Cathy's Stamps

Back in  December, Cathy L. sent me this box stuffed full of postage saved from her years of quilt block swaps.  What an unexpected delight.

I couldn't cut up the groupings - I just couldn't - so instead I trimmed away the excess envelope paper, peeled away the bubblewrap layers, and sorted the rest into domestic metered, domestic stamps, international metered, and international stamps.

Then I tucked them safely in a drawer until I came up with a good way to showcase them.

Not long ago I thrifted the "G" volume from a set of 1938 World Book Encyclopedias, and realized it would be ideal for Cathy's stamps.

So I started gluing . . . 

I had so much fun re-reading the postmarks, finding these four from MI where I grew up and IN near where we spent the first decade years of our married life.

I enjoyed the many stamps from Finland with their varied subjects and cheerful colors, especially the Moomin stamps (see final photo).

 

The Bakery Hill Post Office postmark tickled me.

I miss the days when postal workers hand cancelled stamps without obliterating them like they do now with the wide black marker streaks.

Thank you, Cathy!

* * *

I'll be back tomorrow with my March recap, the April 1 backyard photo, and my goals for the coming month.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Creativity is not the possession of some special talent.  It's about the willingness to play."

John Cleese

La Colcha de Muchos Colores - the Flimsy

And we have a quilt top!  

La Colcha de Muchos Colores (the quilt of many colors) measures 63" wide x 79" long at this point.

(you can read back through previous posts for this collaborative project with Little Man by using the label at the end of this post)

Before the quilt top came the process of sewing things together.  I worked top to bottom, one column at a time, assembling 4 piece units.

Here you can see those pressed units for one column stacked atop each other on my cutting table.

One unit at a time, I trimmed/straightened the side edges.  

Then I measured each unit to find the narrowest width - one column ended up a consistent 19" wide (fin. 18.5"), the units in another were trimmed to 18.5" (fin. at 18"), and the third set of units was trimmed evenly at 19.25" (fin. at 18.75").

After the units for each column were trimmed to the same width, I sewed the units together.  

One column was shorter than the other two so it became the default length for the top.

It took very little time to sew the three columns together and add the borders (Brandon Mably's "Creased" cut 4" using LOF rather than WOF).  

* * *

Little Man is pretty excited about his quilt top and is eager for me to "work on my quilt some more using Max."  

I seriously doubt I will get the FMQ/binding done before my trip to NH, but it will be a priority once I am home again.  And if I don't, someone shorter than I am will surely remind me.

Quiltdivajulie

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“The most fantastic, magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish.”

Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio

Collaboration with DH - Part II

HIPPIE DIPPIE aka HIPPY DIPPY

(spelling depends on whether you are describing

George Carlin's 1970s weatherman character

or the descriptive term for anything related to hippies)

Open-top thin-wall cylinder

turned from Bradford Pear

All three of today's pieces were wrapped

using reclaimed silk sari yarn.

(yarn made by a women's co-op in India)

WHISKERS

12" tall overall which includes

DH's signature frayed wire finial

5" wide at upper edge of wood hollow form

The hollow form was turned from Bradford Pear.

SPENCER

(it's a long story from DH's college years . . . )

14" tall overall which includes

a slightly larger frayed wire finial

5.5" wide at upper edge

Hollow form turned from Bradford Pear

(for those who are curious,

like the pieces shared here,

I start wrapping at the bottom

and use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue -

it is definitely not a quick process)

* * *

We also used this technique back in 2013

when we created Reclaimed

The results are just as intriguing this time around.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I love to make you laugh because I have never seen a sunset with as many colors.”

A.R. Asher

Collaboration with DH - Part I - The Newsroom Series

Introducing The Newsroom Series

DH did the woodturning

and yours truly did the exterior wrapping.

(polished stones came from northern Lake Michigan -

gathered by our boys when they were young)

This is the newspaper yarn that I used.

The hank in the back looks nice and neat

but when it is opened up - oh, so tangled.

(each hank weighs 100 grams

and contains over 80 yards of 'yarn')

The 'yarn' is made by a cooperative of women in India

using narrow strips of newsprint that is tightly twisted.

(I bought the most recent hanks from KnitSilk on Etsy but

previously I had purchased from Darn Good Yarn)

This is YESTERDAY'S NEWS.

It measures 8.5" tall with an 8.5" diameter at the top

and was turned earlier this year from Bradford Pear.

This one used up a full hank all by itself.

This is OFF THE RECORD.

The wood hollow form was turned in 2004 (Holly)

making it one of DH's earliest turnings.

As the wood aged, it had lost its character

so now it sports a whole new vibe.

7" tall with a diameter of 5.5" at the widest point.

 

And this is LATE BREAKING NEWS.

Created in 2012, this was the first in our series.

5" tall with a 5" diameter at the top.

(for those who are curious,

I start wrapping at the bottom

and use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue -

it is definitely not a quick process)

* * *

There's a second group of collaborative pieces

waiting for their turn in DH's photo cube.

As soon as I have those pictures,

I'll share Part II - in the meantime,

if you'd like to see more of DH's work,

you can visit his blog HERE.

Quiltdivajulie

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“If I don’t have red, I use blue.”

Pablo Picasso

Glen's Liberated Bird Quilt

This is Glen's liberated bird quilt

made using Lynne's liberated birds tutorial.

Glen set her bird blocks by filling in with 

loads and loads of scrappy HSTs -

I love it!!

(you can read most of her posts

about making the birds and the quilt

by clicking HERE.)

And if you are wondering why Glen's quilt is  here with me,

it's because she has loaned it to me so I can share it

with the students in my St. Louis liberated birds class

on Sat. July 14th.

