The Perfect Border Fabric

Yes!!! I actually had enough in my stash of the perfect fabric for the border of my X and Plus top. This is a print that I've had for a long time and I've always loved it, but I've never been able to use more than small bits of it in scrappy quilts. I inherited it from the stash of Dorris McM of Circle in the Square Quilters, who passed away in 2008. 

This print was so different from everything else of its time. The leaves are flat and stamped-like, very crisp, and the colors are mostly clear midtones. Most of the prints of that era were blurry like batiks and extremely bright (think Laurel Birch). I always loved this print but it never went with anything. Now I recognize it as a precursor to the flat, crisp prints of the Modern Quilting era. 

I'm so glad it works here as the border of my X and Plus top. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Feathered Star

 One of my goals this month is to look at my UFOs and decide what to do about them. Most are unquilted tops. One of the tops is a small Feathered Star.

I originally made it several years ago as a test to see if I wanted to make a queen size feathered star medallion quilt. The answer was No. 

This little top measures 45" square and could be a baby quilt for a little girl. PCQ now is able to donate baby quilts to expectant families at Luke AFB which is nearby. This could be a nice donation quilt.

PCQ recently put out a call for small charity quilts to use for long arm training and certification. Perfect! They can practice on this top, bind it, and donate it the next time they take baby quilts to Luke.

 I prepped backing, binding, and frankenbatting, bundled it up, and turned it in. At the recent Long Arm Users Group meeting, a friend selected it from the cabinet to quilt. She wants to learn free motion as opposed to using a panto. Perfect! 

One UFO dealt with, one practice quilt available for learning, and a baby quilt to be donated. Win-Win-Win! 

Link up: Alycia Quilts

X and Plus Progress

Piecing X and Plus blocks was a nice relief from the stress of dealing with the quilting problems of the teal quilt. Thankfully, the quilting problems were resolved. At that point I still needed a few more X and Plus blocks. No problem. 

Here are my 20 blocks for a 48 x 60" top. 

As is, it would be a small throw or lap quilt. I'm considering adding borders, but I need to see what I have enough yardage of in my stash that could work. I've been doing well at using stash, and may not have enough of anything suitable. And yet, my green baskets are still full. No, I don't plan to purchase anything for a border. This will be a donation quilt, and it will be fine if it ends up just this size. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Finally Finished: The Teal Quilt

After all the problems, the Teal Quilt is finally finished. Whoo-hoo! 

This was more of a challenge than I anticipated. 

First, it's a remake of the Black and Tan quilt I made last year, but making it monochromatic meant finding just the right fabric hue, value, and intensity. Shopping ensued. The placement of darks and mediums is crucial for the dark diagonal grid framework to emerge. Squint at the photo and you'll see it more clearly. 

Second, and more frustrating, the quilting was a nightmare, as I've written about in several recent posts. Thanks to much troubleshooting by the ladies on PCQ's Long Arm Committee, the issues were resolved and I was able to quilt it. 

I'm keeping this quilt for me. PCQ is having a quilt show in March, and I'm entering it. It feels good to have this one done and I'm pleased with how it turned out. 

Link ups: Alycia Quilts 1/16, My Quilt Infatuation 1/22

X and Plus Blocks

Back when I lived in St. Louis and was a member of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild, I was part of a bee, and one of the members had us make X and Plus blocks one month. It's a fun block to make, and a popular one. 

I've long thought about making an X and Plus quilt. But most of the images I've seen are a chaotic splash of colors. Even those that are symmetrical and laid out with care are usually blindingly bright or have nowhere to rest the eye. Then I saw this monochromatic version from Zen Chick - Brigitte Heitland. Much easier on the eyes than most versions! Click on the link and check it out. 

I have an overabundance of greens in my stash: an overflowing basket of green-greens, a pretty full basket of yellow-greens, and a very full basket of teals and blue-greens. I could make a similar version. 

Over the Christmas holidays I cut a few pieces and started making blocks. I'm using white on white or very subtle white ground prints for the triangles, all the same fabric within one block. Most of the green prints will be used in two blocks, but a few of the fabrics were scraps and will only be used once. 

I'll cut a few more pieces and make a few more blocks, and see where this is going. Thank you, Brigitte, for the inspiration! 

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

The Teal Quilt is Quilted

I cannot speak highly enough of the dedication and thoroughness and support of PCQ's long arm committee. They took seriously my issues with quilting the teal quilt. They scheduled a thread testing session and work day for themselves and invited me to bring my teal thread for them to test. 

They tweaked everything they possible could. They got the machine to quilt perfectly and I was able to start quilting my quilt. No more eyelashes on the back! 

Looking good! 

Two thirds of the way quilted, and I ran out of bobbin. After inserting the new bobbin, the machine made a funny sound and acted up again. Major eyelashes. The girls on the committee tweaked some more, did a lot of testing, and after four hours that afternoon, called it a day with plans to reconvene the next morning. I took the quilt off the frame, took it home and removed the bad quilting. 

Next morning the girls on the committee tweaked everything some more. They cleaned and adjusted everything again and again. They tried my teal thread and they tried white thread, same type. They tried different bobbins. They even tried a different bobbin case. Finally they were satisfied with the quilting and I was able to finish the last two passes. There were a couple of thread breaks and a couple of small birds nests on the underside, but those are small and near enough to the edge that I can unpick the bad parts and restitch on my domestic machine. 

I'm grateful to the members of the committee for their dedication to solving the problem and helping me get my project quilted. I hope no one else has to deal with such problems next time they're quilting. 

I have another reserved time slot on the 8th - this week! - and I'll be quilting my grandson's quilt with minky backing. Wish me luck!