Each quilt I make has some sort of inspirational moment - something that makes me actually start the quilt.This quilt started with the back, this one yard piece of baby flannel.
I picked this fabric up at a garage/rummage sale many years ago. Back then, I made pajamas for the boys out of most of my thrifted flannel. I made a few more baby items when miss P was small but this one somehow got left behind. The last few times I have cleaned my sewing room I put it in the purge bag. Each time I also took it out thinking that it would make a good backing for a baby quilt. Well, this last time as I took it out of the give away bag I told myself "If you are going to put this on the back of a baby quilt you had better do it NOW."And that's what I did. I pulled three solid fabrics in the colors of the flannel print and added scraps from the top of my scrap basket. The scraps are mostly from my recent quilts - Brenda's Stars, and the two quilts I made for Jennifer Paganelli.
Here it is in all of it's washed, crinkled, and sunshine glory. I love the mix of squares and half square triangles.
I think it makes a pretty happy looking baby quilt. Not bad for a clean up the sewing room inspired quilt.It measures 36 by 42 inches.
Lady of the Lake - Finished
I finished the Lady of the Lake quilt last week.
It has been washed and fluffed a little in the dryer.
I had fun piecing a back for it too.
I like the back as much as the front.
The quilt measures 45 inches by 52 inches.
One Thing Leads to Another
My sewing room is sometimes a family gathering place. I like to think that is because everyone is interested in seeing the progress on my latest project. It is more probably because our computer is on my desk which is also in my sewing room. As a result, I often get suggestions on what to do with my current sewing project.Earlier this week M came in and saw the HST piles. He commented that I make a lot of quilts with white background. M often has good artistic instinct so I listened to him and tried putting a row of the HSTs on a different color background - the charcoal kona that I had purchased for my "zinnia quilt" - (I had tried a few different designs for this zinnia inspired quilt but was not happy with any of them) ANYWAY, I like the charcoal but not with the white of the HST blocks. Next, I made a few HST blocks with the charcoal ground.
After making a few of those, I remembered the fabrics that I had pulled together at the start of the zinnia project. So I made more HSTs with all of those fabrics.Now, in a round about fashion, I am finally making a plan for my Zinnia Quilt.
I am still deciding how I want the single strip of color to look but so far I'm pleased with how this is progressing. I tried a single strip of triangles, and also a double strip with the triangles side by side oriented the same way but both of those layouts seemed boring compared to these.
Perhaps I should wait to ask M's opinion before I go any further.I can always work on the big pile of white half square triangles until I make up my mind.
When in Doubt, Make Half Square Triangles
When in doubt, make half square triangles.
Each time I finish a project I have the urge to start something new. I am also feeling the need to get things more in shape in the sewing room (isn't that always the case?) So, yesterday I broke open the scrap suitcase and started cutting. I cut lots of 2 3/8 inch squares. Any chunks that were too small for a 2 3/8 inch square were set aside in their own box.
I dumped the whole suitcase and did some sorting.Next, the squares were all cut in half diagonally and sewn to white triangles of the same size.I had a plan when I started. I was going to make blocks similar to this or this but with six half square triangles on the diagonals of each section instead of the four that are shown in these diagrams.After making a bunch of hst pieces I am rethinking my plan.
I sort of want to sew them into one long strip. Don't you think it would look good to have a strip of these running off center down an otherwise plain quilt?I was discussing the possibilities with Miss P after school today and mentioned that it would take a long time to make enough of the blocks for a quilt.P's response: "Mom, you don't have to finish the quilt in a month! You can take as long as you want to make it."So true.Now I need to decide which way I want the quilt to end up and just do it that way. Or, maybe I'll make two!Either way I'm putting the scraps into a SMALLER suitcase. I made the switch last night but, I can't yet close the lid.
