My Quilt Projects!

My MODA Bee-autiful Quilt-A-Long top is finished!

 I made a small quilt with my sister-in-law's heirloom lace.

Finally, I am working on The Great Gatsby storybook quilt I have been planning for several YEARS, ever since I read Maureen Corrigan's book So We Read On which lead me to reread Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Read my review here.

 Tom and Daisy, the rich couple who wreck havoc on other people's lives.

Jay talking to Nick.

Jordan and Daisy.

We bought local eggs and what pretty colors they are!

A Whimsical William Shakespeare

April 23 was the 400th anniversary of  the death of William Shakespeare. This quilt came to me and I rushed out to buy the fabric and supplies. I drew it out on freezer paper and cut out the shapes. I fused fabric for the face and pieced the doublet.

 His ruff print has love endearments.

I printed his sonnet 116 on fabric. And made 3-d folded flowers.

So much fun!

Ta-Da! Some Finished Quilt Tops

Sometimes it seems I never finish anything I start. I need fabric or batting or time. I need to tear out or remake. I despair and walk away. So I am very satisfied to have actually finished a quilt top.

The Fox Kit quilt from Sew Fresh Quilts is done. This is more complicated to assemble than I usually attempt. Thankfully, Lorna's instructions are amazing with step by step colored illustrations.

Next up is my process on the Vintage Baseball quilt from Northwater Quilts.

I have already altered the original pattern with the use of the Tigers fabric. I want to turn this into a lap quilt. Instead of adding pennants in the corners I will add them in an additional border, one for each pennant year.

I am also planning on --gasp-- not hand quilting these quilts. I will have them machine quilted. I have hand quilted 95% of my quilts since 1991. I machine quilted smaller artsy pieces. 

I am getting into the 21st c. of quiltmaking.

I have a few corners to clean up with additional appliqué, but am thrilled to have finessed the last border on Love Entwined!

I still can't face the next border, so will set it aside for a bit. This quilt will be hand quilted, when I decide it is finished.

Vintage Rose for Mothers Day and a Memory Quilt for Mom

I am just finishing up a quilt I called Vintage Rose. It incorporates a vintage embroidered doily (which was a giveaway from my weekly quilters group; read about it here) appliquéd on a vintage linen napkin, vintage cutter quilt rose blocks bought on eBay, a vintage glove, and vintage tatting, buttons, and other linens.

 Worn rose-shaped buttons frame "Rose" in her heart-shaped doily.

The rose appliqués were in bad shape. I covered them with sheer tulle, machine sewed it along the appliqué, then trimmed it. The tatted roses are trimmed from doilies I bought a while back.

A few months ago when I bought out a dealers linen stash there were a dozen gloves included (read about it here). This one is satin with a pretty crystal button.

On my bed I put the second quilt I ever made, made in 1991. I used Mom's painting shirts, all red plaids. I found the block pattern in a magazine, just the block, no instructions. I pretty much made up my own instructions. I had no idea what I was doing at the time. In the middle of appliquéing the hearts I met Holly Perry who taught me the appliqué and quilt stitches. We joined the quilt group at the church, which is still going on 24 years later with many of the same ladies.

Mom was an oil painter. She took her first classes in adult education back when I was a tyke. Later in life she took private lessons.

One of Mom's paintings

Mom died of cancer in 1990. She was 57 years old.

Mom about 38 years old at the time of my graduation from high school

Mom in 'the project' in her Jitterbug Queen days

Read About Songs My Mother Sang Me found at
http://theliteratequilter.blogspot.com/2014/04/songs-my-mother-sang-me-1940s-novelty.html