Blue and White Shirts

A pessimist, they say, sees a glass as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.

~G. Donald Gale

Quilting

I started my blue and white shirt quilt saga years ago before DH himself retired. Whenever he retired a shirt, I checked it over and kept it if it was in good shape. I soon realized they are almost all blue or white. All solids or very calm prints. Recently more came from my sons and a few from a resale store nearby. Despite admiring Kaja's work incorporating shirts and other found textiles into her work, I never actually made anything with them.  

Eventually I planned a simple checkerboard. Unfortunately I chose the lightest blue shirt to pair with white. It's just too pale for my taste. And too difficult to sew the fabric.  

Instead of making a large throw it will be a baby quilt and that's only because I hate to discard all that work. Plus someone will like these pale colors for a newborn. 

Did I mention how hard it was for me to work with these no-iron shirts? Since I had already deboned a huge pile of shirts I decided to cut them into 4.5" strips. That seemed narrow enough for the fabric. And there they've sat for the past year until Nann showed her Gator Party. 

This was a way to use them. I cut my own rectangles from the strips. 

They are still too quiet so I dug through my stash for a few large scale blue and white prints that might be a man's shirt. Polka dot, autos, and a darling Japanese rabbit print. 

Next I pulled a bunch of leftover solids from my bins to add teeth, and whipped this out. It's adorable. The solids add some punch. My daughter requested the throw. Hooray. But I won't start quilting until the weather changes. It's still in the upper 90s F (mid-30s C) here. 

Now to plan backs for both, baste them, and wait for cooler weather. 

There are more strips, of course, but now I have another idea. 

 Reading

Another enjoyable Japanese coffee shop book. This shop is run by cats and only appears sporadically. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Work on Hatchet Blocks Continues... Slowly

Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people  - people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.

~E.B. White

Quilting

No more green scraps in my bag so I switched to tans. At first they looked good but as more have been added, the excitement of the quilt is dimming. 

My dear friend, Gayle, gave me some of hers and I found several new greens on a shopping trip. But there's still too many tans. 

Out of the blue, Patty sent a box of her scraps which I immediately trawled for greens. I'm switching out some of the tans {so the sets are part tan and part green} but after a while I've just removed the duller blocks and replaced them completely with green.  Eventually I decided the beige carpet might be the problem so I cut background triangles. The background is an abstract print of pink, grey, and white. Its value is similar to the carpet but the difference in color livens the quilt. 

Here are some of the discarded blocks. Funny how these brighter darks work well with the tans. Perhaps the contrast of bright and dull. I'm making plans for a second quilt to expand this idea. 

Meanwhile, I've been creating seed starters from toilet paper rolls for our VBS. The children will fill them with potting soil and seeds, then water and watch for the week. I make these for seeds in my own garden as the edges help distinguish planted seeds from weeks. They aren't difficult but about 250 will be needed. My hands are hurting. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

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

A New String Quilt Idea

The first casualty of war is the truth.

~Aeschylus

Quilting

Since I've made so many Four-letter-word quilts, I'm down to pretty dull and dark colors in my scrap bag: black, brown, greens, with a few purples and reds. I've been wondering what to make with these when I was reminded of the Hatchet blocks. What if the blocks were made of strings and split between light and dark sides?

These first pieces were made last summer but I found them in the orphan box. 

They look well on the pink and grey print background. Time to make some more. Now it’s hard to find dull strings in my scrap bag. 

Eventually I pushed into dark/bright purples. Those two in the top left are too bright. For one I added some duller strips but simply deleted the other. 

When I completely ran out of greens, I added light browns and tan. They look okay but the green is better. A small shopping trip is in order so this is turning into a longer term project.

At some point the background pieces must be cut so I'll know how large I can make this quilt... Hopefully, lap size. 

While my family’s visiting, we saw the new Pixar movie, Elio. What a treat! Hopefully you can find time to see it, too.

Reading

Max documents several groups efforts to stop the Holocaust including Orthodox Jews in Switzerland. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Border Thoughts

To use the world well, to be able to stop wasting it and our time in it, we need to relearn our being in it.

