In A Bookish, Quilty Mood

My beautiful Cornflower quilt is DONE. This quilt was sewn by hand, except for attaching the front of the binding. I also machine-stitched the perimeter's edge. The rest was an English paper-pieced effort from my fave designer Jodi Godfrey . Initially I made these blocks while stitching the Seedlings Sampler quilt in late 2019-early 2020. After that project was completed, I made a few extra blocks, but didn't plan on making a full Cornflower version until perhaps 2021. Then blocks were fashioned as I worked on other projects until it became obvious how much I loved making this particular design. I enjoyed it so much that I enlarged the quilt, adding an additional row. I haven't measured it, but it's definitely a rectangle, and plenty long to snuggle under lying down. Strangely enough, less than ten days ago I thought completing this wouldn't occur until perhaps summer's end. I wasn't in a rush per se, although I was tired of it taking so much spa...

  Edging the perimeter is a slow process, but very rewarding in the overall sense of almost being done! Literally less than a week ago I mentally decided if I didn't get my Cornflower quilt done until late summer, I'd be happy. As long as I had it in time for autumn, woo hoo. One more of the edging process because the fabrics are so pretty, lol. Two days ago I finished the hand-quilting. I hadn't planned on it, but late in the afternoon I sat down to stitch and whoop there it ended. I hauled it upstairs, because it required perimeter stitching, a binding made, then attached, but wow, suddenly one great big task was over. Meanwhile I had started machine quilting a new comforter for my husband, and assumed the Cornflower quilt would wait patiently for its turn at the machine. Perimeter sewing DONE! Yesterday slipped away with no machine sewing whatsoever. I've been reading the last book in the Alvin's Farm series and spent most of my free time with that, sincerely en...

  After thoroughly checking every block of my Cornflower quilt, I have finished the hand-quilting.  That element is DONE. I did find three small sections I'd forgotten. Stitch stitch stitch.... What I thought was the last block until I found the incomplete sections, lol. Stitch stitch stitch. So many stitches, so much love. I told my husband this quilt is for us, the first English paper-pieced comforter I've made that hasn't been for someone else. I also told him if someone likes it, I'd gladly give it away. So then I can make another, haha. But for now it's ours, and I love it. I loved choosing the prints for each block, basting the papers, sewing them together. Making this quilt was indeed a labour of love. Next up is machine-sewing the perimeter. Oh, and making the binding, then attaching it. When those steps are accomplished, I can't wait to share the completed quilt! Meanwhile.... Here's another finish, a baby quilt. Happy week everyone!

  I really love this Cornflower quilt. Visitors are amazing and marvelous and so necessary. After they leave, I wander around, wondering what to do, other than laundry, lol. It takes a few days, then suddenly I'm revising books and hand-stitching quilts (and still doing some wash, ha ha) as though guests left ages ago. I don't know if I required these additional days previously, as in five or ten years ago, but I certainly do now. Now I'm in my later fifties, ahem. Now I'm quite set in my routine until said routine is pleasantly jostled. And now, a couple of days post-beloveds, I feel my artsy feet are mostly back under me. Huh. That's interesting. Future Me nods as if to say, "Get used to it. It's not going to get any better." Past Me looks up from her cross-stitching and grunts, "What?" I smirk at them both, because smirking is big in my new novel , Tia does it often as does her big sister Lucy. I smirk, then return to this post, which isn...

  Special thanks to my husband for the heavy lifting, lol. About half an hour ago (at the time of writing this post), I made the final stitch, completing one phase of crafting this Cornflower Quilt . Photos have been taken, a few sent to those in the know. Now for a moment to sift through the last couple of years in the creation of this quilt top, which after the last block was stitched, came together a lot faster than I had anticipated. A sample in the sunshine! It's darker than I thought, the black squares and perimeter triangles adding a drama I hadn't considered. It's beautiful, lol, but that kind of goes without saying, although I seem to have made this observation second to how dark it seems to me. (Having just finished August , by Judith Rossner, I'm in a little of an analytical mood, and maybe I'll write a post about how much I enjoyed that novel, but that's for later.) Two of my favourite blocks.   It's full of fabrics from the last few years of my ...

  Definitely a scrap quilt, but one so dear to my heart. Stitching has been my balm lately. Writing has not, but that's fine. Instead I'll tell you about the quilt, or half of it, pictured above. And mention some wee darlings that keep me smiling. So the Cornflower quilt .... I am pretty much head over heels for this English paper pieced marvel designed by Jodi Godfrey from her book, The Seedling Quilts . I was infatuated while making the blocks, adding an extra row because I just kept finding great fabric combos to turn into ONE MORE BLOCK. Lol. All were edged in green diamonds of various shades, then black on-point squares act as the glue, in a manner of speaking. But it's one thing to make a heap of adorable blocks, another animal sewing them all together. Stitching the rows was easy-peasy, but then.... Then those rows have to be attached. To each other. Ahem. Now, I've made three other wholly EPP'ed quilts; two were of 1.5" hexies, the other a Cherish quil...

  Grateful and grimacing at the same time, such is life as one gets older. Last night I sewed four-inch squares onto the sixth row of my Cornflower Quilt. I lamented the five missing squares, but didn't stew obsessively, as I have another quilt requiring hand-stitching as a distraction until I am ready to deal with those absent squares. Yet, as I headed to bed, laying that sixth row under the fifth row, I sighed softly, wondering how long I could put off basting five more squares to complete that part of the quilt. Dressing for bed, I was grateful for our relatively warm winter temperatures, many Pacific storms leaving Humboldt County drenched but not chilly. I snuggled under blankets, closed my eyes, receiving a tender goodnight kiss from my hubby. He turned off the light, departed the room, leaving me with some last musings for the day. I considered how I could sew triangles to the first row, filling in gaps before conceding those five missing squares were truly beyond my possess...

Looking at this again, I may overhaul the entire thing. Lol. Isn't that often the way, in quilts or novels; the end appears on the horizon, a joyful swell of anticipation and relief that said project is ALMOST DONE. Almost is a word fraught with uncertainty, because until something IS DONE, it's not finished. This is what I thought days ago after completing the forty-second block of my quilt. Number forty-three is nearly wrapped up, and here's its little tale. I had laid out the blocks, as pictured above, but one was missing. Literally moments before snapping that shot I had four spots left and four blocks in my hand. Then suddenly one had slipped away! Frantically we looked around, and for twenty minutes I was convinced another block would need to be stitched. Fortunately I had eight extra squares, an idea for the inner petals, and the assuredness something appropriate would turn up for the center octagon. Picking up all forty-one blocks, I stacked them in order of rows, d...