Red and Butter

This quilt has been sitting basted for almost a year.  The color of the thread to use was the big obstacle. The red threads I had were not right and neither were the yellows, then when I was choosing thread for the Summer Salad quilt Color Challenge I tried a green to tan and a multi colored varigated thread with orange and I laid the green to tan thread on this and it was perfect because there is green running through all the prints. I quilted it with concentric teardrops. My favorite all over design with lots of pivots. Linking to PatchworkTimes Design Wall Monday  and  Leah's UFO project. This quilt is from one of Barbara Brandenburg's books and it has a bamboo cotton batting that was wonderful to quilt.  --Ann--
P.S. if you have been following my blog or just perusing through it and there are big black spots where some pictures used to be...... I foolishly thought I should clean up my picassa file because it was getting full. Little did I know I was deleting photos from posts so I will try to replace photos and buy more space on picassa. And in trying to replace photos in the Drama in the Sky post of last June it moved to September.  Always learning things the hard way. --Ann--

Quilt Basting Day

I had a quilt basting day last week. I always wait until I have four or five quilt tops sewn then I set up my Grandma's quilting frame. It is rickety and I have thought about making a new one with markings in the center of each board and carefully measuring and drilling holes from the center so it is absolutely square but it is a very tangible connection to my grandparents. It must be 80 years old because she made quilts in the 1930's. She tacked strips of Grandpa's worn out overalls to the boards to pin the quilt. So I set it up, drop the nails through the holes and measure across at the corners and diagonally and sometimes drill new holes to make it square.


These quilts started as I assembled a round robin quilt from several years ago. A group of quilting friends each passed around a project and each of us added a block to her project. Some made blocks from the Nancy Odem patterns I included in my project others deviated from the patterns but kept with the theme.








The colors were so cheerful and my stash so plentiful of Cabbage Rose fabrics that it lead to the Hummingbird pattern by Darlene Zimmerman using her 30 degree angle. Works great!!

so I made another

Then cut more strips for Puddle Ducks which is a combination of the goose track block also called ducks foot and the duck and ducklings block also called hen and chicks block. However they were sewn together as a Jacob's Ladder block sometimes called a jewel box with sashing and corner stones to make the ducks foot and duck and duckling blocks. I had to plan the layout so the ducks foot and the duck and duckling block intersected with the cornerstones.

Red and Butter a pattern by Barbara Brandenburg. I just love red and yellow together and I just happened to have some in my stash. Sometimes I just have to sew something easy to get back in the swing of quilting. This quilt has a bamboo and cotton blend batting. I had to try it because I have some bamboo fiber socks that are instantly warm to wear with slacks and dress shoes. Ladies you all know what I mean we wear thin socks with dress shoes and our feet are cold and clammy.  I'll let you know how warm it is when I get to the binding.

my Bernina awaits

Happy quilting,
Ann