Two Quilts Return

FOTY 2012 and Fresh Fruit
FOTY 2012 and Fresh Fruit

I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have these two quilts back. Colleen is going great guns on her quilt backlog and I am the lucky recipient.

I was really pleased to get Fabric of the Year 2012 and Fresh Fruit back earlier this week. I was only expecting FOTY 2012 when I dropped off Scrapitude, so Fresh Fruit was a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps it is immodest, but I love the way these two quilts look. FOTY 2012 is one of the best Fabric of the Year quilts so far. I really see how my color work over the years is paying off. I am reinvigorated to get busy on FOTY 2013.

Fresh Fruit was a pattern, as I described in a previous post, and I used the same fabric, but I really love the way it came out. I was planning to give this one away, but I might hang it on the wall for awhile first.

I started in on the binding for FOTY 2012 Thursday night and really got quite far. I do need to make a sleeve, which adds to the time it takes to finish, but I am looking forward to finishing this piece and hanging it up.

The Disappearing Pinwheel Continues

DPW Block
DPW Block

I had hoped to show you a finished quilt by now, but that is not yet to be. Perhaps over the weekend I will finish. Despite being off of work, I have been quite busy this week and whenever I haven’t been busy, I have been laying on the couch or face planted in bed. Neither of those activities are conducive to finishing the DPW! ERGH!

Still, I have to remind myself that there are no prizes for finishing and the process is important. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Finally, all the blocks I am going to make are finished. I am pleased with the blocks. They look fun, are a bit off and not my usual style. The background adds to that idea. I am wondering if this is stretching my fabric choices. If so, then this quilt pattern was a good one to use to stretch, because I wasn’t in love with it.

DPW Block
DPW Block

Don’t get me wrong. It is a fun project, but I didn’t have a good reason for doing it, so using fabrics I wouldn’t normally use was a good thing. It also used up the Mod Century layer cake which was an impulse buy and not slated for another project. I also used that grey background, which was sort of an unfortunate purchase (online), but worked out for this project.

I really enjoy seeing what other people are making with the same pattern and this project was no exception. There is a lot of variety in the DPW projects the Twilters are making and it is interesting to watch.

I am really glad I had little bits of this fabric to work with. I don’t think it ever caught my attention in a quilt store, but I like the different prints and think the shapes and colors are interesting.

I think the border will be very interesting. You’ll have to wait a bit to see that as the piece is in such disarray at the moment as to prevent me from taking a photo that would be anything but embarrassing. Soon, trust me.

The bad news is that I probably won’t have enough background fabric to finish the borders. I am going to look around and see if I have more. If I do, I certainly want to dig it out and use it, but if not, I will find something else. No, it won’t be the same, but I want to use what I have on hand.

All DPW blocks-March 2014
All DPW blocks-March 2014

Previous Posts

  • March 20: More Disappearing Pinwheels
  • March 2: Make a Disappearing Pinwheel
  • Feb 23: Disappearing Pinwheel Blocks
  • Jan 28: Disappearing Pinwheel

Creative Prompt #251: Ship

Aboard ship

Abandon Ship

Mercy Ships: Ocean vessels providing health care to the poor in port areas around the world.

ghost ship

Definition: “In modern parlance a ship has been any large buoyant watercraft. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size, shape and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing, entertainment, public safety, and warfare. Historically, a “ship” was a sailing vessel with at least three square-rigged masts and a full bowsprit.

Ships and boats have developed alongside humanity. In armed conflict and in daily life they have become an integral part of modern commercial and military systems. Fishing boats are used by millions of fishermen throughout the world. Military forces operate vessels for combat and to transport and support forces ashore. Commercial vessels, nearly 35,000 in number, carried 7.4 billion tons of cargo in 2007.[1] As of 2011, there are about 104,304 ships with IMO numbers in the world.[2]

Ships were always a key in history’s great explorations and scientific and technological development. Navigators such as Zheng He spread such inventions as the compass and gunpowder. Ships have been used for such purposes as colonization and the slave trade, and have served scientific, cultural, and humanitarian needs. After the 16th century, new crops that had come from and to the Americas via the European seafarers significantly contributed to the world’s population growth.[3] Maritime transport has shaped the world’s economy into today’s energy-intensive pattern.” (Wikipedia)

Tall ship

airship

The Student Health Insurance Plan is a comprehensive major medical insurance plan, providing medical, counseling, prescription, vision and dental services. (UC Berkeley)

Ship of Fools

shipping

Pack ‘n Ship

Ferry

Ship’s model

ship in a bottle

Mother ship

shipwreck

cruise ship

Short for romantic relationship, popularized in fanfiction circles. (Urban Dictionary definition)

spaceship

Liberty Ship SS John W. Brown.

