Sue Garman’s Afternoon Delight pattern has been haunting me. Yes, I am a Sue Garman groupie. I love everything she has ever designed and am very sad that she has passed. But her pattern Afternoon Delight has continually been on my mind for some time now. I knew at some point in the future I would make this beautiful quilt. I just did not think it would be so soon. Sue’s pattern is pictured with red as the border and set in triangles framing the quilt. She made hers with civil war prints and is quite beautiful. Red is not at the top of my list of favorite colors. I will use it, it’s just not a favorite like blue/green, teal, seafoam, shades of purple. I go crazy over those colors. I once saw a rendition of Sue’s pattern done in 30’s reproduction fabrics. I thought, hummmmmmm, I have a gazillion of those in my stash. I went crazy in the 1990’s collecting 30’s feedsack repros and have several shelves full of them. So the idea started percolating. This was a couple of years ago. Time flew by, I have been crazy working on Sue’s Bed of Roses with her Friends of Baltimore next in line for my big applique project when my local quilt shop, Buckles, Bobbins & Bolts, in Lebanon, Missouri had on display the most beautiful aqua/blue green piece of fabric. Stopped me in my tracks. I said , that’s it. That’s what I want for my border and set in triangles for Afternoon delight.
I went home ordered the pattern and when it came in marched myself back to the quilt shop and bought the necessary requirement for the border and triangles, plus some. 🙂 Now the background fabric….. I have purchased several different prints some on-line and some locally and have decided that the background is going to be a hodgepodge of cream on cream prints. I stared at the aqua fabric thinking, “what am I going to use for that dark strip separating the set-in triangles from the outer border?” when it came to me, light bulb moment, navy blue. So now I take a swatch of the aqua with me when I shop in the hopes of finding the perfect navy print for that strip. I have an idea…..
Into the washing machine the newly purchased fabrics went, ironed and sitting there. All those fabrics and pattern sitting there hauntingly on the back of my brain while I’m prepping and sewing away on Bed of Roses. I am currently to the point on Bed of Roses where I have every block prepped and am doing the applique by hand. So I thought, I’d play over Labor Day Weekend since I couldn’t seem to get Afternoon Delight off my mind. Sue’s pattern is broken down into month by month. I started reading month 1, got out my freezer paper traced the applique blocks, (they’re small squares 7 ¼”, not like the 18” ones I’m working on currently) that’s my excuse…. Next I looked at my stash of repros and chose about 10 fabrics to play with and into the washer they went. I didn’t always pre-wash my fabrics, but it’s something I’ve recently started doing. Once washed and ironed, I couldn’t help myself, I prepped the first 4 applique blocks and then sewed the two sho-fly blocks required in month one. Now, I’m feeling guilty and am back to seriously sewing on Bed of Roses. Next month I’ll do month 2……….. What have I done to myself? Sew it begins…….. Another project………. I know I’m incurable. Isn’t life wonderful when you have a passion to pursue. The silver lining is I’m on staycation this coming week. Sewing room here I come. Wooohooooo.
Here’s what I have completed:
Happy Stitches Everyone
Sissy Malone
Appliquenut 