Friday, May 21, 2021

A Simply Easy Friday Finish

 So, evenings I've begun the hand quilting on my Diamond Jubilee quilt, and there are four more flimsies awaiting machine quilting soon.  Needing something easy to work on at quilt ministry a couple weeks ago, I pulled two older donated fabrics from the church stash and cut some long strips.  Easy-peasy piecing on the Singer 201, and the next day I pulled three fabrics from my home stash, made a back, found leftovers from some 100% cotton batting who-knows-how-old, pieced a frankenbatt, fired up the Janome and this is the result.

This is destined for our nursing home ministry, likely for someone who is bedridden since its finished measurement after washing is 49x67 inches, too large for a wheelchair quilt.


Wondering if anyone has a clue as to the age of the printed fabric.  It was 40 inches selvedge to selvedge, no manufacturer identification in the selvedges.  The red solid is also older I think, measuring just 39 inches selvedge to selvedge. And it was a real lint magnet, catching every little bit of wayward batting. Even after washing and drying every red strip required the lint roller.  Hopefully it will behave itself now that it's completed.

I ditch quilted the seams between the strips, did a serpentine stitch within the red strips, then changed to my FMQ foot and followed the lines of tiny green flowers outlining the motifs.  The quilting shows up a little better on the back.


Quick and easy, and hopefully will bring comfort and some nostalgia to its eventual recipient.

We've had a couple days of mid-high 80s and sunshine and it's feeling like summer may be just around the corner.  I began setting out the zinnias started inside a few weeks ago, but had to quit before noon because of the intense heat.  Maybe next week we can get our tomato starts out into the garden.

While photographing the quilt I noticed these just beginning to bloom.
This "bush" is probably 30 feet high now, and its blooms are all above my head.  This variety doesn't have a heavy aroma like many lilacs, but we enjoy their blooms for the short period that we have them.
What is very disheartening this spring is the absence of honeybees in our immediate area.  I have literally seen none in my walks around the yard and hubby has only spotted one or two. We'll need to pay close attention when the tomatoes begin blooming, and may have to hand pollinate them with a little brush.  

The trail cam showed a black bear close to the house the other night, no doubt hoping the suet feeder would have been refilled after he made off with the previous block a week or so before (it wasn't).  It was around 2 a.m., thankfully he didn't arouse the dog with his presence nearby, and left without damaging the rail fence or pulling down the feeder post as he's done in prior years.  A huge porcupine was spotted in the woods beyond the creek a week or so ago when hubby and Gibbs were out on their daily hike. Thankfully Gibbs obeys perfectly when they are on the mountain, so he escaped any quill attack.  

That's about it from our little corner of the world.  Hoping to have my May mini finished by the end of next week.  

Hope the sun is shining where you are!





12 comments:

Julierose said...

All our trail cam has captured lately are squirrels!! S I G H !! My husband is not happy...we have had fox occasionally and many deer of course...
I have just found two French White lilacs online and am waiting to plant them...they were my Grand-mere's favorite...
I am sure someone in that Nursing Home will just love that quilt--it will definitely give comfort--really pretty fabric...nice work
hugs, Julierose

Janet O. said...

Good use of available fabrics. You have made a very attractive quilt that will be appreciated, I'm sure.
That sounds scary to have a bear wandering around you.
I have 16 lilac bushes, some are for their scent and some are for their color--a few are for both. I just picked two large bouquets before the rain came.

Lizzy D said...

Beautiful striped quilt, stripes or bars, I guess. I love the back too.

A bear! That would scare me.

The lilacs are so old fashioned and delightful

love

lizzy

Kyle said...

You made a very sweet quilt that someone will enjoy looking at and feeling the comfort of its warmth. You were very creative using what you had and coming up with a great design. Great job!

Chantal said...

Simple, quickly made but still gorgeous! I love that you changed the size of the strips. It's more interesting this way. Very well played. It's a gorgeous old fabric. I'm sure someone will adopt it. I haven't seen any honey bees, but we don't have lots of flowers opened yet either. ;^)

FlourishingPalms said...

So glad you're able to return to your church quilting group, and dig in! Looks like you unearthed a good one, and made a beautiful finish of it. I admire you for going after it - "just do it" - to get it done and off to someone who will surely appreciate it. Interesting about having a bear in your area. No pictures of it from your cam? Glad you are getting out to plant your garden too. I hope you're able to plant veggies in a protected area, so critters don't get to them.

Angie said...

Great idea for making a comfort quilt - I'm sure someone will love the sentimental feel of it! That older stripe fabric is lovely. I have a soft spot for bears, although I'm not sure I'd be too calm if they were coming in my yard. OTOH, having grown up with alligators as the local wildlife, they don't bother me at all!

Hill Top Post said...

Somehow I missed this Gorgeous quilt. I enjoy so much following along with your work. And, when I grow up, I want to make quilts just like you do. :~)

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

You did such a nice job using those fabrics. The print is really conducive to a strippy quilt (zero idea how old it might be!). Bears and porcupines, oh my!

Quilting Babcia said...

Who says we have to grow up?!

Barbara said...

Love how you made that quilt in no time at all! Wonderful use of fabrics on hand and that print is really interesting. I always like it when you can quilt around a motif in the design. I can't imagine having a bear close by though I would like to get a trail cam to see what animals are out there lurking in the dark :)

Paulette said...

That's a very striking quilt, and I it's sure to bring a smile to someone's face. Very neat print on the front. Your quilting around it worked nicely. Spring here has been fickle. We had upper 70s a few short days ago, but yesterday the furnace was back on and we didn't get out of the 40s. Frost warnings two nights in a row. My lilacs are like yours, really tall now and the blooms, if I even see any before they fade, are way up on towards the top. I wonder if I can prune it back by a third or so in the winter and see if blooms more again?