Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Love Anna Williams Style

Whoohoo, finished a quilt top. I really really love how it turned out. Love Anna Williams Style (aka LAWS):


I know, it's a terrible photo, but I was too excited to wait until I had better light. I started this quilt way back in April (you can read the first post here - inc a photo of the Anna Williams quilt that inspired me). I had to think and cogitate upon it for awhile before I was ready to move forward with it.

I made all the blocks and then added piano keys and plain bits of fabric to make some of them larger or taller. I knew from fairly early on where I wanted each block and that I wanted to join them in columns rather than rows.

My first task was to get all the block the same width in a particular row. That meant adding on more than I needed and then slicing down. I joined the blocks of two columns together. I wanted a general idea of their length:


After joining the blocks of the third column, I played arrangements. Instead of my original format, did I want to make the two columns containing four blocks each the outer columns???


As it turned out, I didn't. Meanwhile, I added rows to the middle of the 3-block column, the only one that wasn't finished at that point. Once that column was all together, I joined the columns, just whacking off the extra length here and there. I made a choice not to get them all straight and even, hoping that I get a bit of wave, if that makes any sense. 

I didn't make it monstrously large, LAWS is 49.5" x 52" more or less. Since it didn't get too huge I'm going to go ahead and hand quilt it.

An update on my health. Turns out (after medical procedures and blood testing) that I don't have Celiac Disease or any of the other possible horrors including bleeding ulcers. My iron and ferritin levels have improved and the only change has been to my thyroid medication, which I insisted on because of my lower-than-normal T3 levels. (My doctor said that couldn't be the problem... well, well.)  I'm now on Armour (a naturally derived medication that contains T3 as well as T4) and doing better.

Gotta run, but here's a quick pic of baby Pokey before I sign off (I know some of you are only here for the kitty pics)

48 comments:

Cheryl Willis said...

I love getting to read the process. Sometimes i look at a top and think: What was she thinking! I have enjoyed seeing your progress on this beautiful quilt!!- great job cw

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

it looks fabulous! congrats on the finish top!
Glad to hear all your tests came back ok too. So did mine, but I still don't retain iron, so, yes, I continue with transfusions every two weeks, or so.
hmmm, well, now I have to go play with solids, because you stirred me up with this lovely quilt! ;-)

deborah said...

Yeah! A really fun quilt with so much thought put into it. I really really like it! Glad you are feeling better. Kitty scratches to all!

Teresa Rawson said...

LOVE the LAWS quilt...it is really stunning!

I'm here for the quilty and kitty pics!!

I'm glad your tests came back with no scary, weird diseases!

Your book cover looks GREAT!

Teresa :o)

Christina said...

Tanya, I value you for making original, inspired quilts, and NOT at the speed of light - you are an inspiration. It is happy and beautiful and utterly unique! Best wishes for continued health...

Kristin L said...

I love LAWS!!

Carla said...

Tonya, your quilt is so, so great!! I just love it! But my jaw dropped at the book cover! Oh WOW! Are you going to sell any from your website? Can they be preordered and maybe autographed? Maybe you haven't thought that far. Let me know.

Angie said...

Wow - what a great quilt. It is neat to see quilts made from solid colors. Such a great quilt :) I just printed a picture for my inspiration wall.

Marit said...

I love LAWS! Those solids are shining!

Good luck with your blood values and feeling better!

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love this quilt! Thanks for sharing the process too. And best wishes for your health.

Viv x

Lynda said...

This quilt is fabulous! The surprise bit in the middle (where I was expecting another block) is wonderful!

Clare said...

This is wonderful. It's right up there in my list of Tonya's Top Ten Quilts!

Really really pleased about the health news.

sewprimitive karen said...

That quilt is destined for greatness. Glad you got some good health news. Not here only for the cat pictures, but that Pokey is one gorgeous cat LOL!!

Millie said...

The quilt looks terrific, and I'm very happy to hear you are feeling better!

Sujata Shah said...

I love this quilt! Looks very inspiring. When I read then size I had to go back and look at the picture again... Those are some tiny pieces!
Glad your test results are okay.

Jan said...

So, so wonderful! I definitely envisioned it as larger, so the size info was a surprise. Love that size, though. I'll be back to look at this again and again. Happy that you're hand quilting it, too.
Good news about your tests. I hope you continue to feel better. Nothing like good health, which we always take for granted until something comes up.

Mary Keasler said...

Oh My LAWS is a spectacular quilt. Drooling all over myself. Now I've gotta go start "free piecing" my hand dyes!

