Bargello comfort quilt

    About three years ago just before I had my extended hospital visit/stay/endurance time....lol....I had lunch with a friend.  Jennifer brought along some "quilt blocks" she had been given by a friend.  The story goes that the friend's Mom had recently died, and the daughter discovered this unfinished  quilt.  But no directions or anything with it.  Jennifer brought it to me for my "expert" opinion.
  She had several width of fabric sections of strata that had been sewn.  The  fabrics blended nicely, and I knew what was intended.  It was the beginning of a bargello.  I attempted to explain it over our meal, but how to you tell a new  quilter about bargello?  Once home, I found an article and instruction for a small bargello wall hanging, which I passed on to her.

Made by Jennifer

 Fast forward to this week.
 I had a call and note from Jennifer and she wanted to share the finished project.  The friend has been diagnosed with breast cancer and Jennifer wanted her to have a comfort quilt at this time.  Want to see what she did?

  Her friend recognized it as the one her Mom had been making, and now she sleeps covered in love each night.    Jennifer said it was worth the 3 days of quilting and 6 hour trip to deliver it to her.
  This was an amazing job.  She got wonderful flow and movement in the design.  A supreme effort and amazing quilt!






  In the sewing room, it has been quiet as I have been going thru rounds of doctor appointments.  I survived the bone density tests, and the mammogram but came home both days tense and in need of a long nap.
   I also went thru the appointment for the colonoscopy......I tried my best to talk them out of it, but with an abnormal screen no one would listen to me.  The ordeal is next week with the liquid diet beginning Monday.   I put up two days of meals  in the freezer for Sir Old Man  since I don't want to cook when not eating.  We bought the extra drinks for electrolytes, and etc.  The doctor's concern is my blood pressure dropping, and I am concerned about the anesthesia.   I just have to put my  warrior face and armor on and get thru it, right?
 

  I have these projects to work on---

•  Jewel Box Stars  project, sewn into top and ready for a border.  
•  The Chandelier Bead quilt---ready to pin for quilting.  
•  The Scrappy Trips project---still making blocks.  

 And that makes three...my limit, or self imposed limit.  No new big project until I get one of these done up.  I selected a tonal fabric to work into the border for the Jewel Box Star, so I hope to work on that over the weekend for some quiet sewing time.
  Sew on until next time.  Happy stitching.

New month, more plans

   I am glad March is behind me.....my face/jaw is back to normal size, and antibiotics will be finished up today.  Time to look ahead and make new plans.

 I did well getting thru the plans for the month, all done with no new starts.
  Quilts are stacked for the guild program and handouts and packets ready for the workshop.

   March had a finish.....
Lavender Scents, the floral bargello.  This is a small size lap quilt, 38'' by 50''.

  Watercolor blocks.....12 completed.  I plan on getting them joined with sashing for a small top.










   And a final assembly to a top for the 9 patch blocks.  I also cut and made the binding for this quilt.  I will be using  2 fabrics to make a flange  binding.  This quilt top is 59'' by 63'', so it will be the quilt project of the month.....lol.




  I am keeping plans on the light side for April......

• Pin and quilt the 9 patch.
• Add sashing and join the watercolor blocks.
• Continue leader/ender 4 patch units.
• Guild program for Busy Bees Guild.
• Workshop for Busy Bee group.

And some yard work needs to be done.....right now I am pulling weeds in the front bed after the tree crew removed two trees and a few over grown shrubs. They will return next week to finish in the back.

Knock on wood....I return to the dentist for the crown in 3 weeks.

Today is April Fools for most people.....but it is Happy Birthday to our daughter. 

Happy stitching.

Bargello questions

    Emails and questions about the bargello quilts I have done came in over the weekend.  Everyone asked for the pattern.....I can only give you the book for the technique, you must plan for yourself.
    I refer to them as bargello, but truthfully my projects are more of a "bargello-style".   The most recent one, Lavender Scents, is done  in the matched bargello technique, but the previous ones employed the technique Eleanor Burns teaches in Quilt Trip Quilts.    Find the book on her site, or Amazon, or if you are lucky in a used book shop.  I did!



