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Tuesday, February 09, 2021

Quilting Up a Rainbow!


How many of you already had a good guess where my Jackknife blocks were leading me?

This project has been in the works for the past few months - relegated to being a "weekend at home" project.

I had a great time pulling fat quarters from my stash, and cutting into new ones I hadn't used yet.

I only used each block fabric ONCE in the quilt - so backgrounds or colors were only used in one block. There are no duplicate backgrounds or colors.

It helped clear out some space in my fat quarter boxes, and also added new strips to my Scrap User’s System - as once I cut for the blocks, if there was LESS than 1/2 a fat quarter leftover from that piece, I just sliced it all down to add new variety to my strip drawers.

No one wants to sew with the same old thing all the time, so breathing some new air into my scraps will make future quilts even scrap happier!


I did take some liberties with the color placement.

I wanted to add more!

I started out with Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple - but really wanted to pull some "girly" into the mix.  I added Aqua between Green and Blue, and then placed the Pink BEFORE the Purple - because Pink/Red/Orange just didn't have enough contrast when I laid the blocks out.

I figure when it's your OWN rainbow - you can color it any way you want, right?

Or course, the string border was an afterthought.

The Jackknife blocks are LARGE by my standards - but folks have been clamoring for blocks with bigger pieces.  I get it. I do.  

But I wanted something that said POW! At the end. Something that adds a bit more motion than just slapping something on there and calling it done.


Stay-stitching around the outside edge.

It really does help minimize the stretching of the bias at the edges of the string blocks.  And it keeps seams from popping open during the quilting process.  That's always a good thing.


It was mid afternoon before I had time to piece a backing.

I had 6 yards of a gorgeous purple - but when I ran a damp paper towel over it to check for bleeding - my paper towel came back purple.  That fabric is going to need to be prewashed before I use it for a back.  And 6 yards was not quite enough anyway.

I found a 7 yard piece of this peachy color - that will work. And the stash cupboard breathes just a bit easier with 7 yards gone.


Ready to load into the machine.

This quilt is as of yet unnamed.  Everything I search for has been taken. But it will come to me.

Yes, there will be a PDF pattern down the pipeline, but I have a couple of other things in the works that are already on the timeline - so stay tuned!


And this is where I left it.

I likely won't get any further today - I've got an early afternoon appointment in Winston-Salem, and I need to run by the Wallburg house for a load of stuff.

Hooray for errand day! I also want to find a rug for the utility room floor at Quiltville Inn.


This was my heart attack yesterday!

Ivy kept looking at the beam above her head like she wanted to find a way to jump up there too!

And no - I am not building her ramps!


She really has grown to be a "big girl."  Which shows me that she was still a kitten when she found me in July.

She is strong and sturdy - and has earned the nick names of "Butter Ball" and "Little Ivy No Neck."

She and Zoey really do love each other - and they have made our little cabin such a happy home.


I just finished listening to this audio book!

It was 19 hours long.  I LOVE long books with great character development - and I love to listen when I'm in the car on long drives.

If you are an audible member, a 19 hour book is well worth 1 credit!

"During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime. A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy—her vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother.

Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothy’s past.

Dorothy’s story takes the reader from pre–WWII England through the blitz, to the ’60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds—Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy—who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams and the unexpected consequences they sometimes bring. It is an unforgettable story of lovers and friends, deception and passion that is told—in Morton’s signature style—against a backdrop of events that changed the world.
 "

I've got to find something NEW to load before I head out on today's drive!


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Everything we've gone through over the past year has me quilting like mad! 

Are you with me?

Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!


 

57 comments:

  1. Hi Bonnie! I love Kate Morton's books. I've listened to all I could find on Audible. All are great listens! Each and every one was long like this one and so worth every credit! Karen L in Florida

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    1. Another Kate Morton fan here, as well as an audible fan. Lake House is my favorite. I've been reading boks my Susan Wiggs lately. Not quite as long as Morton's though.

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  2. That quilt jus sparkles! Have a blessed day. :)

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  3. Love the jackknife quilt! The cheerful colors remind me of a bag of lollipops!

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  4. Love the Jacknife quilt! I have a large bin of fat quarters from my friends, we have a tradition whenever one of us traveled, we’d bring back a FQ for the others. I’ve been looking for a project to use them & think this one is it! I’ve read/listened to Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper & liked it a lot, will have to listen again. Her other books are good too (and long, worth an Audible credit!).

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  5. I just finished “Four Winds” by Kristen Hannah and it was a wonderful read. I think they have it on Audible.

