Star Mother’s Youngest Child quilt

March 8, 2013March 31, 2013 Elizabeth E.13 Comments

Here’s my second finish for March: Star Mother’s Youngest Child. The book, from which the title of this quilt is taken, was about Star Mother’s youngest boy who came to earth to experience Christmas before he was destined to take his place in the heavens, shining brightly forever. He landed at the home of a cranky old woman, who, childless and alone, just wanted to have one Christmas to celebrate before she died. And so the two came together. The illustrations are charming, and the child’s spikey hair and ugly countenance reminded me of the weirdo star in the bottom left corner, the points going the wrong way even though I tried really hard to get them like the picture of this quilt from the Moda Bake shop pattern. But in the aggregate, I think it all works okay.

Whenever I’m looking for a back, I usually go for whatever cheap fabric I’ve picked up on sale, or snagged from IKEA or the Marimekko from the Crate & Barrel outlet. I went to the guest bedroom closet, where these lengths all hang, washed, pressed and waiting and lo-and-behold! I’d purchased some of this Sweetwater Christmas line when I was buying the rest of the fabrics for this quilt. It had been two years and so I’d forgotten. I pieced it carefully to make the seam as invisible as I could. I’ve tried doing pieced backs. I usually fail at that sort of thing because at that point, I’m just so ready to be DONE.

I had also purchased this black/red stripe for the binding and even if it was on the original, I just didn’t know if it would work for my sensibilities. When I went to quilt night last week, Laurel told me it was just perfect. Sometimes you just need that atta’boy to help get these quilts done. I hand-stitched the binding while 1) watching a movie, 2) attending a baby shower another night, and then 3) coming home and talking to my husband after a long day.

My quilter used Superior’s King Tut in a tight red/green variegated color in a medium meander.

For the label, I scanned a picture from the book when the little child first knocks on the Old Woman’s door, and included a quote from the last pages of the book.

This is #108 on my list of 200 quilts. Frankly, I can’t keep up this pace of finishes unless I stop sleeping or eating (neither of which is very likely). The last two quilts have been in the pipeline for a couple of years, and I just had some extra time this semester and was able to get them finished (along with the help of my quilter). But for today, it’s nice to see this all done, lounging on my sofa.

That makes five Christmas quilts I’ve done in my lifetime: two have been given away, and the other three reside here. It will be fun to get those out this coming December.

This is another one of my Finish-A-Long quilts; original posting showing all my goals is *here.*

FAL · WIP

WIP and FAL are real motivation!

February 27, 2013February 27, 2013 Elizabeth E.5 Comments

I’ve been doing Lee’s Work In Progress Wednesdays for a long time now, and I love participating and reading her blog. Head back there to see more of what others are working on.

And Leanne’s Finish-A-Long has certainly focused what I’m working on. I’ll get back to posting up Road to California pictures next post, but here’s what I’m working on today.

I’ve finally figured out the outer pieces of my EPP quilt. And the border after this, too. Now just to sit and watch something interesting on television, so I can finish it up. What to watch now that Downton Abbey’s all finished, and the Oscar broadcast is over? I do have some interesting Netflix coming. By the way, if you like quirky movies, I can recommend Moonrise Kingdom.

And I finished appliqueing all the pieces on my Lollypop Tree Border Blocks. Now I have to cut away the backs of those that have freezer paper in them, pull out the paper, then press them. When that happens, it means that all the components of the Lollypop Tree quilt will be ready to be put together. I first saw Kim McLean’s pattern on the blog for Material Obsession–a blog you should defininitely have in your Reader.

A few of my favorites. Happy Quilting!

200 Quilts · FAL · Quilts

January’s Three Finishes–FAL

January 31, 2013March 31, 2013 Elizabeth E.8 Comments

I’ve always wanted to say that I’ve had three finishes in one month. Well, in my mind, I’ve had FIVE, but two of the tops (the wonky Christmas stars and the wonky Christmas log cabin) are at the quilter and won’t be back until next month, so technically the binding and label is all that remain (and I’ve already cut the bindings!).

The first (or third) is my art quilt for our Four-in-Art group, which has its reveal tomorrow. I have to say I don’t think of myself as an artist, but instead, a creative person. But like anything in life, when that deadline starts looming, all of a sudden I start getting ideas. Tons, this time, but I only made one of those ideas. See you tomorrow for that.

The second is Into the Woods, my autumn quilt (follow the link to see that). And the third finish this month is Summer Treat.

I started Summer Treat last summer. I finished up the top, and it sat–like all good UFOs–but this one was all backed and pinned and ready for quilting. When I saw that I had a few hours to myself yesterday, and realized I could say those magic words: “three finishes in one month,” I pulled it out and started quilting.

Then binding.

And so here it is: Summer Treat. This is #105 on my list of 200 quilts. (Yes, I know I need to get the list updated.)

Detail. I stitched on either side of some of the rows and then diagonally on the side of the white Xs.

The backing and binding are the same fabric: some wild dots.

So, yay! I’m putting this up on the Finish-A-Long Flickr photo-sharing site, hosted this year by Leanne. I had resisted joining this group, but it’s been very good motivation to get some of these quilts finished up.

Update: Original Post showing all planned finishes is *here.*

200 Quilts · FAL · Finishing School Friday · Quilts

Into the Woods!

January 18, 2013March 31, 2013 Elizabeth E.15 Comments

Into the Woods is finished–my first finish in the FAL hosted by Leanne. I blogged about how bogged down I was in my entry FAL, so it’s nice to be able to go out to the front porch, have my husband hold it up and declare it done. And yes, I know it’s January and we still have pumpkins out there. Okey-dokey, moving right along. . .

Here’s a closeup of the quilting, and the blocks.

And the requisite beauty shot, draping not-so-artfully by the pumpkins.

Back of the quilt. I had purchased this fabric about eight years ago, when I was shop-hopping up in the Pittsburg area with a good friend. Our husbands are both scientists and we’d see each other almost annually at conferences. This particular time I had a rental car, so we left the boys to their science and took off in search of ours. I love that certain fabrics have memories attached; whenever I see this I will think of Beth.

I had originally named this a different name, mocked up the label but just couldn’t make the name stick. Then one night, it came to me. Seeing this quilt was like walking into the woods, surrounded by golds, greens, crimsons and browns, and so that became the title, just like the Broadway play Into the Woods by Steven Sondheim. That play has always had special significance for me, as its allegory of going into the woods –the difficult trials of life — and making your way back out of the woods — into a different life than the one imagined — became a sort of map for me during a painful shape-shifting time of life. I still love that play, and as I worked on the label (with a scrap of lyric pulled from the title song), I played it on the computer and sang along. Nothing like a Broadway show tune to make the quilting go a little quicker.

My quilter, Cathy, did a lovely job on the quilting of pumpkins and vines (and if you know the play Into the Woods, there is a section of Jack and the Beanstock, which correlates nicely). So there it is–my first finish, and finally, a Friday Finish for myself.

Update: Original post for the Finish-A-Long is *here.*