The Twilight Quilt is Complete

I finished this quilt shortly after Christmas.  It's always a good time to work on quilting a quilt because the house is cold and I don't mind wrestling a quilt sandwich to get it sewn up.  Working under a quilt this time of year has it's advantages!  I did a grid to follow the colored patched along the diagonals as well as the horizontals.  I started with a variegated purple, but decided that was too dark, and shifted to a varigated blue that seemed to work better on the white parts.

 

This photo is more true to the actual colors. 

I call this one Twilight not just for the purples and blues indicative of blue hour.  It has another meaning related to end-of-life ...  The colored blocks are made from scraps left over from the giant quilt made to commemorate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary in 2019.   In 2020, my mom's health was deteriorating, and I was called to take care of her at home in her last 2 weeks after a fall that rendered her bed-ridden.  She was pretty out-of-it in those last days ...  We had to keep an eye on her.  Somehow she knew if I left the room briefly to go to the bathroom, or brush my teeth, she would try to get up and out of her hospital bed -- which only meant she slumped to the floor because she was too weak to stand.   We had to shift her position every few hours to prevent bed sores / pressure injuries.  She wasn't eating or drinking, but I still had to clean her mouth with a little foam stick in water ...  Hospice came in and did other cares for her, for which we were very grateful.  I had been a Hospice Volunteer for 10 years and knew the value of their services.  Now I was experiencing Hospice from the family caregiver side.

I am not cut out for nursing / caregiving.  I know this -- That's why I'm in the medical library and not a nurse!  Still I was glad to take care of my mom in her last days.  But it was hard.  Now I understand the need for caregiver respite.

At the time, my Dad was trying to finish planting his latest crop of Christmas trees.  There is a short window to plant before it gets too hot and the seedlings will die ...  He was going through his own grief at losing his long-time partner, of course.  But he was outside doing things, and being productive.  I was trapped in the house with my dying mother ...  After a week of no breaks in caregiving and sleep deprivation, I finally set down my foot and told my Dad and brother that I would be off duty for a few hours each evening, when they would be in charge of taking care of Ma.  During that time, I retreated to my mom's sewing room to work on this Twilight Quilt.  That was enough of a break for me to rest and restore myself to take care of her again that night and the next day.  And it was spending time in her old creative space, more like we used to do ...

There was a period of time in the last 5 years where I had to put this quilt top away.  It was hard to look at due to the grief built into it from that time.  But I seem to have worked through that, and I like it again.  These are some of my favorite colors after all.  I can remember the good times sewing and laughing with my mom, and not so much her failing health and the end times in her last 2 weeks.  Now it brings comfort, rather than grief and distress.
 

 

Previous Posts about this Quilt:

Blue Lagoon at Twilight Quilt on the Design Wall (August 2020)

Blue Lagoon at Twilight Quilt Top Complete  (August 2020)

Quilt Sandwiches (Jan 2023)

Blue Lagoon at Twilight Quilt on the Design Wall (August 2020)

Let There Be Scraps ... in Colors You Love (June 2020)

 

Holly Matucheski December 25, 1950 - June 3, 2020

Banner Day at St Vinny's: Wool Rag Wheels for Rug-Making

It was a banner day at St Vinny's this week!  I put that down to my friend Karla being along.  If there is any wool in the store, she will find it!   We started with the usual circuit over by the donated fabric and craft supplies ...  Not much there for fabric that day, but an entire laundry basket of these wool "wheels" with the yardage listed on the tag!  They seemed to be reasonably priced at $4 and $5 per wheel -- but now that I think of it, 9 yards doesn't really go very far as weft on a rug ...   

It's a great time-saver NOT to have to cut the fabrics and prepare it for weaving.  Even if I get woolly worms or the premium strips from Pendleton blankets, there's still a fair amount of preparation to make the "yarn" into weft suitable for making rugs.  It looks like all that work is done for these wheels.

There was plenty there for Karla to also get several wheels for her own weaving stash.  Perhaps this will be the motivation to get her own rug loom up and running in the new year?

We will have to check it all over to make sure we are not bringing in a bunch of wool moths with it ...  There are ways to mitigate that with either heat or cold.  It is winter here now -- They could stay on the porch for the next few months, or you can bake them in the oven to raise the temps enough to kill any critters that might be present.  So far, they look pretty clean ...

It makes me a little sad to see someone's stash here at St V, that she never got to use it, that she's given up on this part of her creative life.  I think of my dad having to give up nearly everything this past year to move into assisted living.  My time will be here before I can use up my own stash, but for now, I'm going to continue making things as long as I can!

There was also a cone of wool in that bin suitable for warp.  We both tested it for strength and couldn't break it.  $4 for that cone!

I was thinking the next project would be a set of sumptuous towel from a kit, but perhaps I can do a batch of rugs to use up some fiber in the stash?   I do have 2 floor looms now so why not both?

Plans for a New Quilt: Disappearing Hour Glass 2 in Blue

Disappearing Hour Glass 2 Quilt Tutorial with Jenny Doan

Just wanted to have a bookmark for this video, as I'm planning yet another new quilt.  I had a layer cake with the intention of working up a different quilt, but couldn't wrap my head around the pattern or the color changes light-medium-dark.  So I think I'll make this one instead.  ;-)

Here are the steps for the disappearing hourglass 2 quilt blocks:

 

Step 1: Layer 2 10-inch squares right-sides together.  In this set, there is a light square on the bottom and a batik blue on top.  I like to press them together before I start stitching ...

