Enchanted - the Quilt

Enchanted, Macnas series no. 9, is a finished quilt. 

When I made this top and then made Incandescent for my sister and her husband using nearly the same color palette, I wondered if I would be end up being tired of the colors.

Now that Incandescent lives in another state and Enchanted lives here, I am happy to share that I am NOT at all tired of the color combination and actually I'm glad that I have one closely related to hers.

Initial Fabric Pull - January 2025

Top finished - January 2026

The backing is by Marjorie Sarnat for QT Fabrics.  Most fabrics have all sorts of info on the selvage - this one, not so much.  I'm not sure when I bought this, but it was an eQuilter sale find purchased for a project that never happened (which is good because it is perfect for Enchanted).

The binding fabric came from the stash - another eQuilter deep discount that I bought in every colorway offered given its versatility.  

Quilted with Glide thread in Military Gold using my all-over liberated free motion nested spiral fans.  

For some reason, Enchanted was more of a challenge to quilt that usual.  Maybe it was due to the heavy rains and high humidity after the quilt was pin basted? For whatever reason the batting seemed to get puffier every time I touched the quilt sandwich, but now that E is finished I couldn't be happier with the results.

* * *

You can see the rest of the Macnas series on the dedicated blog page.  I still can't quite believe that the series will end up with thirteen quilts plus four (!) bonus quilts made with leftover pieces and parts.

Next in line for quilting?   Hanabi.  

Quiltdivajulie

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 "If I admire something about someone, I tell them.  We humans are so fragile.  It's important we give people their flowers while they are still here.  Never admire quietly."

Chimamanda Adichie 

April Monthly Recap

The first finish of the month was Razzle-Dazzle.

The second finish was Grandiose, Macnas series no. 8.

One quilt top was finished - Paint Party, Macnas series no. 12.

Enchanted, Macnas series no. 9, is also fully finished - I'll share its reveal post in the next few days.

The rectangles for Yutori (Macnas series no. 13, a surprise addition) were cut out and leader-ender sewn into pairs. 

The pairs have been finger pressed and are ready to be sorted in early May.  Hopefully they'll also become a flimsy before May ends.

I frequently mention my waiting-to-be-quilted closet.  Until very recently, the entire hanging rod was filled with tops/backs waiting to be quilted along with backings waiting for their tops to be sewn.  

As of the end of April, there are now only 8 tops/backs for the Macnas series plus one gift quilt still hanging in the closet; and I know exactly how I plan to use that empty space.  

Stay tuned for the story and photos later in May.

Finally, here is the monthly backyard photo for May 1.  The grass is definitely greening up, the trees are fully leafed out, and we once again have shade.

* * *

Looking ahead, May will be a hectic month with two family birthdays, our 51st anniversary, Mother's Day, and a slew of doctor appointments, plus the last days of Young Man's third grade year,  a board meeting for DH plus their monthly club meeting, and a board meeting for me with minutes to prepare afterwards.   

I WILL make time to sit and sew/quilt or else because, like the graphic in my side bar reads, "I make stuff because I get sad if I don't."

Quiltdivajulie

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"Measuring progress is often like watching grass grow.  While it's difficult to detect movement on a daily basis, it's simple to see growth over time."

Frank Sonnenberg

Playing Month End Catch Up

My studio squirrels finally got their way - I started a new journal project.  Using my postage stamp punch, I've been gathering these rectangles and adding them into a small blank journal.

So far I have created themed pages like the ones above plus low volume in both warm and cool tones, faces in black and white/sepia, faces in color, a page for scrappy ROYGBIV stamps, plus pages featuring words, buildings, packaging, etc.  

It's very okay if it takes a while to fill this small journal - the fun is in discovering stamp-able papers and seeing each page slowly evolve.

My April scrappy nine patches feature Chihuly's glass, faces, plaids, and warm low volume with text.  Believe it or not, there is thought given to placement of the squares - when you squint a little, can you tell?

Again, the fun of this project is in the discovery and arranging.

Over in the scrappy circles journal, I'm determined to branch out beyond creating more large clumps of semi-related circles.  This journal project has only 11-12 more pages to be filled, which is why I agreed with the squirrels to start the postage stamp punch project.

