The new puppy has kept me very busy since last Monday's post. Thanks for all your suggestions on names, and after narrowing the choices down to a few, I had the eight grandchildren vote, and they chose to name her Penny. She is growing daily, and seems much bigger than she was when she came to live with us a week ago. I added the middle name Lane, to make her name Penny Lane, in honor of the Beatles song.
The little quilting I've done is on small baskets. I'm making baskets that finish at 3.5 inches square, and am using my cheddar stash with a solid neutral. I usually make four at a time:
I am cutting the background pieces a quarter inch larger than the pattern I'm using, as I found that I was having trouble getting the blocks to finish at 4 inches (unfinished size). By adding a little to each of the white pieces when cutting, I don't have to make a "scant" quarter inch seam, as I'm not very good at that. The trimming is so very little, and I don't have to worry about a block being too short. Have you ever done this?
We used to call it Decoration Day (because we decorated the graves of soldiers) and now the last Monday in May is named Memorial Day, to honor those who have died in active military service to our country. I am posting a few patriotic quilts that I like to honor this day:
I am sorry I haven't replied to any of your comments this week, please forgive me. Hopefully, I will play catchup this week. I have been very busy with Miss Penny, the puppy. Feed her......play with her.......take her outside.......then nap time (naps sometimes for both of us LOL). Then repeat everything again....feed her.....etc....much like an infant.
Looking forward to seeing your design walls today. Please link to this particular post, and not just to the generic blog website.
Here is another "brick wall" type of quilt that I made this week. I had a ziplock bag full of rectangles, indigo and shirting - I think they were left from mis-cutting some blocks, but I don't remember. I put them together and made a little doll quilt top (12 in. by 16 in.)
There wasn't a lot of playing in the quilt room because I've been busy procrastinating on putting the Jane Stickle quilt together. Hopefully, I will continue on with that project next week.
Here is a picture of one of the fabulous trees here in Michigan. Everything is in full bloom:
And the most exciting news of this week is: We got a puppy Saturday night!
We have not named her yet, what do you think we should name her? She is a yellow labrador, and is 7 weeks old. A little bundle of joy!
Please link up to Design Wall Monday as usual, and show me what you are working on this week. Hopefully this cutie will have a proper name by next Monday! Can't wait to hear what you think her name should be.
After two weeks of working on fiddly paper pieced and appliqued triangles, I decided this week to make something with a much easier plan. This doll quilt is one that I have admired for years in a book, and it was such fun to make. Here is the original doll quilt, called "Brick Wall"
I pulled reds and creams, pinks, and blacks from my stash. Cut strips 2.5 inches wide and began to cut "bricks" from various fabrics, and sew them together into long rows (strips). The rows were joined, and I revised my original plan to add another row to the top to include some more black bricks in the top section. I whacked off the sides to even it up, and the quilt top is finished. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezie. No pinning, no matching of seams anywhere, and no problems. It was so much fun to make, and was made in a day. I have a red/black stripes fabric picked out for binding, and plan to round the corners as is shown in the old quilt.
Here is my version:
Measurements are 28" by 30" for the quilt top. The original quilt is in a book titled "American Folk Art Quilts" by Maggi McCormick Gordon. This book is available in hardcover, used, for about $4.00 (plus postage) from Thriftbooks.com, if you are interested in getting a copy. I love to look at quilts in books, don't you?
Spring has arrived in full force here in Michigan, and I'll close today with a picture of our Red Bud tree in the front yard:
Happy Mother's Day to all of you. Thanks for linking with Design Wall Monday each week. I appreciate you.
Please link back to this post somewhere within your post. Your design wall posts last week were spectacular. I looked at some each day during the whole week.
My design wall is still empty, but the Jane Stickle Quilt will soon be appearing on it. I have only three more blocks to make!!! Here is a picture of the last corner kite I made on Sunday:
The last three - I can hardly believe it. This quilt was started on 9-11-2001. I had recently bought Brenda Papadakis's book "Dear Jane", and was reading it when that terrible day unfolded. I remember watching the television in disbelief.....as an airplane hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center.....and then an airplane hit the other tower. My husband was managing some large building construction projects, and was flying in airplanes every week. I got several calls from friends asking if he was flying that day. He wasn't, but he was scheduled to fly later in the day. But of course, all flights were cancelled after the tradegy and I hugged him tightly that night. It was such a powerful feeling that day....."We are at war".....and as I read Brenda's book, I understood a little of what all women who were waiting at home during the Civil War were feeling.
I wasn't quilting very much then, but started slowly collecting fabrics to make the Jane Stickle Quilt. About a year later, I went to visit the quilt at the Bennington Museum in Vermont. I was fascinated by Jane's beautiful quilt and sat in front of it with my folder of prospective fabrics, comparing them to the originals. I remember someone asking me that day....."Why don't you make your own quilt, of your own design, instead of copying someone else's quilt?".........I didn't know why, but I wanted a quilt just like Jane's.....or as close to hers as I could make it. I know I didn't answer her, but I was thinking of saying...."Why don't you mind your own business?".....and that wouldn't have been very nice.
That love of Jane's quilt, and copying it has taught me many, many things....scale of prints........value/contrast of colors.........how to applique......how important the 1/4 inch seam is.......all about cutting, piecing, pressing.....I could go on and on. It really is "Quilting 101" and has taught me so much. Now as I am nearing the end of making the blocks, I am feeling some nostalgia.
What is on your design wall today? I am looking forward to spending some time looking at everyone's pretty pictures this week, as I didn't get to look at them for very long last week. Thank you for linking up!
As usual, I ask that you link to this particular post, and not just to the generic blog web address. Please link to:
http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2018/05/design-wall-monday-may-7-2018.html
Happy Monday everyone!
