Monday, January 12, 2015

Dell and June Quilt

I mentioned when I showed the first several blocks I'd made of the 16-patch Scrap-a-Palooza quilt from Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, that it might go to an uncle of mine, or to a senior at the old folks' home across the street from our Ontario home.  Well, I'm happy to say it's going to my Uncle Bob, a senior himself.  In a phone conversation last week, he'd told me how cold he gets in his room when it's bitter outside because the windows aren't very good. He lives in an extended care residence in Alberta where January is quite often extremely bitter.  I've since found out he likes to sit at his window and look out (who wouldn't?) which is when he experiences the cold.  I was hoping he liked blue once I'd thought the quilt might go to him.  And he does.


He was a farmer all his life, so blue and green, Nature's main palette, are perfect.  He has gorgeous blue eyes too!  This was made entirely from scraps, many of them from my Scraps of Calm and Fleurs amassed scraps (can you have scraps from scrap quilts?  Hell, ya!)

I find it quite interesting to let my eye run over all the variety in shades and tones and value of blues and greens!  There is one fabric I used as a light in one block and as a dark in another!  I also love the pops of lime in a couple of the blocks, scraps from Brady's M&M pajamas I made him last year.  I fussy-cut those squares so I got as little M&M colours as possible.


My scrap resources in the green family were pretty limited, the majority of them being up North.  This is mainly why I only did an 6 X 6 block size quilt.  Still, it's 48.5" square, and a nice lap/snuggle size.  I am going to hopefully find some flannel down here, on sale, for a quilt back.  If not, it's off to Fat Quarter Shop or Hawthorne Threads, my two favourite online stores!

Like Cynthia, I like to start putting my blocks up on my design wall once I get a few.  I didn't move too many around in the end, just tried not to have the same fabric touching each other or in the same row or column.

Bella helped with the construction, as per usual:


I loved Cynthia's construction method:
Four 10" strips sewn together
Then sliced apart:
Rotated and sewn back together for a checkerboard effect
I used my Book It! method to assemble the quilt top.  It keeps everything so nicely organized.
Column 1 chain-pieced together and set up for pressing seams in opposing directions
A shot of the design wall.  Column 1 is chained and pressed in pairs; column 2 has just been "booked" as in the right block has been placed right sides together on top of the left block in the column prior to being picked off the wall and stacked carefully, in order, to be taken to the machine for chain-piecing.  Column 3 has as yet to have anything done to it.


One last fun outside shot.


Okay, what's with Dell and June in the title?  If you are a member of my family, you'll know those are Uncle Bob's beloved team of Percherons he had for many many years.  The other meaning is a dell is green and June is a blue-skied month!

I am linking up with Cynthia's new linky party, Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.  I also might just have to make another one of these and take part in the Quilt Along over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and donate it to the seniors' lodge as I had originally thought of.

8 comments:

  1. that quilt really vibrates! Awesome!

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  2. Oh my, I love this quilt! It makes me want to dig in my scraps and start one for myself! It will be a wonderful gift for Uncle Bob...I know he will love it. Thanks for sharing it with Oh Scrap!

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  3. What a fun scrap quilt. It sounds like you have found the perfect home for it. I am sure your uncle will love it.

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  4. Sandra, your Uncle Bob is going to love this quilt! What a wonderful name you chose for it too! I love all those colors together. You are right - sometimes a fabric can act as the dark one and another time it will be the light one. It all depends on who its buddies are - just like people eh?

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  5. Lovely! and I enjoyed reading all about your thoughts that went into making it! Linda

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  6. June and Dell were such beautiful horses, and you're right, Uncle Bob adored them!! We have such memories of them, eh? Hayrides in summer and sleigh rides in winter! Great memories. Uncle Bob will absolutely be thrilled with this quilt. Love him so much! <3 Oh ya, and you too. Of course. ;p

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  7. It is a beautiful color combination!! Very nice!

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  8. Uncle Bob is going to be pleased as punch to get this quilt! SO beautiful and I agree, the eye just dances around those colors. So tempting to jump up and start one right now . . . NO, I can't!! :) I'm thinking it makes a pretty darn nice table cloth too!! Love that outside picture!

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