Quilt "Rasslin"

Friday already?  I have spent almost every afternoon this week working on the old quilt top made by my SIL's grandmother.  Lots of construction issues here.  As I quilt, I am also trying to flatten out the puckers and gathers

points that don't match, and seams that are coming apart.  So, as I sew, I am trying to hold the star points together.  And mash down the big 'old puckers.

So far, it is working!

For a project like this, a puffy batting really helps take up some of the fullness.  I am using Quilters Dream Puff.  Normally, I use a flatter batt that is mostly cotton.  But, I love this batting and the sculpted look of the quilting.

 In addition to the puffy batting, it takes a LOT of quilting to flatten down the fabric.  Preferably, curvy, informal quilting.  I have feathers, but they only work because of all the tiny filler patterns in the surrounding areas.  Pin the heck out of the surrounding area, mash down with one hand, hit the gas and quilt the H**L out of it!

There are two giant squares like the one above, a lot of small squares, some rectangular areas in the borders, and some triangles in white.  I am using the same stencil for all, but just changing the size of the feathers or choosing a section of the circle to fit.

And, I am not even halfway finished yet!  Today it will be stars again.  See that big puffy star point sticking up?  Time to teach it a lesson!

To keep myself sane, I have been painting some journal page backgrounds which I'll show you soon.

Did you all watch Project Runway last night?  I think that was the best show ever as far as drama.  I watch it the morning after, since DH can't tolerate the whole concept.  I was crossing my fingers that Gretchen would be "aufed" since she was one of the last two on the runway, and obviously took responsibility for the losing team's whole concept.  After I watch the video, I like to visit the Project  Rungay blog and read all the comments.  Almost as entertaining as the shows themselves, and sometimes more so!

Wednesday Work in Progress

  

It has been a long time since I've posted a Wednesday Work-in-Progress.  Maybe because I have not been working on very many personal quilts this year.  I've decided to work on some of my own projects for at least a part of every day. 

Here are some squares and rectangles on the design wall.  Some are sewn together, others just being auditioned for the right placement. 

I also began preparations for the second blazing stars antique quilt top that I promised to complete for my sister-in-law.  Here is the first one, which turned out very pretty after it was quilted. Lots and lots of feather circles, micro-stippling, and "line dancing" within each diamond.

Before you can begin to quilt one of these 1970's quilt tops made by my brother's wife's grandmother, there is a lot of work to do.  The two quilts with the blazing stars were sewn partly by hand and partly by machine.  The seams are coming undone, are twisted all around

and there are unbelievable thread tails and tangles.

In addition to that mess, I had to add three-inch strips of white muslin around each border, to even up the sides and keep the points from being chopped off when I squared the finished quilt.

So, while I watched the rain and lightning from my third-floor sewing room window today, I ironed and trimmed and stitched and listened to an audio book.

Now the quilt backing is draped over my Gammill rollers, misted and under the ceiling fan, which I hope will remove all the wrinkles so I won't have to iron it before mounting the quilt sandwich.

Buried Treasure

Yesterday was my reunion with my good friend, Marcia, who was back in Raleigh for a few days. The weather has turned rainy here, but our leaves are still pretty. All these trees are near the State Employee Credit Union on Wake Forest Road.

Marcia had her mother's fabric stash, minus a car load that another quilter drove away with in Greensboro to donate to their guild charity. What was left were five or six of those plastic boxes that fit under the bed, all full of fabric. And a few baskets and tote bags...Marcia's mother was an excellent hand quilter who can no longer sew due to medical problems.

The main goal was to find the fabric that they bought in Paris and other places in Europe, so I could make a quilt for Marcia's daughter who is living in the Netherlands. These look like the colors and prints of Provence...

It looks like there is about eight yards of this paisley, which could make most of the back, although I took a lot of coordinated pale yellows to piece into a back if needed.Marcia gave me some things I was interested in...like this lovely selection of velvets, grosgrain, and a shiny lining fabric in red, blue, and green. And this lovely piece of lace.

My guess is that these were intended to become Christmas stockings. And here is a rabbit fur stole (feels like the real thing) with one section cut out that definitely was used for a stocking top!
Marcia found a beautiful embroidered linen tablecloth that she did not know existed, and pulled that out to take home. But here is the treasure of the day...
which she also did not know existed!

It is a beautifully pieced, completed Around the World quilt top, in lovely shades of rose, brown, and blue. Tiny, perfect little squares!

I have this home with me to quilt and finish for her. No deadline. :)

That is good, because I have several customer quilts waiting for me and projects galore to complete. And look what just arrived at my local library branch with my name on it:

It is the latest in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone, by Diana Gabaldon. I was number 252 on the waiting list, and it arrived right when I am so busy! I am longing to get into it...all 832 pages! This is the seventh novel about a time-traveling British nurse who is transported into the 18th century when she visits a Celtic stone circle on the eve of an equinox. The love story of Claire and Jamie, a highland Scot, and their journeys through historic places and events is fascinating. In previous novels they have moved from Scotland to America, and end up in the mountains of North Carolina---which sounds like the general area where our cabin is located! If you read these, start with the first, Outlander, and read them in order. They are long, but well worth the effort. I might have to request the audio version of the latest if I can't get it read.

Our library branch in Wake Forest is barely adequate, but it is part of the larger Wake County library. You can go on the Internet and request the books or audiobooks you want, and they will send them to be picked up at your local branch when they are available. Listening to great novels while sewing is a way to double my pleasure! The latest book I "read" while sewing was Shannon, by Frank Delaney, about an Irish-American priest who is shell-shocked upon his return from battle in France during World War I. He is sent to Ireland to "trace his roots," and recover from his post-traumatic stress, a disorder that no one knew how to treat back then. His adventures through Ireland, the wonderful and odd cast of people he meets who help him, the corruption of the Catholic church in Boston, civil war in Ireland...all make this story memorable. I just checked out another Delaney novel, Tipperary, because I loved this one so much.

That's all...I have projects calling my name!

The Power of Blog

I received a wonderful surprise a few days ago from a quilter in Greensboro, NC, who enjoyed reading my blog. Apparently, she is in charge of programs for her quilt guild, and invited me to do a program and trunk show next year! I am so excited about this opportunity. Thanks to my sister Katy who referred her friend Barbara to my blog and Webshots sites.

Yesterday, I started work on the second of the quilt tops that my sister-in-law inherited from her late grandmother. As was the case with the basket quilt, there were probably very good reasons why the top was abandoned before quilting. This one has fabrics that appear to be cut from sheets, kitchen curtains, nightgowns and ??? The very colorful blocks are hand-pieced in a pattern with diamond stars, which are then machine-stitched to a light green (faded?) sashing material. I spent several hours trimming threads, pressing and turning seam allowances, and ironing. This quilt is not going to win any awards, but hopefully will be a cherished memory of a loved one. How much nicer it will be to have this quilt to snuggle with or display, rather than keep it in a plastic bag in the attic. Kudos to Debbie for getting these made into finished quilts. So, here we go to make a 40-year old UFO (Un-Finished Object) into something to be loved. I will try to make it as pretty as I can.

Wish me luck!