The definition of focus is:  Noun – Center of interest or activity.  Verb – Pay particular attention to.

Somehow, I don’t seem to focus on one quilting activity for a long time.  I flip from one project to another and it seems as if I don’t finish anything.  I have decided to announce to myself every morning that I will focus on one project that day.  It will be the only thing on my table.  Everything else will be out of sight.  Of course, gardening, cleaning the house and cooking will be allowed.

My new plan has worked for two days.  A bird or bird house block is due at the Guild in a few weeks.  I realized that I wouldn’t be here for the drawing.  I had to submit the block early.  This is where I really miss my sewing room in N. H.  I have no bird house patterns.  Also, no fabric except for the  Japanese fabric that I left here over the winter and the fabric for the Flower Wall hanging. I didn’t want to use the Japanese fabric so it had to be made with the wall hanging fabric.

The Internet is wonderful.  I downloaded images of several bird houses.  I was able to enlarge the images and used the computer as a light box to draw the bird house.  Ideas from several houses were used. The designing took most of the morning.  I couldn’t make a fusible applique as the Misty Fuse is in N. H.  Paper piecing was the answer.  I paper pieced the house and then hand appliqued the whole piece down.  That was all I did on that day,  A piece started and finished.   Focusing worked for one day.

Today. I finished the 12 fabric boxes.  All the hand sewing is done.  They just need the buttons which are in N. H.  The boxes are in the suitcase, waiting to go South.  Sewing the buttons on the boxes will be my focus for one day.  Or evening while watching TV.

 

There are a few projects left in the blanket box.  Most  are hand sewing projects. The hand sewing projects would be perfect to work on while sitting on the porch.  The weather has finally warmed up and is beautiful.  Every time that I sit on the swing, the black flies drive me inside.  I needed something to sew on my machine.  I had a choice of Dear Jane, a box of 2 1/2″ squares and a very large bag of Mile A Minute stuff.  The mile A Minute bag will be my next  focus project. There is so much in that bag.  I will have to focus for more than one day.  When it is finished, I will have lots of blocks to work with.  After all the blocks are made, I can put that project aside until I can get the fabric to complete the quilts.  I should have enough blocks for several quilts.

I have been working in the gardens in the mornings.  I am about half finished with the last one.  Then, I start all over again.  I can see some tiny green plants where I planted the wild flower seeds.  I hope that they are the flowers and not more weeds.  Time will tell.

The pretty, little purple flowers are under the birch trees again.  I don’t know what they are.  I didn’t plant them.  They come every June for me to enjoy.  The lupine are almost ready for their display.

 

 

Focusing seems to work so far.  I wonder how long I will focus until I fall back into my old, bad habits.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

 

We have had a few days with the sun.  I’ve been fighting weeds which seem to grow faster than I can pull them out.  Several gardens are “finished” and the annual seeds have been planted.  Finished means as good as they are going to get right now.  Maybe later, I’ll pull more weeds.  I have three more areas to weed and seed and then I can start all over again.

The lilacs are in blossom.  The deer must have come into the yard as one of the bushes just have blossoms on the top.  When the deer are hungry, they eat all the buds so there are no flowers.  One year when the bushes were smaller, we had one blossom on the top of one bush.  So far, they haven’t found the Hosta.  Last year, they ate them down to the roots.

 

The crab apple trees are beautiful.  The Lupine has started to bud and should blossom in a week or two.

 

I’ve been working on several projects. One of the projects that I brought from N. H. was a plastic bag of quilt pieces that I received from a friend.  I had no idea what was in the bag but thought I’d do something with it and get it out of the UFO pile.  I found over 100 six inch pinwheel blocks and some sashing material.  Three rows of 10 blocks were sewn together. It is very hard to sew something that someone else has started.  Her 1/4″ seam was not the same as my 1/4″ seam. I really didn’t want another large quilt to sit around waiting to be quilted.  I unsewed the three rows and removed three blocks from each. I had enough blocks to make three charity quilts.  Two were 5 x 7 blocks and the third was 6 x 7.  The three quilts are in the suitcase waiting to go back to N. H.  They need a border, batting and a backing. All of that is in my sewing room in N.H.  I didn’t bring any extra material to Maine this year.

Another project was twenty four 10″ blue blocks.  When I finished the Canadian 150 quilt, I cut the leftovers into 10″. 5″ and 2 1/2″ squares.  I decided to make 12 fabric boxes. All 12 are sewn and turned.  Once turned and pressed, each one has to be quilted. Then with a few seams, they turn into little boxes. I have three finished up to this point.  They need some hand tacking and then buttons to hold the points down.  Again, the buttons are in N. H.  When they are all finished, up to the addition of the buttons, they will go into the N. H. suitcase.  I can finish them there and not bring them back to Maine.

