Masquerade Extras

The completion of Masquerade, a quilt in the making for nine years, was announced last month in my post for 10/16/20. You do not make a quilt from 173 hexagons, each from 6 equilateral triangles, without having some leftover triangles. What a shame to toss out those perfectly uniform shapes as scraps. I joined them together as far as they would go in quasi-random order to make one side of a pillow. I was not free-spirited enough to be totally random. Total randomness would have resulted in two triangles of the same color falling side by side somewhere, and I prohibited that from happening. 

I also had a narrow strip of the mask fabric left over. Not large enough to make a pillowcase but certainly adequate to add a focus band on a pillow. I flat fell seamed a blue band and a green band on either side of this mask piece. 

I joined the banded mask section to the pieced triangle section right sides together to create sort of wrap-around seams. The result was a tube size 21" x 13".  I sewed one short end closed and turned the unit right side out. A couple straight stitching lines an inch or so in from the long edges gave it two solid-color flanges.  This pillow was a quick, spontaneous, impromptu creation so I added no zipper nor Velcro nor overlapping flap. I stuffed it as is and machine sewed the remaining short edge closed. The result was this pillow. The following photos show front and back – or maybe back and front depending on your preference. 

But wait! I still had some half-equilateral triangles left over from the edges of the strips used to cut the full triangles. How could I waste those luscious colors and toss them in the trash? Granted they were small and showed the selvage printing, but that could be interesting, too. I sewed them together matching those with similar angle slants and leaving the selvage printing in place. Some were bigger than others but since they had all been cut from 3½" strips, they made several uniform width columns. If grouped judiciously, they could approach approximately equal heights. I had leftover piped, striped binding from the Masquerade quilt, so I tucked some in the seam at either end before adding orange vertical edge strips. After trimming, I added blue and green horizontal bands on the top and bottom as on the previous pillow. I sized the added blue and green strips such that this pillow also ended up at 21" x 13". Since these blue and green bands were narrower, I chose not to stitch them flat as flanges. They adjoined a swirly orange back in a continuous soft contour.

Again, I stuffed this pillow without much extra decorum or attention to future removal of the cover. If dirty, it can be tossed in the washer and dryer as is. Here is the front and back after stuffing to be plump, yet soft and squishy.

 

But wait! I still had two equilateral triangles and some more black and white striped binding. This was enough to make this little 9" square pillow. Depending on your screen size when you are reading this post, the image made be bigger than the pillow. Perhaps I should  call it a pillow-ette? 

The front fabric of the quilt was not all I had left over. I had 8 yards of the fabric to use for the backing of the king-size quilt. See my 9/16/20 post for the story behind the graphic blue backing fabric. There was a fair amount remaining, but not necessarily in the size configuration for a pair of king size pillowcases. But I am quilter! I can piece! Aha! I was careful to use flat fell seams so there would be no raw edges nor bumps where the sleeper might choose to lay his head. My resulting jigsaw puzzle ended up with an embedded mask band in the discontinuous backing fabric and a pillowcase border of black and white stripe binding fabric. The white accent band was from the same piping fabric as the quilt binding.

So here are the three pillows, a pillowcase, and a section of Masquerade folded back to expose the backing fabric. I had better be dark in my daughter's bedroom. This is a pretty wild combination of colors and shapes and patterns, not necessarily conducive to falling asleep.

The trio of scrap pillows is displayed on a small bench at the foot of my bed prior to my mailing them to my daughter. I am not sure where she will place them in her bedroom or if her 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son will make off with them.

Here is the entire collection: Masquerade quilt, two pillowcases, and three pillows. I have already shipped off all the components to Oklahoma as of this post. I am still six months before her 10th wedding anniversary next May.

Pumpkin Time

Buried deep within the contents of my drawer of panels, I resurrected an autumnal scene of a rural path wending its way up to the door of a rural home. The ¾ yard length of fabric featured a central scene roughly 20" wide by 24" tall, flanked by two other half-size scenes of houses and paths on each side, each roughly 10" wide x 12" tall  . The colors were rich and cornucopia-like and seemed to draw the viewer in. I separated the five scenes and spread them apart from each other, planning to fill in the top, bottom, and side edges with some other fabric. But what would be interesting enough in that large of an expanse and yet would not compete with the the striking landscapes?