Solar Ship Inc. builds aircraft to service remote areas. Most of these areas have no roads.

shipshape

Borough of Ship Bottom Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

sinking ship

 

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

Dots and Pearls

Dots Option
Dots Option

Last year, TFQ gave me a bundle of dots for my birthday. Since then they have been sitting on my cutting table waiting for inspiration to strike. I didn’t want to use them alone in a quilt, because I thought it would be too boring (dots, boring? I know, but my mind works in mysterious ways sometimes).

Tone-on-tone Pearl Bracelets
Tone-on-tone Pearl Bracelets

Recently, I saw some of the tone-on-tone Pearl Bracelets (great imagery in that name, don’t you think?) and these dots came around again in my thoughts. I am wondering if I could use the two of the groups together in something interesting?

What? I don’t know yet.

What about all of those other projects?

I know. I need to focus. It is just a thought and I can’t do anything about it until I come up with a better plan, such as a pattern.

Chinese Fabrics

Chinese Fabrics
Chinese Fabrics

Julie brought these fabrics back from China for me. She had an adventure trying to find quilting fabric. She told me the story of going to find them and being frustrated by not knowing the words for quilt, dots or cotton and not knowing how to describe them with sign language. Though it probably wasn’t funny at the time, she related how a tribe of very small tailors followed her around the shop while she tried to shop, apparently relating their skill in making garments as she looked around. Imagining this pantomime made me laugh.

She was a little unsure about the fiber content and wanted to make sure that I washed them. I will. It was so nice of her to bring them back.

EBHQ Show

I spent the day Sunday at the East Bay Heritage Quilters Biennial Show. Again it was held at Craneway Pavillion. This year there were a number of special exhibits including one featuring Rosie the Riveter in conjunction with the Rosie the Riveter Museum in Richmond.

Craneway Pavillion
Craneway Pavillion

The first time I saw this space was at the EBHQ Show in 2012. This space used to be a Ford Assembly plant – the largest on the West Coast. It is now part of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII National Historic Park and is a beautiful location. The views of the Bay are wonderful and today’s views were exceptional, because the sky was blue and there was no rain (a sad thing in itself, but good to enjoy the space). I was reminded how much I would love a quilt space with the windows in this venue.

I went by myself as TFQ was working in her garden and Friend Julie is back in China after three weeks at home. It was nice after the intense people day I had on Saturday. I was quickly over it and met up with Kelly and Angela there. We looked at vendors (saw Colleen) and their gorgeous fabric. I was also inspired to make the box or bucket on my To Do list when I saw a sample at a booth.

The quilts, of course, were great! The quilts in an EBHQ show have such a different look. Often there are classic patterns, but with a twist, or the fabric adds a twist. I was trying to describe the look of an EBHQ show, but I couldn’t. It is clear from the quilts that there is a lot of creativity in that group and the creativity of everyone spurs everyone else on to be creative. Wonderful.

Glad you Joined Our Patchwork Nation by Kate Murphy, EBHQ Show 2014
Glad you Joined Our Patchwork Nation by Kate Murphy, EBHQ Show 2014

I am always surprised at what catches my attention at these shows.

“Glad you Joined Our Patchwork Nation” by Kate Murphy caught my attention. It is definitely not my colors, but the ladder effect made me stop and take a longer look. There are some interesting fabrics, but I really liked the idea of using this block (1 large triangle, 2 small triangles and a square) to make donation quilts. I think the possibilities are what caught my attention. I can imagine one element (the square or the large triangle being constant, the small triangles being background and the other parts bright and cheerful. I like the simplicity of the unit and the possibilities for complexity when you make more. I also thought the border was interesting. Different.

