Quilt News, Thin Borders, Improv Piecing and Hand Quilting is a 'Bear.'

Thin black border added to my HST Barn Raising, the blue floral border is next.

Hand quilting has begun on my Bright Sampler.

I'm improv piecing 3 1/2" sqr. small Log Cabins for another border.

It will look something like this.

My 'low volume' improv Log Cabin quilt, 27 x 27", so far. Maybe one or two more borders to go.

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where spring is in the air with sun, clouds and a little wind.

This week progress in quilt projects has been good. I work a little on this and that and trade around.

I've added several thin borders and I like the color/contrast statement that happens. That's in the medallion style of quilt construction which I've been specializing in lately.

My 'low volume' improv Log Cabin quilt looks great up against a window, like stained glass. I'm giving it another border of small improv Log Cabin blocks and then a solid border in Kona cotton solid 'Wasabi.'

Hand quilting on my Bright Sampler is in progress. It's like taming a bear, with time and patience it will get done and hopefully I'll live to tell about it.

Also 'Simply Moderne, Quilts and Crafts' issue 16 is out, published by Quiltmania.

I highly recommend it, they are modern, yes, but not painfully so, they're not afraid to acknowledge traditional and to let some artsy stuff sneak in. I love their style!

Excellent reference and inspiration.

Also have you heard, Pantone's new color of the year is 'Living Coral.'

Fabulous! There are QALs and contests involving the new color, but I have enough going on now without starting another project, really. So I will enjoy seeing all the new quilts using 'Living Coral.'

Are you going to start a new quilt using 'Living Coral'?

That's the news from the rancho, 

where I'm remembering to be thankful and progress is being made.

I'll be by to visit.

Adventures in Piecing, Hand Quilting and Border Choices, Cotton+Steel's Les Fleurs, Spring and Butterflies!

Improv pieced units auditioning in relation to the center piece.

More piecing auditions.

We went hiking on the Los Liones Canyon Trail.

We saw wild parrots, lizards and wild flowers.

This is now pieced, bordered and basted, 20 x 38". I'm beginning hand quilting.

Hand quilting started with basting in orange thread.

I can't remember the inspiration for this project. It'll come to me.

Next border (1" wide) for my improv 'low volume' log cabins, Kona cotton solid in berry.

Next border (2" wide) for my HST 'Barn Raising' in Cotton+Steel's Les Fleurs. Love the blue and coral next to the reds.

Happy blue floral.

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where it's officially spring. Last week or two there's been an amazing Painted Lady butterfly hatching out around here. There were butterflies everywhere, in the parks, streets, yards and along the coast trail. They were dancing around and wouldn't hold still for a picture. Beautiful.

I've finished piecing and basting my runner, hand quilting is started. Its center piece I had used in the backing of my Butterfly quilt, but I decided it needed to be on the front and center of a quilt, it was too fun to be just a backing. So I unpicked the machine quilting on my Butterfly Quilt (now hand quilted) and took the center piece out of the backing. Now I've added to the center piece and I'm very happy with how it looks.  I forgot where my inspiration for that piece came from. I need to remember to figure out a name, it'll come to me sooner or later.

  

And I've decided on the next border colors for two of my projects. Now the borders are cut out ready to be pieced on and then on to the next decision.

My Traditional Bright Sampler is now layered and basted and hand quilting will soon begin. I roughly followed the free BOM patterns from Piecing the Past Quilts, their 'Times of Refreshing.'

I used bright modern colors and chose to arrange the blocks differently and finish the borders differently.

Also we hiked along the Los Liones Trail in Malibu last weekend. A flock of wild parrots flew in and squawked at us. We heard quail in the brush and saw wild flowers and tried to stay clear of the poison oak. An invigorating hike.

That's the news from the rancho,

 where progress is being made and I'm remembering to be thankful.

I'll be by to visit!

Floral Medallion Style Quilt with Four Patch Border, Yellow Daisies!

Four patch border pieced on, now approx 38 x 42".

My floral medallion style quilt with four borders, not done yet.

Daisies along the coast trail are happy in the sun, look close for lots of bees.

The trail is greening up, birds are singing!

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we have sun and wind today, rain off and on.

And it's March, spring starts officially this month! The bees and daisies are making a rush for it.

This week I pieced onto my floral medallion style quilt its four patch border. I think I'll add one more border about 2.5" wide, shooting for 42 x 46", and then it will be a finished flimsy.
This is for a certain little girl.

Cathy has finished her 'Fractured Rainbows'  quilt and it's fabulous, you must visit her blog and see for yourself.

She still has snow on the ground where she lives, brrr!

There's always inspiring designs and quilts on her blog, thank you, Cathy.

That's the news from the rancho, where I'm remembering to be thankful.

I'll be by to visit.

Four Patch Border, Spring Colors Already? Butterfly for March

This Four Patch border will be the fourth border when it gets pieced on.

Stacks of four patches, do I see spring colors or what?

We've had rain and it's looking green around here.

Peacock Butterfly for March 2019.
Painted Lady butterflies have started to come out around here this last week.

More Blanket Stitches, I like the 'Tea Green'.

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we have high clouds and almost no wind, nice.

In the photo looking out over the golf course you can see the plant life is greening up.

This week I've been piecing four patches for a border, and I noticed the colors remind me of spring. 

I'm not sure what will go on next, stay tuned. This quilt and my HST Barn Raising were started last spring and then I got side tracked and put them away for a while. It's time to move forward and finish a few things around here!

And it's March 1st! We have a new grand baby coming this month. Thrilling for sure.

My afghan is growing stitch by stitch and warm on my lap when I work on it, perfect for cool weather. The crochet class I'm teaching is lots of fun, everyone is making progress.

That's the news from the rancho, where I'm remembering to be thankful.

I'll be by to visit!