The corduroy challenge

Remember this piece of wide waled corduroy I got at the last Rebels meeting?

Well, I have been looking at it for over a week now, wondering what I would do with it.  During the week, I pulled random fabrics to set around it looking for something wonderful to go with it.  I found an old thrift shop red chambray shirt and some bright golden batik in my stash that looked pretty good.  Yesterday, I went to a neighbors yard sale and found a couple pairs of corduroy pants I thought might work.  Today, I started laying out, cutting, moving around, and finally stitching.  Finally, I came up with this pillow top.

The biggest challenge turned out to be an unpleasant experience with melting fabric.  Originally, I wanted to use a piece of teal narrow wale corduroy where the light blue is.  It was such a beautiful color.  It was pretty heavy, and I suspected it was upholstery fabric.  I sewed a seam between it and a piece of the red and when I went to press it, the teal melted.  It was a very nasty mess.  I have never seen anything like it before.  Fortunately, I got the iron cleaned.  The board cover is in trouble, though, and I may have to replace it, finally.  Good thing I have a Joann coupon.
I also made another whirling hexagon.  I used the opposite triangles as the spacing pieces to see what it would look like.  They give it an interesting look, I think.

I am really liking this pattern.  It is so quick and easy.  Each block is 13" by 12" finished.  I think I will make Tomorrow is another quilty day.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

Texas Trellis or Whirling Hexagon

I saw this block on Barbara Brackman's Material Culture blog the other day, and fell in love with it.  It was new to me, so I left her a comment asking her what it was called.  She wrote back telling me it was called Texas Trellis or Whirling Hexagon.  I knew I had to make one of my own using my paisley collection.

I have never worked with hexagons before, and I am very intrigued by this one.  I found a paper pieced pattern at Quilter' Cache under Whirling Hexagon, but it was small and I didn't want to deal with paper piecing for something that looked much easier to do without it.  I did print out the pattern so I could do some measurements.  The one in the photo at Brackman's blog had wider spokes, but I wanted to try narrower ones.  I sewed a strip of 2.5" paisley to 4.5" background.  I discovered that to make all six triangles I needed, I had to have 45.5".  I cut them using a 30 degree angle.  I have several extra triangles witch are reversed, but I will figure out how to use them somehow.  I can't wait to make these up with all my paisleys.  I think they will make a wonderful quilt.

While I was watching Bella earlier in the week, she and Tom made this.  They both have good eyes for color.  I really like this one.  Bella or Tom and Bella have made many of these designs on the small design board I made for her.  This one is my favorite.  I really wish I was skilled enough to figure out how to turn this into a small quilt for Bella's stuffed animal friends.  I know there must be a way.  Bella also helped me sew a few squares together on the machine.  She didn't think it was as much fun as designing.  I think I feel that way sometimes, too.
I really did get quite a bit done in the studio today, but I can't show it because it is a surprise for my husband.  His birthday is coming up and I want to make him something special.  I will show it to you all after the 21st.
I will leave you all with this ribbon.  It is one of the ribbons I made for the winners of our guild quilt show.  I won people's choice for Hokule'a which I entered as a challenge block.

Joyful quilting, everyone!

 

Possibilities

I recently won a giveaway for my participation in the Hand 2 Help charity quiltalong.  It took me a while to realize I hadn't sent Caroline at Wondrous Woven Fabrics my address.  Once I did, she got this jelly roll to me quickly.  It is Warm Memories by Kansas Troubles for Moda.  As I have said before, I do love anything designed by Kansas Troubles.  I am a sucker for their palette.  These will work perfectly with Perennials on that quilt I have started.  Now, I can make it even bigger.  I may actually get a bed sized quilt out of this.  That would be a first.  I love lap quilts, so that is what I make for bigger quilts, usually. I am very excited about winning this.
I am also working on my Lautrec block.  I strip pieced all the yellow pieces together.

I am very excited that they all work so well.  I think I am going to cut into this and sew it back together in to make still newer fabric.  The netting in the yellow/gold tutu in the photo is quite rumpled and I want to get more of that effect without going three dimensional.  The next thing I worked on was the top of the dress and the torso, which we see from the back.  Her arm is bent at the elbow.  It is hard to really tell what it is in this photo.

In the painting, the skin tone is very mottled with greys, yellows, pinks, and greens.  I found this batik that works perfectly.  My next step is to put the head on the torso.  I think I am going to have to applique the hair because it is just too complicated for me to figure out how to piece.  Maybe someday I will be that good, but for now I will settle on the easy way.  I also need to piece the yellow tutu to the blue skirt.  It is coming along, but it is slow.
I have many projects going right now, and my studio time is about to be cut in half.  Beginning tomorrow, I will be with Bella three days a week again.  My daughter is a drama teacher, and her school year begins tomorrow.  I am looking forward spending quality time with just the two of us again.  It is wonderful being a grandmother, and I am very blessed that I am able to be so close to Bella.  I am also blessed that she loves fabric and creating small quilts on her own design board.  I am going to teach her to use the machine after Christmas, when she is 3 1/2.  Maybe sooner if she shows more interest.  I know she wants to make quilts for her dolls.
I will be cutting down on my blogging posts as well, probably.  Hopefully, I will get things done and have more to share soon.  In the meantime -
Joyfull quilting, everyone.