Vellichor - The Quilt

Vellichor, quilt number 5 in the Macnas series, is finished.

52" wide x 72" long

(Vellichor - the beautiful wistfulness felt in used bookstores; the strange romance evoked by the scent of old books and paper)

It was breezy when I took these outdoor photos which offered a little more 'action' for the quilt.

I used a wide back that was aging in the stash - I hesitated long and hard before finally committing to it when the quilt sandwich was pin basted.

And now I am so very glad I used it.

The long-stashed binding fabric looks great front and back.

Quilted using my liberated unmarked free motion nested spiral fans using Glide thread in Bark.

And of course I took this indoor crumpled photo just after I finished attaching the binding.

Macnas series quilts 1 through 5 are now happily hanging out together on the shelf unit in the corner of our master bedroom (the safest spot in the house to protect my quilts not out and being used from the sunlight).

* * *

Next up under Max's needle will be Coddiwomple (pin basted and ready to go).

Quiltdivajulie

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"Maybe it's not about the happy ending.  Maybe it's about the story."

Albert Camus

Vellichor - The Flimsy

Vellichor, Macnas series no. 5, is now a quilt top (flimsy) measuring roughly 52" x 72.

The name and color palette were inspired by a stack of vintage books.

Here's one close up taken while it was still laying on my pressing table.

And here's another looking in the other direction.

While Vellichor was being sewn together, I was able to leader-ender all of the pairs needed for Fandango, Macnas series no. 7.

I had forgotten that there were pieced rectangles in both the darker and lighter rectangles - I'm looking forward to seeing how those play in the overall layout after I finish the top for No. 6 Wallaroo.

Then, with the last wound bobbin in the machine, it was time to wind the 15 empties.

Even though No. 6 Wallaroo is ready to layout, I'm taking a break to work on the top for Esperance.  The scrappy mix fabrics was gathered over time using leftover pieces from previous quilts and backings.

(Initial post was HERE)

I had previously cut most of the strips for the top based on the Rush Hour pattern from Broderie.  The criss-crossed stack represents the rest of the actual blocks, and the fabrics to the right are the horizontal sashing strips (I need to cut 5 more from the folded fabrics).

The vertical sashing fabric pulled when Esperance was last out and about is in the rear.  I'm not so sure about it now that the rest of the top is coming together.  Once the blocks are sewn and on the design wall with their sashing strips, I'll make that decision (I have no problem re-visiting the stash).

* * *

Meanwhile, Abendrot (last seen in this post) is waiting patiently on Max's table for its turn under the needle - likely in the very near future.

Quiltdivajulie

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"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions and the roots spring up and makes new trees."

Amelia Earhart

A Pieced Backing and Jumping Ahead

From the very beginning, I planned to piece a scrappy pink backing for Trouvaille.

When I found the 4 x 4 panel of vintage sewing machines, I fell in love with the idea of including it in that backing.

I narrowed the panel to 3 x 4 and proceeded to create three scrappy columns.  

But then things stalled.

Finally, I tried covering the panel with some of the remaining yardage and laid the quilt top on the floor so I could see the two together.

This unfinished backing feels "dull" and it is overly saturated in the wrong direction in relation to the quilt top; which means my original plan did not work.

I've folded the three columns and put them back in the stash in case they work for some future project.

Instead, I'm thinking I'll use this yardage and create a single fabric backing that better suits the quilt top.  

Time to set this one aside for the time being.  

As for the "jumping ahead" part of the post's title - I've been accumulating the leftover rectangles and sewn pairs from the entire series of 12 Macnas quilts.  That box would no longer close, so I went ahead and made these 27 blocks (3 in each color grouping).  There will be three more color groups to work with as I move forward with the remaining quilts.

HOLUS-BOLUS which essentially means all together, will be a smaller quilt.  The blocks finish at 8" wide x 10" long and with a layout of 6 wide x 6 long (36 blocks) I'll have a top measuring 48" x 60" which would work well as a future baby quilt.

There are still a lot of leftover rectangles in the 'darker' colors but no light neutrals, a very few cream, and a big pile of black and white prints.   

