Live a Colorful Life Quilt Diary: 2017

Showing posts with label 2017. Show all posts

183. Amish Charm

After I made the quilt, Kona Color Card, Kona came out with a set of new colors. I decided I needed to make a quilt using those colors, and the result is Amish Charm.

It's had a couple of fun photo ops. We took it with us to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2018.

It was included for the month of February in my Quilts and Classics calendar in 2021.

Our neighbor's cat, Harley, who is very nosy.

Title: Amish Charm

Date Completed: 2017

Size: 40" x 50"

Quilted by: Darby Myers

The idea for this quilt started by thinking I would make a fall version of my Delta Breeze quilt using my very favorite fabric, Oakshott cottons. I soon realized that I could easily use the same idea as in Delta Breeze, two sizes of the same block, but make maple leaf blocks instead of bear paw blocks/

I gathered all the fall colors--golds, rusts, browns--and once I started putting the blocks on the wall, I realized that green would give it an added bit of interest. For the background I used as many different creamy neutrals of Kona cotton as I had on hand.

I was hoping to take some photos at Hillcrest Farms, a pumpkin patch about half an hour away. It was a beautiful fall and all the school buses carrying kids on a field trip had left, and I was there all by myself. The owners gave me permission to wander around alone, which was so much fun. It was quiet and peaceful (although at times just a tiny bit eerie). Here are some of my favorite pictures. (The photo below was in Quilts and Classics calendar for the month of November.)

my most favorite picture

I was a little spooked by this guy. Thankfully he didn't start talking to me!

Title: Foliage

Date Completed: 2017

Size: 54" x 63"

Quilted by: Darby Myers

181. Arrowhead

I'm a big fan of quilt designs by Kristi of Initial K Studio. I've made several of them--they are well done and easy to follow.

Months before "bonus" granddaughter Stacie was going to graduate from college in 2017, I knew I wanted to make Kristi's design, Arrowhead.

I have been working really hard at sewing my stash. The quilt called for a six-step gradation of a single color, and I chose grey through black. Shockingly, everything I needed was in my stash.

Darby did her usual beautiful job with the quilting.

Stacie loves to travel, and in my stash was a four-yard cut of an old line from Sweetwater, the exact size I needed. The fabric has names of cities from all over the world. Stacie originally comes from Portland, and a bonus I could not have anticipated was right there in front of me. Do you see it? That section that contains not only Portland but Fresno. I nearly jumped for joy!

For the binding, I had the perfect stripe in the same gradation. I love it when that happens.

We have several murals in downtown Fresno and the one I had my heart set on was the musical score of Amazing Grace.

I hadn't counted on the big tree obscuring much of the mural as well as a locked gate that prevented access to most of the wall. Or the sun. Or the shadows.

But my able quilt holder helped make it happen, and I'm pretty happy with this picture.

Quilt Name: Arrowhead
Size: 64" x 72"
Designed by: Initial K Studio
Made by: Me
Quilted by: Darby Myers

180. Diving Board

In November 2017 I was given the chance to be one of the "ambassadors" for Cotton Cuts, a company that delivers quilting fabric based on your preferences.

As an ambassador, I was sent three one-yard cuts of Alison Glass's line, Diving Board.

Two of the prints were gorgeous symmetrical prints, one in warm tones and one in cool tones. As I contemplated what to make in the short period of time I was allotted, I decided to "upsize" Dela Breeze, one of my favorite designs ever.

The original block size was 8", so I doubled that to 16". In addition to the gorgeous prints, I added coordinating solids from my stash.

The small block looked like this:

The large one looked like this:

Darby chose a nice wavy quilting design.

The chartreuse fabric that was included proved to be the perfect choice for the binding.

Based on the name of the fabric line, I also named the quilt Diving Board. Which made finding a diving board an obvious choice for a photo op. Luckily, good friends Gary and Ruth have a lovely backyard with a beautiful pool.

It was later included in the calendar, Quilts by the Water, 2022.

Quilt Name: Diving Board
Quilt Size: 48" x 48"
Designed and Made by: Me
Quilted by Darby Myers

179. Aquatic

You know what happens when you take your grandchildren to their swimming lessons at a local high school? As a quilter, I'll tell you what happens.

You see this tile by the outdoor shower that of course inspires a quilt.

What happens next when you are following Christopher Thompson, aka The Tattooed Quilter, and he comes out with a fabric line called Blue Carolina for Riley Blake, with a lovely range from white backgrounds to navy backgrounds? You just know it is going to be the perfect collaboration.

You quickly cut a stack of squares from each of the fabrics and start playing with them on the design wall. The next thing you know, you have this.

It goes together quickly, and soon it's ready to be quilted and bound.

Darby chose the perfect wavy quilt design.

The obvious choice to photograph the quilt is of course at the site of the original inspiration, the high school aquatic center. The problem: I can't very well just walk in and photograph a quilt there. But I have a connection, Diane. She graciously contacts someone with keys and we meet at the appointed time, 11 a.m. We took photographs in full sun but I was happy for the opportunity.

It was a fun quilt to make and I was happy that it turned out as I visualized it.

It was in the Quilts by the Water calendar for the month of April 2022.

Quilt Name: Aquatic

Date Completed: 2017
Quilt Size: 55" x 65"
Designed and Made by: Me
Quilted by: Darby Myers

178. The Blues

One of my favorite people on Instagram is Kristi @71stitches. She lives in Tumwater, Washington, and I've been able to spend some time with her twice at QuiltCon. She has an amazing eye for color and fabric choices.

On more than one occasion I have asked her to kit one of the quilts she has shown in her feed, which she has graciously done. The most recent one was what I call The Blues, an X and + quilt using a pattern by Brigitte Heitland, along with her fabric line, True Blue. The border is a light blue essex linen.

I made most of it during my stay with my friend Trudy at the end of September 2017.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it--I don't consider myself a "blue" person, which may make you wonder why I have made so many blue quilts this fall. But then I remembered that our son and daughter-in-law had recently gotten a new blue couch. As soon as Darby was finished quilting it, I did a speedy machine binding and took it over to them. Thus, I the pictures I took were with the light I had available--not ideal.