A quilt for "Maui"

My sister and brother-in-law went through a bit of trouble before then had my niece. Not as bad as some, not as easy as most. And when my sister got pregnant, the specialist informed her the family trip to Hawaii was a no-go. Somehow, the wee one in her belly became "Maui" for casual reference.

So, this is Maui's Hawaii-themed quilt. She'll be 10 this fall, and it's a little small for the tall girlie she is becoming. 

The quilt is foundation-pieced on muslin blocks using the technique from Barbara Randle's "Crazy Quilting with Attitude" -- if not her colors! Most of the fabric was purchased at quiltfabric.com in two of the store's earlier locations.

Love this vintage-look Hawaiian-themed fabric on the back. I think it was a thrift-store find. My sister and bro-in-law love antiques and mid-century modern, so I thought the old postcards reproduced on the back would be perfect for their taste.



I borrowed a fancy-stitch disk from my mom's 1960s Singer and to use in my 1960s machine for the decorative stitches in the sashing. Maybe the ties were overkill, but I figured a baby would love to touch them, and I didn't want the quilt to fall apart! 

The rest of these stunning photos are quadrants of the blocks, so I have the images captured for posterity. I did a weird mix of 1930s ('40s?) repro prints, batiks and odds 'n' ends from my stash. I think it works?

You can see in the picture above that the backing fabric was folded over to become the border. That's what I discovered my maternal grandmother did with her quilts, along with tying them. The batting was an old flannel sheet. My aunt or mom said that's what their mom used. I liked that the new kiddo would have a quilt constructed like her great-grandma used to make them.

Em's Icara

I made this oodles of years ago (8 or 9?) when a favorite artist-poet-actor-goddess of mine moved south to return to the family fold. I worried how the quilt held up over the years after hearing a terrifying cautionary tale about the dangers of tying quilts. And I've worried how permanent the indelible fabric pen was too.

She was kind enough to send a photo in situ. 

The quilt has a quote from the Icarus story in Edith Hamilton's "Mythology":
"Escape may be checked by water and land, but the air and the sky are free."

And my photo of the front back in June 2006. Woo-hoo! Better with time.

Here's the back. What you can't see from this crappy, crappy photo is that the white ties appear as stars against a sky. The "signature patch" is inspired by Matisse' "Icarus." I free-handed it on a napkin at a restaurant to show my then-boyfriend what I was going for. He helped me blow up the image at a Kinko's and we figured out how to adhere it to the back long enough for me to hand-stitch it on.

A little closer look at the label. Is that...writing...on the legs?

Is this about the time you're saying, "Wait, didn't Icarus crash and burn? You know, when he tried to fly too high?" I have always called baloney sausage on that story. Oh, I'm sure it served a specific purpose or was a modern-day meme for the ancient Greeks. But it's never worked well for me in our world. When we rise above our troubles, we soar, dangnabbit.

And, you know, Icarus was a boy, Em is a girl. So, this one became Icara, which, in my firm belief, is the feminine Greek ending for the Icarus. Please do not attempt to dissuade me otherwise.

Here's the haiku for Icara, I mean Em. 

but when she rises

and finds freedom in her wings,

she consumes the sun

Christmas blankie for my sis

I loved this fabric. It's Moda's Nature's Christmas. I used a "Layer Cake" and "Jelly Roll" for this project. Maybe a "Charm Pack"? (Those are pre-cut 10" x 10" squares, 2.5" x 45" strips and 5" x 5" squares, respectively.) I had fun messing around, putting fabrics together and cutting them apart.

My sister had the (good? bad?) fortune to admire at the blocks fresh from the dryer one evening at my folks' house, and my fun little experiment became her birthday present when it was finished. If memory serves, I folded the back to the front to use as a border. And the quilt is tied instead of quilted.

Here, their cat plays Vanna to demonstrate the comfy-ness of the quilt.

Mom's Pond

4 1/2 years in the making and within an hour of being done -- finally. I couldn't remember which end was up, so we tried it out on Mom and Dad's bed last weekend. Now, I just need to add the label on the back with a blanket stitch. 

This is a full-size comforter, custom sized to my folks' bed. I put together blocks and laid them out in rows on the folks' living room floor. We worked on half of the quilt each time. Mom and The Husband rearranged the blocks, with Dad making suggestions. When she saw it on the bed, Mom was pleased with how well we distributed the red. I was tickled that the yellow was nicely scattered.

