Flowers for Madilyn was delivered to my granddaughter Madilyn this week, so now it can show up on the blog for reals. I love sunset photos, with that golden sunlight. When I get a photo of her with her quilt, I’ll put it up. She’s a charming young woman, nearly graduated from high school, with a life full of adventure ahead of her.
I stitched in some hearts here and there. Hope she finds them!
Thanks to my husband, Dave, for being a Quilt Holder, par excellance! This is quilt #313. If I’d written a normal label, it would have looked like this, but instead I went with a smaller one, sewn near the top.
Stars for Baby • Quilt Two
I mailed this one off in early January, but not like this.
Stars for Baby (quilt #314) went to my friends Camryn and Landon, who are expecting their first child in a couple of months. Camryn and I had planned to get together so I could teach her quilting, but then he got a new job, and it RAINED A TON on the day she was supposed to come, and then Christmas and New Year’s, so we’ll get together after her wee boy comes and we’ll work on the teaching part then.
Because I was thinking of a beginner quilt, I designed this pattern so a newbie could navigate it. In this pattern, they’ll learn these blocks:
- a simple border with cornerstones
- pinwheel block
- nine-patch block
- stitch-and-flip block
- basic flying geese block
- Sawtooth Star block
I also (as is typical) include another option. Since I was writing this during the holidays, it’s a red/green version:
This is where the Stitch-and-Flip corners come in (we used to call them “snowball corners”). I’ve simplified the centers of the larger Sawtooth Star block for this version.
I like to put this size out as a table topper during the year.
It’s a good pattern for teaching, and it makes up quickly if you are an experienced quilter. You can find the pattern already uploaded in my pattern shop on PayHip, and it’s a Pattern Lite.
Those of you who have been around for a bit, know that my Pattern Lite patterns sell for cheaper price than regular patterns. So grab yourself a bargain and make some small quilts, or teach a friend!
I’ve been at Road to California this week, where I saw my two quilts hanging up with a lot of other beautiful quilts. I visited some vendors, and a full write-up is coming.
SAHRR • Round One
Last week, in my Emergency Blog Post, I introduced the SAHRR: Stay at Home Round Robin, and thought I had a month to get the next bit together. Oh, no! This group is really cooking along, so the first prompt (hourglass) already dropped and the next one is a week after that. So you’ll see this SAHRR morph quickly.
I dug though my Orphan Block box and found a handful of hourglass blocks, so that determined the direction I was going to go. And the colors. But I usually like to put a coping strip in between my medallion borders to help stabilize and strengthen the quilt, so I sketched out two more possibilities:
The top one is the hourglass borders sewn right up against the center block. The one just above on the left has a wider coping strip, and the one on the right has two (1″ and 1/2″), in different colors. I studied them for a long time. I liked the top one, with the hourglass right next to the center, as they interacted with each other. The wider coping strip — necessary because the blocks were 3″ finished — looked as if the center was floating, a bit adrift. So I went with the two colors (and my partner-in-crime, my husband, agreed).
Wild, says the husband. Yep, and it will get wilder, says the wife (me). I’m trying to use up the blocks in the orphan box, so here’s the tally so far:
Four blocks: the center
Six blocks: hourglass border, and then I made some more to fill out the border, and now I have five leftover. I’m not making too much progress here.
The schedule:
*January 14: Center Blocks, led by Gail and shared by each co-leader
*January 21: 1st Round: Brenda @ Songbird Designs
January 28: 2nd Round: Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing
February 4: 3rd Round: Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
February 11: 4th Round: Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
February 18: 5th Round: Gail @ Quilting Gail
February 25: 6th Round: Anja @ Anja Quilts
[An asterisk *means I finished that section.]
I first wrote this post on Friday, and ended at this point with a cheery and chirpy little bit about what I was looking forward to next week. And then I went to Road to California.
And while I was there on Saturday, taking photos of beautiful quilts and hoping to capture some of them to show you, I accidentally flipped to Instagram and the news of Alex Pretti’s murder at the hands of ICE agents in Minnesota. I went out to the hallway to collect my thoughts (not doomscroll) and remembered the exquisite Cherrywood exhibit I’d seen that morning, an exhibit titled The Abyss.
One image stuck out. That of a young bearded man, sitting slumped over in a sea of deep dark, a small pink butterfly reaching out, perhaps to bring him some light, some hope. I post this now in honor of Mr. Pretti, a bearded nurse who was trying to help a bystander when he was ruthlessly killed. Be skeptical of the narratives you are hearing. Search out the truth yourself; watch the videos if you are able.
I leave you now with three images from the quilt exhibit The Abyss.
I will be figuring out to speak out about the recent deaths in Minnesota, seeking comfort in my home and quilting, and working, phoning, writing in order to extract our beloved nation from the horrific abyss where it currently finds itself.
