Garden Party

I have a new finish - Garden Party.

Garden Party

But first the back story.
In 2015, I made this quilt - Terrace Garden and set it aside.

Terrace Garden

Some time later, Paul asked me for a quilt.
Me: For?
Paul: Chad's wife has a new baby.
Me: Boy or Girl?
Paul: Girl.
I showed him Terrace Garden and he approved.
Chad was appreciative and sent this picture.

Such cuteness!!!

And that is the best thank you for a quilter - send them a picture of the quilt with the recipient!!!



Six years passed. I met Chad and his wife at Paul's Holiday Party last December.
Chad's wife Sara thanked me for the quilt.  I smiled (trying to remember what quilt).
Me: How old is the baby? (in hopes of remembering)
Sara: She is six.
Me: Wow, that is a long time ago.
Sara: We have a younger one now.
Me: How old is the baby? (I am sounding silly now)
Sara: She is three.
Me: And she does not have a quilt?
Sara: They share.

I was horrified!!!  I immediately thought of this scene from the Devil Wears Prada movie.

Me: Share??? American girls don't share. I need to fix that.
We both laughed.

Stir Crazy

That was the beginning of Garden Party.  I chose a jelly roll (bought a while ago) from Bluprint - a jelly roll named Stir Crazy.

Pairing Light & Dark Strips

Stir Crazy???
Is it a coincidence that I am sharing at this time a quilt made with a fabric line called Stir Crazy?
May be, but then again the universe works in mysterious ways.

Blocks trying to escape the design wall

Speaking of Bluprint, did you know that you can watch all classes for free till April 9th?

Other projects and quilts took precedence and life happened. But come March, I had to drop everything and make this quilt. Paul's (and Chad's) job was coming to an end. He and Chad won't be seeing each other. And although we could coordinate a meeting to hand off the quilt, it was just easier to do it before their last day at work.

Oh Pretty

I chose to make a bigger quilt so if they wish to share - like have a picnic in the garden, it would work.

Kristi the model

I used this lovely fabric for the backing and I could picture the girls playing with the houses - limited only by their imaginations.
This is mine and this is grandma's and we can ride the horse and look at that fluffy sheep...

Backing from Hancock's Fabrics

Since the flimsy finished about 57" by 58", I had to piece the backing.  I chose the red print (wide backing) left over from Trees of Life.

Kristi with a touch goofiness :-)

Quilting is a simple zig zag stitch (following the seams), using my walking foot. I was aiming for a rapid finish.  Added a few curvy lines in the middle of blocks.

Quilting Detail

Of course I added the label.

Label added

I chose a bright blue dotted fabric for binding to contrast with all the pinks and yellows.

Brightly Blue

Sunshine :-)

Here are a few more pictures of Garden Party.

My favorite picture

Rock Star :-D

Labelled

Happy Finish

So inviting...

Chad sent another picture.  Love the Girl Power t-shirt.
It warms my heart!!!  Do you see the teddy bear trying to sneak under the covers?

Cuteness Doubled!!!

Two quilts for two sisters - Terrace Garden and Garden Party.  I will be linking with Sandra's Dreami and all my other favorite linky parties (see full list on the sidebar). But my party is incomplete without your input :-)

Stay busy, stay put and stay safe, my friends!!!

Strawberry Salad with PeptoBismol Dressing

One day in March, Paul came home to a very pink design wall.

Strawberry Salad + PiptoBismol Dressing

Paul: Is that a quilt for breast cancer awareness?

Me: More like Pink Eye.  I don’t know where to look.
It has no focus and no place for the eyes to rest. 

Scrap Bag - Good, Bad & Ugly

Let's start at the very beginning. Shall we?

One fine day as I was browsing the World Wide Web, I came upon Hawthorne Threads and noticed their Scrap Bags in the sale section. 

Strips Grouped

Ignorance & Temptation is an ugly combination. Next thing, I ordered a few of the Fresh Scrap Bags. When they arrived, they were just that – a mixed bag. Some were very pretty fabrics, some very ugly fabrics and some just in between – but all pink.

The first block

I figured, if I cut them up and put them together, they may come to something.

When I had made the Paulitiks quilt, I felt it was just too blue. May be if I made that pattern scrappy and pink.

There was only one way to find out. I cut up most of the pink scrap bag into 2” strips and started playing.

Hot Mess

Made a few blocks. Made a few more blocks and realized that it was too pink. May be I should add a little teal/turquoise/aqua.

A touch of teal

After I had made a dozen blocks, I realized that it was too pink, too scrappy, too disgusting and had absolutely no focus. I was devastated. But I was also determined to finish it. The uglier the project the more likely it will end up as a UFO. I could not let that happen because 2016 is my year of destroying UFOs.

Some red

So I marched along like a soldier on a mission. When it was finished, I HATED it. Wish I had used some neutrals in each block to balance the pink.

Does white help?

As I was arranging the strips, I tried to place the low volume fabric between the two high volume ones. This worked fine for each block but when I placed the blocks together, the high volume fabrics ended up adjacent to each other, making it look very busy. 

Low Volume between High Volume Strips

Further, the low volume middle strip, distanced the center square from the outer strip making the whole block disjointed.

I had a finished flimsy and no desire to quilt it.  Fortunately Mauna stopped by.

Mauna: What are you working on?

Me: It is a strawberry salad with Pepto-bismol dressing.  It is grossly pink. Not pretty and pink. Not Blush & Bashful. Just in your face sickly pink.  And I showed her the finished flimsy.

Chic?

Mauna: I don’t think so.  Imagine a little girl’s room that is painted very light yellow and is completely plain and then on the wall there is this quilt.  It is shabby chic and modern. It is something you might see in one of these modern lifestyle stores.

Me: Really?

Mauna: Trust me, this will make some little girl so very happy.

