True Blue Monday

Last week I was showing you some of my old - and new - quilt designs. Judy H. of POSSIBILITIES! wrote me to say how much my quilts really looked like miniature fabric quilts. Thank you, Judy!

Which reminded me of the days when I would go to local quilt shows and set up my display of threads, canvases and quilt models. I can't TELL you how many times women walking past the booth would think my stitched quilts were actually done with itty bitty fabric pieces. And then, when they got up closer to the quilts they were stunned to realize they were actually stitched! Wasn't it HARD? they asked. How did I see the canvas? I told them it was much easier to get crisp even edges on a geometric grid of canvas than working with pieces of fabric. And often times I would get them to buy an easy pattern and try it themselves. I hope over the years I got a few of those quilters re-interested in stitching and doing needlepoint again!


Thinking about my range of quilt designs got me thinking again about one of my most favorite designs: COLOR STUDY: FLYING GEESE. I just loved this design, and actually stitched it twice - because I needed two models at the time and also because it was so fun to stitch! Possibly it was the luscious blue/green/purple colorway that I loved, combined with the always classic geese pattern. (I don't know what it is about those simple triangles - but I just LOVE stitching them and never seem to tire of them in a quilt design!)And a row of those triangles always make me think of this:


This was also the first quilt design that I decided to add a few easy stitches to see if I could replicate fabric swatches - and branch out from that tried and true diagonal satin stitch that my other designs use almost exclusively.


This was also the first design that I decided to incorporate DMC floss as the background thread.... just to break away from using #5 pearl cotton all the time. I must say I enjoyed the thread change because it was easier on the fingers to stitch (although the floss plies had to be separated and recombined to lay flat, and a laying tool was needed for the floss, unlike good old pearl cotton!)

Anyway, looking back at this favorite quilt design makes me want to design some more in this vein, since it's been a while since I've done one... so I'm going to get out my sketch pad now and start doodling!