Everyone Deserves a Quilt: September 2020

I've been able to get a bit of sewing done and that always makes me feel good. Besides some secret sewing, I actually took something from the "To Be Quilted" tub (AKA - Tub of Shame) and made the time to quilt it.

This is To The Point, a Tamarinis pattern.

I pieced this quite some time ago (back in Dec. or January) but wasn't sure how I wanted to quilt it. Actually, about half way through piecing the diamonds, I realized that I didn't give any thought to the shadowing that would happen with the darker print fabrics. I decided that it was too late to turn back, so I just went ahead and finished the top. The quilting dilemma was really a question of whether or not I could do anything to help hide the shadowing. I couldn't decide what to do, so this top got set aside for another day.

That day happened last week when I finally decided that I was just going to quilt the heck out of it with smallish meandering in the background (it's not plain white, but rather a white multi-color confetti) and an outline stitch close to the diamonds. This did not solve the shadowing issue, but the quilt is quilted and I'm happy.

I have no yardage of any of the print fabrics, so the next question is what to do about binding. I posed that questions to a group of people and was kind of surprised that many suggested using the background fabric. Their logic is that by using that, it would not distract from the diamonds. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of light binding, but I get what they are saying. There were a variety of other ideas - bright red, black, or anything dark. My husband suggested a fabric close to one of the light diamond fabrics. I'm still mulling this over and will check my stash. That will most likely be what makes the decision for me. :-) I'll post pictures when I've made my choice. I want to get this bound before Thursday, as I'll be meeting Tammy Silvers and would like to show her this quilt.

I recently shared my fabric choices and the beginnings of my Perpetual quilt. I will not have it completed by this weekend as I had hoped, but I do like what I have so far. All of the block quadrants are made and I just have to sew those together to complete the blocks, and then sew the blocks together.

The pattern includes instructions for a bed runner, lap quilt, and bed quilt. I'm making the bed quilt, but I played around with some of the blocks so I could see what the runner would look like. I love this! This is made from just one of the two blocks. I REALLY like this and think I may have to see if I have enough extra fabric to make one.

Here is a very small version of the bed quilt. I know that I am going to love this quilt so it will not be put aside. That secondary design is pretty cool.

I have some finishes to share - personal and secret sewing, but I'll wait until later this week.

What are you working on today?

Check out the eye candy at

Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

and

Beth's Monday Making

It's the first, and that means that it's time for the new

Monthly Color Challenge Block

It's Color Challenge Time again!

This month's color is Cinnamon,

and the bird is the Cinnamon Teal

For the pattern and block instructions,

head on over to

Jen's Blog - Patterns by Jen

Male (left) and Female (right) Cinnamon Teal

The Cinnamon Teal is a species of duck found in western North and South America. It is a small dabbling duck, with bright reddish plumage on the male and duller brown plumage on the female. It lives in marshes and ponds, and feeds mostly on plants. Both the male and female have a pretty sizeable head and a long bill.

As you can see in the picture above, the adult male has a cinnamon-red head and body and a brown back. His bill is long and black, and he has striking red eyes.

The adult female has a mottled brown body, pale brown head, brown eyes, and a grey bill. Interestingly, young and non-breeding males have similar coloring as the female, but their eyes are red. All adults have a sky-blue patch visible when their wing is open.

Cinnamon Teal dabble on aquatic plants in shallow water areas, especially rush seeds, pondweed seeds and leaves and salt grass seeds. They also feed on animal food, especially aquatic insects and mollusks. So basically, they are vegetarian with an occasional insect or two eaten.

Much like I'd like to do, nearly all Cinnamon Teal winter in Mexico and Central America.

Click HERE to listen the the Cinnamon Teal.

Be sure to listen to both the male and female sounds. They are quite different.

What symbolism is associated with the color Cinnamon?

That is quite interesting because throughout much of history there has been a bit of a contradiction regarding the color. Because the color is associated with the spice of the same name (a spice that was highly prized in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and often given as a gift for monarchs), the color cinnamon was looked upon with high regard. But if the color was separated from the spice, it was often associated with poverty and humility because of the brown clothing worn by the lower class in ancient Rome and Catholic monks during the Middle Ages.

In recent years, the various shades of brown have been associated with nature and thus represent strength, stability, sincerity, loyalty, and honesty. While brown and most of its shades are often listed as a "least favorite color" by many people, it is often considered to be a neutral in the art and decorating work. Cinnamon can be paired with most shades of brown, and looks fresh next to cream or crisp white. It looks amazing when paired with other earthy shades like burnt orange, deep red, maroon, soft blue, and olive green.

Searching the internet for these colors has made me want to do some redecorating/repainting. I know myself enough to realize that will most likely not happen anytime soon, so I'll do what I do best. I'll use them in a quilt or two. If nothing else, this color challenge has made me become smitten with some new color ideas! :-)

Speaking of quilts, I have used various shades of brown over the years, including cinnamon.

Prism, pattern my Tammy Silvers made by Joanne Hubbard

Bethlehem, pattern by Doug Leko, made by Joanne Hubbard

Uptown Girl, pattern by Creative Sewlutions, made by Joanne Hubbard

Zen Table Runner, pattern by Jean Ann Wright, made by Joanne Hubbard

Back of Zen Table Runner

The cinnamon that I used this month was purchased at Once Upon a Quilt in Ft. Lauderdale. To be honest, this was the color with which I had the most challenging time picking. I'm sure the staff thought I was crazy when I kept asking their opinions of fabrics based on the names of a bird,and then I threw in a spice! If they did think I was crazy, they certainly didn't show it. For that, I am thankful.. 😘

I liked this fabric, so I bought much more than what I needed for this project. Imagine that!