MORE MEDALLIONS

 I couldn't resist and had to make some more little medallions -- this time only 20.

 I wanted to make some in a single color story, so pulled fabric only from my red and pink scrap bins.  Also, thought I would try the traditional-type medallions in a contempory setting -- a little yin and yang or juxtaposition.

 I'm pleased -- fun time for a couple of days hiding out in the sewing room while it rained.  The sun is shining now!

The Stats:  More Medallions, 2021, 22"x30", Paper pieced, machine pieced, machine quilted.

Last week, also had a trip to the city to indulge in some fabric buying.  Anxious to try something with my new 14 fat quarters.  My scrap bins needed an infusion of new fabric.

Finding joy every day!

LITTLE MEDALLIONS

THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY

In 2016 , I was organizing my bins of scrap fabrics and needed a diversion project.  I started pulling out fabrics that I thought could be fussy cut and sewn together as little medallions.  

 I ended up with 63 4-inch blocks and sewed them in a strippy-style quilt top. 

Top only

The sashing and border fabrics are from Moda's Grunge line.  I love the name as it reminds me of the "Grungies" (clothes) and "Woodsies" (outings in the mountains) of my days as a student at Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado back in the good old days of the 1950s.  

 I had planned to hand quilt it; but, this was about the time the arthritic fingers and macular degeneration of the eyes started to control my quilting life and ended my hand quilting.  The top has remained unquilted in a storage basket under my sewing table since. 

AND NOW, THE END OF THE STORY

It is 5 years later, and I think I feel confident finally to try machine quilting it. It is bigger than anything I have machine quilted in the past.  It was a bit of a struggle, but numerous breaks made it doable.

 

The Stats:  Little Medallions, 2016-2021, 44"x45", Machine pieced, machine quilted, 63 4" medallions.

Quilting gave me the opportunity to revisit and enjoy each little medallion.  So much so, that now I want to make more.

P.S.:  Of course, I have grungie/woodsie pictures taken 5-15-1957

An all-girl woodsie, but the boys
 managed to find us by nightfall
for a bonfire.

In our sorority grungies. Yes, that's me on the left.

 

MOTHER'S KITCHEN

My cherry tree has been blooming gloriously all week, it's almost Mother's Day; plus it is throwback Thursday and time for a quilt I made in 2004 entitled "Mother's Kitchen".

I made it as a tribute to my Mother, who always worked outside the home beginning when I started to school.  Her kitchen was always cheerfully decorated, and we always spent time together there when she got home from work -- she preparing supper or folding laundry and I was talkative.  Plus, the cherries -- she always made a maraschino cherry and nut cake for my birthday!

You would think I was the tired one by the way
I am lounging; but Mother worked hard and 
always appeared this put together!

The Stats:  "Mother's Kitchen", 2004, 41"x41", Machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted.  The pattern appears in my book, Traditional Two Block Quilts book, pages 65-70.

I couldn't pass up a photo op with the quilt and a cherry tree blossom.

I was a biological mother before I became an adoptive mom.  At the time, someone told me that CARING not bearing made you a mother.  For all the caring individuals out there, may you celebrate a joyous Mother's Day.

IN PURSUIT OF PLAID

 My fascination with plaid is well known.  It has been a staple in our Christmas decorating for years; and is scattered around our house in pillows, throws, etc.  I scour thrift shops for wool plaid garments to felt and use in my wool quilts. Bob wears a lot of plaid cotton shirts; which when worn out, I decontruct and store the good parts in my fabric stash. 

I think it is time to make a cotton log cabin project using some of my plaid stash.

I'm going simple with a log cabin, straight furrow design, in a table runner format.

I almost always paper piece my log cabin blocks now as I have had trouble getting them to come out square with conventional piecing.  It is really helpful if you need to deal with some bias edges.

The Stats:  "In Pursuit of Plaid", 2021, 12"x24", Paper pieced, machine quilted.

To me, a log cabin quilt is such a majestic design, inspite of its name; that I  rarely use a border except a binding to control the madness of so many fabrics.

Some of my previous log cabin projects:

"Going West", 2017, 24"x24"

Chevron or Arrow layout

"Log Cabin Table Runner", 2012, 15"x100"

Sunshine and Shadow layout 

"Homestead", 1982, 24"x24"

Sunshine and Shadow layout

Following is one of my favorite log cabin projects.  In the 1990s I found at a quilt show vendor 81 antique log cabin blocks.  They were all different sizes -- small to large -- but the fabrics were fabulous most of them light weight wool or silk.  I brought them home not knowing how I was going to make them work into a quilt.  I trimmed the larger ones, and added to the smaller ones (with some of my father's old silk ties).  I worked until I had them all the same size; then set them together in a straight furrow layout.  It was too heavy to hand quilt so I tied it at the intersections with perle cotton with a backing and binding of red wool crepe.  It is the only quilt I have had hanging in my house for 25 years.  I love it!

May you find joy in your passion!