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  6. Love your quilt - all of it.

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  7. So many lovely, cheerful, uplifting items in this post! A quilt, suggested great read and 🐕 and 🐈! What's not to ❤️ here!
    Safe travels today!!

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  8. I love the rainbow quilt layout.

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  9. "The Secret Keeper" is near the top of my list of all time favorite books. I listen to it again and again. If you haven't discovered "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamond Pilcher, I highly recommend it.
    Your rainbow quilt is another beauty! How do you keep coming up with beautiful and unique designs?

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  10. I love this new quilt with the rainbow border! What a spectacular idea!! Ivy cracked me up up there on the beam. Sometimes I feel like someone is watching me and I'll look up and find Polly (my kitty) up somewhere where she doesn't belong either -- like at the top of the kitchen cabinets! Have a great day. Can't wait to see what makes it back to the cabin on this latest Wallburg trip. Ha!

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  11. I am quilting like mad, but mostly finishing UFOs. After last year's Elvira quilt along and Unity Mystery, I decided I needed to finish what I had started instead of keep making new and letting the others "lie in state". I've been pleased with my progress so far. Oh, and I'm continuing to work on Grassy Creek. (I did say "mostly" finishing UFOs) LOL

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  12. I didn't know about the damp paper towel trick! #Mindblown! You are always a wealth of information! Love, love, love the rainbows! I made two string rainbow quilts a few years ago. They are so cool!

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  13. Here in Montana it is bitterly cold, so of course quilting like crazy, un-sewing as well. Also making some polar fleece hats to put on the newborn baby calves to try and save their ears from freezing.

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  14. The quilt looks like Bubblegum Memories to me. I think of those fun bubblegum candies you could put your quarter in and get a handful of. Happy audio book listening and safe travels.

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  15. If you love long books, Ken Follet has a few series that are super good and very long. I’m a long book lover myself and always listen when I’m in my sewing room. Another good series is by Bryce Courtney about the Australian penal colonies and people who survived and thrived. It’s based on a true individual called Ikey Solomon. Oh and Robert Galbraith is also very very good.

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  16. Bonnie, your rainbow quilt is beautiful! Love it!

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  17. This quilt does look different than your usual with the big blocks. Do you buy 7yd pieces knowing they will be backings? I haven't been that brave!

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  18. How about "Dance after the Rain" for the rainbow quilt? It makes me feel like dancing when I look at it. Thank you so much for bringing color into a very bleak winter.

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  19. Your blog is the highlight of my morning reading. Thank you!
    Some names to ponder for your jack knife quilt... ‘And After the Rain’, ‘Be Cheerful’, ‘Bright Future’.
    Have a great day and safe travels.

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  20. Looking for that book - thanks for the recommendation. I just finished "Winter Solstice" by Rosamund Pilcher. Great book and great characters!! Love your rainbow quilt!!

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  21. What a fun quilt! On a future iteration it would be fun to see the border blocks also placed on the diagonal. I’ll have to tuck that in my border ideas. How is the Wallburg house clean out going? Does Dave have lots of stuff left there too? Hope you have an end in sight.

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  22. spring string fling...love the new quilt!!

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  23. Oh, I read that book. It is very good! Love the new quilt, especially the colors.

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  24. Jack"s Rainbow? Love the colors, thanks Bonnie.

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  25. How about Mack the Knife or Mackie. A nod to our era! Love the quilt.

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  26. As I read your Facebook post, you said you were “pleased as punch” with your quilt. I thought, what a perfect name!! Or maybe Rainbow Punch??? It’s beautiful! Have fun choosing the name! Enjoy your trip to Walburg. Looking forward to seeing all the wonderful memories you bring back with you. Safe travels!

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  27. I loved The Secret Keeper!
    A good listen is Gentleman in Moscow. The reader is fabulous. Love your blog!

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  28. Beautiful, happy quilt! You brighten my day.

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  29. Love love Kate Morton books!! My favorite is Forgotten Garden! The bad thing is she only publishs about every 3 years! But so well researched and the characters are wonderful! For fun listens try Fannie Flagg. Love Catherine Coulter on audio as well.

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  30. Name you quilt Easter candy. Love it all the way. I like long stories. They generally are very good and have great interest.

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  31. Jacknife blocks and string borders .. what an awesome combination! How about Rainbow Jubilee for the Pattern name? Safe travels to Winston-Salem, Wallburg, and back home!

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  32. This quilt is amazing! Nothing but rainbows and unicorns for me after 2020!

