Thursday, November 17, 2011

A practice piece..........

Over the last few days I have been piecing the first of the denim/corduroy/homespun quilts.  I wanted to see how easy it was to quilt before I make the rest of the quilts.  This one is the most multicolor and I used a homespun tiny plaid on the back to keep it light weight.  The squares are 8" finished.
I intended to do the wavy lines in both directions, a crosshatch type design, but after going one way I could see the stretchiness of the denim was going to cause puckers if I did that.  I also decided that I will pull out the really heavy and stiff denim squares from the other kits and replace them with softer denim.  I pressed all of the seams open but the stiff ones rolled back when it was layered and were hard to quilt over.  Most of the denim I have cut is soft and/or thin so I won't have to replace too many pieces in the kits.  I haven't figured out what to bind it with yet.
I also got the binding on one of the quilts that I quilted on Monday.  I think I made this top around 1992-95 time period.  There are 2 logs on one side to every one on the other side in the blocks to create the rounded effect.  While I have dark blue thread on the machine I'll do the binding on the seaside theme quilt today. 
I have another color cactus blooming.  This one is a more true red than the others.  All of my plants have buds now so I should have blooms all the way through the month.




20 comments:

The Calico Cat said...

Do you have more of that big check? (or is that a wide plaid?) Something like that would make an awesome binding.

Unknown said...

Your 1992 -1995 era quilt is fantastic! It goes to show that your taste in colors and fabric hasn't varied too much. It is beautiful!

HollyM said...

Wow, you are getting things done! The pink and blue log cabin is pretty. My you have done a lot of quilts!

Donna said...

I love the log cabin quilt - the colors...the design...you would never know it was made in the 90's - it doesn't look dated. Perhaps a plaid or red fabric would look good as binding on your denim quilt. I like the wavy quilt lines.

Mary said...

Thanks for sharing the process on the denim quilt. It's nice to have an idea about what some of the challenges on a particular project are.

*karendianne. said...

Extremely interesting and snuggly post!!!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

wow that top sure was waiting a long time to be quilted! you are making progress to be sure.
Karen

Anonymous said...

Tell me again how many varieties of cactus you have ?

'92/95' Quilt is awesome... and to think it was patiently waiting for you to complete it.

Denim/Corduroy is my kind of quilt... I think I could make one of those also. (*._,*)

J~MT

Laura Wasilowski said...

That cordoroy quilt must weigh a ton! Is this a new exercise program for building up your biceps? As usual, Wanda, you astound me!

Sheila said...

Batik is just beautiful, as always.
So interesting to hear you discuss your denim/corduroy/homespun quilt journey. I'm slowly collecting fabrics for a similar adventure in the future. Nice to know the issues you are experiencing now so I may avoid them. Thank you, Wanda.

Char said...

I still have only buds, no blooms yet.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Love the 2:1 log ratio effect!!

Very smart to make one practice quilt first . . .

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

That log cabin is gorgeous! Does this mean that you have to give it away now? LOL The denim/corduroy/homespun one is looking, good, too.

hetty said...

You certainly are getting things done! I love that log cabin quilt. Fantastic colours! When I saw your Christmas cactus, I went and took a look at mine. And I was amazed that it is blooming too!

Cathi said...

That is an absolutely stunning log cabin! I absolutely love it!
What a beautiful flower colour.

Lynne said...

I love that denim/coduroy/homespun quilt - it will be toasty warm!

Can I mix a little bit of flannel in with my quilting cotton in scrappy quilts or will the stretchy properties of flannel be a problem?

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Your cordory quilt looks just like the first ones I made 40 years ago when I didn't know much about quilting. I still have one and it is tied and I used a sheet on the back. It is heavy and I remember that I made a 9 patch cordory with flannel one the back for my parents...heavy but they loved it. Your log cabin looks like you could have made it yesterday!

Browndirtcottage said...

Wow...I think your '92-'95 quilt is still relevant for this day and time. Like I said in a earlier post that blue just sings to me!!

Dora, the Quilter said...

Your batik log cabin is so pretty! I must feel great to have it finally quilted.
Cactus flowers are lovely too!

MyCretanlife said...

Both of your quilts look smashing. It is nice to experiment with different fabrics. I am collecting flannelnette for a quilt top, got a long way to go yet though.