Progress Report

I'm pretty sure this will be the final layout

so I'll start sewing the blocks together soon.

But what I'm really excited to share today is the start

of a new quilt based on Sujata's Toran quilt ...

the one reminiscent of streamers.

It's made up of crazy quilt & string blocks.

There is some fabric in the background blocks

(made from stash) that I'm not happy with 

but I will continue & see how it develops.

This is really fun! 

Grandma's Garden

My grandmother came to America from Sweden on a boat alone..at age 15.  I still have her trunk and her ticket stub.  She was to meet a sister already in Boston.  Of course, once here, they did not get along and my grandmother made her own way.  She started as a cook in some of the rich houses in Boston.

Grandma was born in 1896 and died in 1996.  For most of my life, she lived with us.  She was my best friend..so smart and clever.  She taught me so much, including how to sew.
  She loved cards.  By the age of 5 or 6 she had taught us all how to play Canasta so she would have someone to play with. 

 Incorporated into this snowball quilt are undamaged pieces of her handwork..eg..doilies, her napkins from cards, tea towels, etc.  There is a guest towel where the damage was great and "guest" and "towel" appear in this quilt in different blocks.

 My mother was her only child.  My mother just died this May.  Although she had Parkinsons, she was clear minded and wonderful.  She was a poet, having published two poetry books in her 80's.  This quilt was often on her bed in her assisted living.  My mother fell out of her wheelchair on her way to lunch bunch and broke her neck. She was dead in a week.  93.  I miss her so.

 I am now raising my grandchildren.  I hope to teach them Canasta and how to sew..And the generational beat goes on.

Hello New Blog

 Hello new blog.  So happy to be here.  My family is in crisis right now as my husband has ALS.  But, I do not ever want to be left out.  Since I do not have the book yet, I thought I would post somethings I had already done. I hope that that is ok.  After the holidays, I will try to do new.

Party Hat Optional

Party Hat Optional  --  53" x 73" 

My quilt top was inspired by 

the Toran pattern in Sujata's new book..

(I had placed my pre-order for the book 

the very first day Sujata shared the news on her blog,

so I was VERY happy when it finally arrived!)

* * *

You can read about my  string quilt's genesis

starting HERE and continuing HERE.

The top's actual construction happened all within a single week!

Here are the links to each stage of the top's evolution:

Monday's post

Tuesday's post

Wednesday's post

Thursday's post

Friday's top and back reveal post

* * *

Folded backing on left, folded top on right

One of my goals for January

is to quilt Party Hat Optional . . .

When I do, I'll be sure to share photos here.

* * *

Thanks for the inspiration, Sujata!

Quiltdivajulie

A New Direction

While patiently waiting for an email saying that Sujata's book on pre-order was being shipped, I was experimenting with two different ideas on one of my design walls.  One was to use mostly solid string blocks.  Each one had the same diagonal strip and one corner that would be identical in each block.  The other idea was to make improv b/w pinwheel blocks that I had seen demonstrated by Malka Dubrawsky.  Then I got the idea to combine both of these and this is where I am at the moment:

After combining the two ideas, I not only changed the original layout of the string blocks but also all the diagonals to b/w prints and all the matching corners to random strips.  I'm not sure if it will remain this way or maybe I will separate & scatter those pinwheels ... just not sure about the divide down the middle.  For now it will just sit while I think about what I feel it needs.  If there is anything you really like about how it's looking, I'd love to know.

Also, I recently finished a quilt that was a combination from what I thought was going to be two different quilts; and I'm working on another that is a combination.  Have you done this too?  For me it's a whole new direction!

  

A wonderful welcome ….

Thank you Sujata for such a wonderful, warm welcome to your living room!

I am so excited to be taking part in your blog and looking forward to

this new journey.

 As you know I am buying your book but I decided to also download the ebook version 

and then I could get started!

I have gone with a Flying Geese setting using your Hourglass block and below I have 

the beginnings on my design wall, nothing set in concrete yet but I

do love the Rings  and the shaded fabrics together - they will definitely stay 

Sailing Through Suez

 my instinct is to go with the geese

all pointing upwards rather than alternating directions as above and I have just pinned
pieces of folded Rings fabric on the wide strips to
get an idea of how they would look together, I'm happy!

This is a very basic and brief first post as I am off back to my design wall to play some more and then
more sewing. Hoping I can have this together next week.
Looking forward to "meeting" everyone else at Cultural Fusion Quilts!

Maureen

Welcome!

Hi!

Welcome to the Cultural Fusion Quilts blog.

This space is for sharing handmade crafts and inspirations from around the world. To focus on emotions and memories they evoke and share the quilts created with those elements in mind. Although creativity flows in all directions, this living room is for those who want to gather and discuss cultural fusion through quilts.

My book is a reflection of my creative life of past 25 years as a human being and a quilter and my quilts are documents of my creativity in transition - Ever changing and evolving. We can not separate the two. In this fast-paced world, we are accustomed to making quilts to match its speed. I hope you join me to slow down and focus on creating instead of making. Hope you find your own root connections to the quilts you make and stitch them into each quilts by sharing your stories and and making new memories.
 
Grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversations of bright, bold, happy and dull colors, gentle curves, and straight lines all in one place.

Welcome to my living room!
 Sujata