Feeling Blue

It is just the beginning of summer but the northern hemisphere is already scorching with record temperatures. Please stay cool and drink lots of water. 

Should you need any encouragement to stay indoors and sew, all my Etsy patterns are on sale - 20% off through July 8, 2024.

And click on the link to get 20% off on all Missouri Star Quilt Company purchases over $50.

Arabella's Garden - Pattern on Sale

It is Mari, the mild-mannered professor by day and a fierce quilter by night, who often begins her blogpost with a weather report. I have teased her about it. Thinking of Mari today, as she takes care of her family, while her blog/readers eagerly await her return. I am sending good wishes her way. 

Since Angela announced Blue for June's Rainbow Scrap challenge, my eyes have been searching for instances of blue in the nature. This is all that I found.

Robin's egg. More aqua than blue

Penny Mac, Bluish Purple

I could not find any true blue flowers. The Blue Jay never let me get close enough (for a decent picture) and the Bluebirds were never still to capture with my iPhone camera.

Blue Jay

I am working on my Blue blocks but they aren't done yet.

Island Batik Blue Hexies

Light Blue

Dark Blue

Whenever I see blue and yellow together, I think of Ukraine and her courageous people. 

Speaking of Blues, how can Blue mean both good and bad? We want blue skies but we don't want to feel blue. English language befuddles me everyday. 

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.

Sweet Dreams

In summer I dream of a chilly breeze. 
In winter I dream of a fire. 
At land I yearn for the stormy seas. 
Once there it is dry land that I desire.

It is no surprise that I made an Autumn Quilt in Spring :-) Meet Sweet Dreams.

Autumn in Spring

Island Batik's June Challenge Requirements/Guidelines are as follows:

• Project Type: Quilt for Quilts Across America
• Size: between 50” to 60” wide and 75” to 90” long. 
• Fabric: Any, in colors that appeal to children aged 2-17.
• Work with any size unit that you want, you can also use more than one unit size in the project.
• Must use at least 30 units total, made with the Studio 180 Design tool you received.

I received the Corner Beam Ruler.

Corner Beam Units

I used four colors - Orange, Green, Red and Purple - in light, medium, dark and very dark to make the Autumn Leaf Block.

10" Leaf Block

I love the gentle gradation of values going from light in the tip to very dark in the base of the leaf. 

In Orange

The leaf stem is made from Eucalyptus (now discontinued Island Batik Basic).  The background is Egg White. I used Schmetz Microtex 80/12 Needle for piecing.

I  made a total of 24 Leaf Blocks, arranged four across by six down.  

Design Wall

The sashing is 2" and the border finishes at 3".

Basting

The batting is Hobbs Premium Cotton. I used Schmetz Microtex 80/12 Needle for Quilting, using my walking foot in a 2" grid with my favorite squiggly stitch.

Quilting Detail

The Binding is a Green Vine fabric left over from the Wild Blooms collection. 

In the picture below, I am standing on a picnic table, with the Potomac in the background, while Paul took the perfect shot. Can you see the river to the right?

Finished Quilt - 52" by 76"

Since the quilt used only 24 Corner Beam units, when we were directed to make at least 30, I considered adding a fancy border.  But that would take away from the simple beauty of the quilt.

I wanted to follow the rules/guidelines but sometimes that is at loggerheads with design considerations. 

What could I do? The shape of the Corner Beam unit is similar to a candle/lamp flame.

So I made a Zippered Pouch. It used four Corner Beam units, bringing the number up to 28. I know it is not the required 30, but that is close enough!

Appliquéd Corner Beam and Semicircle Units

Instead of piecing the units, I appliquéd them using an invisible thread. I used Red, Green and Orange (for the lamps) but not Purple because it would not have a good contrast against the Solid Black background.

Diwali Themed Zippered Pouch

There are design decisions at every stage. Do you approve of mine? Please let me know. I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties, see full list on the sidebar.

In other news, Angela has announced that June will be Blue. Here are my Island Batik Blues ready to become Hexie Blocks. 

All the Blues - Light, Medium and Dark

We will be receiving our second Ambassador Boxes in July. 

I need to arrange, consolidate and make room for new supplies. Would you be interested in Island Batik fabric scraps? 

No pressure :-D But I'd love to know.