Corner Store – Late June Progress

Corner Store - Late June
Corner Store – Late June

After not having much time to sew, as described previously, I spent a lot of time sewing over the weekend. In fact, aside from a quick trip to dinner and a movie with my favorite date and a few other minor chores (no gardening!), I spent the whole weekend sewing.

The Corner Store seems to have taken me a long time. Looking back, I don’t think it should have been on my 26 projects list. After all, when I wrote the 26 Projects List it was just a placemat and an idea; it wasn’t really a UFO. Still and all, I put it on the list and I have decided that everything on the list will get a disposition.

Over the weekend, I made significant progress on this quilt. The picture above shows what I had done previously – most of the blocks were sewn together in groups of four. I had started to sew those groups together, but didn’t get very far, so that is what I worked on.

One after the other, I sewed the groups of four into groups of 8 and then the groups of eight into groups of 16. Basically, I chunked them.

In between, I pushed bits of the Pink Donation Quilt through the machine and made significant progress on that as well as a bit of progress on the yellow version which is the next donation quilt on the list. Another post for another day. Stay tuned.

Corner Store Finished Top
Corner Store Finished Top

I finished the top and am well on my way to finishing the back. I am going to use a big piece of a Phillip Jacobs print called Japanese Chrysanthemum. This fabric was destined to be a very nice bag, but I think, even though I bought the pink colorway, that there is too much brown. I am just not a brown person.

I had planned to put a spiky border a la Gwen Marston. The Molly Flanders blog has a very nice tutorial, which shows a similar quilt to this one with the spiky border I decided not to make.

Ok, here is the confession. This is a pretty quilt top. It is well made, my corners match, etc, but this top has no soul. If I weren’t compulsive about getting project finished, then it would be an interminable UFO. I don’t know why it has not soul, but it doesn’t. I’ll finish the back, get it quilted and then figure out what to do with it. It is a little too girly for one of the boys, but we will see. So it goes, sometimes.

 

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

14 thoughts on “Corner Store – Late June Progress”

  1. Yay for finishing the top!

    I *think* I see what you mean by “no soul” — it’s nice enough, what I’d call “utilitarian” (not in a bad way!), but perhaps it could be more than that….from the picture, it looks like it could be a wonderful background for applique.

    You know I’ve decided to make these blocks as well, so I may try a different layout. Or I may set it this way and do some RE applique.

    1. I don’t hate this top, but it is more utilitarian. I am ok with it. Each top cannot be a masterpiece. I think you are right about the top being a good canvas for applique’. I would try a different layout, definitely. Perhaps I should have put on the spiky border to give more interest?

      1. You know, a border might be just what it needs to contain all that scrappy goodness, although I’m not sure spiky border is the way to go. Don’t get me wrong, that spiky border is cute enough.

        Actually, I wonder if my sense of proportion is off — just looking at the photographs, it looks like her corner store blocks have more white/less color, so that spiky border works for her quilt.

        For yours, with so much color and the white being more “signature” sized, I think the spikes would compete with your blocks and continue the color riot.

        hmmmm, I guess I’d either go with a dark/deep colored binding, or do a narrow solid border and a subtle texture print outer border. hmmmm, then again, the quilting and binding will make a big difference, so I vote no border(s). lol Helpful, no?

        k

  2. Perhaps a fancy or different type of quilting pattern will give it a different character.

    I agree with Kelly about the border.

    This is an amazing quilt, however it all ends up. I was just thinking the other day how I don’t have enough quilts. I start them, but don’t finish or else I give them away, so, if this pretty doesn’t have a home, I’m happy to take her off your hands, hahaha!

    1. Be careful what you wish for. 😉

      Quilting might make it more interesting. I’ll have to think about that.

      I used to start a lot and not finish anything. It is only in the past few years that I have gotten strict with myself about finishing things. The 26 Projects List is, partially, leftovers from that time when I didn’t finish things. I just needed to get strict with myself. You are still exploring.

  3. I love it. To me it looks joyful probably since it’s so colorful. I am not familiar with this pattern, is it old? Looks 1930’s to me. Okay, hope I am not banned from the quilting world, but how fun would it be to tie this quilt with lot’s of different yarn/floss? Maybe since it looks so retro to me, that I thought of tying it.

  4. I’ve been thinking about your quilt. I have been studying Gwen and Freddie’s work over the last few months. I think your quilt cries out for a border. I can see you “containing” the busy-ness of the body of the quilt with a plain border of some color of your choosing and then adding the Gwen/Freddie spikey border, or the snakey border that they use a lot. I don’t see tying or applique adding anything to this quilt (sorry, just my opinion).
    I know you said you are finished with this quilt, but I had to put my 2 cents in.

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