I liked the tan and brown checked border on the large scene and noted that the half-size scenes sported a similar motif. On one, the border was an orange and yellow check, and on another,  it was a two-toned green check.

Even the other two had a contoured green check on the hillside and a wonky green check in the wavy border.

I recalled that I had some checkerboard blocks squirreled away. I'd made them up from houndstooth fabric and then had decided not to use them in a quilt for my grandson which I titled Be Happy, post for 4/27/18. I dug them out from my "Blocks to Make into Whatever" plastic bin. I liked the muted tones of the houndstooth colors, and also that houndstooth is like a tiny mini-check. I scattered them in the open spaces on my design wall and contemplated that with some creative unstitching and restitching I could make them work. The blocks were not an exact size fit; but if I took off the borders, rejoined the central check parts, and compensated for size in the borders, I could incorporate them. True, the taking apart and resewing probably took more time than mass producing more checkerboards from additional houndstooth fabric, but where is the challenge in that? Having one side be the color-pairing complement of the other, (yellow in orange and orange in yellow) and the top and bottom be complements of each other (brown in red and red in brown) added visual interest and used the colors in equal amounts.

I still had to do some fill-in around the perimeter of the large central scene. But I had some green houndstooth that was a close color blend with the outermost border on the central panel.

I used light tan thread to puff quilt around the checkerboard squares because I wanted uniformity plus, I did not want to keep switching colors. I used green thread to outline the pumpkins and hillsides, to stitch in the ditch around the central panel and any green borders, and to add a ridge-like texture to the diagonal golden furrows. 

My choice of backing fabric kept up the check theme with. After consideration, I rejecting several names... Pumpkin Paths (hard to pronounce and sounds to much like Pumpkin Patch)... Pumpkin Pathways (too long)... Paths to Grandma's House (too maudlin). I chose simply Pumpkin Time and made up the two corner grosgrain ribbon labels accordingly to my custom.

It was a kind of funky choice, but I picked a spotted Kaffe Fasset ombre stripe for the binding. The colors were almost a perfect match except for the lime that introduced just enough spark to brighten up the edges a bit and draw the eye outward in places. The Pumpkin Time finished at 42" wide by 50" tall.

I wanted this quilt in a complete enough state for the November Hang a Quilt Day, so I halted there. Perhaps I may go back and quilt some dark blue texture in the skies amidst the moon and stars. (My pebbles have improved.) I know for sure those deep brown ridges in the main walk of the central panel need some parallel horizontal lines to go with the adjacent diagonal-lined furrows I'd stitched in green. It is the Thanksgiving season and I am thankful Pumpkin Time is complete enough to enjoy for this year's holiday. Additional adornment will be like the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie – not really necessary but certainly delectable.

Third Saturday of November 2020

For "Hang Your Quilt Day" this month, the theme was Thanksgiving. I scrambled to make up some smaller quilts for this holiday since I had none other than the pumpkin one on the lower right. I actually enjoyed playing with the muted golden color scheme which is not the norm for me.

The checkerboard quilt hanging on the left measures 40" x 40" and its title is Gobble. The nine Ohio Star blocks that make it up have novelties fabrics of turkey and Indian corn. My 11/8/2020 post gives closeups and more details.

The Pumpkin Time quilt hanging in the center measures 42" x 50" and was made this past week from a several-year-old panel and some re-purposed checkerboard blocks from a previous project. The central pathway in each of the five images leads to a quaint home. I wanted this quilt hung for the third Saturday of November so the quilting on it is minimal due to my self-imposed time crunch, but I may do more. The descriptive blog post on it is yet to come. I was too hard-pressed to complete it to blog about it. Update: My post about sewing Pumpkin Time is dated 11/22/2020.

The 30" x 33" wall hanging titled Harvest Moon, hanging in the upper right, came from a long-forgotten kit. I had fun with the chicken print backing on this one; but check my post for 11/9/2020 for more details.