    Her technique uses a dropped square so that you do not match every seam.  I have done several Trip Around the World quilts this way.    You still end up with the staggered effect of a traditional TAW quilt.


 And like the commercials say...."But wait there is more."
 

Toward the back of the book  in the gallery of quilts are luscious  quarter trip quilts.  They inspired me to experiment with blending some fabrics for a waterfall background.
  Evening Serenade is from 2010, and is the same technique, only it is  a quarter of a TAW.  This is Eleanor's quick trip!  This was so successful I went on to make a few and even one for a wedding gift.

 So here's a collage of bargello and bargello-style quilts.

  Top, left is the wedding gift quilt....quick quarter trip.
  Top, right.....Catching the Light from 2015, florals, quick quarter trip.
  Bottom, left.....Lavender Scents.....matched bargello in florals.
  Bottom center.....Just Go with the Flow....blended, quick quarter trip.
  Bottom, right.....Shenandoah Colors.....from 2009, king size, quick quarter trip.

  It's fun to look back and compare similar quilts and styles.
What have I learned -----

•  My natural inclination is from left to right :)
• Deciding on the color way is the first step, and the hardest.  
• Be sure to make a color card chart like the book says!
• The narrowest sub-cuts I like are 1 1/4''.  The narrower the strips are cut, the faster the pattern drops when sewn back together.
• My favorite border is the mix leftovers on Go with the Flow.
•  I love the  technique of Eleanor Burns.....faster and less matching, and less chance for me to make a big mess.   

    After the dental adventure last week, I now seem to have developed an infection with swollen face, sore teeth, etc.  Sir Old man tracked our dentist down---he was at Comi-Con---and got antibiotic ordered in.  Hopefully, that will work and clear me up by the end of the week.   Dr. Scott called at 8 am this morning to check on me....I have to give him daily reports this week.  Such is my life :)

Happy stitching.

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.  

Stitching time

  I got some stitching time in today.
 I finished off the free motion quilting on the bargello top.   Large meandering in the center section---nothing shows too much on all those floral prints----and swirls in the border to finish it up.
  Then I turned to the design wall.










   I wanted to show how much the size reduces on the water color projects when the seams are sewn.  On the far right are the "fused to interfacing" units starting off at 14''.  The smaller four units have the vertical and horizontal seams sewn.  They measure 10 1/2'' now.  In case you are wondering ....sewn units are 75% of the original size.    They sew up fast and easy, and I am doing leader and ender 4 patches between rows.


 

  And a thank you to Susan, aka "Sarge".  She claims to have been carrying this zippered bag around for 3 months.  She made this for me for Christmas.  Isn't it a beauty!  I love, love, love the red and she did a great job on the zipper too.  I know that was a labor of love because she doesn't have a sewing background.  Boy, she has come a long way, baby.  Thanks, Sarge.....hugs.

  Haven't gotten a lot accomplished.....cold weather and low pressure systems wreck havoc on nerves and joints.  But tomorrow will be warmer, and I plan to work on the binding for the bargello.  Happy stitching.    

January was full!

   And I have a couple of finishes!  A small one first.....the watercolor banner or table runner.  I had intended to add some applique and then changed my mind.  Adrift is plain and simple.
  I began both of these last year.  November...here is the post  as they were completed as tops.

    Pineapple Profusion got bound.  I actually began the blocks in September and October.....here is that post.  So after a white it was just time to get it done.
   The finish size is 48'' by 62''....nice throw size.    I used 2'' floral strips for the construction and the pattern is from Quiltville.com.  It's  the Pineapple Blossom  pattern.





    The center section is quilted with swirls all over, and the plain outer border is done in endless feathers.

The Therapy Quilt was a finish early this month......here is that post.   I feel like this is cheating to call it a 2017 finish.....it was 90% done and just needed border quilting and binding.









