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Monday, October 16, 2023

Orphan Annie is a Finish and Other Things in the Lineup

 Orphan Annie is a completed quilt top now! So nice to get another one finished up. Still hopeful there will time for another two or three to get knocked off the list before the end of the year.

Orphan Annie all crumpled and cozy looking!
The next picture made the quilt look a little bit washed out. The actual color is more intense like the previous picture. I really love this whimsical quilt with all its imperfections. Somehow this one ended up being so very blue. For some reason I thought it would feel like a green quilt, but nope. Its one hundred percent got the blues!

Loving the mixed print background in 
the blocks
The tulips were cut-outs from behind another quilt {AHIQ Hourglass Tulip}. I just couldn't throw them away. Really interesting to see the flatter looking tulip, all cut out of only two fabrics, made up into something that really shows them off. I just have to smile at making an entire quilt out of a less than wonderful looking tulip shape. Because why not? Don't they deserve a moment to shine too?
Somehow very blendy looking
And then there's the improv. quarter triangle border. It was kind of hard to cut the triangles off at the ends and just let them be. Made for very odd looking corners for sure! Wouldn't change it for anything though as it distinctively comes across as a 'make-do' sort of look and vibe. My all time fave look these days plus it goes very well with the unpretentious look to the tulips.

The whimsical corners!
Next up in the hoop is my 'Positive Thinking' quilt. It's an AHIQ challenge from 2020 involving using old clothes and of course positive thinking. One of my favorite quotes although I'm quite sure the 'willingly' part would not always apply to me in every context of my life!

Next up in the hoop!
I've been dreading doing the hand quilting on this one 'cuz, how to properly stitch the middle of the quilt? But as always, it's merely a case of getting it into the hoop and simply getting started. I tend to make things bigger in my head than reality warrants.

So odd to have flowers without leaves....
I also managed to get Tatterdemalion to a finished quilt top stage.*sigh  All that needed doing was to to sew the last little bits of applique to the middle border.

It's a completed quilt top!
This was one of the faster quilt tops that I have made in years, all of it sewn together in about six weeks or so. I am loving the unusual color palette and the overall moodiness!

The oddities of Tatterdemalion!
Definitely a quilt that is not ever going to take itself seriously. I suppose that's the beauty of starting with orphan blocks, parts and pieces! Absolutely not anything that I would ever have 'designed' if I was sitting down to draw out the details of a brand new quilt project! 

Good use of the orphan bits
Really happy to have found a good place for some of those brownish violet and purple fat quarters that have been piling up in the stash totes too. I can only wish there was enough left to sew the backing together! There's something deeply cozy about a dark backing on a utility quilt like this one.

Can't wait to see this one quilted
QAL details: I've been thinking non-stop about the QAL idea that was thrown out there in the last post. Like I said, the odds were good that I would proceed regardless of interest, but some of the comments definitely got me to thinking about how to move forward. {Thanks for the lovely amount of interest! I am honestly blown away!} How to make it interesting for both beginners and more experienced quilters? Gathering my thoughts and trying to collate them into a semblance of order here. I recognize my hodgepodge way of throwing a quilt together might not make sense to just everybody!
Potential fabric stacks for the QAL
Also, now I'm a little antsy because what if the entire idea bombs and you all end up with hideous quilts? Ughh.  Anyway....  That's the completely compelling thing about making an improv. style quilt right? It's like rooting for the underdog. The outcome could be amazing, but there are no guarantees! All we know is that if the outcome turns out to be wonderful, we'll be even more excited than if we were betting on the sure thing. Or something like that....

So. If you think you might want to do this with me, go ahead and get digging through the stash fabric lurking in the corners of the quilt room. I've come up with these three perfectly normal looking stacks of similar looking fabrics--{you'll want stacks similar to each other, not necessarily to my fabric stacks!} Take a look, nothing stupendous and exciting! Not much in the way of larger yardage either, just a lot of whole and partial fat quarters and the occasional third of a yard.

Don't worry about what you might or might not be lacking till something becomes a real problem moving forward. We'll dig again later if needed! Also, don't worry about coming up with three fabric stacks if you really can't wrap your head around more than one quilt at a time. Or if you want to make three different color palettes instead of the one? Go for it! {I get that not everybody can stomach making three back to back quilts in the same color palette.} The main thing is to try and get a little bit of value change, plenty of various, mixed fabric prints and yeah, yeah, the old adage, lights, darks, mediums, and brights. I really don't recommend stacks of truly hideous fabrics or stuff that makes you feel nauseous. Will try to finish organizing my thoughts and have the start of the QAL ready by the end of the month!