Untitled by Angie Woolman
Untitled by Angie Woolman

This quilt by Angie Woolman (Untitled) is one of my favorites. I liked the variety of fabrics (some Marimekko, I think), the different sizes of the motifs and the way the quilting fit with the piecing.

My World by Anne Grundler
My World by Anne Grundler

Kelly made me post this one for her. The photo shows it to be a little darker. The quilting is really nice and makes me want to practice my free motion quilting.

I really had a nice time and am glad I made the effort to attend the show.

 

 

 

Triglides and Slider Buckles

Triglide & Slider Buckle
Triglide & Slider Buckle

Shockingly, I had no idea what these were when the Scrap Lab Backpack pattern called for them. I sort of knew what they were because every purse I own has them, but I didn’t know what they were called.

I wish the kit I bought had included them, because, as I mentioned, I had a devil of a time finding them despite the fact that they are quite common. My work bag has them, my handbag has them, the purse of the woman at Britex who helped me had them. Still, I couldn’t find anywhere to buy them (in the US) until I ended up a Britex.

Triglides and slider buckles work together to allow straps to be adjusted, which is why so many commercially made bags have them.

Sew Triglides to Straps
Sew Triglides to Straps

First, you sew the triglides on to the straps.

As an aside, I am pretty proud of the straps I made. they really look professional – or as professional as I can get with a home machine. they are smooth, stiff and lay nicely. Of course, we will see what wear does to them, but for now, I feel proud and will enjoy that feeling.

Loop the straps through the D Rings
Loop the straps through the D Rings

Next, loop the straps through the D Rings (or other type of ring), which have already been sewn to the bottom of the bag. This will start the process of attaching the straps to the bag. You have not done any sewing yet. The straps are not yet really attached to the bag, except very loosely because part of the strap went through a D Ring.

I have to say that this part of the process is kind of cool and I did learn about using triglides and slider buckles.

Bring the straps back over the D Rings (so the D Ring metal is in between two layers of the sewn straps) and head towards the triglides.. The D Ring will be like the peanut butter and jelly of a sandwich where the straps are the bread.

Thread Strap through Triglide
Thread Strap through Triglide

Thread the strap through the first part of the triglide.

There are now a number of layers of the strap fighting for space in the triglide. This means that you have make sure you have the correct size of triglide.

At this point adjustments for comfort on your back don’t really matter. I kept the triglides around the middle of the outer bag, then adjusted them later to wear.

 

Straps looped & ready to be sewn
Straps looped & ready to be sewn

Thread the strap over the middle of the triglide and under the other [stationery] side of the triglide. You are now ready to sew the inner and outer bag together. Once sewn, the straps will be fully adjustable.

Resources for Triglides and Slide Buckles

This is not a complete list. This is a list of available triglides and slider buckles that were recommended to me or that I could find on the web. As I said, Beverly’s and Joann didn’t have the size, or color, I needed. If you make this backpack, plan ahead.

Finished: Scrap Lab Backpack
Finished: Scrap Lab Backpack

Other Helpful Bag Tips:

Current Projects – March 2014

A nice finish, though not one that made as much impact as the Attack of the Hexies.

Finished 2014 Quilt Projects

  1. Infinity Quilt: Finished 3/3/2014
  2. Spiderweb: Finished 2/22/2014 WHEW!

Finished 2014 non-Quilt Projects

Still WIPs

  1. Aqua-Red SamplerFrances and I started up again! We talked about the New York Beauty and I promised to start the hexagon tutorial. I did start it, I just haven’t done much since starting it.
  2. The Tarts Come to Tea: I still haven’t worked on this since April 2011, though, periodically, I think about working on it.
  3. Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. I still haven’t worked on this, though, every once in a while I think about using some of the squares as leaders and enders. I also want to find my notes for the others and see if I want to do them.
  4. See: needs satin stitching. Small, also a possibility for finishing before the end of the year, though with all the cutting I have done recently, perhaps not so much.
  5. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. I like the piece, but don’t know where to go from where I am. Mouth? Hair? The attitude I need to have is that I can’t ruin it; there is always more fabric. Possibility for abandonment.
  6. Under the Sea: class project; like the design, but not the colors much. Possibility for abandonment. I have to face reality.

