Paper Dolls

After months of applique it's time to return to the thing I love. Piecing! Several months ago while browsing through my quilt books I came across Paper Dolls by Brandon Mably. It is different from the quilts I have made in the past, but I was drawn to the quilt and the memory of cutting out paper doll strips when I was a child. And I remember a song called Paper Doll that my dad loved. I think it was by the Mills Brothers.  So I thought this must be the one I'm meant to make.

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The quilt pattern

The pattern came from this book.

Although I love Kaffe Fassett's fabric. My goal for this quilt is to put a dent into my bin of floral fabrics. I decided to pick fabrics that would reflect a day in the garden. I am considering sticking with various shades of green for the background. We will see how that works as I progress. These are the paper dolls I've completed so far.

This background is not a yellow as it looks in the picture.

Not sure how I feel about this background.

Dolls in blue dresses.

Four paper dolls.

All together I need 27 dolls, I am only planning on making two of each doll. They go together quickly and I have to say I am enjoying making these blocks.

While I've been working on this. I have also been helping my granddaughter with her purple tumbler. She spent the weekend and she was able to get all the rows sewn.

arranging her tumblers so there are no repeats in the row

Rows completed

Jana finished her rows and has selected a layout. The first two rows are sewn together. Once all the rows are sewn together she will add a purple border. She has not decided how it will be quilted.

We both made good progress this weekend. It will probably be at least a few weeks before we get together again. I go back in the hospital tomorrow for more chemo. Recovery is usually two to three weeks. See everyone then. Hopefully I will have more paper dolls to share.

Wrapping up 2016 Row by Row

It is with great relief that I report I have my top assembled for my 2016 Row by Row. I've learned many things working on this project.

First the positive. I like English Paper Piecing. I also enjoying playing around with designs and making them my own.

The flip side is, I don't like raw edge applique. I don't like doing it and I don't like the look of it. It may be my technique that is at fault. I even took a Craftsy class, hoping to get the skills I needed, but it was focused more on design and less on technique, so not much help. From a distance things look pretty good, but get too close and my, on my.  I discovered that certain fusible products may gum up your needle, which may cause your thread to break. This is frustrating. I wonder how this thing will hold up if it is washed?

As in the past I really modified the last pattern to suit my needs. It was a beautifully, detailed and complicated row. I simplified it by using less pieces, which meant less applique. I don't think you miss the pieces I left out.

Home is where the Cats are-simplified-bottom row

I needed more rows to balance out the quilt, so I created a row for My Sunset Place, our favorite bed and breakfast in Port Clinton, Ohio. I used I photo I took from their deck to create this row. While not an exact replica it does catch the spirit of the photo. It is the top row. You can't get much closer, to the water than this.

Top row - My own creation. Which represents Our Sunset Place

 I needed one more row to complete the quilt. I had difficulty  deciding whether to make a wonky house or a lighthouse. In the end the lighthouse won. I thought it represented arriving home safely, so it fit into the theme of Home Sweet Home. You can see it on the left below.

Home Sweet Home-laid out

Overall I am happy with the way it turned out. I toyed with the idea of a border, but rejected that idea. Honestly I am just kind of sick of this quilt. I plan to bind it with dark blue, which I think will be a nice frame.  Once this is quilted there a few embellishments I want to add. There are buttons for the bird's eyes, and something for the top of the lighthouse.

Will I ever make another Row by Row. I don't think so. All that is left is to piece the back. I plan to make a row using the license plates down the middle of the back. I am hoping against hope that my friend Sandy Erwin will quilt this. I have no idea what to do with it. I thought about just a meandering stitch, but with all the applique I just don't know what to do.

Completed top

Tasks at hand:  Finish the back

Upcoming projects? I'm thinking Paper Dolls by Brandon Mably. As soon as I clean up my Row by Row mess I'll search by stash for inspiration.