Piecemakers 2002 Calendar quilt - March

This is March. i had never heard of a liquid ambar tree.

Sweet little birds in the nest

And sneaky cat giving them an eye.

I was afraid these delicate feather butterflies would not survive the quilt being rolled back and forth but it didn't seem to hurt them at all.

There are still lots of pins because Brenda is going to tack it down on all the crazy quilt pieces.

March Color Palette Challenge

Here is my March Color Palette Challenge. this was a bit of a struggle. it wasn't the colors....it was my design. i wanted to use a block that i normally wouldn't. and though i only made 12 of them....it seemed like many more. triangles just have their way with me. i must have some weird brain block on them or something. it's a bit wonky but it is finished.

Let's recap...here is the color palette given to us by Vici Welsh

Here are the fabrics i chose to use

Here is my design that i made in EQ

Here is my top. looks just like it.....if you don't check those points too close. i steamed and stretched and starched the hell out of it and still it doesn't lay flat. it's not my fault...my brain only likes squares and rectangles ....it doesn't work in triangles.

Here are 4 of the blocks together....in my normal fuzzy picture fashion. i tried to show you the good part...LOL   look at the bottom left corner for mayhem.

Now all my monthly obligations are finished and the rest of the month is mine. i am going to play for 2 days and then go to the Duck on Monday for a few days of ceiling demolition fun...or something.

The ground is too wet for yardwork....aw, shucks...LOL   

I started a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle last night on my kitchen sewing table. so there will be no sewing for a few days. i probably won't get it finished before i leave for the Duck...so it will get finished

Later

March UFO Challenge is done

The UFO challenge number for March was 8. i only had a few pieces of this sewed together and it had been marinating in the box for some time...probably at least a year.

The pattern was designed by my friend, Maralie, and she called it Tsunami. it became a problem from the first stitch. LOL

The original pattern was only 40"...and i really didn't know how much i needed to make it larger. but i wanted it about couch size. HAH!!  this turned out 98" square. i was just happily cutting along and stitching.

The only reason i finally stopped was i just had about a yard or so left of the main fabric and wanted it for the border. all the rest of the fabric are ones that i have dyed. i added a couple extra lines to the top and bottom to make it a bit longer. but somehow after i added the border, it still came out square. i have NO IDEA how that happened.

The back is pieced with strips of all the hand dyed fabrics that i had. some of these are not in the front....but i just wanted to use them up. major stash busting.

I used my Quiltazoid pattern to quilt it. i was going to do all SID but now glad i didn't. i guess because of all the bias edges...this thing grew on its own. it has several tucks in it to make it somewhat square.

I used Glide red thread on the top and green Bottom Line in the bobbin.....a combo that ALWAYS works on my machine. but not this time....i had issues with the top thread breaking and the bobbin thread getting loopies. and i used a Warm and White batting...which i usually don't use. and i had issues with that, too. little bits all over the back. i am going to throw it in the washer and dryer and see if that tames it any. if not...well .... so be it. it will be a donation somewhere....we just won't tell who did it. LOL

I can only hope next month's challenge is easier....or quicker....or better....or something.  right now i am going to finish up the color palette piece for the month and then take a few days off and go visit my sister.

I'll be back...

Later

March UFO challenge picked

Yikes...Judy pulled #8 for March. All i have for this one is a box of fabrics, a pattern, and a few pieces cut.

Here is the pattern...designed by my friend, Maralie...called Tsunami

Here are some of the strips that i have pieced...not much. LOL

This will require several nights of cutting and piecing. this isn't going to be a quick one....but it will happen...just later....much

Later

March Color Palette Challenge idea

I finally got to download the color palette challenge for March from Vicki. i think this is a picture of some blown glass.

Here are my fabric choices...from left to right...Pepper, Coal, Medium Grey, Wine, Cayenne, Tangerine, Curry. my red colors aren't real exact but are as close as i can get.

And here is my EQ design that i came up with. a dozen 5" blocks. some tiny pieces.

I am anxious to start on this....but i have other things higher on the priority list....so this will have to wait till

Later

March CQJP section

I have gotten my March crazy quilt section together. this is the one i warned you about....you might need sunglasses...it's red.

I'm having a good time with these sections. it uses a lot of scraps....and also creates a lot of smaller scraps. sigh!!

Here are all the individual blocks....left to right....top to bottom. i had a piece of dark purple large fringe...so it had to go in the corner. the piece on the right that has green, light purple and orange is a silk tie. and there is a bit of purple trim to the right of that.

