Tuesday, August 24, 2021

A Finished Scrappy Baby Quilt

We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble and write our blessings in sand.
~Charles Spurgeon

 Quilting

It took a while but I figured out which squares needed replacement. They weren’t the diamond shapes on the bottom row. Instead they were darks in two X blocks -  six black background fabrics on the left middle block and some reds in the lower middle block. They were easier to locate when seen in the blog post icon. The work wasn't nearly as difficult as feared. Most was finished during the evening news and now it looks much better. Not perfect. The quilt still retains its scrappy feel. 

I wanted the main diagonals to read as the darkest part of the quilt. {A medium-dark "pretty" color might be nicer but with so many brown/black/ dark green squares in the bin, this is how it came out.} Still, the rest of the colors are lighter now and set off by those strong boundaries.

Scrappy Trip Around the World baby quilt

The back is a single piece from my stash. Every once in a while there's enough for an entire back around here. The yellow and green stripe binding was in the leftover binding bin. How nice to use up so many different bits and bobs. It's always fun to find another way to organize our colors, isn't it? 


Now that I'm in Texas it's easier to find Hobbs batting and I chose their natural cotton. It's extremely thin and shrinks after washing. That's the look I prefer and the best weight for tropical climates. 

Quilt Specifics
Size: 42" x 42"
Design: Scrappy Trip Around the World
Batting: Hobbs Heirloom Premium Natural Cotton
Thread: Superior 50/3 green cotton thread
Quilting: walking foot grid
Approximate yardage: 6 yds

Again, it's perfectly symmetrical. I need to focus on some asymmetry soon. But for now, this one is off to a new baby. 

Previous posts:

Reading

The Narrowboat Summer
by Anne Youngson

On Nann's recommendation I read Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson. Eve and Sally meet on a canal path and try to aid Anastasia's dog. He doesn't need help but she does. Somehow they agree to take her boat to Chester for repairs while Anastasia waits for an operation in London. Along the way they meet several of her friends and have time to consider their lives. What will they do at the end of the summer?

Enjoy the day, Ann

28 comments:

Pamela said...

This is perfect! A very sweet little quilt.

Julierose said...

Lovely finish on this baby quilt...
hugs, Julierose

patty a. said...

Such a wonderful scrappy quilt! Off to a new baby already? That was fast. I am sure you will have another underway soon. I haven't had any calls for baby quilts for quite a while. I gave away 6 at my neighbor's birthday party, but I still have a decent stash.

Nann said...

I've toggled back and forth to see the difference -- yes, the rebalancing works! And you used up some left over pieces, too. Glad you enjoyed the book.

bumblebee53 said...

Your changes are subtle; I had to really look to see what you did, but I see how it improved the overall effect of what you wanted. Beautiful little quilt.

Judy Cloe said...

I read and enjoyed the book The Narrowboat Summer. However, I really liked her first book, Meet Me at the Museum even more so. My book club read and discussed that one and all enjoyed it.

Preeti said...

You are in Texas???? Oh no, what happened?
The quilt is perfect :-)

Ann said...

Thanks, Pamela. The little blog post icons reminded me of Vermeer’s camera obscura. It helped pinpoint where to make changes.

Ann said...

Thank you, Julierose.

Ann said...

I have delusions of building a small stack but someone always needs it immediately. Someday the stack may appear and I’ll be sad then to realize this era is over.

Ann said...

Perhaps I should have put the two photos side by side but the tiny icons are what led me to the changes.
I pay attention to your recommendations. We have similar tastes in much of our reading.

Ann said...

Thank you. It didn’t take many squares to make a big enough change for me. Funny.

Ann said...

I will have to look that one up. I wasn’t sure I’d like this book but found it very entertaining.

Ann said...

We are from Texas originally and always planned to return before retirement. Things are very different here now but more family is close.
Thanks!

Quiltdivajulie said...

That book is on my Kindle waiting for me to read it -- fingers crossed that I like it. And thanks to Judy for the shout out for her other book.

Linda said...

I love your Scrappy Trip around the world. The darker fabric boundaries are perfect and show off the design so well.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

A delightfully scrappy result, so glad the changes weren't too involved!

Ann said...

I hope you like it. I have her first book on hold.

Ann said...

Thanks, Linda. This is my own variation of the Scrappy Trip that I called Scrappy Trip Around the Block because it's made with two blocks. Instructions are on an older post if you search.

Ann said...

Thanks, Linda. Looking at the quilt confused me but the little icon snaps led me to easy changes.

audrey said...

Such a subtle fix with the colors, but it does work very well! Kudos to you for going the extra mile and changing things around. Lovely to find a backing fabric that fits just right.:)

Cathy said...

Oh what a lovely version of a Scrappy TATW! You make the most elegant baby quilts.

QuiltGranma said...

I really like the Scrappy Trips quilts. This will be a loved little quilt by some small body!

Ann said...

That’s what we do, isn’t it! Fiddle with fabrics until it works. The worst part is always unsewing but that happens sometimes.
And it’s so steady to have an single piece for the back. Doesn’t happen often around here.

Ann said...

You are so kind, Cathy. Most of them just use my leftovers and little bits. We’re alwYs trying to move those along.

Ann said...

Thank you. I always want some child to love it to pieces.

Mystic Quilter said...

A perfect fix!! The quilt is a treasure of a Scrappy Trip Around The World, I love it.

Ann said...

Thanks, Maureen. You are so kind. I hope you all are staying safe in NZ.