~Ursula Le Guin

Quilting

Ocean Waves V has been languishing for months while I consider a border. Unless something is added to the block centers {such as appliqué or a pieced star} the pattern only seems to differ in the borders and the background color. Previously I've made dark blue, red, and white backgrounds but each border is different.

The first was my favorite border because the waves seem to run up onto the shoreline. I seriously considered reprising it but hadn't enough triangles left. {Such a happy event! I thought they'd never end.}

Ocean Waves 1

The second is the softest but has no border at all; however, it is the most heavily quilted. 

Ocean Waves 2, no border

Although the third Ocean Waves seems to have no border, I appliquéd flowers in half of the outside red triangles. This is also the only one with printed fabric in the centers. 

Ocean Waves 3 with appliqued border

Because I wanted a rectangular quilt {and also to use up more triangles} sawtooth edges were added to the top and bottom of this Ocean Waves.

Ocean Waves IV

So what can I do here? I want to use fabric in the stash and/or leftover blocks.  One idea was the remaining four Shadow Stars in the corners with more of the stripe used in BB1 stems. Two problems: the strip doesn’t match the feel of the waves and the Star is 15” wide which will make the quilt way too large.

I tried to scoot it in by trimming the corners on the diagonal but they were still too large. 

A second thought was Ohio Stars in the corners using the absolute last of the triangles.  But it doesn't seem to relate well to the center. 

Finally I simply added three borders: white, blue micro stripe, and more white. My friend, Peg, will quilt it so this gives her lots of room to play. 

Now it's off to my friend, Pat, for long-arm quilting. This one is much too large for me to handle anymore.

Reading

Dr. Rundell's biography of John Donne is interesting and comprehensive. I studied several of his poems and essays in school but didn't know anything else about him. I'm glad I read it. 

Enjoy the day,  Ann

TIGER Baby Quilt

Every disaster movie starts with the government ignoring a scientist.

Quilting

If you follow my posts, you realize I often create baby quilts in series which frequently use leftover blocks and scraps/offcuts from larger ones. Not that I ever tell parents this. People who don't quilt think scraps mean roadkill or something! We know the fabric is still in the $10-15/yard range. 

Once I made a series of Lone Stars; I still have some ideas about that. They started with lots of WOF strips that were hanging around. 

The Word series began from the idea of traditional four block quilts - those lovely, large (usually appliquéd) blocks that fill the entire bed. I could make them smaller for babies and instead of appliqué, use the alphabet because... four-letter words. Wordle uses five-letter words. That made me wonder how many four-letter words are suitable for babies. LOVE came first; eventually a list developed. Not all have been used but I'm running out of Coin sets - only a few left in the scrap bag. 

Combining the last few sets, a yellow and purple group emerged… because my youngest is an LSU grad and surely one of his friends would like a baby quilt in these colors. 

The next step was to find a pertinent four-letter word. Unlike his Arkansas brother, all the words were three or five letters: Geaux, Tiger, LSU. Rats. Eventually I realized the “I” could be altered to take less space. A capital I runs into the letter T but the lower case i solved the problem.

TiGER baby quilt

The purple print was purchased at the closing of my LQS but, as usual, it needed to be widened a bit. Two strips of yellow turned up in a search through my stash. 

Choosing the plainer one finished the back. Then it was spiral quilted and bound with the last of another purple print. 

We’ll see who gets it. 

Quilt Specifics

Size: 44” x 44”

Design: Coin or String quilt

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton

Thread: yellow Superior Masterpiece cotton

Quilting: spiral with a walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5.5 yds

Reading

The Black Angels are trained black nurses, mainly from the South, who moved to NY to escape the worst of Jim Crow. There was no cure for TB. Staff members risked becoming patients themselves. With plentiful easier positions available, white nurses quit and/or refused to work at tuberculosis clinics. The authorities advertised down South, promising the women could gain RN status after a few years. 

Cures for TB were not found until after WWII.

