Pages

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The Big Reveal and my August mini

Janet O. and I have been swapping little minis for a few years now.  It's great fun and I do feel totally honored to be the recipient of her masterpieces.  She challenges me in ways I never delve into-- and her minis are museum quality, IMHO!  

This year we chose baskets as our theme and I struggled for a while trying to decide what to make.  Mine  ultimately finished at 18"--larger than the 12" original goal but we can change the rules. Right??!!

Finally decided on pink baskets, using the Little Gatherings book for the initial setting and block idea.  I had many challenges on this mini which I guess is how we improve, right?  For instance, I marked one corner with an erasable pencil only to discover it wouldn't come off. RED pencil.  UGH.  Lesson:  test first!  Again, don't get too close! ;-))  Another lesson I think I've finally learned:  cut the background larger when you're going to appliqué!  My center shrank and I ultimately had to add a strip (which you can see a sliver of) to get it to lay flat!  Only took me 6 tries to figure out what the problem was.  Also, don't sew on corners until you're done.  Piecing on the diagonal is always challenging for me!

On the bright side, I had fabric I ordered from Needl Love which I just love and wanted to use for the borders.  I also wanted to break up the corners but didn't think I could handle 2" baskets.   ;-)




I really enjoy wool appliqué and although I'm not great, I think they are passable.  Still not crazy about my stem stitch but from a distance, they work. In fact, I should call this quilt "Baskets from Afar"!!!


These finish at 3-3/4"!  As I warned, some of the points got cut off but from a distance, they are just fine!  Good enough, I say!

I opted for mini-half-square triangles for the corners-- they're 1/2" finished and I sewed them into flying geese.  Again, please don't look at the corners. ;-(


All in all, I feel it was a success. I got Janet to promise to hang it so that she can't get up too close. VBG I'm not a precision piecer--some might rip out their work if their points get cut off, but I'm not one of those.  I did rip out one of the seams at least half a dozen times to get it to lay flat... But that's different.  I'm not one of those overly critical of my own work--I'm realistic.  It's not perfect but I'm okay with that.  Hope you like it.  I love it.  Hopefully Janet will too!
Wendy, here's my August mini, 2 days early!! ;-)

We are heading back up to the cabin tomorrow for two weeks.  I have spent a lot of time prepping my wool handwork for the long drive;  not sure what sewing projects I'll bring along yet.  We always enjoy Labor Day in Oregon-- the seasons start to change right before our eyes.

12 comments:

  1. I love baskets and these are adorable, especially the cutie in the middle! There are no mistakes in your quilt, it is very unique and oh so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks so good to me, Randy! Can't wait to hang it in my gallery!
    Thanks for swapping--again. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome mini. The Border fabric is so pretty!! Having Stash envy...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Both of your minis are so very cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh this is lovely--came out so beautifully--your little baskets are so pretty..I really like your flying geese corners, too. hugs, Julierose

    ReplyDelete
  6. I so like the angled flying geese border corners. A unique idea.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You did a great job Randy ! Your mini is fabulous !! Congratulations !!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think it's so fun that you and Janet do your mini swap each year! Your quilt is charming and I know Janet will treasure it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful online friendship you two have developed with your swap. Your quilt is sweet and charming.and I know Janet will love having it as part of her growing collection from you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fabulous!! I've updated the post to include yours and Janet's. I absolutely love your corner block solution. Your border fabric is so beautiful, it makes the perfect break for the eye. I had to laugh when I read about your addition to the background on your center block. I have done that with conventional applique, but I am surprised that it would shrink that much with the wool and the buttonhole stitch. Goes to show you how much wool work I do! I'm really going to try to dig into my wool tubs and make something. Yours are so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fabulous mini! I'm sure Janet will love it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a fabulous mini quilt! The appliqué makes it unique. The whole thing is just darling. I looked at Janet's too and hers is wonderful too. How great you have been able to do this swap for several years.

    ReplyDelete