Winter is here.  Miss Molly and I woke to beautiful snow falling.  She enjoys the snow and doesn’t mind going out in it.  

 

It was a great day to work on the wall quilt.  I have a file with everything that I’ve worked on before.  I just have to pull it out to see where I finished the last time that I worked on this project.

Today, I drafted the applique design on freezer paper.  When I found other flowers for the piece, I added them with scotch tape.

 

 

 

After the design was what I wanted, I marked the center horizontally and vertically. 

 

 

 

Then, using the light box,  I transferred the pattern to a large piece of stabilizer.  This stabilizer pattern will be the diagram for placement of the applique pieces.  The hardest part is figuring out which pieces should be appliqued first.  The freezer paper diagram will be cut out for the patterns.  I haven’t decided whether I will cut out and applique each flower separately or cut out and number all of them.    

I want to use the flowers from my garden for color inspiration.  Several photos are in the file and I placed them where they should go so that I can see how it should look.  I may look in a flower catalogue for other color inspiration.  My flowers are very similar in color.  I’m still deciding which fabric will be the base for the appliques.  There are two contenders.  

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

When I was cleaning out some paper files of quilt blocks, I came across a scrap quilt block.  It looked like an easy block to sew.  I decided to make one to see if it was as easy as it looked. For two 4″ blocks cut: 1 -3 1/2″ dark medium square, 1 – 2″ square of dark medium, 2 – 2″ x 3 1/2″ of light and 1 – 5″ square of dark medium.     Stitch together with a 1/4″ seam like this.         Draw a diagonal line on the 5″ block.     Place onto the pieced block RST with the diagonal line beginning and ending on the light rectangles.  Stitch 1/4″ on each side of the diagonal line. I pinned the two pieces together so that they wouldn’t shift. Cut on the diagonal line to create two squares.  Square to 4 1/2″  There is just a sliver to cut off. One square will look like this.       The other will look like this. Assemble to create a pleasing design.  Use lots of scraps for a different look.  You can use charm squares for the 5″ pieces. The picture of the square has 16 – 4″ pieces.  I found that if you want a block that is color coordinated like the one in the picture, you have to make four squares  in two different colorways. An other possibility would be to make a 4 patch block with the pieces twisted and turned other ways.  The blocks are so easy to make.  It would be fun to make several and play with a setting. I do have a lot of 2″ off white strips leftover from another project.  If the background was the same color, it might work. Have a great day and happy quilting.

It was a very rainy and cold day today.  After a meeting at the Community Center this morning, I decided to not sew or quilt, but to clear out the piles of quilt pictures and patterns that I never would make.  They seemed very nice at the time that I saved them, but I know that I will never make them, so the paper had to go.  I still have loads of patterns and ideas left.  I probably won’t make them, but I can think about it.

It must be getting near Christmas as my Christmas cactus is blooming.  It is beautiful.  The trick to getting Christmas cactus blooms is to close the insulated drapes around them and keep them cool with the cool night air on the windows.   They won’t bloom with the warm air in the house.  

 

     

I saw a beautiful quilt on the Missouri Star Quilt Company web site.  It was a simple nine patch that was cut and the pieces turned in a different direction.  It was different than the other blocks that I had made. The nine patches were set without sashing.  I decided to make half size blocks so that I could make another Linus quilt with the technique.  Nine patches are easy.  I didn’t need to look at the tutorial to make them.  The nine patches sewed up quickly.  Somehow, it didn’t look right.  I went back to the tutorial to see how the nine patches were cut.  That’s when I discovered my big mistake.  Five of the pieces of the nine patch were supposed to be white.  I used all dark and medium pieces.  They would have made a very dark quilt. That’s when the quilt was named “The Mistake”.  I decided to put white sashing between the blocks and add an unusual border to take the eye away from the center.  It worked.  It turned out to be a pretty quilt.  Maybe I should rename it “Lemonade”.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I was originally a self taught quilter.  Over the years, I have had many teachers who taught me different ways to quilt.  Some were very good and some not so good.  I did learn something from each one, even though it might have been that I didn’t like to quilt the way that they did.  Four people have had the most influence on my way of quilting.

Enjoyment – Doreen Speckman taught me to enjoy quilting.  She was an awesome teacher.  I remember her teaching in her bathing suit on a very hot day.  We ignored the heat and  laughed all the way through class.

Applique – I had several classes in applique.  It wasn’t my passion, although I liked to do it.  I went to as many applique classes as I could hoping the I would learn to enjoy the hand work.  Nancy Pearson taught at the Vermont quilt Festival.  She opened my eyes to color, technique and the love of applique.  We learned how to make twisted ribbon.  The piece that we made in her class was supposed to be a wall hanging, but I enlarged it and made a queen size bed quilt.

