It is a crazy time. I hope you are safe and well.
I’ve been having trouble concentrating on anything new, even though I have a list of things I want to do, so I went back to this old favorite Amish style Double Nine Patch. I started it about 20 or 25 years ago and planned to hand quilt it, but got distracted and didn’t finish it. It languished on a shelf in my studio for years, until I rediscovered it during a studio cleanup last year. Since I don’t really do the fine hand quilting I used to do, and this was always intended to be a couch quilt, I decided to finish it up with free motion stitching. I wrote about starting the process here.
Finishing Double Nine Patch – Cindy Grisdela
I had fun using a variety of motifs on this one, since it’s just for me. There’s a handquilted feather wreath in the very center, a free motion spiral and meander in the main patterned section, ribbon candy in the small green border, fans in the wide purple border, and a feather plume in the blue corners. I’m pleasantly surprised that the combination of hand and machine quilting actually worked out fairly well. As I tell my students, the texture is the thing, and this quilt has great texture.
Amish Style Nine Patch texture – Cindy Grisdela
One fun thing about this quilt is the back.
Amish Nine Patch back – Cindy Grisdela
Remember that I made this over 20 years ago, long before I was using solids in my work. I didn’t have a lot of solids, but I’d always been intrigued by Amish style quilts so I bought a few to make this and a couple of other quilts. I didn’t have anywhere to store them, so I wanted to use up as much as I could and made an abstract composition on the back. Looking at it now, I’m surprised at how similar it is to what I’m currently doing in my work!
Jessie testing out the new quilt – Cindy Grisdela
My rescue cat Jessie burrowed down in the quilt as soon as I sat down on the sofa to stitch the binding down! Cats and quilts are a nice combination.
That’s one WIP done–maybe I’ll get a few more done. It’s relaxing to work on a project that doesn’t have a deadline sometimes. I look forward to curling up on the couch with this one.
Amish Style Double Nine Patch – Cindy Grisdela
I am usually very motivated, but the news has sort of disjointed me. Sewed some masks for the local hospital and my daughter the nurse. That inspired me to cut up more of those random scrap into squares and strips for some charity quilts. I found a couple of great fabrics I had hoarded and that shot me back up stairs to a current wild project. 40 8 inch blocks of colors and curves, started out with purple and orange but have expanded. Some Kaffe, some batik. All good. Calm now and ready to soldier on.
Thank you for your wonderful inspirations
Thanks for your thoughtful comment and your kind words, Celia. I agree that it’s hard to stay motivated and I’m happy that you were able to get into a groove that worked for you!
Hi Cindy – Can you tell me if there’s been a new date considered yet for the The Enclave Retreat that was postponed?
Judy, I haven’t heard anything about the new date for The Enclave Retreat.
Your point about the familiar things helping us to feel better during such an unsettling time is spot on. I love this quilt, the colors and the mixed hand and machine quilting. And the traditional pattern makes it even more comforting. Stay safe!
Thanks so much Theresa! I’m glad you liked the solution I came up with for this quilt. Take care and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hello Cindy. I too am trying to find my groove in the middle of all this. I have taken a quilting break and have been making face masks. Next, several surgical caps out of bright colorful fabric. My son too is working in his third year residency in Emergency Medicine in Chicago. I think he has had IT and has recovered. In the thick of incoming, very sick people. I am staying busy to keep from worrying. I am working on three projects at once, since I only get a few minutes here and there to quilt. But it is wonderful to have it to fall back on when all else in our world feels out of control. Stay safe. I attended your class last May at the Western Michigan Quilt Guild. Still using the techniques I learned there!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Mary. Of course I remember you from the class in Grand Rapids! Best wishes to you and your family through all this.