Friday

Collection 18 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Wow Collection 18! We are really steaming along these days. Anyone managing to make a collection a week? I didn't when I made the quilt. I could often make one block a day but that wasn't day in and day out. I would often spend a day every now and then cutting out multiple blocks, 10 or so even, and then stitch away merrily. When I had finished those ten, or almost finished them I would then spend another few days cutting blocks.  It was the easiest way I found to keep going.

Anyway onto the point of this post, the block names.
Sunflowers 
(yellow and green in the middle) 
This was to me the obvious name for this bright block. Just as sunflowers stand tall and bright moving to always face the sun this block stares right out to the viewer.

Louis XIV 
(pink & white stripe on grey - top block)
Ahhhhh I mucked up my Roman numerals  This was supposed to be Louis 16th (XVI) but by accident I reversed the letters and it says Louis 14th.  Absolutely no idea of anything about Louis XIV :-(
Louis XVI was the last king before the French Revolution in 1792 and was married to Marie-Antoinette.... of the 'let them eat cake' fame. They married when he was only 15 and didn't have children for many years which wasn't the norm at the time. They ended up having four children and adopting several children of various staff when their parents died. 
He was very insecure and wanted to be liked by his people and in this hope introduced changes to the running of government to benefit the people.
He was beheaded on the guillotine in 1793 and his body was buried in a mass grave with other beheaded people. 
Always found Louis XVI interesting and the fabrics just reminded me of him.

Hydrangeas 
(purple floral on pale apricot- RHS top)
The name of course came from the fabrics. Everyone grew these flowers when I was a child. Did you know that the colour is affected by the acidity of the soil? Blue it's alkaline, red it's acidic.

Writer's Lament 
(blue on white on a purple-pink fabric - RHS bottom)
You have all had those days when you must write a report, letter or something and there is no way you can word it so it sounds OK.

Jet Plane 
(olive green on cream- bottom block)
The shape reminded me of the propellor found on old fashioned planes. These days we don't see the propellers but they are still there.

Evening Star 
(striped on blue - LHS bottom)
I really like stripes and wanted a block that allowed the matching of the stripes. The simplicity of this block made it perfect.

Flights of Fancy 
(pale floral Japanese print on cream - LHS top)
A fancy fabric circling a central pole .. to me it seemed obvious :-)



Collection 17 - Where Did That Name Come From?

Collection 17

Aren't the colours what you would expect in a Fresh Start?
C17 Fresh Start

The Thief of Time  is a clock found on a back alley in Paris. He looks like a tall skinny fellow who would sneak in to your home in the late of the night. I wonder if they will ever fix it so that it works again.
C17 The Thief of Time

My favourite author for many years was terry Pratchett and I love his Discworld novels. They are traditional stories with the characters begin changed to be witches, trolls, dwarfs and even Death. From one of these the Gathering of a coven of witches was brought to mind.
C17 Scattered Jewels

The colours in Scattered Jewels scattered among the floral background gave this block its title.
C17 Gathering

I have never wanted to make a pineapple log cabin and after Pinepaple Mixup am positive that I won't make a quilt using it.
C17 Dust 'n Crumbs

Dust 'n Crumbs is a quilt that I made using those crumbs, small scraps left over from other projects. It may surprise you but I have a large single bed quilt made of scraps just as small as those used in this block.
C17 Pineapple Mixup

One day I will appliqué curves and points just like Merelyn ... if I actually start and practise it could help to improve my skills rather than just dreaming. My version is machine appliquéd and even then doesn't look anywhere near as good as Merelyn's 
C17 M's Clover