Oasis

I have a finish.

New Finish

Glimpses of Blue

Rolled Up

But first the back story.

This was the second year that I was the Block of the Month (BOM) coordinator for my quilt guild.

The concept of the BOM is simple. I share a tutorial for a quilt block (from the internet, a classic block or something that I whip up).

Two strips 2.5" by WOF

Stitched along the length

Open Seams

Cut in half 

Sew again, press seams open

Cut in half again

Cut each half into half

Rearrange and sew

Folks make that block. Every block gets them one entry in the BOM raffle
One person wins all the blocks.

Two blocks finish at 8" by 10"

This was the BOM for February 2019.
I so enjoyed making these two blocks that I made a whole quilt.

Playing with Strips

On the Design wall

Quilting

Zig Zag Quilting - Walking Foot (always)

Binding in process

And here it is - meet Oasis!!!

Oasis

Oasis finished at about 64" by 70", which is the right size for a Mercyful Quilt.

Blues on Green

Sewing up 2.5" strips is fast and fun.  After all the strips were sewn and all the blocks were cut, they were arranged on the design wall and I began playing with the layout.

I arranged them in such a way that the lighter ones were at the top, medium hues in the middle going to the navy and dark blocks at the bottom.  This created a sort of ombre effect.

Ombre Effect

Now if I had decided on the ombre effect BEFORE I made the blocks, the result would have been much more striking. Ah well, may be next time.  For now, I will settle for this gentle suggestion of Ombre Effect.  What do you think?

Paul: What happened to the hot pink and yellow block?
Me: That was for the guild. The winner took it.
Paul: And what happens to this quilt?
Me: It is going to Bernie.
Paul: Who is Bernie?
Me: My quilting, blogging buddy on the west coast who is friends with Patty
Paul: Who is Patty?
Me: Patty works at the Mercy hospital and she needs quilts
Paul: For?
Me: To comfort the terminally ill patients
Paul: Oh
Me: The family will keep the quilt in memory of the person
Paul : That is sweet of you
Me: Well, thank you, Paul.
Paul: Do you need me to hold it?
Me: Nope. Rekha already modeled it for me
Paul: Who is Rekha?
Me: She is my co-worker/quilt model.
Paul: And what am I?
Me: You are a holder-upper :-p
Paul: That sounds menial
Me: Since Rekha is leaving, I can promote you to a quilt model
Paul: Ooh a quilt model. Do I get any benefits or perks?
Me: Maybe after your 6-quilt probation period.
Paul: BRAT!!! 

Rekha the model

Rekha has found another job and she will no longer be able to model for me. At least not on regular basis. I am sure we will get together every now and then at weekends.
So we took a few extra pictures. And had a farewell picnic with more pictures.

She will be missed

We wish her well

The card

Saying good bye to Rekha was not easy.

But it is so much harder to say good bye to a dear family member who is leaving for their final journey, as is the case with the recipients of Mercyful quilts.

Celebrating the time spent together and reliving the memories can be an oasis of comfort in the desert of loss. Hence the name - Oasis.

Pieced Backing 

The backing is a big irregular four-patch, using last of the giant tulips fabrics that came to me from Mary. So generous of her. I am happy just being one small part of the giving universe.

Labelled

All the Blues - Singing Together

Here are a few more pictures. I need to drink in these blues a bit longer before I say good-bye to Oasis and send her westwards to Bernie.

I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.
As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Your comments are my oasis too :-)