Dancing Daylilies

The story of this quilt began in September 2019.

Dancing Daylilies 70" by 90"

It was the long weekend of Labor Day and I was playing with scraps... Moda Scrap Bag scraps, to be precise. The fabric is by Corey Yoder. 

Scraps from Moda Scrap Bag 

Just piecing strips and making large blocks. I ended up with a flimsy of 50" square. Good enough for a large baby quilt. I set it aside and worked on quilts for the Socorro Foundation. 

Almost Flimsy

In October 2019, I traveled to India. I was tasked to convey a care package to Meetu (my sister's classmate). My sister lives in the US and Meetu lives in India. They went to medical school together and we all have been friends for many years. 

Meetu at our wedding in 2008

Meetu is fighting breast cancer, my sister told me as she handed me a large canvas bag with books, a head scarf and other pink items.  

When I went to see Meetu, I wasn't sure what to expect. Mom's trusted driver drove me to her house and asked me when he should return to pick me up. I told him to wait.  I won't be long.

What if she was asleep or resting, I wondered.  What if she felt uncomfortable about seeing me, I thought. 

Her father-in-law opened the door and greeted me warmly.  I was prepared to leave the bag with him. But he asked me to wait. Shortly thereafter Meetu came downstairs to see me. She looked tired and her head was covered with a scarf but her smile was intact. 

We hugged. I handed her the bag of goodies. I am a courier, I commented.

She laughed. We chatted for a few minutes and I left.

When I returned to the US in November 2019, I knew what I had to do. I pulled out that flimsy. At 50" square it was great for a baby/toddler. Not for Meetu. 

Matching Fabrics

Layered Blocks

Most of the Corey Yoder scraps were gone.  So I found matching fabrics from my stash and made additional blocks. I needed another 38 blocks for a finished size of 70" by 90".  

Adding Blocks

Completed Flimsy

I knew I wanted bright yellow for the backing but how should I quilt it?  I wanted the quilting to be special. I marked the quilt top and  quilted it using my walking foot. I love the design. 

Walking Foot Quilting

Yellow and red are not only bright and energizing they are also considered auspicious colors in Hindu culture. Red and gold striped binding completed the quilt.  

Red and Gold Binding

Labelled and Ready

Dancing Daylilies was completed on January 3, 2020 and I sent it to my sister.  She was scheduled to visit India in April 2020 and I knew she would happily take the quilt to Meetu. Yes, we act as couriers for each other all the time.

And then Covid happened and the whole world came to a standstill...for a long time. 

In May 2020, the Mothers' Day card that we sent to my mom in India was returned to us.  There was no way I was risking the quilt to the postal service.

Completed Quilt

Scrappy and Yummy

Coral, Orange, Green, Gray and Yellow

Peek a Boo

Bright and Beautiful

Ready for You

Waiting...

My sister could not go to India in April 2020 or in April 2021. In May 2021, the quilt reached Meetu's daughter, who is a student in New Jersey.  Last month the Dancing Daylilies reached Meetu. Finally.

Meetu with Dancing Daylilies

Meetu has beaten the cancer. She has also decided on a different career path. Giving up her medical profession as an anesthesiologist, Meetu will be running a Yoga Center - practicing and teaching. 

I wish her well in her new endeavors.  

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In other news, subscriber emails have been successfully migrated from Feedburner to Follow.It.  See the new button on top right.  

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Quilters have been working on Positivity Quilts. Rachel's Positivity quilt reached Bernie. 

Rachel's Positivity Quilt

Thank you so much, Rachel. The Positivity Quilt Finished Flimsy Linky Party (and giveaway) is July 18, 2021.  

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Island Batik July Challenge Giveaway Winners - The random number generator chose comments 53 and 47.  Emails have been sent to Donna T and SandyZoo.

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Who says you cannot herd cats?  Look at mine - all 12 of them, well-herded :-D

Novella - Original in Batiks (left) and in Florals

Inspired by Katrin's floral cats, I made the Novella Wall Hanging pattern in florals.  The Novella Wall Hanging (Table Runner) pattern is available at a discount in my Etsy Shop till July 15, 2021.

