The Fourth Season

A while back, I joined a quilt swap called "The Four Seasons Quilt Swap". I joined after the fall version started but was able to participate in Winter, Spring and Summer.

When I hung the 3 seasons on the wall, it was glaringly clear that I needed a Fall quilt. It was too late for someone else to make one for me, so I made my own.

The pattern is from Quilter's Dozen Plus by Janet Selek and it is the month of October. It fits right in with the other seasons. I'm so happy to have this done and on the wall. It would be even better if it were one of my five applique UFO's on my list, but it isn't. O well. Done is done.

4SQS5-Mono

Here is the reveal of my contribution to the Four Season Quilt Swap Monochromatic swap. My swap partner lives in another country so this has already been mailed. I do not know if she stalks my blog so no names will be mentioned.

This quilt is 20x20" and turned out so nice I am making one for myself, albeit in red and green. Sidebar: I have always wanted both a feathered star and a red/green quilt.

There are 4 different blue fabrics playing together and the light blue is also used as the backing. All fabrics are from stash.

Quilting was done on a domestic sewing machine using either a light blue variegated rayon thread or a dark blue variegated rayon thread. The star was ditch quilted and then free motion was added. The center quilted medallion is reproduced in the four corners of the quilt. In the north, south, east, west large triangles I used a quilting pattern called Nordic Cross. The border was filled with a series of straight lines or undulating lines.

Hopefully, my partner will like it.

I have created a monster

I am still here and knitting away. I have finished one pair of tube socks and am almost finished with the house socks/slippers that will be felted to fit. Then it is on to the last pair of tube socks.

The title of this post? It refers to the fact that now SOMEONE ELSE wants a Rasta hat: the absolutely cute, darling brother-in-law of the boy who is getting the socks. He is in a band and is growing dreadlocks and wants me to make a hat for him. You can see the Rasta hat I have already made using yarn from the stash for my employer's son. His dreads are almost to his waist and really fill the hat. This new hat will have to be a bit smaller since the BIL is a new dread grower.

Update on the 4SQS5: I am now in the process of quilting it. This little quiltlet will be hard to set free. Now I know I say that for all the little ones, but it is more true for this one.

Princess Feather

When I was at the local museum partaking of the Gee's Bend exhibit I spied this beauty in one of the display cases in a different exhibit. This is a two color Princess Feather quilt. It was given by A.D. Hagemen to his wife as a wedding gift c.1871. The quilting is exquisite and is 1/2" apart. Look at how the unknown quilter quilted a feather design in and around the feathers. Another thing was the extensive quilting inside the applique pieces. Wish I could do hand quilting like this. I know I can't, because I just put the last stitch in a small quilt last evening. My stitches are not tiny and, lately, they are not even consistent. *sigh*.

I've been plodding along on the first pair of bartered tube socks. Can we say boring? It is not the yarn but the design: a tube stock done with stockinette stitch. *yawn!* I've been trying to hurry on these by doing 2 at a time but it still seems interminable.






It is probably going to be a bit quiet around La Casa del Quilter as I am only working on tube socks *yawn* and the 4SQS5 that I can't show you. Speaking of which, it has turned out so well that I am going to make myself one in red, white and green; you know, the colors found in a Baltimore Album quilt. I've always wanted a quilt in those colors and this pattern will work wonderfully.