Another L-O-N-G Runner

In the spirit of moving things along that are nearly finished, I decided to quilt the second long runner made with scraps from Esperance and Haru (first one is HERE).

(I was tired of moving the not-yet-pinbasted-quilt-sandwich bundle)

It seems that Fluffy, the newest member of the studio squirrel clan, is a curious fellow.  He had to get up close when he heard Max working.

And then he insisted on quality testing the freshly quilted runner.

The runner on my studio floor.

12.5" wide by 75" long.

Quilted using Glide thread in Amethyst (top) and an assortment of partially-used bobbins (which emptied three of them).  

I will bind the runner using the backing fabric.

Meanwhile, Fluffy decided to rest in/on the newly pin-basted Trouvaille quilt sandwich.  That's Mischief looking on from the bookshelf and the plate-sorted blocks for Hanabi (Macnas series No. 10) in the green basket.

* * *

Ah yes, the studio squirrels apparently took me seriously about getting things done.

Quiltdivajulie

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"open your day like a squirrel opens the misplaced acorn with purpose curiously ready to devour."

Joey Doherty

So Many Odds and Ends (and Beginnings)

I'll start this run down with the backing for Kefi (link below). 

Earlier this year, I kept a basket of leftover strata after making Young Man's quilt named Dragon Fyre.  

Now I have found the perfect way to use them - I sewed the segments end to end and created a long insert strip for the back seam in Kefi's backing.  

I posted Kefi's flimsy finish HERE along with a bit of the quilt's back story. (July 2022)

(Note - for any of the quilts shown here, you can click on their label at the bottom of the post to see all posts for the projects)

Incandescent is now two horizontal seams shy of becoming a finished quilt top.

Stay tuned . . . 

All the leftover trimmings and such from Esperance, Haru, and several other projects have been sewn together into a piece that measures 14" wide x 115" long.

I plan to use part of it to make an Easter/Spring runner for the buffet in our dining room.  Once I know how much is left, I can decide how I want to use the remaining section.

(no rush on this one)

I have pin basted and chosen quilting thread for Thankful, the new November wall quilt for our dining room.

This will be the next project under Max's needle, to be followed by Vellichor and Coddiwomple.

My goal is to have all three finished by month end.  

Time will tell.

The box of rectangles leftover from the 12 Macnas-inspired quilts has been staring at me from the closet shelf.

This batch will become Rastro (although the segments will have 6 rectangles and not 8 as shown above).

I chose to leave out the dark browns and aboriginals (of which there weren't very many of either one).

Here are Rastro's 78 6-block segments sorted out for eventual piecing - not until next year.

Once Rastro was sorted and put away, I still had a pretty large pile of rectangles along with 20 pairs from Grandiose.

I decided it was time to make 20 seemingly-everywhere-online potato chip blocks using the Grandiose pairs as the consistent (but scrappy) centers.  Since taking this photo, I've also sorted the light rectangles onto these plates. 

I found the KF yardage (top of photo) that was set aside for a someday backing that will work perfectly for this 48" x 60" ish quilt that I've named MOTLEY (adjective - a mixture of often incongruous elements). 

Only a few rectangles left now - not sure what I'll use them for but I'll figure that out next year.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Getting organized is a sign of self-respect."

Gabrielle Bernstein

HARU - the Quilt

Despite last week's tension issues that slowed progress, HARU is now a finished quilt.

(HARU - Japanese word for spring)

57" wide x 69" long / inspired by Kaffe Fassett's Tussie Mussie design / made with KF Collective fabrics (aside from the binding)

Another happy is that I've finally found the perfect place to use this well-aged striped fabric.

Finally, a photo with very true-to-life colors.

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

I was also able to use most of my remaining KF Jungle Paisley yardage for Haru's backing.  I've had that fabric design it in my stash since I first used it in my 2011 quilt named Hidden Potential made using a bunch of Lynne's orphans.

