Good, Better, Best

There's been more klepto quilting in the sewing room, all with the intention of moving things along and finishing up another quilt. This time it was Betty's turn to scan the shelves and cubbies to see if there was anything on hand that would suit to back and bind her white-on-white Mother-of-the-Bride.

My apologies for the colour quality. We laid the quilt down on a dark carpet in a windowless area so the photos are a bit dark.

I have accumulated quite a number of potential backings (I hate paying full price for backing and like to pick them up on sale) so there were a few choices to be had.

This is the first combo that we auditioned - the berries would be the backing and the pin dot the binding. If there was nothing else it would have worked, but the backing print just had a much more contemporary style than the quilt top so we kept looking.

Option two was to use a stronger binding print. We were getting there...

There  was another backing print that we tried but it appears that in our frenzy I didn't get a photo of it - it too was more contemporary - it looked like small, hand painted cherries.

And then Betty spied a piece that hadn't been 'filed' with the backings, sitting atop the shelving unit. Jokingly I said, "Get your hands off that!", but we could see instantly that it was perfect - it had just the right touch of aged beauty and romance to complement the quilt. And the colours were much more suited as well - the soft grey, those loose cabbage roses - it just worked.

The muted green and cream piece that we had pulled as binding fabric for the second audition is even better in this combo; it almost looks gold. Drool. Is there any way that this quilt can get better? Now to see it quilted!....M

Spring Forward

I'm a little groggy today. We changed the clocks last night for Daylight Saving Time which is a sure sign of spring (I LOVE it as we 'spring forward' and move to more hours of daylight) but losing that hour of sleep always takes a day or two of adjustment. Time to find something that's not too taxing to do.

I haven't touched Anna Levens for quite a while so it seemed like a good time to check in with her.

The basket of hexies to be turned under is always at hand so I'll put my hand to that today.

I've cut a few hexies from the mauve fabric that I used for Minnie last week, so I'll start with them....M

p.s. I know that I have anal tendencies but I don't think I'll ever get to the point of stitching miniature hexies this small! O.M.G!

The Plan

Things continue to fall into place with Anne's Carpenter's Star/Moda Love lap quilt, thanks to a little klepto quilting (AKA digging through someone else's stash to find what you need, something our gang does regularly). She stopped by the other day to see if there was anything in my stash that might help round out the blocks that she's sewn and we had great luck finding just what she needed.

We found a great little blue and cream pin dot to use between the randomly placed star blocks - it's just enough to tie in to her fabrics without making a big scene. She's got a few scraps of her prints left so there may yet be the odd tiny Ohio Star added to the mix.

The backing is a piece of white and turquoise  (the fabric on the right - it's really not grey but a nice soft turquoise) and she will bind it with that too. And, just to make things a little more interesting, we found a soft mauve that she will incorporate into a faux flange binding. I think that tiny strip of mauve will be the perfect finishing touch.

And what's this? Christmas in March???

We had ordered a lap hoop for Anne as a Christmas gift but its delivery was somewhat delayed because they are handmade and quite in demand. It didn't seem to matter much that she was only receiving it now - when she saw the box she tore into it like a little girl.

It's beautifully hand crafted and quite ingenious, and I'm thinking well worth the wait. Those six small discs on the centre round are magnets - very strong magnets.

And they connect to this piece...

which then attach to this piece that you use to adjust the angle of the hoop and sit on for stability as you quilt. Quite brilliant. They are made by Barnett's Laptop Hoops and there are any number of configurations to choose from. If you are in the market for a hoop it would be worth a look.

We were so eager to get into the box that I didn't get a pic of the complete setup but will get Anne to send me one that I can share with you. I'm thinking that it is already in use as she virtually skipped to the car with her box 😉....M

On The Lighter Side

Rich and primary colors and prints tend to be what Anne gravitates to in her quilts but she took a slight turn at the girls weekend and started one with a very soft, dreamy palette - hearts, hot air balloons, stars and scrolls in soft blue, green and peach.

She's had a fabric bundle from a Scandinavian designer that she picked up a few years ago and decided that its time had come - she wanted a throw for her sunroom. Not really knowing what the end result would be, she made a pile of HSTs for Moda Love/Carpenter's Star blocks.

There were enough HSTs to make three large stars so, after a little noodling, she set about using up the scraps to make a few smaller stars that will be set randomly in between.

Its interesting to see the effect of the different combinations.

It is all pieced by hand but she is taking a page from Jane and Betty's books and seemingly tearing through stitching them.

There is still a little more work to be done to figure out the final layout and find the fabric to set between the blocks, but it is coming along beautifully - she is going to be napping under it before you know it. So etherial!....M