Rubricate - the Quilt

This was the view just after I finished the binding on Rubricate.

I do love a crumpled quilt . . . 

Taken early in morning's hot sunshine.

I love how natural outdoor light brings out the contrast between the different neutrals . . . 

. . . and how it reflects on the quilted textures.

Quilted with my free motion liberated nested spirals using Glide thread in German Granite and bound using a diagonal stripe from Loralie Fabrics.

Rubricate measures 52" x 72" and is now the fourth completed quilt in my Macnas series.  

* * * 

Next up will be No. 5 - Vellichor (the beautiful wistfulness of used bookstores; the strange romance evoked by the scent of old books and paper) as soon as the pink quilt is sewn together and off the wall.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Don't let your ice cream melt while you're counting someone else's sprinkles."

Akilaltt Hughes

Rubricate - the Flimsy

Rubricate is now a finished quilt top.

Sadly I didn't count the different reds back when I started earlier this year but there are likely 25 or more.  Ditto for the lights.  All from the stash.

Here you can see more of the fabric detail.

The top was pin basted Friday morning. 

Now the pin basted quilt sandwich is laid out on Max's table ready for some FMQ action.

(the white power cord belongs to my overhead task light)

When it came time to pin baste using the KF Beach Balls backing ready and waiting on a pool noodle, I couldn't do it.  So I pulled out a 2-yard piece of 108" backing purchased for a different project.

After pre-washing (as directed by the manufacturer), the yardage wasn't long enough so I used it with the design running lengthwise instead of the usual WOF approach. 

* * *

p.s.  Squirrel Alert:  Thanks to Lynne's current project, one of my waiting studio squirrel projects (Trouvaille) has decided it wants to become an entirely different project and it wants attention right now.  

As of late yesterday, the pieces have been cut out and block parts sorted ready to start stitching.  

I'll share photos in one of my next posts.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Inevitably the answer will come to you when you quit stressing about it."

Chelsea Rose Bell

Red in the Studio

MOO, the new July wall quilt for our dining room is finished.

I'm so glad I found the 2006 panel on Etsy and promptly cut it apart to rearrange/edit the layout.

Quilted with Glide thread in Granite, MOO is ready to go up on the wall when June comes to a close.

Rubricate is also coming right along.  In this photo you can see 12 of the 18 rows sewn into pairs (but not yet pressed) along with the backing fabric (KF's Beach Balls from his 85 and Fabulous release).

Not long after this photo was taken, I pieced the backing and rolled it onto a pool noodle.  The binding is also made.  As soon as the top is done, Rubricate will be pin basted and quilted so it can be used during July.

BONUS - I've been using the previously pinned pairs for Enchanted (Macnas series no. 9/12 in yellow-orange with b-w prints) while I've been piecing the top for Rubricate.  

For each pair of Rubricate's rows, I also get 24 pairs for Enchanted. By the time Rubricate's top is complete, I will have enough pairs for Enchanted's top.  Sweet.

Quiltdivajulie

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"You don't need planning permission to build castles in the sky."

Banksy

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

Moving Things Forward

I've had a couple of very productive days in the studio.

I've sewn together the first two rows for Rubricate, one of my Macnas series quilts (number 4 of 12).

I've also sewn the binding on June's new dining room wall quilt (left) and the first of the June utility mats (namely the runner for the cedar chest and two of the six placemats).

I went ahead and got the fabrics for Night Owl cut so the yardage could be re-shelved.

While I was cutting these rectangles for Night Owl's Crossroads design . . . 

. . . I cut squares from the leftover strip sections.  I'll use them to make yet another aboriginal fabric quilt top following the design used for Spoondrift (inspired by a free download - click HERE).

I've named this new project KOMOREBI (the effect of sunlight filtering through the trees).  The green aboriginal dot by KFC will be used for the corner triangles - at least that's the plan for now.

Nann asked that I share a photo of the leftover aboriginals - I will but not just yet since I plan to make a scrappy aboriginals backing for Komorebi.  

(When I bought fabrics to make Coddiwomple, I majorly over purchased; so I'm making Wallaroo (below), Night Owl (above), Komorebi (this photo), and Digideroo (coins not shown) from that excess.  Sheesh.)

I pulled out the project box for Wallaroo - another one of the Macnas  series (number six of twelve).  The aboriginals had been cut into strips a while ago but now they've been turned into rectangles.  And after far too much waffling, I decided to use every last bit of leftover backing fabric from Hoppipolla for the alternate light rectangles.  

(photo includes the black/white binding strips and the steampunk-ish backing fabric).

Yet another lingering pile of fabric, this time pulled for Trouvaille, has been dealt with.

A while back I decided that instead of a mash-mash of too-many-not-quite-right pinks for the top, I would sort out the pinks I liked the most and pair them with unique lights that feature pink.  That fabric pull of lights has now been cut into and the remaining yardage returned to the shelf.

And finally, I have cut the fabrics pulled for Hanabi (Macnas series quilt number ten of twelve).

Hanabi's palette features brights on black paired with whites with colors instead of the originally planned black on whites.  I think this combination will be much more playful.

* * *

After all that work, the horizontal surfaces in the studio are far less cluttered than they were a few days ago.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Find joy in every day."

Saint Philip Nevi

Shirts and Such Moving Forward

It has taken a while, but all of the strip sets for Shirts and Such are sewn.

There will be twelve horizontal rows (hence the groupings of strata, waiting to be pressed and trimmed) but in the short term, these sets will be put aside so I can work on Dragon Fyre.

