Friday, April 13, 2012

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

I made this little quilt last week, with that old saying, "April Showers Bring May Flowers" in mind.


However this year, truth is that we not only haven't had any real April showers yet, we also have had no need for them either, (as far as flowers go) as unseasonably warm March days have brought flowers to us unusually early...


And even if some are really allergy inducing agents of torture, for now we will forgive them a bit, as they just look so darn pretty!

To help create the feeling of April rain coming down, I decided to quilt this piece a bit more closely then the previous two quilts that I did, (found here and here) and which for simplicities sake, I am from here on out going to refer to as "color blocking" quilts.


I used several different colors of the beautiful Sulky® variegated threads that I was gifted a while back. I love how they dance across the top and add a whole extra dimension of color and texture.


'April Showers' is now available in my shop here.

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And here's a little peek of what I am currently working on...


I've had a case of pinwheels on the brain this week, and am currently putting together this quilt top, inspired by rusty windmills. Hope to have it all finished by next week. Till then, have a great weekend everyone!

15 comments:

Kit Lang said...

ooooohhhhhh love the pinwheels!

I've had pinwheels on my brain as well ... was relaying the story of how I "invented" pinwheels to some quilty friends on Tuesday when we went out for drinks -now I want to "invent" some more! ;)

Gill said...

April showers is fabulous! I look forward to seeing what you do with the pinwheels!

stephie said...

We've had plenty of April showers here today - none of them looked as pretty as your quilt though! And your pinwheels look so incredibly accurate, how do you do that?!!! I'm in awe :)

Esch House Quilts said...

Love the colors in the new quilt!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

I am sneezing just looking at that picture! They sure are pretty though.
glen: love april showers!

Victoria said...

Stephie, Thanks for thinking they look perfect... I assure you they are not! Which has made me extremely frustrated as I am trying soooo hard to get every point just right. Despite careful cutting, marking and sewing, I still wind up with blocks that are off, and points that don't match. Ugh.

But then I try and take comfort in the lessons found in those old quilts, the ones where one little block is upside down, or a really random color is thrown in just one spot, ( I adore those quilts). Well the reason the quilters did that was to humble themselves and give a visual reminder that only God is perfect. What a great way to take the pressure off!!

Diane J. Evans said...

Yes, Victoria, be sure to remember the lessons of the Amish -- they left deliberate mistakes in their quilts. The beauty of making a mistake in a quilt is that you can always say that you did it on purpose, in the Amish tradition.

I have a feeling your finished piece will be extraordinary, just like "April Showers."

Diane

MariQuilts said...

I love the rusty pinwheel idea....I love those fabrics, I have a nice collection of them just waiting for me.

VirgĂ­nia said...

I had never heard that old saying before - how true and perfect! And so is your quilt. Have a nice week ♥

Stephie said...

Hi Victoria, thank you for your reply :) I'm trying so hard not to be a perfectionist and am finding that as I let go of the need for the desired 'perfect' results, I have a perfect experience instead! That sounds trite, but it really is true for me - enjoying the process is everything :) Your quilts are just so fantastic, the faults you see are just not there in my eyes. And anyway something that's perfect looks far too machine made and soulless to me!

Rachel said...

Beautiful quilt. I particularly like the texture created by the variegated quilting. I'm more drawn to the windmills though, looking forward to seeing more of it.

Pippa said...

Beautiful as always! I love the muted colors and the quilting... just gorgeous.

kathrynclark said...

Beautiful colors! It is a strange spring all across the US. And I'm loving what I'm seeing with that next piece!

picciolo said...

we definitely have april showers over here! I love the variageted thread and the soft colours, just beautiful Victoria
: )

Katrina said...

i love the april showers quilt. that stitchwork! and i agree, the thread does bring movement to the quilt, like it's...raining.