Capturing the red

I thought I'd try showing the cool red I used in my Sourdough quilt top. I had a fat quarter of it at first, but when I started using it in some of the blocks, I decided I had better get more, it looked so good.

It's a Basic Grey from Moda, and it complements the Kaffe and batik fabrics so well, but is difficult to capture the subtleties. There is a hint of purple-blue, greeny-grey, tan and black.

And just for fun, a favorite green/multi batik I found. It also makes the Kaffes look great.

Sourdough peek

I have the center section sewn and now need to get to work on the sides before Mr. Buddy decides to rearrange my blocks.
I know this looks like a giant quilt, but the top part is for tucking over the pillows and the sides are the drop over the queen sized bed (the quilt will be approximately 88 inches wide by 104 inches long, including the 4-inch red inner borders.)

16-Patch progress and Fuchsia adventures

Buddy approves! He immediately claimed the partly sewn quilt top.

I put it on the bed to see if I had the size right before adding the inner border (red). Nope, I need one more row. After the inner border is added, I will add two more rows of 16-patches all the way around (the top may get three or four rows to allow for pillow tucking).

See how nice my over-wintered fuchsia has turned out? The variety is "Spider Red". I have both pots in almost total shade, so it hasn't hurt from the heat. But when I took the photos I spied nasty Japanese beetles all over one of my plants, so I had to do something drastic.

I put a little cooking oil in a container and knocked those beetles in. They don't survive long in the oil. I collected at least 40 of them over the afternoon. I may not win the war on beetles, but at least there are fewer chewing on my plants!

Playing with color

Just a sampling of blocks up on my small design wall.

Well, I knew I was the Queen of Overcutting, but really! In the beginning (last summer), I figured I needed to cut enough 2.5 strips to make 130 to 150 16-patch blocks for a queen-sized quilt (depending on borders), but I cut and cut and cut, and I still have unused strips left.

The blocks are done now; guess how many I made (using the clues above). Nope, not 150. Nope, not 175. How about 186! I think I have enough spares for another quilt...

The working title is Sourdough; I started with 6 or 7 key fabrics and kept adding to them as I found fabrics in my stash that went with the rest. It continues to be a sourdough, with a starter for another.

My daylillies seem to be enjoying all the 90-plus degree days!

Sixteen patch(es)

Lest you think I am all about hand work, I assure you I am not. Machine piecing is my forte. My latest machine stitching project (another long-term one, I'm afraid) is sixteen patches. The working title is Sourdough. Why? Because I bought 8 to 10 fat quarters at a quilt trunk show and once I got them home, I realized they all worked together. Then I added Kaffes, batiks, Australian pieces and others, and the project exploded, just like a sourdough starter out of control! Everything was cut into 2.5-inch strips, sewn together two at a time, cross cut 2.5 inches, turned into four patches, then blocks, four-patch by four-patch.  I have well over 100 blocks done, with 30 or so more to complete.

It's either going to be really, really great quilt top, or a hot mess. Can't wait to see.