Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Eggsotica!

 April Mini.

Wendy our monthly hostess helped me name it.  The backing is from a  pretty blue  FQ print.

I machine quilted it with invisafil thread in a alternating design of straight and squiggly lines.  I have used this many times andI like on modern and contemporary quilts.
Here is how I approached this little quilt.   I first made circles become egg shaped.

I made slightly different sizes because, you know, eggs; not all eggs are the same.
I dug through my blue batiks to find appropriate exotic egg colors.
I prepared them the same way I do circles.  Easy Peasy.
Backgrounds!  Oh boy.  That is was the toughest decision.  I tried many things.  You might like one of them better.  Point is, I need to try lots of the ideas before making a final decision.
I glued them in place then machine top stitched to the background.
I missed the anniversary of the  Chernobyl Disaster which is April 26th but I'm machine it now.
For some reason my blog has reformatted for no reason - sorry about that. ha ha.

I'll leave you with this beautiful undulatus cloud I spotted yesterday while walking coco.  Being in the Cloud Appreciation Society has really increased my appreciation for the beauty right over our heads.
Have a great week! 
xo

p.s.  after finishing the quilt vault, I found a drawer with about 20 more little quilts. 



Friday, April 9, 2021

Domesticity

The Quilt Vault is Done!  The bottom shelf is the hand quilted quilts.

This is part of a bedroom re-do and a long awaited solution to quilt storage.
When Hanna moved to DC, my quilting stuff took over her bedroom.  
Quilt stuff was everywhere!
I designed an Elfa shelving closet with very deep shelves.  I have designed installed about a dozen of these over the years.
I came across this little quilt which was perfect for Easter.  The 9-patch blocks are 1 inch and it is hand quilted.

In other domestic news we had a full day of tree care done.
I love having a wooded property but it does take a lot of maintenance and we are catching up on tree work following 2 hurricanes and growth.
These were the views out my BR window.  Below is a view from kitchen window.
I have finished setting my propeller blocks and let me tell you friends, it was a challenge.   They DID NOT turn out 9 1/2" but more like 9 1/4" inches.   I had issues with the seam allowances too :(
When I asked my friend, Pauline "which is worse blocks that are too big, or too small?"  her response was "Both"!   Too true.

In order for the lattice to line up properly I cut 9 1/4" squares of freezer paper to use as guides.
I pressed the blocks onto the freezer paper centering as best as I was able.   I trimmed some edges.
and here I'm scant.
So I used the edge of the FP to line up the lattice.  Did I lose some corners?....sadly yes.   I have to live with it.  I think there is a flaw in the templates/pattern but that's just me.  Nutmeg liked the crinkly paper.  Me?  Not so much.
I graded the seams to avoid shadowing.   I have missed this step in the past and was sorry.  With light backgrounds these shadows become very noticeable once the batting is added.
I picked a font called "Kremlin Advisor" perfect for my Chernobyl theme.  I tried many many sizes and finally settled on one that I like.
Wednesday was my boy, Andrew's Birthday.  We enjoyed a picnic at the beach.   It was a gift and a joy.
I'm off for my second vaccine this morning.   So Grateful!
Take Care.
xo