Finally Jubilee-ing

I got some time this weekend to focus on my Jubilee quilt. Added a few applique pieces and added one spiked border. Three more borders to go and I'll show the whole thing. One more will be spikey and two borders will be a zig zag.

How's everybody doing on their quilt? I'm looking forward to cooler days so I can start sewing more!

Delinquent Jubilee+5

Yes, very delinquent.

I celebrated my Jubilee+5 birthday back in July. Because of a very busy schedule trying to get two quilts ready for our guild's quilt show in June, I decided to wait to even begin my quilt until my birth month - July.

Unfortunately, my life is still pretty stressful and some days I feel at the end of myself both physically and emotionally. Because of that, I've chosen to make my Jubilee+5 quilt a fairly simple one with bright colors. I needed some color therapy!

This is my version of a quilt I saw on Quiltsalott's blog. I admire her quilts very much.

My version will be wallhanging size and represents anything I might see in my flower garden - mostly flowers but I've included a butterfly, birds, bugs and bunnies. I used the Matilda's Own Kumo template to fussy cut the images.
After a few hand piecing errors (butterflies sometimes fly sideways but trees generally do not grow horizontally), I'm on my way to piecing it together. This has been a good project to take with me to work on in spare moments in waiting rooms.

There are a total of 56 blocks - one for each of my 55 years plus I plan to embroider my inital on the center pink 56th. block. In the picture above, I'm trying out the letter M printed on paper. The more I look at it, the more I think its too large for the block so will be making it smaller.

I plan to big stitch quilt the wallhanging but I'm not sure what color perle cotton to use. I've thought about gray to match the squares or bright pink or orange. Any ideas?

Until later, Mayleen

Finally making progress

After about 6 weeks of cutting, pinning, cutting, pinning, fiddling and finally doing the applique work - the center of my Jubilee quilt was done (except for the very center). Yay!!

It was so exactly what I had pictured.

Every part was perfect (at least to me!!).  And then I came to the borders and everything came to a screeching halt!!  For about 2 months.

I finally had a breakthru and realized what was wrong.  I made these petals smaller and added more of them, including 5 scallops on each side (my original design had 4).

The creative juices were flowing again.  The Olympics has given me a lot of time to work on the applique.  There are 20 scallops and almost 200 petals.  But I'm over halfway done - yay!!!!

I still had a huge problem of what to put in the middle between the scallops, but with the help of a very special friend, I finally broke thru that hurdle too (almost).

So for now, I'm back on track.  My goal is to have the top done before Christmas - I think I can do it. 

-Karen

News from the (HOT) Spanish front...

Olaaaaa, my friends !  ;>)

I know, I know, I've been so quiet lately... even my own Blog is sound asleep for weeks/months... up to the point I sometimes feel about  closing it.
Actually, I've been experiencing some health issues lately, due to some persistent (very) high temperatures causing swollen/painful leggs (water retention) + high blood pressure, etc... I feel a bit discouraged, having left rainy/cooler Belgium for a sunshiny Spanish spot, and now having to consider going back home earlier - sigh - we'll see.... (don't misunderstand me, I LOOOVE our Belgian home, it's just that we wanted to enjoy retirement under a better climate, some months a year).

Well, 'nough said, let's come to the point ;>)

First of all, I wanna tell you again how much IN AWE I am with all your progress and the beauties you're showing here.  Congratulations, dear friends, you are all so talented and inspirational !

As to my "Little Baskets of Joy", I'm quietly keeping on handpiecing them, at my own (turtle) pace and with much pleasure.  I even found a lovely, unusual "egg duck" fabric for the connecting blocks.
Well, actually I was hesitating between two of them, so I took both ( TeHeee...), using the second one for the border triangles.  Of course, I just couldn't help piecing some blocks together, as you can see ;>)

(for some reason this pic. doesn't want to stand up, sorry)

So, that's it up to now, my friends..... looong is the way to the finish line,

but big is the FUN in every step! 

ENJOY YOUR SEWING!

;>)

Nadine

Getting Centered

Hooray - My 4 blocks are done and pieced together.

I miscalculated and wasn't able to get a feather in the center.  Don't ask me how that happened, but suffice it to say that I'm not a mathematical whiz.

I decided to add the flower element and leaves.  I think I will make the stuffed berry red like on the feather centers, so to avoid a bull eye effect.

My little birdie looks very happy to flying around the center area.

I'm looking forward to planning the borders soon.  It will probably wait until after the olympics, but we'll see.

I saw today in the cross country portion of the Horse competition that they have a "Diamond Jubilee" jump - way to go London!

Progress on Susan's Quilt

I saw Susan a couple of weeks ago and she brought her project.  Here are some photos of her progress.

I love the colors and the lively movement!

How is everyone coming along?

Les étoiles de Béatrice

Months after my test block, I finally worked on my  quilt center

Tiny star block is only 3in

center finish at 24in x 30in, next round will be applique.

The inspirational antique quilt :

R. Porter's quilt 1777, American Museum

Béatrice