Most of the fabric is what I already have, so there is a wide variety in my pallette. So far, so good!
New subject: - kitchen floor
I am a quilter - a retired widow living in the Nebraska Panhandle. I am surrounded by beautiful semi-arid ranch country, and treeless hills and fields under incredibly wide blue skies, located far from the upheaval found often in large towns or cities. I am blessed to have delicious time to quilt and to appreciate my peaceful moments in an unpeaceful world.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Kaleidoscope Beginnings, and New Kitchen Floor
I have always loved the Kaleidoscope design, especially the optical illusions that appear when corners are added. Some friends were at the quilt shop when I bought fabric to blend with what I had, and they were teasing me, wanting to know if I would have it done by next week. Well, this is a week later, and this is what I have. While the blocks look complex, they really are not. I'm aiming for 35 blocks, 5 x 7. Kaleidoscopes need an uneven number of blocks for best optical illusion. These strips are cut 2 inches and blocks are unfinished at about 11.5 inches. Note, the corners are not added yet - they will likely be a pastel blue, turquoise, lavendar.
Note in the below photo, the pale block in lower left does NOT work. For me, the best blocks have the darkest and lightest in the same block. I used a 45 degree ruler. If I made it again, I'd reduce the size of block because when cutting the wedges I only could get 14 from each strata. It would be more efficient to get 16, and not have so many leftovers. Since I am using bits of many colors, I'm only getting 3 -5 of each color combination, even though they all are "blendy". I'm aiming for balance.
Most of the fabric is what I already have, so there is a wide variety in my pallette. So far, so good!
My kitchen is small - that's OK, there are just the two of us. What a production, but I'm including the subject so I don't forget what a great improvement this made. The worst part was thinking about how awful the sides of the stove would be where things dribble down between the stove and cabinets. Of course, I wanted to clean before the floor guys came, but what a job us two oldsters had pulling it out over a variety of boards, different levels, carpeting (!!!) - dust, debris, greasy "stuff", Cheerios and pieces of mail WERE terrible. Thankfully, no bugs, or dead mice! LOL. We've been here 20 years - it was apparent that job had not been tackled by previous owners either. Both the stove and the refrigerator without it's door had to be moved out of the kitchen. The floor under the stove and the frigerator are now new and smooth, allowing appliances to be moved for cleaning. 8-) (This job, when over, gave me a boost of energy, attitude, etc., I believe this led to my ability to sew for hours on the Kaleidoscope project. )
Most of the fabric is what I already have, so there is a wide variety in my pallette. So far, so good!
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Your many kaleidoscope quilts made me want to make one. I bought the ruler a few years ago, but still haven't made one. This is another winner. : )
ReplyDeleteNew flooring makes the whole room seem new, doesn't it?
I think your Kaleidoscope quilt is going to turn out great. And isn't it nice to have a new kitchen floor? It's amazing what a difference it makes.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blue blocks! When I saw them my first thought was a bunch of blue flowers but which ones? Then I did a Web search and saw a beautiful bunch of blue orchids (Calyso Blue) that fit the bill. Hope this link works: https://jet.com/product/KaBloom-Flowers-Calypso-Blue-Dendrobium-Orchids-10-Stems-With-Vase/a6dd78ebadae4a7685c41dbffa86d99a
ReplyDeleteAgain, a really nice quilt. Blue is always an eye-catcher. I like the Kaleidoscope design too, but have made only one. Now I must do another!
ReplyDeleteI always love your kaleidoscope quilts. When I grow up I want to make one.
ReplyDeleteWow! A 2 fer 1 floor: nice new floor plus a boost of energy. Due to a bad leak, we must put in a new floor, too. I would really like to get a boost of energy with mine, too. What kind of floor did you get? Maybe I can get one like yours, too. ;-P
I always say that I want to make one of those quilts, but still haven't done it! The floor looks great! We have a tiny kitchen also and I really want new flooring. Mine is white and every speck shows up. It's over 20 years old and would like a floor where the dirt doesn't show! That's what I had before we moved to OR.
ReplyDeleteHow nice! I got my new floor a few years ago and love the way things look. And you're right there was yuck and mold behind the old stuff!
ReplyDelete