Enlarging A Favorite Quilt for a Favorite Grandson

 

Grandson Sam is renting a house in Lombard along with his brother Jack and a third roommate.  Just because they are living close to us doesn’t mean we will see them with greater frequency.  Sam went to Northern Michigan State, and one fall we took a road trip to see him - Sam was a sophomore,  and I gave him a quilt.  Since then almost any event we are attending, Sam is quick to tell me he uses his quilt nightly and has washed it a lot. Recently he told me he bought a queen bed and kind of gave what was on my dining room wall ( see below) a longing look - it is a smaller version of what I made him years ago.  I asked him if he’d be interested in a bed version of this quilt. All of the fabrics in this quilt are out of print, but grunge pairs nicely.  These fabrics were originally from a collection by Janet Clare called Wordsmith.  And most important to my eye, there’s a color in this quilt - it’s grey/green/touch of blue - that feeds my soul and is so hard to describe and match.  But this one grunge works! 

So I removed the binding of the dining room wall quilt and began to make borders.  It was 60 x 80”.  And with the borders it is now 90” x 110” .  Using the quilt as you go method, the two sides went on, and then the top and bottom.  The final step was binding.  It’s gorgeous. And the texture is wonderful.  The body of the quilt is hand quilted with a wool bat.  The borders are machine quilted with a cotton bat. And the back of this quilt is all Art Gallery fabrics, which have an almost silky feel.  

I have loved looking at this quilt on the wall for a couple of years, but I ann also happy to look at this fabulous new quilt! I think I’ll leave it up for a while!   And a final word about favorites: Sam is my favorite grandson.  But so are Ryan, Jack, Brandon and Ben. 

Fabric Crushes

 I have had four distinct fabric crushes, and I’m always surprised when I find something I love so much.  The first was from a Bonnie .Christine AGF line, “Hello, Bear.”  

The second was fabrics from Marcia Derse.

And then I discovered Janet Clare and her Wordsmith line.  Like the other two so far, these fabrics are now out of print.  

And now I’ve discovered Seth Apter and his line Storyteller.  His fabrics have a collage-ish look with muted colors.  (Note:  I almost included e bond  in this post.  Her first line was Glyphs with the most interesting mostly black and white prints.  But now she’s gone waaay too colorful). Let’s see how long this crush lasts! 

Guess I’m down to One Blog Post a Month

 

Good news:  our house projects in the kitchen and bathroom are over!  The painters just left today.  Bad news:  there's been a lot of turmoil locally, nationally, and internationally.  But the good news?  I sew a lot when I'm agitated.  And my soul has needed a lot of soothing.  This table runner has been a wonderful diversion.  Its a combination of hand and machine quilting and based on an Instagram post by @tygeroting.  I captured the spirit of their work and must let them know.  

This table runner is batted with Insulbright, the product used for hot pads.  My favorite piece of fabric  is the backing.  I had to go on line to find more of it.  What for?  I don't know.  I just need to have it in my stash! Next are placement made in a similar vein using these fabrics.  If I was to name this table runner,  it would have to be "With a Little Help from my Friends."  Most of these fabrics are from Sarah S and Melissa and one fabric of bones from Lynn B in honor of my broken bones of 2020.

 

While I'm happy during the cold months to sit under a quilt as I quilt it, this doesn't work at all for summer months.  My solution for summer quilting is to quilt small blocks and then later assemble them.  The fabric line Glyph from Crimson Tate caught my eye.  And these fabrics are too pretty and unique to be cut up.  So I cut 10" blocks and used the Attic Windows setting with 2.5" strips for the sashing. I used all my wool batting scraps for the 12.5" blocks, and went through my light neutrals for the backing.  The reversible quilting method by Sharon Pederson has been my go-to for projects like this.  

The three blank spots in the picture below have since been filled in.  

Months ago I bought two charm packs featuring Janet Clare's "Geometry" line by Moda.  And two weeks ago I started to play around with them.  Just as I began, my sister-in-law in Orlando asked if I had any quilts featuring greens.  Why, yes!  Yes, I do.  Setting these simple blocks on point gives this 70" x 70" quilt some nice drama.  It's batted with wool and machine quilted.  Chris wants this for her husband's doctor.  As soon as she figures out what she wants on the label, I'll put this in the mail

Speaking of Janet Clare and her fabric lines, I have been in love with her Wordsmith fabrics, most of which are out of print.  I am squirreling away leftover bit but found enough for another Trip Around the World.  It is pin basted and ready for quilting.  Machine?  Hand?  Hmmm....  and of course through all my sewing purses are at the forefront.  There are five African purses featuring a fabric I bought in Kenya.  They along with purses in process are ready for a demo for a local quilt guild.