   The second half of the Quilty 365 circles were joined into a top and now just need borders and quilting.  I have to admit, just looking at these 2--- quilt and top---just make me smile.  Each circle represents a day in my life.  Some are precious memories, and some represent loved ones.   The Therapy Quilt is loaded with pain and struggle, determination and stubbornness.   Each day here is a miracle, and that is why I smile.






  The rest of the month was filled with lots of bits and pieces of things I started.....the coffee cup wall hanging for the kitchen, string blocks, soul searching block in purple (for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge),  a bargello top,  batik squares in a block,  mug rugs, table runner, and more 9 patch blocks.


   Some days I made only one block, other days I went on over load and made dozens.  It all depended on my energy level.    Reviewing all of this makes me feel I really did accomplish things!   And I got to scratch a lot off my list.....which means I need to get a February plan in place.    Here's to keeping the list full......happy stitching.

From this to this!

  I showed this set of strips last week.....unsewn.   I should say that I used 27 different floral fabrics to build the strata from dark to light.  I only used one width of fabric cut.  Although some fabrics were FQ and I did have to sew a couple of cuts together to get close to the full width.    I made random sub-cuts in widths from 2 1/2'' , 2'', and  1 1/2''.    So from this..................................

..........to THIS!  All the strips were sewn over the weekend.  I warned that the width would shrink, and it did.  It is now 30'' wide by 42''long.      That is just the nature of this bargello style design ----  small pieces and lots of seams.  Plus it is always a surprise when you see the blend of the fabrics.  No matter how much you think you have it planned and arranged, it is always a little surprising to see it come together.    This one has a floating feel to it.  And an impression of a garden blooming on a hillside.   I will let it live and breath a little until I decide on the border color.

    While I was pressing the florals, I was reading thru my Projects list that hangs on the cabinet.  Since mid-December, I have made good progress.  I love marking thru items and putting up big fat check marks!   A couple of things are finished, and only one project listed is left that needs to be worked on.    So design time is slated for later this week.  I need some mindless sewing for this afternoon....string piecing it is.   Happy stitching.

Stitching on the 13th

 

    Nothing unlucky here about the 13th......okay, just a few stitches to unsew, but sewing is a good thing.   And sunshine abounds and circles look good in the sunshine.
 

   This quilt will be like the "Rest of the Story" to follow the Therapy Quilt.  For now it has no borders and will rest on a hanger until I decide on a finish.  I have an idea or two but nothing solid......just impressions that flash through my mind when I look at it.
  I am sure I will run across something that will inspire me to finish it up.  

  Surprise, surprise......I found a set of strips--florals, you see--- organized and partially sewn together.  I remember beginning the process of selection and arranging in the early part of last year.
   I finished the rows, pressed and made some cuts.  Random cuts of 1 1/2'', 2''. 2 1/2'' are now hanging on the design wall and ready to join.  A lot of columns to join and it will shrink in width quite a bit.  That's okay as I did not find any notes to self with ideas on it.  I will make it up as I go.








   One more thing before I go to start dinner.   A winter blue set of scraps turned into a small pieced table runner. The pattern is from Connie at Freemotion by the River .   I altered it a bit and left off the border.....I ran out of fabric.   But it will be a good one to finish up and donate to the guild for next year's auction.
   Enjoy the weekend and stitch on.

July wrap-up

  July is a wrap......with some finishes!  That's a good thing.

   The small block Carolina Chain was done in floral fabrics with batik accent squares.  The border was any leftover small pieces framed with a dark batik.  I love the striking effect it created along with the center shimmer.

  The rail fence variation was pieced and bordered...finally.  It's up for quilting next month.

  The other finish is on the bottom row in the center.  This is a bargello done in floral fabrics.  It was a Let's Book It project that has been hanging around for a couple of month.  Quilted in July and finished!

  The other 2 photos are small projects......mug rugs and snack mats.  It was that December holiday in July here.  I had vowed to not wait to the last minute this year, and decided on mug rugs as my "gift" items.  It was good I had a few on hand this past week to share with visiting family as mementos!

   I have two table runners pieced and ready for quilting, also.  And that is all I am committing to for August......as I am sure it will fly by.  I would rather  get more done than planned than to miss the mark.   Time to get Hot Legs oiled up and ready to go to work.    Happy stitching.