Here's a closer view so you can see more of the fabrics.

For some reason, photos of these come off rather harshly - the colors are much softer and prettier in person.

And while I have stitched all of those strata, I've been using pairs of rectangles for upcoming Macnas-inspired quilts as leader enders.

All 240-ish pairs for Rubricate were sewn and finger pressed.

All 240-ish pairs for Vellichor were sewn and finger pressed.

And just over half of the pairs for Grandiose were sewn and finger pressed.

That's a LOT of sewn seams and a lot of forward progress on several fronts.

I spent the better part of a rainy day and created a dedicated page for the Macnas series -- Check it out HERE.  I'll keep the list in the sidebar but update the links so they take you to the new page.  You can also use the quilt name labels in the sidebar.

* * *

Time to shift gears and get to work on Young Man's quilt!

Quiltdivajulie

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"The job of an artist is to offer a sanctuary of beauty to an ugly world." 

Jeff Goins

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

Decisions and Progress

In September 2023, a friend sent me a large zip bag full of 2" strips. 

After far too much waffling/pondering, I've finally decided what I want to make with this group of strips and a stack of creamy neutrals from my stash.

I've cut a lot of 2" x 5" rectangles and will make a quilt inspired by Hoppipolla (and its long and winding back story) but with the colors and neutrals reversed as shown in the two test blocks above.

Once neutrals are sewn to one side of the colors I'll be able to see how many more neutral rectangles will need to be cut.  There is currently no hard and fast time line for this project, now named Incandescent.

During my sit and sew bursts of time, I've been  piecing more strip sets together to make the rows for Shirts and Such.  There are only five more rows of strips sets to be sewn and seeing these seven groups on the wall looks like progress is happening, even though some days I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

As I've been sewing the strip sets together, I've been stitching the initial pairs for Rubricate (Macnas-Inspired No. 4) as leader enders.

All 234 pairs of 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles have been sewn and are back in the project box until I'm ready to press them.

As I continue on with Shirts and Such's strip sets, I'll sew pairs together for Vellichor (Macnas Inspired No. 5).

The stacks of leftover batting pieces had outgrown their allotted space, so I pulled them out, measured and labeled the size of each one, and sorted them to make three quilt-size pieces of frankenbatting.  

At the same time, I had pulled out my box of vintage cutter quilt pieces and decided to make myself a new needle book using some of the batting scraps for the interior pages instead of the usual felt.

This is the front of the new needle book.

Here's a peek inside . . . 

This is the pocket on the inside back cover.  

(I use the BeadNova needle threaders for all but the needles with the teeniest eyes) 

This little project counts towards my Create 365 Somethings in 2025 and its size, its feel, and the ease of inserting the needles make me happy.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Art is the highest form of hope."

Gerhard Richter

Eye Candy to Share

I spent some time in the studio on Saturday taking inventory and making some longer term decisions about my pending project piles (amazingly, several fabric pulls were put back on the shelves - they just weren't going to happen).

There was a lot of moving around between piles until I had a mix that made me happy and were most likely to be turned into quilts that look and feel like "me" rather than the designers.

I also made a lot of notes in my project files, especially with the new changes, so I would be able to remember what I was thinking by the time I get back to these.

There was quite a bit of "pick up and put away where it belongs" as well.  When I can go up and down stairs again, it will be so much nicer to walk into reasonably tidy rooms.

And about that inventory . . . 

I  have four projects previously blogged about that are cut out and ready to start stitching (Repose, Rubricate, Shirts and Such, and Vellichor).

There are eight pending projects with fabric pulls, design plans, and backings from the stash (three of which are shown above).

And then there are the fourteen quilt top/backs waiting for their turn with Max.  Spoondrift is pin basted ready to FMQ.  Logophile is rolled onto the pool noodles ready for pin basting.  The other twelve are neatly folded onto hangers in the "waiting to be quilted" closet.

All in good time.

(you can use the labels below my signature/quote to see previous posts for the projects named above)

* * *

Surgery tomorrow - once I am clear-headed enough to post, I’ll share an update.

Be back soon.

Quiltdivajulie

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"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

Henry David Thoreau

Mish Mash Monday V2

This is our new (replacement) mailbox - we love it!

The box itself is larger than the destroyed one and we can now put a Large Priority Mail box inside with room to spare.

This is the side we see from our front porch.

Indoors in the studio - All 450+ scrappy red and neutral rectangles for Rubricate are cut and pinned into pairs.

I'll use yardage to back Rubricate - sale-priced Kaffe Fassett 85 and Fabulous line's Beach Balls.

The 450+ rectangles for Tuxie-Tude are also cut and paired, meaning I can now use my empty cutting table to pin baste Hoppipolla.

Even better, all 900+ rectangles (for BOTH Rubricate and Tuxie-Tude) came out of the resource boxes!

I plan to piece a backing for T-T using a mix of these glorious bright-on-black prints.  

Here are the first eight of the eighteen rows for Reverie on the design wall.

Here's a detail showing just some of the fabrics.  

I loved working with these colors when I made Gotta Love It  and its backing in 2011 and I'm still loving them today.

* * *

Young Man was supposed to spend this week with us in order to attend Mud Camp just down the road from our house.  But he's had a high fever for the past week and everything is on hold until after he sees his pediatrician again Monday morning.   We'll see how things evolve.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"Release harsh, critical judgment and just play.  Life's too short to stress over art."

Lanie Smith