February's Lovely Finish - A Kitten's Work is Never Done

When my computer was first down and then in the shop and the prognosis was unsure, I linked a photo from Flickr to the Lovely Finishes February party but wasn't able to blog about it. When I was working on the quilt, I imagined a photo on this weathered coyote fence in my neighborhood. The reality, a photo taken on a snowy gray day, didn't quite match my vision.

Here's a better look at the quilt itself in a photo taken inside ... it goes without saying (I hope) that the quilt really isn't as wonky and wavy as it appears here.

The quilt is approximately 54-inches square.

The Kitty Homemaker redwork patterns are from Nancy Martin's book, Kitties to Stitch & Quilt: 15 Redwork Designs, that was gifted to me just after I moved to Michigan to be close to my dad when he was ill in 2001. The gift was much appreciated as it gave me something to do while I sat with him in the hospital, during transfusions.

Here are detail photos of each of the two types of blocks in this quilt:

Doing things in a new way (while my computer was in the shop) was interesting.  Using a combination of digital camera and iPad looked like it was going to work and, in fact, the WordPress app  DID work and I was able to share this quilt (with January's Lotto Block pattern used for the double 9-patch blocks) on Blocklotto.com but ... BlogPress or otherwise posting here?  Not so much.

UPDATE

I have mentioned in the in-progress posts about this quilt that it was a nice bit of serendipity that when I pulled out the fabrics put aside for this golden oldie UFO, that the happened to be Pantone's color of the year, marsala.   It was good food-for-thought to think about how color trends repeat, change and morph. 

I'm updating this blogpost to join the 2015 Pantone Quilt Challenge. 

February Goal - Redwork and Marsala

I shared this old UFO yesterday ... today, in spite of a major oopsy, I am designating it as my goal for a lovely finish in February.


Along with the 12 redwork squares and fabrics I shared yesterday, I now also have 115 small three-inch 9-patch blocks--33 of which were made with a reversed placement of lights and darks (the oopsy mentioned above) ... this may lead me to make a larger quilt or an interesting pieced back or a second project.

As I was cutting and sewing yesterday, I realized that the dull reds in this fabric line are Pantone's color of the year: Marsala ... I guess everything old does come back in style again.

There was some confusion in my post yesterday. I didn't mean that this project was a contender for the fundraiser wall quilt for the retreat, in competition with those bright log cabins.


These redwork stitches were made as I passed time with my father during transfusions and hospital stays during the last year of his life. Often, the fabrics were cut and patterns transferred in a rush and some are a bit off-center as a result.  They contain a lot of reminders of the emotional roller-coaster we rode during that period of time. They are bittersweet reminders. They have made me too sad for me for a long time, but now I feel ready to turn them into a beautiful reminder of that time spent with my dad.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

February Finishes and Failures

In February, some quilting happened ... but I made ZERO progress on a couple projects that were goals for this month.  With my 20-20 hindsight, I can see that perhaps my recent obsession with espresso machines was one way to avoid those projects ... hmm.

I DID make scrappy pink blocks for four ongoing rainbow scraps projects.

Pink scraps also found their way into two new projects.


I made a basket of string-pieced heart pins and sent them to dozen quilters to thank them for their support of the Block Lotto site.

Then I used the left-over bits of string fabric to make liberated star blocks for a future to-be-determined project.

I am joining the February NewFO Challenge linky party with these two new projects.

I spent a lot of time watching the Olympics coverage on TV in February, which allowed me to finish up the stitching for a pair of large Redwork pillow covers.

I also made a whole lot of Bead-on-a-String blocks: for the lotto and for two Mod-Mod quilts.

BUT ... because I failed to put a single stitch into my designated goal for a Lovely Finish, nor get much beyond creating a pattern for the Tea Towel Challenge, I am feeling pretty pathetic on this last day of the month ...

Can I blame my failures on a retrograde Mercury?  It seems as soon as Mercury started moving forward again, I had an idea for something completely different for my Tea Towel challenge quilt–I am still hopeful I will be able to make that happen.

Or maybe my optimism for March is fueled by a return to my routine and a first-thing-in-the-morning coffee?  As it turns out, after serving up the best cappuccino that I've ever made, the Goodwill bargain refused to make another.  After spending too much time trying to make it work and talking with the manufacturer (who offered to service it for $400), back to Goodwill it went.  the experience helped me decide on a replacement, which I did find locally. I'm not sure how a single cup of coffee in the morning can make things feel more ordered and normal around here, but it has.  I am ready to march on to March.

In Other News ... Redwork completed

I finished stitching my redwork project Wednesday evening. Here are both pieces–complete with wrinkles and cat hair.

Each redwork design fills an area that is approximately 19-inches square. At some time in the future, I will add borders and quilting and turn them into a pair of 24-inch pillow covers.  

While I think about what those borders and quilting design will be, I'm starting another bit of stitchery ... as part of what I'm adding to the Cotton Robin center I received.  It will see me through another night of Olympics-watching, then maybe I'll start hand-quilting the project I thought was going to be my Olympian project ;-) 

Redwork–More of the Same

My handwork basket looks much the same as it did when I shared a photo of it three weeks ago ... with one small difference–the first piece, rolled up in one side of the basket is finished and work has begun on the second piece.

The flowers, buds and leaves on Good Night are different, which adds a little interest as I learn the new shapes and figure out how to neatly stitch them.

