Sign of spring: Mr. and Mrs. Crane let me get very close to snap this picture at Illinois Beach State Park this week.
Yet the day before the cranes I saw fungus on a tree stump in an icy pond.
On Thursday the Clara Cummings Book Club was entertained by Mary Cunningham Logan, widow of Illinois Civil War General John Logan. Jessica Michna's historical portrayal was so informative! The Logans both grew up in southern Illinois (the Murphysboro library is named for her). She lived in Carbondale during the Civil War. When Logan was elected to Congress she moved to Washington, DC, with him. Mary was active with the Red Cross and in 1904 became its second president (after Clara Barton). She was also an active suffragist. She wrote three books and was a prolific letter-to-the-editor writer whose letters were published in newspapers nationally. (More about Mary here.)
(Clara Cummings founded the Book Club in the 1930's when she was not invited to join the very exclusive Excelsior Club in Waukegan. The Excelsior no longer exists but the CCBC -- which used to host professional book reviewers -- still meets as a lunch group. AAUW, P.E.O., and GFWC friends are among the attendees.)
Trumpet, harp, and soprano in one musical group? Illumine Trio provided a superb concert Sunday afternoon. Bach, musical theater, Metallica, and a dash of Star Trek. (Look up their music on YouTube!)
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Jeannine and I met for coffee on Wednesday to transfer the files for the P.E.O. Lake County Round Table. I came home with the a briefcase for my new role as president. She went home with the wall hanging I made on behalf of the Round Table to thank her for her six years of service.
In the studio:
I have several yard-plus pieces of floral-on-dark-blue in my stash. But now I have less! I came across a pattern using the Carrie Nation block. I was intrigued by the emphatic diagonal lines of the chains. I cut, sewed, and by Saturday evening I had finished the whole quilt!
The blocks are 12". 60 x 72, 5-7/8 in all.
Every spring I donate a quilt for my AAUW branch to raffle. I made this bright log cabin a while ago and Barb quilted it this week. I've named it Out of the Box. It's 73 x 83.
The logs are 1/2" and they are not paper-pieced. Once I got going that size (1" unfinished) wasn't difficult.
A new project is in the works.
Busy week ahead. I need to compose and post a book review!
Linking up with Oh Scrap! and Design Wall Monday
P.S. Our concert selfie.
Sending Spring thought to you! I love your projects! The wall hanging you made for Jeanine. The Carrie Nation quilt is amazing (and you did it so quickly!) and that box in a box is just sunshine on a quilt! Sending hugs!
ReplyDeleteThe week was so full of interesting activities! The setting for the log cabin quilt with the narrow strips - just looks awesome. I love how both of those quilts turned out.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a busy and fun week! I love the daisy wall-hanging, and hope your friend does, too. Your finished quilts are beautiful, Nann! I bet they are loved at the raffles.
ReplyDeleteOut of the Box is Ah!!!Mazing!!! what a gorgeous one!!! you sure have a talent with small pieces!
ReplyDeleteFun to see those cranes up close. Out of the Box looks fabulous. I've tried to make log cabins with 1" strips -- it was not successful. Although the blocks were coming out 3" or something like that. I now have a lot of blue and orange solids cut in a ridiculously small size... Maybe I should think about making bigger blocks -- Or just give up on them...
ReplyDeleteI don't know how the background fabric hit you when you first saw it, or its effect as a whole piece, but in this quilt it acts as a calming, soothing counterbalance to the bright activity of the log cabins. It's as though my brain is saying, "Ah...I can relax and look at the boxes without my eyes feeling they have to dart from place to place." Lovely end result!
ReplyDeleteBird 'Pie
Gotta love the tiny logs. I really love the Carrie Nation top. I'll have to keep that in mind for future use.
ReplyDeleteIs it crane season again? How did that come around so quickly?
ReplyDeleteOut of the box is a great name for that quilt! I guess I didn't realize the pieces were so small. Carrie Nation is one block I like but have not yet made. You made good use of that dark blue floral.
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