Barb said...

congrats on the wonderful finish - Love it! and hooray for hand quilting.
Glad you're feeling better -
sweet puss photo :)

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

So glad you're feeling better! The top is wonderful and I love the piano keys. Especially the little bunch of them in the center.

YankeeQuilter said...

Do you put blue in all of your quilts just to make Pokey's eyes look amazingly beautiful?!

Love how this quilt is coming along!

Deborah said...

Kitties and quilts...it doesn't get much better. The top is beautiful and I'm glad to hear that your health is betters. Smoochies to Pokey and the crew. Rusty sends purrs to all.

Gypsy Quilter said...

Glorious, wonderful, marvelous, and OUTSTANDING!

quiltmom anna said...

Great quilt Tonya- I never knew about Anna Williams until you wrote about her- thanks for introducing her to me.

So glad you are feeling better and that all the tests came back clear- long may it remain so.

Happy quilting,
Regards,
Anna

Diane said...

WONDERFUL QUILT!

Sarah said...

Love the LAWS quilt - the piano keys add so much movement and really draw my eyes TO the love blocks. Glad to hear the health concerns had a relatively easy solution.

Loris said...

Thank you. Yes...love the Pokey photo :-)
The quilt is also nice as well as the great news that you don't have a new diagnosis but just a better med for your thyroid. Much easier fix :-) I am on the same tract too.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I LOVE this quilt top!!!!!!!

Quilts And Pieces said...

I love the Love quilt! Sorry to hear you really don't have any concrete answers yet on your health. Thought of you this week. Saw an exhibit on Ralli quilts and while they are not like Egyptian tentmaker quilts, they are intricate like them. Oh you should have seen them!

Kristin Shields said...

Spectacular! Fabulous colors and arrangement. It will be so special with the hand quilting too!

gnat said...

wow, that quilt turned out amazingly! you are such an inspiration - I love it! (and live it?) ha.
by the way - you're the reason this quilt happened for my Mexican/Scottish friends' union:
http://gnatthebrat.blogspot.com/2009/08/return-to-canada-part-1-wedding.html

A Paperback Writer said...

I look at this and see books on shelves; hence the quilt becomes a visual ode to a love of books. But that's just me. Of course, once it's made, art is open to the interpretation of the viewer....
Lovely job.

Rosalyn Manesse said...

Hope that your health continues to improve. I love the quilt--and all in so many solid colors! It's a beauty

Barbara said...

Love the Love quilt and really great kitty pics.
Barbara

Amy Seven-Stitches said...

Tonya, that quilt is legendary. I love the piano keys everywhere. I can only imagine they are playing some jazzed up version of chopsticks - you know that first tune you ever really learn to play that sounds even better when a friend is sitting beside you and playing the other part too, much like Tom hanks dancing on keyboard in BIG.

Nancy said...

Great quilt! Hope your health improves steadily- feel better. And the kitties... they are beautiful.

RagQuilter said...

I have never seen this pattern before, I really like how unique it turned out.

Did you train pokey to hold the blocks in place, or did she learn that trick on her own?

joe tulips said...

I love the quilt. I LOVE the book cover, it screams "open me up and see what is inside!....can't wait for it to come out. Julie in Iowa

Kim said...

Oh my word! this is just beautiful....I can't believe how fantastic this came out.
Solids make all the difference in this beautiful design.

Happy Sewing

Scrappy Raven said...

Wow. Just wonderful. The colors and liberated quilt style just say love.

Lisa said...

stunning!

julieQ said...

I love all that love just shining through!

Browndirtcottage said...

This is an awesome quilt Tonya...probable one of my favorites!!

Mamifleur said...

This quilt is wonderful! Bravo Tonya. Friendship

Christienne said...

Wow what a gorgeous quilt ! And the kitty is quite beautiful too. : )

Chris Daly said...

Great finish Tonya. I love the offset blocks. You will really like the Armour Thyroid. It really worked much better for me than the synthetic replacements. Glad it wasn't anything serious!

Sharon said...

Awesome, beautiful quilt, Ton! What an incredible lot of piecing - it is so chaotic, happy, colorful and joyous. "Love"ly and "Live"ly too! I love the interrupted column - what a fun surprise!

And thanks for sharing some of your thought process. I've learned so much from you!

Beautiful Pokey. Scritches to the whole team!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Thank-you for sharing your thought process in the layout. I love the finishing product (pun unintended) because of the movement in the final layout. The bookended 'symmetry' seemed at odds with the overall content in the layout with the 4 blocks on either end. The eye moves so well in the end product.

jmb_craftypickle said...

I love the love quilt. You balanced it all really well. The borders are so exciting and did I say I loved it? I can't wait to see it finished, it is so very inspiring.