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. As usual, I'd love to hear from you about your journeys - long and short.

Double Dipping

I have not one but two finishes to share :-D  But first the background story.

Quilts 15 and 16 for '17

Specifically the cream background. You see, the Wild Nectar fabrics with a cream background did not make the cut for Esmeralda, because they would not stand out against the white background.

Poor Contrast with White

But they are too pretty to ignore. Just need a better setting to highlight their beauty.
I also had some fabric left over from the border, binding and the backing.

4-patch blocks from backing, binding and border

And these leftover squares now beckoned to me - constantly. Come get me. Don't you want to make something with me. How do you deal with the siren song of the scraps?

I gave in.

Enjoying the contrast

See how much alive these cream fabrics are against the blue/teal/aqua 4-patch blocks.
But it still needed something - a pop.

The pop of orange

After a few iterations, addition of orange solid from my stash, sewing and trimming, I came up with this little beauty.

Charlie's Birds

The cream squares are in good company with teal/aqua/navy four-patch blocks.  The orange makes it pop and the tangerine binding makes it all come together. Ta da!!!

This Peanuts Easter themed fabric was perfect for backing and the tangerine binding complements the green beautifully.

Easter with Charlie Brown

Because of Charlie Brown on the backing and humming birds on the front, I have named this quilt - Charlie's Birds. Yes, I am smiling too.

Labelled

The finished quilt measures about 36" square and it makes me very happy :-)

Happiness

To be able to squeeze out a second quilt from these gorgeous fabrics feels like double-dipping :-D


Let's continue to double-dip. Shall we?

To make the corner triangles for Esmeralda, I had to trim the layer cake into 8" squares, leaving me with several 2" strips left over.

2" strips - Scraps from Esmeralda

Do you know the trouble with 2" strips that are 8" and 10" long?
They are SHORT!!! Meaning they are too big to throw away and too small to use.
I had just the perfect plan - a simple and free tutorial to use them up!!! Here you go.

1. Take three strips, 2" by 10", and stitch them along the length, using a scant 1/4" seam. You should have a unit measuring 5" by 10". Cross cut into five sections, measuring 2" by 5" each. Repeat the process for all 10" strips.

Three strips 2" by 8"

Cut into 2" sections

2. Similarly, take three strips, 2" by 8", and stitch them along the length, using a scant 1/4" seam. You should have a unit measuring 5" by 8". Cross cut into four sections, measuring 2" by 5" each. Repeat the process for all 8" strips.

Peach and Aqua = Loveliness

3. Cut background fabric into 2" strips. Sub-cut into 2" by 5" rectangles.

Background Strips 2"

4. Place the background strips one on either side of the strata strips and sew. You should have a block measuring 5".

Trimmed Block

Now make some more.

5" Blocks

Arrange the blocks alternating direction. Sew blocks into rows and rows into columns.  For a 41" square quilt, you will need 81 blocks, arranged 9 by 9.  Here is a handy little graphic for your use, showing finished sizes.

Using all of my leftover strips, I ended up with 90 blocks.

Finished Flimsy

Arranged 9 by 10 and added skinny borders.  Used this Nursery Rhymes Fabric for the backing.

Quilted simply with wavy lines using my walking foot.

The turquoise binding works perfectly with both the front and the back.

Finished

The finished quilt measures about 42" by 46".

Paul, the model

I am calling this one Nectar Drops.

Labelled

A second quilt (top) from Esmeralda's scraps is Double Dipping, but a third flimsy - now that is Triple Dipping.  Or Double Dipping - Twice!!!

Two finishes!!!

Bright and Joyful

Charlie's Birds and Nectar Drops

That completes my October OMG. Time to celebrate and set November goals.

Fabrics for Christmas Quilt

I am making a Christmas Quilt and hope to finish the flimsy in November.  I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties.

Hope you enjoyed the simple tutorial for Nectar Drops. What is on your mind and on your goals list? I'd love to hear from you.

Elephant Under My Needle

Growing up in India, we learned very little about world happenings.  Even after the advent of the internet, we were all about local events, local/national news and Bollywood celebrity gossip.

