Circling

I've been cleaning up my space after the making of Cobwebs and started cutting out what will be my "portable" project for the summer.  I will be taking Miss Main Street on a college visit roadtrip and anticipate a fair amount of down time out of the reach of my sewing machine.  That calls for a portable, hand-work project. 

Last fall, I got this magazine, Sew Scrappy, a special edition from American Patchwork & Quilting.  It holds several projects I want to make.

First up is this one, called Lots of Dots in the magazine.  I've never worked with wool or done hand buttonhole stitch, but no matter; I'm game for something new. 

I bought a bunch of small pieces of wool at a vendor's booth at a quilt show (Attic Heirlooms in Maine) and augmented with more wool from an Etsy seller (Quilting Acres).

I have the circles cut out, and I bought a piece of black wool for the background.  On Saturday, I'll swing by Michaels for the embroidery floss and I'll be ready to go. 

Going, Going...Sold!

Rermember this quilt?

The school fundraising auction was this past Saturday night.  Mr. Main Street and I attended and had a great time.  I found out my quilt, part of the silent auction, sold for $400. I think that's pretty good and am already thinking about what else I can do in blue and gold for next year.

Halloween on Main Street

We'll be ready on Main Street when Halloween comes 'round.  My spiderweb project is a finished flimsy and I'm calling it Cobwebs. 

I used the white on black spiderweb print for the borders, as so many readers advised, and I think it was a good choice as it sets off the bright colors in the blocks so well.  I'm still not sure about the binding:  black, dark gray, orange? - but I can decide after it is quilted. 

If you are interested in making something similar, the tutorial I used for the spiderweb blocks is on the Quilt It blog.  Be careful how you handle the finished spiderweb blocks.  You end up with a lot of bias edges on the outer edges of the blocks and they can easily become distorted. 

Bermuda Breeze - Finished At Last

Finished at last, and named Bermuda Breeze, for one of my favorite vacation spots.  I find the color combination in this quilt so uplifting, it makes me feel happy just to look at it. I need to work more often with a bright color palette.  

I left the top with long-arm quilter Karen Thompson before I went to Paris and picked it up when I returned, but didn't finish the binding until yesterday.  The finished size is 62" by 86" which is about right for a twin bed.  If Miss Main Street plays her cards right, I might let her take this one to college for her dorm room.  In the photo above, she is standing on a stool and trying to stretch out both arms but she is petite and her wingspan is not quite wide enough. 

I collected turquoise and aqua fabrics for several years, with only a vague plan in mind.  When I saw the Picnic Roll-up pattern from Thimbleblossoms, I thought it was just what I had in mind - modern, clean, fresh, just what these "watery" fabrics called for.  However, on closer examination I realized the pattern was designed to make efficient use of jelly roll strips and strip piecing, while I would be using fat quarters augmented with some scraps.  So I changed the construction technique while maintaining the overall look of the block.  It worked out well for me and I would make this again with a different combination of fabric. 

I've been focusing this week on finishing up some odds and ends so I can start a new project that really excites me.  More about that when I really start.  Have a fun-filled and relaxing weekend. 

Unanimous

Everyone who commented on my last post agreed:  use the black for the borders.  Thank you so much for taking the time to give me your opinion.  I was thinking I should go with the black but it is so reassuring to have my thoughts confirmed. 

But I'll be getting to that later this week.  No quilting for me this past weekend.  First, I went to see Jane Eyre, the new version.  It is very good, with quite a gothic look to it.

Second, I've been giving my sewing room a good spring clean.  I did a little weeding and culling as I straightened and now have a few items listed on eBay, mostly quilting books.  I've also listed my collection of Where Women Create and Studios magazines and will be listing some Fig Tree Fresh Vintage issues later.  if you are interested, you can find my listings here.

Decisions, Decisions

I finished all the spiderweb blocks and sewed them together - slowly, a little bit every night this week.

Originally, I was not planning on borders, just a black binding (after quilting, of course, but it's not quilted yet).  But I started wondering what a border would do.

The border can't be very wide because I'm making this to hang in my kitchen quilt spot where the maximum width is 40 inches.  The top is already 34.5" without any borders, giving me a maxium border width of just under 3 inches per side.

But what about this black-on-orange cobweb print?

Or, this white-on-black cobweb print?  Decisions, decisions.

I'm kind of leaning towards the black, but what do you think?  And what about the binding?

Seven Ways To Name Your Quilt

When you label your completed quilts, do you give them names?  I do.  Here are seven ways I come up with an original name for each quilt.

1.  Does the quilt remind you of a favorite food?  I have several quilts that I've named for different foods, and someday I must make a chocolate quilt.  I named this quilt Watermelon because that's what the color combination reminded me of.

Watermelon

2.  Does the quilt remind you of a place?  I designed Aquarium to evoke the look of the giant tanks at the Baltimore Aquarium, one of my daughter's favorite places to visit when she was little.  Cider Mill got its name because the color combination reminded me of a cider mill my family used to visit in the fall when I was a child. 

Aquarium

Cider Mill



3.  Name the quilt after the pattern designer.  I named Blooms in the Snow after the designer, Bloom and Blossom.  Well, her real name is Roslyn, but I know her by her blog name.  She called the design Sweet Menagerie when it appeared on Moda Bakeshop but I gave it the name Blooms in the Snow in tribute to the designer (Bloom) and the winter-themed fabric jelly roll (Glace by 3 Sisters for Moda) I used for my version.

Blooms in the Snow

4.  Give the quilt the same name as the pattern you are using.  I made this quilt using a pattern called Shasta Daisy and could not come up with a better name myself.  So, Shasta Daisy it is. 

Shasta Daisy

5.  Make an indirect reference to the pattern or fabric collection you are using.  I used a pattern called Ginger Belle and a French countryside inspired fabric collection called Rural Jardin... 

...to make this quilt (still just a flimsy).  I think it would be appropriate to use a French phrase for this one and  Thelma suggested I use the word Belle in the name.  I like that idea so have been trying to come up with a French phrase that includes Belle.  L'Etoile Belle is a possibility but I'm still brainstorming this one.

The quilt to be named at a later date

6.  Sometimes the fabric used suggests a name.    My mother brought back some fabric from a trip to Amsterdam so the quilt I made from it is called Dutch Treat.  The quilt below used a panel of small floral bouquets for the squares in the center of each block, hence the name, Tussie Mussie.

Tussie Mussie

7.  Don't rule out random inspiration.  Occasionally, a name just comes to me.  Someday, I'm going to make a quilt totally from stash and call it Inventory Control.