Nubilous - the Flimsy

Nubilous is now a quilt top -

a very large quilt top . . . 

72" wide x 88" long 

I used the yardage originally intended 

to back my smaller bird-bordered version

and used it to create extra wide borders

after framing the twenty-block center

with a 1" strip of turquoise and 

a 3" border of mottled gray batik.

If you click here to read about

  the inspiration photos (and the addition of turquoise) 

for my Log Cabin Loonies 2021 project,

I think you'll agree that the colors are spot on.

This very large quilt top has been sent to 

Nancy Near Philadelphia 

for her Sanctuary Village project.

Quiltdivajulie

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“All the magic is in the gray.”

Gary Vaynerchuk

Nubilous - the Layout

I've finished up the fourth round of logs/cornerstones

for my Log Cabin Loonies project named Nubilous

and laid out all twenty blocks on the design wall.

(click on the label at the end of this post

to read previous posts for this one)

This was the first version with grays vertically oriented

and greens on the horizontal - but given the inspiration

it made more sense to rotate each block 90 degrees

so the grays became the horizontal (sky) while

the greens (trees) became the verticals.

Many of the logs are segment-pieced lengths 

from the Dumpster Diving leftover boxes.

It feels good to use up so many of those bits and pieces.

Nubilous will become the third quilt top in my Etcetera series.

The twenty-block center will finish at 40" x 50"

but with the turquoise stop border and 

the birds/branches outer border,

the top should finish in the 50" x 60" range.

* * *

As soon as I finish the FMQ on Dumpster Diving 8 - Bella

I need to focus on getting three sets of blocks sewn together -

Drama Queen, Namaste, and now Nubilous.

(there was another delay as DH needed to 

tweak Max's timing just a bit more to eliminate the last of the

annoying but entirely predictable thread nest issues)

Namaste is to be younger son's 40th birthday quilt -

and that big day is quickly approaching.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions.”

John Muir  

Project Updates

I tried making a patchwork lined drawstring bag

using a stack of leftover 3" reproduction squares and strips.

I love the results.

(permanent link to the pattern on my RSC page)

Even the lining is pieced.

After making this one, any future patchwork bags

will be made using one of the larger sizes.

I also need to get some thinner fusible interfacing

for stabilizing the back side of the patchwork panels.

Here is the same size bag made from yardage.

Several family members adore ice cream

so this one will likely get quite a bit of use.

I lined it with pink plaid.

Pure fun.

Slowly but surely I'm getting the slabs sewn together

for Dumpster Diving 10 - Do Tell.

Each pair of slabs (one pink plus one aqua)

yields four half-square triangle blocks.

Two/thirds of the blocks are now made,

I've chosen fabric for the outer borders and binding,

and the backing fabric has been laundered.

As I've sewn all those many seams,

I have leader-ender'ed the HST blocks for Gerful,

(to be styled along the lines of Poppyseed's quilt)

all 81 HST blocks for Lagoon, 

(June's kitchen table quilt),

and I"m now leader-ender'ing the blocks for Namaste.

(a quilt for younger son's upcoming 40th birthday)

Because I am focused on getting DD10-Do Tell

to flimsy stage by the end of the month,

I have been able to resist the urge to play

with the leader-ender results -- 

we all know how leader-ender projects tend

to turn into primary projects.

And finally, I have finished the first round of logs

for my Log Cabin Loonies project named Nubilous.

The 2" hourglass center blocks were made with two consistent fabrics.

The turquoise corner stones are cut from

a wide variety of leftover fabrics found 

in the crumb and resource boxes

plus two small pieces of yardage.

I figure as long as the logs are scrappy,

the cornerstones might as well join the party.

* * *

One seam at a time . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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“And all the colors I am inside have not been invented yet.”

Shel Silverstein

NUBILOUS and the 2021 Log Cabin Loonies

I took this photo from my studio window in April 2020.

I took this one at the same time.

Definitely a Quilty-color-story waiting to be explored.

(much like another inspiration photo

that led to Missouri Color Story)

In August I made a test block.

I knew I wanted to continue on with this approach

and assigned this to become Dumpster Diving 14 - Nubilous

(Nubilous is Latin for foggy or cloudy)

January 2021

I've decided to end my Dumpster Diving series at twelve quilts.

But I also want to do something with the Nubilous idea

and the two boxes of gathered 1.5" strips.

When I read Julie K's Log Cabin Loonies 21 post

I knew instantly that my new plan had been born.

Her approach calls for 2.5" QST center blocks.

I tried this soft yellow solid with a mottled gray batik.

(that color choice was influenced by

this year's Pantone yellow/gray colors)

Not for this project.

Time to think about my accent color a little a lot more.

In the middle of the night I remembered 

this 2011 photo of the swimming pool 

in our neighbor's backyard - the one

I see when I look out that same studio window.

Those turquoise waters inspired the background

fabric choice for Ongoing Conversation -

a new quilt made using the Dresden's rescued from

 a quilt that Wanda made for her daughter in the sixties.

So I pulled a likely looking group of turquoise from the stash.

Before I cut into the fabrics,

I cut up a turquoise post-it note

to see if I'd like the look of the cornerstones.

(notice the Marcia Derse drab greens with turquoise 

hiding in the test block)

Definitely time to move forward.

Here are my twenty oversized QST center blocks 

waiting to be trimmed to 2.5" squares.

My quilt top will have twenty 10" Courthouse Steps blocks

with a scrappy green and gray strippy "piano key" border.

If I make 1-2 blocks a month

I should be in a position to assemble

my quilt top in early 2022.

* * *

Linda M. asked a question in a comment

on the previous post (no-reply blogger)

so I'll respond here.

She asked about the names I give my quilts

and where I come up with them.

Each of my quilts has some sort of back story

so I go online and search for related words

(or sometimes inspirational words)

using the thesaurus, word of the day 

or other language-oriented sites,

and sometimes Pinterest.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Assuredly the turquoise doth possess a soul 

more intelligent than that of man.” 

Anselmus De Boodt