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!

HST Medallion Bordered in Spectrum Reds, Teaching Crochet.

HST Barn Raising medallion with four borders.

This was started last summer, and then I ran out of steam.

I've been teaching crochet, perfect time of the year for it. This is blanket stitch.

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we're having rain and wind storms off and on. 

Rain coat weather.

And I've been busy with piecing a HST border, the fourth for my HST Barn Raising Medallion I started last summer. I got stuck and couldn't figure what to do with it. 

I had pieced on a Kona cotton solid Pink Punch border and a thin black/dot batik border and that was it. I put it away.

Then, as I talked about in my last post, I was going through my stash and found a Cotton + Steel Spectrum Red layer cake! The light went on, I knew what to do. First a cream, rustic border went on, then the Spectrum Red HST border.

Now My Barn Raising Medallion has four borders and measures in @ 35 x 35". 

I'm happy with it now, but it's not finished yet. Stay tuned for more.

And I've been teaching crochet at a local women's group. They're having fun learning and I enjoy their company.

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.

Improv Quilt Finish Washed and Dried, Cotton & Steel Spectrum Reds, February Butterfly Calendar

Look what I found, Cotton & Steel Spectrum Reds, I forgot I had these.

My 'Uneven Thirds' washed and dried, approx. 23 x 23".

'Uneven Thirds' finished back, Kona cotton solids and a print. 

These are my first 'Uneven Thirds' blocks. I turned them into mug rugs.

February 2019 butterflies.

A break in the storm, view out the back door,

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we have wind and rain off and on. And it's February, time to feature the butterflies on my calendar. My 2019 calendar is published by Cavallini & Co. The butterfly illustrations are from the 19th and 20th century, lovely and cheerful.

And my 'Uneven Thirds' improv small quilt is washed, dried and finished, love that red binding!

The design and colors are my choice.

I was going through my fabric stash and found a fun collection of Cotton & Steel Spectrum Reds. I forgot I had them, so out they came. I'm busy making HST's with them now for borders etc.

That's the news from the rancho, we're wearing our rain coats, and remembering to be thankful.

What do you have on your 2019 calendar?

I'll be by to visit!

Quilt Nine Patch Choices for U & U and AHIQ's 'Red is my Neutral', Embroidered Texture

Blocks I started last summer experimenting.
I think I'll use these in AHIQ's new challenge, 'Red is my Neutral.' 

My improv pieced Nine Patch block I started in a class.

U & U: American Quilts Below the Radar, Nine Patch. I like how the colors are used.

This is the back to the quilt above, I like this too.

Another example of a beautiful Nine Patch in U & U.

Very attractive One Patch.

This is the Nine Patch I'm leaning toward, some serious fun going on here.

My Kindle version of U & U, I don't have the space right now for a large collection of hard copy  books.

I've been stitching 'texture' onto a challenge quilt for the Endeavorers' group.

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we have blue sky mixed with high clouds and warmer temperatures.

I have family in the NE where they have snow and freezing temperatures right now.

Brrrr.

This week I've been going through my Kindle version of Unconventional & Unexpected:

American Quilts Below the Radar for Sujata Shah's  challenge. I've seen this book around for a while, in libraries and book stores and I'm familiar with it and have favorites. I'm narrowing my choice down and I since I never follow a pattern exactly I'll also add my own 'curve'.

Some of the quilts in U & U remind me of Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran's style. I'm a big fan of both. Gwen has collected a lot of antique quilts and she shows some of them and talks about them in her classes @ iquilt.com. Her classes there are exciting.

And Freddie's use of red and orange are heroic! Her appliqué style is also a thing of wonder. 

I've also been stitching 'texture' onto a challenge quilt for the Endeavorers' challenge this month.

My stitching hand is now unhappy with me, it needs rest.

That's the news from the rancho, where I'm enjoying adventures in color and creating. 

Remembering to be thankful. 

I'll be by to visit.

Unconventional 'Uneven Thirds' Improv Modern Quilt; Medallion Style, Binding, 'Origami' Quilt Magic

I started 'Uneven Thirds' with these center blocks, my design and colors.

Here the first border is sewn on, second borders, half square triangles, in process.

Binding is sewn to front and pinned to back, 22" x 24".

Back of 'Uneven Thirds', Kona cotton solids and a print.

Hand stitching the binding down with a Kona cotton solid red.

I started sewing the Cathedral Window rows together and I like the 3-D effect here.

Center points are tacked down, 3 rows of four squares or 4 rows of three!

A print square, is laid down and the solid sides are folded over and pinned, ready to be hand stitched down.

Hello from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we have clouds, wind and rain off and on.

The Pacific Ocean is stormy and grey.

This week I'm slowly getting back into gear. It was a good change to slow down and relax.

I got the binding for my "Uneven Thirds' small quilt sewed onto the front and I'm working on hand sewing the back down. I like the red binding, a thin line of red to bring the whole statement to a finish.

Sometimes I think about doing a fold over finish, it's kind of 'artsy', but I like that thin line of color to  

frame my quilt and define it.

I think 'Uneven Thirds' is very 'unconventional and unexpected' as in Sujata Shah's challenge to make an unconventional quilt in the style of the quilts found in Unconventional and Unexpected; American Quilts below the Radar, curated and authored by Roderick Kiracofe.

Then I made progress on my 'origami' Cathedral Window project. It does remind me of origami but with cloth. I enjoy the 3-D look of the squares and points and I'm in no hurry to finish because I like looking at it unfinished.

That's what's happening at the ranch where it's winter on the coast.

And I'm remembering to be thankful.  

I'll be by to visit.