Spring Cleaning and Quilting

Goose Tracks (Raspberry Swirl)

Jo Morton Little Women Club #11

2012

Whoo Hoo!  Add another flimsy quilt for the long armed quilter.  Started this quilt last year as part of the Jo Morton Little Women Club.  I stopped working on it because I could not find sashing fabric.  The red sashing fabric is from Jo's red favorite line.  

I found this HST (half square triangle) quilt on Pinterest and thought it would be a great way to utilize my left over HST from Jo Morton Club #11 projects.  One of the many things I find appealing about this quilt are the borders--the use of larger HST as the first border, the small solid border and then some beautiful Jo Morton fabric for the third border.  Beautiful fabrics and will add such a nice touch to fall decorating. 

This is the beginning of my HST quilt.  Spring cleaning is not a chore when it results in a quilt.



Jo Morton Raspberry Swirl

Jo Morton Raspberry Swirl--this is not my finished quilt but the teachers--more to come tomorrow

Jo Morton Homework

It has been a while since I pulled an all nighter on my homework.  Tonight has the potential.  I'm still going to try to use the dog ate my homework excuse.

Jo Morton Raspberry Swirl/Goose Tracks/Turkey Feet

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date No time to say "hello", "goodbye", I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

Does anyone else ever feel like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland?  Saturday is my Jo Morton Class and I do not have my homework completed.  

Speaking of Jo Morton, this quilt is having an identity crises.  Jo Morton Little Women Club #11 calls this quilt, Raspberry Swirl.  Jo Morton refers to the quilt as Goose Tracks and I found another identical quilt called Turkey feet.

I have three more Swirls/Tracks/Feet to make before adding the sashings to set the quilt together.

Else I am going to have to come up with a good explanation to the instructor for why I do not have my homework completed.  Since Callie Mae is a cat telling her the dog ate my work home will not work. 

Jo Morton Raspberry Swirl

It's a rainy day at Thistle Manor with overcast skies and showers.  The rain is very needed to help the gardens prepare themselves for the hot dry months of July and August.  The rain is non discriminating.  Translation:  there will be many weeds to pull next week and flowers to deadhead.

Miss Callie Mae has been taking advantage of this rainy day by catching up on her sleep.

At Thistle Manor, AppleJack says we have inside chores and outside chores.  With the rain showers, today is an inside kind of chore day.  I started working on my Jo Morton Raspberry Swirl June homework assignment.  Here is the progress:

I am using Jo Morton and French General fabrics.  A completed square is 5."  There will be nine total squares in the quilt plus the sashings and borders.  So far so good, I have not had any melt downs and there is a long way to go.  I do not like waiting until the last minute to start my homework, I think Grandmother Bessie taught me this.

Here is what Jo Morton writes about Raspberry Swirl:  "I think these Goose tracks blocks are adorable especially in the 5" size used in this quilt.  I'm going to use mine during the Holidays, it is just perfect for our home.  It is fun to have a new quilt each year.  Red and cream equals classic, timeless, traditional,  I never get tired of it."  I think this quilt could also be used at Valentines.  Since there is so much red used on the front of the quilt with the goose tracks (or raspberry swirls), sashings, and border, I am thinking of using a shirting for the backing.  Any thoughts?

"Hello Cat Mother, I'm here to help with quality control and color selection."

Jo Morton Raspberry Swirl

Jo Morton's Raspberry Swirl

This is June's homework assignment.  Pretty awesome!  It is going to be challenging because the pieces are getting smaller and smaller.  A Pottery Shard was 3" a Raspberry Swirl is 2 1/2."

As I sat listening to the teacher giving explanation, I was doing some deep breathing to keep from having a Jo Morton anxiety attack over the size of the pieces.  Our teacher is wonderful--her quilting is exquisite, she is helpful, and excellent in sharing tips! 

One of the tips she shared was about selecting border and backing fabric.  Her tip is to take the completed pieced top to the local needlework shop and audition fabric.  Roll the fabric out on a counter and lay the pieced quilt on top of the fabric to get a full view of what the borders will look like on the quilt.   Because there is so much color and movement in Pottery Shards, the teacher suggested a fabric which would frame the quilt.

This week has been the International Quilt Market in Kansas City.  Of course, I have been searching the internet to find postings.  Jo Morton will be releasing a line of her favorite, best selling fabric.  She will also be releasing a line called Toasted.  If you are a Jo Morton stalker follower, her website/blog is full of eye candy.

This is the fabric I have selected to use for my Raspberry Swirl.   The shirtings are Jo Morton and the other fabrics are a combination of French General and Jo Morton with a little Blackbird Designs.  The fabric at the top will be the sashings and I have a similar piece which I will use for the backing.

Now, I am going to find my brown paper bag to do some deep breathing before I start Raspberry Swirl.