Melon Patch Baby Quilt Finished

You cannot follow both Christ and the cruelty of kings. A leader who mocks the weak, exalts himself, and preys on the innocent is not sent by God. 

He is set to test you. And many are failing.

~Pope Leo XIV

Quilting

That was quick. It's done - quilted, washed, dried, and ready to gift. All while we took a couple of {short} vacations. Of course I quilted a spiral. By now it's easy and it matches the rounded feel of the Melon Patch blocks. 

In keeping with the "use it up" mentality I used the last of the plaid on the back. As usual it was needed to widen the WOF fabric used for the back. There might have been enough plaid to make both stripes but it might have needed some of the outer border trimmed from the front. So, an extension was wanted. I like it. 

Quilt Specifics

Size: 45" x 45"

Quilt design: Snowball or Melon Patch

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton

Thread: blue Superior Masterpiece cotton

Quilting: Spiral with a walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5 yards

One of our vacations was a trip to San Francisco to visit friends, watch the Giants, eat great seafood, and walk the city. The California Academy of Arts has a sphere enclosing a rainforest that you view by walking up a spiral ramp. Fish, parrots, and butterflies. Small terrariums had even more animals. 

Walking to dinner we finally saw the parrots of San Francisco. These bright green conores have red heads and loud squawks. There must have been thirty having a raucous meeting. We watched them for half an hour and they never let up. 

When we returned to Houston we went to an exhibit on the craftsmen heading the restoration of Notre-Dame at the Julia Idelson building. Although a small exhibit, it was quite interesting. Among other things, they highlighted finding examples of the original carpentry tools and the blacksmiths who recreated them. There were many artifacts but also lots of video interviews which are also on YouTube in French with English subtitles.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Orphan Melon Patches

We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.

~James Baldwin

Quilting

I just pulled those string blocks from my orphan stash when I found nine Melon Patches under some fabric on the table. They are not going to a box; they will make a quick baby quilt. There was loads of cream background which I managed to cut incorrectly. Eventually there was just enough to make this...with a bunch of triangles going to another box. Sheesh.

There wasn't more light fabric that worked which meant I pulled out the blue fabric box. I looked for a navy. They either were wrong or didn't have enough yardage. But this mottled batik seems good. 

The inner border was an after thought. It was only going to have one border but...

the plaid was on a stack for the guild giveaway table when it fell on the top. Who'd have thought it would work? Not me. 

Without much consideration I sewed a quick border... and introduced a new problem. The quilt is just a bit too wide for the outer border to be one width of fabric. There's only a half yard. If you look carefully you'll see my usual solution. 

I sewed the outer border with a partial seam. That meant each side length could be lessened by one outer border width. Just enough to fit. Hooray. 

If I'd really been thinking, I'd have done the same with the inner border so they would pair better visually. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Crossroads Baby Quilt 2

A lie ain't a side of the story; it's just a lie.

~The Wire (TV series)

Quilting

This quilt uses up all the remaining Crossroads blocks. Most of the background colors are organized into columns. Although many of them are dark, the quilt still works. 

Crossroads 2 baby quilt

The very last Crossroads block is on the back - just to move them all out. I thought it would be an easy back but had to paw through a lot of remnants to find a group that works with the block. The outer blue fabric is new this year. Yes, I still buy fabric.

Back of Crossroads 2 baby quilt 

The binding is a red and white stripe purchased years ago with the idea of binding "all" my quilts with it. That would have been a neat idea if I'd remembered it before it disappeared in the stash. There's quite a bit more. Where will it show up next?

Crossroads 2 baby quilt detail

There's no immediate use so this quilt begins rebuilding the Baby Quilt Stack - ready for the future.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 45" x 45"

Design: Crossroads

Batting: Mountain Mist cotton

Thread: Superior white cotton

Approximate yardage: 6.5 yards

Reading

The Buddha in the Attic
by Julie Otsuka

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka is a novel that reads like history. Julie traces a group of Japanese picture brides from Japan to San Francisco where they first met their husbands. Many of the men misrepresented their careers. Women who thought they were leaving rural life became itinerant farm workers with their husbands. They bore children who embraced American life - the only one they knew. After Pearl Harbor, the families lost everything they'd ever managed to amass as they were sent to internment camps. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Crossroads Baby Quilt

Attending to what we hate in common is too often all the rage (and it happens also to be very big business), noticing what we love in common, and studying that, might help us survive.