Enjoy the day, Ann

REST Baby Quilt

Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts. 

~E.B. White

 Quilting

The previous quilt used the medium green sets but there's still a bunch of dark green ones. They only seem to work with these dark browns. I like the combination although it's pretty old-fashioned. My stash also contained these pastel tan and green solids. That's how this quilt came about. 

The back came from a LQS closing sale. While it's exciting to get the fabric so cheaply, it means fewer choices in the future. I have trouble getting fabrics I really like online - either the colors are off or the fabric itself doesn't have a nice hand.  

Quilt Specifics

Size: 44” x 44”

Design: Coin or String quilt

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose Cotton

Thread: green Superior Masterpiece cotton

Quilting: spiral with a walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5.5 yds

REST also goes to friends of my youngest. 

Reading

Who remembers Orange Guy's terrible response to the Covid-19 outbreak that led to one of the worst outcomes in any country? Nightmare Scenario was written shortly after the end of his term but I only read it now. What a reminder of horrible actions or lack of actions. Who else recalls that Orange Guy got Covid and then got experimental treatments that were unavailable to regular citizens. So many people died unnecessarily.

Enjoy the day, Ann

WISH Baby Quilt

If you're going to rise, you might as well shine.

Quilting

We're feeling better and now trying to reschedule all the appointments we missed this fall. We voted by mail and verified our ballots have been accepted. As Nann said, “May the best woman win.” There's a lot of yard- and house work to catch up on. We aren't at full strength yet but improving daily. I restarted exercise classes and am worn out after each. Again, it will get better. 

I've washed as much red out of the nine-patch quilt as I possibly can. The white background of that lovely floral is still pink but I'm out of ideas of how to remove it. It's folded up again. Waiting. The other two quilts cleaned up very well though.

Fortunately, there's still a lot of partially processed quilt blocks/sets that make quilting easier. Blues and greens are the next combination of coins for a baby quilt. I sewed the sets a few years ago, rolled them into tight cylinders. and set them in my scrap bag.  Now is the time to use them up.

W was the hardest letter to create. Truncating the corners of the letter made it easier. I used that effect for previous letters like V, too. When the letters are angled I find making a template works best. Afterwards I pin the templates together in case they are needed for future words. 

When I first started this series, each quilt was four different colors - one for each letter. However, the Arkansas quilts showed well two color choices work. 

WISH baby quilt

The back is fabric I purchased online for a dress then didn't like when it arrived. The colors are much less saturated in person. After a few months of pouting, I'm putting it to use as quilt backs. Since the quilt is just a bit wider than one WOF, I inserted leftovers blue and green coin sets. The value sequence looks interesting to me.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 45” x 45”

Design: Coin or String quilt

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose Cotton 

Thread: green Superior Masterpiece cotton

Quilting: spiral with walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5.5 yds

Reading

The subtitle of Cat Bohannon's book explains her premise: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution. She notes that the past century of research has focused almost exclusively on males, leaving us with less than half the information we should have on everything from medical care and drug interactions to anthropological studies. 

Cat chooses points on the evolutionary timeline that illuminate changes that led to the development mammals and humans. The book is densely packed with information but provides a very different explanation that all the previous male-centric theories. Definitely worth reading. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

SING Quilt

The sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us.

~Alexandra Elle

Quilting

Tucked in a bag of scraps are several Coin sets in a variety of colors. I actually remember making these a couple of years ago. Now’s the time to use them in some smaller quilts. First up are the red and white leftovers from the Arkansas series and someone I know could use this.

SING quilt

The red and white look festive; the black and white binding reminds me of piano keys. Once I remembered it was in my stash, the choices below just couldn’t cut the mustard. The red and white stripe looks pink at a distance and the red blends into the background. 

The back is a lovely floral widened with {almost} the last of the red Coins.

Back of SING quilt

It’s almost ready to show to my friend. We’ll see what he thinks. 

