Monday, March 8, 2010

Molly calls us home: a journal quilt


It has been a few days since our truncated trip to NYC (see posting March 6) ; and Molly, our beloved Beardie, is recovering quite a few steps at a time. I felt the journal quilt for this week should be about her. I may paint Molly to look more Beardie, and bead.

Last year, Geri Barr, a lively Australian quilter, taught a class nearby and handed out cardboard white frames of 10 inches square with the 8 inches in the center removed. We were to put this frame on a sandwich of 10” square muslin for the bottom, 10” square quilt batting, and 10” square pieced fabric w our design on top to quilt. First, however, we fused, glued or basted the top fabrics as the muse guided, and when satisfied, secured the sandwich with safety or quilt basting pins. Next, with the three 10” square pieces pinned and layered together, we quilted with a sewing machine or by hand.

To join me, place the white frame on the sandwich after the quilting is finished. Mark just inside the edge of the frame and stitch. Trim near the edges of the now 8” square journal quilt. Some in the class finished with bias binding or zigzag stitches, but I liked the look of pinking shears. Remember, it is a no more than two-hour project of a memorable event of a week in your life.

The idea may take longer, but not the crafting.
I wanted the woods in snow we viewed coming and going which were reminiscent of Pieter Breugel's Hunters in the Snow, a hint of NYC and a dog, perhaps missing us.

3 comments:

  1. How did you do the NYC skyline? Love the dog & the thought dots. Wonderful! Told my knitting group about your journal quilt. The hostess is a quilter and is working on two "pictures" of her daughter & her husband that she transferred to materials, did some piecing and is machine stitching. Fascinating!

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  2. Love the blog and the journal quilt. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, I wish I had taken you up on your challenge and journal quilted with you, but, alas, I didn't feel the muse calling strongly enough at the time. So much to do, so little time............

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  3. Rosemary,there are numerous fabrics that refer to NYC at The City Quilter in NYC. I would love to see your friends "pictures." Portraits in fabric are challenging. I have thought about the fabric values and purchased, but have still to put the needle to them.

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