Ready for Quilting

  1. New:* Wonky 9 Patch: needs quilting and binding. I am still thinking about quilting this myself and I am thinking about it more and more. I am wondering how far apart I can quilt it so that it has some drape? (Not on original list)
  2. New:* FOTY 2012: top, finished. Back and binding are complete; at the quilter.
  3. New:*Star Sampler: Top finished, back and binding finished; at the quilter. (not on original list)
  4. New:*Fresh Fruit: Top finished, back and binding finished; at the quilter. (not on original list)
  5. Flower Sugar Hexagons / Attack of the Hexies – Top finished 1/12/2014: at the quilter.

In the Finishing Process

None at this time.

In Process
I decided that I had better put in an ‘In Process’ category. The difference, at least in my mind, between ‘In Process’ and ‘UFO’. The difference is that I am actively working on a project that is “In Process.”

Hunting and Gathering

  • Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
  • Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I will use a grey for the background, because if I use more of the cut fabric patches, the pattern will be lost. The pieces are too oddly shaped and I don’t want to lose the pattern in a mass of scraps.
  • Stepping Stones #2 using Bonnie & Camille fabrics Bliss, Ruby, Vintage Modern: made two test blocks, but still in the thinking stage while I decide on the background colors. I want the contrast to be good.
  • Super Secret Project #3: working on color choices.

Abandoned

Nothing so far for 2014

You can find the  latest update for the Current Projects list provides a good comparison to this month.

I thought you might want to take a look at the first list I made, the one with the 26 Projects. I started the list in October 2011. I have made progress. I am still planning to stop this post when I have no more projects from the original list to write about, but it is so useful to keep track of all of my projects.

*New – Project started after I started working on the 26 Projects list

Various & Sundry 2014 #3

What I am Reading

  • City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn
  • Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriker
  • Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley – one of her older novels that has recently be released for Kindle. I enjoyed it, though there were a couple of parts where I had had enough of the chaos.
  • Whisper of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn – novella prequel to City of Jasmine. One of the best written novellas Raybourn has done.

Other Artists

SherriD has made two significant finishes this month. She does beautiful handwork and I have been watching her progress through her U is for Unicorn quilt. She finally finished it and I am in awe at the work. it is beautiful. I finish a number of things over the course of a year, but they all pale in comparison to the work required for this piece. Congrats, Sherri!

Elly at Aurifil posted a link to a piece called Reaching for Words, that in technique, reminds me of my piece, What Comes Next. Seeing it makes me want to stamp letters on fabric again. Fruiti and Spagetti threads are also mentioned and I would love to learn more about those as well.

Patterns, Tutorials and Projects

A Quilter’s Table has a great tutorial on a 3 zipper pouch. Nice colors, too.

Someone brought scissor pouches to show at the last meeting. I looked up tutorials, because I thought it would be a good gift. I looked at two. One was from StamperDog and the other from Stamping with Gail. I thought these would be good gifts.

Services & Sites

Beachtown Palette
Beachtown Palette

I found something via Twitter called the Playcraft Palette Builder 2. I have seen people put up a picture with the exact matches for fabric in neat little boxes next to the image. I thought that they were much faster and more dedicated than I in picking fabrics. They might be, but now I have a secret weapon OR now I know their secret! I loaded Beachtown and came up with a palette! I am not sure it is a great palette. I didn’t realize there were so many greyed colors in the quilt, but also there are a number of buttons and features I have not explored. I can see this as a fun tool.

Fabric, Tools & Supplies

I recently found a site called Polka Dot Tea Fabrics. I don’t know what tea has to do with fabric, though I do drink tea pretty often when I work on my projects. The shop has a lot of great colors, plenty of solids, Japanese fabrics, FQ packs as well as pre-cuts.

Clover Rotary Blade Refill
Clover Rotary Blade Refill

I get my rotary blades from LP Sharp because I can send back my used blades and get a discount on new blades. I don’t know what else to do with the used blades besides throw them out and I like the idea of them being recycled. This time I went through rotary blades at a tremendous rate and suddenly I had no new ones. Quickly, I packaged up an order, but the blade in my rotary cutter was sad. On a visit to the Intrepid Thread down in Milpitas, I picked up a Clover Rotary Blade refill. It was 45mm, but I wasn’t sure if it would fit my Olfa cutter. I asked and Colleen told me that Julie buys those because they have a small plastic holder which allows the quiltmaker to replace her rotary blade without actually touching the blade. You can see the tab in the photo. Cool, huh?

