Gramercy & Friends Finished

Gramercy & Friends, finished, quilted, and bound

 

Tah-Done! Gramercy & Friends is finished and bound. I really like this quilt. It started as a value study, inspired by a FQ bundle of Gramercy by Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics. I added friends from my stash and a few new fabrics: coordinating lights, mediums, and darks. One of the fabrics came from Iran, a gift from a Paducah hostess friend.

Gramercy 12" blocks on design wall

The blocks are 12" and 24". Some are from EQ's block library; some are popular blocks from the Web such as Swoon and  x & +, and some are original.

Jane Coons of St. Louis MO quilted Gramercy and I couldn't be happier with her design. We talked about keeping it modern, geometric and masculine, and she nailed it. She uses a Stattler Stitcher and designs all her own motifs. Each of the 12" blocks has a unique quilting design. The swoon block and the other 24" block are the only two with the same quilting, for unity and cohesiveness. I love how she stitched the frames around the large blocks.

Gramercy & Friends, quilted

 

Gramercy & Friends is beautiful in real life (if I do say so myself) but it is extremely difficult to photograph. The actual colors in it are creams, taupes, and blacks, but it tends to look too grey in photos. The photo above was taken in bright sunlight which shows off the quilting but washes out the clarity of the block piecing. The photo of the unquilted top below was taken on an overcast day and looks too grey but shows the blocks. I'll have to keep trying for a better photo of the whole quilt.

Unquilted top

I gave Gramercy to my DH as a late Father's Day gift. Earlier this year he was whining commenting that baby grandson CJ has more quilts than he has, and he's been around longer. Gramercy was already in work and I knew I wanted to keep it, so I've given it to DH with the understanding that I'll enter it in a show in October and then he can cuddle in it after that.

Linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Friday Finish at Crazy Mom Quilts.

In Work This Week, 7/27/15

In work, yes. On my design wall, no.

First up, finish sewing the binding down on Gramercy. I still need to make the label, too. If I can get Gramercy finished this week, I'll be able to count out the backing and binding fabric this month, which will help out the stash report.

Binding in progress

You'll notice that the binding is not striped. After all the consideration of striped binding last week (this post and this post) I just couldn't bring myself to use that bold stripe on this quilt. Gramercy has a feeling of subtlety and serenity, probably due to the neutral color palette, even though it's a sampler quilt with lots of points and angles, high contrast, and varied scale.

Binding with piping

Instead, I'm using the taupe grunge fabric that's used in several of the blocks for a more subtle finish. And thanks to LeeAnna's suggestion, I'm adding a pop of orange piping. I'm using Susie's Magic Binding method; so far so good.

Also in work this week, packing up for "quilt camp," a little retreat with friends Friday & next weekend. I have my Flying Geese project organized for sewing the units into rows at camp, and maybe I'll be able to get the whole top sewn together. If I get tired of working on the geese, I have another WIP of simple squares packed and ready to stitch together. I like to have simple piecing that doesn't require too much heavy thinking at camp, because I've learned that I make mistakes if I try to follow a complicated pattern there. I'll pack up all the tools, equipment, etc. later in the week.

Flying Geese project & another WIP organized, labeled, and packed for quilt camp

So what are you working on this week?
Link ups:
Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Stash Report 7/26/15

IN this week: 1-5/8 yards.  (1/4 yd prize for CSQ show ribbon; 5/8 yd orange & 1/2 yd taupe grunge for Gramercy binding)
OUT this week: 1/4 yard for binding test potholder
I'll tally up the totals for July next week.

If you've been following the Gramercy binding saga, you may recall that I auditioned several fabrics and tested a stripe that many commenters liked. After serious consideration, I just couldn't bring myself to use the stripe. Too bold and busy for the overall serene nature of Gramercy & Friends. I decided to go with taupe grunge, a fabric that's in several of the blocks that reads mostly solid and also doesn't fight with the backing. I do like LeeAnna's idea of orange piping, so I'm adding it using Susie's Magic Binding method.

If I get Gramercy bound this week, I'll be able to count out the backing and binding this month.

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times; check out the other stash reports over there.

