Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Turquoise Tuesday: National Women's Check-up Day

Today is TURQUOISE TUESDAY!!  

In honor of Women’s National Health Week (the second week of May) the American Lung Association and LUNG FORCE are turning the nation TURQUOISE  in support of the fight against lung cancer, the #1 cancer killer of women in our country.
So to join in support of this venture, I’m wearing a TURQUOISE  chevron striped blouse & topaz (TURQUOISE ) earrings today that match my eyes!

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Plus I’m sharing some of my favorite TURQUOISE items, too!

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This is my "Frond Garden" quilt that I teased you with little snippets of last year, 
then totally forgot to post the completed quilt for you to see.  

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It is the spectacular "Carpe Diem" fabric by Melissa Marie Collins
from Front Design Studio that gives this quilt such vibrant visual impact.

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The pattern I used is called "Sundance" by Villa Rosa Designs
Designed to focus maximum impact with large patterned fabrics, it was really simple to do. 


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I originally had lime green around each of those TURQUOISE blocks 
(thank you to my friend, Robin, for the pretty floral fabric that I fussy cut)

but didn't like the effect of the green, so I got out the seam ripper & took it all apart. 

 Using the deep purple really set off the swirls in the wide bands of fabric on the sides of the blocks.

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The quilting design is "Moonlight E2E" from mycreativestitches.net & 
can be found HERE: 

I loved how the swirls & curls in the quilting pattern matched the same design in the fabric
and I especially love how you can really see it on the TURQUOISE backing fabric!

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I used wool batting, which doesn't crease & keeps the quilt lightweight yet warm & Superior's So Fine thread in a pale green color...#446.
It blended beautifully over all the different colors.

Next TURQUOISE project is my *Hunter Star* pattern quilt that I just finished.
In fact, I still have to add the binding but I couldn't wait to show it to you. 

I've named it "Turcaide" which is Irish/Gaelic for TURQUOISE. 

I used Deb Tucker's ruler, which has you create the blocks slightly over-sized
& then trim down so they're close to perfect.  

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I was getting a little tired of making the same block over & over 
but I pushed myself to make this long enough to fit across the entire back of a sofa.

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I used a design from Mountaintop Quilting called:
#1745 HUNTER'S STAR LACE
carefully placing it, point by point within each block,
and "morphing" it to fit, one at a time.
It took me well over 20 hours to complete the quilting!

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I used Superior thread's *Fantastico* variegated thread, color #5070, 
which runs from a teal green to a darker TURQUOISE shade. 

Not one single thread break in the entire quilt!!


I LOVE MY INNOVA LONG ARM!!!

The sharp points of the design meet together in the center of the four blocks to form what resembles a Canterbury or a Maltese cross.


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I "stitched in the ditch" in all the vertical & horizontal seams....BORING!!

I hate doing that part but I've learned it really does make a difference in how flat the quilt lies.
Deb Tucker has you press all the seams open, too, which helps a great deal.

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I find that if I lay it in the dining room, 
where the morning sun can shine across it from the sunroom/kitchen windows,
you get a good idea of the depth of texture provided by the wool batting.  

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The border design has scrolls & heart shapes intertwined.
I was glad I remembered to mirror the image when I went to the opposite side & bottom, 
so the hearts pointed outward. 
I've forgotten to do that only once & once was enough!
It is NOT fun, picking out 12 stitches/inch, believe me.

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This last photo, taken later in the morning shows the color more accurately.  
I was pleasantly surprised to see the secondary pattern of "CIRCLES" throughout.
A totally unexpected added dimension!
Can you see the faint outline of them, below?

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As I looked around the house today, I realized my hairbrush, my pill case, my kitchen broom & even my garbage can are all TURQUOISE...
I'll spare you the photos of those. 

However, I do want to share my favorite summer time nail polish.
    


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Note the name on the bottom.....
 
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One of my blogging friends, BJ, named her blog "Sweet Nothings", so this photo is for YOU, BJ!! 

(I added the last "s" with Photoshop, tee-hee)

One more TURQUOISE photo, from Southern Living, just because I love it...





Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House.  I'll stop by to visit you soon!



 

15 comments:

  1. Rett, I didn't know about Turquoise Tuesday. You look gorgeous! It's fun to see your photo. Turquoise is a favorite color for me too. I saw a fascinating exhibit on Turquoise at the Native American Art Museum in Santa Fe last summer. I think I'll go put on my turquoise jewelry for today. Thanks for sharing.
    Oh, and your new quilt, turquoise and white is totally awesome! Just like you!

