In Bloom #26 + Crinum Lilies

This photo was taken a few weeks ago of these white and pink Crinum lilies.  Even the anthers are white.  They take up a lot of space in the garden but worth it.  

Happy Sunday,

TGIFF + MQG Modern Classic

I'm excited to be hosting, for the very first time, TGIFF - Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday, a link party to show off your quilty finish for the week!  

The finish I'm celebrating is my version of Smubble, the MQG's Quilt of the Month for February 2015 by Rebecca Burnett.  

In celebration of the Modern Quilt Guild's 10th anniversary, they are re-releasing some of the Quilt of the Month patterns in a new updated color palette. They are calling the quilts MQG Modern Classics.  You can read more details I wrote in this post 

I remember seeing the Smubble quilt when it was published back in 2015 and thought this would be a great opportunity to give it a try and maybe it would be chosen by the MQG to be juried into the QuiltCon.  Below is what Rebecca's original quilt looked like.

According to the MQG Modern Classic rules, you must make the quilt using Moda Bella Solids from the chosen color palette AND make the quilt the same size as the original which is 36" x 36".  As you can see, instead of one fabric for the back ground, I added a second creating blocks of color but still maintaining the original design.

I cut the second background color, Dusk, and machine basted the pieces in place.  I knew the raw edges would eventually be covered by bias tape.  Then, behind I trimmed away the original Mustard background. 

As this sat on my design wall, I was thinking about my quilting options.  At first, I really wanted to echo the curves but then the quilting would become awkward as I got to the center of the quilt.  So I abandoned the echoing idea and opted for a grid on a 1 1/2" scale and couldn't be more pleased how it turned out.  I used all one thread, Aurifil 50wt in Mustard (5022) across the entire quilt.  

I quilted the entire quilt before applying the bias tape which eliminated the need to quilt around it or bury any quilting threads.  

I used my favorite tube method of making bias and stitched it in place by machine using matching thread.  The bias tape is made from Natural and Nautical Blue.  The binding is also Nautical blue

Finding a suitable backing was a dilemma.  I auditioned many fabrics but wasn't happy with any of my options.  And then, my friend Valorie suggested this Tula Pink large-scale print, Disco Kitty in Blue from Tula's Tabby Road fabric collection.  I think it looks great with the Moda solids.

I was careful not to waste any of the fabric and still leave the kitties intact as much as possible.

In the pattern, Rebecca suggested using a dinner plate as your template for forming the curves.  I found that I could also use the rotary cutter and cut right against the plate to cut the curves and to trim the rounded corners of the quilt before applying the binding.  

I'm pleased with how Smubble turned out hope it makes Rebecca and the MQG proud.  How Rebecca named Smubble is a funny story and you will have to read that for yourself.  Just go to the member Resources tab at the Modern Quilt Guild and look through the Quilts of the Month for Smubble.  

Now it’s your turn to share a quilty finish!  I'm excited to see what you’ve been working on this week. Feel free to link to a blog post or Instagram photo. Don't forget to visit a few blogs -- it's a great way to discover new quilters and to get some quilty inspiration. Please include the TGIFF button (or a link to the TGIFF blog) in your own blog post.And if you want to learn more about TGIFF and host a link party yourself, find all the details here.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Since finishing this MQG Modern Classic was my September goal, I'm linking to Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal link up.  

Here are some other linky parties where you can share your finish:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finished or Not Friday @ Alycia Quilts

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

Brag About Your Beauties @ From Bolt to Beauty

Friday Foto Fun @ Powered by Quilting

UFO Busting @ Tish's Adventure in Wonderland

In Bloom #25 + Figs

This year, the ants beat me to the figs before they ripened.  The pests would claim the figs by entering from the eye, or ostiole.  So, I'm mainly enjoying the leaf shapes and veining you can see from underneath the leaves and just hoping the ants will leave one or two for me.  

Happy Sunday,

In Bloom #24 + Tall Ironweed and Swallowtail Butterfly

I look forward towards the end of summer for the purple blooms of the Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) to appear in a clearing not far from the garden spot  And, what a delight to see this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, South Carolina's official state butterfly, dining on the blooms.  

Happy Sunday,

In Bloom #23 + Scuppernong Grapes

This week I picked over three gallons of grapes, both muscadines and scuppernongs.  The ones pictured here are scuppernongs, but you can you can read about the difference in the two here. 

I mixed the muscadines and scuppernongs and made two batches of jelly.  Now, all I need is some of my mama's homemade buttermilk biscuits.  

Happy Sunday,

MQG Modern Classics

In celebration of the Modern Quilt Guild's 10th anniversary, they are re-releasing some of the Quilt of the Month patterns in a new updated color palette.  They are calling the quilts MQG Modern Classics.

Members of the MQG are invited to join in the fun by making any Quilt of the Month pattern previously released from 2014 through 2019.  That means there are 72 patterns from which to choose. And, if you enter your quilt, you have the chance to have your quilt juried into QuiltCon Together 2021.

I am using four of the seven Moda Bella Solids in the palette for the pattern I have picked out to make.

• Mustard (9900-213)
• Nautical Blue (9900-236)
• Natural (9900-12)
• Dusk (9900-116)

And, fortunately, I already had the matching Aurifil for each Moda Bella solid.

• Aurifil 2310 Light Beige pairs with Natural
• Aurifil 2370 Delft Blue pairs with Dusk
• Aurifil 2783 Medium Delft Blue pairs with Nautical Blue
• Aurifil 5022 Mustard pairs with, you guessed it, Mustard

Here are the Moda Bella Solid swatches included in the 2020 color palette.  The four I am using are below.  

Three additional Moda Bella Solids are also included in the 2020 color palette:  Violet, Capri and Petunia.

I have had two quilts chosen by the Modern Quilt Guild as Quilts of the Month, Positively Transparent and Atypical Angles.  My philosophy is...if you find a good wall on which to photograph quilts, use it multiple times.  

Positively Transparent + August 2017

Atypical Angles + July 2018

To access the Quilt of the Month patterns, once you are logged in to the MQG website, go to the tab "For MQG Members" and from the drop-down choose "Patterns, Webinars and Articles".   From there, once you are on the Resources page, on the the right side bar, you can "Filter by Type"  and simply choose "Quilts of the Month".

The deadline for entering a MQG classic quilt is the same for other quilts entered into QuiltCon Together, November 30, 2020 at midnight.  You can check out the rules at Submit a Quilt.  I'm hoping to get the quilt I am making completed by the end of September.