Dancing Star

Dancing Star is finally finished . . .

You can see read more about this more-Gee's Bend-than-Amish quilt 

and the journey to completion here

on my blog.

Thanks for the challenge, Tonya!

Quiltdivajulie

Quick update

You can see a process-update on Dancing Star here.

Quiltdivajulie

And So It Begins

My inspiration quilt(s) for LAGT2 are

from The Quilts of Gee's Bend (pages 40 and 41).

A while back, I shared a post on my blog

about a future quilt named Dancing Star.

Along the way, those fabrics ended up

back in a box on the shelf . . .

They are perfect for this challenge!

"from this point on, no rotary cutters" - check

"Go for a Gee's Bend meets

Amish Improvisational Lollapalooza" - double check

"Use leftover strips and pieces

but work from here on out

only using scissors or tearing "- check 

And so it begins!

Quiltdivajulie

Fan-tastic Finish

Waste Not Want Not is finished!


Woo Hoo!

You can see more photos of the quilt (including the label on the back) here.  Chris even used purple thread for the gorgeous Baptist Fan quilting.

Thanks, Tonya ~ this challenge has been a LOT of fun!

Quiltdivajulie

A Makeover Revealed

I couldn't stand it ~ even though I had sent Waste Not Want Not off for quilting, I e-mailed Chris and asked her to send it back. Those fused letters just had to go!

Here is the now fully-liberated flimsy ~ MUCH better!

Quiltdivajulie

No Words Needed ~ Finished!!

The unlettered side.

The lettered side.

It doesn't work to assign front/back to this quilt ~ it works either way!

MAJOR kudos to my longarm quilting friend, Chris, for her custom quilting work ~ all I can say is WOW!!!!

You can see lots more photos of this quilt, including several showing details of the quilting, here in a Picasa web album (if you haven't tried their slideshow feature, it's worth checking out!). [outdoor photos taken at The Dixon gardens]

So how did the quilts showcased in Amish Abstraction inspire NWN?

The front came from the Roman Stripe c. 1930 of Plate 34 mixed with an altered setting of the Log Cabin Barn Raising c. 1925 of Plate 61. The borders of NWN echo the layout of those in Plate 61, with corner blocks added (of necessity as there wasn't enough of the border fabric).

The liberated-lettered medallion-based scrappy back incorporated ideas from Plate 51 Back of Ocean Waves and bits and everywhere else ~ like making do with what I had in my stash and using the leftover strip set ends from the front to create pieceable squares.

In the end, it just all came together . . . and I love the results.

Thanks Tonya for organizing this get-together!!!!!

Quiltdivajulie

It's a Flimsy!

Waste Not Want Not is now a flimsy!! (48" x 68")

I wish the photo did a better job of showing the deep, wonderful purple of the 6" outer border ~ maybe once I take it outside in the sunshine the true colors will photograph. Unlike my first LAGT project (No Words Needed), this one has words on the front. (photo will enlarge)

Okay, I confess, I did use fusible and machine applique instead of free-piecing (I've been home with a horrible cold/ear infection & my brain just couldn't handle free-pieced letters).

I'm pretty sure Waste Not Want Not will end up with Baptist Fan quilting (I'd love to do freehand fans, but my wrist/thumb will not tolerate that kind of handwork) and the binding will be red. Woo Hoo!

There is another liberated log cabin quilt in the works, but it will not be done by June. Once No Words Needed and Waste Not Want Not come back quilted from Chris and I get the bindings done, I'll share "finished" photos.

Wouldn't it be awesome to have all the amazing quilts from this challenge in one place ~ that would be visually incredible! There are so many amazing quilters participating in this challenge . . .

Quiltdivajulie

The Back Is Done!

The back is done! The center medallion (name panel) measures approximately 30" x 40" ~ and, because I had nothing on hand with enough continuous yardage, I created a pieced back fabrics that appear in the front of the quilt. [both photos will enlarge when double-clicked]

I admit to being heavily influenced by our years spent living in Indiana Amish country ~ my quilt is much more Midwestern than Lancaster-ish (summertime meant blue skies, golden sunshine, and colorful flowers).