This pattern is "Yellow Brick Road" from Atkinson Designs. (I've seen something similar but simplified at quiltfabric.com, if you're interested in making one.) 

Along with using stuff from my stash and local fabric stores, I bought a lot of fabric through etsy sellers, both in the U.S. and overseas -- Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong, if memory serves.

Here's a close-up below of the quilting, which quiltfabric.com did for me.

Oh, look -- just peeking out at the top of the photo below, you can see the backing. I will try to find the name of the fabric line. Something Atlantis, I want to say. I really love it. (And note to self to shoot pics of the backing and binding.)

Lots of dragonflies, right? Mom's inspiration piece for this quilt was a fiber garland with dragonflies in navy and blue-greens. She didn't want a "dragonfly" quilt, and wanted lots of navy -- those were her guidelines. 

Many of the fabrics make me think of fish eyes, frog eggs, water ripples, plants and critters around a pond. And Mom, who grew up in the country, has wished for a pond in her suburban backyard from time to time. So, here's Mom's Pond.

Always planning for another quilt

Molas for Mom C.

Drinking bird
16 1/4" x 11 5/8"

Eagle on nest (orange is polyester)
17 1/2" x 14"

Lion
17" x 14"

Owls
black: 19 5/8" x 13 3/4"
pink: 20" x 13 3/4"

Mini-molas
Face: 2 3/4" x 2 1/2"
Bird: 2 7/8" x 2 3/4"
Pipes: 2 3/4" x 2 1/2"
Turtle: 3" x 3 1/8"
Butterfly: 3 1/8" x 3"

Wildcat (pink is polyester)
17" x 12 3/4"

Thing 1 and Thing 2 (a.k.a. "Alien Goat Boys")
7 1/4" x 11 1/2", v is 4 1/2"

Thing 2

Ravens
16 7/8" x 13 1/8"

Raven for truer color

One more oo-la-la

This turned out so crazy. Can't wait to add some more branches and connect the vines.

Oo-La-La: Adventures in Crazy Quilting

At the end of April and beginning of May, I took a two-session quilting class from the amazing Jacqueline at quiltfabric.com. It didn't take long to realize all my messing around with artsy crafts in the past pushed me to this point. My, how I have missed handwork.

I used a "jelly roll" -- 2.5" strips of fabric from a collection called "Comma by Zen Chic for Moda" -- along with other coordinating odds-and-ends from my stash. Using a quilt-as-you-go method, I covered 36" x 45" of  batting in a LONG week. Those strips and odd-sized chunks cover the front, while a single piece of fabric backs the batting.

Quilt piecing in progress, the last week of April 2013.

We started needle work in class the next Sunday. Oh boy. I spent the whole time trying to sew a single stitch. It must have seemed like I was in way over my head. I had no idea how to stitch between layers of fabric. What the heck do I do with a knot on a finished back?! I was used to going up and down through the fabric, instead of just through the top layer. By now, I've adapted, but I probably won't do handwork that way again. I'm uncertain about the stability of beads attached to the quilt. My solution is to cheat and tie off in the back -- fortunately, a creme color like the bead thread.

Fabric covered, ready to hand sew. And what on EARTH am I going to do with a 3' x 4' beaded thing I can't wash? I chopped it in quarters. It was exhilarating. That sounds insane, I know. But chopping that bad boy up was freeing and such a good choice. Now I have workable chunks that will eventually become wall-hangings, I guess. Shrug.

On evenings and weekends for the last two months, you could find me at a Starbucks either with embroidery supplies or beads. I am particularly enamored with the feel of the cashmere...thread...floss...what do you call it?

Some of the fruits of my delight -- I mean labor.

Flowery.

I love the contrast of the embroidery floss and satin ribbon
against the black fabric.

Auditioning bead placement.

Playing with black on black. Not a success.

I love this stitch. It's a woven stitch. You make a giant asterisk
in the circle and then weave the  ribbon or thread over and under
 the arms of the asterisk. The grey "lollipops" above the flower are
the same stitch, with different materials -- and different results.

I'm not delighted in my bead work, but it'll do.

Ze knots of -- how do you say? -- French.

Cretan stitch, executed somewhat cretinously.

I want to eat these berries. They are probably poisonous. 

Stem stitch, variations on lazy daisy, French knots.