Quilts

Update on New Hexagon Millefiore

June 26, 2018 Elizabeth E.14 Comments

I ~~dragged~~ pulled out that hexagon millefiore ~~mess~~ quilt and decided I had let it linger too long. Waaaaay too long, and that it had lurked, like some amorphous creeping thing in the corner of my guest room (aka Sewing Room Overflow), haunting my dreams and certainly messing up any perky UFOs to Finish list that I may draw up.

Rosettes_all

This is the last composite photo I posted, back in August of 2016. I’ve since put together most of the rosettes that are grayed out. I decided to combine all the lower left rosettes, which gave me a new appreciation for Katja Merek’s work on the (what she has titled) The New Hexagon Millefiore Quilt-Along. Here is my version of the corner:

Rosette #8_opquilt variationsmall.jpg

And I also changed up some parts of the outer edges, making these (in the last few weeks):

Teeny Upper Leftsm.jpg

Rosettes 9_11b small.jpg

Rosette 12b small.jpg

Rosette 10somethingsmall.jpg

So now my quilt top looks like this (digital version):

All Rosettes_OPQuiltJune2018.jpg

I’m now working on that last one, which has turned out to be exceedingly difficult, because it has to be just right. But then other days, I’m quoting my motto to myself (The perfect is the enemy of the good. Or in my case, the done) and keep trying to get on with it.

At this point I just want it to be like Laurel’s:

Retreat2016_12

Yes, I want it to be DONE.

In other beginning-of-summer news, I planted my garden again, which then was invaded by fungus (a common problem here, apparently) so it looks quite wimpy. We still harvest a few tomatoes here and there. I sprayed last week, yanked two particularly sickly plants, and re-planted more in their place, so we’ll see what happens.

Optimism in the Garden.jpg

I found this on The Internet, which about expresses my attitude. There’s just something about an empty garden box that sends me to the nursery to find something to plant in it. It feels kind of similar to entering a quilt shop, and thinking about all the possibilities I can find in there.

Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. (Nelson Mandela)

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. (Dr. Seuss)

So today it’s back into the sewing room, back into the garden…back to work.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas • recap

June 16, 2018 Elizabeth E.13 Comments

JollyOldStNick_front

I recently received an email from a reader, asking me about the details of my Jolly Old St. Nicholas quilt. Her simple request pointed up a problem all of us blog writers face: how to find things on our blogs. I do have an index, but she specifically asked for more information about that quilt, which is NOT on the indexed link.

While it may seem strange to have a post about Christmas in June, I will occasionally be going through some long-term projects, and collecting all the information about that quilt in one post, linking to other posts when necessary. I can see several that are strung out across several months, that would benefit from this coalescing. So here it goes for Santa.

Santa's Village Pattern

Pattern: I used Santa’s Village, from Thimblecreek, but with many changes. See Construction Photos section for more info.

Outside Large Green Blocks: I didn’t like many of the pattern’s original blocks. So I drafted my own in QuiltPro Software, and asked my Mid-Century Modern Beemates to each make me a block, shown in this post, where there are 14 blocks to choose from. You can download templates (or pattern pieces) for each block on that page.

Construction Photos

JollyOldStNick_1

On the original pattern, you can see the top of the tree and the tips of Santa’s toes being chopped off by the addition of their giant rick-rack. I decided I wanted a cleaner finish as I wasn’t keen about the “chop-offs” on the original pattern. I measured carefully, placing everything just so, but in the end, I slimmed down the top of the tree (inset) so everything would fit.

I also added a 1-inch red band around the outside edge. Be careful in your measuring. The center Santa block needs to finish at 24″ so if you are going to add a one-inch border, then the center Santa needs to finish at 22 inches (cut the center white square down to 22 1/2″ inches to allow for seam allowances).

The feet were a torture to applique, but they make this guy, so stick with it.

JollyOldStNick_4

As mentioned before, the blocks were made by my mates in the Mid-Century Modern Bee; here I audition them for their placement around Santa.

JollyOldStNick_2

Then it was time to start on the trees and houses. The original pattern has a lot of funny pieces at the ends of the trees. Basically you make a sort of flying geese block, stretched or regular (depending on where in the tree stack it is), then added a spacer at the end to even it out. I eliminated those end spacers on the top and middle triangle sections as I thought it was a lot of bother. You can figure this out.

Truth: My pattern is either lent out to someone, or in a proverbial “safe place.” Either way I can’t put my hands on it, in order to be more specific about this.

Another Truth: This pattern needed several more rounds of pattern testing. I did talk to the designer at a quilt show sharing with him some of the problems I had with it. He wasn’t very happy with me.

JollyOldStNick_5 JollyOldStNick_5a

I’m showing you both of these photos, so you can see the types of spacers between the house and the tree. I had to put one on each end of a house-tree strip in order to make them fit (different from the pattern), so don’t hesitate to make adjustments if needed. You can see what I’m talking about if you look at the original pattern, where the tips of the trees in the corner are touching the houses. Mine don’t touch.

