This is a static export of a blog I put on ice many years ago, that still has personally relevant content. No promises can be made around linkrot, styles, or working functionality.
I really canāt turn down any idea that brews in my brain involving Parson Gray fabric. When Carl mentioned that a friend was planning on decorating her babyās room in blues and browns, I knew I had the perfect excuse to buy a few half yards of Seven Wonders.
Enter Disappearing Seven Wonders.
āDisappearing Seven Wondersā, Rachael Arnold, March 2013, 38″×50″
I put together two sizes of disappearing nine patchesā10″ and 8″ābisected by 2″ strips. It went together rather quickly on the retreat I went to in February.
Being a baby quilt, I backed it with a Minky-style fabric of blue and brown stripes. Because the background is white, the result was a less-than-opaque backing, so I threw an 80/20 blend batting in between (I think it is Pellon Natureās Blend, but it was a scrap from something else, so Iām not positive).
āDisappearing Seven Wondersā (Back Detail), Rachael Arnold, March 2013, 38″×50″
The quilting is an all-over wave-like pattern in a blue/white variegated thread (technically meant for denim).
āDisappearing Seven Wondersā (Front Detail), Rachael Arnold, March 2013, 38″×50″
It crinkled up nicely, even with the bit of poly in the batting and backing.
Topping it off is a new label. Iām planning on telling you more about that later this week.
āDisappearing Seven Wondersā (Back Detail), Rachael Arnold, March 2013, 38″×50″
Now to pop it in the mail! Iām a few weeks late, but I doubt the new baby boy will mind. Thatās finish number two for the year. Time to get back to some WIPs.
Iām currently working on three different sampler quilts (not to mention last yearās, which I still need to piece), and I oddly have the blocks up on the design wall for some reason (Iām usually good about putting them into their proper locations), so I took a (bad) photo.
One is with the Sew You Want to Quilt group, focusing on Amish blocks (I use the term loosely, based on research) in our own choice of colors. I have a few of those done, although I am still behind on one block from early February.
The other two are monthly Saturday Samplers (well, one is on Thursday nights) at the two closest LQSs. For those unfamiliar with the Saturday Sampler concept: you pay a registration fee ($10-15 seems standard) which covers a kit of the fabric for your first block at the first meeting. From there, if you continue to bring your completed block from the previous month to the next meeting, you continue to get the kit for the current month free of charge. If you canāt make it to the meeting, you typically have to purchase the missed monthās kit. Some shops give you a discount on the first kit you miss, some give you one free pass, some give you an incentive to finish the top before the next cycle starts, etc. Some give you all the individual pieces cut out, some give you strips and squares to cut and chain piece, some just give you chunks of fabric to cut everything out yourself. My two shops each have their own quirks, and sometimes the rules and procedures even change year to year.
Even though Iām not absolutely in love with the fabric choices and styles of either, I do greatly enjoy the social aspectāan hour each month to meet up with other local quilters, learn what the shops have to offer in the coming month, and see the creativity of everyone in what they bring to show and share.
Iām going to have to get creative with layouts for 12″ blocks though, thatās for sure!
After I posted this top back in January, I went a bit incommunicado about it, as I decided to submit it to the Great Lakes Seaway Trail āBeauty of the Bywaysā show this year. I finished it with nary a minute to spare, so I donāt have many photos of the details, nor of it hanging, but hereās an overview.
āShakespearian BarsāAn English Interpretationā, Rachael Arnold, February 2013, 52″×58″
Each submission to the show must have a story:
While some say you should travel a byway to see the āsimple lifeā, my journeys on byways around the country have been for the opposite reason; sometimes I need a break from the repetitive, āsimpleā driving of the Interstate System and long to see the complexities of agriculture, forests, seaways, rivers, and hundreds of small towns. Driving on Ohioās Amish Country Byway may find me slowed by a horse and buggy, but the leisurely pace gives me time to admire the rows of corn in fields or meadows of flowers along the road.
The piecing of my quilt is not intricate, but to call it simple belies the involved process of creationāfrom choosing the colors of fabric and thread, to the complexity of each stitch holding the three layers of cotton together. It is plain, but sometimes the monotony of lifeās daily bustle calls for slowing down and enjoying the āsimpleā complexity that you can find when you turn off the more often-travelled pathāwhether it be a break from quilting projects of many pieces to work on something inspired by the Amish or taking time to drive along a byway and admire the sights.
