Friday, March 28, 2014

It's Not Easy Being Square

The garrison quilt's inner border was finished yesterday. I wound up using a free-motion stitch after all, one based on Leah Day's 'Square Spiral' pattern. It's more or less a nod to the crenels on the tower battlements, and it was a welcome change from all the less structured free-motion lines I'd been stitching on the trees, sky and grass.


The first three square spirals were lightly drawn with a ceramic pencil (white lead). After that, my brain had the pattern down and I could stitch without marking. I tried to be consistent, but also managed to be more forgiving than usual of any imperfect lines. That's progress!

Now comes the wide, dark-gray outer border. As of yesterday, there was no real plan for it but, after thinking about it for a while, I decided to use Leah's 'Gentle Flame' stitch.


That's as far as it's come for now. My work's cut out for me this weekend!

Speaking of squares (or not-so-squares), my other ongoing project is the quilt-as-you-go blocks being sewn on the beautiful old Singer 403 (running great now, with a grand total of fourteen dollars invested in buying and repairing it), using only pieces from my scrap drawer. The blocks aren't really very square, but I'm sure having fun with them. These are cropped photos of the ones done so far:


This was the first, at which point it became clear I needed my walking foot!


Each one obviously has its own color scheme, so there definitely won't be anything coordinated about the quilt when it's finished, except maybe for the joining strips.


But that's ok, because this project, besides being a good workout for the 403, is really a lesson in color values--something that has occasionally presented a challenge for me in landscape quilting (I favor mid-tones). However, I'm really liking some of the color combinations. As for the others...well, let's just call them 'interesting.'  :)  Here are the backs:


Joining Leah Day's FMQ Project Linkup--check out the photos of the finished Building Blocks Quilt! Also linking up at Whoop Whoop Fridays (since I'm whooping it up about finishing my inner border). Sarah has a very cool giveaway going on there!

Signing off with good-luck wish to the Louisville Cardinals--from my hometown--on their NCAA tournament game tonight with the Kentucky Wildcats--from my home state. It's an intense rivalry, and only rarely do they play one another. The sports bars around here will be absolutely wild. (VVHH and I will watch at home. Go, Cards!)

Have a wonderful weekend~~

Linda




14 comments:

  1. Wow, everything is so beautiful! Very inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you; we're both working with a lot of color, it seems!

      Delete
  2. Love the quilting and the blocks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is going to be an awesome quilt! Fun QAYG too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sharon, I hope the wide border turns out ok. We'll see!

      Delete
  4. Wow, just really doesn't cut it but that's all I could think to say when looking at all the amazing quilting you've done on your Garrison quilt. It is stunning. And then isn't it fun just to play around with your wonky blocks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rhonda, for sure, those blocks, where I didn't have to really worry about anything matching or being straight or square turned out to be just the thing to lighten up the intensity required by the garrison quilt. And just in time for the Singer 403's arrival!

      Delete
  5. Hello Linda,
    The garrison quilt is at that seriously tantalising stage...
    Great to see you enjoying using the bargain machine. Am I allowed to have a favourite block? Top left.
    Love, Muv

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Muv, thank you, 2-1/2 hours work so far on the outer border, probably 8 or 9 to go. Intense!! Yes, favorites are absolutely allowed! I didn't realize how dimensional that block looks until I saw it on this page. By the way, the machine has gotten even faster in the last couple of days (or maybe I just figured out the pedal better. lol).

      Delete
  6. That squared spiral looks like a Greek key to me. Must try it in the next small border I have to quilt. Those QAYG squares are neat. Wow a working machine for $14. = that's a fantastic deal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my gosh, that hadn't even occurred to me, but that's exactly what it is--a Greek key. The things our subconscious does...! Yes, I am still pumped about this 'new' old machine. It's as if my late mom-in-law led my husband to it, knowing how much I love her old one, which is almost identical but slowly fading, and that this machine will drop right into the cabinet after it. (She also used to shop at the thrift store where my husband found it.)

      Delete
  7. Your Garrison Quilt just blew me away! I love the way are using the quilting to create the texture in the stones on the castle and path. It is just amazing.

    BTW: I grew up in KY, but living in MI now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Still a fellow Kentuckian, in my book! Thank you, those stones are so fun to quilt, especially knowing how much more real they're going to look when you're done.

      Delete

Comment moderation has been enabled merely to prevent spam. Your comment should show up within a day or two. Thank you for your patience.