Inglenook - the Quilt

Inglenook is my first finished quilt of 2024.

It all started with a squirrel back in late 2021 when I cut into my Marcia Derse fabric pull for a KF Gridlock quilt.

In early 2022 the squirrel that inspired the Gridlock plan had left town so I used the first seven blocks of the stalled project to make a runner for my sister.

I decided to use the already-cut WOF strips to make 7" and 9" tall "coins" - and this design was born.

By March 2022, Inglenook ("a corner or nook near an open fireplace") had became a flimsy.  

And then it waited oh-so-patiently in the to-be-quilted closet . . . 

The long-stashed Colorido yardage (by Melissa Lowry for Clothworks) turned out to be exactly what Inglenook needed.

And finally (!) Inglenook is finished.

Quilted with my favorite all over liberated nesting spiral fans using Glide thread in Shadow.

53" wide x 64" long

So what is up next?

Heart Throb - all clipped and ready to web the top so I can get it pin basted and ready for FMQ.  

In two short weeks it will be time to shift the seasonal decor from the low volumes of January to the pinks and reds of February . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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"To define is to limit."

Oscar Wilde

Monday Update

Little Man spent Friday with us since there was an in-service day at his school while Mommy and Daddy had to go to work.

After baking peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars with Dee Dah, he asked about making a quilt for his penguin stuffy (gifted by Mommy to Daddy years ago when they first started dating).

So . . . a bit of leftover Dr. Seuss coinage became the base.  And since the penguin likes red, this stripe was an obvious choice for the border, sashing strip, and binding.

Here's the four patch back (he couldn't decide which red/white he liked best so I offered this compromise which he happily accepted).

16.5" x 19"

I decided to use this thread for Inglenook.

And I'll use this one for Gnomeville and Brumous.

* * *

Despite all my positive/wishful thinking, the knee/leg is not getting better enough so I have an appointment with my ortho doc tomorrow.  

In the meantime, I've spent quite a bit of time working on my slow stitch journal.  

Only two final sections to stitch before I can re-assemble the book.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."

Eeyore (A.A. Milne)

More Pieces of Progress

The blocks for Brumous, the new January kitchen table quilt, are made and up on the design wall.

I want to do some re-arranging to eliminate the too dark blobs before clipping the blocks together so I can web the quilt top.

Gnomeville, the January dining room wall quilt, is pin basted (at long last).

And Inglenook is finally pin basted as well.

By chance, I happened upon the website of Ali Manning - Vintage Page Designs and the Handmade Book Club.

I watched her washi tape journal mini class and had a brainstorm.

What if I took five of my old daily stitching progress journals (that I've never once referred back to) and used them to make ROYGBIV journals/glue books as a long term project (and as a way to use up the Rolodex color wheel snippets once that project is done).

I used her method and some of my washi tape to transform the covers.

I have set aside a small basket for each of these so I can add bits and pieces as I find them - but I have promised myself I won't start in earnest until the 207 remaining pairs of Rolodex cards are collaged. 

On a related note, does anyone else feel guilty when they pull colorful Color Catchers from the washer and go to toss them in the trash?  

I have kept some of mine but wasn't sure how to use them for anything.

Until now.

Another washi tape journal cover with a repurposed file folder as the base is drying as I type.

Here's the inside cover.  

I think I might stitch some fabric snippets to the sheets before the two signatures (total of 8 color catchers) are sewn into the cover. 

Time will tell.

For now, it is back to the sewing studio . . .  

Quiltdivajulie

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"An artist is an explorer."

Henri Matisse

Welcome November

Our October/Halloween decor has been packed away for another year and the November/Thanksgiving decor is in place.

This basket belonged to DH's mother - she used it for a wastebasket but we fill it with fairy lights, colorful leaf picks and an assortment of pumpkins.

The two wool mini pillows were made by a member of a long ago quilt group - she did such beautiful work.

And yes, there are a number of owls mixed in.

I especially like the colors of this ceramic set.

My grandfather's buffet in our dining room . . .

And a glimpse of our newly set-up but not yet fluffed or embellished Thanksgiving tree in the foyer, almost ready to brighten our evenings after the end of Daylight Savings Time on Sunday.

* * *

In the studio - my Garden of Collage journal is indeed completed (photos pending).

