Baby Emma Block and More

I have been working on long term quilt projects and needed a break from them.  The colors of fall are among my favorite so a fall color wall hanging is what I decided to work on.  I am using Jo Morton's "Baby Emma" pattern.  She designed a large applique quilt named "Emma" and has used the applique design in making a wall hanging size piece.  This is the center block for the quil and will be trimmed to 16" square.  Needle turn applique method.  I still need to cut out the surrounding pieced border parts.

I have another block done for the "Beyond the Cherry Trees" quilt I am working on.  It is very similar to a previous block.  On this one, the center section is blank and is to have a quilting design in that section.

I am heading back to the sewing room.

Shenandoah Botanical Update for September

I am late posting a picture of this month's block even though it has been done for at least two months.  I have a flare up in one of my feet and limping badly.  I have not even been sitting in a chair and stitching as I can't find a comfortable position for my leg and foot.  So walking from one end of the house to get the camera and back to the other for a picture and then back to the other end to the computer has been something I did not want to do.  My foot is a bit better today so I hope I am on the upswing.

This month's block is "Seratofolia".  I have never seen a flower like this so know nothing about them.  I do like the shape and was an easy applique block to do.

I am going to try sitting in my chair and stitching today.
Karen

Beyond the Cherry Tree Blocks 12 and 13

Blocks number 12 and 13 for my "Beyond the Cherry Tree" quilt.  I was going to wait until I had number 14 done so I did not end on unlucky number 13.....but I am not suspicious that way.

Block number 14 will be such a similar design to this wreath.  Shapes are very similar but none of the center parts.  I have added yellow to it though, so it will look somewhat different.

Love the orange in the block below.  It is from a Laurene Sinema fabric that I found on Etsy recently.

I am enjoying stitching the blocks and trying to keep myself on track and not off on too many other blocks for other quilt patterns.

Karen

Wonky World Antique Quilt and A Book Review

A good while back, I discovered Wonky World blog which belongs to Bill Volckening.  He is an antique quilt collector,  I like one of his quilts very much.  You can see the quilt here and read the various posts where he presents each block of the quilt.  He has been asked if he would ever publish a pattern of the quilt and it is not something he plans to do.  But he did say on one of the blog posts that a quilter could re-create part or all of the quilt for study purposes.  I have taken my favorite block from the quilt and made a wall hanging size piece (not yet quilted).  I selected fabrics from my stash in the same colors used in the antique quilt.

I struggled with the zig-zag border.  I had in mind to do the zig-zags in a log cabin style and even drew it on paper.  I thought it looked okay but when I actually sewed the borders and put them on the design wall with the center block, it looked awkward.  I tried plain cornerstones and it looked blah.  I thought of applique on the corners but in the end, I went with a four patch.  I cut off part of the longer zig-zag sections so I could use the cornerstone four patches but then one of the zig-zag sections did not fit quite right.  So in Gwennie style, I just left it as it turned out.  I am not sure how I will quilt it.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was asked to read and review a novel by Frances O'Roark Dowell called "Birds In the Air".  The author has written children's books in the past and this is her first adult novel and it has a quilt theme.

The story is about a woman who moves to a small mountain town (along with her family) in North Carolina.  They moved into an older home that Emma had fallen in love with.  The house had an intriguing attic which had trunks left by a previous owner.  She discovers an antique quilt in the first trunk she opens.  After a phone call to her sister, her sister convinces her to take the quilt to a quilt shop in the town to learn its value.  The shop owner soon has Emma learning to make a quilt, joining a local quilt guild, and the story progresses from there.  Emma is a bit shy but is trying to fit in.  She is asked to help collect antique quilts from the community for a centennial celebration.  During the course of the story, she is accused of stealing the quilt that she found in the attic.  I will not go into detail about that part of the story so that you can read the book and enjoy the story's progression.  She meets a neighbor's daughter who has a bad reputation and that woman convinces Emma to teach her to make a quilt.  Not everyone in the town likes Emma's decision to befriend the woman.

The story is interesting and has a moral to it.  I found it light reading.  Not so believable that such a small town would have a quilt shop  when you have to drive to another town to find a pizza shop.  Also, brand names were mentioned and that reminded me of the race car drivers when they win a race and try to get their sponsor's products in view and mentioned.  All in all, the book kept my interest.  If you enjoy reading the fiction books that revolve around quilting, you might want to give it a go.

Karen