And this is an improved version of the test collage shared yesterday for weeks 15-18 of my Full Deck Challenge tags.  I wasn't at all happy about how the test collage looked, especially when "enlarged," so I tried again using another method.  This one is better but I do miss being able to create collages in Picasa.

(Your thoughts are welcome on the collages - whether you like them, don't like them, or prefer that I stay with single higher res photos,  please let me know in the comments below.  Thanks!)

* * *

Over at the sewing machine . . . 

Paint Party, Macnas no. 12,  has only a few more rows to be sewn.  Using the pairs for Yutori, Macnas no. 13, as leader enders during PP's row construction is also moving Yutori forward.

I need to seam up the backing for Morning Fog, Macnas no. 11, so I can take the top/back yardage off the design wall so it's ready for Paint Party's flimsy reveal photo shoot.

Enchanted, Macnas no. 10, is pin basted and I would really like to get it quilted yet this week.  We shall see how that plan works out.

I've added labels for each of these quilts at the bottom of the post so you can click over and see their related posts or you can visit the dedicated Macnas series blog page here.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Birds learn to fly by falling."

Rumi

One Day at a Time

Quilting of Grandiose, Macnas series no. 8, has started.  Honestly, getting bobbins wound and stitching the first few passes is one of the "hurdle" points in every quilt.

That said, I'm delighted with the way the Robin Egg thread plays with Grandiose's colors.

Hopefully over the next few days I'll be able to finish Grandiose and pin baste Enchanted (no. 9 in the Macnas series).  

(and yes, I've been considering quilt ideas to work on once the entire Macnas series is done and dusted - there's a lot of stashed fabric waiting to be used)

Indoors our two Christmas cacti continue to bloom and there are a few more buds ready to open any day now.  

Outdoors, the three clumps of iris that were planted last spring survived the winter and are budded and/or blooming.  The flowers are purple with mottled white areas - so pretty.

The azalea that moved to our house from elder son's yard a few years back is blooming profusely, despite the late freezes.  I only wish the flowers lasted a bit longer (the photo will supersize if you want to see the blossoms in greater detail).

I'll end with this gorgeous sunset photo taken on April 9.  Since then, the trees here are almost fully leafed out and we once again have shade - funny how its absence over the winter months became the norm.

* * *

There's lots of random background stuff going on that isn't blog-worthy yet.  Things like harvesting ephemera from older magazine issues, cleaning and tidying the studio, sorting and gathering bits for three future projects involving paper and glue, household stuff, and errands.  

It's all good but I'm glad I learned long ago to work in bursts in between everything else.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Many of us have made our world so familiar that we do not see it anymore.  An interesting question to ask yourself at night is What did I really see this day?"

John O'Donohue

Enchanted - the Flimsy

Enchanted, Macnas No. 9, is now a flimsy. 

The partially-constructed top was set aside at the end of November and after taking most of December away from the sewing machine, it was time.  Even though I wasn't planning to finish it immediately after Githerment's top, when I moved the stack and realized there were only a few more rows to add I decided to just go on and get it done.

Detail photo of Enchanted's top after pressing.

Here is another perspective - so many interesting fabrics, both the yellow-oranges and the black-whites.

The top measures 52" x 72" 

Before Enchanted goes into the waiting-to-be-quilted closet, I will stitch the single seam in the backing so E will be ready to pin baste when its turn comes up later this year.

(and yes, I've created a planning/tracking spreadsheet with all the back-logged quilt projects so I spread them out throughout the year and still get the four gift quilts finished for timely gifting -- I know a spreadsheet seems excessive to many of you, but it helps keep my head from exploding.  Between the studio squirrels staying on my case and the printed out spreadsheet, I'm hopeful.)

In the background, as I finished the tops for Githerments and Enchanted, I started leader-ender stitching the strip sets for Rastro, another of the Macnas bonus quilts.  

This is one group . . . 

And this is another.  When all is said and done, there will be strip sets featuring colors from all of the Macnas quilts.  

In the process of cleaning up the studio, I sorted the blocks for Macnas No. 10, Hanabi.  

(again, I moved the project box and realized it was time to prep this for piecing the top)

I will finish L-E Rastro's segments as I stitch Hanabi's rows.

I can tell that progress is happening with all these newly-emptied sorting plates!

