Xanadu - the Quilt

I finished Xanadu in mid-June but couldn't share these photos until the quilt had been gifted.

These just-finished photos were taken on one of the in-between-rain-showers days, hence the gloomy sky in the background.

I bought the backing in 2024 because I loved it and it was on sale

(Xanadu by Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch for Benartex, Style # 16152)

The HST fabrics all came from the stash, including the background fabric which had taken up residence in the stash back in 2023. 

(‘On Dragonfly Wings’ – “Splatter” – White/Pearl by Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery for Benartex) 

It wasn't until I noted the selvage info for my tracking sheet that I realized the two fabrics were by the same designer - what a happy coincidence.

A day or so later, the sun peeked out so I took this additional photo with the quilt on one of our back porch rocking chairs. 

Quilted with my liberated all-over nested spirals using Glide thread in Amethyst. 

* * *

The already-much-loved quilt was gifted this past weekend to elder son and DIL in honor of their 20th anniversary.  

Yet another example of how time flies!

Quiltdivajulie

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"If I create from the heart nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing."

Marc Chagall

Xanadu - the Flimsy

It was past time to finish pressing the blocks for Xanadu, especially since this gift quilt is to be delivered mid-June.

There are 432 die-cut 3" HSTs  in five color groups sewn into 108 six-inch blocks on the plates.

This is the resulting quilt top - 54" x 72" before quilting.

Here's a detail photo so you can see more of the individual fabrics.

(The consistent "white" fabric is from the ‘On Dragonfly Wings’ collection - Splatter in White/Pearl by Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery for Benartex)

The fabric on the right is in the process of becoming a backing for Xanadu.

It's a very good thing I decided back in January 2025 when I pulled the fabrics for this quilt that it would be gifted, since I absolutely LOVE the way it is coming together.  😎

(the name Xanadu was inspired by the backing fabric's selvage - another design by Ann Lauer of Grizzly Gulch Gallery for Benartex)

* * *

Next steps will be to get the top and back pin basted, choose a thread color, wind the bobbins, and get Max fired up and ready to quilt.

Quiltdivajulie

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"I think there is something very special about handmade work.  You can appreciate the thought, detail, and time that have been invested into creating something amazing, whether it is great or small.  In my opinion, handmade goods are accessible works of art."

Tami Gagne

Coddiwomple - the Quilt

After 5 days of heavy gray rainy days, the sun has finally reappeared, meaning I could take Coddiwomple outdoors for photos.

This one was taken in the shade on the west side of our house (all of these are early morning photos).

I cannot tell you how just much I love this utterly scrappy quilt.

I tried laying the quilt on the grass (very soggy so I didn't step off the patio).

Finished size is roughly 49" x 64" 

This close up shows the liberated free motion unmarked quilting - a design I call Fins.  The quilting thread (Glide Bark) blended even better than I hoped it would, leaving only the texture behind.

(I came up with the Fins design when I quilted Spots and Dots).

Next I laid the quilt on a dry section of the concrete.  I much prefer late morning / afternoon for taking photos, but I'll take what we've been given and be entirely grateful for the not-gray-today skies.

Finally I hung the finished quilt over our back porch swing - this shot is one of my two favorites from the outdoor adventure (the other being the second photo above).

* * *

The word CODDIWOMPLE is a verb - English slang meaning “To travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination.” 

The HSTs for Coddiwomple were die cut in April 2023 (introduction post HERE).

The top was finished in late August 2023 and the backing pieced in September of 2023.

The aboriginals in the quilt top were purchased from several sources, primarily Etsy sellers.

The backing fabric and binding are from the Pannofia collection - Butterfly Flight in Magenta by Oasis Fabrics design 59-562 (purchased in late 2022).

Quilted using Glide thread in Bark and my Fins design.  

And now Coddiwomple, the finished quilt, is on the back of my recliner ready for the cooler evenings.

Quiltdivajulie

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"You have to pause and listen to the space quilt wants to be, and it will unfold itself to you."

Designer Theodora Esparza

Brief Detour

The last time I posted about Xanadu (fabrics pulled January 2024, HSTs die cut January 2025), I mentioned using these HSTs for my leader-ender sewing as I worked on the tops for Incandescent and Enchanted (see previous post).  

I needed a blast of power sewing so I went ahead and finished stitching the remaining HSTs.

As I pressed them open, I sorted them by their darker fabric.  

Then I sewed one test block from each color family.  The rest of the blocks can now wait until sometime next year.

The plan is to lay these out 9 blocks wide (54") by 12 blocks long (72").

I won't decide on color arrangements until all 108-plus blocks are ready for me to play with layouts on the design wall.

To double check my plan, I pulled out the backing fabric and laid the five blocks beside it.