I'll use them to create RASTRO (but only after all of the quilt tops are sewn and I know what I have to work with).  I'm thinking about some kind of coins quilt but I refuse to make any plans until later.

That said, I did realize this backing (not used for a previous quilt) could work well for Holus-Bolus.  But of course, even that can and likely will change between now and the finish line.

* * *

For now, it is time to design and sew the final rows of Vellichor (the brown and cream one) . . . and to start quilting Abendrot.

(you can see more about any of these projects using the labels below my signature)

Quiltdivajulie

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"I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else."

Pablo Picasso

Trouvaille - the Flimsy

Trouvaille, the transformed squirrel project that just couldn't wait, has become a flimsy.

54" wide x 72" long - the colors above are very close to real life.

Fabrics for the pieced backing are waiting to be cut and sewn . . . 

While I finished piecing the top for Trouvaille, the remaining pairs for Wallaroo (Macnas-inspired no. 6) were sewn together - ready for their turn on the design wall.

The first 12 rows (of 18) for Vellichor (Macnas-inspired no. 5) have been sewn.  

Only six more rows and I'll have another flimsy reveal post to share.

As I'm sewing the top for Vellichor, I'm leader-ender sewing the pairs for Fandango (Macnas-inspired no. 7).

Fandango will be the first of the Macnas-inspired series to have rectangles made of scrappy strata.  Time will tell how that approach works out.

On the other side of the studio, Abendrot is pin basted and ready for FMQ action.  

(I had forgotten that Abendrot's backing yardage was in fact a wide back - that certainly helped things move forward more quickly)

Finally, the Bluey pillowcase laid out here is now finished and in use by its happy new owner.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Go to your studio and make stuff."

Fred Babb

The Rest of the Series

I've finished the first three quilts in the Macnas series (Macnas, Reverie, and Tuxie-Tude).

This set of sewn pairs will become number 4 - Vellichor (the beautiful wistfulness of used book stores; the strange romance evoked by the smell of old books and paper).

As soon as these are pressed, they'll be sorted into 18 rows and sewing of the quilt top can begin.

This set of pinned pairs will become number 6 - Wallaroo (Common name for species of Australian macropods intermediate in size between kangaroos and wallabies)

I'll use these as leader enders as I sew the top for Vellichor.

(number 5 - Rubricate (to mark with red) is nearing flimsy status with only 7 more long horizontal rows to be sewn)

This set of pinned pairs will become number 7 - Fandango (Fandango is a vibrant and lively shade of purple with pink undertones, often associated with a lively and energetic feel. It falls within the spectrum of magenta tones, offering a bold and eye-catching hue that can evoke a sense of creativity and fun.)

I'll use these as leader enders as I sew the quilt top below.

These sewn pairs will become number 8 - Grandiose (name inspired by the Philip Jacobs backing fabric's selvage).

Once pressed and sorted into rows, I'll use Fandango (above) as leader enders as I sew the top for Grandiose.

These sewn pairs will become number 9 - Enchanted (adj. – utterly delighted or captivated; fascinated; charmed or under a spell; bewitched; magical).

Once pressed and sorted, I'll sew these into a quilt top using the pinned pairs for Hanabi (below) as leader enders.

These pinned pairs will become number 10 Hanabi (Japanese word meaning fireworks).

They will be used as leader enders as I sew Enchanted's pairs into a quilt top.

These pinned pairs will become number 11 - Morning Fog (name inspired by an early morning waterfront photo).

I'm very happy with the softer assortment of scrappy neutrals - the evicted grays simply did not play well with the light blues.

And finally these pinned pairs will become number 12 - Paint Party (inspired by photos of Young Man helping paint a restaurant's patio fence).

The planned alternate gray rectangles from Morning Fog were also a fail here - instead I used Tula Pink's Fairy Dust (white) which totally supports the inspiration's "happy" vibe.

For all of these projects, you can click on their name labels at the end of the post to see their individual back stories/progression posts.

* * *

Now that all the planning, cutting, pinning, and pairing is out of the way, let's see if I can find enough time to sit and sew/quilt so these are finished by year end.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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Do something.  If it works, do more of it.  If it doesn't, do something else."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

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