* * *

Even though I'd rather keep piecing, I need to get Trouvaille quilted along with the second long runner pieced with fabrics from Esperance and Haru.

It feels good to see things moving forward again after the recent lull.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Later is the best friend of clutter."

Peter Walsh

Moving Things Forward

Coddiwomple has been pin basted and is partially quilted.

The top was finished in August 2023 so it's about time that I get this one finished, especially since the colors are perfect for November.

I pieced the backing for Kefi using the insert strip of leftovers from Dragon Fyre in the not-in-the-center seam.

Again, the top has been finished for a too-long time - summer of 2022 in fact.

I want to get this one quilted and finished in November.  

I've sewn the first four rows for Enchanted, number 9 in the Macnas series.

Here it is pinned across Incandescent's quilt top, which needs to come down off the design wall and move to the waiting-to-be-quilted closet.

Interesting how the colors are quite similar but still very different, especially with Incandescent featuring warm neutrals and Enchanted using black on whites.

After Coddiwomple was pin basted, I went ahead and pin basted Wallaroo, Macnas series quilt number 6.

I also changed my mind on the planned binding (second change so far).  I'm going to use the same fabric as the backing and the strips have been cut, sewn, and pressed.

That is unless I change my mind again once Wallaroo is quilted . . . 

* * *

Making progress feels really good. 

Quiltdivajulie

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"I believe in the ability of art to heal the spirit."

Colleen Gray

Moving Enchanted Forward

Macnas series no. 9 - Enchanted - has been waiting in the wings long enough (these pairs were sewn leader-ender style back in July).

Next step in the process was to sort all of the pairs into stacks by the darker color.

I ran out of room on the narrow black table so the others were stacked on my sewing table.

There are 31 different "darks" and at least that many different black and white prints.

I then sorted the stacks, one right after the next, onto 18 plates (one for each row in the quilt top).

I'll need 13 pairs per row and there are 14 pairs on each plate.  The ones leftover will go into the project box destined for the three bonus quilts that will come out of this series sometime next year.

The owl fabric will be used to back Enchanted when the time comes.

* * *

I've come to grips with the fact that my self-imposed goal to have the 12 quilt series completed by year end is NOT going to happen.

  

Four are finished, the fifth is pin basted, three more are at quilt top stage, Enchanted is number 9, and the remaining three plus the bonus quilts will simply have to happen when they happen (likely next year).

It's all good.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Expectations are resentments under construction."

Anne Lamott

The Rest of the Series

I've finished the first three quilts in the Macnas series (Macnas, Reverie, and Tuxie-Tude).

This set of sewn pairs will become number 4 - Vellichor (the beautiful wistfulness of used book stores; the strange romance evoked by the smell of old books and paper).

As soon as these are pressed, they'll be sorted into 18 rows and sewing of the quilt top can begin.

This set of pinned pairs will become number 6 - Wallaroo (Common name for species of Australian macropods intermediate in size between kangaroos and wallabies)

I'll use these as leader enders as I sew the top for Vellichor.

(number 5 - Rubricate (to mark with red) is nearing flimsy status with only 7 more long horizontal rows to be sewn)

This set of pinned pairs will become number 7 - Fandango (Fandango is a vibrant and lively shade of purple with pink undertones, often associated with a lively and energetic feel. It falls within the spectrum of magenta tones, offering a bold and eye-catching hue that can evoke a sense of creativity and fun.)

I'll use these as leader enders as I sew the quilt top below.

These sewn pairs will become number 8 - Grandiose (name inspired by the Philip Jacobs backing fabric's selvage).

Once pressed and sorted into rows, I'll use Fandango (above) as leader enders as I sew the top for Grandiose.

These sewn pairs will become number 9 - Enchanted (adj. – utterly delighted or captivated; fascinated; charmed or under a spell; bewitched; magical).

Once pressed and sorted, I'll sew these into a quilt top using the pinned pairs for Hanabi (below) as leader enders.

These pinned pairs will become number 10 Hanabi (Japanese word meaning fireworks).

They will be used as leader enders as I sew Enchanted's pairs into a quilt top.

These pinned pairs will become number 11 - Morning Fog (name inspired by an early morning waterfront photo).

