Joyce Kropewnicki

After making about 12 sofa and baby quilts with the 9 patch variation Kaleidoscope pattern using up some fabric scraps, I was starving for some nice new crispy fabric and different pattern.

My favorite Eleanor Burns had a show on RFD TV – “Quilt in a Day” that I watch from time to time. I think that Eleanor is my friend since I get my inspiration to move into new quilt patterns from her. She has such a simple way of describing complicated tasks. She has engineered the cutting and assembling so precise measurements and matching of corners are simplified and you have a better chance for completing a successful project.

She showed the Monkey Wrench pattern which is an emblished 9 patch with triangle corners and three colors of fabric sewn in narrow strips for the patch in the middle of the edges. A nice floral in the center tops it off.

I always check out the fabric at Walmart when I grocery shop on the weekends. I noticed an interesting group of complimentary fabrics in black, light turquoise blue, soft pale green and a floral print that picked up all the colors from the other fabrics. I really don’t need any more fabric, but the next week when I walked by I saw the same fabrics calling out to me. I picked up three yards of each of the four fabrics.

The next week I planned out the 32 blocks and began sewing triangles and strips.

When they were finished and ironed, I layed them all out in the pattern with a sheet of copy paper between each of the first two rows and one between the third and last row. This really helps keep everything straight as you always knows which block you are working on even if you had to stop the work in the middle and do some other things. Other things in my case are going to work. It try to sew about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes every morning. When the clock hits 4:30 am (yes am) I’m off the next morning’s activity to crowd everything in before work. If I waited until the end of the day I would too tired to sew and making dinner / watching TV with the family would override my sewing hobby.

1) Feb 2010 I finished up the 30 blocks which made a king sized quilt top in about 3 weeks working off and on. It was really pretty.

Monkey Wrench block

Monkey Wrench – 30 blocks 5 X 6 King size

Close Up of Monkey Wrench

2) Sofa Thrown – I had a couple of blocks left over and some left over triangles, so I made up three more blocks for a total of 5 blocks. I started with a big piece (13 inches square) of floral fabric to fill in between the 5 patterned blocks. It was just too much floral print. I cut those back to about 7 inch squares and bordered with some turquoise gingham I had laying around. Now it’s almost too much turquoise with the green saching. I finished it up anyway as a sofa throw.

I like this pattern a lot as it uses a large floral print and also small complementary calicos. I think I’ll make about 10 more quilt tops with this pattern.

3) Butterscotch Monkey
In my quest to use up the scraps I came across several fabrics that were butterscotch and rust. I thought I would make up more Monkeys using those fabrics.

I must have loved paisleys at one time as I seem to have a lot of them. I put butterscotch paisleys with a beige paisley print. Paisleys over the top for sure.

Mom had left me an scrap of fabric with rusts and a floral print with accents of turquoise. Well in the quilt that went right in the middle.

I have enough of this butterscotch to make 20 blocks for a queen sized quilt

4) I had a slightly different middle fabric that I made another 6 blocks for a lap quilt.

5) I bought some new fabric at Hancocks when they had their winter sale. These were bright, strong colors of pinks, orange and green. We’ll see what kind of Monkey’s they make.

6) Also picked up a pink lily with black background for another monkey.

I looked up the Monkey Wrench quilt pattern on the internet and found this story about the pattern.

A Quilt made of Monkey Wrench block patterns was the first quilt to be displayed as a signal for slaves to get ready if they were planning to escape to the north. The Monkey Wrench told slaves to gather their ‘tools.’

) Double Irish Chain – Black background with rose floral print and white – Queen – 1999

Beth Henry and Adam Jones wedding quilt.

Beth Henry, Geordie Jones, Tricia Hicks and my son John hung around together after school when they were in high school. They kept track of each other on holidays and summer vacation when they all went off to college in different cities. Still to this day they keep tabs on each other now that they have families and/or jobs that have taken them out of our Lakewood community. Its is good to see bonds of friendship last through the decades.

When Beth went to college in Durango she met the love of her life, Adam Jones. They married and are living happily every after raising their three little kids; Caleb, Zoey and Harmony. At the time they married black weddings and decorating with black was all the rage. Wedding parties had elegant bridesmaids in black gown framing the bride in white. I thought it would be interesting to make Beth a quilt for her wedding out of May Basket triangles of black background with small rose colored prints. I used white eyelet for the background to dress it up. It is always pleasurable to make a quilt for someone’s wedding as a special day of remembrance.

Fifteen years later in 2013, Beth mentioned that her quilt needed some repair. I have seen these before. The seems are usually wore and almost impossible to fix. I found a bag of scraps from when I made her quilt in 1998. When I went to her house to check out the damage I found that only the back had shown wear. Beth had removed most it. I took it home and ripped out the seems on the edge the held the remainder of the backing, clipped the few remaining hand ties and tossed the old batting and edges. It was amazing that the quilt top was in such good shape. I washed it and put it back together with new batting and a new sheet for the back. Beth and Adam were happy to have it back in tack again. Wishing them 15 more years.