little Bur oak whorl tablequilt

This one's done, washed and dried, crinkle and all. I learned a lot. This was a kind of test for a few construction issues before working towards something much bigger.

The biggest leaf is just barely attached to the whole.

We can also always use another surface-saving welcome spot for handmade ceramics. If Eva finds it unoccupied we can just start calling it a cat mat.

Burr oak leaf whorl

I started this little tablequilt inspired by a few large Bur oak leaves I had pressed from last season. Spring arrived as I worked on it and I decided to show the way the leaves grow as they emerge. All of the leaves are from a tree in our yard that my husband started from an acorn five years ago. The acorn was dropped by gigantic and ancient Bur oaks that stands at the edge of a favorite park in our town. Now our little tree has already set acorns and is well over six feet tall.

The leaves are attached to each branch in a beautiful radial whorl pattern. This is very noticeable at the ends of the branches. It's really beautiful. So this little quilt has turned into something to honor this young tree and what is just the very beginning of its' timeline. 

A sensitive edge has been sketched in so that it will follow the shape of a few of the larger leaves. I am going to push the limits of what I have done so far with a shaped edge and see what happens - trying to work a few things out to make something on a much larger scale.

We really are so impressed with this little tree - proves it is well worth it to plant an acorn or two in a  special spot and see what happens. The squirrels took all of the acorns last year but more are on the way.

the middle of March

 I had been planning to start working with larger scale but got sidetracked with these little oak leaves. I made them specifically for this little basket...

which holds this little doll. I am sending them to my youngest niece for her birthday. My grandma gave the doll to me forever ago when I was already a bit too old for dolls. She had one similar that she used to let my sister and I play with when we were visiting. My mom gave it back to me a few years ago. I packed it away and it recently resurfaced. I want to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it now. The little quilts add some softness and spring is so near the leaves just had to be green. It was pretty gray out when I started them.

It's absolutely beautiful today. 72˙ as I type this around 4pm. This afternoon, just a few minutes before I photographed the quilted leaves…

the sandhill cranes flew over. I heard them calling from way up, through the open windows.

sensitive edge

This is a little whole cloth quilt - leaves hand stitched and stars machine stitched - with a bit of flannel for batting. I made one very similar and then this one to work on a few things I learned from the first one and so I will go towards the next ones with what I have learned from this.

I am really so excited about this edge. A sensitive edge maybe?

But for today - my biggest sweetest boy is eleven.  We will be busy preparing and partying these next few days.

More stitching next week.