Red Letter Day

I must say! Today is a red-letter day. I learned I am one of eight winners in the recent quilt back challenge, sponsored by the Modern Quilt Guild and Hobbs (batting). In February, I'll receive a queen-sized batt from Hobbs. 

In October, MQG members were invited to register, and then over a four-week period respond to suggestions and prompts to piece a quilt back from blocks, parts and bits already in our sewing stash. It was the "Use It: Quilt Back Challenge."

My 60" X 92½" backing used:

1. blocks begun in a workshop or an along - See pieced strips from making a few Dreamlines shapes?
2. discarded ideas for a new quilt design - See three pieces that are shades of blue with a curved end? 
3. leftovers from other quilts - See the middle-right, white background with pairs of navy blue "sticks?" Those were leftover from making Polka Dots and Moonbeams, a quilt accepted into the QC 2024 Scrap Challenge. A row of 6" blocks (lower middle) remained from the Summer Modern Mystery QAL.
4. and, all manner of leftover parts of solid fat quarters. I intentionally tried to keep the largest fabric chunks along the outside edges. 

Anyway, the whole challenge made me pull out long-forgotten orphan blocks and parts. And now that I know how many more of these I have left, you can be sure I will be piecing more backings. "Use" is sort of my mantra these days. 

In today's weekly email about the Satisfaction QAL, Amy Friend @duringquiettime mentioned my quilt back. She's also encouraging quilters to piece their backings. 

Speaking of Satisfaction, this is week 12 of the along, to make the last 18" block. I've completed mine. This is "Rosette." Both prints are by Alison Glass, and I'll just say this made a bright block!

Choosing fabrics for this along was challenging, as I often found that fabric combos I liked weren't do-able because I didn't have enough of one the fabrics. Nonetheless, I'm glad I participated. I couldn't wait to arrange and piece the top, so here it is at 55" X 73." 

Putting my money where my mouth is, I'll be digging into my orphan block bins to see what kind of quilt back I can piece. 

By the way, now that the along is over, if you like the pattern you can buy it from Amy here. 

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I watched a Youtube video to learn how to twine - a finger-twirling thing you do with scrap strips to make twine. I followed the Handmade Home video that suggested cutting and twining ¾"-wide strips. I made 3⅓ yards of twine and wound it onto an empty Aurifil cone. 

Then, I cut 2"-wide strips from my scrap bins, and turned out 12 yards of twine! It's colorful and pretty! And I must tell you, twining is a quick thing to do.

To use it, I'm considering whether to: 1) try zig-zag stitching this together flat, so as to create two rectangles for a bag; 2) try zig-zag stitching to make a bowl (and what would I do with a bowl?); 3) or, weave it on my peg loom to make a table runner. That would look nice with my multi-colored Fiestaware.

Since setting aside twining, I've been working on the improv curves design begun in Cindy Grisdela's workshop. I am really pleased with the addition of "cogs" (those gear-looking bits) and skinny insert strips that give the quarter curves more interest. However, I am not pleased with the mushiness of the overall design. This needs more work! I've happily used up almost a whole yard of Kona Crush that Candi, in St. Augustine, gifted to me.

Still chugging along listening to audiobooks while I'm in the sewing room, power walking, and doing housework (turning up the volume to hear over the vacuum cleaner!), I hit 100 books read in 2023 when I  finished A Fistful of Collars, book #5 in the Chet (the dog) and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn.

In this tail tale, a famous movie star, Thad, has come to town to make a Western film. Bernie's been hired, for big bucks, to make sure the star doesn't get into trouble (drugs, booze). As Bernie's on the set, watching and listening he learns that no one wants to talk about the time Thad lived in the area. As Bernie pursues information, the people he wants to talk with turn up dead.

In the meantime, Suzy, Bernie's girlfriend has relocated; Chet and Bernie are driving another new-to-them Porsche (their third); and Chet has to figure out how to interact with Thad's cat, Brando. 

Linda's score: 4.0/5.0

Reading Gilded Girl by Pamela Kelley, was like watching a Hallmark movie. Too sweet. And very predictable. 

Like her mother who has recently passed away, Eliza has spent her life in service, as a lady's maid,  to a titled English family. One day a letter arrives. Eliza learns she's the illegitimate daughter of an extremely weathly New York businessman. He's just learned about her and wants her to come to New York, meet her grandmother, sisters, and him. 

From the moment she leaves England, she's awed by her new-found entitlement. The family home on Fifth Avenue rivals those of the Astors and Rockefellers. And though her father and grandmother are warm and welcoming, her two sisters are not. During a season of socials, dinners, and balls, where Eliza is in demand, the sisters contrive to ignore Eliza, and ultimately take her out of the picture. But Eliza is resilient, and due to her interest in business and a certain carriage driver, she will manage. 

Can you say, "Cinderella?" 

Linda's score: 3.8/5.0

Linda