Sunglasses Optional - Divide & Conquer Convergence Quilt

Good Sunday Afternoon to You All! How is everyone doing today?

It is another 3-D day: dreary, damp, and dismal. Clearly, I could also add depressing, but I am trying my best to stay positive in these posts.

Today I want to show you what I am been working on for the last few days. On Thursday afternoon, Ricky Tims of The Quilt Show presented a mini lesson on his "Divide & Convergence" quilt, and I could not wait to get started making one.  I knew that I had just the perfect piece of fabric, a yard of Ricky Tims' hand dyed fabric which I had purchased at one of his seminars a few years ago.

Friday morning I got started. Note: You can find his lesson on Youtube on The Quilt Show Channel, on Alex Anderson's Facebook page, or on Ricky Tims' Facebook page.

 I was totally absorbed in the process, and it was good, creative fun! Here is the middle section. Ricky explained the process clearly, and trust me, it was easy to do.

I put a thin black inner border and fortunately had enough fabric left to piece together a wide outer border. Then I faced the real challenge. How was I going to quilt it??? I am an absolute whiz at stitch in the ditch, so I stitched down the columns in the middle section. Then what??? Free motion quilting is definitely not in my wheelhouse. (Perhaps it is a skill that I could consider working on in the stay-at-home weeks ahead.)

I had in mind having big swooping lines diagonally across the piece, and then I remembered  Sue Pelland's Leaves Galore rulers!!! Just what I needed!!! I used the largest template and marked the gentle curve. I drew five such lines across my piece.

 I used two of Superior's Rainbows threads to stitch along the drawn lines. You may not be able to tell from this photo, but the colors of this polyester thread change in one inch increments. Remember to use a 90/10 needle with this type of thread. Even with the correct needle in place, I still had a bit of difficulty, but a quick check of Superior's website  - trouble shooting section - and the problem was solved. It was a matter of adjusting the tension.

The finished piece is BIG . . . 23x31, and this is where the sunglasses come in as it is really, really BRIGHT!

 It's hanging in my kitchen and it will surely wake me up when I come down for breakfast! :-)

If you are a quilter, I am sure you already follow Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Blog, but on the off chance that you do not, check it out tomorrow as she is starting a "Sew in Place Quilt Along!"


Now because this is acts as my journal, I would like to record some notes on the coronavirus pandemic this week.
 - The United States now has over 110,000 cases and over 2,000 souls have been lost.
 - There have been over 10,000 deaths in Italy and the death toll in the United Kingdom is over 1,000. (The virus has been in Italy longer than the US and the United Kingdom.)
 - Things are starting to improve in China where the disease was first noted.
 - Dr. Fauci says the US could see millions of coronavirus cases and 100,000 or more deaths. Let us pray that this good man is wrong.


So, how do we deal with all of this? I will not say "Stay Positive" as that is not possible. What I will say is "Stay Connected" to family and friends. "Stay busy." "Stay Creative." Find moments in each day that give you peace or encourage you to smile. Pray for all those working to keep us safe. Perhaps record your own thoughts and feelings in a journal, so that one day when this all has passed you might look back and reflect on all that we, our country, and this world have been through.

I wish you peace.