Anne of Green Gables

 A young lady very dear to me is turning two! I marked the occasion with a big girl quilt.

Anne of Green Gables (72" x 72")

 

 I made this from a fat quarter bundle, a panel, and a few additions from stash. The panel had a double friendship star motif, so I replicated it in the quilt. (Kindred Spirits fabric line by Riley Blake)

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

I used some of the larger elements from the panel in a few of the centers. In others, I fussy cut quotes from the books from the fabrics and used those.

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

The center square of the quilt was cut from the panel.

 

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

 

 

I backed it with a pink brushstrokes print and bound it in aqua.

Anne of Green Gables (detail)

 

I also made an Anne doll to go with the quilt, and I included three different editions of the book with the gift.

 

Anne of Green Gables Doll

 

 I think the gift was a hit!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Happy Quilting! 😸

 

 

Friendship Strings

This quilt is the result of a failed experiment.

You can read about it HERE.


The lesson here is not to give up, but to think of new ways to use what you already have. I am happy with the final design.

Friendship Strings

Fun fabrics--corn, cows, and candy corn...

More fun--sock monkeys and pickles

Friendship Strings (backing and binding detail)

This was a long time in the making, but YAY! for the finish.


I'm linking with Fiber Tuesday 104 at The Quilting Room with Mel  and Jo's Country Junction UFO Progress.

Revisiting an Experiment

About a year and a half ago, I made a bunch of string blocks for an experiment. I wasn't thrilled with the result, so I put the remaining blocks away to use later. I decided that this week was "later" enough!

The posts about these blocks are entitled Playtime at the Hacienda (Part 1) and Playtime at the Hacienda (Part 2). The finished experiment can be found HERE.



I simply wasn't happy with the broad white stripe down the center of each block, so I decided to cut them up.

Original

Cut in half down the length of the center strip

I had some other blocks without the white stripe, so I thought I'd combine the two types in the blocks.

Block without the white center strip cut in half across the strips

I tried a layout, but the arrangement of the white strips wasn't ideal.

One experimental layout

Still not satisfied, I trimmed the white strip completely off the first set of triangles and paired them with triangles from the second group in which the strips went a different direction..

I liked the result; however, a whole quilt of these blocks would likely have been a crazy-making sight! Hmmmmm............



I didn't want to go with a completely plain alternate block--the blocks are 11", so that would be too much plainness. How about an alternate block with quite a bit of plain area, but interest in the middle? I still had lot of string blocks to use, so I tried a pieced alternate block.

This friendship star block seemed to fit the bill--enough background to settle the craziness, but enough interest not to be boring. I cut the string blocks to form the star, so it ties to the rest of the quilt.


They were easy to set together--very few seams to match.

I'm pleased with the look of this. It isn't finished (I'm still thinking about a border), but I'm really glad to have put these to use. I still have string blocks left, so there may be more experimenting with them in my future!

I'm linking with Fiber Tuesday 95 at The Quilting Room with Mel and Jo's Country Junction UFO Progress.

Milky Way

This quilt is a wedding gift for my niece and her husband who were married yesterday in a beautiful, outdoor ceremony.


The front is a pattern called Milky Way. It is a traditional block (the pattern can be found HERE). It is a tessellating pattern, so the block picture doesn't really do it justice--you only see the interlocking stars when it has been assembled. Mine is a bit of a variation on the block--I added the four-patches which makes the pattern look a bit like a Snail's Trail.

The back looks a bit washed out in the photos (the sun was very bright). It was pieced with orphan blocks, leftovers, and squares of purples from my stash. No real plan here--just spread out the odd blocks among the plain ones.

It measures about 90" x 90". I quilted it with simple, straight lines in a lilac colored thread. 

With this quilt, I learned that my brain doesn't tessellate well! It reminded me a bit of my confusion the first time I set a quilt on point, but I've learned to do that, so I think I could do another of these, if I tried (though, to give my brain a rest--it may be a while).

Best wishes for many years of joy to the happy couple.

I'm linking with Fiber Tuesday 58 at The Quilting Room with Mel.

It's A Mystery!

A quilter on a forum I belong to hosts free Mystery Quilt Train Rides two or three times a year for anyone who wants to join in. I am very thankful to her for taking the time to design and write out instructions for us. Here is what we are working on--she gives us one clue per week.



Clue #1:

Clue #2:

Clue #3:

Completed block:

Beginning layout for assembly:

I can't seem to get the fabrics to photograph true-to-color--the burgundy of the completed block photo is the closest.




It is a lot of fun participating in these mysteries with other quilters. The range of colors and fabrics is amazing. I have heard quilters say that they would like to do a mystery quilt, but that they are afraid of the expense--especially since they might not like the end result. I always use inexpensive fabrics for these (at least the first time--sometimes I repeat the pattern), and I figure that if I don't like the result, someone else will--I can always give it to him/her!



Edited to add: Here's where I am today. Not good image quality, but the overall pattern shows up now. I will audition borders next.