I haven’t tried cutting with it, but will let you know if I like the way it cuts. I will probably still use LP Sharp because of the recycling, but I will definitely consider this blade again when I am desperate.

Events, Shows and Exhibits

The East Bay Heritage Quilters show was held March 22 and 23 at Craneway Pavillion in Richmond.

Judy Martin is ramping up her lecturing circuit again now that her son is headed off to start his life. She has some lectures scheduled in the Midwest. I wish they were closer as I am dying to meet Judy in person! I love her work. How long does it take to drive from California to Iowa? The events are:

  • March 15, 1:00-3:00 – Pella, IA – The Quilted Windmill (formerly VandeLune Fabrics) – I’ll be signing autographs. Their phone number is 641-780-0676.
  • March 21-22 – New Ulm, MN – I’ll be doing 3 Log Cabin lectures at the Prairie Piecemakers biennial quilt show. The show is open on Friday from 9:00-6:00 and Saturday from 9:00-4:00. On Friday I will lecture at 2:00. On Saturday you can see me at 10:00 or 2:00.April 1 – Pella, IA – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture for the Pella Area Quilters Guild. The meeting is at the 3rd Reformed Church, 708 East 13th Street in Pella. April 7 – Dixon, IL – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture for the Petunia City Quilters. The meeting is at the Loveland Community Building, 513 W. 2nd St. in Dixon.
  • April 8, 6:30 – Danville, IL – Threads of Time – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture. You can read more about my visit at http://www.threadsoftimefab.com/classes/judy_martin/
  • May 14, 7:00 – Ottawa, IL – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture for the Illinois Valley Quilters Guild. Meetings are held at Epworth United Methodist Church, 627 Gentleman Road in Ottawa. You can read more about it at http://www.illinoisvalleyquiltersguild.com/Guild_Programs.html.
  • May 15, 7:00 – Naperville, IL – Pride of the Prairie Quilters – I’ll be doing my Log Cabin lecture. Meetings are held at Zion Lutheran Church at 11007 Book Road in Naperville. For more information go to http://www.prideofprairie.org/Programs.htm
  • May 16, 6:00-9:00 – Westmont, IL – QuiltFabric.com – I will be doing my Log Cabin lecture. The shop’s address is 818 E. Ogden Avenue. For more information go to http://www.quiltfabric.com/index.htm

The 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge: Radiant Orchid is now open for entries.

Not Quilt Related

I am a fan of the show Castle. Recently I found two sites that are great. One is a writing about fashion blog called Once Upon a Blog by Julia where the authors periodically mention characters from the show. The other is called Dress Like Kate Beckett. I want to be Kate Beckett! I don’t want to be a homicide detective, but I want her height, boldness, fearlessness and wardrobe. I also want to be able to run in 4″ heels.

Creative Prompt #250: Rooster

type of bird

farm animal

fowl

Definition:”A rooster also known as a cockerel or cock, is a male gallinaceous bird. The term usually refers to a male chicken (Gallus gallus).

Immature male chickens less than one year old are called cockerels. The term “rooster” originates in the United States,[1] and the term is widely used throughout North America, as well as Australia and New Zealand.[2] The older terms “cock” or “cockerel”, the latter denoting a young cock, are used in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[3]

“Roosting” is the action of perching aloft to sleep at night, which is done by both sexes. The rooster is polygamous, but cannot guard several nests of eggs at once. He guards the general area where his hens are nesting, and will attack other roosters that enter his territory. During the daytime, a rooster will often sit on a high perch, usually 3 to 5 feet (1 m to 1.5 m) off the ground, to serve as a lookout for his flock. He will sound a distinctive alarm call if predators are nearby.

(The term “cock” is also used generally to refer to a male of other species of bird, for example “Cock sparrow”.)” (Wikipedia)

Rooster Teeth

Foghorn Leghorn?

