Saturday, March 18, 2017

Does it smell like Spring yet?


  Just in time for Spring.....Lavender Scents is finished.
    When I was searching and mauling through fabrics in the stash closet, I found about 1/2 yard of the purple that I used for the outer border.  Ah, just the right purple to make the purple tones in the bargello pop.   Then a very dark green for the inner border to frame the design.    The binding was a chance discovery.....cream background with the perfect purple swirl design.  Note here.....I buy fabric because I like it for the color or the design.  I don't buy a complete fabric line so that everything matches.  The fun is in the search thru the stash :)
   Quilting detail.....a light lavender thread by Aurifil 50 wt.  The center design got an all over large meander....not too dense.  The outer border was done in swirls....mixed large and small.  All were done free hand, no marking.  I just make it fit as best I can.




 And for Janet.....here's the full photo.
  For several reasons,  I named this one Lavender Scents.   The body of the bargello has a lot of purple touches in the fabrics.  Second, I love the smell of lavender.  Third, my sense of smell has become quite acute with this health thing.  I become overwhelmed walking into the grocery store and smelling all the goodies in the bakery or deli.  The lavender candle on the counter doesn't have to be lit for me to smell it.









  I did the corner trick for the label this time.  A printed square that I added fabric to to enlarge it to about 6''.  Then a fold on the diagonal and added it  to a corner before binding.









Here's the post  with more details of the stitching.  I began this project last year and only got part way through the stitching when I got delayed at the hospital.  I chose to use all floral fabrics for this quilt to create a watercolor bargello.  Anyway,  I picked it back up in January and am very happy to have it completed.

Size is  36'' by 52''.








  Spring arrives Monday....and the warmer days too.  I will be overseeing some yard work as the flower beds have gone wild.  A crew will be coming in to cut back some shrubs and trees for us.  Those big tasks I/we can no longer do.  The shrubs by the front porch will disappear and I plan on a scented area instead of just green.  Wonder what plants I will choose.
Have a great weekend and happy stitching.  

16 comments:

Quilting Babcia said...

I would almost be willing to bet your new doorway garden will have a touch of lavender! Your bargello quilt is so lovely, soft and spring-like. I think you are fortunate to have retained your sense of smell, it is something I wish for when our flowers are blooming, but that sense has almost entirely departed for me.

Gene Black said...

I do think lavender would be nice by the front porch. And maybe some sage and rosemary to add some culinary assistance besides just smelling lovely.

Pauline Bedi said...

I love your use of floral fabrics with a Bargello pattern. They make a delightfully soothing transition; very pretty.

Dana Gaffney said...

It's beautiful and I love the name, I replace my lavender plants every year and now I want them today :) It's interesting that your sense of smell has become stronger, that can be lovely if it's not overpowering.

Louise said...

What a beautiful finish, Debbie! I smiled when I read how you buy fabric and choose things from your stash. That's exactly how I do it, too! It's so much fun to find the perfect piece and have that "aha!" moment in your own stash, isn't it?

The purple and green borders are just right to emphasize the lavenderiness (that's real word, right?) of this quilt. And the pale binding just pops!

MissPat said...

Lovely as always. You're lucky to be able to start yardwork (even if it's hired help). I'm still in FL, but understand that we still are buried in snow, so yardwork will be weeks away yet. I'll be home on March 25th to survey the scene.
Pat

Robby said...

It's gorgeous and I think hand-picked fabrics over time give a quilt a depth that a 'line' of fabric just sort of misses. Nothing wrong with using a line of fabric, but they are different looks. My sympathies on the over-whelming aromas issue, there are aisles at the grocery I can barely go down because the smell is just too much.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I think it is just lovely and perfect name for it. I hope is is a harbinger of Spring.

Janet O. said...

THANK YOU, Debbie!! : )
It is SO lovely--gentle and soft, like a sweet, fresh Spring breeze.
I love the color purple and I love lavender plants and their scent. I grow the Hidcote variety, where the buds are as dark as your outer border. I harvest the lavender before the buds open and dry them to put in my bars of lavender soap.
You have captured a lovely garden with a border of lavender--someplace that is soothing to visit. Nice job!

Linda Swanekamp said...

Thanks for the photos- I needed that today as we got more snow. The colorwash is so gorgeous.

Ray and Jeanne said...

Lavender Scents is gorgeous! And I love the name. The border fabric was a great find. I also buy fabric that I like instead of a fabric line. Sometimes great things happen because of what's in the stash. This quilt really looks like spring. ~Jeanne

Nicki said...

Your Lavender Scents quilt has a very fitting name. It reads spring all over it. It's so very, very pretty. Surely you will be planting lavender by the front porch. :)

Lynette said...

Debbie, it's so pretty! - and WOW, you got a lot done this week! "Lavender Scents" is a very fitting name.

Mystic Quilter said...

Congratulations on another beautiful quilt! Hope you'll show us photos of your your re-designed garden by the porch when it's planted up.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Gorgeous quilt! Love the purples, and you gave it the perfect name.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I have a lavender bush beside the house. Too bad it doesn't bloom very long. Nice quilt.

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