The pattern is mine, but it is strongly influenced by quilts made by Amish women in Pennsylvania and across the Midwest in the late 19th Century, now in museum collections.
The title comes from the color scheme, one I found for yarn somewhere on Pinterest. They called the scheme āShakespeareā, so I ran with that. Itās “an English interpretation” because English is what the Amish call non-Amish. The colors are Kona Coral, Kona Regal, Kona Hibiscus, Kona Moss, and Free Spirit Citrine.
The back is another Amish-inspired composition using the purples from the front (Regal, Hibiscus) and Moda Bella Thistle. Itās a little off-center, but not crooked, so I call it a basting win. Considering that I cut 7 of the 12 pieces incorrectly when putting it together, I should also call it a miracle.
āShakespearian BarsāAn English Interpretationā (Back), Rachael Arnold, February 2013, 52″×58″
I hastily applied a handwritten label to one side, but once I get it back, Iāll put a better one on.
Itās quilted in a charcoal thread that I had leftover from the Cyclist quilt; many sources on Amish quilts say that their quilting was done in black at that time, so I chose to use a dark thread rather than matching to the colors of the quilt.
Pellon Natureās Touch in the middle gives it a nice drape and warmth factor. I didnāt wash it before the show, but canāt wait to do so once I have it back in my hands.
The binding is wide and non-miteredāanother nod to the Amish tradition. I chose Hibiscus, as I wanted to put it next to the Regal as a way of giving the inner pieces more contrast. In certain light, the Hibiscus and Regal photograph very similarly to each other when they are in different areas of the quilt.
Itās also Moof approved, but Iām starting to think heās just a sucker for soft quilts on wood floors.
I donāt think this is the last of my experiments with color schemes and Amish Bar quilts!
If you are looking for something fun to do in the Central/Northern NY area this month, consider taking a trip to Sacketās Harbor for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail annual quilt show.
This yearās theme is āBeauty of the Byways,ā allowing for a wide variety of quilts inspired by the national byways. The show will also have two traveling collections on displayāone collection from the 2012 Hoffman Challenge traveling show and another from the Route 66 traveling show. There are so many quilts that theyāre spreading them over four historic buildings in the village!
The show is open for two weekends: March 16ā17, 2013 and March 23-34, 2013 in Sacketās Harbor, NY.
You can learn more about the show and the Great Lakes Seaway Trail on their website and their blog.
Iām doubly excited to visit this year, because not only do I have a quilt in the show, but my little sister is visiting me and is going to go too! See you on the 16th!
Proper photographs of the full block sets I made eluded me, but weāve now swapped three full sets of Puss In The Corner/Uneven Nine Patch blocks in the LQS swapping group.
My January set had these fabrics:
These comprised my third set, which we swapped last weekend:
All told, we have 60 of these blocks, which will finish at 8″
We are also doing one final swap for this project in Mayāa mix of piano key blocks and Ohio Star signature blocks for a border.
Though itās not a quilt I would have done on my own, Iāve really enjoyed playing with these fabrics, and love the scrappy result. Here are some of the finished blocks on the wall:
I havenāt decided on a final layout. The swapped blocks and upcoming border swap will allow for a twin-sized quilt on their own. Iām considering building out borders to make it a full-sized quilt, but weāll see.
Here we are almost two-thirds of the way through Q1 of 2013, but Iāve finally finished my 2012 Saturday Sampler blocks. In my defense, I missed Decemberās meetup because of our trip to MO, so I didnāt get the block until the end of January.
To recap, this is a monthly block meetup at my LQS. Every year, they choose a theme for the 12 monthly blocks, and 2012ās was āRoad Trip.ā We meet up the last Sat. of the month, learn how to make the block, and are given precut strips to complete it with. They chose to do this one out of batiks. In April 2012, I showed you my first three Saturday Sampler blocks, in July the second set, and in Octber, the third set. Here are the final three.
In October, we traveled up to Connecticutā¦
ā¦which was my first experience with flying geese. There are a few points lost in there, though.
In November, we went all the way down to the State of Georgiaā¦
ā¦Iām happy to report that no points or souls were stolen.
And to finish up the year, we traveled back up the east coast in December, landing on the Road to the White Houseā¦
ā¦and I only had to unsew one section that I mistakenly chain pieced to the wrong row.