Catching the Light

    When my daughter was growing up, catching fire flies on  warm  nights was the mark of summer.   Their glow was fascinating...until she realized she had to release them.
   Isn't that the way it is.....I would love to have a jar of sunlight to open on cold or dreary days.  Instead I have a wall hanging that captures the light.

   This Let's Book It project was begun in June.....post is here.   I explain the process and get most of the sewing done in June, and then I get side-tacked and it sat for about a month.








  Then it was time to move on....add the border, do some simple quilting and finish it up.

 A small bargello wall hanging done in floral fabrics.....part of my Year of Florals.   This is a blended colorwash based on the pattern in Colorwash Bargello.

   Catching the Light



  Ever notice that the scrap bin grows with every finish?   The binding ends, and trimmed backing pieces really seem to stack up.  No wonder I stay so far behind!    I am cutting multiple projects  right now....mostly small ones.  It is time for a new blade in the rotary cutter, and both machines need a good cleaning and new needles.  Just a reminder.....happy stitching.

Let's Book It for June

  A small bargello wall hanging was my choice for June's Let Book It project.  It is from the book,  Colorwash Bargello.  I pulled a lot of fabrics out of the closet.....playing with the layout and rearranging them until I was confused and muddled.

 Arranging the fabrics for a bargello is probably the most difficult thing for me.  There are so many ways to create the strata....all darks together blending to all lights, or two or more dark to light runs.  Each layout will create a different effect.    In the book, all of the lights were grouped together as well as the darks.  I decided to lighten it up a bit in my arrangement, and I used more light fabrics and did two runs of dark to light.

  This was the final fabric arrangement.  The important thing to remember is the last piece will also be next to the first piece in the final arrangement.  So it is important that they work well together.



  I used 2" strips of each of 21 fabrics.  The pattern called for 18 fabrics....by adding on 3 more I would end up with a longer wall hanging.   Two stratas of 21" long strips are made, so I could use fat quarter cuts, too.  Sewn and pressed.....one strata has the seams pressed to the darkest, and the second strata seams get pressed to the lightest fabric.  By pressing them in opposite directions, the sub-cuts are alternated when re-assembled.....and the seams nest for easy piecing.

   The sub-cuts are not all the same width....these range from 2 3/4" to 1 1/4".   So it is very important to have a plan and keep things in order.

   The strata are sewn into tubes and the sub-cuts are made.  I pin the cuts in order to the design wall as I go.  And the design emerges.

 

 
   All the rows are sewn together in order.  Really easy sewing, as that pressing trick makes it simple to nest the seams for matching.  And it is time to select the border fabric.......
    I plan on using a 1" strip of the burgundy as the inset border.   The outer border will be wider , probably a 3" strip.  The light purple/cream print is not working for me.   So it is one of the other two fabrics.
 
   This project will get carried over to next month, and that's the great thing about Let's Book It.  You don't have to finish it to participate.   Pick a project, start it and share it.  You might be motivated to even get it finished!
Linking to Vroomans Quilts for Let's Book It.  
Happy stitching.

Now where was I?

   I got side tracked last week on some small projects, but progress has been made on a couple of other things.    The quilting is done on the large quilt of quarter log cabin blocks.  I used a large over all swirl in the center and a vine of leaves and a couple of feathery things in the border.    I will be finishing up the binding today.......and get a sleeve attached too.

   New Let's Book It project:
   The small bargello strips pinned to the design wall.   On to the sewing.....first, I sew in pairs and press.  Then the pairs are joined.....until everything is joined. By keeping things pinned to a design wall I don't get confused and mix up the order.  That is always the challenge in a design like this.

All the rows are sewn here.  I like the gentle flow of this one.

   Fabric choices:  I used 19 fabrics here, and about 8 of them were light in value compared to the rest.  Using more  dark fabrics would give a heavier feel to the piece and I was wanting a lighter piece that captured the sunlight.

   This will rest on the design wall until I find just the right accent and border fabrics.