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  33. Bonnie, I love love love the quilt. Is spells spring, happiness, cheery and everything in between, and boy do we need cheery right now. Have a safe trip to Wallburg and back.

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  34. Busy this week painting and preping my new sewing room. So glad it will get new carpeting too!

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  35. What about "Pallet Knife"?

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  36. Bonnie, have you listened to Laurie R. King’s ‘Russell and Holmes’ series? I think you’d enjoy them!

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    1. I second this idea at least 125 times!! I have read and re-read and I love this series. Also try the Amelia Peabody series (a woman Egyptologist in the 20's-ish! She reminds me of Bonnie, actually...) and absolutely anything read by George Guidell. "the Cat Who..." series comes to mind

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  37. Hi Bonnie, another author for you to look out for....Natasha Lester. I have just finished a great story " The Paris Secret" set between England and France in the time of WW2 and the present day. Enjoy!

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  38. I love love love that happy rainbow ready to be quilted!! Ivy is an adventurous kitty for sure. I am glad you have furbabies to keep warm and happy. I might have to get into the audio books, I think my thing with that would have to be the readers' voice. Any good ones to recommend there? Safe travels and have a great evening!!

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  39. "Paint Your Wagon" audio CD popped in my mind. It is two hours plus. I think it would be awesome to be driving down the highway listening and visualizing this CD. Love the actors and songs in this movie... So much fun. I know nothing about Audible so do not know if it is available or worth 1 credit, whatever that may be...

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  40. I live your quilt. What about “A Jack of all Hues” for a name?

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  41. What do you think of "Jack & Jill" for you quilt Bonnie? Jill for the 'girly' bits. A bit of fun remembering they climbed a hill... or a mountain of fabric, lol, to get a pale of water... to wash Jill's quilt. Love your rainbow.

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  42. Love Rainbow Jacks, I have loved the jackknife blocks since you started them but was blown away when the border went on. I am trying to finish UFOs too but this one might tempt me to breakout.

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  43. My suggestion is how you described it.
    My Own Rainbow.
    It works no matter what colour people choose.

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  44. Loving the rainbow :) And the book is going on my list of books-to-listen-to for once I've finished the Elena Ferrante books (which are also long and also brilliant!)

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  45. How about Rainbow Jack or Rainbow Dance

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  46. Anonymous5:33 AM EST

    When I see that quilt all I can think of is Sunshine and Rainbows! so cheerful! Just finished "Firefly Lane" by Kristen Hannah... great for those of us who were born in the 60s... and it's now a Netflix series too.

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  47. Hi Bonnie, I feel for you with your heart attack on paws. My husband Jeff & I have had 2 including 1 of our current fur babies. The first one Spooky is waiting for us at the rainbow bridge, but she was a character. Jeff m’éditâtes and has done for about 30 years. Anyway, he used to meditate in the basement and all 3 of our fur girls would be there with him. Spooky loved to get up in the ceiling, well one time Jeff felt these eyes looking down on him. Sure enough, it was Miss Spooky. Our current little coronary on paws Fiona has also decided she likes it up there. Only problem with kitties in the ceiling in our house is our basement is finished with a drywall ceiling and there is only one area where we can get the cats. Spooky could at least find her way down, Fiona not so much. We have now tried to block off their access routes as much as we can.

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  48. Your cheerful quilt makes me think of flowers, perhaps you could name it , dreaming of a spring fling!

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  49. I still am recommending The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, not only is it a wonderful series written by an amazing author, the actor that reads this series is amazing! Also, and much much shorter, another of my favorite audio books is Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan. I'm pretty sure I have listed both on the book list on the blog- but they are both good enough to restate here! Happy listening everyone!

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  50. We call "Stay-stitching around the outside edge." the victory lap.

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  51. I really like the Kate Morton books also. I would also recommend the Louise Penny books as well as those by Jacqueline Winspear. My treat before I go to sleep at night is to read. Reading also seems to help me sleep well through the night.

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  52. I love your rainbow colors and the WoW! border. It's wonderful!

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  53. Thank you for another idea -- I'm a novice quilter who planned an around the world quilt (and collected fabric for it for many years) and then decided that, since I didn't have pieces I could cut strips from, I would use strips to make large blocks. They are coming along. Slowly. But then what to do for borders? Your "wings of strings" fit perfectly -- they follow my rainbow color plan, AND they use up all the extra strings I cut because I really don't know what I'm doing. Thank you for always being an inspiration.

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  54. I love this new quilt!!! I’m looking forward to purchasing the pattern!!! Love your creativity Bonnie!!!

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