Another Finish

Good Morning!  Hopefully, I won't become a cranky blogger by the end of this post!?!  The new "format" for creating a post is making me a bit crazy.  When will young computer nerds get that old folks who are trying to be part of the "modern" culture just have so much brain energy in a given day and once we learn how to use something, changing it all around makes it exhausting for us to adapt!!

Venting done . . . . I think?

So this week, I've finished the second of three big bed quilts for my triplet grands!

I've chosen similar color schemes for the girls' quilts assuming that for at least a while they will share a bedroom.  This one began as teaching demos for my Set-In Piecing Simplified workshops using Marti Michell's Kite and Crown template sets to piece these "rose star" blocks.

It began as a fat quarter stack for a collection (name forgotten) which I rounded out with fabrics from my stash.

I started quilting it mid-May working in sections so it would be easier to manipulate under the machine as I wanted to quilt each block individually.  This picture was taken after the two main sections were done and I was preparing to join them together.

The backing and batting are wider than these sections, extending out far enough on each side to add the borders.  This post (CLICK HERE) gives close-ups of some of the quilting.

The following three pictures show how the block quilting evolved.  I stitched "in the ditch" through all the stars which outlined the six main points and the large central hexagons before adding the flower in the center hexagon.

As I looked at the blocks, I decided I wanted more quilting and so did a double line - first in the ditch and then 1/4" outside to lift up the overall shape of the rose motif.

Finally, I added a line 1/4" inside the central hexagon -- this is the finished rose!

After joining the two sections together and quilting that center area of the quilt, I was ready to add the long side borders.  They are stitched through all the layers and then flipped out over the batting and backing.  Because I use a flat cotton batting, I don't have as much shrinkage in the center of the quilt so adding the borders this way works out fine.  It would not work so well with thick or puffy batting because of the shrinkage during the quilting process.

(Read THIS POST to see more details on the process of joining quilted sections.)

Once the two borders were laid in place, I measured the distance between the edges all the way down the length of the quilt adjusting as needed to be sure the two borders were parallel to each other.

This is a trick I learned from Mary Ellen Hopkins that is very effective.

In spite of the fact that I assembled this quilt during the quilting process it is square!!

Yesterday, I arrived at that triumphant part of making a quilt -- the binding!

It's strips of assorted yellows to match the inner border.

More stash busting!!

This quick picture was taken last evening before the rain arrived!

The backing features a big hunk of the print I colored for Kings Road back in the 1990's and is the only fabric that the two girls' quilts have in common.

I'm continuing to educate myself this week about white privilege and racism.  I started working through Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad -- it's an eye-opener and that gal can ask some tough questions!!  She might send me back to my desk to contemplate deeper answers to her questions but I'm grateful for the viewpoint she is providing.  

While "procrastinating" answering one of the questions the other day, I started wandering around and found my way to Ms. Saad's Good Ancestor podcasts -- check it out HERE.

This series of podcasts done over the past couple years are conversations with a variety of trend setters discussing "being a good ancestor".  While listening to a couple and I realize, I've never had a conversation with anyone of color about anything other than "how to quilt" (picture - me doing all the talking).  So my current "action" is to listen to more of these podcasts to expand my view and understanding so the next time I have an opportunity to have a conversation, it will be a conversation between equals with me listening as well as talking!

I'm getting the hang of the new blogger tools (argh) so let's finish up with some grand kids pics!!

This is the loud one with his auntie.

This is the silly one with her dad.

And this is the serious one with her grandma -- she'll hate this one at her graduation party!?!

I'll close for this week by encouraging you to stay busy 

-- walking, gardening, stitching, reading, listening, cooking, what ever lifts you up -- 

and resist the urge to go back out into the world too soon.

  I want all of us to stay healthy so we can use up our stash!!

Mary