    So that's where I am.....finishing up and thinking up new things, some baking thrown in, a nap or two, and staying out of the heat.  Happy stitching.

Value and design Part 2

    Value and design go hand in hand for me.  I think that the Trip around the World design is one that lets you use both to get fabulous looks.  My quilt, the World is a Garden, is probably my all time favorite using only floral fabrics.
  I used the Eleanor Burns method for this, and about 14 or 15 different floral fabrics.  Actually, one of the strata has 2 different fabrics used, as I did not have enough of just one.  I just found a very closely matching print and mixed it in.








   Anyway, my point here is to show the value change from very dark---black background does it---to light.
   As the background value changes, the overall value of the fabric changes, too.  That is why I look for fabrics with black or dark green background, tan/ beige, and cream/ white backgrounds.  It makes the transition from one fabric to the next easier.
   Note, too, the different scale of the prints.  Some are large with little background showing, while others are smaller with background that does show.  You need both for good transition.

   Evening Serenade was done with batiks and tonal fabrics using the same method to create a bargello look.   This time I really concentrated on the value since I did not have a lot of print in the fabric to do the work for me.  This little wall hanging lead me to try several bargello designs recently.









    And finally, Sir Old Man's retirement quilt.  The blending was much harder with this one, as he picked out the fabrics!  But we got that central "glow" that he wanted by concentrating the lights, then the accent color, and blending the tans and browns.
   Note here:   I laid out the fabrics in a run, and took photo.  Then I viewed it on the computer and turned the photo to black and white to have a better look at the value.  Just don't ask how many times I did that!

   And that's the archives trip........as recently I have tried bargellos, coins, and quarter log cabins using floral fabrics and value.

  Insight:   Good design principles work, you just need to use them!



On the up side......the back is better.   Happy stitching.

End of August and NewFO

   Time to bring all the August projects together and see where I ended up.  I am cutting this month a day short because of family coming in for the weekend.   Holiday weekend, too.....and the last hurrah for Summer.
   The partial section of watercolor that was a UFO became Renewed.  Turned on end, added to, some thread painting and done.  I am enjoying this daily now, as it is in the sewing room.











   Twin Chevrons----for Maria's twin boys---are pieced and quilted.  Some how I knew I needed these to be done sooner than later....and sure enough, the twins arrived early.   The boys are thriving and still in NICU .  Maria is home and recovering.  We dropped a meal off to them yesterday and while I visited with Maria, Sir Old Man made friends with Sydney, her young daughter.   When we left, Sir Old Man had an insightful idea......give a doll quilt to Sydney so she doesn't feel left out when the chevron quilts are given.     Absolutely brilliant idea......add a NewFO for September.

 An unexpected project...NewFO, begun and completed in August.
This is for my older nephew's birthday tomorrow, as a memento/reminder of his trip to Alaska this summer.
  I detailed this process here.

   The scrappy TAW, a  NewFO started a couple of months ago,  is large enough now for the design wall.  I am still sewing strips and making strata to cut apart in between other stuff.  So this one could just go on and on.  But I will stop when it is large enough for a large lap quilt.  This is going to be for Habitat for Humanity  project at guild.

   As for the other project that was on my list for August.....mainly the Buzz Saw quilt.  The borders are on.  It is pressed.  Now to tackle the pinning to ready it for quilting.  I have that planned, so it is just the pinning to do....when Sir Old Man is able to help!


Plans  for September:

Photo snitched from Vroomans Quilts!

•   Quilt the Buzz Saw.  I know everyone is tired of hearing about it!
•   Make a doll quilt for Sydney....a small NewFO.
•   Continue with the Scrappy Trip around the World.
•   Start a NewFO.....see photo I snitched from Sharon at Vroomans Quilts.  She created this using a jelly roll and getting the look of a faux braid.  I love the diagonal design, and the easy assembly of the quarter log cabin block.    I have a few ideas for this that I will share soon.  

Linking to Cat Patches for   NewFO.
Enjoy the holiday weekend......I will hold the doll quilts to share for another day or two.  Happy stitching.