March's Small Quilt- Let's Have a Potluck

There's nothing better 

than going to a Potluck.

It's a communal gathering

where each guest brings a different

and hopefully, unique and delicious dish

to be shared.

In 2016 Barb, at Fun with Barb,

hosted another block swap.

This time with the Broken Dishes block.

With new blocks arriving for the swap of 2018,

I decided it might be time to

sew together the previous group.

I sewed the majority of the 4" blocks

together into one large quilt.

Here's a small peek.

It's off to the quilters so 

Debi can do her magic.

But there were several lovely blocks left.

What better to do than to sew them together

for my Small Quilt for the month of March.

(Being red and white it probably qualifies 

more for a February finish.💖💖)

Potluck

20" x 28"

A block swap is exactly like a Pot Luck.

Each quilter sharing their blocks,

 using their best sewing skills,

and allowing everyone to enjoy

the fabrics they picked out.

It's amazing how they all work together.

I couldn't decide on a single border fabric.

Why not use 4 different ones.

Add some simple machine quilting

and 

before you know it these broken dishes

are serving up a delicious feast for the eyes.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Throw Back Thursday

There are times 

when it's fun to look in the past

and smile.

Perfect hair required being 

tethered to a hose.

No backpacks

to carry your books home from school.

Listening to the top tunes

on your own transistor radio.

Recently, Barb at Fun With Barb, hosted a 

swap with Churn Dash blocks.

It's a great little block that can

be sewn with any style of fabric

and set together in a variety of ways.

I thought I'd share today on

Throw back Thursday a Churn Dash quilt 

I made in 1989.

It's still one of  my favorites.

 6" blocks set on point

with a  alternating indigo blue square.

Back then I hand quilted everything

and generally used a solid for the backing.

Fabric styles have a changed a bit too.

VIP fabrics were very popular.

Jinny Beyer fabrics 

were a major change from the small

calico prints you could still find.

Country blues and mauves,

 definitely a popular color scheme.

If you've quilted for a few decades like me,

you might even recognize a print or two.

It's fun once in awhile to look

back and see how styles, tends, and ideas

have changed.

Can't wait to start playing with some new

Churn Dash blocks soon.

Hmmmm....

I have a set of vintage blocks too.

What to work on next!?!

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Vision verses Ability

Do you ever feel like this?

This little chipmunk seems to have 

bitten off more than he can chew.

Oh, how I know the feeling!

The pieced top for the mystery quilt, Discovery,

  designed by Petra Prins in 2016 for Quiltmania magazine

has been finished for almost a year.

The delay?
ME!

  I've wanted to quilt it myself,

but the task seemed daunting.

My vision far exceeded my ability.

So for 9 months I've moved it

from list to list,
dragged my heels, and

totally procrastinated.

A couple of weeks ago I finally I 

ordered a collection of Aurifil #28 thread

in the pefect colors so my stitches 

would blend in, yet add

texture with the thicker thread.

So then last week

I pulled up my big girl panties and 

said," What have I got to loose!  Just do it."

It took more time and 

thought than I had originally planned,
although I knew it would.

Each section brought new challenges.

Figuring out what to do,

practicing, practicing...,
and attempting to make the designs look cohesive.

I left the center section until last.

I was unsure if I would be able to  fill in the background

with a swirl design that looked appropriate

for this beautiful design.

Not perfect, but acceptable for me.

I was excited to finally

 add my special label.
 When I was in the Netherlands

last spring, Petra signed it for me.

Now both of our names are included.

(notice how I changed the date!)

This quilt was a long term

project with many discoveries.  

I discovered Dutch chintz designs and how lovely they're to work with,

EPP piecing is accurate and fun to do,

and my machine quilting skills may be far from perfect,

but you never know what you can do until you give it a try.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Remember Me

We all want to leave a small mark in this world.

As quilters, we take fabric and create

patterns and designs leaving a tangible object

for our family and friends.

A while back a friend shared with me

the remnants of a quilt top made

by someone many many years ago.

These hst's had been sewn together to form triangles 

and then a double pink was used for the other half 

making the square.

This is all that remains of that wonderful pink.

Someone rotary cut that fabric out of the original quilt and

now only these thin strips 

are left in the seam allowances.

I had decided to use some of the remaining 

half square triangles for my February Mini.

The pieces had been sewn together by hand.

After unstitching some,

squaring them up,

I stitched diagonal rows.

I was challenged by what fabric to use for the 

side triangle with the diagonal setting.

I auditioned more shirtings, double pinks,

cadet blues, and even some mourning prints.

It wasn't until I tried a chrome yellow ( a reproduction print)

 that I knew it was the perfect one.

I used a double pink reproduction for the 

border, but a vintage black print for the corners.

I love how it turned out.

I hand quilted diagonal rows using an

Aurifil #12.  It added a simple 

make-do look to the finished quilt.

Don't you love these classic

turn of the century prints. 1880-1900

There's no way of knowing who 

the original quilter was or her

story behind her quilt,

but at least now some of her pieces

will say "Remember Me".

Until Next Time-

Kyle