Alice in Chains song

Rooster Run Golf Club

Rooster Hill Bed & Breakfast is set in the beautiful foot-hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Rooster Cogburn

Chinese Zodiac Sign: he Rooster is the strutting peacock of the Chinese Zodiac! These quick thinkers are practical and resourceful, preferring to stick to what is tried and true rather than taking messy, unnecessary risks. Roosters are keenly observant. It’s hard to slip anything past a Rooster, since they seem to have eyes in the backs of their heads! This quality can lead others to think the Rooster is psychic, but that’s not generally the case; instead, this Sign enjoys a keen attention to detail that makes it a whiz at anything requiring close analysis. Roosters make great lawyers, brain surgeons and accountants, to name a few of this Sign’s possible occupations. Above all else, the Rooster is very straightforward and rewards others’ honesty in kind. Roosters aren’t shifty or cagey and have no interest in hiding behind a facade. They are the proverbial open book, telling the truth and keeping their word. If you show your hand, the Rooster will respect you for it. This kind of trusting behavior can tempt tricksters to pull a fast one on the Rooster, but that would be a bad move! Remember, this Sign doesn’t indulge in flights of fancy and keeps those eyes wide open at all times. Roosters tend to be perfectionists and expect to be in control, especially over their appearance.

Red Rooster fabrics

A free, simple, and effective jet lag remedy based on science.

Rooster Springs Elementary (RSE), Dripping Springs Independent School District’s first neighborhood school, is home to over 800 students in PPCD through the fifth grade. (Texas)

Old Town Red Rooster Café

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog.

We are also talking about this on Twitter. Use the hashtag #CPP

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

 

More Disappearing Pinwheels

Disappearing Pinwheel
Disappearing Pinwheel
Latest Disappearing Pinwheels
Latest Disappearing Pinwheels

I have had  a few busy weeks plus Scrapitude to prepare for quilting so I haven’t had a chance to work on the Disappearing Pinwheels. I thought I remembered taking some photos of the latest group that I hadn’t posted.

I made a lot of progress on my last session of making these blocks and will need to get busy on it again soon.

The orange and red block to the left really caught my eye when I was looking at the whole group. I noticed how well the pinwheel in the center of the block stood out. Some of the blocks are very subtle, but that one  has god contrast.

In the group photo, I noticed how the background stripes have a subtle stripe, but it does add a lot of movement. Friend Julie and my mom both said the same thing when they saw the blocks.

I may take Scrapitude over to be quilted next week and I have some idea that I will take this quilt over as well. That is a lot of work between now and then, but we will see. It would be nice to get this out of my hair.

Finished: Scrap Lab Backpack

Scrap Lab Backpack
Scrap Lab Backpack

Boys-Howdy!

I am glad this thing is completed. It was a pain from start to finish, but it will be cute for my young friend.

I think it will be perfect for a beach bag or some such for a teenager. I do think a teen would like it better.

I think I am not liking it that much because of all the problems I had with hardware. The last part was the*&^%$ grommets. Dritz grommets, I think, are not that good in terms of quality. DH helped me and we had problems putting them in. He had to pound like a crazy man and we ruined 2 of them in the process.

Still, the adjustments I made to the sizes worked out and I did a nice job finishing, so I think it looks ok. One friend told me my standards are too high. I’ll keep that under advisement. 😉

The Colors of the Russian Rubix

Pink Chalk Fabrics
Pink Chalk Fabrics

Some confluence of events made the planets come into alignment over the weekend. I picked out the rest of the fabrics (plus a few extras) for the Russian Rubix, photographed them and put them up on the wall. I think I might be ready to sew. I think so.

The above fabrics are the fabrics I picked. I didn’t pick them after comparing color cards and color wheels to what I already had. I wish I could say that I did a lot of work to find these fabrics, but I would be a liar. I received a coupon from Pink Chalk Fabric and, despite my vow to tone down the fabric buying, I went and looked.

Then I bought some fabrics. In fairness, I had deleted a previous coupon.

Yes, I couldn’t help myself. Something about these fabrics called my name and when I received them, I thought “yes, these are the fabrics for the Russian Rubix.”No, there aren’t a ton of cool colors like I thought I needed, but some and I think the whole group, mostly, works.

