REVIVAL OF AN UFO

There has been a box marked UFOs sitting on the top shelf of my sewing room closet that I know hasn't been opened for at least 20 years.  I found lots of interesting things in it that I don't even remember making.  Among them was this quilt top.  In digging into my memory bank, I think it must be from about 2003.  That was the time I was busy making quilts for a book I was writing about combining two blocks to form secondary patterns.  The publisher then notified me that I had too many pages of quilts/patterns, and that I would have to eliminate two of them.   Obviously I wasn't going to need this one; so I must have just folded it up and stored it away.

I've decided to revive this unfinished project by quilting and binding it; if for no other reason, because the fabrics are interesting and from the early 2000s.  The design is simple, and I love the two traditional blocks combined.

THE STATS:  Revival, 2003-2024, 29" x 29", Machine pieced, Machine quilted.

My quilt making style has not changed much over the years -- I would still make this revival quilt again.

STRINGING ALONG

 String quilts are always fun as you can use a variety of scraps without a lot of thought in choosing colors/patterns.  I've done many variations of a string quilt over the years, but decided I wanted to add some applique to this one.  The idea of applique on patchwork has always intrigued me.

THE STATS:  String Along, 2024, 31" x 31", Paper pieced, Machine pieced, Hand appliqued, Machine quilted.

I didn't intend for this quilt to have a Christmas look; but it is leaning that way, and I'll probably use it during that season of joy!

MIGRATING AGAIN

 Here is the table runner I mentioned in my Fall Migration quilt post yesterday.   Even though Fall is my favorite season in nature, I struggled working with the fabric colors of orange, copper, gold, etc.  So, I decided to do the same layout in colors and fabrics more in tune with my personal aesthetic. 

This was much easier for me to work with -- don't know why as I've made many, many multi-fabric and different color quilts over the years.  

THE STATS:  Migrating Again, 2024, 16" x 28", Paper pieced, Machine pieced, Machine quilted.

FALL MIGRATION

In this quilt, two simple blocks were combined, each block repeated 32 times, and  rearranged to produce a secondary quilt design. 

I like this new arrangement of the blocks.  It is different from quilts I have made using the two blocks previously, but I'm not happy with the choice of fabrics.  I try hard to embrace a bunch of bright colors together, but I can't seem to make them work cohesively.

To fully conquer this new layout, I'm beginning a table runner in this design with fabrics that better suit my aesthetic.  We'll see if it is the fabrics or the layout bothering me.  Check my next post on "Migrating Again".

THE STATS:  Fall Migration, 2024,  27" x 27", Paper pieced, Machine pieced, Machine quilted

Even the back is pretty bright, as I used scraps to piece it together!

The first quilt that I made using these two blocks was in 1988, and was pictured in an article I wrote for Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, issue #294 in 1995, about creating secondary patterns with two blocks.

Migration #1

 I made a second quilt in 1995 with the same two blocks, different color/fabric, with patches for signatures; and it was included with the pattern in my book, Keepsake Signature Quilts.

Migration #2

ORPHANS OF THE SEWING ROOM

 I'm in between quilting projects; plus my new washing machine was delivered this morning, and I have piles of laundry to do since my old machine died last week.   I was deciding what I was going to do in between loads, and guess it was time to tackle a big and messy project.

I have this plastic tub that I mindlessly throw in orphan blocks plus extra pieces I have cut and didn't use in projects.   Like in the Olympics; they tried hard, but just didn't make the podium.  Some of them didn't even make the trials, but still were worthy participants.

So, I'm conflicted -- do I save them or toss them all? Or, do I do half and half; save some, toss others?  When I'm long gone and had participated in the quilt world for many years, will someone find them as a treasure; or wonder what was that crazy old lady thinking?