Young Man, shown above in one of his very happiest places, is spending his final weeks of summer vacation with his not-local grandparents.  He spent week one at wakeboard camp (new skill), this past week was spent at surf camp (using a much larger board than he had last year), and I'm certain the ocean beach will figure prominently in next week's adventures.  He turns NINE on Monday and becomes an official third grader the following week.  

Like so many others have said, it feels like he was born just last week.  We are so grateful to share his joyful journey.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Do not spoil the wonder with haste."

J.R.R. Tolkien

FMQ or Not

For some unknown reason, Max is not liking this quilt.  I've had more tension issues, broken threads, and skipped stitches resulting in bird nests on the back than anything I've quilted in a long time.

Two new needles, bobbin changes, rethreading the machine - each has helped but when I tried to sit and quilt last night, it started again.

So I cleaned out the bobbin case area, oiled the wicks, and walked away until later today.

(the visor is to cut down on the glare on my glasses from Max's overhead LED light panel - DH's excellent suggestion)

Here, if you enlarge the image, you can see some of what has been quilted (maybe half of the quilt sandwich).

I will continue on and hopefully it was just that Max didn't want to work on the weekend.

Instead I went to my paper play table and started a new mini ring bound journal using the back of an empty composition book for the covers.  So far I have filled it with all sorts of tags, papers, and other hole punched bits.  From here on I'll be able to embellish a page or two using bits from the white basket whenever I need a quick creative break.  

(inspiration idea from Meg of Meg's Journals - although her "junkDori" was purchased and then added to)

* * *

The other big "excitement" this weekend was shopping for a new refrigerator.  Ours decided to stop defrosting itself resulting in super soft ice cream, slippery-wet ice cubes, and having to pull it out to manually defrost (de-ice) it twice with no improvement in performance.  

The suspected repair part with service call(s) would cost nearly half of a new fridge so, after online researching and a trip to the big box store, our new fridge (this time with a bottom freezer instead of top) will be delivered sometime Tuesday.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Avoidance is the best short-term strategy to escape conflict, and the best long-term strategy to ensure suffering."

Brendon Burchard

Every Step Counts

Now that the seasonal decor items for June are finished (photos of them in use are pending), I went ahead and pin basted the noodle-rolled parts for July's "red white and MOO" themed wall quilt.

Originally a 2006-vintage horizontal panel, I cut it apart and reconfigured it into a vertical arrangement.  This is next in line for quilting (after Reverie) so it gets finished and out of the studio sooner instead of later.

With Reverie under Max's needle, it was time to pin baste the long-ago-noodle-rolled parts for Haru so I could prep another quilt for basting.  

(Haru is a Japanese word for spring)

Haru will be an anniversary gift early next year.

And with the double-length pool noodles empty, I pulled out Tuxie-Tude (another of my Macnas series - see links in sidebar or the dedicated page HERE).

I've measured the three main fabrics for the back so I know what I have to work with, cut the binding strips, and measured the 8" (fin.) insert strip at nearly 3.5 yards long - I will have just over 40" of it leftover after making the pieced backing.

Once I decide how I want to design the backing, I'll get it pieced and onto one of the empty noodles (the other noodle will hold the batting).  And then it will be time to pin baste since my goal is to have Tuxie-Tude ready for July.  

In the background, I'm piecing the rows for Rubricate (another Macnas series quilt) and if the planets align I'll have it quilted and finished before July ends.   

(Rubricate -  to mark or color with red)

It does feel good to see progress happening. 

Quiltdivajulie

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"We live in a rainbow of chaos."

Paul Cezanne

Color Abounds

The earlier of the two Christmas cacti is in full bloom again - such wonderfully vivid color against the cold rain and dark clouds outside the sunroom windows.

Not to be outdone, the second of the two cacti is almost ready to start its second bloom.

I have NEVER had a Christmas cactus bloom a second year let alone TWICE in that second year - Color me delighted!

The amaryllis we purchased shortly before Christmas put on a magnificent display in December.

Lo and behold we have four bonus blooms in February.

Here's a close up of one flower - such beautiful shading in the petals.

The waxed amaryllis gifted by my sister is almost ready to share what color its blossom(s) will be.

