Sweet Land of Liberty Month 4

It's time to show my progress on the Sweet Land of Liberty quilt by Cheri Payne.    So here it is. . .

I changed the 'Lady Liberty' block.  I used another pattern by Cheri Payne and reduced it's size.  I appliqued the word  "give" because the statue of Liberty always reminds me of the sonnet by Emma Lazarus called The New Colossus.

It ends with these lines;

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

I have the economy blocks done but not the flying geese.  I'll have to add those in next months update.

Interesting to be talking about this with the South Americans at our southern borders right now
seeking refuge.  They are "huddled masses yearning to breathe free"  I worry about them. . .

Last Sunday above and yesterday below.  It's almost in full bloom.  Yippee!

Robin

Monkey hands block done

I need to work on my pressing skills.  I was a little over zealous on this block.

This block went together quickly.  I started out with the woven section.  I used a pansy fabric and I think it turned out festive or cheerful.

I decided I wanted to repeat the yellow and so I made the dominant center flower yellow.  It originally had a yellow pansy where the pink calyx is now.  The pansy was so underwhelming.

I knew I wanted to use the purple fabric on either side of the yellow.  It tied in the purple in the basket base, top, and handles.  And it's a complimentary color so it makes the yellow stand out.

Then, it was trial and error trying to figure out what fabric to use for the monkey hands.  The red draws a little more of the attention to itself than I had planned but I like the effect of going from gold to a dark red like its from inside a furnace.

The leaves were me trying to use something different from the other blocks.

More Roseville Album Quilt pictures after we pause for a garden break.

I have to give you an update on the Wisteria.
The pictures below were taken last Sunday (22nd), Thursday (26th), and today, Saturday (28th).

It's amazing to watch this plant grow.

Back to quilting; I've got 7 more blocks to go on the Roseville Album Quilt.  As I sit and sew I'm thinking about borders.

This is the a picture of the original border.




I really love the way Julie Prose has finished her quilt below.  I was planning on doing the same thing in the four corners.  Using the same pattern for each one has so much more continuity.

Her border is delighful.  Love this adaptation of the design!!





And here is another sweet border.  I'm considering doing one similar to this.  After all the intricate applique and the time spent on each individual block and panel, it would be nice to do something that would go together faster.

This one was done by Cheri of underquiltedcovers

I have all kinds of admiration for the people who undertake a big applique project like this.

Will do some deep contemplation before I tackle something like this again!!!
Robin

Cheerful Spring

WAHOO!  I won this book from Janet at Rogue Quilter.  (Thanks Janet!)  What a delightful book.  The cover quilt is definitely on my "to do" list.

I love the fabrics that are used.  I recognize some of them in my stash .  It is so much fun to anticipate and then shop for repos.  There are some great things out there.   I need to go to LQS soon.

I'm also excited about all the spring flowers.  My Wisteria is just plastered with buds, the biggest ever.  The top picture was taken Sunday and the bottom picture was taken this morning.  They can't bloom soon enough to satisfy me.  I'm watching every micro - inch of growth.  

Last year is was covered with buds too but we received 2 snow storms before it could bloom - sigh~  It did manage to produce small blooms intermittently throughout the summer but I missed out on the giant gorgeous blooms so I'm extra excited this year.  No snow is in the forecast in the 14 day. . .  it should be safe.

DH has outdone himself this spring with all the varieties of daffodils and tulips.  It is just so enchanting.

Even the violets are participating in the joy of warm weather and sunshine.

Hoping you're having a cheerful spring.
Robin

The inside out block

I finished another block for the Roseville Album Quilt by Kim McLean.  I call it the 'Iniside Out' block because of the reverse applique on the basket.  I'm not very experienced with reverse applique but I think it turned out pretty good.

The pattern called for the 3 main flowers to have reverse applique too.  But, I chose to fussy cut them instead.

I like the way the little circles sparkle at the bottom of the basket.  They look like little crystal cut outs.

And here is a picture (above) of how the block looks with some of the others.  I think it fits in fine.

I've got my fabric all neatly organized and ready for beginning the next block.

The next block will require a woven basket.  I'm auditioning some fabrics but  noticed that I've used all but the orange on previous baskets.  I need to figure out what my other options are.

I seem to be quite organized and orderly with the Roseville Album project but look at my fabric stash below for the Sweet Land of Liberty Quilt project.

It is just in stacks and piles on the floor near my ironing board.  It actually looks quite good in this picture compared to some days.  How can one project be so tidy and another so messy?

I don't know but it works for me.  I'm in the process of revamping the Lady Liberty block.  The one on the pattern looks like the king of America instead of a lady.  I'm using one of  Cheri Payne's other patterns to design the block hoping it will look like it fits in when I'm done.

I bought this book on Saturday.  I love Janet Clare's lines Hearty Good Wishes and More Hearty Good Wishes by Moda.  Once I saw the fabric online I was too late to buy much yardage.  Then luckily I found a quilt kit (again online) that was on sale.  I watched it and watched it trying to decide if I really wanted it.  Finally, after a year, it was still available and I purchased it.  You can't accuse me of impulse buying on this one - ha!

I've never lived by the ocean but I love the romance of it all.  And I love the colors.  It reminds me of a line in the book Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia McLachlan where she talks about the colors of the sea being blue and green and gray.  That so impressed my youngest daughter, when she read the book for the first time, that she crocheted a rug in those colors.

This is one of the photographs from the book.  It is just a little framed piece.  I love how she has quilted a feather length through the design to show movement.  Her newest line if Freya and Friends.  The colors are soft and sweet.

But for now, I need to work and finish my other projects before I start something seaworthy.  And I need to enjoy the process.

Thanks for checkin' in,
Robin

I am linking up with Design Wall Monday   Go and check them out.

My Chintz Quilt

Still working on this quilt.  I've been working on it since December.  I originally had it on the large frames but it was a little awkward to do the whole squares at a one time because they are on the diagonal.  And it's colder downstairs where the frames are.  So, I brought it upstairs last month and am using my floor hoop.  I'm making much more progress.  Eventually it will be finished and I won't remember how long it took to hand quilt it.  I'm looking forward to that. . .

This is the unquilted top.

Robin