Dual duty

 

I had this quilt top (53" x 55") hanging in the closet since early fall.  It is a variation (as most of my quilts are) of Jen Kingwell's Green Tea and Sweet Beans pattern.  I got tired of working on it over the summer, so set it aside until fall when I added the striped Australian fabric as the border.   All of the appliqued blocks are wool applique which I hope will not run when washed.  I like the quilt's cheerfulness.

During March, I made a block a day of Pat Sloan's quarter log cabin blocks.  Of course, I had to catch up some when we went on vacation for a week, but that was OK.   I used my basket of strings for most of the blocks, and used the plain mottled black for all the centers.  

Strings weren't the best choice as the seams don't match up.  Other people posted photos of quilts they made with fabric they had bought for the project, and they really looked nice.  Nonetheless, my top turned out cheery but not enough to be anything but the back of the Green Beans quilt.  Hence, the name Dual Duty.  

I plan to wash the quilt first and then, perhaps, give it to Bags of Love for foster kids.  Now that it's quilted, I do like a bit more.  I chose most of the strings at random, based on their length.  I ran out of longer pieces, so I used some leftover binding pieces as well.  

My strings have all been sorted by color and put into bags in my string basket.  I plan to see how they work out for my next Dear Jane row.  I have neglected that quilt for months and would like to get back to it.   But it's a very satisfying feeling to have no quilts hanging in the closet, waiting to be quilted.  It won't last - I have several blocks of the month that will no doubt be finished this summer.  

This leaves me with hand sewing the binding down on the Exploding Heart.  That will take a while because I have quite a few meetings and other events this week, and I don't like to overwork my wrists with hand sewing.

Back to sewing

Today I'll be working on some Drunkard's Path blocks for my Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt, a Jen Kingwell pattern.  It's slow going but will eventually get done.   I bought several yards of a beige-ish print for the background and am using scraps for the pieced blocks and some wool for the applique.  

I don't know if I'll make the same appliqued border.  We'll have to wait and see.   Amy Stewart, an author I enjoy, says she's a very "imprecise" person who likes to paint outside the lines and do her own thing.  When I read that, I realized I am a pretty imprecise quilter, too.  I start a pattern but then diverge somewhere along the line.

This week I also made the guild block of the month (one for the lottery and one for myself), a few gift bags, three tote bags, and some disappearing four patch blocks for a demo I'm doing in January.   After  last week, when I was lighting up the library, I am happy to be back dabbling in my sewing room and in the kitchen.  

This morning I tried a new recipe for easy Christmas treats - M&M Pretzel Kisses. 

Yum!  You can't eat just one and they go pretty fast, so I'm going to have to make another batch.  This will require another bag of Hershey's kisses, but that's OK.  I know some guys who will love them.  I used red and green M&Ms today, of course.  Over the weekend I hope to make some shortbread, too, and put it in the freezer.  It's fun to be getting into the holiday baking routine.

Hopping around

I think most quilters hop around between different quilting (and other) projects, and I am no exception!  I have a long list of UFOs on the "slow go," as one friend put it.  Yesterday I finished up a knitted hat and scarf to give to kids going into foster care.  I'll deliver them along with a few more hats and a quilt on Thursday.

I also worked on my Jen Kingwell Sweet Tea and Green Beans quilt that I started this summer.  I love a mix of applique and piecing, but this pattern is meant for hand piecing which I rarely do.  I'm sewing mine on the machine when I can and hope to do more wool applique.   This will probably take me most of the next year to finish, but I do love working on Kingwell's unusual samplers.

I love the outer border with its vine and whimsical flowers.  It will be a while before I get there, though.  My quilt will be scrappy, but I am using a neutral background - cream with a brownish small print.  I think I have enough of it to get through the whole pattern, but to be on the safe side, I'll cut the outer border soon and set it aside (with a note to remind me about what it is).

Robin and I are doing a demo on "green wrapping" at the state quilt guild meeting in a few weeks, so I also made a couple of little goodie bags for Christmas.  I used a Halloween pattern from last month's BH&G American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  Today I'll make a quick Japanese knot bag which is partly cut out and maybe start knitting a baby hat with peach leftover yarn.