Turning Point

This quilt dates from my pre-machine quilting days. It's the last large quilt I quilted by hand. The basic design came from a stained glass window in a door at the Wentworth Mansion in Charleston SC.

It was assembled in two layers. The background was pieced together first. That odd "three legged" shape is the second layer and was fused over the intersections of the pieced background, hiding the seams. The fused edges are finished with satin stitching. Four of the shapes combine to create the edges of circular unit.

Encouragement

My posts titled "Yellow Stuff" are limited to yellow images. In the interest of expanding the scope of some, hopefully, inspirational visuals and thoughts I'm adding a new posting category: Encouragement.

Encouragement's definition: To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; to hearten.

It's a broad topic so anything goes. Today I'm reflecting on our recent vacation to North Carolina. Vacations have a way of infusing encouragement just by the change of scenery and schedule. These images "hearten" me.

Connemara Farms, Flat Rock, NC. Home of Carl Sandburg and his wife from 1945 until Mr. Sandburg’s death in 1967. Mrs. Sandburg owned and operated the Chikaming Goat Dairy. This little guy is a direct descendant of her champion goats.


Sandhills Botanical Gardens, Pinehurst, NC

Sculpture in the Sandhills Botanical Gardens, Pinehurst, NC

Yellow Stuff

My trusty log cabin chicken pincushion. Here's a similar chicken pattern.
Perhaps you're not into chickens. How about mice, strawberries or toadstools? Checks Tipnut for free patterns/tutorials: pincushion patterns

Yellow Stuff

Notice the amount of yellow in this "green" foliage. I just returned from vacation where I took these photos at the Sandhills Horticulture Gardens in Pinehurst,NC.

A Matter of Perspective

As my first attempt at paper piecing, this original design consists of one block. The variation in color and value choices creates the movement and depth.

The detail below illustrates the way fabric choices can emphasize or de-emphasize the shapes in a block.

This quilt could be made with fewer blocks for an entirely different quilt: