Ride the Waves

A More Contemporary Quilt

"Ride the Waves" quilt as it came
off the longarm machine.

I actually started this quilt about a year ago. This one was a kit I had purchased about 4 years ago, and when my granddaughter asked me for a quilt, I went through my projects and thought this one would be perfect for her. However, it did not take me long to determine I was short of fabric - hate when this happens - and so I had to hunt down the now not so available fabrics on the web and wait for them to come in to see if they matched. By the time all this was sorted out, this project did not get into full swing until around April. To start, things were quite simple - all I did was sew a bunch of strips together! (Yes, simple, but I get bored easily, so it took me a while.) I actually completed this one before I started on my "Chain of Fools" quilt, but did not think about blogging my own progress until later.

Leftover scraps

Once my strip piecing was completed, I used a template to cut them diagonally into blocks, and this left a lot of wasted material. I cut them all into triangles, when possible, and other various sizes, as the scraps allowed. I knew there would be enough scraps to make another quilt, so I saved everything until I figured out what I wanted to do.

Border added to top and bottom
to make the quilt longer.

In the meantime, I pieced the blocks together - with care!!! (Everything was cut on the bias, so it was too easy to stretch them.) The finished quilt pattern was square, and I wanted to make it longer, so I took some of those left-over pieces and created an additional border at the top and bottom.

Close up of quilting pattern.

Since the patterns in this quilt were so busy, I opted for an edge to edge pattern that reminded me of ocean waves. (And, quite honestly, it is hard to fit my own quilts into my schedule, let alone try to do them as a custom!)

Pattern used for leftovers

As I was sewing the binding on this one,  I found a triangular pattern in a magazine that I could use with the triangular scrap pieces I had reserved, so I laid out my them out accordingly, and then sewed them together. There were enough scraps leftover to make a 45 X 61" quilt, and I still have scraps - I'll have yet to figure out what to do with the rest of them.

The finished 45 X 61" quilt
made with the leftovers

Well, that's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer - I can't believe school has started already!!!
Until next time, happy quilting!
Cathy

Verse for the day: "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:9-10

Summer Fun

July has been busy!

Dean and Karen enjoying the incredible Garden of the Gods.

It has been a while since I have posted anything, but then, we have been having too much fun! July is a vacation month for most, and we were supposed to see our son Brian during the first week, but he had some car problems and missed his flight, soooooo, since we had planned to take the time off anyway, we just did some fun things around town. Shortly after, we enjoyed a visit from Dale's brother, Dean, and his wife Karen. We always have a great time together, and this was no exception. We visited the Farmer's Market in Fort Collins, and afterward, since they were having a sale at The Cupboard, Karen and I had to stop in. You can spend a lot of time in that shop, and we certainly did - so much time that we were late meeting our son, John, for lunch! The guys all teased us, but we didn't care - we were enjoying ourselves.

Dean and Dale find a great place to rest while the girls shop.

We also took a mini trip with them to Colorado Springs, where we walked through the Garden of the Gods, shopped in Manitou Springs, and toured the Air-force Academy.(along with lots of shopping!)

When we returned home, we prepared for the arrival of our niece and her family, and all of us enjoyed lots of fun as they explored the area for the first time. Amy wanted to check out Fort Collins, so after visiting the Sculpture Garden in Loveland, drove on up and hit an ice cream store (that's what summer is about, right?!) Our shop exploration did not get very far as Amy got hung up in one particular store right at the get go and we never got her out of there!! I think she will come back for a visit just to go back to that shop again.

Jeff. Amy, John, Cathy, Dale, (back row)
Grace, Anika, Patricia, Dean, & Karen (front row)
at a family backyard barbeque.

Everyone has gone home, and I sort of have my house back in order again, so now I am working on catching up on my quilting - definitely behind. I have finished my "Chain of Fools" quilt, and hope to get it quilted soon so you can see the finished product.


That's it for now. I hope all of you are enjoying your summer - it is quickly coming to an end!

Until next time, happy quilting!
Cathy

Verse for the day: "Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him." (Proverbs 30:5)