Rainbow Charms - The Quilt

Rainbow Charms is finished!

Measures 49" by 63"

I bought the backing last year at Hancock's of Paducah

when I was in town for the Fall Paducah AQS show.

At the time, I didn't have a particular project in mind

but I knew it would make a great backing - and it has.

The stripe I used for the binding has been aging in my stash

for quite a while - again, I knew it would be a good binding

and I'm happy it has finally found its quilt.

Quilted with Glide thread in Graphite (top and bobbin) 

using Christina Camelli's approach for 

stitching the orange peel design.

I wasn't sure if OP would work for 4.5" finished squares,

but with nice deep curves, the design worked perfectly.

I like the way the design appears, disappears, and re-appears

depending on how you look at the quilt.

I also like how soft and light the quilt feels.

(not weighted down with lots of thread)

As I've shared before, I rarely buy pre-cuts.

The MSQC Cyber-Monday promotion last November

tripped me up on that position -

but I'm delighted with this quilt so it's all good.

(I've since unsubscribed from their emails 

so I won't get tripped up again)

To see earlier posts for this particular project,

click on the Rainbow Charms label at the end of this post.

* * *

This finish counts towards my 18 in 2018 Quilting goals.

I have only two more to quilt for my 

St. Louis trunk show on saturated color.

Stay tuned!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Eclecticism is the word. Like a jazz musician who creates his own style out of the styles around him, I play by ear."
Ralph Ellison

Focus ... Focus ...

Focus is my goal for June.

I need to get all of these circle shapes

appliqued onto the background

for The Spotted Winkel.

I know how I want to quilt it

and I have the backing ready to go.

Fingers crossed it is ready for the trip to St. Louis.

I also need to quilt Dumpster Diving 2.0

aka Good Morning Sunshine.

I'm delighted to have it pin basted 

and hanging over the balcony

ready for its turn with Max.

And Rainbow Charms is pin basted 

(shown here hanging over the balcony)

and waiting to be quilted.

Focus . . . 

Focus . . . 

One thing at a time . . . 

I CAN do this!

Quiltdivajulie

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"If you've lost focus, just sit down and be still. 
Take the idea and rock it to and fro. 
Keep some of it and throw some away, 
and it will renew itself. 
You need do no more."
Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Lots of Things Happening

Nine of the twelve RSC-color-prompted rings 

and their four-part setting blocks

in my Liberated Wedding Ring Quilt

have now been quilted.

Only three more rings

(pink, dark-med. blue, and lime green)

and ten more gray segments to go.

Plus the border . . . 

The quilted texture looks good on the back, too.

I've finished hand stitching 

the binding along one long side of GLORIOUS.

The quilt measures 70" wide x 80" long

so I figure it will take me four 

Wednesday morning quilt groups 

to finish the binding all the way around.

I love how GLORIOUS looks with our hydrangeas.

I've started pin basting Dumpster Diving II

which has developed a new secondary name -

Good Morning Sunshine.

I've also decided on thread color

and an overall quilting design.

(yes, I could go with custom quilting

but I was inspired by a vintage utility quilt

so an all-over is more in keeping with that vibe)

I also prepped Rainbow Charms for sandwiching.

One pool noodle holds the backing,

a second noodle holds the batting,

and the third noodle holds the top.

As soon as I finish the Wedding Ring quilt

I'll have enough pins and Pinmoors 

to pin baste Rainbow Charms.

I've finally settled on a quilting design for it

that suits the quilt and won't wear me out.

And I need to order another roll of batting

for the final group of quilts in the Waiting Closet.

(the ones slated for the second half of this year)

* * *

And I shall turn my piecing focus to The Spotted Winkel.

The top is ready to appliqué all of the circles

which is all that needs to be done

before it can be quilted.

I've chosen a thread color and happily found 

a nearly perfect quilting design 

from one of Christina Cameli's books.

I'd REALLY like to get it finished in time

for the lecture/trunk show in St. Louis.

* * *

And until Google/Blogger resolve the problem

with comment notifications by email,

I'll continue to respond to 

your comments here on the blog.

I understand they are now actively working

on a solution to the problem.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Don't try to be different - own the fact that you already are."
Debi Payne

March Recap - 18 in 2018 Projects

During the month of March,

I quilted and finished five

of my long-waiting-to-be-quilted tops.

Shown above - left to right:

Plaidmania

Dumpster Diving 3.0 aka Waterfall

Sixteen by Sixteen

I also custom quilted and finished 

Rise and Roost (on the right)

and

Sunflower Summer (on the left).

Two others have been pin-basted

so they are ready to quilt in the coming weeks:

Painted Daisies and Rainbow Charms.

Shibori, 

another of the waiting-to-be-quilted tops,

was taken apart and will be re-imagined

into a completely different quilt top.

(I just couldn't quilt it the way it was)

* * *

I also took the time to create three blog pages

for my 18 in 2018 efforts.

One is devoted to quilting projects,

one is devoted to piecing projects,

and one is devoted to comfort quilts.

It may not matter to others,

but this helps keep my head from exploding

as I track my forward progress.

On the  Comfort Quilt front:

One of the waiting-to-be-quilted tops

was cut apart and refashioned into two comfort quilts.

Peach Cylinders became 

JB001 and DLM001

for Jack's Basket and A Doll Like Me.

