those who might be wondering,
the big green plants are coleus
 and they've utterly amazed us
with their growth this year.

(purchased at Costco - 
a variety we'd not seen before
but will surely look for again next year)


Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
“Wonder is one of the wildest elements and qualities on the massive scale of human experience.  Just a pinch of it stops time.  The world halts.  The eyes fill.  You become, for a small time, everything you truly are.” 
Victoria Erickson

Monday, September 30, 2019

The Granny Cabin QAL begins



This was my initial fabric pull for

I rarely play along with pattern-based QALs
but for some unknown reason,
this one appealed to me.

I knew my fabric combination wasn't "just right"
but it was a solid starting point.




Later that day I ran across this saved image
in my inspiration folder
and I knew what needed to happen.

The purple/green combo was too much like
the colors used in the 2017 series 
of Grape Pansy Caper quilts



I added pinks and yellows to the mix and
replaced the stack of low volume background prints
with a scrappy assortment of light blues.

Test Block A


I have cut out all my pieces and parts
(although I will not be assembling mine
using the pattern's stitching instructions)
and have my A and B test blocks made.

Test Block B

These sets of colors make me happy
and that is a good indicator
that I will actually finish this quilt top
which I have named HALCYON
(meaning calm, peaceful, and happy)



Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------
"The finest thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.  He who does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle."
Albert Einstein