Jeni's Colorado

Hello, my quilting/blogging friends.

Once again, it has been a while. I wish I was in a better place and I wish it could be different. 

But I do have a new quilt and we will focus on that, for now. 

With Marcia

It began with Marcia, who is my former boss. She retired after her 81st birthday. Kudos to her, because I am sure I can't make it to my 60th before calling it quits. 

When Marcia learned about my quilting hobby (obsession), she introduced me to her neighbor - Lesley. Lesley is an art quilter. I need a whole separate blogpost to describe Lesley's work. She takes her inspiration from nature and excels in applique and embellishments. 

Lesley (notice the elephants in the quilt behind her)

We, Lesley and I, admire each other's work. She appreciates my sense of color and composition and I am totally floored by her microscopic attention to detail and excellent workmanship.

When Lesley's daughter, Jeni, got engaged,  Lesley asked me to make a quilt, embodying the feel of Colorado, Jeni's after-marriage-new-home-state. Jeni's favorite colors are green, purple and crimson. 

I shared several mock-ups with Lesley, inspired by my previous quilts/patterns. 

Shanvi/Phagun

Yamini

Niko

Honi

Fireworks

Arboretum

Lesley had also seen and admired my interpretation of the Moon over the Mountain Quilts.

This is what Lesley picked, a combination of Arboretum and Moon over the Mountain.

Final!

A queen size quilt with curved piecing, lots of angles and a scrappy border. My work was cut out for me. 

I knew that Green and Purple would have a sufficient contrast against the white background. But I wasn't sure about the Yellows.

I chose Solid White instead of Egg White, due to better contrast. Background confirmed, it was time to pick out Purples and Greens.

Island Batik Purples

Island Batik Greens

Sufficiently excited, I decided to make one each of the blocks and show it to Lesley.

Tree Block

Sunrise Block

Once all blocks were made, I sent another picture to Lesley.

I sent her several in-process pictures. I wanted to make sure she was with me on this journey.

Once the top was completed, I asked Lesley if she had a preference for the backing color.

She chose Green. I chose Dark Purple for Binding. And here are the pictures of the finished quilt - Jeni's Colorado.

Finished!!!

Since it is a Queen-sized quilt, I knew taking pictures will be a challenge. For Paul's ease, I added a temporary sleeve wherein a curtain rod was inserted. Hence the perfect pictures and a much happier quilt model.

Island Batik Fabrics

Crushing on you

Sunny & Labelled

When I took the finished quilt to Lesley, there were oohs and aahs. Marcia and Lesley posed with it and I took some more pictures.

You two are adorable!

One week later, Lesley sent me a picture.

From Jeni

I am told they love the quilt!

My work has been stressful and I have been struggling. While Paul has been very supportive, I feel like I must carry on for now. 

  

Boxed-Mix

Yes, it has been a while...

It is a challenge to time this blogpost after I am missed but before I am totally forgotten.

Boxed-Mix

This is Boxed Mix, a layer cake friendly quilt, I made for Summer 2026 issue of Quilter’s World.

Made using the Island Batik collection, Enchanted Flutter, Boxed Mix finished at 60" by 84". 

We took the completed quilt for a photoshoot. 

You know that the colors are stunning when you can fool a grasshopper to stop by and examine :-D

I modeled it on my bed. I took pictures of the label and I crushed on it. 

Here is a picture from the magazine.

Screenshot of the online magazine version from my Library

But the quilt never got back to me. The UPS package containing the magazine and my quilt is lost. Multiple phone calls and inquiries have yielded nothing. 

Expected in April, I filed a claim in May and I have given up hope now.  Will you put your attention on Boxed-Mix and wish that it returns to me? I believe in the power of your positive thoughts.

I have completed all my Turquoise blocks for July's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Island Batik Scraps 

Yes, I have been blue... So are the skies. Thank goodness for small mercies.

I will be sharing with Angela's Linky party including all my other favorites. See full list on the sidebar. 

 

Phagun

Welcome to my stop on the Sunflower Spice Blog Hop.

Phagun, 80" by 100"

When Jennifer Thomas of Curlicue Creations asked whether I would like to join the BlogHop, I did not say yes. I had to see the fabrics, first. 