Stipple quilting – After I pieced and appliqued the quilt, I hand quilted it with a stippling technique taught by John Flynn.   I called the quilt “Basket and Butterflies” because I quilted orange butterflies amongst the stippling.  The sub title is “It’s John Flynn’s Fault”.  Because I had made the quilt with techniques learned at Vermont, I submitted the quilt into the Vermont show.  It was my first entry into a regional quilt show.  It not only won a blue ribbon, but also won a ribbon for best hand quilting.

Piecing – The teachers who had the most influence in my piecing were Ann Gallo and Sue Rabin.  The are amazing teachers.  One would start a sentence and the other would finish it.  It was like one person in two ladies.  I learned so much from them.  There way of flip and sew is different than anyone else.  While in the class, we went into another area for a demonstration.  I did not know at the time, but one of the ladies picked up my flip and sew piece on the way by to demonstrate how not to sew it.  I had cut off both pieces.  The following is their way.  I always do it this way now.

The object is to have a small triangle on the corner of a larger square.  You will use a large square and smaller squares for the corners.  Draw a diagonal line on the back of the smaller square.  Line the small square up with the corners and sew on the diagonal line.

 

 

Most instructions tell you to cut the corners  1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the triangle out.

 

Ann and Sue’s way is to cut the inner small square leaving the large square intact.  No matter how accurate you sew, the triangle might be a little over or under the line.  When you add this piece cut this way to another in the block, it will still be an accurate cut.

 

When these triangles were pressed back, they did not go to the edge of the larger square.  If they were cut off the regular way, the piece would be too small.

 

When these triangles were pressed back, they went beyond the edge of the larger square.  The Piece would have been too large.  Trim the overage and the piece will be the right size and be square. I learned so much from Ann and Sue.  More tips will come at a later date.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My appointment was cancelled this morning so I made good use of the extra time and caught up on the Moda Block Head blocks.

Block 29 is a 6″ block.  It is called Courthouse Step and was designed by Carrie Nelson.  This was a quick block to make.  There were only nine pieces and all straight sewing.

 

 

Block 30 is an 18″ block.  It is called Gaudi and was designed by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic.  This took a little longer to piece than block 29.  The triangle pieces were pieced in strip sets and then trimmed to the triangle.  The center was a square in a square unit.  The measurements in the instructions were not right, but I was able to adjust and make the  center unit the right size.  It called for  2″ squares to flip and sew on a 3 1/2″ base, when it meant to add triangles to all four sides of the center 3 1/2″  square.   If I had followed the instructions, the center would have finished at 3 1/2″square. It needed to be 4 3/4″ which is the same size as the ends of the  larger cross pieces.

When all the Moda blocks are finished, we are going to be given a diagram on how to set all the blocks.  Most of the blocks are 6″ finished size, but there are several that are bigger and even one that is a rectangle. I’ve enjoyed the Moda Blockhead blocks of the week.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I played with Jane today.  The stack of finished squares is getting higher.  I did make some out of sequence, but when I get to those rows, I’ll be ahead.  I’m glad that I bought the EQ Dear Jane program.  It tells me the best way to piece the blocks.  I can print off patterns for paper piecing.  There is a wealth of information in that program.

Two blocks were paper pieced today.  They are ready for quilting.  I finished quilting one other block and tacked down the binding on two other  blocks.  It sounds like a lot of work, but the blocks are finished at 4 1/2″.  It doesn’t take long to put a binding on the sides.  Some of the parts that are paper pieced are very small.  See the corner squares in the bottom block in the first picture. I never could piece them the regular way.

Three blocks are ready to applique.  Again, I’m glad that they are small.  When all the blocks that I’ve been working on are finished, row D should be done.  I had intended to make the blocks in the fourth row around the center block.  Somehow, I became sidetracked and processed a whole row.

         

There will be no sewing tomorrow as I will be out of the house all day.  Maybe I can go into the archives and find a quilt that I haven’t talked about yet.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I was talking to a lady that I met today.  When she found out that I was a quilter, she told me that she had  bought a new sewing machine a few months ago.  Her 13 year old son was looking at it and asked her to teach him how to sew.  She did and he has made his first quilt and has started on his second.  He has gone into the local quilt shop and they have answered his questions.  His color sense is awesome.  The quilt was made of rectangles and was his own design.  His Grandmother  bought a sewing machine for him so he has his own.  He saved his money and bought a trunk.  He keeps his sewing machine in the trunk along with the start of a stash. He has asked to have lessons at the quilt shop so that he could know how to make a quilt “the real way”.  The best part is that he doesn’t have his fingers attached to electronics.  His Mom is very proud of him.

I’ve been so busy lately with yard work, appointments, meetings, etc. that I haven’t been in the sewing room very much.  I’m hoping that I will be able to sew for a whole day soon.

A friend gave me some Dresden Plate blocks that were made in the 30’s or 40’s.  They came with the muslin.  I have appliqued the blocks onto the muslin and stitched the blocks together.

Fortunately, I had several 30’s Dresden Plates pieces that I purchased at auction several years ago.  I was able to cut them to make the border.  The fabric, even though it isn’t the same patterns, has the same look.  It goes very well with the blocks.

