155. Missing a Cog

 Missing a Cog was another quilt based on the kaleidoscope block. This time one of the wedges was solid white. 

Dea Oskerson did the most amazing custom quilting.

I used a lot of the cut offs from the wedges and sewed them together for the backing. 

It was published in Modern Patchwork in 2015, and they even made a kit available!

Title: Missing a Cog

Design by: Me.

Completed: 2015

Size: 70" x 70" 

Quilted by: Dea Oskerson

154. Christmas in the City

 At the end of 2014, I started working on Tula Pink's City Sampler, which has 100 blocks.

My idea was to start in the upper left corner with very low volume blocks with just a touch of red.

Gradually add more red to the blocks.

Then red and white blocks with a touch of green.

Decrease the amount of white and have mostly red and some green. (Oops, where did that thread come from?)

And then work in the opposite way to the lower right hand corner. Mostly green with some red.

Gradually add some white, while working mostly with green.

Eliminate the red.

And end up with very low volume white and green blocks.

You know how you have a vision but you are never quite sure if the reality will match it your expectations? In this case, I'm thrilled with the results.

Even the back--I used up some of my favorite Christmas prints.

And added a peppermint stripe binding.

You may be familiar with the fact that I photograph nearly all of my quilts in front of our little shed in the backyard. But Mark and I took this quilt out for a fun photo op. 

One morning I was headed out of the house and walked past the dining room. Everything seemed just right to snap a quick picture. For some reason, this photo got some major traction on Instagram that year. 

It was reposted on the instagram feed of Make Modern Magazine and ended up with nearly 6,000 "likes"!! So I repost it every year. Haha. 

After seeing Christmas in the City, another quilter made her version using patchwork squares rather than pieced blocks. It's a much faster way to achieve the same idea and it's so very pretty.

It seemed the perfect quilt to photograph with the Christmas red classic car. It was in my calendar, Quilts and Classics 2021, for the month of December.

Details:

Pattern: City Sampler by Tula Pink

Size: 60" x 60"

Blocks: 100 scrappy 6" blocks

Pieced by: Me.

Machine quilted by: Darby Myers

153. Just Point Me in the Right Direction

 Just Point Me in the Right Direction was inspired by a store sign.

I loved the idea that one arrow was pointing up and the other was pointing down.

It was an easy quilt to make and was custom quilted by Darby Myers.

I entered it into QuiltCon 2016 and it was accepted in the Minimalist Design category.

Title: Just Point Me in the Right Direction

Design by: Me (with inspiration from advertising sign)

Date Completed: 2015

Size: 44" x 44"

Quilted by: Darby Myers

151. Moccasin

 In 2015, I signed up for a block of the month pattern by AnneMarie Chaney called Moccasin. It was bright and cheery, so I ordered all the fabric to make it in the same colors, with the goal being donating it for the MCC auction in 2016. 

Shortly after starting to make the blocks, I decided that it was too bright. I needed to remember who the potential bidders were. At about the same time, a good friend, Kristi, was making the quilt in gorgeous neutrals. I contacted her and she gave me all the fabric information and I basically copied her version.

The neutrals were so soothing, and the touches of navy added some interest. I made more blocks to make the quilt larger overall. It sold for $2250.

Title: Moccasin

Pattern by: Annemarie Chany

Completed: 2015

Size: 108" x 108"

Quilted by: Ione Whitney

150. Mabel

 Mabel was a problem child from the beginning.

I had seen a really cool idea for some wall art--a matryoshka doll involving pieces of washi tape; the artist had named it Mabel Matryoshka. Cute, right?

I thought it would easily translate into a great quilt using small X blocks and I had some really beautiful Peppered Cottons by Pepper Cory.

 So I began making 3" X blocks. Lots of them.

So much trimming.

And labeling. 

The problem became apparent when I started putting the blocks on the design wall. It was actually horrifying. I remember it being late at night when I got this far. Mabel looked like an alien! And obviously she was going to be 20 feet tall.

 

I pulled the blocks off the wall and regrouped. I came up with a plan that used nearly all of the blocks.

In remembrance of the washi tape version, I made a little cross stitch version for the label and backed it with some matryoshka doll fabric. 

Title: Mabel

Pattern by: Me.

Date Completed: 2015

Size: 48" x 48"

Quilted by: Darby Myers