The Farmer’s Market has opened for the summer.  Last Saturday, I bought beet greens, little turnips and some herb plants for the garden.  The fresh greens were delicious.  Tomorrow night, I’ll either roast or stir fry the little turnips.

Tomato and basil plants plus the flowers for the barrels by the garage were bought next door to the Farmers Market.  When I was checking out, I saw a sign for fiddleheads.  I thought that I had missed the season.  I have enough for a meal and some to freeze for next winter.   They are so delicious.

 

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

Several years ago, my daughter and I were flying from Utah to Arizona on the first leg of our trip back to New England.  As we flew over the canyons, I saw the most beautiful colors.  There was several shades of turquois and coral.   I remarked that I wanted to make a quilt with those colors some day.  We arrived back home and although the colors were still in my mind, they were not a priority.

Each year, my Maine Guild has a challenge.  This year, we were to put two quilting magazines aside.  At a meeting, a number was drawn. The number was 30.  We were to check page 30 in the magazines and choose one of the pages for inspiration.

In the first magazine, page 30 consisted of written ads, no pictures of quilts.  In the second, there was the most beautiful wall hanging  with turquois and coral colors.  Now I could make the Canyon Quilt.  As I looked at the wall hanging, I was fascinated by the pattern.  It had one block and the colors blended from one block to the other.  I wanted to make that quilt, not just use it as an inspiration.

I was able to draw the block on EQ7 which was helpful as it had to be paper pieced.  I could print out the paper piecing patterns.  I went to the local quilt shop for the fabric.  In the quilt shop light, the picture in the magazine looked green, so I bought three pieces of green fabric, light, medium and dark, even though I knew that I wanted turquois.   Then I bought two shades of coral.  At home, the picture turned back to turquois.  I used the green in another quilt and bought turquois from Jinny Beyer’s blender fabrics.  They were perfect.

Today, I finished paper piecing the center.  There is just one more border to attach and then lots of half square triangles for the outer border.  When I was pressing the outside border fabric, I decided that I didn’t like the fabric.  It wasn’t crisp like the other fabrics.  I’ll find something else that I like and finish the wall hanging later. I can use the fabric that I didn’t like on the back.

The challenge reveal is in September.  After the reveal, I will show a picture of the finished quilt.  In the meantime, these are the fabrics that I used.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

Dear Jane is one of the quilt projects that I brought to Maine with me this summer.  I had intended to start in the center and  make the blocks from the center out to the edge.  I did this for a while, and actually made two rows.  I am making the quilt in the potholder method.  Each block is quilted and bound and then sewed to the next block.  The quilt is finished as I make each block.

When I started the third row around the center, somehow all my plans disappeared.  Instead of making just the blocks that were on the top of the second row, I finished Row D completely.  The middle of Row D has been attached to the top of the second row.  I also finished other random blocks.  I have 58 blocks that are sewn, quilted and bound.  I also have 9 additional blocks that are ready for hand sewing.  Some need applique, some need quilting . and some are ready to bind.

I needed to reorganize myself so I decided to sew all of Row A.  I printed the patterns and templates from the CD and chose the fabric so that I can complete that row while I’m in Maine.  The Dear Jane blocks are made with different techniques.  Tips for sewing the blocks are in the Dear Jane EQ CD.  On rare occasion, I deviate from the instructions and make a block in my own method.  It is easy to print a paper piecing pattern and sew.  The tiny blocks  come out perfect with paper piecing.

This week, I have made A1, A2, A5 and A6.  A3 is an applique block and is in the hand quilting section of the project.  A4 is paper pieced and is at the sewing machine to make tomorrow.

A1is called Pinwheel Gone Awry.  The center is a pinwheel, but the surrounding pieces look as if the pinwheel was broken.

 

 

 

A2 is called One-Two-Buckle My Shoe.  It was named because it was the 2nd block in row1, so after row 1 – block 2. Buckle My shoe just followed.

 

 

A5 is called Cathie’s Camping.  There was no information in the CD to tell who Cathie was or why she was camping.

 

 

 

A6 is called Uncle Homer.  The CD states that it was called that because Ruth used a piece of fabric in this block that had a farm on it and it reminded her of her Uncle Homer.  I wondered who Ruth was.  Brenda Papadakis, who wrote the Dear Jane book and drew all the patterns, listed all her quilting friends who made the Dear Jane quilts that were in the book.  Ruth was not listed as one of her friends.  She did mention Ruth Levin of the Bennington Museum.  Maybe it was her.  Although, it did not say that Ruth Levin made a Dear Jane quilt.

