I've enjoyed seeing lots of family in the last few weeks so haven't been too productive in the sewing room. But gosh has it been fun. My boys showed me a wonderful time in Seattle last week-end!
(Max went into the html on the blog here and widened everything, making it easier for you to read, I hope!) Max is on the left...he works as a software engineer at Amazon; Chad is on the right, a senior at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. They live 3 miles apart from each other and get together often. That makes this mom REALLY happy! ;-)
Because I am heading for the
Empty Spools conference at Asilomar next week-end, I have some finish work to accomplish. As "Artist in Residence" I do want to have my most current work to show and tell about.
So "Rainy Spring" is now done....
I took a long time picking out the backing at
Fabric Depot, but finally settled on two fabrics to layer together, and aqua poly satin and some glittery netting! It looks nice and rainy but it does leave a bit of a glitter trail.
To bind it, I folded the back over to the front and stitched it into place, manipulating the fabric in the corners to some semblance of a miter. I left the edge raw, then covered it with some narrow trim (more glitter!) and a row of herringbone...
I wouldn't say this is aces technically, but I do like the overall effect...from a distance!
So this is now done, except for sewing on the dreaded sleeve!
Now I am working on the Cowgirl CQ....
This is my kind of machine quilting...I simply pinned my top to a washed microfleece blanket from my local BiMart ($20 for a kingsized), trimmed it to size, and am quilting in the ditch with clear thread, strait lines, no free motion anything, even stitches...
I would have liked a slightly better color but BiMart is close and this is going to be a working quilt on a ranch....not precious! And I have to say that the top quilted onto microfleece this way yields more of a "bedspread" weight than a quiltlike feel, and it is REALLY nice! I have one on my bed and I love it.
So I'll be quilting all day until my husband calls me out to the garden to help plant the onions...
This is Robert's idea of a blank design wall!
I definitely plan on blogging from Asilomar, so next time I'll be posting from beautiful Pacific Grove, CA...
Bye for now!
I love your Rainy Day piece. The subdued blues mixed with just enough shimmer to feel magic, like anticipation when you know something special is about to happen.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that your two boys are so close, emotionally and geographically! I hope my sons will have that when they are older. Right now, in 3rd and 5th grade, I frequently have to send them to separate corners!
So nice to see your two boys hanging together. But boy do they look different! I'd never guess they were brothers. ...But then, my sister and I look NOTHING alike. We often joke that one of us must have gotten switched at birth. (No, that didn't happen.) Have fun at Asilomar, and I am so excited about your Rain piece!
ReplyDeleteRainy Spring is beautiful! This is my first year of being able to do anything in the garden. A garden the size of yours would overwhelm me!
ReplyDeleteRainy Spring is just glorious!! You a re so brave to work with a large piece of that backing plus the glitter fabric!!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you will show us Cowgirls when she is all done. i must look back in your blog to see some in progress shots, I am sure that they are there somewhere!!
So nice to see your boys being such good pals. My kids are as well and they are a 20 yr old boy and a 15 yr old girl and I just love to hear them laugh and have fun together!! it really is the best!!! Can't wit to hear all about Asilomar- have a blast!!!
"Rainy Day" is so bright and cheerful -- much prettier than a grey rainy day. I love your idea of quilting the top directly to a soft blanket. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to see the two Princes of Portland together and having fun!
ReplyDeleteYour Rainy Spring captures that beautiful energy the earth has when it rains in the spring...like everything is reaching toward it and exulting in its life-giving flow. Rain in the Spring IS beautiful and so is your quilt.
And...I love the idea of using a fleece blanket to make a quilt you can actually USE. That just might get me to make one...one day...
Have a grand trip and drink in all the beauty for us. We'll see you when you get back. I'm sure that Robert's garden will have sprouted by then. Happy day doll! xo Susan
OK. I guess they'll have to be the Sons of Seattle since they don't live in Portland. bummer. It had kind of a ring to it. Can't they move?
ReplyDeleteI love Robert's idea of a blank design wall. Very funny!! But gardens well done are truly a work of art and a beautiful thing. Often it is nature we are trying to represent in our quilts. Turns out both you and your husband are wonderful artists. Have fun at Asilomar. It's such a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteI Love Asilimar. We stayed there last summer after my Husband was diagnosed with cancer. We thought it might be our last vacation together. We stayed in one of the buildings by the ocean and sat on our balcony and the deer walked right up to us with their babies. We walked down the boardwalk to the water, rolled up our pants and walked through the water. We watched the sun set from a bench on the boardwalk. You need a blanket. It can get cold. It was one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I would love to go back someday.
ReplyDeleteOh, this is just lovely, Ms. Allie. The colors really sing of the spring rains. I like the fleece blanket idea for the "working" quilt, too... I'd forgotten that tip from when you did your bed quilt. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteHave fun at Asilomar!
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ReplyDeleteSo love the Cow Girl Crazy Quilt! Sewing a crazy to fleece is the best!;-) (sorry accidently deleted my first comment, really I didn't say anything bad!)
ReplyDeleteYour pieces don't look like a Rainy Day to me! Just beautiful.... Although, I suppose I get the jist of the "rainy day" beauty... it's always nice to enjoy a nice rainy day inside! The smell in Spring is Heavenly.... Have fun on your trip working/playing... looking forward to any posts you have time to make!
ReplyDeleteAnd your cowgirl quilt... I'll bet it's so super soft! Hard to not cuddle and pet it hmmm?
It has been raining here, off and on, the past couple of days and your "Rainy Spring" quilt really captures the look outside my windows. What a beautiful quilt!
ReplyDeleteAI LUVS IT!!!1!
Amazing how that glitter spreads itself around, isn't it? What a lovely quilt with such an interesting finish. Fleece is great for kids' quilts, too, so I'm going to look into the microfleece blanket idea. Thanks. Wish I'd known you were in Seattle....
ReplyDeleteRainy Spring is wonderful. It almost seems to go from winter blue to spring green to summer yellow. I love the look of it.
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