The pumpkin wall hanging on the bottom right measures 31" x 39". The final quilt on the lower right is a repeat from the third Saturdays of September (9/19/2020) and October (10/18/2020); but, hey, pumpkins are good throughout the fall months. My 10/31/2017 post describes its completion and quilting.

Beginning April 2020, my quilt guild members began a tradition of hanging quilts in the front of their homes on the third Saturday of the month as a source of enjoyment for the community and as a thank you for the essential workers during the pandemic. My initial post about this practice is dated 4/22/20.

Pink and Lilac Round Knitted Blanket

THE KNITTING:
Can you guess from this post title if the recipient of this blanket is a boy or a girl? No brainer, right? It is for the fourth child for my son and his wife, their third girl. In a FaceTime call, her two older sisters, ages 6½ and 4½ asked me, "Grandma, can we pick the color for the blanket you make for our new baby sister?" I had already bought the yarn but I asked them what they wanted. "Pink and purple," they chimed in unison. Fortunately, good guessing, more so than luck on my part, had resulted in my buying variegated yarn that ran from pink to white to shades of lilac. I showed them the yarn and they smiled and nodded their approval. Then they asked, "What's lilac?" and I told them it is a pale shade of purple. I could almost see the spongelike brains of theirs soaking in the new vocabulary word. I explained how it would be a surprise which color showed up next.

 

The yarn I'd bought was all the same dye lot but the skeins sure looked different from each other. Since I knit the blanket with two strands of yarn, the sequence in which the color combinations appeared would be a surprise to me as well. After the first two wedges of twelve, and the start of the third wedge, here is how the color combinations showed up: lilac and pink, pink and white, then white and lilac. 

The following photos show closeups of the first wedge (lilac and pink), the second wedge (pink and white) and the third wedge (white and lilac in a darker tone).

Then the pattern tended to repeat itself. Since the color repeat frequency was not in phase with the size of each wedge, a unique pattern emerged. I was careful to pull each skein from the center so the emergence order of the colors was the same, and chose which two skeins to combine such that the colors did stagger. I was a bit worried in the final two skeins since they seemed so different but they blended in after all.

The completion of twelve wedges made a pinwheel pattern. I counted rows and matched them to stitches to make sure the two sides of the final joining seam were evenly distributed.

I was pleased with the final effect, both in color distribution and drape-ability. It measures 48"-50" in diameter.

ACCOMPANYING POEM:
I usually write a poem to go with each blanket. For this pink and lilac blanket I composed several verses of limericks.

BLANKET TRADITION
for January 2021

What color blanket shall I knit

For girl number three? This is it!

Must be purple and pink

Her big sisters think.

An alternate hue would not fit.

Each week they'd ask me, "Are you done?"

They checked with me often, 'twas fun.

Other blankets had plans

But none had such fans

As these cheerleaders, once I'd begun.

So as I formed every stitch,

I knew this new babe would be rich

With the love and the care

From her sisterly pair.

In her family, she'd found a firm niche.

And yes, this babe has a brother.

I'm sure when she's here, he will love her.

He'll protect her I'm sure,

And her cries he'll endure.

They will love and enjoy one another.

Per the public announcement by my daughter-in-law on her Instagram November 10th, the baby is due in two months and one day.  As of this post, her delivery is less than two months away. The blanket has not been gifted yet but in the past I have not waited for the baby's arrival to publish a post or send the blanket.

THE HISTORY:
I have knitted this same garter stitch circular blanket pattern, my own design, for all of my grandchildren, six in total. Two have been for boys and this is the fourth one for a baby girl. I even knitted one slightly larger for myself with a ribbed variation along with the garter stitch. Posts for previous blankets with color callouts, some with back stories and some with poems, are at these links:

Vivian 12/26/13 a-blankie-for-christmas
Lillian 3/21/16 circling-blanket-tradition 
Isaiah 12/17/16 going-in-circles-again 
William 12/20/17 round-blue-blanket-for-baby-boy
Autumn 8/29/18 autumns-pink-blanket.html
Mine 1/9/19 knit-round-adult-snuggle.html

PAST POEMS:
These three were for one older brother and two older sisters. I have repeated them here in this post for nostalgia.

