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.

Quilt News, Yankee Puzzle Blocks, Alice Gets Another Red Border, Remembering Heroes.

This is the block, Yankee Puzzle.

Yankee Puzzle block is 8" square, made of HSTs.

Pieced and measures 32" sqr. it will soon have a 2" border all around.

'Alice in Red' block has another border and now measures 17" square.

California peaches, free stone and easy to peel, it's that time of the year!

Happy summer and it's almost the weekend,

 With 4th of July coming up next Thursday!

The clouds have burned off and the sun is warming it up here.

My Yankee Puzzle block quilt has been pieced and will soon have a 2" border making it 36" finished.

Red certainly takes the dominant place or depending on how you look at it, the neutral place.

'Alice in Red' block has had another border added to bring it up to the same size as my 'Alice in Blue' block. They will make up a medallion center. I'm designing or improvising as I go.

In remembrance of all the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces, and remembering all who've given their lives in that service, we are grateful.  There is no way to repay what you've done, we owe you all our deepest respect and gratitude.

That my Quilt Friends is the news from the rancho, where I'm remembering to be thankful.

How are your projects coming along, using any red?

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News Friday, the Color Gray, the Color Blue, This is Alice 2

Meet Alice 2 in blue, 17" x 17", I like this size.

Redondo Beach, afternoon sun peaking out, south.

View looking north, sun warming it up.

 Rabbits in the neighborhood, plotting to take over the world.

Happy Quilt News Friday!!

It's Father's Day this weekend and summer officially starts the day after!
Oops! That's wrong! Summer starts the 21st of June.

Happy Father's Day Dads everywhere.

And the weather here is still gray, once in a while the sun peaks out. We went to Redondo Beach yesterday for dinner and to enjoy the sun while it lasted.

I pieced Alice 2 together last week. I've decided to do a few improv small Liberated Medallion Style blocks for the challenge, for more on that see previous post. This block sewed up fast except the part where I had to unpick a border that wasn't working out. Editing carefully is always a challenge for me. I often get lost on rabbit trails and forget goals.

Speaking of rabbits, the local rabbits that live along the beach trail and on the golf course are reproducing like crazy and I'm sure they're planning an uprising of some sort. Maybe they'll figure out how to charge an entrance fee to walk the trail or some sort of added golf tax that will be charged to golfers for infringing on the rabbit's home territory. I'll let you know if that happens.

That Quilt Friends is the news from the rancho, where progress is happening and walks are being enjoyed. What projects and plans do you have lined up?

I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News Friday, the Color Gray the Color Red, Meet Alice

This is 'Alice' my new improv recipe, more versions to come.

I'm piecing more HSTs for new projects in Spectrum Reds by Cotton & Steel.

Redondo Beach volleyball game.

South end of Redondo Beach.

North View, not many people out this morning.

Happy Quilt News Friday!

It's a gray, cloudy day not cold or windy, just over cast. And it's been that way around here for a couple of weeks now.

This morning we went to walk along the beach. It was quiet and relaxing. There were some surfers on the south end waiting for waves and a volleyball game in progress. Often it's more crowded on the weekend.

This week I've got more HSTs pieced and very soon it will be time to sew rows together. I've made a big pile of them to go into several planned projects. 

I've also started on a new improv quilt I call 'Alice' because some of the fabrics I'm using are from the Wonderland Collection by Cotton & Steel. I've wanted to start using themes and 'recipes' in my designs just changing out color but using the same basic design. And yes, this way of working is of course influenced by Gwen Marston and her book, 'Liberated Medallion Quilts.'

You can get a better price on her book if you are an AQS member and you buy it from them.

And that my quilting friends is the news from the rancho where projects are being moved forward and walks are being enjoyed.

What's your quilt news?

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News, A Finish, A Greek God and a Hike, More Cotton & Steel Spectrum Reds

Neptune with his trident, at Olmstead Place, Palos Verdes CA.

Neptune's consorts.

Italian influenced architecture at Palos Verdes city center.

Decommissioned Nike Missile site, White Point, San Pedro CA.

Catalina Island and Pacific Ocean view from the park trail.

'Accounted 4', small improv quilt, 20" x 37", hand quilted, finished.

I'm piecing more HSTs using Cotton & Steels' Spectrum Reds, for a couple of projects.

Happy Friday from the Pacific Coast!

Where we have cooler weather with clouds, still spring!

This week we hiked and did a little sight seeing around. We drove north along the coast to the city center of Palos Verdes. Palos Verdes was designed by the American architectural landscaper, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. . It's like a park, beautiful and relaxing with businesses and a cafe that makes a good chicken salad sandwich. 

Then driving south along the coast we drove to White Point, San Pedro. There is a beach park on one side of the road and the other side is a nature park where you can hike trails and one of the trails, the one we took, takes you up to the decommissioned Nike Missile site, quite a monument to the cold war. There are decommissioned Nike Missile sites all up and down the west coast, interesting bits of history.

Last week I finished my small improv quilt, and I call it 'Accounted 4'. The fabrics I used reminded me of the records that might be kept in a private small business. I hand quilted it to add more hands on personal detail, like you'd get doing business with people you knew.

And that my quilting friends, is the buzz around the rancho. Exploration is being carried out and projects are being worked on.

What have you been accomplishing this last week?

I'll be by to visit.