A Design Wall Epiphany

 My quilty friends are the best.  Holly, with help from Sarah S and Melissa, took my money to QuiltCon 2018 and shopped for me.  Holly knows what I like before I even know what I like.  Look at that terrific red print by Brooklyn Mojo. ( I have already ordered more of this fabric.)  And for the past few weeks I've been looking at a collection by Moda called Catnip.  Relax - no cats.  Just a terrific selection of black and white prints.  And Holly gets one (I have since bought more charm packs and one jelly roll of Catnip).

Other booty:  some metal zips, a wonderful blue denim/linen fabric, some great bits of cork fabric in different colors, several terrific prints, a couple of excellent grey textures, a new product Kraft-tex Paper Fabric ("rugged paper that looks and feels like leather but sews/cuts/washes just like fabric").  Seriously.  But what really caught my eye is this panel of fabric that's at the bottom to the left.

This is a yard of fabric by Yoshiko Jinzenji.  Google her for some wonderful images of her Japanese minimalism.  I took a class from her at QuiltCon 2015 - here's a link to that blog entry.  Then I bought some of her fabric, which was all black and white.  This panel that Holly just bought?  Little bits of colors and design - all abstract and whimsical.  So, what to do with this terrific yard?  And I must confess that I have been hoarding the black and white fabrics.  Sometimes pieces are just too beautiful to cut into.

And here comes my epiphany.

 These blocks are 15" square.  And they have each been hand quilted.  There are 14 outer blocks and 6 inner blocks.  But these blocks must now be connected, and I will use the "reversible" quilting method by Sharon Pederson.  I taught this method over 10 years ago - see the blog index for more on this method.  I've been pondering what fabric to use on the front of this quilt.  To use any of the jewel-toned solids from the crosses just seems  too much.  But a light fabric doesn't work for me either.  The answer?  this Yoshiko Jenzenji fabric.  It will be perfect for the front sashing/border for the front of this quilt and perhaps even for the binding.
 

A word about the back of these blocks. The block backs are all scraps from other quilt backings.  Some of these backs are pieced.  The same goes for the batting.  I had lots of bits of wool batting left over.  Most of these 15" blocks have a pieced wool batting.   I feel good about using these leftover bits.  This quilt will be one I will hold on to.  Note:  the other person in this house walked by this design wall and said, "Meh..."  It's okay.  It really is...  We don't all have to love the same things!

Attention Deficit Disorder Quilting

or What Exactly Have I Been Doing? I have various piles and quilts all over the studio. Really, it's getting bad. I have so many things I want to try and techniques I want to perfect. Of course I need to finish each one of these piles. But there's a great reason why each one is there. First is the reversible quilt. This quilt is just lovely - the borders were quilted and then added. Now it's waiting for the binding. But that's part of a workshop on November 18, so it must remain in its unfinished state.









Friend Laurel picked up this Double Wedding Ring quilt make entirely from feed sacks. Not only has it not been quilted, a couple of the blocks are fraying and need to be repaired. I've been avoiding this because this will be my first quilt with a scalloped binding, and I must use a bias binding. I can do this - just haven't.


Look at this fabulous set of fabrics. It's one of 4 fabric sheets I created for a jacket. Buddy Marge Hughes is making one of these jackets, too. Meanwhile, this sheet is leftover. It's going to make a lovely bargello wall hanging with its rich autumn colors. Since I don't know what fabrics I'll want to use in the border, this sheet and its accompanying pile must remain.



Here's a pile of hockey jerseys. A Westchester mom wants a quilt for her son's 18th birthday that will use all the hockey jerseys her son has had over the years. Unfortunately, this kids's birthday isn't until next June. I am motivated by deadlines, so this pile will be with me for quite a while.





And this is a pile of black jazz -shirts that will eventually be a queen-size bed quilt. What am I waiting for? I'll get to it...




This pile of fabrics is from the reversible placement kits that the Lawndale Quilters and I worked on. And this final picture is the scraps from Cecilia's bed quilt (still at the long-arm quilter's) and will eventually be some decorative pillows.

How lucky am I to have so many projects from which to choose to work on. And I didn't even include Rachel's Zen Dining Room Wall Hanging - that's also in a stage in completion. I'm a happy girl.