Backing Fabric

Whatever Mauna said made ME very happy and this strawberry salad of a quilt began to grow on me.  I picked a backing and a matching binding.

Teal/Turquoise Binding

Not everyone has to like it as long as someone likes it.  In the next few pictures, you can see how I put the ends of my binding together. No rulers required.

Binding Ends - 2.5" overlap - RST

Has it ever happened to you that when you get to the end of the binding and trying to connect the two ends, you get it twisted?  I did for about 18 out of 40 quilts.  Now, I have this method down - Perfect.

1. Make sure that the ends overlap by 2.5 inches

2. Bring them together and place them right sides together, (see picture above)

3. Now turn the one on the right (near my thumb) by 90 degrees towards the edge of the quilt, while keeping them RST (see picture below)

Give a 90 degree turn to one, keeping them RST

4. Now, mark the one on the top, as shown in the picture below.  
5. Pin in place and stitch. 

You have just connected the binding ends, without ruler, templates or a twist. Do a little happy dance.

Mark and Pin

Mauna's positive feedback encouraged me to finish this quilt.

Binding in process

Blame it on the early onset of spring or March Madness. Strawberry Salad + Pepto-Bismol Dressing is here to stay.

Completed!!!

 It is kinda pretty in a messy way, I think.

Labelled

 Finally, the clouds broke for just long enough that I could take a few pictures.

Backing rocks the Binding :-)

Isn't that grass just the perfect backdrop?

Thank you Mauna!!!

What do you think? Messy or Chic?
Did someone else's opinion make you see something in a completely different perspective?   I'd love to hear from you.  I will be connecting with my favorite linky parties.

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Oh, you are not interested in these classes.  Never mind.
This link will take you to all classes that are under $20.  

This blogpost contains affiliate links.

I like my curves...

Meet Kennedy. She is my second finish of 2016 and it is one WIP less.

Kennedy

Kennedy has been a long time in the making. Let's start from the beginning. Shall we?

I like my Curves. I really do. If I didn't, I would be pretty depressed because I have so many curves. In fact, I am composed entirely of curves - some small curves and some not so small curves!!!
And therefore it was only a matter of time before I embraced (or succumbed to) the magic of curves in quilting.

One day, sometime in 2014, someone at the M* quilting forum asked a question about a pattern involving curves. I answered, based on not my knowledge (I had never made a quilt with curves) but my (inadequate) visualization of the problem. An experienced quilter pointed out the error in my visualization. Darn right, I had no practical idea!!!

Time to set the record straight. How hard can this be? It is not rocket science. What is the worse that I can happen? I might ruin some fabric. I can deal with that :-)

Two fabric squares - about 8" each

Placed one on top of another

Traced Curve

I started with two squares of scrap fabric about 8 inches and started playing. I also used a large mixing bowl.  I placed the inverted mixing bowl on the two squares to draw a large arc.

Cut both along the arc

And I cut along that arc. So far - going according to plan!

Then, I switched the two pieces - the convex (fat) red with the concave (skinny) green and the fat green with the skinny red. Doing well so far!

Going in opposite directions. AARGH!!!

What? How am I suppose to sew these two pieces together if one wants to be in Seattle and the other lives in Miami?

But they do have a common meeting point, in the center of the arc. Aha, that is where I start.
Starting from the middle, I pinned the two together.

Pinned

Very gently and carefully I stitched them together.  The seamy have been a generous 1/4".

Slow Stitching

It is slow but not difficult at all.

Yay, done!!!

Yes, it will need major trimming and squaring.

The experiment was complete!!!

I like these curves. Scratch that - I fell in love with these curves. Time to make few more.  I chose pinks/purples, floral and dots - yes it is girly :-)

Fabric Audition

The blocks came together slowly but surely. It was the piecing of the top that took the longest time.  I could not decide on the layout. When I first started laying out the blocks on my design wall, I had two guiding principles
1. Do not form a complete circle.
2. Match the solids with the prints.

Layout 1

I showed it to Paul and he said  - "Your curves are all over the place. It makes my head hurt."
I replied, yes, it creates more interest this way and then I shooed him away from my design wall. What do you think? Does your head hurt too?

Then I tried another layout.

Layout 2

Although this was interesting, it somehow looked like a very hungry mushroom trying to eat a stand-up mixer.  Once again, I put away the blocks.

Come 2016, I decided that Finished is better than Perfect. Just do it, Preeti. I went with the simplest layout. Circles!!!  I figured the fabric will create the interest and the pattern can be simple. What do you think?

Pieced

Here is the best part of the story. As soon as I started quilting, I also started thinking - What shall I name this one?

Finished

That is when Joyce saw it.

Joyce: Ooh can I have that one?
Me: Sure, you can have anything. But you already have a quilt.
Joyce: Not for me, silly. I have the best quilt in the whole world.
Me: (Blush)
Joyce: It is for Caroline's new baby. She is due soon.
Me: What is the baby's name?
Joyce: Kennedy.

Full Circles

At an angle

Kennedy is Keeley's younger sister. Remember Keeley?
Since the quilt is for Kennedy, may be I should just call it Kennedy. They both took a long time to come together.

Chocolate & Strawberry Dots

Focusing on quilting with curves, I may have neglected my fitness routine. I am going to get a phone call from my Curves (the 30-minute fitness place for women) instructor - Molly. "Preeti, we have missed you. We look forward to seeing you tonight."

Pink Polka Dot Binding

Labelled!

Molly is a sweetheart. I should haul my curves to Curves lest they turn into bulges!!!
Are curves a challenge for you too?  I look forward to your thoughts - both naughty and nice :-)

And I will be linking with my favorite linky parties.  See you in the blogland :-)
Just linked up with Cooking Up Quilts' Main Crush Monday.