Working with Strings

What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness. Enough to eat, enough to go around. The possibility that kids might one day grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed.

~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

Quilting

Leftovers from  the light green back of my Wheel quilt make the center string on these blocks. The other strings are the "dark" ones from my scrap bag. I used many of the paler ones on the baby word quilts. 

But the green and yellow string conflicts with the center...

 

So I took it out by sewing over that seam, cutting the offending string away, then reattaching the outer strings. Writing these steps makes it sound difficult but it was quite easy. There are no seams to match; it just needs sufficient seam allowance. 

Now there are some greens {but they are darker} and some strings with close values {but they are mostly blue.}

This is what I finished this week.The four center blocks are squares but the others are rectangular.  I have an idea from an online talk by Sarah Nishiura. 

Let's see how it goes.

Reading

I enjoyed Motherland so much that I looked for Leah's first book, America for Beginners. We meet Pival in Kolkata shortly after the death of her husband. She booked a sightseeing trip to America with a touring agency pretending to be run by Indians but actually owned by a Bangladeshi. And Pival doesn't want to sightsee. She's traveling to find her son, Rahi, who may or may not be dead.  Leah looks at family, immigration, and prejudice as each character chases their own American Dream.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Scrappy Trip Finished

Too often the people complain they have done nothing with their lives 

and then they wait for somebody to tell them that isn't so.

~Charles Bukowski

Quilting

This was a quick baby quilt and is still pretty. I enjoy using all my sister's scraps {and a few of my own.} So many nice fabrics. It's always fun to find new ways to combine the colors.

Scrappy Trip Around the World baby quilt

With sixteen blocks, the quilt finishes a bit larger than a baby quilt so it will be ready for an older sibling who didn't get a quilt originally. We want these little children to feel included and important when the new baby arrives. 

No large pieces for the back. It's simply some green remnants. I planned to simply cobble them together but then got the brilliant idea of piecing narrow strips of dark brown between them. So much better than the first layout. I'll remember this idea and use it again. 

Quilt back of green blocks outlined with dark brown

It's too hot to spend much time quilting so this is simply a grid with the walking foot. The binding came from my binding remnants and the excess after trimming the back. 

Scrappy Trip Around the World folded

Here are the details.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 48" x 48"

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: 7.5 yds

The SF Giants baseball quilt is pin basted and quilting has started. When there is narrow sashing I prefer to start with that and get it straight. Wobbles are definitely emphasized here so it's easier to handle when it goes first.  Is it visible in the photo that the stitching goes up and down on the white stripes? 

The ball players are on fields of green and I'm stipple quilting those now. 

A few pieces, such as the cap and shoes, are so small I'm undecided how to secure those. They could be quilted across them or along the seams. 

Then the ballplayers and the borders will need to be finished. My nose will be stuck to the grindstone even though it's still hot outside.

Reading

Leah Franqui's Mother Land is one of the best novels I've read in a while. Rachel marries Dhruv in NYC then they quickly move to Mumbai for a three-year assignment. Within a few weeks, her mother-in-law, Swati, arrives saying she's left her husband and moves in with no plan to leave. Next, Dhruv is sent to his home town, Kolkata, for a month leaving Swati and Rachel to work things out.

The book is written from the alternating points of view of the two women. Each of them thinks about the same events but from different sides. And eventually, they begin to understand each other.  

Nann at With Strings Attached recommended this book in an email to me. We seem to have some similar reading habits and I always note what she's suggests on her blog.

We moved all the lighter weight pots and doodads into the garage to keep them from blowing around. A quick trip to the store for final supplies just beat the first rain bands. Now we are hunkered down waiting for TS Nicholas to pass. This will be a nice evening to watch the Giants. If they win tonight, they ensure a place in the playoffs. Good luck, guys!

Post Script: I took the Scrappy Trip quilt to my son's house intending it to be a gift to an {unspecified} toddler friend but once G3 saw it, she reminded me green and blue are her favorite colors. Could she please have it? So it did go to a toddler and our family  acquired another funny story.

Enjoy the day, Ann