 

 Step 2: Stitch 1/4 inch around all the edges.  Press flat.  Then make 2 cuts along the diagonals.

 

Open these "new" 1/2-square blocks and press open.

 

Step 3:   Arrange these 4 1/2-square triangle blocks into an hourglass configuration as shown above and stitch together.

 

Step 4: This is a good time to square up the hourglass block.

Then, align the ruler at 2-1/8 inch from the center seam and make 4 cuts.  It's helpful to have a rotaing cutting matt for this step.

Step 5: Rotate all the corner blocks so that the small triangle (light or dark) is in the corner.  This will be a 180-degree turn for each of the corner blocks:

Step 6: Next, turn the center block 90 degrees to the right.  Now your re-arranged block should look like the above.  Sew them into place.

 

It makes a nice BIG block.   I have been doing one or 2 or 3 blocks a day.  It's very satisfying to make them.

It's similar to Anita's Arrow, but seems a little simpler to make.

Yes, I am fond of blue!  That is a regular color in my personal pallette.

3 Scrappy Place Matts for Oliver

Oliver requested 3 place matts for his apartment.  He doesn't sew, so he has to ask me ...  

These are leftover bits from the giant purple, blue and gray quilt I made for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. 

 

 

 

My Happy Place: Weaving at the Loom

My Happy Place at the Loom!

I woke up at 6 am this morning, overjoyed that I would be able to weave today.  

I can't do it on a work day.

 

I started on the green wandering vine towel, using up the leftover warp from the red wandering vine coverlet.  I love how these are turning out so far with the Brassard cotton made for towels. 

You can see the blue one underneath.

Wondering what I'll do in retirement?  More of what I did in my working life to attain balance -- quilting and weaving.    That and some kayaks.    And Scotland!

Thanks to my Dear Husband who takes these pictures until there are good ones to share!  He makes me smile, too!

Color Journeys: From Graphite Gray to Deep Blue

Alpaca Wristers from Peru

A quick little dye job on some alpaca woolen wristers.  The natural color was a graphite gray.  I decided to dye them blue for my oldest friend, Janna.  The 2nd pair is for her husband, a musician who can play through the winter with these!

 

I used the crock pot to warm up a pot of water plus 1/4 cup vinegar with the wristers submerged, as the water warmed on low for a pre-soak.

Once the water was hot (after about 1 hour), I removed the wet wristers, squeezed out the vinegar water, and set them aside for a moment.  Then I mixed 1/2 tsp of Wilton's icing (food grade) dye) in a cup of hot water from the pot.  Stir that long enough to completely melt the dye.  Add 2 T. vinegar and pour into the crockpot of hot water.  Stir.  Add the woolens and let simmer until the water turns clear.  It took about 6 hours.  Then I unplugged the crockpot and let the water cool to room temperature overnight.  Then I rinsed the excess blue dye out over a few days.

The amount of wool was so minimal in the wristers, I might have been ok to use just 1/4 tsp of Wilton's blue dye.  They came out very dark -- such a rich and deep blue. Almost black.  I love the richness in that blue -- layers of color add complexity!

I still have to add some beading for her -- Glass Czech Beads, not the cheap painted ones where the color rubs off after a while.  She will be pleased!

Laundry Basket Crumb Quilt-as-You-Go is Complete

The Laundry Basket Crumb QAYG made with 30 fat quarters.   I'm calling it The Laundry Basket Quilt because that is the coordinating fat quarter set I purchased for it.  The beauty of this one gets lost at this scale.  It's prettier close-up.  Here it looks pretty random -- The phhoto really does not do it justice.  From a distance, it kind of looks like a QR code.

 

Here it is in the washing machine while wet-fnishing.

This came together remarkably fast!  I just started it at Quilt Camp back in October, and it's already finished!  I am so pleased with it, that I am already planning to make another one, or 2. 

The blocks are 16 in x 20 in. -- a very manageable size before you put them together.  You have the quilt sandwiches ready to go, and you add the strip "toppings" by going around and around the starter block in the center.  Essentially like a wonky log cabin.  It's quite satisfying, and addicting!  It comes out looking like you spent a lot of time piecing little squares.

 

I didn't try to fussy cut this bird, but he showed up perfectly on his own! 

There is enough left over to make more ...  Maybe some some place matts or table runners?

 

Previous Posts about this project:

Crumb Cake Quilt as You Go: Planning a New Project for Quilt Camp in October (Feb. 2024)

     * This one includes a link to the video from the Sewing Channel explaining how to make it.  I bought the pattern, too.

 

Missives from Quilt Camp at Lake Lucerne - October 2024

Watermelon Quilt Top is Complete

 

The Watermelon Quilt Top

While I was on vacation this past week for Thanksgiving, I added the final borders to this quilt top.  I always thought of it as a picnic quilt with a watermelon theme, hence the picnic tablecloth check for the borders.

I sewed the center blocks at Quilt Camp in October.  I'd gotten a jelly roll called seedless watermelon for the center blocks.  I added some black to put the seeds back in [Wink!].    The light accent is really a light green to simulate the rind part of the watermelon.

Nic to have it done this far, though I can't say when the rest will be finished ...