Tuesday, June 1, 2021

The Last Blue Squares

I will continue to entertain the hope that there has emerged a cadre of leaders in my own country and region, on my continent and in the world, which will not allow that any should be denied their freedom as we were; that any should be turned into refugees as we were; that any should be condemned to go hungry as we were; that any should be stripped of their human dignity as we were.
~Nelson Mandela

Quilting


Of course, once I started cutting these scraps of blue and green and lavender, there were many more than expected. I thought about using them as part of a larger quilt since they would make a good border or a round of a medallion. But what is needed around here are baby quilts and lap quilts. So here's another Cross quilt. {I did have to dig around for five more background squares to fill out this quilt but that's all to the good since the point is to use them up.}

Cross quilt 3

This time I pulled a delightful yard of bees sparsely printed on chartreuse. It reminds me of Napoleon. A yard is never enough to create a back so I added the remnants of an octagonal print used here {Hey, it was in the scrap bag} and some odds and ends for a center post. And look. It's an improvised reprise of the Cross blocks on the front.

Cross quilt 3 back

The blue flowers were a wonderful back for the previous quilts but this one is just as charming to me.

Cross quilt 3 folded

And wouldn't you know, it's already in the mail. They never stay around long.

Quilt Specifics
Size: 42" x 42"
Design: Plus block
Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton
Thread: Gutermann blue cotton thread
Quilting: SID with walking foot 
Approximate yardage: 3.75 yds 

Previous posts:


Gardening

Lots of rain recently but we had a four-day break so I've been busy in the backyard weeding. Many of the original plants are Texas area natives but this one is aggressively taking over the borders. It's taken several days but I've taken out all but two small clumps... and my eye is on those.

I've forgotten what is is - dayflower or spiderwort. The blue flowers bloom one day only and close in the afternoon heat. Then it puts on another kudzu-like growth spurt.
 


Reading

When books aren't available online at my library, they suggest others. That's how the Scumble River series by Denise Swanson came to my attention. Murder of a Small-Town Honey begins with Skye Denison's return to her small Illinois hometown as a school psychologist. She was fired from her previous job for insubordination or refusing to ignore her standards, take your pick. Then a relative dies in suspicious circumstances and her brother is implicated. I'm looking forward to folding this series into with the others I'm following.

Enjoy the day, Ann

28 comments:

patty a. said...

Another cute quilt! I like the back and how is reflects the blocks. Gone already? You just can't make them fast enough!

Julierose said...

Love how this cross quilt looks--great colors...and that backing is just right...nice work...Thanks for the book tip..will check it out...
hugs, Julierose

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

That looks like my Spiderwort only mine have fuchsia color flowers. It's a hard one to get rid of.

Linda said...

What a great baby quilt. Love those pops of bright pink, they really bring the quilt to life.

Robin said...

You are so prolific when it comes to baby quilts. It must feel so good to sew something together, finish it up quickly, and then spread cheer by giving it away. Fun little quilt.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I'm rethinking my comment and think that is a weed that grows in my back garden and keeps sending off shoots in every directions. I have a friend who loves it....I pull it out.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Another pretty quilt, I'm sure it will be used & loved to the max!

Kaja said...

I don't know why I find this block so appealing as a baby quilt, but it definitely floats my boat. The back could just as easily be a front - it has real charm.

LA Paylor said...

oh, the heroine could be me... great at what I did but slightly irritating to bosses. Love the quilt, your garden is pretty

Cathy said...

I really like your Cross Quilt series. I may have to try that with some bigger scrap squares. Can't believe you already have it sent off. I drag my feet when it comes to getting things packaged up and mailed.

That's probably Dayflower. That is a very fast growing and invasive weed here. If I let it go it grows up and covers everything in its path. My Spiderwort grows in clumps and is not invasive in my garden. I have both white and blue varieties.

I just finished a series of four fictional books that follows Irish Immigrant children who were orphans sent out on the orphan trains. They weren't great books but I do know a distant ancestor adopted a NY orphan who came to Iowa on the orphan train so I found some of the books interesting in that regard. Now I've moved on to Robert Dugoni's series about homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite. I do most of my reading in the middle of the night when I can't sleep and most of my books come from the Kindle Unlimited book lists.

Ann said...

I thought that would be a good way to relate the back and front. These colors work better than I thought.

Ann said...

It's an easy block to make and a good way to use up some of my leftovers.

Ann said...

I'm not sure what it is yet but don't like the way it tried to choke out all the other plants. Now I have it limited to two small clumps and will try to keep it back. If not, it's gone.

Ann said...

Thanks, Linda. It seemed to need more than blue and green. I was delighted to find these bits of lavender/pink to fit in.

Ann said...

Thanks for writing, Robin. Sometimes I wish these were fancier quilts but then people probably wouldn't use them as much. Better to wear them out with love.

Ann said...

Thanks, Linda. I like making them although they are pretty quick and easy.

Ann said...

It's just a simple design for a baby quilt I hope the family with use to pieces. It's certainly an easy way to keep my scraps moving along.

Ann said...

I think many of us irritated our bosses at times. I like making these simple quilts because they are so useful to others and keep my scraps moving along.

Ann said...

I know what you mean, Cathy. I don't often have six inch squares to start with but went through my stash and pulled lots of small bits {less than a fat quarter.} DH is a help getting the quilts in the mail.
Thanks for the tip. The plant looks a bit like dayflower to me, too, but only has two petals. After the freeze here, it came back first and climbed over everything. If I hadn't gotten it now, many others would have died off. I'm going to keep an eye on the two little clumps left. If they don't behave, I'll pull them out. We have a tiny garden area.

The Joyful Quilter said...

What a great finish!! I'm a big fan of scrappy looking quilts. LOVE this one!

Ann said...

Thanks. Me, too.

Julie said...

Such a petty colour palette in your cross quilt.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Hi Ann, that cross quilt is a beauty. Backing is perfect, imo. Isn't it great to be gardening...raining here the last two days and everything has sprouted it seems including lots of weeds. My job this weekend!

Ann said...

Thanks, Julie.

Ann said...

Thank you, Jocelyn. We need the rain but it also encourages the weeds. It’s starting again but I may have some time between showers.

audrey said...

Your baby quilt is very cheerful with the pops of pink and red! Love the scrappy vibe a lot! And the backing is a wonderful improv. solution to making what you have available work.:)

cspoonquilt said...

Great finish and I like the improvised back to complement the front! A really nice pattern for a baby quilt, so much variety!

Mystic Quilter said...

It goes without saying that I love Crosses quilt number three and what a neat pieced backing.