Kaffe Fasset's Wonderful Colors

Or, let's stop and smell the roses!

Finally, all 100 of the 9-patch blocks are made, and I want to take just a moment to make note of the wonderfully vibrant colors that Kaffe Fasset's fabrics are known for. Wanna' have a stroll through a garden full of color? Let's go!

My ten sets of ten 9-patch blocks. All ready for the next step. The quilt is called Spring Double Nine Patch, and these colors were selected to convey a bright spring flower garden with all the pops of color.
 

I have totally enjoyed digging through my tubs of KF fabrics to pull these old pieces. Many times I used scraps from previous makes, which has been gratifying. I suppose many of these are now discontinued, as they have been in my stash for a very long time.

These present quite a stark contrast to the sweet pastel florals in yesterday's post, don' they? I like all the fabrics!! *truth!* 

Frequently I am reminded of my late grandmother's reaction to my showing her a quilt made with KF fabrics - she definitely turned up her nose. She was not impressed. Not to her liking at all! Indeed, these are very different from the calicoes she used!

I hope our little stroll provided a cheerful start to your Saturday. DH and I are now headed out to a garden center to see what the end-of-season sales have to offer. Real flowers, not fabric ones. *grin*

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Irresistible Florals

I  am hopeless, dear readers. For all the blustering I share about no more buying and using from the stash, just one look at an online fabric offering, and I fall off the wagon. You recall (see last post) that I had to acquire more Aboriginal Dots in ivory about a week ago. That meant a quick foray into online fabric searching. 

Help me, Lord! The temptations! When sellers couple a pretty fabric offering with a discount -20%! -  I am a total lost cause.  Here's what I bought the same day I bought the one yard of ivory dots.

The fabric was listed on an Etsy shop called Cottage Couture Fabrics out of White Lake, MI.  The need to own this fabric overcame me, I swear! Clicking that "buy" button was way, way too easy. 

Now, I do not - DO NOT! - have one ounce of buyer's remorse. I am thrilled with this little pack of fat quarters, and I have ideas swimming in my head of how I will use it. 

First, let me show you what I plan to pair them with. I have two polka dot fabrics that seem perfect for these tiny pastel florals. Take a look at both and tell me which you would select.

Option one is this delicate blue with creamy white dots. Love it. A lot. 

Now here's option two.

The dots are smaller, and even though it isn't very evident in these two pictures, the blue is slightly different. Do you prefer one over the other?

Here is my current inspiration photo, taken from Pinterest.  Click the photo to be taken to the shop, another Esty shop, and this seller is from right up the road from me in Columbus! Sweet!

Isn't this a dreamy vintage quilt!? I would love to recreate it with my new fabrics. It would be fun to make all those hourglass blocks with the florals, then mix and match them with different florals around the centers of the stars. Glorious Ohio Stars on a creamy white set together with blue polka dot setting squares. Simply dreamy.

This quilt has to be made.

A thought: Did you know that I will have to live to be about 258 years old in order to make all the quilts?

Well, while I figure out how I will accomplish that sort of longevity, have a few more looks at this pretty floral fabric.

When shown with both options, the smaller dot is the obvious choice.

Have a great day! My list is long, the day is gorgeous, and I must get in gear!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Progress on Kaffe 9-Patches

I was going great guns making 9-patches upon my return after vacation, then I ran out of my background fabric. I had just 3 or 4 fat quarters, and I knew it was not nearly enough for the quilt I'm making. 

That simply meant I was going to have to go shopping. Such a bummer, right? 

I did the on-line type of shopping, looking for the Kaffe Fassett fabric called Aboriginal Dots in yellow. After an exhaustive search I ended up ordering one that was called ivory, not yellow, in the hopes that it was the same, and I just didn't realize it's true name.

It worked. The neutral I am using is officially considered Ivory. To me it is yellow. (I say potato; they say 'pot-ah-to.') 

I am still going to need more of this background, and will probably be ordering 2-3 more yards. This one yard will get me through all the remaining 9-patches, and into a few setting blocks.

I don't think I have actually shared the quilt I am making, so let's dispense with that now. Back in January, I pulled all my KF books out and identified 6 quilts I would consider making this year. One has already been made; you can see it here. That one was fun, and I still wanted to make at least one more. This one is a basic, traditional pattern made with the exciting, colorful fabrics of Kaffe Fassett. Very appealing.

This quilt is called Spring Double Nine Patch from the book Museum Quilts. 

The book's version of this quilt has a much busier background fabric, and I prefer something a bit more understated. I am glad I had a decent amount of the Aboriginal Dots; I just started cutting and sewing. No overthinking on this.

