A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.
~Humphrey Bogart
Quilting
I pushed and finished the quilting, the signature, and the binding of the SF Giants baseball quilt. Hooray. I began thinking about it when the season began in April and now there are only six more games in the regular season. The Giants already have a spot in the post season but need five more to win the division.
My husband is thrilled to finally get his own baseball quilt and thinks it’s bringing the team good luck. No one is more superstitious than baseball fans.
The colors and the black and white fabrics make it very graphic and the variety of greens set off the skin colors of the various players. Plus, they add more interest. Most of my quilts have many more fabrics than this.
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| SF Giants baseball quilt |
Changing all the threads took more time - a couple of weeks more. And burying threads is one of my least favorite tasks, even with Sench self-threading needles. These have a side slit instead of a closed eye and they make it easier to make a single stitch such as thread-burying. They aren't for multiple stitches. Mel Beach introduced me to them. Read what she says here.
We have more favorite players than can be fielded so I didn't add their numbers. Lefties and righties are included...
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| Left and right-handed Giants baseball players |
along with players wearing knickers instead of long pants. Kaja informed me that word means underwear in the UK rather than America’s definition as “men’s pants that end at the knee and usually worn by boys.” Years ago I read an article about divergence of a common language in different regions. Here’s some evidence supporting the thesis.
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| Giants baseball players in long pants and knickers |
My last minute decision to add a catcher in his chest protector livened the quilt up some more. Can you see that he's throwing the ball?
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| SF Giants catcher |
Watching baseball is DH's idea of bliss... and mine, too. We've been fortunate to have seen many in person over the years. I enjoy watching on TV, too, because they replay events frequently and use multiple views. I don't, however, enjoy seeing players spit on TV. TMI with a high definition TV. Yuck.
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| Back of the SF Giants baseball quilt |
After making a long list of possible phrases for the back, I chose to modify the 7th inning song. The back has the alternate {leftover} diamonds from the front. I made some adjustments to match the length of the back to the front but still needed some additional fabric for the sides. Hence the grunge black. The diamonds don't match up point to point with the front and the thread changes are more visible here.
One of the ballplayers in knickers is visible underneath the capital T.
My only regret is that I wish I'd made one for me, too.
Quilt Specifics
Size: 71" x 71"
Design: Original
Batting: Hobbs Heirloom Premium Natural Cotton
Thread: Superior 50/3 green and white cotton thread, Gutermann orange cotton thread
Quilting: FMQ
Approximate yardage: 16.5yds
Previous posts:
Reading
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| A Quilter's Practical Guide to Color by Becky Goldsmith |
Becky Goldsmith's Quilter's Practical Guide to Color was available at the library. Somehow I'd missed it when it first came out. I admire her work and enjoyed learning about her ideas for using fabric. As the title says, it's practical but also enjoyable and readable.
Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate)
Two finishes this month and one is this lovely baseball quilt DH has been patiently waiting for several years. September = 24 yds. YTD = 124.375 yards.