Dolly Dresses and Winter

Greetings Blog Friends,

The first week of February is done and so is my first of four scheduled projects for this month.  

Remember the sorry the shape Dolly Dresses was in?  Well, I'm glad to report that I have remade/repaired the inner section of this quilt.  She is happy again and so am I!  This quilt is now ready for finishing (either later this month or early in March).  

I started by taking out all the stitching around the inner part of the quilt, which included the center doll section, scalloped border and striped inner border.  And, after doing so, I found out why the quilt did not go together well.  It all stemmed from a measuring and trimming error by the maker...(me!).  The center doll section was supposed to measure 12 1/2" x 20 1/2".  Instead, it measured 12" x 20 1/4".  I pondered this problem a bit and found I had only two options.  One was to remake the doll on a new background fabric, or to increase the size of the doll section to match the required measurements.  I chose the latter option.  First, I cut the center section down to 12" x 20, then added a thin narrow border and squared it up to 12 1/2" x 20 1/2". Next, I made a new applique scalloped border and applied these pieces to the center.  Then, a new narrow striped border was cut and applied and applied and finally the outer dress border pieces were reattached and now all is well!

It is still winter in Wisconsin...as a matter of fact, a major snowstorm blew through yesterday and dropped 6" of new snow on the region.  I was looking at my current hearth rug (made from Maywood flannels jelly roll last winter) and decided it just didn't fit with my blue/gray/silver winter decorating scheme.  I found this a jelly roll in a perfect fabric line, Winter's Grandeur by Hoffman Fabrics.  A perfect name with perfect coordinating fabrics.  They all have silver accents. 

I even had enough leftovers to make a hex table mat.  The mat is not yet finished, however...I need to find suitable backing and binding fabrics.  I used a jelly roll for the center section, you can see the seams, but it really doesn't matter much...the base of the lamp that will sit on top of it will cover it.  Another "no waste" pair of projects!

I'm moving on to week #2 project...the Eagle Scout quilt for my grandson.  More on that next post.  Till then...