Friday, May 15, 2015

Vamps Like Us, Avril We Were Born to Quilt

Get it?!

(sidenote: so this was basically ready to go last night, minus the final outside shots, as I had to wash the quilt this morning.  Gremlins!  None of the photos I took this morning would show up in picmonkey, none would even show in blogger--grrr---messed around for a long time...finally restarted the computer and all was found by the programmes I need.  Love/hate technology.)

It's a wonderful thing, walking Rocco.  I get into quite the meditative state, and good ideas, inspiration, and profound insights abound.  It happened this morning, inspiration for a post about Avril, my Avanté.

I love Bruce Springsteen.  MacGyver and I bonded over Bruce,  Bruce's "Born to Run" LP  to be exact.  We both had it.  My taste in music did, and still does, cover a wide range, from classical, to blues, to hard rock.  So does MacGyver's, but more in the jazz, to blues, to hard rock and heavy metal range.  We converged in Bruce.


Avril, my Avanté, and I have been separated  for over five months.  Today, Thursday, we got reacquainted.  And it was Magic.

I gave her a little oil, (the girl needed some lubrication), cleaned her bobbin case out (nasty fuzz still in there from Savannah--okay is anyone else other than me seeing this sentence as possibly pornographic??! bahaha), tied I mean threaded her up with an Isacord which I had used on my Dot to Dot placemats, inserted (OMG, I did not plan this) the pre-wound The Bottom Line bobbin, and away we went, finding our rhythm (music theme, people, music!) as we quilted the string charity quilt.  What a pleasure it was!

Just wrap my hands 'round cushioned grips again
And strap my quilt 'cross this 10-foot frame


Good thing it's small enough to be pegged to the mailbox lol

This is Cindy's Scrap-a-Palooza quilt #8 from August last year.  I am giving it to the Royal Oak Lodge in town here, to go to a senior in a wheelchair in need of a lap quilt.  When I called, the person to whom I spoke said they have some residents who have no family or little family that visits.  So she was quite happy that I decided to do this. We determined the quilts need to be approximately 28X36".

I quilted an all-over meander, just to get the feel of quilting with a longarm again, and because I do love my jigsaw shaped meander.  It is very relaxing, very therapeutic, much like watching fish in a tank for me.  I did throw in my signature handwritten name, as well as a feathered plume for fun and experimentation (yikes, needs more practice) since it was a charity quilt and there was no pressure.
The back, with a little wind and droop happening
Together Avril we can live with the motion
I'll love you with all the devotion in my heart

I could have done the back all in the mottled blue but I had this strip of novelty print with no home in mind, so it went onto the back for interest.  I like interesting backs.  It washed up so nicely, lovely crinkly texture.  I really quite like this Pellon Nature's Touch cotton batting.  It is just so very soft and drapes so well even with dense quilting.  Can you spot the feather plume?

I'm really happy to have used up a bunch of blue strips although I seem to still have a ton more...  Can you spot the two prairie points strips in the first photo?  Those were test pieces for the prairie point technique I used on Fleurs.  If not, here is a closer view:
Too much fun!
I even used a couple of pieces from the backing that got cut off when I squared the quilt for the binding.  Gotta love that!  Speaking of love, Bella, true to form, had a good cuddle inside the quilt as I pulled it away from the machine once I'd finished machine-stitching the binding down.  That could have gone better had I glued it in place first.  I missed a few several spots on this quilt, as well as didn't have as even an edge as I like.

She didn't care that I missed a couple of spots; had burrowed quite happily in it!

Oh-oh, someday Avril I don't know when
we're gonna get to that place
Where we really wanna go
we'll quilt like Angela
But till then vamps like us
Avril we were born to quilt

Inside front entryway for a flat no wind shot
Charity Quilt Specs:
Size: 29 3/4" X 39 1/2"
Pattern: August Scrap-a-Palooza quilt
Fabrics: strips of scrap fabrics, all 100% cotton
Batting: Pellon Nature's Touch 100% cotton
Threads: pieced with Gutermann; quilted with Isacord #3600
Quilted on my Avanté
Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday, and TGIFF which is at A Quarter Inch From the Edge.  This is also another of the goals on my Q2 FAL list with Adrianne at On the Windy Side.  Finally making some progress!

And a final note: many of you have written to me that you enjoy the way I write.  I have always loved to write; when I was younger I had aspirations of becoming an author.  Instead I became an English and French teacher.  Yet I continued to write, journaling most of my life, writing the newsletter for my quilt guild for a couple of years, taking a creative writing course, and now I blog.  Well, I've clearly passed on the love of and talent for writing to both of my daughters.  The eldest, Brianne, has recently started her own blog called Shimmerette.  She said it is okay now to tell my homies (lol) of her blog, which is mainly about makeup but also about pop culture.  She is, I realized this week, as cray-cray, to use Jude's expression for a leedle bit loopy, but in a passionate crazy way, about makeup as I am about fabric.  She is, to use Angela Walters' phrase, frickin' hilarious, and if you watch "Game of Thrones", you will love her recent post on that show.  This Sunday she's going into her first linky!




14 comments:

  1. Keep writing! I wish I had half an ounce of your skill! Like your daughter, mine has the gift too! Why did it skip me?! If I said 'cray cray' on my blog I would be stoned to death! LOL kids just can't appreciate their very cool and hip mom's!

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  2. Haaaahahahah...You are TERRIBLE Sandra! And I mean that in the very best kind of way. I am one who loves your stream of consciousness style for sure. Congrats to Brianne on starting her own blog! I hope she has as much fun with hers as you've had.
    That beautiful blue string quilt will surely brighten someone's life.

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  3. I second Jayne and Lara! Love the blue string quilt- perfect for you and Avril to get acquainted. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Sandra,
    You crack me up! Glad that you and Avril are getting reacquainted. Perhaps some more lyrics will be inspired. Bella makes an excellent quilt inspector and the quilt brings out the blue in her eyes.
    Pugs and kisses,
    Nancy

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  5. Lovely little finish and a great way to use up a pile of strip scraps. Thanks for linking up with TGIFF!

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  6. Nice way to use up your blue strings. Congratulations on your finish.

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  7. I want to meet you more each time I read you're cray-cray as you are! This was a great, little piece for you and Avril to quilt up, and I'm sure someone special will appreciate all your little touches you've left in it. I realize all the small bits of fabric and batting around here, and know that one day it will be an oompalooza day for doing just strips into charity quilts. Atta girl, Sandra!

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    1. Gosh, forgot to even say thanks so much for linking up to the Pet Project Show over at Pink Doxies.

      Julie

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  8. Such a fun quilt! I love the meandering quilting too

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  9. Oh a senior will be so blessed; how good of you to do this beautiful quilt for him/her!

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  10. Seriously chuckled through this entire post! I'm glad you and Avril are getting along so well! Quilt on my friend, and keep that sense of humor - it suits you just fine ;)

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  11. Love seeing this all quilted and snuggly. A great quilt to warm up with. ;)

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