No, I didn’t quilt these placemats underwater, but I felt like I was drowning in my work at times. Here are two finished and six not finished placemats I worked on while at the quilting retreat.

I wanted to make up the scenes as I went along, so no two placemats are the same. (The one below is finished except for the binding.)

However, you may notice a reappearance of the dark invader, my Darth Vader fish, in several of the placemats. His job is to see that you don’t eat too much at one sitting.

Miss Prissy Fishy below lets the others know that she has special protection from Darky. Who knows what favours she supplies?

So Darky concentrates on other unearthly looking fish for his supper.

And yet, he must wonder why he has no friends. Look at them scramble to get away.

“Miss Prissy Fishy,” says Pretty Boy, “why are you ignoring me?ย See how talented I am. I can touch my toes. And anyway, don’t you know that good things come in small packages?”

“I heard that, Pretty Boy,” bubbles Darky, “but in the case of eat or be eaten, just remember that size matters. Oh dear, now look what I’ve done. I’ve upset Little Blue Wonderfish.”

Disclaimer via Darky: Not responsible for any fish swimming upside down.
March 14, 2019 at 4:33 pm
They look fantastic – and all that done without scuba gear! ๐ If you ever make it to Fredericksburg, you really need to meet the members of our local quilting guild.
http://www.vereinsquiltguild.org/
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March 14, 2019 at 4:39 pm
LOL! Wouldn’t that be fun. I hear they have some wonderful fabric stores and quilt shows in Texas.
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March 14, 2019 at 6:18 pm
Btw, one of Mary’s cousins does quilting, too!
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March 14, 2019 at 6:55 pm
Great. It’s a lot of useful fun.
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March 15, 2019 at 8:44 am
๐
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March 14, 2019 at 4:41 pm
Also, I just noticed the web address. Will check it out. Tnx.
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March 14, 2019 at 6:17 pm
You’re welcome! ๐
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March 14, 2019 at 4:46 pm
Pretty awesome. No going back for “seconds” when I am enjoying a delectable seafood dinner with roasted potatoes. Hardly seems fair!!!
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March 14, 2019 at 4:51 pm
You’re right. It’s not fair. We’ll suspend the rules just for you.
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March 14, 2019 at 5:05 pm
I’m familiar with feeling as though you’re drowning, Anneli! I love these! Thanks for sharing.
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March 14, 2019 at 5:31 pm
I think a lot of women know how that feels. But having said that, I’m sure men have that drowning feeling at times too, just about different things. Happy to hear that you like my placemats. They’re fun to make because I never know how each one will turn out.
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March 14, 2019 at 5:34 pm
Wow, Anneli. Those are so delightfully awesome. I love the fish and as a scuba diver, I can attest to the authenticity! ๐
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March 14, 2019 at 5:36 pm
Diana! You’re the only other person I know who has met Darky down there. And Miss Prissy Fishy and Pretty Boy! I’m delighted that you’ve met my friends. Only a fantasy diving author would recognize them in their “world.”
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March 15, 2019 at 8:55 am
Ha ha. ๐
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March 14, 2019 at 5:48 pm
Nice, but the fish with the big teeth is scary!
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March 14, 2019 at 6:58 pm
Of course. He’s the Dark Invader.
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March 14, 2019 at 5:49 pm
Gorgeous! Placemats with a story – It reminds me of the historical use of the ‘Blue Willow’ pattern in dishes with the pattern recounting a love story. Only your story is way different, it’s a contemporary quilter’s take on the ‘story-telling’ genre!
๐
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March 14, 2019 at 6:56 pm
I would love to have seen/heard the Blue Willow story.
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March 14, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Those have to be the coolest placemats that I’ve ever seen!
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March 14, 2019 at 6:55 pm
Perfect for a fish dinner, eh?
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March 14, 2019 at 9:52 pm
They are beautiful! And I love the stories that go with them. ๐
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March 15, 2019 at 8:07 am
Thank you, Lynette. These characters all seem to want to talk!
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March 15, 2019 at 5:14 am
Those placemats are outstanding. Most beautiful work with a fun story. Thanks so much for sharing!
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March 15, 2019 at 8:06 am
Thanks, Ursula. Lots of work, but lots of fun, too.
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March 15, 2019 at 8:29 am
These look like they were loads of fun to make.
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March 15, 2019 at 8:35 am
They were certainly not boring, as squares and triangles can get when you’re making eight placemats. I may make some more, once I get over all the work involved in the fun.
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March 15, 2019 at 12:10 pm
Surprising how much work fun can be, huh? ๐
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March 15, 2019 at 12:29 pm
*chuckling* Yes!
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March 15, 2019 at 3:13 pm
Beautiful artwork Anneli!
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March 15, 2019 at 3:24 pm
Thanks, Belinda. Still slaving over the binding. 5 of the 8 done. Whew!
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March 16, 2019 at 10:18 am
LOVE THESE!
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March 16, 2019 at 10:33 am
Thanks, DK. I’m starting to like them myself, but they are a gift. I might have to make some more … someday.
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March 17, 2019 at 5:12 am
WOW! You are a masterful quilter, Anneli. Do you use a machine to make the stitching that looks like water, or do you do that by hand? These are gorgeous!
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March 17, 2019 at 8:14 am
I used the machine to do that quilting. Only the bindings are put on by hand on the second side. Hand quilting would be so time consuming but those who do it end up with a beautiful job. So far, I don’t have the patience for that. Thanks for the nice compliments, Jennie. Have a great
Sunday.
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March 17, 2019 at 11:07 am
You are amazing!
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March 17, 2019 at 1:45 pm
Not really, Jennie, but keep talking. I love it. ๐
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March 17, 2019 at 1:46 pm
Will do! ๐
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March 19, 2019 at 4:34 pm
Oh, I’m so impressed! We have three avid quilters in our building, and I know how much hard work it is. But first, you must have inspiration…
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March 19, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Now that they are finished (since I posted this), I got re-inspired to make two more for friends. This time it was much faster because I had a better idea of what I was doing. Isn’t that always the way?
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March 24, 2019 at 8:52 am
Anneli, these are amazing. Trying quilting years ago almost killed me! I learned just how much I hate sewing! Ha, ha!
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March 24, 2019 at 8:56 am
Oh, that’s too bad. You need to have a good person giving you starter lessons. That’s what helped me, after years of frustration trying to figure it out on my own.
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March 24, 2019 at 8:58 am
Well, I kind of did. I managed to make a few small ones, but sitting at a sewing machine killed me!
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March 24, 2019 at 9:38 am
If I could paint and draw like you can, I wouldn’t spend my time at the sewing machine either.
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March 24, 2019 at 10:23 am
I bet you could! Just try it! ๐โค
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March 24, 2019 at 12:15 pm
I might do that one of these days.
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March 24, 2019 at 4:59 pm
I hope so! ๐
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