 

I bought a piece of green 30’s fabric from a vendor at the Guild quilt show, intending to use it for something else.  It just happens to be the right size for the back of this quilt. I think that I was going to use it with the auction Dresden Plate pieces.  They’re both in this quilt now so I don’t have to think of what to do with them.

Where the whole quilt is made with antique fabric, I feel that it needs to be hand quilted.  I’ve been checking Pinterest to see what others have done with the Dresden Plate.  There are several that I like.  When I figure out which one or combination of several that I like, I’ll make a template and start quilting.

I am designing a wall hanging that will go over my couch.  I’ve been thinking about it for weeks.  Up until this week, I had only the dimensions.  I want it to fit on the rod that is on the wall and hang down to the top of the couch.  Yesterday, I found a setting diagram that I like.  Now, I have to think about what I want to place in the spots on the diagram.  As thoughts about this wall hanging come to me, I’ll let you know the progress.  Maybe even show some pictures.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

A short while ago, a friend asked me how I put the rows of the Canadian 150 quilt together.  The quilt had 12 rows of 12 blocks.  It was hand quilted.  Every week, we received a pattern and a story about an amazing Canadian woman.  When I had received the patterns for 24 blocks, I put them together in two rows.  Then I hand quilted the rows as I received and pieced the next blocks.  Row 3 and row 4 were sewn together and quilted. Every section of  two rows was pieced and quilted as a separate quilt.  Following is the procedure that I used to add each section to the next one.

I’m using a Linus quilt for the demo.  It is made with nine patch blocks set three by four.  I made two sections of two rows.  The nine patches are quilted.  I omitted quilting the sashing because I needed it to float.  I also didn’t quilt the border because The quilting might not match up where it was seamed.  I wanted to quilt it all at once. Most tutorials tell you to trim both edges even.  This will work, but you sometimes have to pull it and the seam won’t lay flat.  I find it better to make one edge 1/4″ wider to give a little wiggle room.  It is less stressful.  On this quilt, the side with the sashing will be the side that is longer.  It was not quilted. That will give you more room to manipulate.  It is the bottom piece in the picture.

Trim the top piece even with the edge.

 

 

Turn the bottom piece with the sashing over.  Pin the backing down and away from the edge. This will keep it out of the way of trimming. Turn back over and trim even with the edge. 

 

Trim the batting an extra 1/4″.  This will eliminate bulk.

 

Unpin the back, smooth out, and trim back 1/4″ away from trimmed top.

 

 

 

Pin backing down again to get it out of the way.  Pin the two pieces together, right sides together.  I use a lot of pins.  Line up the sashing lines while pinning. Peek to see if they line up.

This needs to be adjusted.  The right seam does not line up.

 

 

 

  Then sew seam with a 1/4″ seam.

Take it to an ironing board.  Laying it with top against the board, press seam up.  Press 1/4″ on backing.

Lay backing over pressed up seam.  It should cover sewing line.  Press.

 

 

When it is even, pin and then hand tack seam.

 

 

 

Done.  You will not know that the quilt was quilted in small pieces.  Using this technique, you can machine a king size quilt without a lot of tugging.  You could even quilt single blocks and put them together this way. A patterned backing will hide the seams on the back.  Or you could use different fabrics on the back and have a two sided quilt.  There are so many options.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

It’s November already.  I finally changed the small monthly wall hanging. I hadn’t changed it since July.  Sue didn’t go out trick or treating.  She can today.

When I was getting the wall hanging out of the drawer, I found another one.  This was made for a Guild challenge many years ago.  I’m not sure what the criteria was for the challenge, but I remember that we were given beads to use in the piece. It was hand quilted.   The fabric was obtained at a Guild quilt show.  Keepsake Quilting was a vendor at the show. They had a large bin of fabric.  We could stuff a plastic shopping bag for a very small price.  I knew that I would use the fabric some day when I bought it. It seems as if I have a lot of fabric that I bought that way.  Some day, I will have a use for it.

  

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Have you ever had one of those days when everything seems to go wrong.  I had one of those days yesterday.  I did more un-sewing than I did sewing. I accomplished nothing.  About 4:30 I shut the sewing machine off, cooked supper and watched TV.  Today was much better.

I visited with friends  this morning.  When I got home, my sewing machine hummed.  I have a project 3/4 finished.  It should be ready for viewing in a few days.  Tonight, I’ll check out the bag of UFOs that I found in the library.  I think that I have found all of them. Some of the big baggies have kits that I put together to work on while in Maine.  I’ll put them aside for next year and work on the ones that are already started.  If I really don’t want to finish them, I can cut them up and put them in the mile a minute bin.  That bin is getting full.  I should sew some blocks and use up some of the leftover fabric.

October is almost done.  It will be November tomorrow.  The Temperature Quilt is complete up to the end of October.  Just two more months to go and it will go to the long arm quilter.  The colors are beginning to look like the ones that I used in the Spring months.  When the winter colors are added, it should be very pleasing to the eye.

Have a great day and happy quilting.