Stay safe, everyone, and help your neighbors — ALL of them.
Low Hanging Fruit, by Katherine McCormick.
She writes: “This piece is commenting on the ICE raids. Low hanging fruit is the first picked. First they came for…”
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Elizabeth I’m so glad you got your quilt to your granddaughter. She must be thrilled to have that beauty to snuggle with when she needs a Gramma snuggle. Your design is beautiful for the baby quilt. I liked all of your versions of the SAHRR, but like you (and your husband) love the one with the dual coping strips. I’m working on mine as I’m writing this. All I can say about the atrocities that ICE agents are inflicting on your Country is I’m so sorry. It hurts my heart to see that things just continue to get worse after only 1 year and fear what will happen in the next 3. 😭
Thank you for your tribute to Alex. The videos are heartbreaking and so, so sad. Where will it end? I pray that I see all the criminals involved be brought to justice. I agree with your design decision regarding your SAHRR block-it looks fabulous! I think your granddaughter will cherish her new quilt and think of you often. Prayers for you and hold fast! Xx
The flowers quilt, a lovely fresh design for a young woman. I found one heart peeking above some curves.
Ordinarily, I don’t watch anything on the news that shows a shooting, but I really felt like I had to bear witness for both Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti. It is really shameful how many lies are being told about these murder victims. This is not the first time that reality has been twisted to justify murder and I’m sorry to say I don’t think it’s going to be the last. I’m not going to give up hope for our country.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the photos.
First of all, congratulations on getting two quilts delivered to where they will be used and the love you put into making them will wrap around everyone who uses them. Secondly, eeek, I think the double coping strips before your hourglass border is perfect (and I need to get going to work on mine). Lastly, it’s hard to hold the balance of everything right now. Sending everyone love as we navigate these stormy seas…
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love your SAHRR quilt, and I cannot wait to see this one evolve! Your granddaughter’s quilt is lovely, too – so bright and happy! That new little one will love being snuggled in that pretty baby quilt, too!
Your two quilt are precious, full of love, true treasures. Warms my heart when I complete a quilt for someone.
My heart aches for both families, tragedy beyond our comprehension. The quilt truly depicts the light of the butterfly reaching for him. They are both in a more peaceful place. Let’s hope and pray our country regains some peace.
Your granddaughter’s quilt is so pretty – I hope she finds delight in the hearts you quilted. How lucky you can dig through your orphans and find SAHRR blocks! I like what you did with these and look forward to seeing the next. I’m off to check out your “About” page. 🙂
Beautiful quilts!
I love your SAHRR and the quilt for your granddaughter is wonderful. I’m sure it will become a family heirloom 🙂
What a great way to use up various orphan blocks! I like the double coping strips and agree with your choice. I’m glad you are sewing along with us this year!
Hi Elizabeth, your two quilts are amazing! I can tell you’re going to have a good time with your SAHRR. Looking forward to seeing your quilt growing.
Too much going on to say much.
Oh, what a cute quilt for your GD with those secret hearts quilted in. A treasure for sure! How nice that you had enough Hourglass orphan blocks to use for this round. I love what I think are those Steampunk blocks in the center. And I do love “wild” quilts!
One of my unstated goals this year is to work with Betty Crockerass’s curved templates I’ve had for a couple of years. I’ve sewn lots of curves with decades of dressmaking, and then lots of free-flowing ones and a few à la Drunkard’s Path, so that first flower quilt is speaking to me, and I sure love your bright colours. Interesting how we both had a similar approach to round 1 of the SAHRR! I chortled at your quip about ‘not like this’ for sending the second quilt, and I am horrified hearing about ICE being set loose like a school of piranhas on Minneapolis. No one deserves that treatment, illegal or not. As I have mentioned to several people however, do people not recall the horrors of the family separations in his first term? And how it’s been forgotten, along with the poor babies, left alone, no holding or touching, going from screaming to utter stillness as a result, other children caged, sleeping on concrete floors with nothing but a space blanket, shipped off to holding centres (a few in Michigan, which I can see across the Detroit River) and what happened to them? Most have never been reunited with their deported families. What about those wrongly deported toEl Salvador and Alligator Alcatraz? The horrors just pile up… I don’t think the country will ever recover from this, not in our lifetimes, and certainly not in the eyes of the world…Thank you for not being silent, and know that many many Canadians care about citizens such as yourself, despite the insults to us and our PM, the trade war inflicted upon us, and the threats of being taken over. Keep speaking up.
Oh wow! Those quilts are amazing! I love the center of your SAHRR, and the border fits perfectly. We in Australia are horrified at what is happening in your beautiful country – what a lovely tribute to a young man taken too soon in such a horrific way xx
Your SAHRR is looking great. Thanks for quilting along with us.