This is it!

Really – I mean it this time. I am printing and cutting out the beige batik I am using for the 30 flowers that are going in the spaces. Each center will be a different batik – some that I have used in the other flowers – some new. The purple batik connectors – which are also inklingo – will pull it all together in a grid.

I decided against using my favorite setting (World’s Biggest Hexagon Quilt)  because this setting will go faster and I’d really like to finish this in the not too distant future.

Linda Franz – the inventor of Inklingo has recently published a great pdf explaining how you can rescue a EPP GFG UFO (English Paper Pieced Grandmothers Flower Garden Unfinished Object.)

This is the beige batik I am using for the 30 filler flowers.

Another layout

But I’ll need two more rows of 6 hexagons each – no problem with inklingo. Notice the dark purple batik fillers – I think the dark may look better than the beige batik I had planned.

I have yet another layout planned. See the third photo down on The World’s Biggest Hexagon Quilt blog. That is MY FAVORITE setting for hexagons. I could use the dark purple (which I have printed and cut) where they have the green and then I could use my beige batik where they have cream.

Or – I could make every other row a beige batik flower with a colored center – my friend Thelma is doing a GFG that way and it’s looking very nice.

42 Hexies

I was going to add another row of six – but I am sick of this project – I will NEVER EVER paper piece again. I found Inklingo and have used it for all of my POTC blocks. They have been a pleasure to sew – these paper pieced hexies were torture – I just want to be done with it.

I am going to print the beige batik filler blocks with Inklingo – I should be able to join them if I open up the basting I did on the edges after I took the paper out – although the paper pieced ones are not as accurate as Inklingo.  I still have to make some sets of three colored batiks to fill in the edges. Like this – I will need 7 sets.

The Angels are quilted!

Before I go any further – I want to let you know it was quilted by Jackie Kunkel at Canton Village Quilt Works. Thanks Jackie for a spectacular job.

See Jackie’s blog post today – she blogged about my quilt – how cool is that!

I am going to post 24 pictures I just took outside in natural light. I know that’s a LOT of photos but I wanted to let you see the incredible detail.

I taped the unbound quilt to the patio wall with wide packing tape and stood on a rickety folding chair to photograph the top part without too much distortion. I am just grateful I did not fall off and break my neck!

Click on the pictures for a closer look.

I want you to notice the double lines on the purple frames. Can you imagine how many times she had to stop and skip over the appliquéd figure spilling over onto the frame. I don’t know a thing about longarm quilting – but that couldn’t have been easy to do. And the countless thread changes – what a job!

I just love the spirals Jackie used on all of the cheeks. Isn’t the hair great – they were just flat yellow patches and now it looks like hair.

Look at the detail on the cuff – and the lovely strokes on the wings echoing the swirly vines on the batik fabric.

The vertical lines on the striped dress is just the right amount of quilting don’t you think? I LOVE the little bows on the striped border – I would never have expected anything to be quilted in that 1″ space – what a wonderful bonus!

Notice the tiny tight squiggly quilting and the very close vertical lines on the background. Jackie filled in all of the black – using both methods. There is no quilting at all on the word ANGELS – so the letters are almost 3 dimensional.

This little spiky haired angel is my favorite in the row of  five small ones.

Isn’t the hair great – love those swirly curls. Nothing fancy on the wings – so as not to distract from the focus on the hair.

Here are those swirly curlies again – so cute.

Perfect quilting on the skirt!

Look at those closely spaced vertical lines – the letters just pop out

The vertical quilting up close – it is very effective and makes a nice contrast with the meandering squigglies

From the side – so you can see the dimensional effect the tight dense background quilting creates.

Finally – the wonderful border design – angels holding hearts – how perfect! The white fluff is from the batting – I’ll remove it with one of those sticky rollers when I sew on the binding.

I have decided, after much thought, to name it ” Guardian Angels God Will Send Thee” from the very old Welsh tune “Ar Hyd Y Nos” or “All Through The Night.”

Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night.

While the moon her watch is keeping
All through the night
While the weary world is sleeping
All through the night
O’er they spirit gently stealing
Visions of delight revealing
Breathes a pure and holy feeling
All through the night.

Love, to thee my thoughts are turning
All through the night
All for thee my heart is yearning,
All through the night.
Though sad fate our lives may sever
Parting will not last forever,
There’s a hope that leaves me never,
All through the night.

Hear it in Welsh here. And in English here. It is a beautiful tune to go with beautiful words.

Two more POTC’s

During the busy holidays I managed to get these two done. I have decided against a King size quilt and now have to make only 25 blocks. I have two more cut and I’m going to finish them – which will give me a total of 27 – two extras.

POTC # 23 of 30

POTC # 22 of 30

POTC #21 of 30

POTC # 20 of 30

POTC #19 of 30

I have decided to make a king size quilt – something I would NEVER have considered before I discovered that I could send my quilts to the US to be quilted by a professional long arm quilter. My appliqued angel quilt is at Jackie’s right now – check out her site Canton Village Quilt Works.

I’ve done the math and a sketch on graph paper and I’ve determined I need 6 rows across and 5 rows down with a 6″ border – that gives me an 18″ drop on three sides.

I have one block in progress and four more cut out and ready to sew. I have chosen the fabric for the remaining six using some brand new Kaffe Fassett “Serape Stripes” I just received from equilter.com.