Plans are shaping up for border...

Now it is time to start thinking about the border for the suffrage quilt... and gathering the stuff I had stashed for it...

The outer border will be about 4-5" of  black silk will be topped with the wide black lace...  No need to photo it on black as it wouldn't show up.  There will be an inner border of vintage velvet ribbon... and then this lacy gimp.  I found everything except the rust velvet ribbon but I haven't look that hard yet.














Then I know I want fans in the corners of the borders but couldn't decide whether I just wanted smaller ones in a corner square or full fans that wrap around the corner. So I did a little photoshop magic to see which I liked better.  First I didn't like the wrap-around version but then I put some clothes in the dryer and made a phone call and when I returned to the computer I REALLY LIKED IT...!!  It seems to balance the activity of the quilt.  Remember besides the fans, there will be the lace,ribbon and gimp....plus more glass buttons on the border. Also at the base of the fans I will add more "trim" flowers with beaded leafs. that lap over onto the quilt itself.  This quilt is going to be encrusted and embellished to the very edge...

The lining has always been a given..  It is a piece of vintage plaid taffeta and nothing else will ever do...

I hope everyone is watching Allie construct the fabulous border on her quilt.

A bird, a dress,and a rainbow

I'm making progress on my bluebirds and taking photos of the steps as I go along in case anyone is interested in the process.  I will post them as a tutorial  on block talk when   completed..

Got this vintage (VERY vintage) silk wedding dress at the thrift store last week.  It had a obvious stain on the front so I got it for $8.99.. and will gradually dismantle it. The fabric is lovely and there is a LOT of it even tho the body of the gown is fitteds (1970s style) the train is very long..

There will be about 7-8 yards of this fine quality cotton lace from this dress... Just perfect for my CQJP 2013 cottage project. I doubt I could even buy cotton lace of this quality now.  Not the least bit flimsy.....very structural and finely detailed.

I had my threads on rings on the BACK of a door to my little storage room where they were not casually seen.. Yesterday I put another hanger rack on the living room side and hung a rainbow of rings so I could enjoy them all the time.  There were getting to be too many rings on the back side of the door anyway...

Making Joyful Noises

One of my absolute favorite parts of CQ work is blending threads to create satin stitch flowers and birds, etc. From the very moment I first started adding my threads to rings I KNEW this was going to be perfect system for sorting threads for thread blending/painting....  Keeping threads sorted and in order was always awkward for me.  Yesterday I pulled the colors I want to use for my bluebirds.

The moment I started I was making joyful noises..  Yesterday I began teaching the new chatelaine class at the quilt shop and was commenting on the incredible quilts on the wall.  They were extremely complex and assembled with perfection... I commented I just could NEVER be that perfect.  My student Ginger said she was a "joyful noise  quilter".  I had heard of joyful noise in a religious context but not referring to quilting so I asked her to explain...

She said she had a choir master who told them if they couldn't sing just to make joyful noises and that was her attitude toward quilting..  I love that concept because it goes directly to the heart of CQ which never demands  perfection and embraces endless opportunities to fail and recover and go on.....making joyful noises all the way...  I hadn't thought of my resolution for 2014...but it will be forging ahead no matter what....making joyful noises all the way.

Ready Birds & Lavish Lace

I did have many quiet hours "mother sitting" last night and have the CQ Hanky center ready to add bluebirds.  At this point it can wait until we meet as a group to start the hanky project.

At the request of Diane M.  I did a Block Talk post on being lavish with lace. ..tips and techniques.  If you love lace or would like to use more lace....pop over to see "Being Lavish With Lace."

Hanky center progress

This is how far I am on the centerpiece for hanky quilt.  My husband's plane was delayed last night and I spent three hours waiting in the baggage area.  Luckily the light was good and I had my stitching.

I had originally planned to do this on a damask napkin but the texture was all wrong so I used a high quality men's handkerchief.. With last night plus the sitting during the transition of mother's move back to assisted living, I'll pretty much be able to finish the center... Nothing passes long hours for me like stitching.

The birds are just paper cutouts to help with placement of flowers.

Not only did I have a lot of hankies with red roses and hearts (on the left), I had a lot with blue and pinks to mix in with the rest.

This was my inspiration.  I did this for our marriage in 1976.  The reflection of the glass makes the color weird.













And it is all going on here!