Am still catching up to answering comments, but if you don't have a reply back by the end of this week, then you must be a no-reply commenter. Even if your name is on the comment, if you haven't received a reply from me, then I have zero access to your email address! Loraine Everard, you leave wonderful comments but I can't reach out to you! And there are several more. Apologies for how picky and proprietary Blogger is these days.

21 comments:

  1. Blogger has been bad about letting people comment but I've finally got my access working again - I love Orphan Annie - your border idea worked out great for it. I have a lot of fabric that is no longer favorites and I plan on using one day -

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  2. Long time reader, first time commenting. Truly appreciate the in-depth explanations you write in your posts. Looking forward to a quiltalong. I suspect I have more than 3 piles of similar looking fabrics to use in a series.

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  3. Love your blue Orphan Annie quilt, The contrast of the pink tulips with the narrow stripes is great. Looking forward to the QAL, not so much the applique but I'm sure I'll work with it!

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  4. Love ,love, love your finish I named Champagne Tulips as they are shaped like the glasses. Your QAL is interesting and I wonder if I can fit it in with all the rest here. I have been itching to get back to that freeform style. Are there more details you can share to what is involved
    ?

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  5. Your Orphan Annie quilt is lovely, lovely, lovely!

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  6. I love your work and look forward to the QAL as a peek into how your brain works! Thank you.

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  7. Hi, Audrey! I am so easily amused, I nearly laughed myself silly, (or sillier!) when I saw my name on your blog! I think I have fixed the no reply thing now, thanks to Lori of Humble Quilts, who has a handy little guide on her blog. Here's hoping.xx

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  8. You make quilting so much more than collecting fabric and assembling a large piece of covering. You've helped me to make my quilting more meaningful, an expression of who I am, and what I'm trying to say. I find the actual hand quilting so cathartic but the planning and designing fulfill a need too. I'm interested to see how you decide to quilt the next one in the hoop. And, I look forward to your SAL.

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  9. There's a special place in my heart for your Proverbs 31 quilt, looking forward to seeing you work your quilting magic with this one.

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  10. This is absolutely gorgeous. I just love the warm colours.

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  11. It feels good to be blog reading this morning especially when I come to yours! I love that Orphan Annie quilt! Delicious. I think a sewalong sounds wonderful. I just finished one so maybe, just maybe I can find the time for another one. I am currently appliquing a circle each morning which are actually the cutout backs from the Quilty 365 we did oh so long ago! I'll keep watching in hopes that I can jump in!

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  12. Orphan Annie is looking beautiful. Tatterdemalion is also one I lov e and can't wait to see your hand quilting here. Next week I shall trey and pull fabrics for the QAL, thank you for showing us your choices here and advising the way forward for fabric pulls.

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  13. Understandable that you'd be nervous about this "bombing", but I think its a chance for us to try something new and to try to make things work improvisationally as you do. Does that make sense? We'd probably have the freedom to make little adjustments along the way that fit with our color choices, tastes, etc.? That way its on us, too, to make it work is the way I see it

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  14. Apparently we have to register with Blogger somehow for you to be connected with our email, which I'm attempting to do. Otherwise:
    skcur@earthlink.net

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  15. Hi Audrey! I was given a tip to enable me to comment on your blog and it seems to be working! Have a wonderful day!

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  16. Omg. I’m so excited to hear there will be a QAL.

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    Replies
    1. Sharon from Pflugerville, Texas.

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  17. I want to join the QAL...how do I do that? I'm also trying to comment with my name but have not been able to figure out how to do that. Chel Smith from San Angelo, TX

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  18. I want to join the QAL. I have never done one like this before so I am super excited!! I can't figure out how to post under my name so I am Chel Smith from Texas!

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  19. This is my third time trying to comment...I am really excited about the QAL! I have never done anything like this! Chel from Texas

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Thanks for visiting! I love getting comments and always try to respond via email. Please leave an email in the comment to ensure a return reply! {Many of you are popping up as Anonymous for some reason, so I have no idea who it is.} Regardless, I appreciate all the comments and read every single one.