~Ross Gay

Quilting

Helping with Vacation Bible School gave me a very nasty summer cold. How did I forget all the germs little kids bring with them? Instead of quilting on Ocean Waves, I spent a week in bed with boxes of tissue and an assortment of medicines. Once over the cold, I still felt lethargic so decided to dig through my box of leftovers. And look what I found - more Crossroads blocks.

Crossroads quilt block

These were started in 2016 for a class with Sujata Shah which I had to miss due to a family emergency. Two years later I made more for a possible border {then changed my mind.}  Some were finally used on the Square Deal quilt. That is one of my favorite quilts - made of three sets of leftovers. I'd forgotten how many were left. There are almost enough to make two baby quilts although many have dark backgrounds. If I make two, I'll only need four more blocks. This seems to be a better project while it's so hot and I'm still worn out. 

 

The first layout doesn't work. There's a strong dark/light division down the middle. Remembering to use the camera saved me from this mistake.

After moving some blocks around, a better arrangement appeared. It's interesting how wildly different the widths of the roads are depending on what year I sewed them. Major highways and dirt roads. What can I say?

Crossroads baby quilt

The back is a lovely piece of pink on white hummingbirds that has been hanging around for years now. My sister gave me the pink fabric that widens it enough.

The binding is another remnant of a red and white print. It's always nice when stuff from my stash and leftovers combine so well.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 45" x 45"

Design: Crossroads

Batting: Mountain Mist cotton

Thread: Superior white cotton

Approximate yardage: 5.5 yards

As soon as the quilt was finished, I delivered it to a friend's new baby. Even when it's hot, a quilt is good to have on hand.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Leftovers Top Finished

Never discourage anyone who is able to make constant progress, no matter how slow.

~Plato

Quilting

Plato's statement seems appropriate for this quilt. Work was slow. So slow. This despite the fact that most of the quilt is leftovers - either blocks or fabric ends - although I did purchase more red solids and blue prints for the outer HSTs. It's a joy to use everything in the stash and feel free to purchase something.

The larger the quilt became, the less a square shape appealed. After counting my circles, I added a second row of them to the top and bottom. Now it’s slightly rectangular. Putting the stronger/brighter colored circles on the inside seems to be working. None of blocks are sewed together {except some of the HSTs} which allows me to continue rearranging.

Here’s another photo with more of the outer round in place. I like it but… it still looks weak.

Adding a second round of tiny HSTs strengthened the design. This photo was taken at the end of the day and the color is a bit off. It actually reads more like all the previous photos. 

Leftovers quilt top

Now that the top is complete, I wonder if I simply should have made two smaller toddler quilts. My arm hurts when pulling this around so I may not quilt it immediately. And there goes that resolution to work each quilt all the way through. “No more UFOs,” said I. Hahaha. 

There are twelve circle blocks left if anyone is still working on Quilty365. Or they might become part of the back. 

Reading

Gabrielle Zevin’s charming story of bookshop owner A.J.’s life on a small New England island delighted me. Love, loss, and building a family of friends. I believe it’s now a film, too.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Four Sets of Leftovers

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.

~Abraham Lincoln

Quilting

Last time I left off with a disconnected border of circles on the angular center. No way am I sewing more circles but what if I added a row of smaller triangles? Because I've used all of these values in my stash, I purchased more reds and some lighter colors for these new little blocks although a few are tiny scraps - leftovers of leftovers. 

Border idea for Square Deal 3 quilt

The first photo didn't get me excited and I almost chose to simply make two toddler quilts but more thinking made me consider the light circles look "weak" against the strong center. 

Expanded border idea for Square Deal 3 quilt

I pulled the darker/stronger circles for a second attempt and like it better. Obviously sewing is slow going here but I'm inspired to continue with this plan.

FUR (Fabric Use Rate)

No finished quilts this month either so it's still 59 yards this year.