I took a break from the redwork to stuff and stitch and add a bit of embroidery to the string hearts ... now I am pushing myself a little to keep picking this up and working on it in the evenings until it's done.

I have quite a ways to go. Slow Stitch Sundays are always a good day for me to make progress.

I don't know how long I thought it would take to stitch these ... but I didn't think I'd still be working on them almost a month later. 

I'm Counting Down

Thanks to Olympics TV watching, I'm getting close to finishing the first of two redwork pieces that will become pillow covers.  I have begun counting the elements that are left: I have four flowers, two buds, two tendrils, a leaf and Morning left to stitch before I move onto Good Night.

It's unlikely I'll finish today/tonight during Slow Stitching Sunday, but I will be working on it and I think I might finish sometime this week. The redwork is designed to fit in an 18 inch square. I will add a pieced border to make a 24 inch square pillow cover.

I planned to leave the text for last, but couldn't resist stitching that crazy-looking G earlier this week.

I'm sure it's based on a very old style font ... can anyone identify it?

I may take a break from the redwork,   More hand stitching will be required as part of my plan for the string foundations I made yesterday. The string rectangles were made from some of the small pink scraps that were left over after making the blocks I posted yesterday.

Each of the four rectangles measures 4 by 12 inches.

I'll share more about the string project later this week. They are intended for a small gift.

Updated Monday morning to share that my design wall still looks like this EXCEPT ... I got a little obsessed yesterday and finished the redwork for Good Morning. It might take an Olympian effort to start and finish the second piece before the closing ceremony of the Olympics, but I am going to try.

Most of the images on my blog posts are posted on Flickr ... and lately, Flickr is having problems.  If you get the "Bad, bad panda" or other error message, refreshing the page usually fixes the problem.

A RED Letter Day

The color of the day is RED at Sophie Junction.  Later today, I'll be adding red binding to the Silly Strings quilt.

I thought this 30-inch square quilt was a good candidate to try quilting in a giant spiral. I used free-motion quilting in the center (which is placed off center, over one of the cream squares) and then switched to the walking foot to quilt round and round and round from there.

It's not perfect. I will probably try it again and use what I learned from the experience. One thing that I didn't expect was that this style of quilting would turn my perfectly flat, square quilt top into a quilt with waving sides ... so I decided to wash it and let it dry flat to regain it's shape.  I'm waiting for it to completely dry now.

For my Slow Stitch Sunday later today, I probably won't be watching the Super Bowl, but I will be stitching along with Downton Abbey and whatever else I find on TV.

After the little quilt is dry and off the big work table, I will be layering and basting my red and white sampler quilt–one of my Finish-Along goals.

After the binding is stitched down on the quilt, it will be back to redwork for me.

Speaking of redwork, anyone know how to teach autocorrect new words?  Redwork is not rework, nor red wok ... and no matter how many times I type it and refuse to allow it to be auto-corrected ... the battle continues.

(Very) Slow Stitch Sunday

Last Sunday evening, I started a little redwork project.

I have picked it up a few times this week while watching TV ... but it really is going more slowly than I imagined.

Maybe it's a good thing–I'll have something waiting for me to pick up and stitch for a while ... and this is the first of two pieces.

The second one waits quietly, rolled up in the basket, and reminds me that I have a long way to go with this particular piece of stitching.

That's what I'll be slow stitching later tonight as I watch TV ... and  maybe through the Olympics. Click over to Kathy's blog to see what others are working on today for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Words on Quilts

I love words on quilts and, apparently, so does Joanna Rose, as there were many quilts with words as well as signature quilts from her collection in Infinite Variety.

Many people stood looking up at this quilt for a while, puzzling out it's meaning ... happily satisfied when they saw the names, pieced from small hexagons inside the larger ones.

Here are a couple more of my photos of a couple of the word quilts and signature quilts from the show (as usual, click for a larger image)

On the redwork quilt on the left, names are embroidered on the embroidered blades of a fan–just like one you might have had as a child (I did).

On the detail photo of the "signed" schoolhouse quilt below right, it was interesting to see how some blocks only had a few names and others, like you can see, were covered with names on both the red and white areas of the block.

 

I think all the young, modern quilters must have especially loved all the "hexie" quilts in the collection.  The quilt below was constructed completely from itty bitty hexagons, even the big white background areas.

 

(last photo from the iPhone app, because I had to include it ;-)

What's catching your eye?

Lately, stitch designs seem to be catching my eye and capturing my imagination.  How about you?

I bought a red work pattern for some pillow shams at the quilt show over the weekend ... and I just fell in love with Lulu--the first of a block of the month on the blog La Cousette de Ninette.

Adorable, n'est pas?

Work a Square in Red

Participants of Kirsty's Quilt Project were asked to work a square in red. The result was a modern twist on traditional redwork.

After hours of handwork by each of the participants the squares were posted to Melbourne where they were photographed & assembled into a temporary quilt.

Displayed for one night the quilt squares are now being returned to their creators or swapped.

It's hard to pick a favorite block from this collective creative, but here are a couple of mine.






Go check out the entire virtual quilt on The Quilt Project blog here. Click the individual squares for larger images and information about the makers . . . and, in some cases, links to the patterns. The Quilt Project was initiated in Melbourne by Kirsty from kootoyoo.

. . . and while I have your attention . . . I have an interview later this week with a company at the top of my dream list. If you are so inclined, all prayers, good vibes and crossed fingers would be much appreciated.