I'm very happy with the softer assortment of scrappy neutrals - the evicted grays simply did not play well with the light blues.

And finally these pinned pairs will become number 12 - Paint Party (inspired by photos of Young Man helping paint a restaurant's patio fence).

The planned alternate gray rectangles from Morning Fog were also a fail here - instead I used Tula Pink's Fairy Dust (white) which totally supports the inspiration's "happy" vibe.

For all of these projects, you can click on their name labels at the end of the post to see their individual back stories/progression posts.

* * *

Now that all the planning, cutting, pinning, and pairing is out of the way, let's see if I can find enough time to sit and sew/quilt so these are finished by year end.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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Do something.  If it works, do more of it.  If it doesn't, do something else."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

End of a Busy Week

Once the Zoom presentation was done and we put away the set up, I spent the afternoon cutting rectangles for Macnas series quilt number 11, Morning Fog.

There are lots of light blues and quite a few shades of gray so it will be a subtle but pretty quilt top (someday).

Next, I pulled out the already-cut strips for Fandango, Macnas series no. 7, and sub-cut them into rectangles.

Finally, I spent an afternoon and evening sorting and pinning the pairs for Enchanted, Macnas series quilt number 9.  

I intentionally overcut because when it comes time for the design wall, many of the KF prints will be edited out depending on which part of the print shows up in any given rectangle.  

The extras will go in the project box for what may become quilt number 12 featuring extra blocks from the earlier quilts in the series.  

(this could change if the mix is all wrong or I come up with another great idea between now and then)

Paired, pinned, and clipped in sets of ten - I need 250 pairs and there are 340 pairs in the box so I know I will have lots of latitude when the time comes.

The extra un-paired rectangles (on the right) will certainly go in the Holus-Bolus (bonus quilt) project box.  

(holus-bolus - adverb - all at once, altogether)

* * *

Dragon Fyre is still waiting for me to sit down and start quilting. I'm still debating with myself between using horizontal wavy organic lines or my beloved nested spiral fans.  Need to make a decision . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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Another of the quotes from the Bookish journal:

"Second hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack."

Virginia Woolf

Color Abounds

The earlier of the two Christmas cacti is in full bloom again - such wonderfully vivid color against the cold rain and dark clouds outside the sunroom windows.

Not to be outdone, the second of the two cacti is almost ready to start its second bloom.

I have NEVER had a Christmas cactus bloom a second year let alone TWICE in that second year - Color me delighted!

The amaryllis we purchased shortly before Christmas put on a magnificent display in December.

Lo and behold we have four bonus blooms in February.

Here's a close up of one flower - such beautiful shading in the petals.

The waxed amaryllis gifted by my sister is almost ready to share what color its blossom(s) will be.

. . .  and now heading upstairs to the sewing studio . . . 

As I've sewn the strip segments for Shirts and Such, I have finished stitching the initial pairs for Vellichor (the pairs for Rubricate were finished off earlier in the S&S process).  

With three more sets of segments and the actual row construction yet to come, I needed another leader-ender project so . . . 

I spent a couple of hours preparing the pairs for Grandiose, another quilt in the Macnas-inspired series.

This time around, I'm finger pressing the blocks as they are sewn and oh, the joy these colors exude!

* * *

And stepping around the corner to the design studio (home of my stash and cutting table) . . . 

A little at a time, I've gotten the rectangles cut for Enchanted, another in the Macnas-inspired series (not previously posted).

I saved all the end cuts and such in the white baskets to make scrap slabs when I feel the urge.  I didn't do that with the earlier quilts in the series, but after making the slab from Grandiose leftovers, I realized I was missing a scrappy playtime opportunity.

And finally, I pulled out Wallaroo's project box to cut its rectangles.  

I quickly realized my original plan (shown in this post) to use gray as the alternate to the aboriginals was not going to fly.  Instead, I'll use this mix of warmer neutrals.

You can see the full list of quilts in the Macnas-inspired series in the sidebar, if you're curious.  Eventually I'll create a separate page for them.

* * *

As soon as the cutting table is clear again, I'll get Repose pin basted and get Haru's top, back, and already cut batting rolled onto the pool noodles so Haru is ready to pin baste later this month (if all goes well).

Quiltdivajulie

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"The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts."

Marcus Aurelius