Friday, November 1, 2019

Hope and kindness

Hi all, and welcome to November! Yes, November! Who can even believe it? 2019 is just racing toward the  finish line, isn't it? It freaks me out a little, to be honest. Know what else is freaking me out? We had no trick or treaters! Not even one. It was so, so weird. At our house in Wisconsin we would have tons, like you-need-10-bags-of-candy numbers, and last night not a single one. So my students are getting Halloween candy as a bonus for coming to class Friday, because if I keep it here you know what will happen, don't you? That's right, a hubby with a stomach ache.

So this week I finished up those happy little word quilts that I was working on:


Aren't those darling?  They're pretty much exactly what I wanted, and I have the perfect place to hang them, too.


The little "hope" quilt measures about 8 by 13 and is made entirely from scraps, mostly from the string jar. Even the single fold binding is a scrap. This is the first time I've ever made lower-case letters and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I quilted it with the walking foot, and I'm thrilled with that, too. (And look at the mum!)


The "kindness" quilt got something of a makeover from the last time I showed it. I wasn't happy with the letters just in a banner-type line, so I cut them apart and tried a few different ways to put them together. I finally settled on the 'dancing' layout, which works with these letters and with the word itself, too.  I quilted this little quilt in a 45 degree cross hatch with the walking foot, which did not take long at all. This one also got a single fold binding and I am really happy with how it turned out.  Kindness measures about 7 by 24 inches.


These little quilts were free-pieced, which means I made the letters through trial and error, without any patterns. I used Lynne's Liberated Letters tutorial and it helped so, so much. (You can buy it HERE.)  I would really like to make a few more for practice because I have a *great* idea for a quilt made entirely of words. I'm not sure which practice words would go with what I already have, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!


Everyone have a wonderful weekend! The temperature is supposed to drop about 25 degrees or so overnight, so I hope I'm not a popsicle by the time you're reading this!

Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday, and Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

16 comments:

Libby in TN said...

Patience?

Ramona said...

Great little quilts. I have never made letters and am very impressed that you made these without a pattern. Wonderful finishes.

JanineMarie said...

You’ve mastered liberated letters, Mari, and I like your revamp of the kindness ones. Maybe add some fruits of the Spirit, since you have one already, or any words that combat the current political (and general social) climate—which kind of brings brings it back to the fruits...

MissPat said...

Peace and Quiet (as opposed to our current state of chaos)? I think nearly everyone is getting the big dips in temperature along with exceedingly high winds.
Pat

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I heard on the news that a lot of people were moving Halloween to Saturday this year because they were getting bad storms out east - maybe that is what happened to your trick or treaters? when I lived in Wisconsin we trick or treated even if there was snow on the ground and we wore jackets and mask and sometimes the costume went over. It got down to 32 here last night and at the library we had close to 400 show up to trick or treat at the party I helped with but not a one at the house here in the country like usual - it was nice to help at the party for a change and see all the costumes

piecefulwendy said...

We never get trick or treaters, being just a bit out of town, so I don't even bother buying candy. Hope you leave a few little treats for hubby at home though (wink). I like the two word quilts, and look forward to the next. No ideas on words, though. Stay warm and cozy -- it's cold here too!

Rebecca said...

Laugh...Reach....Begin...Share...
How big of a quilt are you going to make?

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

In our town there was little Trick or treating too.... your little quilts are all so great!

grammajudyb said...

It was cold here, and only 9 little trick or treaters. And 2 were our great grands who helped hand out candy. Jojo was disappointed that there weren’t more knocks at the door!

Of course, there is always LOVE and Peace.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

We've lived in the same town, and even the same house, for a very long time, and we used to have tons of trick-or-treaters, but it has changed over the years to almost none now. I don't know if it's because our neighborhood has aged or if people do other things nowadays. We miss seeing the kids in their costumes! Your word minis are just great, Mari. I love how you made the letters in Kindness dance!

Bernie Kringel said...

So disappointing not to have trick or treaters. We live out in a rural area and have a very long driveway so we never get any. Well, except one year. Only Julia was at home and we didn't have a single piece of candy in the house. She was mortified. Plus she loves to remind me of this awkward Halloween annually. So I buy a bag of candy and never have had a child show up since then! But Ray and I get to eat the chocolate. Haha.

How about gratitude, peace, patience, tolerance, love, acceptance, compassion? So many words would be perfect for your quilt.

Louise said...

Such sweet and positive little quilts!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Free pieced letters are SEW much fun!! I once did THINK! for a teacher gift. My teacher friend thought it should say Shut UP!!! LOL

gayle said...

I have a quilt that I want to add words to, so I am admiring your little ones. Such a great way to practice this piecing skill!
Compassion is a good one. And empathy?

Kat said...

I love your word banners! I can think of a few more words: Believe, Love, Laugh, Friends

Quiltdivajulie said...

We have no trick or treaters at our house but we go to Little Man's place where they had 622 trick or treaters and gave out 1000 pieces of candy in under two hours. We turned off the lights and went indoors but there were still kids out for another hour after we stopped. Amazing ...