Genevieve's pieced block finished

Here once again is the old pieced piece,
which Genevieve's great grandmother may have sewn
along with scraps from her stash,
before I finished the block, below.

Here is the finished block after I added the green print
in the bottom left corner, the salt and pepper print,
the black musician and dancer print (top),
and blue & white gingham (upper left),
all from Genevieve's Great Grandma Helen's stash.
I also added hot pink paisley
from my own fabric stash to the upper right side.
How great is it to see improv quilting from the '40s or '50s?

Then I added white and black floral fabric from a thrift store skirt,
and a lime green border. For the purpose of the photo,
I laid it on a lively Michael Miller print named "Courtney,"
which I will be incorporating into the back of the quilt,
along with this pieced block.

Here is the front again (with the spinning wheel cutting off the lower left corner.)
I don't know what the spot of light in the lime green is, just in the photo,
as it's not in the fabric. I'm guessing it's a reflection from the mirror behind it.

Genevieve's "mischievous squares" quilt top

Genevieve's nursery is purple and lime green,
so I designed what I call "mischievous squares"
with lime green, purple and neutral grays.
A little mischief is good, right?

Genevieve was born August 15, latest great grandchild of my parents in-law (granddaughter of my husband's sister). I suppose I should have started a quilt long before she was born, but that didn't happen. :) I'm pretty sure Genevieve's mom and grandmom don't follow Birds of the Air Quilts, so I'm not ruining the surprise.

Now I am rallying all my design acumen (ha) for the back. Genevieve's other great grandma, now deceased, had a fabric stash that Genevieve's mommy inherited and loaned to my daughter Lesley to make her a bag from whatever she liked. Well, years after Lesley made the bag, she still had the stash, so I called upon her to find it in a box (they moved this summer) so I could incorporate some of it into the quilt back. There is this wonderful hand-pieced piece in the pile of fabrics. I can't be sure Genevieve's great grandma pieced it, but let's say she did.

Pieced piece by Genevieve's great grandma (?);
I've pinned three pieces to the pieced piece:
the black on the left, the salt & pepper, and the green and brown squares,
all from the stash, already cut. Talk about improv piecing!
I'm guessing this would have been sewn in the 1940s or 50s.
Click to see the fabrics better.

My plan is to sew additional fabric from the stash around the edges to form a rectangle, then piece it into a simple quilt back with large blocks of fabrics that coordinate with the front. I see the pieced piece as a precious "bloom" similar to the floral fabric on the quilt front. So I'll frame it similarly, but not necessarily create a set of mischievous squares. Still thinking!

Arles placemats

My second commission (!) was for eight placemats in Provençal colors. I had all the fabrics on-hand from other projects, but I needed to purchase more turquoise and white dots for the binding.

Improvising the design for each mat is a heavenly task. I get into Zen mode and let the fabrics tell their story.

The tangerine linen comes off brighter in photos than it truly is.

The story on the backs is simpler.

mat backs

With fabrics as fun as this linen toile, stories are easy to imagine. It doesn't hurt that I lived in Istanbul. My sister Nancy gave me the linen toile with sultans and also the red toile with French scenes.

mat backs

Do you recognize the tangerine linen from Inge's dress? If so, thank you for paying attention. :)

Even the red and white dots were in Inge's dress, in the Hong Kong seams.

I machine quilted every 5/8".

See the little peek of plaid from Bootsie & Astrid's placemat backs?

The person who ordered these placemats did not want napkins. If you were to order napkins for this set, what fabric would you choose?

Etsy listing here.

Tuscan placemats & napkins

I had a delicious time sewing with these soft batiks, so lush.

This was a custom order for six placemats and napkins (my first!)

When I browsed batiks at the local quilt shop, I was overwhelmed with their beauty and uinqueness.

Combinations are endless. I especially love these warm earthy colors the customers requested. I free-motion machine quilted around the florals.

They would also be beautiful in blues, browns, golds, reds, purples, all available in batik.

Etsy listing here.

Bootsie & Astrid's brown & olive linen placemats, and a new mug mat

I finished and shipped a gift to my sister Ginnie (she's Bootsie to me) and her wife Astrid in the Netherlands for their summer birthdays, and since they have received them now, I can post photos. :)

Four reversible placemats and napkins. My sister Nancy gave me a stash of fabric she's been collecting, and the front and back fabrics of the placemats were from that stash. I picked out the binding trim and napkin fabrics at the quilt store. This binding is the same as for Olive's quilt (here and here). (Nancy's birthday is tomorrow, and I am trying to be patient until she can tell me what I can make for her bedroom. A wall hanging? A quilted pillow?)

I quilted straight lines every 1"

The brown linen is just beautiful, and I was able to frame four different floral patterns because of the large repeat.

I know there is a way to straighten the edges of the placemat in the photo in PhotoShop,
but suffice to say that the placemats are straight in person.

As for the quilting lines' imperfections,
they witness that this is handmade. :)

My sisters tell me they love them and intend to use them every day, which makes me supremely happy. Now I am almost with them at their table. One day, I hope Don and I can join them for real.

I also sewed a mug mat for my Etsy shop. The cat and bird linen and some of the other remnants were part of Henry's quilt.

front

back

I do believe tan/brown and blue/turquoise are my favorite colors together. Anything with brown just sends me.

I am designing more mug mats today. Joy!

Gussets for Inge's dress

Inge's dress on me, post-gussets

Last weekend I went with friends to Lake Michigan for a birthday celebration. Inge turned 55, and I wanted to sew her something. Inge likes loose-fitting, sleeveless clothes, and boldly I decided to practice sewing and make her this shift.

I found this pattern and thought it fit the bill.

I enjoyed the cutting, sewing and finishing. Since the dress was a surprise, I did not have Inge's measurements. She and I are close in size, so I gambled and used my own. What I didn't account for was that the bust, in spite of choosing the right measurements, was too tight. Before I gave it to her, I was peeved trying it on!

When she tried it on, sure enough the bust was tight on her, too. But she loved the dress and said if she'd seen it in a store she would have bought it no matter how much it cost. Score.

So I brought the dress home and learned (from Pinterest and a link to Linda at Sew for Dough) how to add gussets to expand a bustline.

I wanted to add three inches to the bust to make it loose and comfy. So I cut each gusset 1 1/2" at the top, and 5 inches long. I ripped out the edge and seams of the dress at the side seams/under-arms exactly 5". Then I sewed the gussets in, re-sewed the upper edge, and I think they turned out well!

pinned

inside sewn; too bad I had to adjust my Hong Kong seam :)

outside sewn

I used polished tangerine orange linen (I call it "tomato bisque") purchased online at Fashion Fabrics Club. They are reasonably priced! This fabric was $11.75/yard, and the pattern took 1 1/2 yards (60" wide).

Lesson: Measure the pattern before cutting to ensure it matches measurements.

placemats, napkins and a mug mat

Life has been happening! But I've made a few gifts. This is good for practice in design and craft.

Next weekend I will go to a dune by Lake Michigan with friends. I sewed gifts for each of the three ladies. A dress for the one whose birthday we are celebrating, which I won't show here. A set of four placemats and napkins for the hostess. And a mug mat for our friend from Minnesota.

The hostess loves blue and yellow.

All summer she stays at her house on the dune and sleeps on the screened in porch under pines. Her dining table is also on the porch. I think these will be cheery.

I enjoy sewing mitered napkin corners.

And for our friend visiting from Minnesota, a mug mat.