Country Garden bed runner

  Done!   The Country Garden bed runner was finished off with a mottled purple binding.  Since the blocks and floral fabrics used were on the lighter side of the spectrum, it seemed to work.

  This runner is a good study in contrasts.  some of the combinations are very high contrast of light and dark, and others are less so with both fabrics tending to the light. 













 The Country Garden  is a mix of every sort of bloom, and leaves run the gamut from green to blue-green to a taupe-lavender.  It's my garden and I made it a fun one.   I see sunshine in the light backgrounds  and blooming roses and daffodils.   If you study it closely you might find the weeds I never got to pull :)













   Quite a contrast between the two....you can see why I had a challenge getting them to work nicely together in one quilt. 






     The blocks are 16 patch made with 2 '' strips.  I used 3 blocks across and 10 blocks for the length.  The post for the Shade Garden is here.
 

  The tale of two gardens comes to  an end.   I have two runners for bed or table.....to switch out with the season or mood.  It just will depend on the story I want to tell. 
Happy stitching. 

Shade Garden

  Things got away from me this week and I forgot to finish up this post.
     In November, I began playing with 16 patch blocks.   I was having fun with floral fabrics and contrasts of more solid/tonal fabrics.   The 16 patch block is quite addictive and I just kept making sombinations. 
   Along the way, I realized that I had two distinct moods to the blocks I was creating.  I referred to them as "shade garden" and "country garden'' blocks.  I had a hard time merging them into one quilt.  So they became 2 different projects. 







   I decided I wanted to make a bed runner for different seasons.  This is the first, "Shade Garden". 
    The floral fabrics are like spots of sunlight that peek thru the shaded garden.  This version has  the accent/contrast on the darker side for this runner.











  The block size is 6'' when using 2'' strips.  The runner is 18'' wide.....and 66'' long. 
  Photo on the right shows the different combos of fabrics that I used. 

 


    Simple swirl quilting all over and one of the abundant florals in my collection for the binding. 


   The Country Garden version is ready to bind and will be finished soon:)  Then I can do a better comparison.
Happy stitching. 

More from the 16 patch farm!

  The baby quilt is pinned for quilting and the binding is pressed and ready for finishing.  Just the quilting needs to be done.  I am seeking inspiration on that part or I will be resigned to meandering.  But I have a few days to contemplate it all. 


  So I visited the 16 patch farm.....the blocks were sitting by the iron and needed the final pressing.  I put up a crop of the darker blocks--shade garden blocks---to the left.  To the right went the second crop of the lighter blocks that jumble together like a country garden. 
  I could see a couple of blocks that needed to be switched to the other side.  Why so  narrow, you ask?  My thought here was to make narrow throws for the foot of the bed---foot warmer style.  I sort of thought they would be more useful for us. 
  Since the blocks will finish at 6'', I need to make a few more to have enough length.

    Over the weekend I made more  blocks while watching a movie.  Then I began playing on the design wall....and everything got jumbled and moved around.   Seeing the photo now, I think I made a mistake.  I like this better on the design wall but not in the photo. 

Insight:  Remember this trick....a photo does not lie.  I need to like the photo and the design wall layout!
 
That's okay, I can take it all down and add a few more blocks to the mix.  Then I can see what the farm crop yields the next time:)

  Two small trees are decorated and a few bit of Christmas decor spread around.  A small bit of shopping is done, and list made for food items to buy and bake.  Now if the weather would cool off enough to be able to heat up the ovens for cookies.  Maybe next weekend. 
Happy stitching. 

Sewing on

  One set of appointments done, 2 more this week....ugh!  But I am thankful they are just check ups and check ins.  Except for the mammogram this week, but we will not think of that yet.  I have some blocks to show that I have stitched a bit.

 
   The first four blocks are pressed, fused and appliqued down for the baby quilt...... and the remaining blocks are set to go under the needle.  I will be stealing time between the appointments and a little bit of baking this week to work on these during the day.  I am using a pale yellow Aurifil thread for the buttonhole stitch on them, so that means using the Janome for stitching.













  The 16 patch blocks......I am loving them and the entire process from the selecting fabrics, sewing stratas, sub-cuts, and sewing again.  If you need a good/excellent tutorial for a 16 patch block, I have just the place for you to learn.  At Exuberant Color, Wanda has put together a perfect tutorial on her technique....click here. 
   I was inspired by her garden series projects to try this.  So the only way to learn, for me is to do.  I did a few.    Here's the mix of what I have sewn so far using 2'' strips. 

  Here is the cropped version of what I think will be in the "shade garden"  quilt.    Or maybe a couple of them need to shift to the country garden one.  Time will tell.

  I have more strata strips sets sewn and I work on them in spare moments or while watching TV in the evenings.  The Featherweight is perfect for this project. 







  I took a couple of photos to share the fabric selection part of the process.  I thought I would see how a light version and a darker version worked on the same floral print.   The upper block has a medium to light mottled fabric verses the dark plum in the bottom.  Quite a difference....the top one is mellow--country garden, and the bottom has drama--shade garden-- and the green in the print pops more to me. 













  The floral in this print has a lot of value difference....dark areas and light areas.  The top photo it is paired with a batik and then with a deep plum fabric.  I think both will work in the shade garden version. 


  The selection of the pairs is an interesting exercise for figuring out contrasts.  The shade garden needs enough contrast to be seen, but not too strong overwhelm.  I need to dig deeper into the stash for the alternate fabric for pairing with the florals. 

  So that's the plan for the week.....stitch between appointments, bake a few things ahead for Christmas.  We aren't doing a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.....crazy for the 2 of us.  It's eat out or have a steak in....lol.  We have a beautiful week of weather, I plan on stealing moments to enjoy it.
Happy stitching. 

Those 16 patch blocks

  I put together a couple of the 16 patch this afternoon to see what I had come up with. 













    I immediately saw 2 different  gardens.....a country garden and a shade garden.    All of the combinations in this photo remind me of a country garden.   The type with a few weeds, volunteer plants, some shade and bright sun. 

  Selecting the 2 fabrics to pair together is the hardest part for sure.  If the contrast fabric to the floral is too busy, the combo will be quite muddy.

   In this group I paired dark batiks and a dark green with brighter florals.   This says shade garden to me, which is fine by me.  I'm just not quite sure how it will all combine. 

  I have plenty of floral strips already cut, so I have a huge selection to pick from.  The darker contrast takes more time to hunt down.  Since this is an experiment to see what happens, and what I like, I'll just mix and match till I am satisfied. 

  The first 4 blocks of the orange peels are ready for stitching down.  The color is a bit off here, but these blocks make me smile.  I see a happy little girl twirling and laughing.  Exactly what I think these fabrics need. 


So I have plenty of work for me this week.
Happy stitching.