I pulled a happy variety of fabrics just before we left for vacation. These gorgeous fabrics have the fresh look of springtime, right? I knew I was on the right track. This combination plus several more that aren't seen will be perfect for this quilt. The two fabrics on the top and the bottom of this picture are pieces that are larger cuts; I am considering using them for a pieced backing. That's pretty far down the road, though. I better not get too far ahead of myself. Finishing these 9-patches is my current goal.

Hope you have had a great Tuesday! I generally try to post early in the day, but these past two days, I've been quite late. Maybe I'm still adjusting to being back home. More likely, however, I am spending more time redoing two rooms in my house; sewing and blogging have become afterthoughts of late.

All good! These things need to be done, and I am grateful for the time and ability to do them.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Frankfort Girls

We met at Sharon O's house last Friday morning; six of the seven were present. (We missed you, Helen!) I couldn't say how long it has been since all 7 of us were together. Various illnesses, vacations and appointments are forever getting in the way of perfect attendance. I'd missed last time due to vacation, and I was really eager to catch up with these dear ladies.

And catch up we did. My goodness, our 3-hour session surely goes by in a flash. We were fed well by our hostess, and we had some show-and-tell items to share. Let's look:

Feast your  eyes on this Tumbling Blocks quilt that Becky made - entirely by hand! Wowzers! It it a reproduction lover's dream, for sure. She said that she did not repeat a single fabric - quite a statement about the depth of her stash, isn't it?

Terry shared a finish that you all have seen before. Let's look at the quilt first. She was stitching on the binding while we visited on Friday.

Do you recall seeing it about a month ago?? At that time, it was in its construction phase, and I trimmed a lot of those half-square triangles. Check this post for the visuals. Now Terry, feeling loads better, has finished it and nearly has it ready for use.

This close up picture lets you get a good look at the blocks, and Terry's quilting. The ticking fabric for the sashing strips is lovely. Those blocks finish at 4".

And I shared by impromptu froggy quilt; here's another look at it.

 We visited; we sewed; we ate; we strolled through Sharon's pretty yard - all in all, a delightful morning. They always are with these gals.

Hope you have had a productive Monday! I have done zero sewing for about 3 days; instead my attention has been diverted by a bit of an update in our house. I will share more details on that very soon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Tree Block: An Experiment

The recent vacation out west has given me an idea for a quilt I'd never previously had any interest in making. One lasting mental image (and there are lots!) of the trip is the seemingly never ending mountainsides full of cedars and pines. Wouldn't it be a really cool way to remember those impressive vistas if I were to make a quilt equally full of cedars and pines? Yeah, it sure would.

My first (and only, so far) tree block is the one you see above; I used a Lynette Jensen pattern, frequently my go-to source for easy block patterns. This particular block came from her book, At Home With Thimbleberries; the trees are used in the four corners of a Log Cabin quilt. 

 

The block measures 10.5 inches and was super simple to make, even with a fussier than preferred tree trunk component. 

After making that one block, I photographed it and then took it through an editing app to help me envision what I might end up with should I make more of these blocks.

Four blocks; same direction.

Four blocks; pointing to center.

That simple directional change results in an entirely different look, one that totally loses the trees.

Just for fun, I ran these two 4-block versions through once more to see what would happen. It's always surprising to see these versions.

16 blocks; same direction

16 blocks; pointed inward

Both versions have their merits, wouldn't you agree? If I were to decide to go with this block version, I would lean toward keeping them going in one direction and maybe consider adding a small sashing strip between blocks. Another possibility would be to place the blocks on point. Hmmm, I will keep this in mind.

That second 16-block option has a very striking look, but it is not one I am going for with this quilt. It created quite a fine design, though.

 Ahhh, the quilt design process! I love it!

I went to Pinterest to see what a search of pine tree quilts would elicit. Generic search terms work for stuff like this. I knew there was a name for the pine tree I had envisioned, but I was coming up blank. Yesterday at our quilting group, one of the girls said it - Tree of Life. Yes! (Thanks, Sheryll!) I now could do a more specific search.

The generic search offered  up this possibility which I like a lot. It is far from the look of the block I have made, but this is more of what I had in mind when I began thinking of making a tree quilt. Click the picture to go to the Pinterest link.

If I were to stay with the more traditional Tree of Life block, or my current Thimbleberries block, I might end up with something like this one. Again, click the picture to be taken to the Pinterest link.

This is a pattern by Edyta Sitar. I would use all versions of green in my trees to more accurately imitate the mountain views.  I like this on-point version, but gosh, look at all those half-square triangles. Oof. I would definitely bring out the triangle papers.

