Thursday, June 9, 2016

Bring on Summer

There is a dark hallway upstairs in my home where I alternate a couple of quilts for a little spark of color. And recently I made the switch for the summer to this little number. Just in time too. It was in the mid- to upper-80's all week! A little over the top if you ask me. (Luckily, this week temps are down to a comfortable range again.)



I'm not entirely sure when I made it. It's from this magazine from March 2008,



which I think I bought in preparation to make a quilt with photos printed on fabric, so I probably made it that summer. In the magazine, there are a lot of great patterns for memory quilts (well, duh, it says that right on the cover). I did use the tips in it to make a memory quilt, but I also liked this pattern by Shelly Burge.




In fact, I liked it so much I tried to pretty much duplicate everything, including the fabrics. It's a nice combination of paper foundation piecing and large scale piecing. I was particularly taken with the gradations in the background. 

After years of hanging the quilt from a sleeve (messily) sewn on the back, I decided to add the (messily attached) tabs that continued the gradations of the sky. (I actually had just enough of the right scraps in my bins to do that.) I'll show you the back if you promise not to judge my sleeve- and tab-making more than I already have. 
It looks dirty, but that's just from a yellowish light nearby.

This is the pattern where I learned how to do a faced binding. I really enjoyed that and think it's time I do another one of those. 

The quilt measures 28 1/4 inches long (31 3/4, if you include the tabs) by about 31 1/2 inches wide. It's hand quilted with a polyester batting. 

I liked making this quilt so much that I immediately (if not simultaneously) made another quilt just like it for my daughter's office. I'm a little less enamored of it now, but it is fun to hang for the summer. My daughter's also tired of hers, so I've been making her another quilt to replace it. The project is a little stalled out right now. Got to do something about that.

Before I go, here's a little close up:



Whew! This must be the shortest TBT post I've ever written. Oh, well, I've got lots of other things to attend to which I'll share in due time. I'm linking up today with Jenn at A Quarter Inch from the Edge for Throwback Thursday. Go there and see the other oldies but goodies. And have a great weekend quilting in your little neighborhood!

14 comments:

Heidi said...

What a treat to pull this mini out and freshen your home for summer, those houses are so cute!

Lena Pugacheva said...

It's such a sweet quilt and the tabs that continue the background colors are so clever! They seem to change the quilt's proportions and I think it benefits from that.

Bernie Kringel said...

I love having wall quilts that I can switch out from time to time. I only have a few and would love to make more of them. This one is adorable. The wonky houses are charming. Your sleeve doesn't look horrible to me. Who sees the back anyway??

Enjoy your cooler temps. We are back down in the low 80's for a few days which is just perfect for me.

Lisa J. said...

I love this little quilt with its wonky houses. It's very happy and charming.

Paige said...

Love the little houses! What a great summer quilt!

Sew of Course said...

What a lovely quilt, I like the batiks you have used, and the quirkiness of the wonky houses! How nice to be able to change your quilts around now and then.

Lara B. said...

I can see why you loved this quilt enough to make one just like in the magazine - it's a fun and cheery design Janine! I hang quilts in makeshift ways pretty often, so your tabs look good to me. LOL

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Love the idea of alternating seasonal quilts...this one reminds me of summer cottages!

Louise said...

Such a darling little quilt! I love house design quilts, but haven't made one yet. I have a whole folder full of patterns on my computers; time to start one up!

Createology said...

This is such a cheerful little neighborhood to greet you each day. Embracing Creative Bliss...

Jenn @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge said...

This could totally be a current improv piece! Thanks for linking up with Throwback Thursday @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge!

Sandra Walker said...

It's cool to see a quilt come to life from a magazine! Had you not told us and showed us, I'd never have known you added the tabs years AFTER you'd finished the quilt! House blocks are my second favourite block after stars. :-) Your flowers look gorgeous; how I love this time of year. Okay, clearly that line is from your previous post; I read two this am and forgot they were separate! May as well add now that I've embarrassed myself publicly, that I saw you'd won a Kona card. Yay! I still do not have one yet.

Kaja said...

I always like the idea of changing quilts for different seasons. This is a cheerful little hanging to have for the summer and like you, I really like the way the backgrounds are pieced. Tabs is a clever idea - might copy that one.

KaHolly said...

I absolutely love it! I would ave made it, too!