I’ll keep sewing Row A.  When I take a trip to N. H. in June, I’ll print out the patterns for Row B and gather the fabric to make that row.  Maybe, by the end of summer, I will have half of the quilt finished.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

The sun is finally out after a long day of cold, drizzly weather.  There has been a fire in the wood stove all day.  Miss Molly has been sitting in the best seat in the house.  She knows how to keep warm.

Last summer, I bought two layer cakes at a sale at Mardens.  I had no idea what I would use them for, but they were on sale and the top fabric was very pretty. I needed a project to take to a retreat last weekend.  It had to be one with easy sewing and not much thinking.  There was a Shadow Quilt pattern in my box of patterns.  The large piece in the block is  5″ x 10″.  It was perfect.  I could get two blocks out of each piece of the 10″ x 10″ layer cakes.  The quilt had eighty squares and each of the two layer cakes had 20 squares so I had just enough.

I bought Kona gray for the shadows and a white on white for the sashing. Before I left for the retreat, all the pieces were cut so I could just sew.  When the retreat was over, all eighty blocks were pieced. It is so wonderful to sew, chat, and snack without thinking about cooking or cleaning up.  Everyone at the retreat was sewing something different and there were a lot of ideas for future projects.

I finished the Shadow Quilt in parts of two days.  Miss Molly, in her job as quality control inspector, has inspected the quilt as I was working on it.

 

 

This quilt is an illusion.  It is fun and easy to make.   I would make another quilt with this pattern some day.  Maybe with flower fabric, batiques or thirties reproductions.

 

Have a great day and happy sewing.

 

I am now in Maine.  The weather is about two weeks behind New Hampshire and it is cold.  I’m thankful for the wood stove which is slowly warming up the house.  Somehow a house that has been closed up seems colder for a while.

The daffodils that are by the road have gone by, but the ones in the front yard waited for me to come up.  They are a beautiful sign of spring.  The gardens need a lot of cleaning out but that can wait until it is warmer,

Of course, the dandelions are in full bloom as are the forsythia.

Before I came to Maine, I went to a Quilt Guild retreat.  It was wonderful to just sew and not think about cooking or cleaning. I pieced 80 blocks for a shadow quilt,  I had already cut the pieces at home. Eighty blocks sounds like a lot but there were only a few seams in each block and it was all straight sewing. They are all in order by my sewing machine.  I will start sewing them together as soon as the house is in order.   Miss Molly went to her favorite spa and had her first grooming of the Spring.  She is beautiful.  She loves to go to the kennel and isn’t very interested in going home.

I haven’t finished anything recently, but have brought a lot of projects to Maine to work on.  Maybe I can finish them here.  At least that is my plan for now.

I have no new work to show.  I was looking through my photos and found pictures of a few sampler quilts.  They are fun to make.  Each one is different.

     

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

It’s May and Annie Louise need a new outfit.  This month, the inspiration comes from my great, great, great grandmother.  She actually lived, at one time, in the city where I now live.  I have seen her house which was within walking distance to her husband’s job.  He was superintendent of the sewer department.  The city has recently pulled up and replaced the sewer lines that he installed in the late 1800s.

Annie Louise has a black cape that is trimmed with fur.  It is lined with a red lining.

 

Annie Louise’s quilt is back from the quilt show.  Usually a dress is made and then a quilt is made from the scraps.  This quilt was different.  The quilt was made first.  It was a Guild challenge.  Then there was a lot of the blue fabric left over so Annie Louise has a house dress.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

This third installment about the Mile A Minute block is tips that I’ve learned along the way. This past week, I’ve taken all the Mile A Minute partially finished blocks and started to finish them.  So far I have over a dozen blocks made and there will be lots more to make with the remainder of the bag.  I used a 6″ ruler.  After I make enough 6″ blocks for a quilt I make different cuts.  Maybe even triangles to make star points or a flying geese.

TIPS:

If the scrap is uneven, place it right side up on the bed of the machine and place a straight strip on top right side down.  Tuck additional scraps under strip and sew to the end.

Uneven seam allowances do not have to be cut off, unless you really want to.

If two pieces have jagged edges. Place the right sides together and rotary cut a straight line.

Oops things.  Not sewing a straight line.  Sewing with right sides not together.  Never pull out stitches,  Just cut with a rotary cutter and ruler and correct the oops.  There are no mistakes in the Mile A Minute, Just oops.

Use steam to flatten pieces.  If the piece does not lay flat, cut with the rotary cutter and ruler  and sew again.  Keep your square ruler on the ironing board when pressing to quickly measure the block to see if it is big enough.