This has some little red picot trim in the top left corner and a piece of white lace with red flowers on the bottom right. the bottom left orange piece is almost like a shag carpet..LOL..it came from a child's sweater found in a thrift store...and the darker piece in the middle is a corduroy. i love the gold piece in the middle. that bright red and white piece might be out of place but i figure it will get lost in the whole quilt...i hope.

This one has a bit of red rickrack in the top right corner and a piece of red lace doily in the bottom right. more of that gold floral in the middle. the orange and red stripe next to the gold is a flannel. and the bottom left corner got some red lace. all the laces were dyed to go into this quilt.

The pink piece in the middle is silk. there are brown trims in the top right corner and left corner. the bottom left corner has a marroon and light blue trim but it is kind of hard to see. it is next to the marroon corduroy.

And this is the middle that i have shown you earlier. i did add a piece of marroon fabric over some of the corner on the top left...it seemed too large and bright. and then i added a piece of red doily over it.

This one didn't get much trim...just a wide piece of red lace at the bottom left. that little yellowish gold piece in the middle has a spider web with spiders on it....but unfortunately it was a small piece so doesn't show up a lot. the gold next to that is an upholstery fabric that is kind of velour. feels good. LOL

The top left here has a stretchy brown ruffle with variegated crochet on the end. and a bronze color trim down the right side and more red lace on the bottom left. and another piece of that bright red and white.

This one has a red and green stripe ribbon on the top left. toward the bottom in the middle, just above the three leaves is a piece of orange netting. inside of it i placed a bunch of white beads. i closed the opening with the 3 flocked leaves. the orange and red geometric on the right is an upholstery fabric.  i like the red flower in the middle on the orange background...that piece is in this section 2 or 3 times.

That brown and white dot is a fuzzy piece of something. LOL  i found a child's coat in a thrift store and cut it up. it is soft and nice to feel. more red lace at the bottom and red trim in the top right corner. the yellow bisecting the piece about the middle is a narrow ribbon.

And there you have it....my March section of the crazy quilt journal project. i was a bit concerned that i wouldn't have enough reds but it turned out ok once i added orange and some pink and brown.

My April block is going to be green.....at least a bit calmer. LOL

I have almost given up piecing traditional quilts. the crazy quilt blocks and selvages just talk to me more....in fact they scream at me.

Gotta go quilt now....talk to ya

Later

March CQJP block

I have finished my March block for the CQJP. it doesn't have as much bling as the last 2 months but i just couldn't come up with anything else to do with it. i have been looking at it for days and finally decided to just call it done.

Perhaps because it is red.

I like the focus piece of dyed lace medallion but it seems like it needs something more and whatever i tried just didn't seem right.

I added a couple of cat buttons that i liked. the cat seems to be eying the crazed spider that is hanging down from the web above. i think she wants to kill it. i don't blame her. LOL

There is some red velour rickrack to the left of the marroon lace piece. nothing seemed to stand out and say 'this is good'.  i put some stitching but really was not inspired.

I do like this huge orange and yellow square flower. it was made with waste canvas. it seemed to be a bit wobbly so i tacked down the ends a bit and placed the button in the middle. and added another cute cat and about 5 gold stars.

This is a dark purple piece of lace trim that i dyed and added and then put a bit of chain stitch under it. it needs something....but what?

This purple piece has raised seams criss-crossing it so i embroidered next to them and then added the gold piece and a couple beads to the middle. it, too, needs something, i think...but don't know what. i did a bit of embroidery along 2 sides and added some small purple glass beads.

This bit of lace with tassels was put into the red dye but came out a very pale pink... so it was not cotton. i braided a bit of yarn in the top of it. the red piece of fabric above it didn't get any embellishment because nothing i tried seemed right. this block this month just gave me fits all the way around.

This is another couple of rows of purple flowers using waste canvas. i think i have finally figured out how to use it properly and i like these flowers.

Another further look at the block with the white cat. i tacked down the pale yellow silk ribbon with french knots. and used the full thickness of some watercolor embrodiery thread for the embroidery on the edge side. i like the multi colored trim on the top....i don't have too much of that left.

I guess every block can't be a winner. i struggled with this one and it probably won't get any better than this....unless i get a brain fart somewhere along the line. i have started making the blocks to surround it for the March section and have 4 of them finished.

So, as far as i am concerned...March is history. i am moving on to April....it is in greens. surely that will be better.

Keep stitching and stay safe....talk to ya

Later