And now, I can hardly believe that I am the same person.

with Melanie

I heaved a massive sigh of relief following the news about the French elections' outcome.  I danced with joy after I heard the news about the release of the Chibook girls by Bokko Haram. I fell in love again with Justin Trudeau as he stood up to the American government's unreasonable demands.

Melanie taking pictures at the Ethiopian Restaurant

And earlier this month, I ate Ethiopian food with Melanie - a quilter blogger from Germany!!!

My Sew Together Bag - Gift from Melanie

Look what she brought for me - a Sew Together Bag in yummy rainbow colors.  I love it!!! There are little surprises inside like the bright zippers, a bug, and a fabric that Melanie herself designed.

Bright Zippers, Fun Fabric

The fabric is hilarious. It has literal English translations of German sayings.

and a bug!!!

Check Melanie's blog to read about the process.

May was a rollercoaster month for me with friends, travels and looming deadlines.  That is why I am particularly thrilled with my OMG finish.

Mayflower Finished!!!

This quilt is for my cousin brother and his wife.  They live in India not far from my Mom and are there for her, whenever she needs them.  They are quietly supportive and completely dependable. 

I make it a point to visit them whenever I go back to India. 

Moda Paradiso - the inspiration

Cutting fabric

I am unlikely to travel to India any time soon. Therefore this quilt will travel with my sister who visits India in June. The deadline on completion for this quilt is/was Memorial Day.  Since I just returned from my trip after successfully delivering the finished quilt to my sister, I can heave a big sigh of relief and share the story, the process and the pictures.

Finished Flimsy

This quilt uses a modified rail fence block showcasing Moda Paradiso fabrics combined with a dark blue yardage. Each block is 10" and the finished quilt is 80" by 100". 

On my bed

At this time, let’s take a side trip 

One morning, a few years ago, I was traveling to Washington DC in the Metro.  I was sitting next to a woman who was knitting a scarf. Naturally, we engaged in a conversation. She told me that wherever there is a mistake, it results in a knot like appearance on the knitted surface.  She showed me a couple. But here is where it becomes fun – she said that each knot shows that the recipient is loved. So the grandkids receiving the scarves LOOK for those knots and whoever has the most knots wins because he/she is the most loved.

Can you spot the two mistakes?

So when I discovered the two mistakes in this quilt, I chose to leave them there – one showing my love for my cousin brother and one for his wife.

Wide Backing

I chose a wide backing from ConnectingThreads.  The batting is White & Natural.

Quilted the Beast

The quilting is ...well, quilting a queen size quilt is a pain.

Quilting Detail

The plan was to quilt two straight lines an inch apart and then quilt a gentle curve between them.

At some point, the flimsy developed a mind of her own - she moved and writhed and was determined to escape from under the presser foot as I struggled to keep the elephant under control.

Ooh the play of light and shade

I could still quilt it but there was severe distortion, several tucks and infinite frustration. I left the room to check emails and then drifted off to Facebook before landing on Pinterest. Time passed.

I heard a knock. Paul was at the door.

Paul: What happened babe?

Me: What do you mean?

Paul: You left your sewing machine on?

Me: Well, I got distracted and then I got sidetracked before I took off at a tangent.

Are we there yet?

Knots to Bury

By now Paul is rolling on the floor laughing

Me: But thanks for checking. 

Paul: Don't you have a deadline.

Me: I hate this beast of a quilt.

Paul: But you must finish it.

Me: Hate it

Paul: Finish it

Me: Hate

Paul: Finish

Me: HATE

Paul: Finish it and put it away.

Me: OK.

Mayflower - Photoshoot

This is my May OMG FINISHED!!!  Time to reward myself with some fabric :-) 

Since Connecting Threads is having a Memorial Day sale, I just might get something from there.

Of course Craftsy is having a sale too. Some classes are $10.

This one caught my eye. I guess Indian food is becoming more mainstream.

Hope you had a relaxing long weekend.
As usual, I'd love to hear from you about your distractions, side trips and finishes!