Hole Punch Ribbon Quilt

I began making this quilt in my two-day (six hour) virtual workshop with Jenny Haynes @pappersaxsten on August 15-16 and finished the hand-sewn facing on Friday, August 28! Wow. One of my fastest makes. It's 37" X 61½". 

Fabrics used for piecing were solids, and a bit of Moda Grunge (the white part of the "holes"). The background is orange Moongate ombré by Maywood Studios. I love how it looks like a soft colored pencil wash. 

I tried some new things with this quilt - in fact this quilt has two new-to-me features.

First, see how "square" the quilt came out? Even after quilting all those waves? After I'd pin-basted the quilt sandwich, I edge-stitched around the entire perimeter of the quilt, ¼" from the outside edge. I added this step this after reading Amana Murphy's new book The Ultimate Guide to Rulerwork Quilting by C&T Publishing. (I was given a copy to review and will be sharing info in an upcoming blog post.) I learned that Amanda edge stitches her quilt sandwich, so I did too. I think it helps keep the quilt on-the-square. 

The second new-to-me thing about this quilt was using Hobbs 80% Cotton 20% Wool Batting. There's no denying that it gives definition to those waves and swirls. In a Hobbs batting virtual program I attended, this batt was suggested for "show quilts." Though I have no intention of entering this quilt in a show, I sure like the result!

This picture of how I face a quilt (WeAllSew tutorial here), also shows the batting texture. I'm very glad I was able to buy a king-sized batt when it was on sale at www.BattingSuperSale.com.

The finished edge. 

Painter's Palette solid light aqua is the backing fabric. The quilt front is orange so I quilted with orange Aurifil 50-weight. Aqua Aurifil 50-weight thread was in the bobbin. 

Here's my now-obligatory quilt-in-a-Bismarck-palm photo. I'm so pleased at the waves I was able to quilt with a walking foot, though I used rulers and a little FMQ too,

I'm thinking to rearrange the quilts hanging on our walls, to make a place for this one. I like it that much. 😍

Book Recommendation

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is a thought-provoking story about 25 year-old Emira, a black woman who babysits for a wealthy, white Philadelphia family. She loves Briar, a prickly, quirky, and precocious three year-old. When parents Alix and Peter ask Emira to take Briar out of the house - the police are on their way after a reported egg-throwing incident - Emira finds herself with Briar at an affluent grocery store, confronted by a security guard accusing her of kidnapping. The book continues to reveal the intertwined work and personal lives of Emira and Alix, comparing and contrasting privilege and wealth along racial divides. This was, as the title says, "fun" and engaging.

Linda's score: 4.2/5.0

Today is the one-year anniversary of losing our dear boy, Hogan. I hoped that by now, thinking of him wouldn't make me cry... we miss him very much. 

But, we're all looking for something uplifting, aren't we? In 53 seconds, this Alabama doctor expressed how I've been feeling during our interminable, incarcerating pandemic. Linda