Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Counting 72: a birthday Journal quilt

   On July 20th I will have my 72nd birthday. How can that be when I feel an enriched 22. To emphasize the years past to myself and my grandchildren, I cut out 72 birthday icons, either cakes or ice cream and put them to a 12" x 12" journal quilt. 
Click to enlarge
    I alway make a soft card for the girls for their birthdays. Five-year-old Erika said if I gave this to a boy he would throw it away, but a girl would like it. Beth said it was her favorite because of the colors. I thought it a total failure, but I wanted to do it. Joe said it needs some black. I am going to sew red beads on the cherries tomorrow at beading and embellish some more. It needs black and white to absorb color.
    Four different fabrics are in the piece. I ironed Wonder Under to the back of the cake and ice cream fabric and cut them out as I listened to the news. I ironed them to the 9-patch block, squares of which I cut out with my new Accuquilt. The yellow fusible binding fabric fills the back of the quilt. I made fusible binding with that same yellow fabric which I both ironed/fused on and sewed after overlaying some maroon tulle. I am returning to do some more sewing atop the block in yellow. I tried to slow down, to be more careful. However, I wish I had used the yellow tulle that I had forgotten about rather than the maroon which I quickly grabbed.

5 comments:

  1. Clever idea - by the time your real birthday gets here, you will have perfected this quilt, which is pretty cute as is :). ss

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  2. I think your journal quilt is colorful, bright and if a failure, it must be a wonderful failure. I love all the cakes and ice creams. Did you really cut out 72 pieces?
    NM

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  3. I did cut out 72. Some people are easily entertained. Count them!

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  4. I agree with SS and NM above that this quilt is NO failure! I looked at it enlarged so that I could see the tulle. Doing that revealed your very neat and precise quilting around each block. I am curious, though, about WHY the tulle? Did you feel that it needed some toning down or something? The overall concept of cutting out 72 separate tiny little pieces was clever and that must have taken you a long time. I think Joe's idea of adding a bit of black to it might enhance it, if you're still not satisfied with it! I thought Erika's remark was funny and apt! Girls do love this!

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  5. I used tulle over the many little pieces of fused fabric. It is extra protection, and nice when one is handling a lot to bead. People seldom see the maroon tulle when they are holding the block. I used it out of habit.

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