Quilty Pleasures-Mi Familia Part 2

There is more progress on the Mi Familia quilt and we are excited! This quilt has been a collaborative effort between Ann (owner of Thread-Bear in Las Vegas, NM) and me and we make quite a team!

Today we added the thin black print border, auditioned about 8 fabrics for the wide floral border, and eventually decided on this greenie one.

Here is a closer look at some of the details:

For the past three years or so that particular green has been my go-to color to make a quilt "pop." Love those half circles? Read the previous post to see how Ann made that inspired choice.

The black batik border is next, with the flying geese in opposite corners. The batik has streaks, some of which echo the colors used in the center panels.

While we are working on this project I just can't stop smiling. It's a friendly picker-upper. Maybe it's those grinning guys in the center, but it's just a happy quilt!

Quilty Pleasures-Another Finish: Day of the Dead Quilt

Today is All Saints' Day in Western Catholic culture, and connected to this Catholic holy day is Dia de los Muertos which is a day (actually two days) to celebrate, pray for and remember our dearly departed: infants and children today and older family members tomorrow. 

 Families go to cemeteries and put food, toys and other memorabilia on their loved ones' graves. It isn't a morbid time, but time to acknowledge that death is part of the life cycle. The next day, All Souls' Day, is also part of Day of the Dead, so it's a two day celebration.

I love the way the natives in Mexico incorporated their own traditions into the Holy Days the Spanish Catholics were pushing onto them. It's a lot more fun than the basic European version, where we go to church and that's about it.

Why skeletons? Some folks think it's morbid, but those skeletons are the dead coming back to visit for a day with their families still on this mortal coil. They are not to be feared, but friendly family members. Halloween skeletons are scary; these skeletons are not!

The skeletons in my Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) quilt are happy, enjoying each others' company in several ways.

 Sorry, but Ms. Pearl didn't want to move.

The couple in the center of the quilt are flirting a bit, with an onlooker on the right peeking into the frame. The center fabric is Paseo de los Muertos by Alexander Henry. The cow skull fabric is from Luana Rubin's Enchanted Desert collection. I pieced the house roof from scraps.

The surrounding black fabric is another Alexander Henry called Fiesta de los Muertos. When I see this fabric I think of my mom and dad in heaven having a great time. 

I have always been a piecer and much less a quilter, but I am learning a little at a time. Below is a detail of my novice quilting and of a liberated star. I love liberated stars!

So that quilt is almost totally finally finished. I have a lumpy spot in the binding, so will be redoing it to lay flatter. But really, it's done and I am hanging it today to remember my mom and dad on this Day of the Dead.

Quilty Pleasures Wednesday: Dia de los Muertos Flimsy

The Quilt Cave is seeing a resurgence of activity lately with a bed sized quilt finished and at the quilter's plus a wall hanging that I'm going to attempt to quilt myself. I thought I was done with this particular quilt and even started to hand quilt it, but then it floated around for months while I played around with other projects (that aren't done). Finally, after moving the little quilt for the zillionth time, I realized there was more to do if I was ever going to be satisfied with it.

I bought the Alexander Henry fabrics, Fiesta de Los Muertos and Paseo de Los Muertos, at Thread Bear, my local quilt store.

The red border was where I left off, but someone suggested some gold to brighten it up a bit and I was off like a shot!

I couldn't stop at gold, though, and decided to add one more border and some liberated stars. I am a fan of both Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran, so there are homages to both ladies: stars for Gwen and the house for Freddy.

Because the center of this medallion is so busy, the borders become incrementally calmer so they don't compete.

Below is a detail of one of the stars and also of the house where the couple lives.

When I fussy cut the skeleton couple, I included pieces of two other characters. Don't you love the fellow peeking into the right bottom corner?

I found some Christmas fabric with words for the top of the house's door.

How am I going to quilt this? Heavens, I don't know, but when it's finished, you'll see it here.