Stack pieces according to size.  When two  pieces are the same size, sew those two pieces together.  I do this while watching TV.  It doesn’t take much thinking.  The seams do not have to match.   If the edges don’t exactly match, cut with a rotary cutter and ruler for a straight line.  If two pieces are the same size, they can be sewn on opposite side of a strip.

Check magazines and books for patterns that can use the Mile A Minute block and cut the made fabric the size needed.  Look for square in a square, flying geese, half square triangles, etc.

Choose sashing and borders after the block is made.  The color that you choose will determine the color of the quilt.  The sashing color will pick up it’s color from the block.

     

The size of the quilt is determined by the number of blocks made and the setting of the blocks.

When your mind can’t concentrate on accurate piecing and matching corners, this is the block to make.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Continuing on from the last post where you sewed pieces to strips, pressed them to one side and cut between the pieces.  This is called a twosie. Now you place another strip on the sewing machine, right side up.  Add the twosie, right sides together and sew, making another big pile.  It doesn’t matter which way you sew the twosie to the strip.  Then, as before, press to one side and then cut apart. This is a “threesie”.  Continue adding the twosies and threesies to strips until you have a big pile of moresies.  Don’t worry about matching seams.  They are not matched in this block.  If the twosies or threesies are the same size, you can sew them together with a strip in between them.

When the block is big enough, place the square ruler ( 6″ or 6 1/2″) on the piece at an angle.  Always use the same size ruler for each project.  Move the ruler around so that the corners don’t come at a seam.  Rotary cut the block.  Every block will be exactly the same size.  Continue until you have enough blocks for your quilt.  Remember, most of the edges will be on the bias, so handle carefully. The bias edges will be taken care of when you add the sashing.

Arrange the blocks on a design wall, making sure that the colors are distributed equally.

Cut the sashing strips the length of your ruler and either 1 1/2′ or 2 1/2″ wide.  The choice is yours.  Also cut corner blocks.  Sew the sashing strips to the block with the block on the bottom.  Hold the beginning and end of the seam and let the feed dogs do their work to make the bias edges fit the sashing.  Note the above picture to see how to place the block in the sashing and corner squares.

Add a 4″ to 6″ border.  If the quilt is large you can add a 1″ border, a 3″ mile a minute border” and  a 4″ border for a total of 8″ on each side.

To make the 3″ mile a minute border, piece together mile a minute scraps.  You can incorporate the cut off pieces form the blocks.  Cut the pieces 3 1/2″ wide.   Square off the ends and add the pieces  together until you have strips long enough for the quilt sides.

The quilt should be machine quilted or tied.  There are too many layers for hand quilting.  This block can be used in any other quilt block pattern that has a 6″ section.  It is very nice when used in a stripy quilt  Just add one block on top of the other for some of the strips.

I will continue with more tips for the Mile A Minute block in the next post.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

 

The Mile A Minute quilt is basically a free quilt.  It is a fun quilt block with no stress. You can not make a mistake.  It uses left over scraps no larger than 4″.  Also, strips that don’t have to be straight.  They could be the piece cut off to straighten up an edge.  Leftover thread and bobbins are used.  The color doesn’t matter.  It is a great way to empty  partially filled bobbins.  Other than the above supplies, you will need a sewing machine, a rotary cutter with a new blade, a cutting mat, scissors, and a square rotary cutting ruler.  The ruler can be 6″ or 6 1/2″.   I have seen one made with an 8″ ruler, but I prefer the smaller ones.

Place all the fabric into two bags, one for pieces and the other for strips.  The fabric does not have to be color coordinated, unless you want it to be.  It looks more old fashioned if it is not color coordinated.  A block made with thirties fabric is beautiful  Also, one made with batiques.

Place one bag on the right and the other on the left.   Without peeking, pick up a strip and place it on the machine right side up.  Then, without peeking, pick up a scrap and place it on the strip with right sides together.  Sew with a 1/4″ seam.  You could sew with the edge of the presser foot.  The seam does not have to be size accurate, but it must be straight,  Pick up another scrap, butt it to the first one and sew.  If you sew a crooked seam, do not pick it out.  Simply lay the piece on the cutting board, cut it straight and sew again.  If the strip is straight and the piece is crooked, the strip can be on the top.  That is an easier way to sew a straight line.

There is only one rule in making this block.  You are not allowed to throw a scrap back.  You must use what you picked up unless it is the same fabric as the strip.

Continue adding scraps to strips until you have a big pile behind the sewing machine.  Press strips to one side.  It doesn’t matter which side.  Pressing is important. It keeps the blocks straight.  Cut between the scraps.  You can use a rotary cutter or scissors.

More instructions and other tips will continue on the next blog.

     

Have a great day and happy sewing.