Finished!

This selvage quilt has been nearly finished for about two months. I managed to quilt the center -- simply and not more than is needed to keep it all in place. Then marked a Greek key design around the border and stopped when we finally had about three weeks that were truly summery -- hot and humid -- weather. In such conditions I cannot work with a pile of quilt partly in my lap. So I put it aside and worked only on small blocks.

But now the border quilting is done, and I've bound it with wide pieces of selvage -- what elsel? At the top of the picture the edge is turned over to show the two Indonesial batiks that are on the back, The lighter piece was yardage and the darker, more complex pattern was a sarong panel -- if I were a small person, as many Indonesian women are, say about 5-2 and weighing only about 100 pounds, I would probably have used that piece as a sarong myself. But alas, I'm a more typical American woman of a certain age with a certain girth that is not truly large but is defnitely not petite. Anyway, it always feels great to say "Finished!"

Trying to Finish Selvage Quilt

I am trying to finish this selvage quilt -- a picture of the entire top is back about a month. Above the top is barely turned over but mainly shows the back which is made of two pieces of sarong fabric from Indonesia, actually purchased in Thailand.
The top has two kinds of squares ones with the selvage making and on-point square surrounded by triangles of various dark fabric. I love looking at the manufacturers' and designers' names and at the color circles. Can't explain why something that's purely functional like that is so pleasing to me.
The other squares have small selvage on-point squares in the middle so that they seem to be framed by the various dark print fabrics. For these I used selvages that had darker colors -- while most are white, no matter the color of pattern of the fabric, not all are. Thus I think the smaller center selvage squares are gem like -== a word Karen Griska used also in her book about Selvage Quilting.
The weather has been so humid that the quilt felt almost damp and I haven't been able to bear working on it in this humidity. However the whole center has now been simply quilted and I want to do something a little fancier on the border probably a Greek key pattern of quilting ... if ever we have some hot, fairly dry summer weather. I despair and think it just might e the summer that forgot about Cape Cod. I'm sure many a tourist is ever sadder about that than am I for I am able to enjoy the few hours a lovely sun whenever it might happen rare though that has been.
I have other projects awaiting completion. Meanswhile I have a large writing project that puts quilting into the category of what to do while I have to have some thinking time Thinking time is also walking time which means the quilting gets a smaller percentage of time. It's all a balancing act.

Another selvage quilt

On the list of quilts I wanted to make this summer was another selvage quilt. I have a large bag of selvages, many sent by women across the country who are part of Swap-bot. So I went through Karen Griska's book, (click here) and looked through her examples. I saw one I like most of all and immediately began pulling dark prints from my stash for the background parts. Ah, some stash busting! Then I had to do other things but my mind kept nattering on how I would piece it. Suddenly it seemed more difficult that I had thought. Never mind, I could do it.

The next morning I sorted the pile of dark prints, added and subtracted and then had the very good idea to read Karen's directions for this complex quilt. WELL... I should-a done that in the first place! Her method is super easy and totally sensible. Why didn't I think of that? So I set to work -- this being while my computer was in the shop and I was looking for ways to allay my irritation that it was taking so long. Above is the result, minus an outside border [added after the picture was taken] and of course, minus batting and backing although the backing has been picked out -- two more stash pieces one of which was pre-washed but the other must be washed so I can't put it together just yet. I like this particular design very, very much. Using selvages satisfies all the frugalista urges I have and I love writing on quilts and the surprising designs of the color dots and the selvages that have a fringy finish add just that much more interest. Finishing it will be a joy.

Selvage quilt once more

I really do like this selvage quilt and I'm restraining myself -- with some difficulty -- about starting another. So much else to do first!!! So this is the last time I'll post this -- the photo was taken by a good photographer with a good camera at our show and tell last week. She even manages to flatter me.

Cindy Russell is both photographer and web master for the Empire Quuilers Guild - anyone interested in quilt resources should click the link to the right. The site is not only guild info but a resource center and SO easy to navigate. Cindy is half of Hamlin Rose Photography with her husband. They produced both a CD and a book of Urban Inspirations, out guild show two years ago -- excellent work. I'm really quite proud to be a part of the both. And that is why I must not make another selvage quilt until I finish my 900 piece star quilt. Another guild show is coming up in March and I want that to be a worthy addition.