It's a Finish! Izzy's Menagerie

 Izzy's Menagerie

60 x 72

It's a finish! 

There's very few quilts I've made more than once but I never get tired of making Happy Block quilts. 

These blocks have 4 inch centers and 1 3/4 inch sides which makes a 6 inch finished block. 

 Some of the blocks were swapped as well as the centers with the I Spy Quilt Swap Yahoo Group I joined 14 years ago when the first grandchild was born  Some of the centers came from a few other swaps elsewhere and a few centers were won.   All of the centers are members of the animal kingdom - birds, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles.  

I've made several quilts to give to the grandkids when they graduate high school. 

 I made this one for Isabelle (aka Izzy or Dizzy Izzy)  because she loves all creatures great and small and for as long as I can remember she has always said she wanted to be a veterinarian.   I guess that has changed.    She recently was accepted into an Accelerated Associate Degree program  which means when she graduates high school she will not only receive a high school diploma but she will also receive an Associate of Arts degree.  When I congratulated her and mentioned that it was a wonderful opportunity for a future veterinarian I was informed that she now wants to be a psychotherapist.   Ok.  But she still loves all creatures great and small. 

 I free motion quilted it on my Brother DSM with some rough lemon peels in variegated rainbow thread on top and gray in the bobbin.  I haven't washed it yet so it's not all soft and crinkly. I have an old wringer/washer and no place for larger quilts to dry flat so I wait until I have several and take them to the laundromat for washing and drying.  When it crinkles it will hide most of my quilting imperfections. (I hope). 

 And it's a Murphy's Law of Quilting that whenever your hand shakes while quilting it will happen with dark thread on a light background or vice versa.  Oh for the love of crinkles! 

 Happy Block quilts usually make a big dent in my solids, tone on tones,polka dots and blenders. 

 The backing was pieced...

...with several different gray odds and ends. 

This was my goal #3 (previously called Animal Farm)

for

Q1 Finish-Along

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Izzy's Wedding Quilt - Ready for Quilting

I've finished the top for Izzy's Double Wedding Ring quilt. 

69 1/2  x  84 3/4

I used a vintage McCall's Pattern. 

For my granddaughter, Isabelle (aka Izzy or Belle)

 Last year when her paternal grandmother died my granddaughter told me I would live at least until her wedding. She's 9 so I hope she doesn't get married until she's 30 or so but that's out of my control.  I did decide then and there that  I would make a quilt for her wedding now while I'm healthy and have the means to buy fabric. And if I'm not physically in attendance at her wedding I will be there in the spirit of a quilt for her special day. 

I'm going to try my hand at hand quilting on her quilt since there is no hurry to get it completed. 

Now I'm heading over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict for a Whoop, Whoop! 

For Izzy

I only have one row left to add to the Double Wedding Ring quilt I've been making for my granddaughter Isabelle (aka Izzy).

 Last year when her paternal grandmother died she told me I would live at least until her wedding. She's 9 so I hope she doesn't get married until she's 30 or so but that's out of my control.  I did decide then and there that  I would make a quilt for her wedding now while I'm healthy and have the means to buy fabric. And if I'm not physically in attendance at her wedding I will be there in the spirit of a quilt for her special day. 

I'm going to try my hand at hand quilting on her quilt since there is no hurry to get it completed. 

Also into Izzy's hope chest will go a quilt for her High School graduation.  I am trying my hand at some patchwork words of a proverb for this one.  Hopefully it will provide a little inspiration. 

Both quilts are at a stage where they are too big for a design wall.  But if you want to see some inspiration hanging out on some some design walls out there in blog land visit Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Miscellany

I've finished sewing together all the arches for Izzy's Wedding Quilt. In case you don't follow me...Izzy is my 8 year old granddaughter who told me I was going to live long enough to attend her wedding. I thought in case I don't live that long I better make her a quilt and attend her wedding in spirit.

Now the fun begins sewing the arched pieces to that center piece to complete a ring. 

Izzy's (aka Isabelle, Belle, Bellarina) favorite colors alternate between purple and red so those are the colors I used along with purple. (I'm no expert on color but I think that's an analogous color scheme). And the background is yellow with tinges of blue and red. Fabrics are 30s reproductions and then some. 

I'm in no hurry to complete it but it is a UFO now. 

I've finished one set of blocks for a 30s sampler block swap of 12 inch blocks.  My first set is Kansas Dugout.  

 

And finally I made two Oak Leaf blocks for the Oct Block Lotto. What fun!  Won't these make a neat quilt!

It's been so nice the last couple of days after work so instead of doing a few minutes of sewing before or after dinner I've been out in the garden cleaning up. I made all these blocks last Saturday when it was rainy. 

Izzy's Wedding Quilt Update

The Back Story:  Isabelle (a.k.a.  Izzy or Belle or Bellarina), one of my granddaughters,  is 8 years old. Several times in the last several years she has told me I'm going to live at least long enough to attend her wedding. Maybe she knows something I don't know. I hope she's not getting married for a long, long time!

On January 14 a driver talking on a cell phone ran a red light and hit me broadside - $6,000 worth of damage to the car. I tried to turn out of the path of the collision and came about an inch from hitting another car head on. I was not hurt - just shook up a little. 

After that my granddaughter's words came back to me...that I would live long enough to attend her wedding.   That got me to thinking I should start on a wedding quilt for her, finish it and store it away. That way...if I'm not able to attend her wedding I will be there in spirit.

Over the years her favorite colors have switched between red and purple.  So, the color palette for her quilt will be red, purple and blue.  I've pulled some of those colors from my stash. The pattern will be Double Wedding Ring a.k.a Pickle Dish a.k.a. Gypsy Kisses.

