New art quilt

This is a kind of breakthrough -- at least a new direction -- me.  The challenge was to make a quilt with "metallic" in it.  Actually I have many fabrics with metallic print. I was happy to have a chance to use some. I made half a paper piece star -- didn't like it. Chucked it. That happened twice more and then I made a set of 18 little stars and put them together.  And didn't like that either.  Out it went. I decided stars weren't "in the stars" for me this time.  In a fit pique I pulled out all my red fabrics that had some metallic on them and I made four 9-patch blocks, simple, plain old 9-patch.  That was okay but not very interesting although I like the fagrics . So I quilted it very simply and dug through my collection of fabrics with metallic and found one with a swirly design. I cut it up into four segments and decided to applique them on with couched gold piping.  This is what I came up with.  And I even found a name that suits me although I will not explain the metaphor that is intended.  The name is "Trumpiana".  I have never made a truly abstract expressionist quilt before. I think it's far from perfectly executed but actually it makes me feel good. I expresses what has been on my mind.   I wish the photo were better but I don't have a camera that will make it better.   I think this is a new direction for me,  already I'm thinking of making one that's in blue fabrics (mostly without metallic designs. I don't know if it will be another 9-patch or something else traditional with something untraditional about it.  But I have a name in mind already so they can be a pair so I'll definitely try to make it the same sizes with is about 40x44.  More on that score in the indefinite future.

Waiting, somewhat impatiently

I am waiting impatiently for spring -- we had a week of "teaser" spring, beautiful skies, temps  in 50s, pushing 60s. The last few days the sky has remained lovely but a nasty wind has blown down from colder climes to the north. This morning is brilliant but the temperature, when I heard the radio report before getting out of bed, was 16 degrees.  My apartment is warm enough but the idea of that   chill just beyond the shining windows made me curl up a bit longer in the warm cacoon of pillows and quilt.

The quilt in this picture has been sandwiched with batting and backing and pinned in place but I won't get around to quilting it for some time. I have too many other projects that I need and want to do first.  And, I admit, the actual quilting part is my least favorite.

I like this quilt, it looks quite modern. The truth is it's not modern. The design was published in a newspaper in the 1950s (with a white background as you might imagine). It was resurrected and printed with a paper piecing pattern a couple of years ago in one of the quilters magazines I read -- I think it was Quilters' Newsletter magazine.  It was fun to make with various scrapes and I love the  setting with just one spoke of the asterisk (as I think of the pattern -- others might call it stars) touching.  This quilt will reappear when finished sometime in the relatively distant future.