Tuesdays are Just For Me

It's not that I ever lack from a shortage of things to show for my sewing time, but I am going to try to use my Tuesday posts to chronicle what I do on my own projects. Nowadays I mostly putter this work in between longarm quilting jobs, when there is not enough time to put another top on the frame, or when I just need a 15 minute break from standing.

This is a 26" center medallion that goes with this quilt, shown there in the link in it's EQ7 design. The design has evolved slightly, but is mostly still as it was in June. The 24 sections of the below medallion are all free pieced (ie., not paper pieced) because they are curves. I was pleasantly surprised how most of them really went together pretty simply. Only after I got about 18 sections together did I have to make a few modifications to get it to lay flatter than a bra. It's not perfectly flat, but it will have 1 or 2 layers of wool batting, so I know it will quilt just fine. These fabrics are a real departure from my usual bright and modern choices. I have chosen them to stretch my abilities and because I really just love the Italian (and other nationalities) inlaid marble floors and have wanted to do a quilt like that for some time.
Here's another of my current workings. It's a 180 degree twist from the mosaic floor. This 15" block was started in Karen Kay Buckley's hand applique class at the Maine Quilt Show. It is all needle turned, per her methods. I am even surprised how much I have not cared about making those tiny little circles! I have been busily designing the rest of this quilt. Fabric for it came today. I am hoping to have it mostly together so I can bring it on my trip to Utah next month - you know, that hand applique is perfect for all the hours in hotels, airports and planes. I have some 3 dimensional flowers that go at the ends of those stems which I will add after it is quilted. There is also a butterfly in the center of Karen's design, but I am on the fense about it so it is not stitched just yet. The batik hand-dyes are absolutely perfect for using with needle-turn applique. I just cannot say enough about the ease of stitching with the tighter weave, non-ravelly fabrics. And the multitude of tones available is almost unlimitted too.

And lastly, thoughts of another quilt on the horizon. "Sea Glass" ...I have had this concept in my head forever, and am finally getting one step closer. I don't have background, which incidentally will be gradations of white to tan, probably batik - practically what I got for the grapes quilt. I also have numerous leftovers from Primavera of the deeper aquas, so I got several fat quarters of the soft pale shades. Yum...