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    1. Thank you, Sarah...I look forward to seeing your turquoise jewelry in a blog post soon! I own exactly ONE piece of Native Am. turquoise...it is in a belt buckle that was Ernie's but I've been thinking of converting it to a pendant or a pin. Very ornate & would be a real conversation piece to wear.

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  2. What a gorgeous quilt you are working on. It is one of the prettiest I have seen. I do ♥ love quilts in just white with another color.
    Nice photo of you, too, Rett.
    Have a great week.

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  3. I've never heard of Turquoise Tuesday, but I love the colour (although I don't have much of it) and your quilts are so gorgeous! Love the swirls and swirly quilting in the first one.

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  4. You look gorgeous! I admire blue eyes too....What a great cause. Any cancer is so deadly. The quilt is so beautiful and intricate. Like I have said before, I really admire your talents. The quilt show must have been so fun/ More creative and talented people to hang out with. So sorry you ended up with horrible infection. The coughing is the worst. Feel better soon. xo

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  5. First, you look gorgeous in your turquoise in your turquoise shirt and jewelry. It really pops those baby blues! Your quilt is beautiful and wow, your skill on the longarm is impressive! Lovely post.

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  6. You are simply beautiful, Rett! I didn't know about Turquoise Tuesday, but I sure loved seeing all your pretties, and learning about the info on lung cancer. The quilts are stunning and I just love to see and admire them. No, it's not fun to take out stitches, but when you're a perfectionist, it can't be helped! Your quilting on the long arm is so impressive, and such a wonderful hobby for you since you love it so much. Thanks for sharing your quilts with us!

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  7. Oh Rett, your quilt turned out so absolutely beautiful and what wonderful photos of the quilting. The light catches just right to really show off the texture and relief. So glad I could be a little bit of your magnificent project. Kay @ Mountaintop Quilting

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  8. Rett, I am in total awe of your talents! These quilts are so impressive. I did not hear about Turquoise Tuesday but I think that anything which draws attention to important information is a good idea. Next year I will be ready to lend my support too. Linda

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  9. The quilts are so beautiful, Rett. You certainly have a gift for colour and pattern. It was lovely to 'see' you and to see that you are looking better than just well, but 'fantastic'!

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  10. Love turquaide, I never knew that! So beautiful, I can't believe you can do that! Amazing! Hope all is well, I see the cardio doc in June, so we will see! Keeping busy and trying to stay away from the computer! It's not good for me!

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  11. What a talent you have...the quilts are so beautiful.
    Turquoise is my favorite color...and THANKS so much for the shoutout on your post.
    hahhaa...I never knew there was a pretty polish named SWEET NOTHINGs....hahhaa..
    Thanks, Rett..and you look beautiful in your turquoise...xoxo

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  12. Good Morning, Rett and give your long arm a hug for me, she does a wonderful piece of work with you leading her on. Have you named her. I know many people do☺️

    I know there is a lot of talk about pressing the seams open now. Do you do that with each step of the way in piecing or only when one sews the blocks together?

    I enjoyed all your pretty turquoise...just a comment on the beautiful turquoise eyes. My little sister's blue turns a spectacular turquoise when she cries. That is rather sad to see, but oh, what a gorgeous color!

    You have a wonderful day!

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  13. Thank you, Linda, for your kind remarks! Yes, I named my longarm "Calliope", after the Greek muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. When I first got my machine, it made a sort of humming/sing-song noise...I considered "Casper" because it sounded haunted, but decided against a *ghostly* name like that.

    I have never pressed my seams open before, just because it was "never" done, according to the quilt police, but Deb Tucker instructed us to press them all open, as we went along. It made things SEW much easier & the quilt is nice & flat because of it. As a longarm quilter, I have heard that some don't like to "stitch in the ditch" when the seams are pressed open but honestly, I didn't have a bit of trouble at all. I used 12 spi, so it was a rather tight seam.
    I doubt that I would press them open on a utility or a baby quilt that was going to get a great deal of wear & tear & washing but for this one, it worked just fine.

    Oh & my eyes just get red & puffy when I cry! LOL
    Thanks again for stopping by!

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  14. Rett, You look beautiful in your turquoise! I confess I didn't know anything about Turquoise Tuesday but I always love seeing your gorgeous quilts. I can't imagine taking the seam ripper to your blocks {gasp!} but the purple sets off the color perfectly. I love the loft and effect of the wool batting on your Turcaide quilt too. Wishing you a Happy Memorial Day weekend!

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~