Binding Test

A very little finish today:
In the previous post below I auditioned several options for binding for Gramercy & Friends (scroll down & check it out). By far the striped binding was preferred. LeeAnna suggested adding a pop of orange piping to the binding. I like the idea but haven't tried that technique, so I needed to test it.

Binding test with piping

I used the same stripe I'm considering for Gramercy and an orange print I found in my stash. I know I need a solid, not a print, for the piping in Gramercy, probably Kona School Bus, so I'll have to get some. I used Susie's Magic Binding method and it worked pretty well. I also used up the very last scrap of my Gramercy focus print.

Now another question for you:
Are striped bindings becoming cliché?  Why or why not?

Link ups:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Crazy Mom Quilts

Ready for Binding: Your Opinion Please

Gramercy & Friends came back from the quilter last night. I'm really pleased with the quilting - it's clean, geometric, modern, and masculine. Each 12" block is different but the two large blocks are the same, and are framed with the same "racetrack circles." Since the whole quilt fills my design wall, you can't see the quilting very well in this photo, but you can see it in the detail photos below.

Gramercy & Friends quilted & ready for binding

Now I'm auditioning binding and I 'd like your input. Here are four of my choices, in no particular order. The taupe geometric is also the backing fabric.

Binding fabric choices

Option 1: Stripe. I love striped bindings. This stripe is not used in the blocks.

Auditioning striped binding

Option 2: Brushstroke print (not in photo above). This print is also not used in the blocks but it's subtle and the colors in it work.

Auditioning brushstroke print binding

Option 3: Gramercy focus print. I will need to get more, but my LQS still has it in stock.

Auditioning focus print binding

Option 4: Backing fabric used as binding

Auditioning backing fabric as binding

Option 5: Crosshatch print, which is used in a few of the blocks

Auditioning crosshatch print binding

Option 6, not shown: For a more solid-ish binding, I could get more of the taupe grunge print. You can see it well in the Option 4 photo.

Which one do you think works best?

Linking up with Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Fidget Quilt

My guild is collecting Fidget Quilts for donation to a memory care unit at a local nursing home. Dementia patients often need something to do with their hands, and fidget quilts are offer tactile textures they can stroke, pick at, etc. Our fidget quilts are due at tomorrow's meeting for distribution later this month. Here's mine:

I made one for my dad last year and they tell me he likes it. This new one has some of the same elements but others as well. I assembled it improv-style, adding trims etc. into the seams as the top grew.

It measures 13-1/2" by 21", and I used a hand towel for the backing. I kept adding pieces to the top until it was as big as the towel, then sewed the top & towel together, turned it right side out, and edge-stitched. There's no batting. I quilted over the seam lines for added strength so the trims won't pull out of the seams. The towel provides enough bulk, an additional texture, and makes it non-slip so it won't fall off the user's lap. The size is good for someone sitting in a wheelchair or recliner.

Everything about a fidget quilt must be washable; it'll probably get washed often. When choosing fabrics and trims other than quilting cotton, look for trims and faux fur that are labeled washable. Minkee would be a good alternative to faux fur.

Here are detail shots of the textures and elements. This first one shows stretchy mesh (over cotton), rickrack, grosgrain ribbon with a plastic buckle, and ribbon with a plastic tube that spins around. The tube is part of a thread spool.

The next photo shows ball fringe, pleated ribbon, and buttons from an old shirt cuff.

Next photo shows faux fur, more rickrack, a grosgrain ribbon bow, and some narrow lace. The bow is hand sewn through the know so it won't come untied.

This last photo shows the pocket. Attached to that ribbon tucked into the pocket is a plastic ring, which can be pulled out of the pocket.

Hopefully this little fidget quilt will help keep someone's hands occupied. Since I don't have anything on my design wall today, this will have to suffice. I'm linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times. Check out the real design walls over there.

Stash Report 7/119/15

IN this week: Nothing. YAY!
OUT this week: 5-1/2 yards. (Collection Challenge Plus: Backing 4-1/2 yards; Binding 5/8 yard.  Fidget Quilt: 3/8 yd.)

Finally moving in the right direction again!

Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you more about the fidget quilt. You can see the Collection Challenge Plus quilt in the post below.

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.