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Wednesday, February 14, 2024

A Couple Good Finishes To Start the Year Out Right

So I actually finished two quilts in past couple weeks. Crazy days. The first one 'Positive Thinking', just needed the binding sewn on. It's been in that state for a couple months now and finally all the planets lined up or something. 

Bright flowers for the win!
This was an AHIQ challenge from 2020. I took the prompt and ran with it, using part of a biblical verse as inspiration. It had been pinned to my inspiration board forever, just waiting for the right moment to be included in a quilt.

Positive Thinking is a true blue finish!
With this particular challenge, we were encouraged to use some of our own clothing. It's something that I've been having fun with for quite awhile now, slipping a piece of my husbands or sons shirts into most every quilt. In this case, I used a couple of my shirts too. Some old favorites that had started to get a little worn around the collar or maybe too small.

Always a pleasure to look across a freshly
finished quilt
While I don't love sewing letters and words together, I absolutely adore the look in my quilts. A necessary evil I guess you would call them. It's well worth the time and effort to do any and all of the things that make a quilt sing for you!

Still wondering why these flowers didn't
need or seem to want leaves on the stems
I wanted a strong, lively border for this quilt and pondered quite a few different variations of appliqued vines and flowers etc. Then I contemplated a pieced border or two. Eventually, I stumbled upon an idea that was well past its time--a clamshell border. Hmm... I love the look so very much but have been pretty much terrified of the idea. Why? I'm not really sure. I've been pinning clamshell quilts on Pinterest for years. Drooling over most every one. 

A very cozy look
And this quilt jumped up and down for the idea and then wouldn't really allow anything else. Okay. Fine! Thankfully I found a tutorial or two that helped me get started. Once again, it wasn't nearly as difficult as my imaginations made it out to be. I didn't get it perfect or even close to perfect, but it works. It does the job. And I love what it does for the quilt.

The words here are so good
This has become one of my very favorite quilts that I've ever completed to date. Just so much to love about it! The hand quilting ended up being straight lines and a basic shadow quilting in the border. Nothing fancy. Nothing pretentious. Just a cozy, lovely handmade vibe throughout. Lots of old, languishing fabrics included in this quilt too! Weird colored blue fabrics that I was unsure if they could ever find a proper home. Isn't it so much fun to find the perfect pairing of inspiration, fabric and heart in one of our makes?

And another finish for 2024
The 'Improv. HST Medallion' quilt is the second quilt to be completed this winter. I have been slowly, slowly plugging along on the hand quilting for the past couple months. The center area of the quilt was a bit intimidating, so I went ahead and did a free hand {repeat} circle pattern. It's a little wobbly in a couple areas, but I think you have to be fairly critical to be bothered by that. I'm definitely not.

It's got the good vibes too
This quilt was started from {an almost expired} stack of marinating fabrics and a rebellious sort of inspiration. Do you ever get the urge to make a looser, wilder version of something you've already made?
Can't imagi8ne this one without the applique
I love when inspiration hits so sure and true for a certain stack of fabric. I mean, seriously, where else could these purple and cheddar fabrics have played so wonderfully well together? Without looking stodgy and staid like the unmarried aunties? This quilt is a perfect example of why I'm often so very reluctant to send oldish, simmering fabric stacks right back to the totes. What if they just haven't reached their prime together yet? What if there is something bright and shiny just waiting to burst into being and we're simply waiting on the key?

The little bit of pink makes it all better
I'm often blown away by the influence of working on older quilts and then starting the new ones. The fact that my skills, mojo, confidence, stubbornness, secret quilt longings and timing seemingly all come together to spark some of the best quilt ideas! It's not coincidence at all.

Winter light makes it look more blue
This quilt is also a recipient of my late crush on working with tulip motifs. Does it ever get old to hand stitch sweet little tulips to a quilt? I have to practically force myself to use alternate flower shapes, but then, unerringly, I come back to the tried and true, beautiful little tulip shape.
So glad for the outside border. This quilt 
definitely needed the last little bit of darker color
Because, why not? And looky, looky what they did for this bold, graphic look quilt? Almost instantaneously turned it into a 'me' quilt. Isn't that cool? Gotta love when our quilting voice comes through load and clear no matter the colors in the quilt. I may lean hard to the more mellow colors in most of my makes, but even the craziest color palettes can end up with this cozy, comfy, cuddle-up-with-me vibe that makes this quilty heart melt....



12 comments:

  1. I love that clam shell border on the first

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  2. Two beautiful finishes, Audrey;))) I especially like the HST Medallion one...it caught my eye when you first posted about it--and yes, those little tulip shapes just really set it off so well...Lovely works :))) hugs, Julierose

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  3. I love words on quilts! And knowing your quilting voice is such a good thing.

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  4. Lovely finishes and each one has received your unique touch of creativity. Nice work!

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  5. Beautiful finishes, love the colors. My fave is the improv HSTs, I rem when you started it and not ''getting'' how you made the cool random HSTs. All very inspiring.

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  6. Love your HST purple & cheddar quilt, so striking. Yes, unusual combo but it works so well. And those little tulips contrast beautifully/softly with the geometric look of the HSTs. I'm guessing you used an assortment for the cheddar colours?

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  7. Positive Thinking may just top the list of my favorites that you have created - a beautiful finish, the colors, the clamshells, and the vases just put it over the top. The bright little purple tulips parading around the improv HSTs make everything sparkle. Two great finishes!

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  8. I am so glad you have actually had some time to quilt! I think they are both wonderful. It is good to see you have another one in the hoop too.

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  9. So pleased you've been able to spend a little time with your quilting Audrey, both beautiful quilt, I love the richness of the purple colour in your second photo.

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  10. Quiltdivajulie - Positive Thinking has been one of my favorites ever since you started it. And those HSTs are beyond excellent. Congrats on two finishes!!!!!

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  11. Wonderful finishes Audrey. I brake for free pieced letters, words on quilts and HST! You can never go wrong there in my opinion. Thank you always for providing inspiration and the process behind it. Always a treat. Hoping your husband is still on the mend and road to good health.
    Rondi rondiquilts@yahoo.com

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