The Orphanage Quilt

Prairie Quilt Guild in Wichita, KS has a tradition that the outgoing president may ask guild members to make her a block for remembrance. In 2015, I was the outgoing president and asked for orphan blocks because I thought I might get more that way and that it would be fun and challenging to put them together! Oh my.

After making 4 or 5 orphan block quilts, the rest of the blocks rested on my UFO shelf. Then this summer, I decided to put all the remaining blocks into one quilt and call it the Orphanage Quilt.

I did not know how generous quilt guild members would be. Maybe they were a little too generous, lol! The above block became the medallion of the Orphanage Quilt because it is the largest block I received.

This may not look like many blocks but in total there are approximately 48 blocks in those stacks sorted by size as much as possible. Two of which may be part of the label on the back of the quilt. The blocks are all shapes, sizes, and colors so it will be a quilt full of personality. There are also several blocks which are vintage or even antique, some pieced by hand or perhaps on a treadle sewing machine. I've been interfacing those blocks to give them more security and body.

After playing with several layouts, this became the medallion with one round of blocks. I'm also auditioning the next border fabric in this photo.

This is as far as I am today. Because there were several spots I couldn't fit orphan blocks into, I added spool blocks, which I won in our guild's Birthday Block exchange, to fill in the holes. I sure hope it will be mostly square after I add the top and bottom rows. If it isn't, I think its going to stay that way.

Some of the orphan blocks have been signed but most have not and I wish they were! I think of guild members and wonder what they are doing during this time of no guild meetings. Even though I'm an introvert, I miss the hustle and bustle of our large guild, I miss the speakers, and the occasional workshop I took. I hope that quilting is bringing happiness and stress relief to quilters everywhere!

Until next time, Mayleen

4 in 4

This was all I stitched this past week other than some embroidery. I know this for sure, I won't be going into the mask making business! These four masks took me four hours to make and I don't know why.

I sure hope they fit because I don't want to have to redo those bands. I accidentally made one of the tan/off white masks with the dinosaur upside down. Oops.

From the flower bed today:

Both are Hardy Hibiscus. Its the second time the deep pink Hibiscus has bloomed this summer.

Black Eyed Susan with Sweet Autumn Clematis vine in the background. Too late for me but here's a word of advice, do not plant this invasive vine. It wouldn't surprise me if I found it growing in the basement someday!

Until next time, Mayleen

Ta da, it's done!

 Finally, the machine quilting is done on "Wish Upon a Feathered Star"! I still have the label and sleeve to make and sew on but I'm happy to be this far. This wall hanging, made of Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics, measures 43x43" and was begun in a Prairie Quilt Guild workshop with Peggy Martin in July of 2019. It was quilted on my Janome domestic sewing machine.

I've decided to make some wall hangings which can hang over our fireplace and this is the second I've made this summer which will fit into the space.

After making a few more masks, making an applique block for my applique group's donation quilt, and tackling an "I Spy" quilt, my next major project will likely come from the UFO shelf. I found a list of all my UFO's from 5 years ago and many of them are still on the shelf. I have to do something about them before they take up permanent residence there!

This was our sunrise one day this past week! It almost looks like the sky is on fire. 

The large unplanted area in the lower right of the photo will become a rain garden in September. I've spent untold hours digging up Bermuda grass and getting that area ready to plant with native plants and pollinator attracting flowers. We plan to plant bushes, which can stop road dust coming from the gravel road to the right of the photo, in the circles of dead grass. If I'm not quilting, I'm out working in the yard. All is good until the temperature and humidity get high. I'm not a hot weather kind of girl.

 

I just realized that this blog post is color coordinated - purple, red, pink, and orange! I must be drawn to these colors more than I thought I was.

 

Enjoy! Until next time, Mayleen