Big Ones, in Process

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This week many of my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild are in Phoenix at QuiltCon.  Last year's event was virtual.  Two years ago, right before the pandemic, I shattered my wrist and missed out on the event.  While I'm sad to not be there, I'm thankful for Quilty buddies who do the best job of photographing the quilts.  There is a guild meeting tomorrow for those of us not in Phoenix, and that will have to do.  This quilt, Downstream by Yvonne Fuchs, hung at QuiltCon 2020.  I bought the pattern and have shamelessly made it in almost the same color way.  I'm busy hand quilting it, starting with the white and grey areas.   

The backing in an Art Gallery fabric.  The batting is wool.  I've been working on this for just two weeks but its coming along nicely.  and I love how the pattern is emerging on the back.  

A few posts back I was working on a big woven quilt that will match my current bed quilt.  And now I'm making the backing for this huge - 96" x 116" quilt.  Above are three Art Gallery fabrics along with the black from the quilt.  Somehow, these will be turned into the backing.  I'm thinking I will hand quilt this beast, and its what is next in my queue.  For any hand quilting I find that the Art Gallery fabrics are ones I like to hold for the 8 - 12 weeks that I'll be working on this.  I used to ask my mom to do all my handwork because I just hated working with needle and thread by hand, How things have changed!   

My Best Christmas Present

 

Faced with what seems to be a never-ending supply of quilts and even at various attempts to destash, there are always piles of quilts.  In the fall I had the idea of getting a quilt or "blanket ladder."  It was 5 feet tall and 17 inches wide.  Not bad but getting big quilts on it was pretty tricky.  So I asked Santa for a bigger blanket ladder.  Below is Santa,  and his present was was pretty easy to assemble.  (search for blanket ladder at Amazon - all sorts of options come up.) This new ladder is 7 feet tall and 24" wide.  Much better.    The smaller ladder works great for wall hangings and napping quilt.  During this new year's winter interlude (we aren't snowed in - I've just been pretending for a couple of days) I started the quilt at the bottom of this entry.  Today I'm about to sew the vertical rows together.  And then I think I'll pet some fabric and see which ones I want to play with next!

Downstream, pattern by Yvonne Fuchs, available at quiltpatternmart.com