I've also finished hand stitching the first of twelve "pages" in my slow stitch journal.

And one evening I sat and stitched the stack of 3" blocks and then the rows for Smaragdine, our March dining room wall quilt.  

Open enrollment research is on the list for next week, along with a lot of other errands -- while I really want to spend my time getting started on the FMQ of Inglenook.

Quiltdivajulie

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“It will all shake out. Meanwhile, I’m putting up more twinkle lights.”

Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) in the movie You've Got Mail

Inglenook - the Flimsy

My plan to shift the rows lower on the design wall as they were sewn together did exactly what I had hoped.  I was able to reach the unfinished top row with only a gentle stretch and no tip toes.  

If you look closely, you can see where I removed the palest segments and replaced them with the more vibrant turqoise/green pieces.

Inglenook's finished quilt top (aka flimsy) sewn, pressed, and trimmed to 54" wide x 65" long.

I'm beyond thrilled with the way this backing from the stash suits Inglenook's vibe.

Since Smitten is currently pin basted, Inglenook will have to wait a bit for its turn to be quilted.  

Having finished the table runner for my sister with the abandoned Gridlock blocks, I already know how amazing Inglenook's quilted texture will be and I'm excited to make that happen - sooner instead of months later.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Just be yourself.  Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, magical person that you are.”

Mandy Hale

Progress on Inglenook

In an effort to keep my stories straight, the original version of this project featuring Marcia Derse fabrics was absolutely a squirrel project.  

Since Inglenook is a direct descendant of that recently-abandoned effort, that makes Inglenook a squirrel project as well. 

Gotta love those squirrels . . . 

These four rows will become Inglenook's 6" finished rows.  My original plan was to use a vertical layout but, as you can see, that plan didn't last long.

These rows are only partially sewn together to allow for changes as the top evolves, meaning the rows will not be as long/wide as they look here.

On the left you can see the beginnings of what will become five eight-ish inch rows.  (I had to use my 24" ruler to get that top row of strips to lay flat and stick to the design wall's flannel)

And here you can see the trimmed-to-even-height 6" rows with three of the wider but still un-trimmed rows laid out and partially sewn together.  Color placement in the taller rows is  much more deliberate what with being able to see the colors above, below, and close by; which explains the scattered strips at the top of the photo. 

Side note - Have I mentioned lately how much I love being able to pull out a project that is already prepped and ready for sit and sew?

* * *

Since I can't reach that top row the way things are now, my next step will be to finish designing/sewing four of the wider rows.  Then I'll trim each of them to their maximum possible height (8.5, 8.75, and maybe even 9").  

I'll start at the bottom and as I work my way up, I can put the rows closer together and further down on the design wall.  I'm hopeful that after all that I will be able to reach the top row so I can finish designing and sewing it together.  

I am so happy with the way this is coming together! 

Quiltdivajulie

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“Magic comes from what is inside you. It is a part of you. You can’t weave together a spell that you don’t believe in.”

Jim Butcher

Gridlock Squirrel MIA

I'm sorry to report that the Gridlock squirrel has vanished.  

Disappeared.  

Gone.  

Didn't even leave a note behind to explain his unexpected departure.

So . . . I decided to use six of the blocks to make a runner that will go to my sister in Michigan (shown above just after I finished pin basting)

Side note - I recently increased the angle of my drafting board used as my cutting table which has helped greatly with my low back pain but everything (fabric, rulers, pin dishes, etc.) slid off onto the floor so the new front board was added and now nothing falls off.  SO much better.

The seventh block was enlarged slightly to be used as another Raskog cart utility mat.

Here is the finished runner.  Quilted with liberated all over spiral fans using Glide thread in Bark.  

Finished size 12" x 60"

And here is the finished utility mat.  Also quilted with my spiral fans using Affinity Rainbow thread on top and Glide thread in Cherry in the bobbin.  (the backing is the same as the binding fabric)

11" wide x 15" long

As I was cutting for the first seven strata blocks, I cut 4.5" strips (size of the center squares) and 2.5" strips (to be used for the 36-patch alternate blocks).  Those strips (and others) will be used to make a coins quilt.  

Why coins?  So many times the step that thrills me the most is gathering and editing my fabric pull and seeing all the different fabrics and colors stacked one on top of the other.  The Marcia Derse fabrics are no exception so I decided to run with that stacked concept and make unevenly sized coins.  (You can see some of my previous coins quilts HERE.)