JollyOldStNick_6a JollyOldStNick_6b

Since my reader asked me about the center Santa, I thought I’d throw in a couple more photos showing how cute he is. Yes, sir.

And that’s Jolly Old St. Nicholas!

Frivols Quilts · Quilts · Something to Think About

Practice Makes Perfect • Frivols #6

June 9, 2018January 11, 2026 Elizabeth E.14 Comments

Practice Makes Perfect
Quilt #204 • June 2018
26″ by 31.5″

The requisite shot of the X-ed out Frivols tins show that I’m now halfway done with my goal. I try not to set goals, as they just give me angst, but there’s just this lingering expectation: finish all the Frivols.

I call this Practice Makes Perfect, as I’ve been thinking about the nature of work, and how much of it is repetitive, boring even, but repetition appears to be a necessary step on the way to mastery. I think I can handle churn dashes, but it was learning the finer points of free-motion quilting loops that needed my attention.

The freebie for tin #6 was this strawberry label with barely any room for a person with two long names. It would have been better if my name were Dot Smith or something.

I had started on this quilt at the end of May, after a long month of travel and serving and caring for people in my life, culminating with an intimate luncheon celebrating my mother’s 90th birthday in Ogden, Utah. We rented a small conference room at a local hotel, and had the hotel cater the meal.

We’d done this two years earlier for my father’s birthday, and had only my brother and sisters and parents there, with no spouses or great-grandchildren. We were worried then (I was wondering) if if it would work without the supporting members, but we did fine two years ago, and again this year too. The feelings expressed to my mother were tender, kind, showing her (and my father’s) careful influence in our lives. Because of them there are amazing individuals in my family: strong men and women, who are good men and women, too.

Some of you know that I’d been up in Utah earlier that month caring for my sister for a week; it was good to see how much progress she’d made in getting around with her crutches and wheelchair. From L to R, around the table: Mom, Dad, Susan (child #3), Scott (#6), David (#5), Cynthia (in gold jacket, child #2), Christine (#1), and Andy (#7). I’m child #4, yes, that infamous “middle child.”

Mothers Olive Oil — *I had little bottles of specialty olive oil etched with the saying “Olive you forever” and “Happy 90th Barbara” (my mother’s name).*

We drove home and two days later I quilted this, finishing it the next day. I was still putting away what I’d gathered on my trip, but needed a break, and Practice Makes Perfect was the tonic for what ailed me.

John Piper wrote: “Work is a glorious thing. And if you stop and think about it, the most enjoyable kinds of leisure are a kind of work. Both these facts are true because the essence of work, as God designed it before the Fall, was creativity — not aimless, random doing, but creative, productive doing….
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“If you are starting to grow lazy, I summon you back to joy. God made us to work. He formed our minds to think and our hands to make. He gave us strength—little or great—to be about the business of altering the way things are.

“That is what work is: seeing the world, thinking of how it could be better, and doing something—from the writing of a note to the building of a boat; from the sewing of what you wear to the praying of a prayer.
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“Come, leave off sloth and idleness. Become what you were made to be. Work.”

excerpted quote found on @TheSmallSeed

Patterns by Elizabeth of OPQuilt · Quilts

Betty Crocker Takes up Quilting

June 5, 2018May 31, 2018 Elizabeth E.9 Comments

Betty Crocker Qlting_front

Betty Crocker Takes Up Quilting, quilt #199
36″ square

Betty Crocker Qlting_1

It all begins with digging deep in the stash closet for fun, familiar fabrics… Betty Crocker Qlting_3

..with some quilting to show off the two different sections… Betty Crocker Qlting_4

…to make up another sample for a class I’m teaching in August, for the South Bay Quilters in Torrance, California. I’m really excited to head out there to the coast in the middle of August, and to spend some time with their guild. The smaller version is 27.5″ and the larger is 36″ square.

Betty Crocker Qlting_5labels

We’d switched up our classes to this one, which is a Two-for-One class: a quilting/making component in the morning, and a free-motion primer in the afternoon.

Betty Crocker Qlting_6

I will also be teaching at Valley Modern Quilt Guild this fall, with the trunk show/lecture on Monday, October 29th, with a workshop on that Saturday, November 3rd. I’m excited to teach there, although they haven’t told me which workshop yet. We have all summer to decide that, but here’s a quilt they may want to consider:

Cinque Terra Tiles_1front

Improv Appliqué, taught in a demo at QuiltCon 2018. Or…

CrissCrossChristmas_front

Criss-Cross, which if done in these colors, is right in time for Christmas. Or…

Sky Rocket Variant

Sky Rocket, using just eight colors to make up into a bold, punchy mini-quilt.

I love meeting new quilters, having a chance to talk to people, and later on, sitting in a room full of quilters intent on their projects, their sewing machines humming along. Can’t wait!