I was sewing late this morning when I heard a lot of loud screeching in the back yard.  The grackles usually made a little noise, but not like this.  I went to the window to see what was going on.  There were over two dozen little grackles flying around.  They were going up and down and over and under.  It’s a wonder that they didn’t bump into each other.  All the time they were flying, they were screeching.  Every once in a while, they all flew into the trees and were quiet and then all came back out, screeching louder.   Mama must have taught them how to fly today and they were having the best time.  They were screeching with joy for learning how to fly.  Then, they must have been tired because they went into the trees and were very quiet.  It must have been nap time and Mama was tired too.  There are probably several nests and several mothers. There were too many babies for one mother.  Maybe tomorrow they will learn how to fly in a row.  I hope that they come back and I can watch them again.

I am still working on Kimberly Einmo’s book, Bonanza 200.  I’ve almost finished sewing the blocks in the 10″ section, just a few more to go.  The last two blocks are on the diagonal, so I have to find a diagonal setting this group of blocks.  The straight blocks will be fine in a diagonal setting.     

I enjoy using Kimberly’s patterns.  I have her jelly roll ruler and her flying geese ruler.  They are both accurate and easy to use.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

P.S.  When you master a new technique, you are allowed to “screech” with joy.

I have mentioned the mile a minute block in other poste, but have never told how to make it.  Many quilters make this block and there are a lot of tutorials telling about it.  This is the way that I make it.

Separate scraps of fabric into two bags, one for scraps and one for strips.  The strips do not have to be straight.  The fabric does not have to be color coordinated, unless you want it to be a theme.  Use leftover thread and bobbins to do the sewing,  Color doesn’t matter.

Place the strips on one side of the sewing machine and the scraps on the other.  Pick up a strip and place it right side up under the pressure foot.  Without peeking, Pick up a scrap and place it on the strip right sides together.  Pick up another strip, butt it against the first and sew. You must use the scrap that you picked up without looking unless it is the same fabric as the strip. You do not have to have an accurate 1/4″ seam but it has to be straight.

Continue adding scraps to strips until you have a big pile behind the machine.  Press strips to one side.  It doesn’t matter which side.  Cut between strips.

Place another strip on the machine.  Add the two combined pieces to this strip right sides together.  It doesn’t matter  which way the combined piece is added.  Whichever looks best.  Again, press and cut between pieces. Pressing is very important.

     

Keep adding combined pieces to strips until the block is large enough to place a 6″ or 6 1/2″ rotary ruler on the diagonal.  When cutting the mile a minute block, always use the same ruler so the size will be the same on all blocks.  Move ruler around so that the corners don’t come at a seam,  Continue until you have enough blocks for a quilt.      

  Cut sashing strips the desired width and the length of one side of the block.  The strips could be cut 1 1/2″ or 2 1/2″wide.  Also cut square corner blocks the size of the sashing.  When sewing, place block under sashing,  There will be bias pieces. The feed dogs will take care of any difference in the size of the block if the bias stretches a bit.  Decide if you want a diagonal or straight set.  With a diagonal set, you will need setting triangles around the edges.

Add a 4″ to 6″ border or add a 1″ border, a 3″ mile a minute border and  4″ border for a total of 8″ on each side of the quilt.

You can use the mile a minute block in any quilt block that has a section the size of the block.  It could be the center of an Ohio Star block, monkey wrench block or any similar blocks. Sew a single piece of fabric to the mile a minute block.  Press toward the single fabric.

This is a great way to use all the cut off pieces that are left over after making a quilt.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Several years ago I found this little rose pattern on Pam Bono’s web site.  The quilt is 8″ x 10″. The pattern was given a little bit each day for seven days.  Then, after a week,  you had a little gift for Mom on Mother’s Day.  I have made four of these little quilts as they are great to give for gifts and take very little time in sewing and quilting the block. It is a great way to practice machine quilting.

On the first day, the pieces are cut out and labeled with a block letter, unit number and lower case addition.  There is a chart and pictures as the piecing could be confusing until you learn Pam’s method of sewing the block.  It is a neat and easy method of adding pieces until the block is completed.

I did cut and label the pieces the first day and then decided to wait until all instructions arrived before sewing the block.  I finished it in an afternoon.  Later on, Pam published a larger piece using three different colored roses.  I haven’t made that one yet.  Pieces are added in order.  Some are sewn on a diagonal, covering multiple parts that were already pieced. It goes together like a picture puzzle.  Even with the pieces lettered and numbered, mistakes can be made.

I also have a pattern for a sampler quilt which is shown in three different color ways.  Pam’s quilts go together easily, but there is a lot of cut off waste so I probably won’t make that one.

 

 

Pam has a lot of beautiful patterns on her web site.  She also had patterns in quilting magazines.  I just checked Pam Bono’s website and found out that she passed away in 2014.  She had designed such beautiful quilts.

This little quilt is a gift for someone.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

This is the fourth week of the Block Head 2 block of the week.  I was behind one week because I was in Vermont, but I caught up today.

    Block 3 is a 6″ block.  It was sewn as a nine patch center with a border and corner squares.  I try to use a piece of the printed crane fabric in each block.  Some blocks will not have this fabric if the parts of the block are not big enough to fussy cut.   This was an easy block to sew.

    Block 4 is a 12′ block.  The measurements were not even measurements.  It went together easily even though I had to pay special attention to the 5/8 and 7/8 marks on the ruler.