(permanent links in the sidebar)

I also pieced, quilted, and finished two of my 

RSC-color-prompted sets of comfort quilts

for Jack's Basket and A Doll Like Me.

L to R:

March was light, bright, and yellow-greens.

January was light and medium blues

(Click here for reveal post's link)

* * *

From the Piecing List:

Groundhog Day moved forward to the point 

that the rows are ready to be stitched together

AND

The Spotted Winkel project moved forward

with wedges cut for the large 39" circle

that will anchor my AHIQ quilt top

and new background fabrics purchased.

There was also a LOT of serious thinking

and significant shuffling about

of waiting projects, pieces, and parts

as I continue to streamline and clarify

what I really want to be working on.

* * *

All in all, March was a very good month in the studio.

CLICK HERE to see what the others 

have accomplished this month.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Every grain of experience is food for the greedy growing soul of the artist."
Anthony Burgess

RSC for March - Bright Greens

This is the box of green scraps and partial fat quarters

that I pulled for this month's RSC comfort quilt making.

I edited the mish-mash a bit 

and came up with this plan

for a Jack's Basket donation quilt.

I'll use the noisy checkerboard for backing,

multiple greens for the background, and

the daisy print to frame the pink swirly star.

I'll use this group of strips, strings, and bits

to piece a doll quilt for A Doll Like Me.

I'll include the colorful Jane Sassaman scraps in the top

and partial fat quarter with the green print on the bottom 

for the quilt's backing.

Hopefully there is enough of the pink polka dot binding

leftover from a previous project to bind this doll quilt.

I also found another small stash of light-medium blue scraps

(January's RSC color prompt)

that I'll piece together for another Doll Like Me donation quilt.

But in perhaps the biggest decision of all

was to re-purpose this stack of KF charm squares

that had been planned long-stalled for 

a snowball-designed lap quilt top.

Instead, I will pair the colorful charms 

with the pink/purple print squares

and make lots of half square triangles.

(they'll each finish at 4")

There will be roughly 160 HSTs to play with

once they're stitched, separated,

pressed, and the corners are trimmed;

which means I can make 2-4 small comfort quilts.

These will be counted for February's purple prompt

as well as the not-yet-called-out RSC pink prompt

that will happen later this year.

I found this image online 

(no credit attached to it)

and I quite like the random layout.

I need 63 blocks for a Jack's Basket quilt top

(7 wide x 9 long)

and 30 blocks for a Doll Like Me quilt top.

(5 wide x 6 long)

so . . . 

there are lots of comfort quilt possibilities 

lurking in those colorful HSTs-in-the-making.

* * *

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

CLICK HERE to see lots more 

of this month's scrappy GREEN goodness.

AND . . .

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Quiltdivajulie

18 in 2018 February Recap

I'll start with my 18 in 2018 PIECING LIST . . .

I finished the top for my first Jack's Basket quilt

using RSC's January prompt for light and medium blues.

I'll back it with the puffy clouds in a blue sky yardage.

This is the second quilt top for Jack's Basket

using February's prompt for purples.

I'll back it with the Marcia Derse purple in the foreground.

I'll wait until Angela Walters shares an appropriate 

design as part of her Free Motion Quilting-along 

challenge before I pin baste these two.

The first week was meandering 

(which I don't care for)

and this week is curved stitching.

(think orange peels)

I already have a waiting RSC 16 quilt top 

that is perfect for this style of quilting

so I will use it to put in my practice time.

(link to the quilting along in my sidebar)

Painted Daisies is now a flimsy.

Rainbow Charms is also now a flimsy.

The blocks are sewn and squared for Groundhog Day

which features my 2016 Cherrywoods purchase

mixed with other solids, near-solids,

and plaids from the stash.

My new goal is to get this one sewn together

and off the design wall in the next week or so.

* * *

Now on my 18 in 2018 QUILTING List . . . 

This adopted project moved quickly from 

the PIECING List to the QUILTING List

and now qualifies as a full-fledged finish!

Gerry's Pumpkins was quilted by Chris Ballard -

because she truly loves to quilt pumpkins.

Sunflower Summer has been pin-basted

so this one should become a finish during March.

Dumpster Diving 3.0 aka Waterfall

has also been pin-basted since this photo was taken.

I plan to get this one quilted and finished during March.

* * *

I'm very happy with this month's progress . . .

Linking up with the February 18 in 2018 page.

Click through to see what the others

have accomplished this month.

Quiltdivajulie

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"There's always a work in progress - 
be it in the mind, the soul, the heart, or in your hands."
Rick Howse

Rainbow Charms - The Flimsy

I should name this one

Saturated Color on Steroids.

Talk about glorious color!

Here's the upper right-hand corner.

The lower left-hand corner.

The upper left-hand corner.

The lower right-hand corner.

Measures approximately

50" wide x 63" long.

I had to do a bit of piecing to get the backing up to size -

so happy the seams are barely noticeable.

(Philip Jacobs print purchased at Hancock's of Paducah

during last year's Fall Paducah show week)

I can't wait for this one to come up

in the quilting queue later this year!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Today we need colour more than at any time in history. Blacks and grays, both depressing, should be replaced in clothes, offices and homes with new colours that give inspiration, tranquility and happiness."
Linda Clark