Quilt Specifics

Size: 45” x 45”

Design: Coin or String quilt

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose Cotton 

Thread: white Superior Masterpiece cotton

Quilting: spiral with walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5.5 yds

Reading

 After reading a review of Impossible Creatures I pre-ordered the book for my oldest grandchildren and another for myself.  Written for middle schoolers up, it’s a delightful read for adults, too. I’m already anticipating the sequel.

 

While visiting his grandfather Christopher discovers he guards the portal between earth and the Archipelago, the place where all magical creatures live as well as the source of Glimourie. Christopher joins forces with Mal, a girl from the Archipelago, in a desperate race to save them - and earth - from extinction. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Crossroad Blocks into a Baby Quilt

The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.

~Fred Astaire

Quilting

Yet another set of crossroads blocks. They've made several borders for me... like my Bramble Blooms 1 and The Square Deal {which I kept for myself}. The collection of 25 became the center of a baby quilt.

Crossroad quilt blocks

The green fabric has seven lengthwise repeats separated by a wavy brown line. It's visible on some of the borders below. They gave me the idea of adding a dark inner border. It was too severe but adding a third border in light green helped. However, the four blue cornerstone blocks do not. Out they went. 

Next the spiral quilting commenced. Now that I have the technique mastered, it's my go-to for baby quilts. I happily cross any and all patterns. Echo quilting shows well on prints while the prints themselves still hide quilting imperfections. There are few starts and stops - only when the bobbin thread runs out. I always bury threads so prefer to have a minimum of them to contend with.

Without interruptions the quilting is finished in two days. If something comes up, it can take much longer though. 

This simple quilt has three outer borders: a very pale green, a black with multicolored dots, and a wide flower garden on chartreuse. The dark border looks irregular but that's the remnant of the wavy line in the border print. I hadn't mitered corners in a while. There's no attempt to "match" the design but I find mitering and inset seams easy to do although the sewing is a bit different. Here it's a better solution than sewing the border like courthouse steps. 

Crossroads baby quilt with flower garden border

The binding is a diagonally printed red and white stripe also used on Bramble Blooms #1. 

The back used up most of three leftover fabrics. {Do I ever really use all of any fabric? Even when I think so, there are frequently small bits and strings in my scrap bag. They are a joyful find since they recall previous quilts and the lovely people they were given to.} 

Notice how the spiral quilting shows well on the lighter blue but disappears on the other prints.  

Quilt Specifics

Size: 44" x 44"

Design: Crossroads blocks with border print

Batting: Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon Cotton

Thread: Superior green cotton

Quilting: walking foot spiral

Approximate yardage: 3-4 yards

Reading

Tiya Miles' book, Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People is an engaging read. Most of us know the basics of Harriet's story but Tiya uses her skills as a historian to show her faith, her deep understanding of the natural world she lived in, and her relationship with other enslaved women whose memoirs and speeches encompass some of Harriet's. Tiya's work shows us how to excavate the lives of people who left few written and legal records - the circumstance of many people throughout history. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

The Last Wonky Stars

You never know who is right but you always know who is in charge.

Quilting

I've been helping my kids so this post is late. Here's the final wonky stars with two larger slab-center stars. There aren't very many but this layout might work with two simple borders. It's just not too exciting at the moment. 

There was just enough dark red to make the inner border a funny width { I think it was 1 7/8".} Then I pulled a white print to fill out the star border and cut it to fit. The outer border was a bit more problematical but a black and brown batik seems to echo the inner border and relate the more beige/yellow star backgrounds with the more white/brown/grey outer border. What an improvement to the "ugly duckling" start.

Wonky Stars Medallion baby quilt

That print of birds in winter was a gift from my sister and reminds us both of our grandparents. They had a bird feeder that attracted loads of cardinals. What fun to watch them.

A diagonally printed stripe for the back with spiral quilting again and this baby quilt is also done and gifted. 

Quilt Specifics

Size: 40" x 40"

Design: Slab-Center and Wonky Stars

Batting: Mountain Mist Cotton

Thread: Superior white cotton thread

Quilting: walking foot spiral

Approximate yardage: 3.5 yds

Enjoy the day, Ann