A couple of years ago at our annual quilt guild retreat I made the background for this quilt top. The center is simply squares of varying colors of beige and cream. The half square triangles represent a garden gate. The solid piece on the left is the foundation piece of the gate and the triangles are the part that swings open...make sense?
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When I got home from the retreat I cut out the wool flowers and got them fused on and occasionally since then I drag it out and add some blanket stitching to them. Finally a couple of weeks ago I got all those done and started on the stems, which are cotton instead of wool and are bias strips I made.
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Last night I got the last stem sewn down! There's absolutely no reason for this to have taken this long to do except I so often get sidetracked by a beautiful piece of embroidery I just have to make right now, or a blog hop that's so cute that I can't resist, or by..... I bet that happens to you too. :)
I wanted the flowers to be simple enough to stand out against that background and I think this is going to do that. Now comes the hard part....how in the world am I going to quilt it? Oh my goodness, that's going to be a hard decision. Any ideas?
I've moved on to try to finish another top now...one that I've been working on longer than this one. Oh dear. I'm on the last of four sections of red work embroidery on Twas The Night Before Christmas. I think I might have been working on it four years. Or more. Probably more.
On another note it's spring in Arkansas. I take allergy shots every week but for the first time in years they didn't seem to help last week - I sneezed, coughed, wheezed, had watery eyes and a runny nose, and finally a sinus infection that just about kicked my behind. And since I'm working the most awful hours at school I couldn't stay at home and feel sorry for myself. I just went to school and made everyone else feel sorry for me. :) I blame it all on this stuff:
Well this stuff and the fact that the weekend before I got the leaf blower out and blew all the moldy leaves off the courtyard, carport and deck. Shouldn't have done that. On a positive note though, look what else is up...
Potatoes! Yes, those are potatoes in a pot. Do you think I might get enough for one helping of mashed potatoes? :)
I love your finished topper...in fact I like it so much that I bought the pattern when I was at Pioneer Quilts!! Great minds think a like...I'll be watching to see how you quilt this one!! :o)))
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I love the neutral background with the delightful flowers. I also like the varied borders.
ReplyDeleteLooks like spring has sprung there. Finally!
Great quilt top! Your variegated squares making up the background so remind me of some of Anne Fahl's art quilts. She FMQ's on a domestic machine and is very improvisational with her quilting. Lots of loops and leaves and daisy-like flowers with other motifs mixed in as she goes along. Looking forward to seeing how you approach this in your quilting, just have fun and it'll be great!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful top. I love the flowers against the neutral background. Can't wait to see it all finished. Glad to see spring made its way to you. ;-)
ReplyDeleteFinished top is very pretty I am sure once quilted it will be dynamite.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Marlene!! This is going to be a beautiful quilt.
ReplyDeleteOh how pretty that piece is. so worth the wait. It will be even more lovely once quilted. Oh the mold, isn't it horrible when you do things like the leaf blower and can't blame anyone but yourself. Been there and feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteI am finding all the blog-hopping a bit of over-kill. It must take quite a bit of time. I think you should keep the quilting simple, maybe a lattice design to show off the flowers. Sorry those flowers that bring such beauty are bringing you misery. We are getting the "yellow dust" all the way from China and my daughter is reacting to that.
ReplyDeleteThe pieced background makes a lovely setting for your wool flowers. I have done the same as you many times by not completing one project before getting caught up in two or three more.
ReplyDeleteI like the way your flowers grew...:)
ReplyDeleteHey, I love doing things like your potatoes in a pot! It's fun!
ReplyDeleteMarlene, I love the quilt top that you just finished. I love all of your quilts but this one just speaks to me. I love beiges and I love embroidery. You did a "fine" job on this one. I can not wait to see it totally finished.
Wish you could enjoy all those beautiful flowers. I'm sorry about your allergies.
Susannah
Oh, and God bless all of Boston tonight and the injured people.
Very pretty quilt top (and the no-allergy-producing flowers on it!), and love the pot of 'taters. Allergies here in AZ, too. Beautiful blooming Palo Verde trees and Ocotillo, budding Mesquite...all enjoyed from inside the house as much as possible. Sure looks pretty though!
ReplyDeleteHope you are beginning to feel better!
your quilt is gorgeous. and you know Marlene, those white flowers just pop on your top...this will be a beauty when done....
ReplyDeleteNice post! Locpve that quilt and the flowers are beautiful! We had a bit of SLEET yesterday here in Iowa...send some of that warm weather up this way please!! My iris are growing nicely, so I do have hope that spring will be here soon!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work from a talented lady
ReplyDeleteSorry the allergies are making you sick. Get better soon
ReplyDeleteI love the quilt top - it is so pretty! I am in the process of quilting an appliquéd top - I finally decided to outline all of the appliqué and then do some small stippling in the background. My other thought was to do all echo stitching. It is so hard to decide!
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon. Your flowers are beautiful! Glad you are finding some time to quilt. ~Jeanne
That is amazing Marlene!! I love that soft background and the flowers popping out of it! I really don't know much about quilting something like this but...IF I was ever to do one like it, I think I would go in the ditch of all the squares I could, and if I couldn't master the art of echo the stems and flowers, I'd hand quilt around them with embroidery thread.
ReplyDeleteI'm anxious to see how you go about it!!
What a beautiful quilt top! You should quilt it before the "Say it with flowers" hop. I love the simplicity of the flowers against the soft background. Also, the flowers are beautiful--sorry the allergies are so bad.
ReplyDeleteI adore the long stemmed flowers on your quilt top. Your top looks gentle and lovely. It exudes a sense a peace. It`s wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read about your allergies. I have allergy problems since we moved to the northwest desert here in Arizona. It`s been 20 plus years and each year the wildflowers and grasses make my eyes water more. Sneezing and runny nose too.
As usual I enjoyed my time here. It`s always a pleasure!
Love that beautiful quilt! Hope your allergies lighten up fast!
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is just beautiful ! Right now the oak trees are blooming in Texas. The Jasmine is gorgeous !
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is beautiful , love the wool flowers , can't wait to see this finished . Oh wow all that glorious color , how lovely , it will be a while yet before we see any flowers , too bad they give you such trouble.
ReplyDeleteI love your quilt top! I have to go on a search of your blog to see if you have any post about the red work Twas The Night Before Christmas. I love red work and Christmas! I also have allergies so I feel your pain. This year seems to be the worst in awhile. Do you have summers off? My son is counting down the days to the school year ends!!! They are doing the CRCT the rest of this week and part of next.
ReplyDeleteMarlene, your comment made me cry. I am so sad for all you and your family went through. I'm glad you had help. How amazing and unselfish of you and your sister to quit your jobs and move there to care for them. I think there are so many of us out here helping our parents now. I still have one son home finishing college, so I am really not through with the raising kids part of my life. Kind of responsible for everyone. Not that he needs tons of help, but hey - you know what I mean! Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your experience, and for the support. I really appreciate it. God bless you and your sister.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Julie
A wonderful quilt girlfriend. It won't be long now and school will be over.
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I love that handwork! So beautiful, the colors are very calming to look at.
ReplyDeleteI love your flowers. I wish we were that far along in our season! We are still so cold.
Oh-so-sorry to know about your allergies. I've never had them; never want them; and have seen plenty of family suffer through them. I know how miserable you must be. And with working too... well you're a saint. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteI love how the flower stand out. Sorry no ideas on quilting.
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