The second part TAW class went well yesterday. It was a chilly day, 18 degrees but we were toasty warm in the basement. I had the students bring fabrics to practice putting in order for TAW quilts in addition to working on their quilts. While they were all busy cutting, unpicking or sewing I chose another red run from my stash. The run at the top is the one I showed a couple days ago with some minor changes. The bottom run is new.
Since the fabrics make a complete loop I wanted to see them with both the light and the dark at the centers of the selection. This gives me a better idea of how the quilt will look.
Today would have been my dad's 101st birthday. He passed away last year 3 months shy of his 100th b-day. I didn't get to see him on his 99th 2 yrs. ago because I had just had the radioactive seeding treatment/surgery on my eye 4 days earlier and I was wearing a bulky lead patch over that eye and was supposed to be isolated.
Another 8 top to bottom strips were sewn into a section and added to the first section of 13 strips. I have another strata ready to cut so I can finish the design. The second TAW class is today.
While I was finishing the cleaning in the basement I decided to straighten my red/rose/coral shelf. I started pulling a run for another TAW. I have 2 stripes in the 3rd position from the right. I wasn't sure which I liked. The floral stripe 3rd from the left will have to be cut on the lengthwise grain if I use it because the stripe runs crosswise. It changes to different groups of flowers and I'm not sure it would be consistent enough to use in crosswise cuts.
The cookies are baked and I hope I get a good turnout of the art quilters today.
These are my Italian cotton fabrics. They are the same weight and silky finish as the Liberty Lawn fabrics. My daughter brought them back from one of her trips for me. I have used small amounts of several of them and made a pillow cover with the one on the left.
Today I will be baking cookies for the art quilters' group which is coming tomorrow. The basement is pretty clean so just a touch up is needed.
The thirteen rows on the left are sewn together and pressed. I started unpicking more pieces and then wandered off and did a bunch of other things.
It didn't reach 30 degrees yesterday, mighty chilly! Monday and Tuesday are supposed to be in the low 20s and then we will warm up to above freezing. I didn't get all of my pots emptied yet so I still have some outside work to do.
Photos below of what is blooming at my house. The pink/white 2 tone are still blooming too.
Yesterday was errand day, almost 3 hours worth. It was 30 degrees and windy, too early for winter. I started sewing the long seams from top to bottom of the TAW quilt on the part I had unpicked.
I also sewed the last strata and sliced one that was ready for that step. I'm hoping to get most of the designing part done today.
The student who drove the farthest for my TAW class, 4 1/2 hours, stayed at the Best Western on the edge of town so she finished her second class yesterday morning. The other students will come back next Tuesday. While she sewed I decided on the center of my quilt and did more unpicking of loops.
Later in the afternoon my dryer repair man came and while he worked on it I sorted all of the small pieces of Liberty Lawn that I bought about 20 years ago. These pieces are around 6.5" square.
Back in those days there were no die cut packs of fabrics available. Some of these are torn along one edge and cut with scissors on the other 3 sides. They are not all the same size although the label said 6.5" squares.
There was also a little bag of approximately 3" squares. Some of them are the same prints as the larger squares so I think I got them all from the same store.
There was also a little package of scraps, anywhere from just under 2" wide to almost 4" wide.
Near the end of the time that this store carried the Liberty Lawns there was a regular quilting weight fabric about 54" wide. All of these 3" pieces are that weight. I have 3 yardage pieces that I bought of it at that time too.
These are my duplicate pieces. I'm wondering if there is anyone reading who has a more current collection of the Liberty Lawn that would like to trade some pieces with me. The fabrics in the top 2 rows are about 20 years old. I'm not sure of the time period of the 3 in the bottom row..I think I have found 2 trade partners now. Thanks everyone!!!
