15 Little Quiltlets

As you may recall, this project was started in the fall of 2007, using an idea we (15 quilters who blog)got from MayBritt at Abyquilt in Norway (Sept 2008) Mine is the eighth one down from the top (all batiks), and I couldn't be happier!

If anyone wants to adopt our steps (which were modified slightly from AbyQuilts), feel free to start a group and have fun. We sure did! And can you believe that not one quiltlet was lost or misplaced in these last 15 months? They finish at a nice little cubicle size/doll quilt size/quiltlet size of about 13" X 18".

Round 1: The owner of the RR makes the left top block/piece sized 4”x4”
Round 2: Add a piece 5”x4” besides the first piece
Round 3: Add a piece 9”x3” below the two first
Round 4: Add on the right side a piece 4”x7”
Round 5: Add two pieces below the others, 6”x4” and 7”x4”
Round 6: Add two pieces below the others, 10”x4” and 3”x4”
Round 7: Add at the bottom two pieces, 4”x3” and 9”x3”
Round 8: Appliqué something
Round 9: Embroider something
Round 10: Add batting and backing, and baste the little RR
Round 11: Write something on it by hand or by machine
Round 12: Quilt the whole RR by hand or by machine
Round 13: Add another appliqué
Round 14: Add embellishment (buttons, beads, laces, etc.)
Round 15: Add a sleeve and sew binding on the RR

We will be doing this again (with a few more modifications to the steps), and we'll probably start the next round in April or May. If you are interested in joining us, you must have a blog, and you will need to be able to stay committed to the project for 14-15 months. If you are interested, please send me an email with the header "I'd like to play!". I'll have a little questionaire for you to fill out. Once we know exactly how many more people can join the group, I will let you know whether you can play with us or not. If you can't, maybe the next time?

Stand by for something different

I was contacted a few weeks ago by a nice lady who asked if I would be willing to make a quilt for her (rather for her daughter).

"Sure, says I. What do you need?"

She wanted a quilt made from some of her mother's (grandmother's) clothes. This lady died last year and they want a memory quilt made from her clothes. Apparently she had contacted numerous quilters who all turned her down. I find that rather, sad, don't you? Last week, she and her daughter brought the clothes to me, all nicely washed and pressed.



We visited a bit about styles and colors, and now I've been working on their quilt. I interfaced all the fabrics which took a while, and then cut all the strips I needed. After some playing around with the color combinations, this is what I have so far.

The borders will be white, with more strips of the shirts running vertically on the left and right sides to make the quilt finish at approximately 54" X 74". I hope they like it.

I'd like to get it to the quilter this Thursday if the weather permits. She has a backlog right now, and she's also planning a little getaway to get away from this nasty season of cold, cold, cold!

And voila! Leaves!

I've been fiddling dee dee with the leaves for the Bonsai since Thursday last. The lady who commissioned this piece for her husband cried when she saw it. Good tears, thank heavens. So now, I have his birthday of April 30 as a completion date, which is a good thing.

It's another good thing that I photograph the work in progress since now I see the pot is somewhat askew. I have to tidy that up, and the works are ready to appliqued tomorrow. And in the meantime, I have to think how I am going to make sure the leaves that are hanging over the green border edges don't get lost. Something will come to mind, I'm sure.

I must go bead shopping tomorrow too for just the right beads. Not to glitzy, but perhaps pearlized - silk white and taupe? I will quilt and bead at the same time, following the subtle branches in the kimono silks.

Bonsai!

Here is what I am working on this month. I've had this commission now for over a year - I MUST finish! I truly wish I would have been given a deadline! As usual, I've spent the last year collecting just the right fabrics and the fibers, and I've completed the darned thing in my mind at least three different ways. Today I am working on the leaf structures.

Here's what I start with when making my own fiber structures. Just a wad of of bunch of different fibers all whacked up. If you need to relive tension, then this is a good exercise for you! Then I put them all between a fold of Sulky Solvable, and stitch the heck out of it - another good stress reliever. When that's done, just soak it and the Solvable washes away. Let it dry, then cut into the shapes you want.


Here's Hubby with my new leaf fiber mat!

I've tried several different ways with the backgrounds. But I think I like the simpler vertical panel only one the best. The other choice I had was to put a green border on the top, but that just takes away from the tree. The light color panel on the left is a vintage kimono silk with plum blossoms woven in it - the next one to it (beige) is another kimono silk with tree limbs woven in it. The batik has subtle oriental bits in it, along with trees on the hillside.


I still have the pot to do, and of course, those leaves!

These clumps of leaves aren't doing it for me yet, but I'll work with them, and the next time you see them, they'll be swaying in the breeze!