Reading

Hurricane Katrina destroyed 150 miles of the American Gulf coast but the aftermath compounded the disaster with levee failures as well as government mismanagement. In fact, the actions {and political parties} of local government officials caused tremendous differences in recovery. History professor Douglas Brinkley writes about the catastrophe, survivors, and heroes in The Great Deluge. Reading it so many years later reminds me of many response changes from staging locations to the Cajun Navy {a group of volunteers with boats} to allowing pets in rescue operations. 

Commenting 

has become difficult lately. I have trouble posting on some of your blogs and even commenting on my own. Hopefully these disruptions will be resolved soon. Sorry if I've missed responding to anyone and know that I am reading your blogs even when I can't comment on them.

Happy Thanksgiving. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

More Leftovers

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving.

~Anatole France

Quilting

Who remembers these Quilty365 blocks from Audrey? They're from 2015. Oh, my goodness. I started but didn't make it a year before my fingers complained vigorously. After laying these out, I found another baggie stuffed with blocks. 

Originally I planned to set them something like this straight set but it occurs to me...

Quilty365 blocks 

these could be another border on my Leftovers quilt. It would push the quilt to lap size. That would be useful after a year of baby quilts. The colors work; however, the circles don't relate to the triangles. Hmm. What can I do?

Leftover quilt with a partial Quilty365 border

If my new plan doesn't work, I can always make the original ideas of both. Did you notice I incorporated the last of the blue and white stripe into an outer border {just before the circles?} Even a tiny round like that brightens the quilt. Previously the zigzags in the outer border made the whole quilt darker… but darker may be better. We’ll see. 

Reading

Somehow the book Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris came up as a suggestion by my library. It was written in the 60s. I frequently ignore unsolicited suggestions but the description interested me. Charwoman Mrs. Harris sees a Dior gown at the home of one of clients and decides she must have one herself. Later I discovered it's currently a movie. Even later I found this it was previously made into a movie starring Angela Lansbury. The book is much better than the movie although the scenes and frocks are charming. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

What I Found in the Leftover Bin

'America was built on inefficiency.' ...The price for efficiency was paid by the bookstore, the hardware store, the sporting goods store that closed on... main streets all over America. These stores had helped to build their towns. But, compared to Amazon, they were all inefficient.

~Brian Alexander, The Hospital

Quilting

Do you recognize these blocks? There are leftovers from three different quilts. The center, of course, are the absolute last of The Square Deal blocks. Intellectually I wanted to do something else with these blocks. They were going to be a border until I pulled the second set of blocks. Those were the row from the first attempt of Optical Illusion. Now the first set must be the center {again} and I couldn't find an arrangement I liked better. 

The four photos below highlight some of the ways I laid them out. While there's a little wonkiness because they aren't sewed together, most of the serration comes from the four different lengths of the Illusion {border} blocks. 

Four possible border layouts

In the end this was my favorite choice. Opposite sides have the same block lengths - long on top and bottom and short on the sides. Two medium-length blocks turn each corner. And the square blocks in the corner? Those are the last four blocks from our #AHIQStringTulipQAL. How's that for using it all up?

You can also see in the first photo some of the fabrics I considered to make the center cross but in the end chose a blue and white stripe. It's a whole yard so it was difficult to cut into it and use less than half. 

Square Deal 3 with final border arrangement

Quilters build supplies over time. Whether stash or scraps, we are always attracted to beautiful fabrics and simply must keep them around. Additionally, many of us keep sample and extra blocks from previous projects. {Sometimes I think the smart quilters donate all this stuff.} I save/collect all three of these categories but I have less patience with the crowding they create in my sewing areas. Hence, my constant efforts to sew them up and move them out. What do you save and how do you use it? Or do you? Do your savings inspire you or weigh on you?

FUR (Fabric Use Rate)

No finished quilts this month so it's still 59 yards this year.

Reading

This pair of books is an interesting commentary on current medical care in the US. The Emergency written by Thomas Fisher, MD, recounts the difficulties of care and paucity of resources in poor sections of Chicago while The Hospital by Brian Alexander reprises similar problems is a rural Ohio town.  Personally, I think undermining the Affordable Care Act shows tremendous lack of concern for all Americans. We are not living in the 18th century and every person deserves some level of health care. If we don't provide it collectively, we will never be able to afford it individually. Both books could start conversations about our future as human beings. 

Enjoy the day, Ann