Transitions...

I love this quilt top.  I love everything about it...

• the fabric...
• the colors...
• the randomness...
• the journey...
• and that the top is done.

I have talked about this quilt and what it represented in my Quilting as Therapy post as well as this one.

This past weekend I decided it was time to get all the four patches out and put them on the design wall. It was so fun! If you haven't been on this journey -- the blocks are 2.5" (finishing at 2") and the sashing is 1" (finishing at 1/2").

Lots of pinning. At every single intersection.

Lots of ironing.

And a reminder of why I do so love all the different shot cottons.  They sparkle a bit more than homespuns -- but of course, not nearly so much as silks.  That's a dream for a different day (or year!).  This had a blue and peach in the warp and weft - and it changes color depending on the light.

When I was putting this together -- I just started sewing (after LOTS of cutting).  I tried to be as random as possible and not over-think the color placement.  I basically sewed up every square I had cut and here is my waste.  Eleven of the sashed 2.5" squares, 3-4 partial strips that were cut so far off grain that I couldn't bring myself to put such crooked squares in the quilt, and a tiny bit of Aurafil thread.  This top required almost a full spool of Aurafil -- that gives me some perspective on how much sewing this little beauty actually has in it.  It has done exactly what I needed for various periods of transition in my life in the past two years.

And finally -- as I was heading back upstairs this morning (after taking a picture in 16 degrees!), the light coming through the beveled window in the front door caught my attention.  I threw the top on the steps, stepped back, and let the fractured light and prisms dance on the fabric.  Oh my!

I hope you are working on something that makes your heart sing!

Jan

Ooooh-La-Lah!

 Aren't these just grand?  Kaffe shot cottons and plaids -- all nicely rolled up into one neat little package.  There are some indulgences that you just can't ignore when you have a craving.  Just like chocolate or strawberries or a diet coke.  You have to heed your inner voice and acquiesce or forever feel deprived.  Or that's what I'm telling myself anyway.

I had been on the lookout for a jelly roll of Kaffe shot cottons in the solids but it's a little hard to find and I'm not sure if anyone other than Grubers carries them (great shop if you've never been -- generally one of my favorites at any big quilt show as well!).  I know they cut these little strips and about 60% are in the plaids and stripes -- many of which I had never seen before.  

http://www.grubersquiltshop.com/

So, what does one do with such bounty?  Handle carefully for starters.  When you see this much fraying (even with wovens), you can be sure they are not cut completely on grain.  Therefore, you do what any reasonable quilter would do -- you starch them within an inch of their lives so you are in control. Works like a charm! 

And then - because there is so much in one's life that is out of their control (retirement in less than a month and no place to go), you decide to just sew and sew and sew for a while.  40 strips of fabric will end up as 2.5" squares that are sashed on two sides with 1" brown Kona cotton (love it!).  A simple quilt that will let the fabric be the stars and not the pattern.  And, I can sew whenever I need a fix without a lot of thought. This will take long enough that design is not likely to be an issue for a while.  I'll eventually make them into 4 patches in order to keep up with them (a 4 patch will finish at 5").

Here's a little Grubers story that is the reason I always keep my camera with me as I mentioned in this post:    http://iquiltforfun.blogspot.com/2011/07/just-passing-through.html   On a visit to the shop, I was turning down a side street and looked that street sign -- 2 1/2 Street!  All I had was a crummy phone with an even worse camera and I had no way of sharing that with the world.  I absolutely loved it and vowed not to be without a camera on my travels again. 

Keep piecing, Jan