Saturday, February 13, 2016

New project............

Back in the middle of January I showed some batik 2.5" strips that I was going to be working with.  What I did was pick 5 similar strips of each color so that I could make 5 different but similar stratas for a Trip Around the World quilt.
I have had the stratas sewn for a couple weeks but just finally sliced them and started unpicking to design the TAW up on the design wall.  This is how far I got by last night.  I had been wanting to make a multicolor batik TAW for a long time.  I made a king size top like this back in the 1990s and sold it so I wanted to make a replacement for it but this one will be a smaller size, about 70" x 94".

The first 9 vertical rows are sewn together so you can see the shape of the finished pieces.  They are 1.5" x 2" finished.  That is the smallest I have worked with in a TAW.  You can also see how the fabrics change as each color makes its path.









Do you think this is the reason I don't have as many birds in the back yard this winter?  This cat is huge and I don't have any idea who it belongs to.

I finished the binding on the stars and 16 patches quilt.  I'll take a photo and show it tomorrow.  I also got the flannel Stack and Slash top sewn together.  Lots of progress......

18 comments:

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

amazing how much we can get done, when we determined to just play!!!! You have been busy! Love the new TAW... and I am toying with making one now. Especially since it will/would go together pretty fast! Yep, cat+birds=fewer birds!!!

Sewing Junkie said...

Looks like a lot of progress. We have cats on the prowl all the time. But the thing we have noticed the squirrels are huge this year. They have been able to find food without the snow cover. Keep on sewing. Chris

Debbie said...


My Goodness!! You sure work fast.....TAW is beautiful! That is the size I worked with when I did my big one. A better size for blending and the different fabrics used aren't so obvious.

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

I love all those colors in the quilt top - beautiful. Every winter we have about 3-6 stray cats that hang around the rest of the year we do not see them much - I hang my bird feeder a bit higher off the ground then you do though from the way your photo looks.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

You gave found wonderful similar fabrics that keep the trips cohesive. Beautiful.

Roxanne said...

I enlarged the sewn piece to get a good look--really beautiful TAW. In this photo the cat doesn't look to have a collar--stray??

Quiltdivajulie said...

Between the neighborhood hawk and our back yard neighbor's aging cat, we have had far fewer birds this year. However, I am thrilled to share that the cardinals, blue jays, blue birds, and goldfinches HAVE returned. They're a bit skittish, but they are BACK! (and so is our woodpecker).

Love the fabrics in your TAW . . .

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

We haven't had as many birds as usual this winter either. Perhaps we have a similar lurking beast that we haven't discovered! Love the TAW.

Julie Bagamary said...

Glad to see you still rocking it Wanda. You amaze me!

Judy Dietrich said...

Love your photo of the strips laid out together!! Looks like a color explosion. What you did with them, is just fun!! That is going to be fantastic!! My new favorite TAW, of yours. There have been many to like.

JJM said...

TAW is STUNNING ! Love the two rows of color. It mesmerizing to study.

JJM

Lisa C said...

I've wanted to make a TAW for a couple of years but I've never done it. I like each one I see better than the last one. Can't wait to see this one finished.

Hedy said...

I read that when you have bird feeders, you need a bush nearby for the birds to hide inside when predators come by. We have several male cats that roam around but so far, our birds are doing well. I love the fabrics you picked for this colorful TAW.

Mary Ellen said...

Lack of a collar is not proof of much; we have one outdoor cat (yes, I know, I don't like it either but he came to us as a cat that goes outdoors) that lost 6 collars in 4 weeks. We finally gave up on collars; he is chipped. He is a mouser and is indifferent to birds. I don't feel guilty about the mice.

The TAW is very nice and definitely colorful.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

My mouth just fell open. That TAW is gorgeous!

Jayne Honnold said...

Wanda, the Stars and 16 Patches is beautiful! Makes me want to grab some of my Westminster fabrics and go to work!

Carli The Quilter said...

welldone, this is beautiful!

Paule-Marie said...

Wanda Your Trip around the World is drop dead gorgeous. These are the colors that I love to work with - nothing muted for me - at least not if I can help it. I'd say send the cat to me but the lads would really like him for breakfast. We have a large chunk of land and on the other side of the tree line from our house is a meadow on the property. The coyotes seem to spend a lot of their time there - at least that's where their yodeling is coming from.