Today is designated by some as ‘Blue Monday’ who suggest that it is the most miserable day of the year. This can be a difficult day financially for all workers who are usually paid at the end of the month but who in December are paid just before Christmas. This creates a long wait in January until the pay arrives on 31st January. There is also the sadness that Christmas and New Year celebrations are over (looking forward to them helps us through the dark months of November and December, perhaps?) The weather in the UK is often rainy In January and the days can be rather grey. My decision, then for today, is to tip the term on its head and show you some quilts that use predominantly blue fabrics in the hope that they will cheer you.
First up is ‘Rainbow Ladder’ which has a rich blue background and two areas of blue in the ‘ladder’. The original has now been sold. You can make your own version of this quilt from the recently published pattern. See the post here for details.
Below is a sample piece that I made recently in which I explored improv piecing techniques. Here I am looking at the waves off the beach in Ramsgate and including one of the yellow buoys in the bay.
The quilt below is included because it depicts the ‘Blue Mountains’ in Australia, which I visited in 2010. I made the quilt soon after the visit and included in it fabrics which I purchased in Australia. The eucalyptus trees in the area around the Blue Mountains exude oil which combines with water droplets and dust to form a haze which causes the mountains to look blue. It’s a beautiful sight.
Next up is a quilt which I made a few years ago and which has now been sold. Can you see the whale?
Below is ‘The Crane’, also blue and set against a background of blue sky and blue sea. It has gone to a new home too.
Below is a narrow piece which hangs in my house. It is all about memories of my father who enjoyed designing gardens – including our own at home – and who owned a measuring tape like the one I found washed up on the beach and included in the piece. The background is blue/tan check, there are blue and white checked areas and blue threads at the bottom to suggest the sea…
The quilt below is a miniature called ‘Bright Morning Star’. It measures 22cm/eight and five-eighths inches square, it has a hanging sleeve and is made with Liberty lawn fabrics. It is is for sale in my Etsy shop Amanda Handmade Quilts right here
Also in the Amanda Handmade Quilts shop is ‘Blue Moon, pictured below and once again inspired by the sea at Ramsgate (in this case by a late Autumn moon shining on the waves right up to the beach one evening). The listing for this wall-hanging is here
HAPPY 19TH JANUARY!
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