And I immediately realized the darker fabric I had set aside as potential binding was far too heavy for the colors in the future quilt top.

It didn't take very long to pull this fabric from my stash.  I'm not going to cut the strips until the blocks are on the design wall, but for now I think it plays with both the top and the back.

* * *

Time to get a reveal post written for Coddiwomple, sew a few more rows on Enchanted, and wind bobbins so I can quilt Wallaroo.  

It's going to be a busy week with lots of 'away from the house' stuff so time will tell how much (or little) progress I'm able to make in the studio.   

Quiltdivajulie

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"Journey- embrace the beginning, middle, and end of materializing your goals.  All parts of the process are important."

Ash Alves

Moving Things Forward

Coddiwomple has been pin basted and is partially quilted.

The top was finished in August 2023 so it's about time that I get this one finished, especially since the colors are perfect for November.

I pieced the backing for Kefi using the insert strip of leftovers from Dragon Fyre in the not-in-the-center seam.

Again, the top has been finished for a too-long time - summer of 2022 in fact.

I want to get this one quilted and finished in November.  

I've sewn the first four rows for Enchanted, number 9 in the Macnas series.

Here it is pinned across Incandescent's quilt top, which needs to come down off the design wall and move to the waiting-to-be-quilted closet.

Interesting how the colors are quite similar but still very different, especially with Incandescent featuring warm neutrals and Enchanted using black on whites.

After Coddiwomple was pin basted, I went ahead and pin basted Wallaroo, Macnas series quilt number 6.

I also changed my mind on the planned binding (second change so far).  I'm going to use the same fabric as the backing and the strips have been cut, sewn, and pressed.

That is unless I change my mind again once Wallaroo is quilted . . . 

* * *

Making progress feels really good. 

Quiltdivajulie

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"I believe in the ability of art to heal the spirit."

Colleen Gray

Small Finish to Share

I cut a 40" length from the 115" panel and made myself a new utility mat to cover my keyboard overnight - it lights up when the computer does its automatic back up at midnight throwing a lot of unnecessary light into the darkness.

I had an older runner that I've used for years (near-solid black with oversized flying geese) and realized last week that I wanted something with a happier vibe.

I backed the runner with a WOF cut from one of KF's prints adding the pinkish feathers on black to enlarge the backing for quilting purposes.  

Before changing Max's thread for Vellichor's adventure under the needle, I went ahead and quilted the runner using the Amethyst from Esperance.

During the daytime, the runner hangs over the back of my computer chair.

The quilt on the wall behind my monitor is one of three that I made during Vicki's 2014 HSTeria QAL.  Two of the three were gifted but Oasis has continued to live with us.  

Elsewhere in the house, our October seasonal decor is being enjoyed.

There are fairy lights in the wicker basket from DH's mom's house, the wood vessel that DH made, and in the white tulle runner that lives on the mantel.  With darkness arriving earlier and earlier each day, I greatly appreciate these little lights.

The buffet in the dining room - I re-discovered the long runner I made years ago with leftover pieces of Marcia Derse fabrics and love how it suits this month's colors.

The quilt many of those leftovers came from is on the foyer chair.  The old green cabinet houses many of DH's most detailed wood art pieces (you can see more detailed photos of his work on his blog).

* * *

Time and easy access to my studio rooms were pretty limited over the past few days due to the stairway wall in the foyer and the entire upstairs hallway being painted.  Hoping to get back to stitching this coming week.

Quiltdivajulie

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"We do not escape into philosophy, psychology, and art; we go there to restore our shattered selves into wholes."

Anais Nin 

Coddiwomple - the Flimsy

Here are the lower section and the five-row upper section waiting to be sewn together.  

(I finger pressed the seams as I assembled the blocks/rows and will press with the iron after the top is finished)

And then there was a completed (and pressed) quilt top - at this point it measures 49" x 64"

Here's a photo showing more of the fabric details. 

I had my doubts along the way but I am SO glad I kept going.  

This quilt top makes me very happy.

(you can go back and read the previous posts for this project by using the Coddiwomple label)

* * *

p.s.  On Friday I'll have a major update for Dumpster Diving 12 - Confetti.

Quiltdivajulie

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"What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit."

John Updike

Progress

At this point, all eight of the columns for Coddiwomple are pieced and sewn.

Hopefully by early week, I'll have the columns sewn to each other.

We shall see what the weekend brings.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Look closely at the present you are constructing.  It should look like the future you are dreaming."

Alice Walker

Better Approach for the HSTs

I was not particularly happy with the mash-mash of fabrics in the previous post. So I spent a morning sorting out the "lights" and the "darks."

You can see the result in these twenty-five HSTs on the design wall.