OK, YES. 

These vibrant hues cover the entire spectrum of the rainbow. The design had to be simple so that the colors could truly shine.

Making Blocks

Ravishing Red

Design Wall

Adding Scrappy Borders

Ta Da - A Queen Size Quilt

Well, yes. I made a queen-size quilt, named Phagun. Phagun is made with two quilt blocks - the Shanvi block using warm colors and the Irish Chain block using cool colors. Both blocks finish at 10". 

Borders - Inner Skinny & Outer Scrappy

A skinny inner border and an outer 4" finished scrappy border complete the quilt. The background is Egg Shell and the binding is Fondant.

Egg Shell

Fondant

Close-up

The batting is Tuscany Cotton/Wool Blend generously provided by Hobbs.

Thank you, Hobbs

A queen size quilt is the perfect excuse to splurge on a wide backing. This multicolored layered lava lamps fabric was just perfect.

Wide Backing - Color Matching

I quilted using my walking foot, my favorite squiggly stitching, following the 2" grid. I am the queen of keeping it simple :-p

Quilting in process

Now, pushing a queen size quilt sandwich through a domestic machine is a challenge (ask my neck and shoulders), as is modeling it. The arm span of a tall Paul falls way short of 80".

Solution - I attached a quilt sleeve and inserted an adjustable curtain rod. The still shots became easy and the walking quilt video (check my Instagram) a breeze :-)

Crushing on You!

It was a beautiful sunny Spring day on the banks of the Potomac and I decided to get in front of the camera :-)

Basking in the warmth

Daydreaming

Perfect Spring!

For lunch, because a hardworking (handsome too) model deserves compensation, we went to a restaurant called Wild Himalayan Yak. It is a Nepalese restaurant with some Indo-Chinese dishes. Paul was interested in trying the yak meat. But that is not the point of this story. The napkins are.

Picture from the Restaurant Website

Unlike any other restaurant, they have the most beautiful napkins made from woven authentic Nepali fabrics. You get me, right. When others are looking upward at the monument/castle, us quilters will be admiring the tiles. 

Picture from the Restaurant Website

Me: These napkins are so beautiful.
Paul just nodded, amused.

Me: I could just swipe one.
Paul: Don't!!!
Me: Just one. No one will notice. They won't even miss it. Look it is already past its prime.
Paul: Such a bad girl!

Me (changing topic): How is the yak?

Paul: It tastes like bison. How are your momos?

Me: Awesome. Can we come here again?

Paul: Sure.

At this point, Paul excused himself to go to the restroom. He returned with a colorful napkin. My eyes were as large as the momos on my plate.

Me (shocked): Did you steal it for me?

Paul: No, silly. I asked the head waiter. 

Me (still in disbelief): And he just handed you one?

Paul: I asked nicely, saying that my wife is interested in fabric and crafting. They change them every so often and this one is at the end of its useful life.

I was still stupefied. 

Thank goodness for Paul. I am glad that he keeps me honest. But I am thrilled that he keeps me.

I came home and got to work.

Threadbare edges removed

Beautiful but will need some creative thinking

Later, I covered that hole with a strip of matching Green Solid fabric.

Stabilized with SF-101

Batting

Matching Zippers

I am thrilled with these two zippered pouches - made from a dinner napkin that would have most likely ended up in a landfill.

Happiness is a Quilt!

Paul: What is Phagun?
Me: Phagun is the twelfth and final month of the Hindu lunar calendar, corresponding roughly to February and March. It marks the transition from winter to spring and is widely celebrated as the month of  Holi, the vibrant festival of colors.

And that is exactly what Phagun Quilt is - a vibrant festival of colors.

The Sunflower Spice blog hop runs from today through June 10th.  Here's the list so you can visit all the blogs during the hop:

June 1:  Curlicue Creations 

June 2:  Freemotion by the River

June 3:  Lisa's Quilting Passion

June 5:  Textile Time Travels

June 6:  Lady Blue Quilt Studio

June 7:  Sew Preeti Quilts - You are here

June 8:  Quilted Delights

June 9:  Sew Cute and Quirky

June 10:  The Darling Dogwood

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