Of course, the top is still on the design wall, not at all stitched together. But, the binding strips are cut and the back is done! Woo Hoo!!!!

To see how I used the other leftovers, please visit my blog to check out Waste Not, Want Not.

In the Meantime . . .

Here's a "work in progress" photo for what will become the name panel on the back of my first LAGT quilt.

And before this first flimsy has been assembled, LAGT Quilt No. 2 has announced itself! It wants to be created with greens and creams ~ inspired by the strong contrasts and on-point layouts showcased in

075: Rocky Road to California (Mifflin County, PA initialed "LAY"c.1930 72"x74")

043: Roman stripes (Holmes County, OH c.1930 86"x63")

and Gwen’s String Quilt Set on Point (page 21, Liberated String Quilts).

There WILL be a word on the front ~ in fact, the word may come about before the blocks!

I have not abandoned my bucket list liberated wedding ring quilt ~ that plan is still actively gestating & the stack of sketches continues to grow ~ I’m hoping the mantra “good things come to those who wait” will apply!

Now, if I could just find the time to sit down and stitch . . .

Quiltdivajulie

Your Thoughts?

The 6-1/2" blocks are all on the design wall now ~ 6 x 8 so this will finish at 36" x 48".

What do you see for borders? Or does it need borders? It's a bit small for a lap quilt and a bit large for the wall so it could go either way.

Words? I know I'll put my name and year on the back, but I can't decide about words for the front. Part of me has named this No Words Needed ~ the other part of me keeps nagging that we're supposed to include words.

But what to say?

I'm open to suggestions!!!

Quiltdivajulie

Quick Update

It was a work week filled with overtime . . . but I have finally gotten this many blocks up on the design wall.

Still not sure where this will end up ~ but I really like what is happening so far!

Quiltdivajulie

The Hardest Part is Starting

Not sure where this is going ~ but it felt good to begin!

Quiltdivajulie

Adding to the Conversation

For those who may never have lived in "Amish Country" . . .

I found these pages whilst surfing online today.

Amish Youth

Amish Women

Amish Men

Amish Quilt Auction

Not only are the photos worth a lingering look, they provide marvelous context for our works-in-progress. [and there are lots more links on the same site that offer even more glimpses of Amish life]

Enjoy!

Quiltdivajulie

Oh, Joy! Oh, Rapture!

My book arrived this morning !!!

I took a sneak peak during my lunch hour . . . and I can already tell that I will NOT be doing a Roman Stripe as my first project. There are three pages with post-it notes and my mind is in overdrive (while I sit and type letters for my attorneys) ~ can 5:00 come too soon?!?!?!?

I CANNOT WAIT to go home and start playing with my fabrics (they've been stacked and waiting for ever so long) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Count Me In !

Quiltdivajulie here . . . I have fabrics (not quite solids) and my copy of the book is on order.

Why do I want to participate? We lived in northern Indiana Amish country from 1976-1989. We visited Shipshewana many times (Yoder's, the bakeries, the shops, the flea market ~ so much to explore), ate many dinners at Das Essenhaus, took visitors to Amish Acres, and always enjoyed the delicious baked goods. As we drove through the communities, quilts airing outdoors were a common and wonderful sight.

Sadly, I was not yet a quilter ~ only an admirer of their legacy of beautiful work. Now that I am a quilter, I will take those memories, mix them with the inspiration from this get-together, and see what happens.

I've been browsing the collection online and there are three styles that particularly appeal to me.

Roman Stripes ~ 27, 35, 43, 60, and 101

Chinese Coins ~ 68

36 Patch With Stripes ~ 104

And then there is the liberated wedding ring quilt ~ surely at the top of my 'bucket list' quilts to make.

Time will tell . . .

Quiltdivajulie

photo credit - Google Images