Alice in Red Gets Final Borders,Yankee Puzzle Blocks Layout for Second Quilt, Quilt News Friday

'Alice in Red' medallion gets final border, top border not yet sewed on here.

I like this.

Yep!

Tagging rows before piecing.

Yankee Puzzle blocks in fun fabric by Cotton & Steel.

Happy Weekend!

Lots of busyness around here. I've managed to begin piecing rows for another Yankee Puzzle block quilt for another girl baby on the way! Lots of HSTs and fun fabric to look at.

Alice in Red #1 now has her final borders pieced on. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Borders can be tricky. I had to watch the final pressing and not stretch the border width wise.

Donna of Jordan Fabrics  has many good tutorials where she talks about being careful of just that.

This post is short, it's late and I need to relax after a long day.

That my quilt friends is the news from the rancho. 

Hope you're enjoying your summer and finding time for projects.

I'm remembering to be thankful,

and I'll be by to visit.

Floral Quilt Border on Blue Alice, Kaffe Fassett's 'Quilts in the Cotswolds Medallion Style Quilt Designs', Morning Coffee on the Beach

My 'Alice in Blue' with final blue floral border.

Blue floral fabric by Cotton & Steel.

Redondo Beach, surfers waiting for the right one.

Feet in the surf, priceless.

Great weather for morning coffee and a walk along the beach.

Life guard shack, Redondo Beach. I like the look of these shacks on the beach.

Happy Friday!

It's summer and the weather is fine.

We walked on the beach this morning with our coffee and put our feet in the surf and got windblown and salty, great way to spend a morning!

This week I finished the final border on Alice in Blue, named for Cotton & Steel's Wonderland fabric line which I'm using some of in Alice. I also used some Kona cotton solids and some scraps for the four string blocks medallion in the center. The four string blocks in the center were pieced liberated style, meaning fun not precise. 

Also, I'm starting a study on medallion quilts. Why? because it's exciting. Since the beginning of the year I've been distracted and uninspired as far as quilt design goes, sometimes that happens.

I've been reading through Gwen Marston's 'Liberated Medallion Quilts', good read by the way. Her definition of medallion quilts, on page 8 is as follows,

"Medallion quilts... defined as quilts with a center area of interest surrounded by a series of borders. The center can be a pieced or appliquéd or a whole cloth panel. The borders can be whole cloth, pieced or appliquéd.

Medallion quilts were one of the earliest styles of quilts made in America."

Of course some will say, 'Well this is old school, every one knows this.' Maybe so, but I see that new life, color and excitement are being breathed into the medallion quilt 'recipe'.

In reading Gwen Marston's 'Liberated Medallion Quilts' with her innovative, playful style and then reading Kaffe Fassett's book, 'Quilt's in Ireland', (there are 5 medallion style quilts included in that book) with his colorful, classic style, I began to see possibilities springing up everywhere.

And then I found Kaffe's newest book, 'Quilts in the Cotswolds, Medallion Style Quilt Designs in KF Fabric,' and of course ordered it from Barnes & Noble because they were having a good sale. I'm looking forward to color and design inspiration galore, Kaffe and company do not disappoint.

My medallion Alice blocks, 2 in red and 1 in blue, are now each going to be the center medallion of a small medallion study quilt. This medallion recipe can be liberated in style or formal, whole cloth, pieced, or appliquéd. This of course is nothing new, but I see it as a way to experiment without having to 'reinvent the wheel' every time or find a new pattern to use. 

That my quilt friends, is the news from the rancho. Where summer is being enjoyed and new beginnings are happening. 

Remembering to be thankful.

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News Friday! Alice in Red #2 Improv Block, Coast Walk, Garden Angel, & Earthquakes

This is the 2nd 'Alice' block in red, this is one of 4 blocks that will make a medallion.

The afghan I started around Christmas is about 1" away from being done here.

Summer view of beach cliffs south of Terranea Resort, RPV, CA.

This is the park I walk down to almost every day, ocean and cliff straight ahead.

The different colors of ocean are thrilling.

Garden angel that lives in my friend's garden.

Happy Quilt News Friday! 

The business of summer has set in. I think actually I'm busy relaxing and taking more walks.

I finished piecing my 2nd 'Alice' in red block, one of 4 blocks to be the center of a quilt. I have that part decided on, the borders not yet, I'm improvising as I go.

This quilt has a lot of Cotton & Steel's Wonderland fabric and that's why the name, Alice.

Also, Alice's reactions to her adventures, in the Alice in Wonderland book, are definitely improvised, a kind of high art! All in fun!

I'm almost done with the crochet afghan for my DDIL & Son's new apartment.

The latest SoCal earthquakes were centered about 2 hr's from here, north and a little east.

There's a lot of oil extraction in that area and they use fracking to get the oil where they can get to it easier. While probably not the total cause I think it adds to the equation. Talking about messing up the environment. The big oil companies have enough money to keep that quiet. They want everyone to be concerned about everything else except what I think is a serious issue.

We did feel jolts and shaking here.

And then the photo of the garden angel that lives in my friend's garden, reminding everyone to let peace rule in our hearts, a powerful message.

That's the news from the rancho, where projects are getting finished and summer is being enjoyed.

How are your summer projects coming along?

I'll be by to visit.