Sewing and Beyond with Mary Anne Ciccotelli

Brain and Isa were married on Dec. 28, 2009

The bride and groom with the Ciccotelli boys.

The newlyweds are home from the honeymoon.   

My goal was to have the quilt done when they arrived home…………..

but it’s still hanging out with George.

Brian (my stepson) and Isa are getting married on Dec. 28, 2009.    I had talked with them and they choose Argyle as the basis for their quilt.  There choice worked really well for me because I was kind of thinking that design was what I thought they might like and had been thinking about making another one of these quilts.  It’s great that that happens – that both parties are thinking the same.   The only problem, this means I will have made three of these Argyle projects and NONE of them live with me.  This makes me pretty sad. 

I had some Stained Glass Trellis yarn that they liked. 

I pulled MANY lime green, fuscia and teal batiks from my stash.   (These are the piles after I cut all my stripes.)

I was confident that I had enough fabric to use without going shopping.  The only problem was – it’s kind of hard to do a random four patch quilt with only three colors.  This caused me alittle problem so the fabrics just sat on my washing machine for a couple of weeks.  After going to the Northern Star Quilters meeting on Nov. 17th (which I just finished piecing the rainbow quilt for the Super Saturday class sample to be displayed at the meeting) I decided that despite my dilemma I had better get working on their quilt if I wanted to complete it by their wedding (and I did have a few other things I want to do before then).

I cut all my stripes and sub-cut them into short sections and decided to have each four patch be out of the same color but with random fabrics from that color.  (These are my EXTRA stripes – maybe I will make myself an Argyle quilt.)

Here is a sample of the four patches and the sashing.  I had a batik that had all three colors in it and decided that it would work great for the corner stones.  I kind of liked the random four patches but there were some of the colors that I did not like by each other.  What to do?  I sure did not want to undo alot of stitching. 

Then I decided to sew some together and see what I thought.  Maybe it would be better when they are all pieced together.  Not so, I still do not like that dark green and lighter green by each other.

Maybe adding the trellis yarn will help, so I just laid it out on the project – still does not make my heart sing.

Maybe more is better?  I don’t think so!!!!

Maybe without the corner stones?

Maybe adding more Trellis yarn????

How about just having the extra Trellis yarn on the seams of the four patches?

I decided to add the Trellis yarn on the seams of the four patches before piecing any of the top together.

Here is a preliminary layout with out any of the Trellis yarn on the sashings.  I am really liking this quilt.  Sometimes when I make a quilt for someone else I really get attached to it and really want one of my own.  (An example is Emily’s wedding quilt – after her wedding I decided I liked the quilt that she had designed so much that I made one of my own – but a lap size quilt.)

As I was piecing the top together, I had a BRAINSTORM – I could sew the Trellis yarn on the sashings going in one direction AS I pieced the top.  That way I would not have to deal with the entire size of the quilt while adding all the Trellis yarn (in the one direction as least).  Since this quilt is going to be queen size I thought this would be a pretty good idea.

I added guide lines………….

and added the Trellis yarn as I pieced the top. 

Great idea IF you get the size of the quilt correct!  As I was piecing the top it seemed like I just kept sewing and sewing and sewing.  I sure was glad that I was getting half the trellis yarn on now because this was taking FOREVER!  Well – when I got the top done (without borders) I went up and laid it out on my queen sized bed.  What – it was to BIG and it didn’t even have the borders on it yet!!!!! 

As I was figuring how many four-patches that I needed I guess that I didn’t figure correctly.  I think I miscalculated because of the blocks being set on point and having to include  or not include the sashing into the on point measurement.  I thought that I had figured correctly – but NO!!!!!  I ended up with and over sized KING size quilt.  Remember my brainstorm on adding the Trellis yarn in one direction – well that was a really stupid idea of you have to change the size of the the quilt.  All that Trellis yarn had to be unpicked on the sections that I was taking off.  WHAT A PAIN!!!!!

Just before Thanksgiving I finished the top (without borders).  I ran out of the black batik and had to get some more before I could do the borders. 
 

The only good thing about making this quilt to big is that I had enough blocks to make a lap size quilt also.  Guess I will have my Arguyle quilt after all (and I still have all those stripes to do something wtih also).   Now I am hoping that I have enough Trellis yarn.  I purchased the skein I have really cheap, probably when it was being discontinued a few years ago.  I have been looking on e-bay and there is some available, but it is pretty pricey because it is a discontinued yarn.  I think I am just going to bite the bullet and buy it to make sure that I have enough.  Not that I have the proposals submitted I can get back to working on this quilt.  My days are numbered!!!!