‘TWAS THE BLANKET

Christmas 2017 for April 2018 

It’s packed and it’s wrapped and tucked under the tree,

A round blanket knitted for Chambers child number three. 

The colors I’ve chosen are two aqua tones, 

For this yet-to-be-babe is a boy, name unknown. 

Nacho Boy, least for now, is his working name

At YMCA camp, Dan his dad had been called near the same

Boys are so different most onlookers advise

With two older sisters, ‘twill seem true we surmise.

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, so the old adage goes

Will Nacho Boy meet the challenge? I wonder. Who knows? 

With each click of the needle and each loop of the yarn

I don’t doubt this babe will have Chambers’ charm

April 9th is when Nacho Boy is expected.

If he should appear in March, that is also accepted

Whatever he chooses as the month to be born

There’ll be cheering and clapping and the blowing of horns.

But when the ruckus for this little guy goes into a lull

And nap time approaches, as it eventually will

I hope he will snuggle beneath this soft wrap

Can’t hardly wait to hold him in my lap. 

BLANKET OF MUSINGS

Spring 2016

As I sit here and knit you a blanket so round,

My thoughts also spiral around and around.

I hope you will use it, for sleep and for play.

I hope it gets tattered from lovin' all day.

Will you tug it and hug it, all out of shape?

Will you drag it around, pretend it's a cape?

Perhaps you'll ignore it and that's OK, too. 

I can't wait to see who is you, shining through.

Will you be a tomboy? Or coy little lady?

Will you wail all the night? Or sleep like a baby?

Adore your big sister? Or will you compete?

Be chock full of mischief? Or maybe real sweet?

What will your name be, mysterious one?

I don't have a clue; the surprise will be fun.

I do know however as I'm sitting here knitting.

Hugs and kisses from Grandma are oh, so befitting.

Que sera, sera. 

Purl and knit. Knit and purl.

Whatever will be, will be. 

Know my love, little girl.

INSTRUCTIONS:
I use 10½ knitting needles and a double strand of Snuggly Wuggly™ Yarn by Loops & Threads® from Michael's. The blanket uses slightly under 30 ounces of yarn (15 ounces each strand)  and finishes approximately 48"-50" in diameter. The following pattern is fun to do; since it is made in twelve wedges, it avoids the typical tedium of circular items requiring longer and even longer rounds as they get bigger. 

• Cast on 70.
• Knit 2 (toward center), TURN, knit back over those 2 (toward outer edge).
• Knit 4 (toward center), TURN, knit back over those 4 (toward outer edge).
• Knit 6(toward center), TURN, knit back over those 6 (toward outer edge).
• Can you see a wedge developing?
• Continue this way. Two short rows of 8, then 10, then 12, then 14, etc. up to 70.
• Once you've knitted across 70 stitches, turned, and knitted back you've finished the first wedge.
• Do 12 wedges and you have finished your blanket. Just sew your last row to your first cast on row.

Burp Cloths for January 2021 Baby

Another granddaughter on the way means it is time for more burp cloths. There has been a run on babies of late and I've made 14 of these as gifts for friends so far in 2020 (posts for 2/27/20 and 6/8/20). I actually had to BUY some more flannel in feminine colors since my dwindling stash was mostly boy colors. I made 12 burp cloths in 6 complementary pairs that span quite a menagerie. There are piggies, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, elephants, sheep, narwhales, seagulls, seahorses, crabs, fish, and bears. I did not realize until writing this up that I was so creature-focused. I made another two individual burp cloths, in pink and purple, her big sisters' colors of choice. Those two may very well be repurposed by them as doll blankets. Fourteen burp cloths means one a day for two weeks with having to do laundry. Hah... is that ever dreaming!

Here are the selvages from most of the flannels I used, two fat quarters for each burp cloth. I am glad to report my flannel stash is now 7 yards lighter. As soon as I have triple pre-washed them, I will send these burp cloths off to my son and daughter-in-law. The baby girl is not due until January but best to be prepared. Instructions for making burp cloths like these are in my post for 6/18/24.