Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Out Of Projects!

There's a problem trying to live in two homes-no matter how well I plan when I really need something it always seems to be at the other house! When I packed up for this first couple of weeks in CO. I thought there were enough projects to keep me busy, but after one week I am running out of things to sew!
The plan for this first break was to piece two single bed quilts for twin great nephew and niece. I only had to purchase the blue star fabric for the flag quilt, the rest came from stash and I thought I had the required pieces cut for Daniel's quilt, but after they were sewn..........


and trimmed, there were only twenty, not nearly enough for a bed sized quilt, it needs at least another 10-15!


So far this measures about 50x60" and even with borders it wouldn't be big enough to suit me- but it does look rather smashing so far, don't you think? Problem is that there's no more of the red fabrics up here in CO- rather aggravating really, I don't like leaving things half done, but I was forced to move on to the next project.



Emily's quilt. It only took me two days to construct and the top was all laid out neatly when Button decided to check give it the once-over.......



so it looks all rumpled! In this case I'm happy with the size as is, 80x96" is adequate for a single bed without the addition of borders, I'll just quilt and bind it.
It's called Pleaides or The Seven Sisters, after a cluster of stars in the Taurus Constellation that is visible in the sky with the naked eye in winter from the northern hemisphere and in summer from the southern hemisphere. I did not have a pattern for it, I got the idea from a picture I saw of a similar quilt and knew it would be easy to make.
I have decided to machine embroider the names of the stars on the star blocks-it would have been easier before construction but it is still doable.
It seemed to be the perfect combination of a feminine quilt with a subtle intellectual twist. I believe that Emily will be happy with her request for "pink and purple", and better still it all came from stash!
My goal was to make quilts that would be appealing to five year olds but not so childish that they would quickly outgrow them. What do you think, did I succeed?

7 comments:

Ruby said...

Great job! I like them both and think the kids will love them. :)

Gramma 2 Many said...

I was almost in shock when I read you had no projects. Good thing you explained yourself.
Love both of the quilts. Always stash busters are good;)

Michelle said...

Both quilts are wonderful!

I would be surprised if Emily outgrows that quilt very quickly. If she's like me, I'm still very partial to purple and pink, and it's been 41 years since I was five. As an astronomy lover, I appreciate the Seven Sister's stars.

Cheryl Willis said...

sometimes when I have a limited number of 'blocks' I will alternate them with a solid, a print or even an alternate pieced block. Try laying the flags out on point and see if you can do a layout that pleases you. cw

farmlady said...

You did succeed. They will both be quilts that they can use until they're old and sittin' in a rocking chair.
I love the red, white and blue. It is truly "smashing". I can understand why you're frustrated with not having everything in one place but I'm sure that Daniel will not be asking you why it wasn't finished yesterday. Boys are funny that way. He will love it when ever he gets it.

Andee said...

Both quilts look great...I guess you will just have to find a fabric store! Nothing worse than not having anything to sew!

Deborah said...

I think you definitely succeeded! They both look great! I can relate to your situation. Recently I've been able to acquire some fabric at yard sales and flea markets but of course it doesn't necessarily work with what I have here but it gives me some options for starting new projects.