And then a little here and a little there, I paired and pinned nearly 300 pairs of aboriginal fabrics (shown here in the plastic shoebox).

I need about 80 more HSTs with the black and white alternate.  I have 20 pieced and the rest ready to pair and pin.

Coddiwomple can now return to leader-ender status while I get back to piecing blocks for Razzle-Dazzle.

And we had to say a sad farewell to our mature front yard tree this week -  a victim of Oak Wilt.  

For those who might not be familiar with this term - Oak wilt is considered to be the most important disease of oaks in the eastern United States. Few other diseases encountered in forestry can kill large mature trees as quickly as oak wilt. The disease is caused by a fungus that spreads through a tree’s vascular system. In response, the tree plugs up its vascular system to stop the fungus from spreading, but this also inhibits water movement, so the tree wilts and dies.

(If the video doesn't play properly, you can watch it HERE instead)

Quiltdivajulie

Studio Afternoon

I pieced and sewed the blocks for column three of Razzle-Dazzle together.  

That might not sound like much but it was the first sewing I've done in at least eight days.

I'm using the aboriginal HSTs for Coddiwomple as leader-enders while working on Razzle-Dazzle.  (labels for both projects at the end of this post)

Here are nine of the blocks.

Pretty underwhelming.

So I tried a few more pairing two aboriginals together.

This group feels more energetic but dark and heavy (side note - there are more lights and brights in the mix but they aren't sewn yet).

Here they are together. 

Meh.  

Not in love with either version.

So I mixed the two groups together.

Now this makes me happier, especially knowing how many other colors are in the stacks of HST parts.

Maybe one-third with the black-white and two-thirds with paired aboriginals?  

Obviously there are a LOT more HSTs to be sewn together, and a lot of things could happen once there are more blocks to play with, but I'm curious to hear which approach you prefer. 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Being okay if it happens and okay if it doesn't is a very powerful place to be."

Kate Eckman

Coddiwomple - Cut Out and Ready to Pair

I posted about Coddiwomple a few days ago (click HERE).

Since then I spent some time cutting rectangles to die cut the 3" finished HSTs.

These are the WOF strips and the alternate fabric rectangles.

And these are the fat quarter strips.

This photo shows half of the rectangles sorted into groups of six, ready to crank through the die cutter.

And here they are after die cutting -- the second batch of rectangles have also been cut and die cut since I took this photo.

Next up will be pinning/pairing so they are ready to use as leader-enders when I start stitching the blocks for Razzle-Dazzle.

Little Man will be with us this weekend - his Ottoman quilt top and backing are rolled onto pool noodles along with the batting so if he wants to hang out in the studio, we'll work on pin basting.  

Quiltdivajulie

The Time is NOW

Elder son and family gave me a gift certificate to eQuilter last year for my birthday.

I ordered this fabric to use for backing my aboriginals quilt top.

(I've been stashing them for about 18 months now . . . )

Sometime since then, I picked up this yard of fabric to use for binding.

Over the weekend, I decided it was LONG past time to get the stashed aboriginals out of their storage boxes and into the light.

I tested out several fabric combinations/design ideas but none of them excited me until I tried mixing in some of my black and white prints.

Long story short, the fat quarters, half yards, and occasional yards were sorted by color (clearly I am still light on the red/red-orange group).

I then cut a 4.5" strip from each of the fabrics and will sub-cut a 9" length so I can die cut a LOT of 3" half-square triangles (unless I can convince Little Man to help me - grin).

And instead of a wide variety of black and white prints, I decided to use two closely-related prints so the focus stays on the aboriginal prints.  (one is a older print that has been in the stash for a long time; the other is from the Tula Pink Linework series).

Mostly I am delighted to have made enough decisions to move this pending project forward.  And even if I don't start stitching HSTs together for a while, at least I'm over the "I could do this or that or maybe this, etc." hump.

(Note to file;  the rest of the aboriginal fabrics are going back into the stash by color instead of remaining segregated in the project closet)

This is my general plan - unless the layout changes between now and the time it is sewn together - which is highly likely.

Gone Dotty  (now with a smaller, darker border) was also inspired by the same vintage quilt (shared by Cathy L on her blog in November 2021).  I know I am not the only one who has been inspired by its organized chaos.

This time around I want to be much less literal with my HST sets.

Or not.  

It is far too early to tell what will happen between now and layout time.  

Consequently, I have named this project Coddiwomple - that's English slang meaning to travel purposefully towards an as-yet-unknown destination.  

(p.s. there's a Coddiwomple graphic in the side bar that links to a post describing how I find names for my quilts)

Quiltdivajulie

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"Creativity is a continual surprise."

Ray Bradbury