. . .  and now heading upstairs to the sewing studio . . . 

As I've sewn the strip segments for Shirts and Such, I have finished stitching the initial pairs for Vellichor (the pairs for Rubricate were finished off earlier in the S&S process).  

With three more sets of segments and the actual row construction yet to come, I needed another leader-ender project so . . . 

I spent a couple of hours preparing the pairs for Grandiose, another quilt in the Macnas-inspired series.

This time around, I'm finger pressing the blocks as they are sewn and oh, the joy these colors exude!

* * *

And stepping around the corner to the design studio (home of my stash and cutting table) . . . 

A little at a time, I've gotten the rectangles cut for Enchanted, another in the Macnas-inspired series (not previously posted).

I saved all the end cuts and such in the white baskets to make scrap slabs when I feel the urge.  I didn't do that with the earlier quilts in the series, but after making the slab from Grandiose leftovers, I realized I was missing a scrappy playtime opportunity.

And finally, I pulled out Wallaroo's project box to cut its rectangles.  

I quickly realized my original plan (shown in this post) to use gray as the alternate to the aboriginals was not going to fly.  Instead, I'll use this mix of warmer neutrals.

You can see the full list of quilts in the Macnas-inspired series in the sidebar, if you're curious.  Eventually I'll create a separate page for them.

* * *

As soon as the cutting table is clear again, I'll get Repose pin basted and get Haru's top, back, and already cut batting rolled onto the pool noodles so Haru is ready to pin baste later this month (if all goes well).

Quiltdivajulie

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"The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts."

Marcus Aurelius

Haru - the Flimsy

Once the top for Haru was sewn together, I laid my version of Tussie Mussie on the studio floor.

It is always such fun to see a top all together after spending so much time with the many pieces and parts.

After the top was pressed, I hung it over the balcony to let the Best Press finish drying.

(the colors in this photo are very true to life)

I pinned the 60" x 72" top on the design wall so I could get a full photo.

And finally, I added the backing fabric along one side.  

Oh, YES!

* * *

Since the photos were taken, said backing has been cut and sewn together, pressed, and hung to finish drying.  I need to get the baby quilt (Moxie) quilted next since our friends' baby is due in early summer.  

But once Moxie is finished, I'm pretty sure Haru is going to jump ahead of the other eleven quilts waiting to be quilted.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"Be brave enough to live creatively.  The creative is a place where no one else has ever been.  You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition."  

Alan Alda

I'm Back

The attic project to upgrade and improve the A/C air flow to younger son's room upstairs is finished.  Things are much cooler now thanks to DH's efforts.

My first project was to finish the back for Moxie and get it pressed, along with the top (shown here waiting to be pin basted).

But instead of pin basting, I simply HAD to start webbing the top for Haru, my Tussie Mussie project.  

After errands this morning, I'm hoping to get the rest of the top webbed this afternoon/evening.

And I don't know HOW it has happened so quickly but this is Young Man's last full week of first grade.  

This photo was taken by his teacher last August.

And Daddy took this photo this morning to commemorate Wacky Hair Day (their  final full  week is filled with special Spirit Week fun including PJ Day, Bring Your Favorite Stuffie to School Day, Crazy Colors Day, and more).  

It has been SUCH a good year and he's learned so much - not to mention how much he has grown and matured.  

Let's hope when the first day of summer vacation arrives next week, he won't break his arm like he did last summer!  

(Dee Dah will certainly NOT take him to the skate park that day - no sense in tempting the fates)

Quiltdivajulie

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"Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity.  Nothing fires up the brain like play."

Stuart Brown, M.D.

Tussie Mussie Layout

Here are the blocks on the design wall . . . there was very little rearranging involved in this layout.

I found it interesting how the look changed as I walked from one side of the room to the other.

Before anything could fall off the wall and get mixed up, I clipped the blocks so they're ready to web.

The quilt's name also appeared at long last -- HARU which is Japanese for spring.

Quiltdivajulie

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"All art is knowing when to stop."

Toni Morrison