Although I donāt have a photo, I have the rest of my top fabrics (the black texture from P&Bās Downtown collection, a white batik, and a yellow batik) and a layout all planned out, now I need to get to work on it.
I mentioned in July that I have a label planned, but now Iām hesitant, because Iāve seen how the other labels Iāve printed at home have held up (or rather, how they havenāt). I need to make a Spoonflower order soon, though, so I may add that in. Weāll see.
No promises as to when youāll see the finished quilt. Sometime this year, I hope.
Iām doing the Saturday Sampler again this year. Iām not sure that the theme has a name, but it is very different from 2012. Look for a quarterly report in April!
The retreat last weekend was amazingāsomething I definitely plan on doing again. It was about 48 full hours of sewing, eating wonderful food, and a little bit of sleeping. I came home Sunday and promptly ended up with the Sinus Plague. So, after a day of work which I donāt much remember on Monday (after work, I was in bed at 6, with a slightly awake break for dinner around 8), and a day in bed yesterday, I feel almost human again.
In the mean time, Iām on a wicked crunch to finish quilting the Amish quilt by Monday morning-ish (so I can mail it), and to make a sampler block by Saturday at 11am.
I did quite a bit of quilting for the Amish quilt while on the retreat (and a bit of un-quilting, unfortunately), but when I needed a break, this is what I worked on (shh, itās kind of a secret, and youāll have to forgive my hasty photo):
Iām so happy that my notebook scribbles turned out to be a great quilt top. Now I just have to figure out how to quilt it. Itās going to have a Minky back, so I don’t want to do anything too dense. The ladies at the retreat with me suggested circles; I like that idea. But, thereās still time to ruminate considering the timeline Iām on for other things.
The best thing about that quilt is that I still have plenty more fabric to make something else. I do love it so.
Last week was a bit hectic (our Christmas decorations are still up!), so I didn’t yet start work on my own Tiramisu for the 30 Minutes a Day Sew Along. My plan was to work on it yesterday.
But a color scheme has been stuck in my head in anticipation of the Amish quilt project with SYWTQ. I bought the fabrics for it, or at least as close as I could get to them when shopping online. They came on Friday.
Kona Coral, Konal Regal, Kona Hibiscus, Kona Moss, and Free Spirit Citrine.
It’s not quite right. I think Kona Berry would be better than Hibiscus. Instead of Moss, I need something a smidgen brighter. The Coral could be a just a little lighter.
But they are close.
While I was waiting for my fabric to come, I spent time looking through the IQSCM Quilt Center for quilts with the keyword Amish.
I kept getting stuck on the quilts made of bars.
And when the fabric came, the image in my mind wouldn’t go away.
I spent time in my sewing room yesterday, trying to get started on Tiramisu, but decided I needed to get the new fabric put away. Then I thought I should cut it out. Then I decided I should piece it. The inspiration, it just wouldn’t stop talking to me.
So yesterday, instead of starting on work for the Tiramisu sew along, I pieced a quilt top.
Shakespearian Bars, an English Interpretation. 52″×58″
Now I just need to find more fabric for the SYWTQ project. And get started on that Tiramisu.
Baby quilt two of the fall rush is complete and delivered.
I was inspired by all the diamond HST quilts in blogland, and decided to throw in a heart just for good measure. It finished at around 41″×45″.
Itās backed with a solid piece of Minky fabric. Itās wonderfully soft and cozy.
Because of the Minky backing, I didnāt want to quilt it too closely. So, I just echoed the diamond inside the middle of the HSTs, and made a couple of echo lines inside the heart. Her initials are also in the middle of the heart. The density (or lack thereof) is pushing the limits of the 80/20 batting I used, but I think it will be ok.
Because of the lack of pieced backing, I didnāt make a custom label. I just used one I had printed from Spoonflower, and added a few details in handwriting.
To complete the set, I made another modified Simplicity 2613 dog out of the leftover Minky, along with a small scarf of leftover top pieces and some other fuzzy purple fabric I had in my stash. I like how the pattern goes together with the Minkyā¦ it will be used again, Iām sure.
Iām working on a bag in which to cart around my EPP project. I decided it needed something on the front, so I (normal) paper pieced this small (4.5″) Mrs. Bryanās Choice block variant.
I donāt really know how to paper piece, so I made it up as I went along. I think it turned out okay. I hope to show you the bag next week. The shell is done. I wanted to do the lining tonight, but Iām traveling all weekend, so it will be a while.