(I love the enduring connections shared

between those of us who were part of

BUILD A BARN's Secret Society of Barn Builders)

Younger son was my assistant

as we've had lots of heavy rains

and the skies were still threatening . . . 

I didn't want to chance Glen's quilt falling

onto the damp ground or having it land in a puddle.

Our photo shoot location was the

Veteran's Plaza at Overton Park.

(all photos should supersize if double clicked

so you can read the information on the plaques)

The light was good for showing off the quilt's quilted texture.

As I was laying the quilt on the dry stone base

of the Doughboy statue,

a passing bike rider joking asked if the rock was cold.

These patriotic birds are in the upper corner and

it just seemed appropriate that they pose with the statue.

We found a nice grassy area with no damp grass -

this is the best all over photo we were able to get.

Hoping you can see how very fun Glen's quilt is!

A little further along on the plaza

we found this memorial for The Memphis Belle -

the real woman for whom the plane was named

and the plane and its crew.

This is the lower left corner of the quilt.

This is the lower right corner.

This is the upper right corner.

And this is the upper left corner.

Turning back around,

you can see both the Memphis Belle and the Doughboy statue

along with some of the name-bearing plaques

in honor of those who served but did not return home.

And near where we parked the car,

we found this single empty chair 

under one of the large trees.

Evocative and poignant, to say the least.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Only the weak are cruel. 
Gentleness can only be expected from the strong."
Leo Buscaglia

Glorious - The Quilt

The binding on Glorious is finished!

Designed collaboratively long distance with Lynne Tyler

Pieced by Lynne in NH

Quilted by Janet-Lee Santeusanio

(Lynne's long arm quilter in NH)

Bound and labeled by Julie in TN

Shown here hanging over our back fence

in the early morning shade.

There are SO many great fabrics in this quilt --

We purchased 13 for the "giants" after using 

e-quilter's design board/wish list feature.

Of those, only eight made it into the final quilt.

The others were edited out for one reason or another.

At one point Lynne told me we used 42 different fabrics  -

some from our joint long-distance shopping adventure,

some from my stash, and some from her stash.

Lynne made me five of her long skinny zipper bags

using some of the leftovers,

including three of the "giants" fabrics we edited out.

(sunflowers, peacock feathers, and seed packets)

I think this black and white photo is very interesting . . .

See how the different sizes and shapes of diamonds

float in and out across the surface of the quilt?

You can see more full-size color photos

 from Lynne's photoshoot before the quilt was finished

by clicking HERE.

I am so happy with the way the binding fabric 

works with both the front and the back.

Our original idea was to create a quilt 

that showcased the many colors of spring.

After a lot of editing and discussion,

we both agree that we "nailed it."

As an aside, for those who have never tried growing

WAVE petunias - we are delighted with ours.

Purchased as marked-down frost-bitten plants,

they have done nothing but bloom and thrive.

And they look pretty good with Glorious as a backdrop, too.

The finished quilt is approximately 70" x 80"

and fits beautifully on the back of our couch.

Sending a BIG shout-out to Lynne 

for another awesome collaboration!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Gratitude is twofold - love coming to visit us 
and love running out to greet a welcome guest."
Henry van Dyke

Glorious Has Arrived!

It's here!!!

Glorious - a long-distance collaborative quilt

Designed by Lynne Tyler and Julie Sefton

Pieced by Lynne Tyler

Quilted by Janet-Lee Santeusanio

Binding and Labeling will be done by Julie

The day the quilt arrived was very busy so

I haven't had time to really explore the quilt yet --

but the parts I've looked at are totally awesome.

Hopefully by this weekend

I'll have found time to choose a binding fabric

and get it sewn in place.

I want to finish the binding by hand

so I have lots of bonding time with this quilt.

I'll share scenes from the photoshoot

once the quilt is fully finished.

For now you can see lots more photos

and read about the process

by visiting Lynne's blog.

Click HERE to see all the posts

she shared during the quilt's making.

* * *

And for those who asked yesterday

about a pattern for The Spotted Winkel --

no, there will not be a pattern.

This top is a one-of-a-kind original.

However - I will compile a list of links

from the making of the quilt top

and share those along with 

my list of inspiration resources

in an upcoming post

so you can follow my process and

combine your skill set with my insights 

to create your very own original design.

In the words of Gwen Marston:

"You all get up in the morning and dress yourselves 

and you look darling - you have the ability - 

all you need is the faith to make these quilts on your own.”

Quiltdivajulie

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"I like the idea of collaboration - it pushes you. 
It's a richer experience . . . "
Frank Gehry

A Wonderful Weekend

Lynne texted Saturday morning 

to let me know she had picked up 

our collaborative quilt 

from her long arm quilter in NH.

She also sent me this photo later in the weekend

to let me know that the quilt had been

thoroughly kitty-tested and approved

by her resident QA Manager, Millie.

GLORIOUS should arrive at my house mid-week.

I can't wait to see it in person!

This past weekend was a two-night sleepover 

for Little Man (now 21 mos.) and his dog.

He and Dee-dah had to fix the stroller,

complete with a trip to Home Depot for repair parts,

after the dog's leash got wrapped around the axels.

Later on Saturday, we made a trip to Ikea

to pick up two of their white 2-step stools

after Dee-Dah saw an Ikea Hack online

for turning the short stool into a toddler learning tower.

While Dee-Dah loaded the box into our cart,

Little Man just HAD to inspect

the inside of an aisle-closed cone.

(with the help of his new fuzzy puppet

Mr. Whoo-Whoo)

On Sunday, construction began in earnest.

By the end of the day,

they had built a tower for our house

and a second tower for Little Man's house.

They also shared smiles and giggles

and made some good memories.

* * *

Needless to say,

nothing happened in the quilt studio.

And I don't mind one little bit.

Quiltdivajulie