Blockhead 2 has been fun so far, although I hear that some of the later blocks will be difficult to sew.  I look forward to receiving the patterns in my e-mail every week.  There may even be different sizes other that 6′ and  12″

Each pattern is a surprise.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

Years ago, my husband saw a quilt that he liked in the L.L. Bean catalogue.  He wanted me to buy it.  I told him that we should go to Freeport and look at it first.  It was a poorly made  commercial quilt.  He didn’t  want it and I said, “Don’t worry.  I’ll make one.”

This is sort of like the L.L. Bean quilt with alternating pieced blocks and appliqued blocks. The colors are different and the appliqued flowers are different.

It is hand quilted.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

The Vermont Quilt Festival is over for another year.  The quilts were awesome as usual.   There were several new vendors with lots of goodies to purchase.  The classes were fun and I did learn some new techniques.  I was amazed to be able to make a 1/2″ square pinwheel that came out right.  Who knows – maybe a miniature is in my future.

Home Sweet Home is my favorite quilt in the Miss Rosie Spice of Life series.  It’s made with flying geese, nine patches and squares.  They are all easy blocks to make and this is a great setting to use them.  At this point, we decided that we could add one new fabric to the challenge.   This is the only quilt that had one new fabric that was not in our stash.  I added the white background fabric.

My daughter’s daughter in law suggested to her that she make a Halloween house. It was her favorite holiday.

My daughter’s quilt is a fun quilt. There are trick or treaters, black cats, witches, cobwebs and lots of little things for Halloween.

The back is awesome.

Keeping with the holiday theme, I decided to make a Christmas quilt.  I had already sewn a house but put it away.  It is in the UFO pile and will be a center for another quilt some day.  I machine embroidered Santa and his sleigh leaving the roof of the house.  There is also a Christmas tree, a wreath, and garlands in the windows. 

I used holographic thread for the icicles on the edge of the roof.  Each white space was hooped and machine quilted.  Then I free motion quilted in the other areas.

It is interesting to notice the difference in the backgrounds.  One has similar values and the other contrasting, dark and light, values.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

What a grand day we had at the Vermont Quilt Festival today.  Our class with Sue Pelland was wonderful.  She taught us the technique of fusing and cutting appliques for Melissa’s Quilt.  Sue is very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information.

I never really wanted to do fusible applique, but using Sue’s method using Misty Fuse has changed my mind.  We started the day by cutting 5″ melons from the fabric that we had already applied Misty Fuse.  We used Sue Pelland’s Petit Leaves Galore ruler.  Then she showed us how to make a grid and lay out the melons.  This is the cut out melons.

Small bits of leftover fused fabric  was made into dragonflies.  They aren’t in the pattern for Melissa’s Quilt, but I’m going to put them next to the flowers in mine.

Some of the leftover fabric was cut into 2 1/2″ leaves for the border.  We also cut vines with the Leaves Galore ruler.  No bias cutting or hand applique.  The corner will turn nicely when I get to it.

The center is fused down and ready to button hole stitch around the melons.  When that is done, I will add the borders and fuse down the vine, leaves and flowers.  I will make sure that I finish it when I get home.  This will make a very pretty wall hanging or crib quilt.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

It is a very nice, cool day in Vermont.  The sun is shining.   Sue and I have had our first class.  Lynn Harris was the teacher.  The class was Tiny Pieces.  We worked with one inch pieces of fabric for part of the class.  We did begin with small pieces that we put together in an improvised log cabin.  The squares are 4″.  I don’t know what I will do with them, but expect another small wall hanging for the give away box.  

The little red and white star is 2 1/4″ square.  It is very easy to make.

We also learned how to make pinwheels, quarter square triangles and four patches using one inch pieces of fabric.  The two pieces are 2 1/2″ square.  The small inserts measure 1/2″ square.

It was a fun class and we did learn a lot.

The opening program and viewing of the quilts is tonight.

Have a great day and happy quilting.,

          The climbing rose is beautiful this year.

This is the second in the Moda Blockbuster 2 series.  It is a simple 6″ nine patch consisting of two four patches and two half square triangles.  It was fun  and easy to make.  We need easy once in a while.  The third block should show up in an e-mail today or tomorrow.  It will have to wait in cyber space until I’m back in Maine. 

 

 

 

I like to make four patches and “smush” the seams on the back.  Is that a valid quilting term?  The block lays much flatter which is great for quilting.  

I’m off to Vermont in about one hour.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Some of the flowers from my N.H. garden.

     

I was looking for a quilt in a stack in the bathroom linen closet when I found this quilt.  I know that I made it because of the quilting and the backing, but the front puzzled me.  I didn’t remember making it.  The colors are not my colors.  Then I remembered that the orange and yellow bins were overflowing because I don’t usually use those colors.  I took all the colors and fabrics that I didn’t like and put them in this quilt.

Then I couldn’t figure how I made the block.  It must have been a technique that I learned because I have a gaa-bage piece with the same pattern. 

 

It’s definitely not a mile a minute.  After pondering this puzzle for a while, I remembered taking a class in Vermont with Linda McGehee.  It was a pocketbook class where we made different textured fabric. I learned spiral piecing and other ways of creating texture with fabrics.   I have Linda’s book and there it was.  It is called Lattice Piecing. It is made by cutting and inserting strips several times.  Each of the series of cuts is at a different angle.  When I made this quilt, I must have put it into the closet, out of sight and forgotten.

Miss Molly has inspected the quilt and seems to like it.

Now that I have Linda’s book out, I should try some of her other techniques.  That would be fun to do.

Have a great day and happy quilting.