Michael Miller Fabrics Midnite Gems Stitch Circle Passion
Michael Miller Fabrics Midnite Gems Stitch Circle Passion

I also thought of the dark blue/purple Stitch Circle fabric (upper right hand corner) quite a bit after I bought it. I couldn’t get it out of my head and I was really pleased when it arrived. It shimmers in a way. You should get some and look at it.

Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path Fuchsia
Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path Fuchsia

One thing I liked about this fabric is stripey effect.I didn’t want, necessarily a stripe, though I auditioned some, but this has a stripe effect without the stripe being straight. I also thought the color was one that I was missing from the group.

Free Spirit Designer Solids Parrot Blue
Free Spirit Designer Solids Parrot Blue

I am becoming enamored, again, with solids.When I first started to make quilts, I thought I would do all of my quilts in solids. The only thing that tempted me into the print arena was a very expensive piece of a border print. I bought an 1/8th of a yard and used it very judiciously in my Sampler quilt. Now look at me! Barely a solid in sight. 😉

Free Spirit Designer Solids Cranberry
Free Spirit Designer Solids Cranberry

 

The solid above is definitely NOT cranberry. That is the official name, but it is not like any cranberry I have ever seen, especially if you go off cranberry juice. It is very similar in color to the Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path Peony below. I think it works and I didn’t have many solids in the warm colors.

Sarah Jane Wee Wander Nature Walk Magenta
Sarah Jane Wee Wander Nature Walk Magenta

I like this print very much, but I don’t like the name. If I had seen the name before the print, I probably would not have looked at it. It turns out that I really like the feathers. It is a good intermediate print between the solids and some of the bold prints I have included.

 

Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path Peony
Alison Glass Sun Print Bike Path Peony

I like the idea of the stripe as I mentioned above, but I also like having multiples of the same print in different colors. Again, there is some continuity without being boring.

Metro Living Circles Red
Metro Living Circles Red

If I had to throw out one of the prints, it would be this Metro Living Circles Red. I am not 100% sold on it as part of the group. It might be the one in the quilt that is a little off and, thus, it works. Or it just might not work at all and I need to not use it.

I realized after auditioning the prints that I had a number of these Metro Living Circles, even one already in the group of fabrics I will use. Hhmm. Who knew I would like these circles so much? They are prints that I might not use if I did not have this Russian Rubix project even though I would buy them.

Metro Living Circles Chartreuse
Metro Living Circles Chartreuse

This chartreuse is definitely in. It really lightens up the other prints. That sounds odd since the ones I chose are mostly light, but it reminds me of a ray of sunshine streaming in on the fabrics.

 

Metro Living Circles Turquoise
Metro Living Circles Turquoise

The circles above are a fabulous color and go really well with the Free Spirit Designer Solids Parrot Blue. I like the way it looks with the Notting Hill pink prints as well.

Metro Living Circles Fuchsia
Metro Living Circles Fuchsia

I can never get enough pink, though this is called fushsia. These circles make me think of bags. Perhaps I should save some so I can make a bag, or accent a bag, with them.

Colorful Octagons
Colorful Octagons

 

I really like the way they look together. I feel like I have made a successful stack, like Anna Maria Horner and some of the other modern designers put together. Yes, I have one extra and these are way more fabrics than a Jelly Roll. My quilt, my rules? I guess I have enough to toss some if I don’t like them. I am pretty sure I want to make a couple of the blocks with just these fabrics. Let’s see if I remember to do it.

You might think it is odd that I used the same strips to review each of the fabrics, but I thought I needed a constant.

Finished: Infinity Quilt

Inifinity quilt
Inifinity quilt

The Infinity Quilt is finally finished. I finished it last week and am relatively pleased.

I think it is an interesting quilt from a color perspective. I didn’t really try and arrange the blocks much. They came out pretty well when I laid them out. There is a quite a lot of variety in the fabrics and also a good balance of light and dark. There were a few places where I switch a couple of blocks so that a print was next to a tone-on-tone rather than next to another print.

Colleen did a great job quilting it. It is a little stiff. I can’t tell if it is from the Harry Potter panel I used for the back or if the quilting made it stiff, so I might wash it.

Infinity Quilt back
Infinity Quilt back