Izzy's paternal grandmother passed away last Tuesday at the age of 58 which made me more aware than ever of my own mortality and has seemed to make more urgent my need to leave something of myself behind. 

I've journaled my progress on this quilt in previous posts.  I'm now at the stage where I'm joining my arches together and am about a third of the way finished. 

I don't have a design wall but I've kind of propped up my cutting board, covered it with leftover batting pieces and then put my background fabric up on it and put some of the joined arches up on that. So I guess I can kind of tell how it will all look.  Or can I?    

If you want to see some real design walls and some inspiring projects please visit Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Izzy's Wedding Quilt - Update

I've joined together several more arches for Izzy's Double Wedding Ring Quilt.  In case you don't follow me...Izzy is my 8 year old granddaughter who told me I was going to live long enough to attend her wedding. I thought in case I don't live that long I better make her a quilt and attend her wedding in spirit.

I'm about 2/3 way finished with this part of the process. I guess there's no hurry! I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced for the first time. WOW...there's lots of lovely WIPs going on out there in blogland!!

Izzy's Wedding Quilt

The back story. 

I've finished more arches and have 42 of the 98 arches I need for Izzy's Double Wedding Ring quilt. 

I'm thinking of using a light blue (Kona Cotton Candy Blue) for the background. What would you use with a purple, blue, red color scheme? 

For more inspiration (well, I 'm assuming this was inspiring, but then again...) visit Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.  

I Can't Believe I Made This!

70 x 85

Double Wedding Ring

Hand Quilted

I started this in February 2013. 

I finished it last night. 

The Back Story:  Isabelle (a.k.a.  Izzy or Belle or Bellarina), one of my granddaughters,  is 9 years old now. Several times in the last few years she has told me I'm going to live at least long enough to attend her wedding. Maybe she knows something I don't know. I hope she's not getting married for a long, long time!

On January 14, 2013 a driver talking on a cell phone ran a red light and hit me broadside - $6,000 worth of damage to the car. I tried to turn out of the path of the collision and came about an inch from hitting another car head on. I was not hurt - just shook up a little. 

After that my granddaughter's words came back to me...that I would live long enough to attend her wedding.   That got me to thinking I should start on a wedding quilt for her, finish it and store it away. That way...if I'm not able to attend her wedding I will be there in spirit.

Over the years Isabelle's favorite colors have switched between red and purple.  So, the color palette for her quilt that I chose was red, purple and blue. The idea to use yellow for the background came from a comment someone left on one of my blog posts when I was showing off my arches at the beginning of the process. 

Izzy's paternal grandmother passed away in June 2013 at the age of 58 which made me more aware than ever of my own mortality and has seemed to make more urgent my need to leave something of myself behind. 

My eyes aren't always functioning properly so I see a few arches where the fabrics are wrong side up or a couple of arches where a wrong piece of fabric was used. 

That shows it was made by me and that I'm not perfect. It also shows that little imperfections do not take away from overall beauty. 

This is my first experience with plain old-fashioned hand quilting. I learned a lot - how to bury knots, the "rocking motion", how to use a thimble, what thimble I liked best, how to make smaller and smaller stitches. I was frustrated many times but determined to overcome all the challenges. 

I now have to figure out how I'm going to store it away until a very special wedding day. 

I'm not anxious for my grandkids to grow up and get married. It may be stored away for a very long time. 

I can't get any good photos of the hand quilting. I used templates on several sections. 

 After a washing the quilt is so crinkly soft. 

A nickname we have for Isabelle is Bellerina - she loves to sing and dance.  I found this 1930s reproduction Ballerina fabric and just had to include it in her quilt for a little fun. 

I can't believe I made this.

It was a lot of work but all worth it for a very special person. 

I have two more grandchildren. Hmmmm.....

If I have any stitching time today, Slow Stitching Sunday, I'll probably be trying to catch up on my crazy quilting projects.  

Slow Stitching? 

Join the virtual sewing bee - Slow Stitching Sunday - at Kathy's Quilts. 

Izzy's Wedding Quilt Update

I'm still working on the arches for a double wedding ring quilt.  

I am making it for my granddaughter. Isabelle (aka Izzy, Belle or Bellarina) is only 8 so I have quite a bit of time to complete it.  Several times over the last couple of years she has told me I have to live long enough to attend her wedding.  If I'm not there physically I hope I'll be there in spirit with a quilt for her wedding gift. 

I'm linking to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.  Take a peek and see what other's are working on this week. 

Q2- She's Got High Hopes...High in the Sky Apple Pie Hopes

Kind of like that ant that moved the rubber tree plant I have some high hopes for some Q2 Finishes. 

1.  Cherry Pie (aka Flowering Snowball). I need to make more blocks and then hand quilt with perle #8.

2. Tulips - Blocks made. I need to finish assembly. 

3. Bear Foot - I need a few more blocks. 

4.  Sister's Choice - need a few more blocks. 

5.  I think I will combine two different Block Lotto winnings into one quilt. 

6.  56 Shades of Envy - I need a few more blocks. 

7. Petunias - I need a few more blocks. 

8.  Attic Windows - I need a few more blocks.

9. Rail Fence - Need to assemble top. 

10. Orca Bay - It's a top.

11. Happy Hearts - It's a top.

12.  Dots and Dashes - It's a top and it's pin basted. 

13.  Happy Owls - It's a top.

14. Road to Lampasas - It's a top.

15.  Shawl for Izzy - It's getting close to a finish. 

16. I need a new purse.