 

I have pulled lots of green fat quarters from my stash; next I need to dig for a suitable background. I am rearing to go on this quilt!

Either of these two Pinterest versions above would suit me to imitate tree-covered mountains, such as this one from my camera roll.

This picture could have been taken in any number of states - Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California - so many mountains, so many trees! According to the date on my picture, we were in Washington in the Cascade Mountains.

Back to the Pinterest search  - go there for any look you want! From modern to traditional, designed for any occasion or use, the variety is endless. Christmas quilts, table toppers, playfully wonky, and grizzly-bear-masculine.

Still in that design-choosing process! *smile*

Our oppressive heat wave has given way to a very pleasant day here in southern Ohio. I was actually chilly sipping coffee on the porch a bit ago. We needed this respite from the heat!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Froggy Baby Quilt

Sometimes, making a decision on what I want to make is nearly insurmountable. I can dither over making a firm decision for so long that I could have half a quilt made before making up my mind. That was the quandary I was in on Wednesday. I spent the entire morning waffling. Should I continue the 9-patch Kaffe Fassett project which I shared here? Should I start a baby quilt for a baby boy expected in a few months? Or should I explore a new idea which had come to me while on vacation - a pine tree-inspired quilt?

What to do?

By early afternoon, I was making a baby quilt. And by 9 or 10pm, the borders were attached! Let me show you.

Lately, while perusing online quilting sites, I've been seeing quilts that featured big checkerboards or plaids. The simplicity of them appeals to me. I wasn't sure about these 4 fabrics, but as it would be a baby quilt, I knew it wouldn't make a whole lot of difference. It'd be cute, for sure, whether it looked like a plaid or not.

None of these fabrics came together. The frog fabric is an end cut I picked up recently at Old Town Fabrics. They keep a supply of end cuts in a bin near their cutting table. I always check it out, and I'm always tempted; I do frequently find appealing goodies. The white is from that same bin, but purchased at a different time. The stripe is leftover from a previous baby quilt. The blue geometric is and even older leftover - sashing I'd used in a customer's t-shirt quilt.

See how nice it is to have an extensive fabric stash?? *smile*

I cut the squares 4". The stitching was super-easy. I laid the squares out on the bed, stacked them in chain-piecing fashion and had the center part put together in rather short order. 

Since I had a good amount of frog fabric remaining, I decided to add a border. The final size is 57" square, which is bigger than a lot of baby quilts I make. However, this larger size will see the babe into toddler stage, and will have some usefulness, too. I can see it being spread out on the floor for baby to lay on.

So now to load it onto the long arm machine. I'd love to quilt this up as soon as possible. Deciding on backing, but I won't dither about that for long.

It feels good to plow through a project so quickly. If I find myself languishing too long deciding what to make, it always helps to just grab the nearest thing and get busy.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

We're Home!

What a vacation! So many amazing sights. If anyone doubts America's beauty, they simply need to drive - off the interstates! - 6000 miles to have a look around. Our travels took us through 13 states and 6 National Park sites, 5 of which were new to us. My phone's camera roll reached capacity at one point, and I backed off my rampant photo-snapping late in the trip; my memories will have to suffice.

 

 

While we have driven out west twice before, the country is so expansive it would take dozens of trips to see all the sights. I am awestruck by the incredible beauty of snow-topped mountains, vast forests, sparkling rivers and frequent glimpses of waterfalls, wide open prairies, grazing buffalo, elk, and antelope, and the most amazingly blue skies you can imagine. 

We  had hoped  to see more of the west - especially all the National Parks in Utah, but the Pacific Northwest took so much of our time, we decided Utah will wait. A future trip will include Utah's many landmarks. We were not interested in rushing through places; we tried to linger and enjoy the beauty.

 

We arrived back here at home late afternoon yesterday, and before the day was done, I had sewing room time! I sure missed by sewing room! And yesterday was National Sewing Machine Day, so it was necessary to sew in honor of such a day.

 

Is it ever NOT the time to make 9-patch blocks? I think not. These are made chain-piecing style with 2-inch strips. 

My goal is to make a happy, cheerful quilt for DD Erin, our expectant momma! Won't this be a happy quilt for a new mother? Can't go wrong with Kaffe!

So far, 25 are done, and many, many more to come. I need to check my book and the instructions to see how big this will finish and and how many 9-patches are needed.

I will get all those necessary details for a future post; you know you'll be seeing more on this quilt before it is finished.

Hope you are having a great week! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!