The available MD strips are shown here against the fabric I'll use for backing.   I can't believe how perfectly this yardage will work (purchased a while ago on deep discount just because I loved it - so happy it has finally found its intended quilt).

The strips have been cut into segments to make two different width columns.  

I'll start this by leader ender-ing randomly chosen pairs as I work on other projects. 

And I've named this new coins project INGLENOOK (a corner or nook near an open fireplace - illustration photo above from Google Images).  

Think comfortable, warm, and cozy . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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“Magic will find those with pure hearts, even when all seems lost.”

Morgan Rhodes

Where Things Stand

Little by little, between rest breaks,

things are being moved forward.

(at least some things anyway)

I've stopped working on RUSKA  INGLENOOK(my Gridlock project)  for now but you can see the first six blocks the design wall.

The ten Size L (Project) 

lined drawstring gift bags are waiting for me 

to stitch their casings and insert the drawstrings.

(pattern link in my sidebar)

And Merry and Bright has been pin-basted.

(it needs to be ready for action on Dec. first)

A couple of days before my COVID booster,

Optic Strings was pin basted, but having lost 

a full week of focus, the FMQ will have to wait 

until after Merry and Bright is quilted/finished.

(this is the reproduction binding I made

back when the top was completed but

I'm now leaning to a solid pink instead)

The remaining Dr. Seuss fabrics arrived late last week.

The additional tumblers have been cut 

but I don't feel energetic or focused enough yet

to adjust the layout and add the two rows.

I did have enough energy one afternoon

to trim up the big stack of 6" strip ends left

after die-cutting the original batch of tumblers.

Those strips made for an evening of mindless stitching

resulting in a long strip to insert into the seam

of the quilt's backing (the green Jumble).

Meanwhile, Mother Nature continues to thrill us

with some of the best leaf color we've had for several years.

These are the two Japanese Maples in our back yard.

Glorious!

Quiltdivajulie

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“Everyone knows that yellow, orange and red suggest ideas of joy and plenty.”

Eugene Delacroix

SQUIRREL ALERT

I have been doing so well at sticking to the plan.

(the one that focuses on my lined drawstring bag project)

Until I saw Nancy's recent post with her Gridlock No. 4.

(and it seems that Wanda has also been visited

by the Gridlock squirrel)

After she shared the Kaffe book in which the design lives,

I pulled out my used copy and read up on the details.

Next came an internet search to see if there were other

images of Gridlock quilts people had made.

One was made with Marcia Derse fabrics.

If I had ever been on the fence 

about making this quilt, I fell off instantly.

I've been waiting for the perfect project

to use my M.D. stash and Gridlock will be IT.

I also discovered a pastel version of Gridlock

 and when I checked,  I had a used copy of that one as well.

Glorious Patchwork (bold version) 

and Caravan of Quilts (pastel version) 

Next I pulled out my Marcia Derse fabric

and sorted the pieces loosely by color group.

I discovered her fabrics in 2010 during my first

visit to the original Delta Patchwork warehouse.

To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement.

I had never felt my heart race

the way it did when I saw her fabrics.

Through the years I've added more to the stash

and shared several quilts made with M.D. fabrics 

including at least three gifted to family members.

I've also included them in countless other quilt projects.

They blend SO well.

A while back, a friend and I swapped fabrics.

I sent a box of batiks and 

she sent a box of M.D. pieces,

most of which I did not already have.

What a win-win for both of us.

I don't want to make my version quite as large

as the book's dimensions, so I'll make fewer blocks

for a top that will be roughly 56" x 68"

This project did not want to wait . . . 

so here is my first block.

It will not be the last.

* * *

I've named this one DUSHA

which means "soul" or "spirit"

Edited in early 2020

I've re-named this project RUSKA

which means "the phenomenon of leaves

turning various shades of red, yellow, purple, 

and brown during the autumn season."

Along with greens, those are the primary colors

of MD fabrics I'll be using - so the name just fits.

Edited yet again in March 2022

See THIS POST to see what  actually happened

with this project which has been re-named INGLENOOK.

Quiltdivajulie

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“When the color achieves richness, the form attains its fullness also.”

Paul Cezanne