Friday, September 20, 2019

It's a Flimsy! Coddiwomple



 It's a flimsy! 

Coddiwomple

64 x 82
 This is made from Orphan Blocks and some HSTs from the Parts Department.   A while ago I saw Claire (Cspoonquilt) and Cynthia (Quilting is More Fun Than Housework)  playing with orphan blocks and having some fun and that inspired me to dig into my Orphanage. I pulled out a bunch of blocks with black backgrounds and started playing with eight Stripey??  orphans leftover from a quilt finished...

...October 2010 and made from swapped blocks. 

Aiming for a twin sized quilt I first made four more 7 inch (finished) Stripey?? blocks so I could play with twelve blocks and make a rectangular quilt. Then I started to Coddiwomple (or “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination”).  I have to thank a couple of blog readers, Sandy (Sew High) and Nann (With Strings Attached) for some of the fun words they send me for possible quilt names. Sandy sent me the word Coddiwomple and I think it was perfect for this quilt. 
 The next thing I did was add borders around the Stripey?? blocks. I dug into my 1.5 inch scrap bin and pulled the longest pieces I found and added borders all around log cabin style. When I ran out of 1.5 inch scraps  I cut more from scrap chunks. I wanted to keep the bordered blocks an even size so I could add 2 inch (finished) HSTs as sashing so ended up bordering each orphan with four 1.5 inch strips and one 1 inch strip for a 16 inch (finished) block. 

I had some HSTs in the Parts Department but not nearly enough for all the sashing so I made lots more with scraps from my 2.5 inch scrap bin.  I didn't bother with orienting the HSTs any particular way but just sewed them together willy nilly and then sewed all the columns and rows together.  The quilt was then 56 x 74 and a wee bit smaller than what I wanted so I added a border of batiks and black.  I almost used up all the solid black in my stash. 
 And then I arrived at my vague destination...

Coddiwomple

This was the pile of orphans with black background I pulled so I think I have more Coddiwompling to do maybe after I replenish my black solids and BOBs (blacks on blacks).  Wonder how many more quilts will come out of that pile of orphans.  I think maybe two or three. Stay tuned! 



21 comments:

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

This is spectacular! Thanks for sharing your process.

Elle said...

This is fantastic! Marianne over at Stashbusters calls that block St Bridgets Cross.

Congrats on using up all those orphans. Love the HST sashing!

Alison V. said...

This is so much fun! It is definitely a happy quilt.

SandyPA said...

I love it, Cathy! Thanks for the shout-out, too! I bet that triangle strip on pink block gave you the triangle sashing idea. It was perfect for this quilt. The bright colors against black makes it so fun. This is one of my favorite quilts you have made. Your productivity is simply amazing! I wonder if the remainder of your cat scraps could be fashioned into a quilt called "tomfoolery". Sandy at sewhigh.blogspot.com

Ann said...

Clever you! I love the way you made up this quilt as you went along. Great way to revitalize your orphans.

audrey said...

Perfect name! You are really zipping through the quilt tops lately! This one is fascinating to me because of how you added to the blocks. Great idea!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That turned out amazing!!! Did you use all your orphan blocks?

Cathy said...

Another brilliant quilt!! Now I bet there are several of us lining up to coddiwomple out way through the orphans and parts.

Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore said...

I've learnt something new today. I'd never heard of "coddiwomple" before so had to look it up. My mum says "collywobbles" when referring to people or objects, but although they sound similar, they have very different meanings. Anyway, your quilt looks great, and thank you for linking up to the Peacock Party.

---"Love" said...

The triangles in the sashing are very interesting, and the black in the border really makes it pop! I really like the entire quilt! ---"Love"

Louise said...

Hooray for orphan blocks that finally have a home! Such a satisfying feeling to stride toward a vague destination and then find that, hey, it's really nice here! :)

MissPat said...

This is so cool. Another one to add to my ever-lengthening list, although I'd have to start from scratch because I don't have many orphan blocks and certainly none of them match in size, color shape or any which way. You provide so much inspiration.
Pat

Mystic Quilter said...

How I love the name you have for this quilt!! The colours and pattern are just my sort of thing, rich and bold - congratulations on your finish.

Lesley Gilbert said...

Love your quilt, love the edging and what a great (unforgettable) name :)

Pamela Arbour said...

As always, I admire your vision for scraps. I love it.

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

You would never guess this is made from leftovers. It is so much fun! I can't wait to see more :)

margil56 said...

Your quilt is gorgeous! But I am very unhappy with the current trend of using the word "flimsy" to describe a quilt top. I come from a long line of quilters, and every one of them would have been highly offended by anyone who called one of their quilt tops a "flimsy." The connotation to someone my age is that it isn't made very well; is not sturdy; not worth much. I don't know where the current usage came from, but I wish it would go away!

Linda said...

Wow, wow and wow! Superb use of orphans and bits and pieces. Loved the story too, a real voyage of discovery.

Astrid Reflux said...

What you do with bits and bobs and odds and ends is endlessly fascinating to me; I envy your scrappy flair and your freedom. Love watching it all come together, and now I have a word that describes....pretty much my whole life, actually, so thanks for that, too!

gayle said...

There you go again with another gorgeous quilt! Hard to believe it started with orphans!
I love those willy nilly triangles!

Michelle said...

Beautiful quilt! I would have never guessed it started as a pile of orphan blocks!