Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Quilty Quarantining

 Ah, quarantining for 24 days - what to do but quilt!  It seems this enforced seclusion has jump-started my quilting mojo again and for the past few days I've been piecing this top.  A second version of a quilt made for our church camp auction last year which was named April in Paris.  This version I'm calling "Younger than Springtime" in a nod to the Rodgers and Hammerstein song of the same name featured in the musical South Pacific.

Younger than springtime are you
Softer than starlight are you
Warmer than winds of June
Are the gentle lips you gave me
Gayer than laughter are you
Sweeter than music are you
Sunlight and moon beans
Heaven and earth
Are you to give me
And when your youth and joy
Invade my soul
And fill my heart
As now they do, then
Younger than springtime am I
Gayer than laughter am I
Sunlight and moon beans
Heaven and earth
Am I with you


Easy peasy piecing, basically large 4-patch blocks which are then sliced and diced with sashing inserted.
Design is a slightly altered version of a pattern featured in Love of Quilting by Tony Jacobson called All Inked Up.  My version used a slightly smaller block size in order to accommodate the size of some of my favorite fabric scraps, especially this one which was the inspiration for the general mood of this quilt.


A few more close-ups of the springtime inspired fabrics:




A couple other small tops completed at quilt ministry before we went on covid/holiday hiaitus, these are still awaiting sandwiching for simple machine quilting:

Super-scrappy happy blocks quilt for nursing home:

and a simple row baby quilt:

I need to stop photographing tops on that gray carpet on cloudy days, the colors in both of these are much nicer than you see here.  Maybe some outdoor photos when they're finished.  Anyway, these three bring the total of completed tops awaiting machine quilting to four, very soon to be five as another donation quilt top is in the works.  

We weren't lucky enough to see the "Christmas Star" the past two nights as our skies were overcast.  The forecast calls for heavy rain tomorrow followed by a lake effect snowstorm on Christmas Day.  Sounds like perfect weather for a crockpot turkey breast with all the trimmings.  

til next time, happy quilting!



10 comments:

Debbie said...

Well I think you really nailed the Springtime quilt! I love all the fabric inspirations. That red does add the zing to bring it together. It leaves nice spaces for some open quilting too.
Sounds like you are getting socked in for Christmas, so the quarantine should pass quickly.

Lizzy D said...

All so pretty and your dinner plan sounds delicious. Hope the snow is pretty not devastating and that you both stay well.

love

lizzy

Lizzy D said...

PS I esp love the baby quilt, I d love to see a close up of rows and subtle colors.

Janet O. said...

The quilt design really showcases the pretty fabrics.
Your ministry does good things for the quilters and the recipients. I hope you can get back together soon!

Hill Top Post said...

I love the song and I love the quilt. How could one not? This post just makes me feel so happy. What an inspiration you are! But, I am sorry that you are in quarantine, but it seems you are making the best of it. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Quilting Babcia said...

Might as well make the best of our situation, not that we can do anything about it! Faith over Fear! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

QuiltGranma said...

You quilt, girl! Sew many quilts! Good for you! Pretty and wonderful as well.

Needled Mom said...

Those fabrics do say “spring”. Love the inspiration piece. It’s great that you are putting quarantine to such good use. Merry Christmas.

FlourishingPalms said...

You've sure been keeping busy, and it sounds like your free motion quilting skills are going to be sharpened by all the tops that want your attention. If you have to be at home, I can't think of anything better to do! We could barely see the Christmas star here either, as it was just a faint glimmer and then nothing... clouds. We've had COLD in Central Florida, with last night (Christmas night) being 30 degrees. Hoping it reaches 50s today, as we haven't turned on the furnace. We're really bundling up! Hope your Christmas was lovely.

Ruth said...

I agree with Janet! The fabrics are lovely and that is a good way to show them off. What would we have done this year without quilting to keep us sane? Let's hope for a better year in 2021! Happy New Year!