Basket and Butterflies is my favorite quilt.  Many years ago, I took an applique class with Nancy Pearson at the Vermont Quilt Festival.  I had taken classes with other applique instructors, but it wasn’t anything that excited me.  The first half of the class was not about applique.  It was about color and fabric choices.  We cut and pasted fabrics onto paper.  When we left class for lunch, several of the students were fussing and saying they didn’t sign up for that type of a class and were not going back.  It was their loss as Nancy taught applique in the afternoon class.  We had our background in color so the flowers were beautiful.  Nancy taught us how to applique a twisted ribbon without having bulk at the joining.  It was awesome and I was hooked on applique.

The center of Basket and Butterflies was the class project.  I had enough wall hangings so decided to enlarge it and make a queen quilt.  I designed a border using Nancy’s flowers and made a woven ribbon with the same colors as the ribbon on the basket.

 

 

The quilt has a sub-title.  It is “It’s John Flynn’s Fault”.  I also had a class on stipple quilting and trapunto with John Flynn.  The background of the quilt is stipple quilted with one of John’s stipple patterns.  There is also some feather quilting.

The quilt was named Basket and Butterflies because when I became bored with the stipple quilting, I quilted orange butterflies in the background,  It is very subtle but makes a nice surprise when the viewer discovers the butterflies.  

 

 

 

 

When it was finished, I thought that I would enter it into the Vermont Quilt Festival because I made it with information that I received in classes that I had taken there. It was my first entry in a major show.  I was stunned and very pleased to receive a blue ribbon.  And then, if I wasn’t stunned enough, my name was called for the best hand quilting award.  

The other side of the story is that I had met my quilting goal .  My goal was to receive a ribbon in Vermont.  Because I had met it, I stopped quilting for a while.  Then, I got my thinking back in order.  I quilted for the pleasure of quilting. Not every quilt is a prize winning quilt and I didn’t have to make one better than Basket and Butterflies.  The prize is the joy in designing, putting fabric colors together, sewing, and making memories.  The quilts didn’t have to be perfect.  There should be no stress in making a quilt. Some of my quilts are just plain awful.  Those are the ones that no one ever sees.  I’ve learned to not point out my mistakes.  They can be covered up by applique or buttons, or just cut up for mile a minute quilts.  I’ve stopped counting how many quilts I’ve made.  I usually have five or six going at the same time.  I never get bored.  I still put some into shows and have received blue, red and yellow ribbons.  Sometimes, no ribbons.  The judges point out mistakes that I already knew were there, so I’m not surprised.  I just like to share my quilts with others.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

We used to go fishing on several ponds, lakes, and rivers in New Hampshire and Maine.  Sometimes, we would just go out in the Grand Laker canoe for a canoe ride.  It was so peaceful.  One day we were on the Merrimack River and I took a picture of pink flowers along the bank. This was one of the pictures that I kept on my work station. It was a reminder of the wonderful times that we had on the water.

 

 

 

 

When I started the landscape project, this picture was one that I had to reproduce in scraps and threads.  When making a landscape, the trick is to add just a few scraps and make the details with thread painting.  If too many scraps are added, the picture can look heavy.  Thread painting is very relaxing.  Shadows and sunlight can be added as if with a painter’s brush.  Rayon thread will be shiny and reflect the light, while cotton will be better suited in the shade. Forward colors will be darker and brighter while the distant colors will be more muted.

Landscape Gaa-barge is not a perfect reproduction but is a hint of the original.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I actually  finished a UFO today  This is a really old one.  I think that I used the Lazy Girl flying geese ruler to make the flying geese.  It makes four at a time.  The piece is 20″ x 20″ and will go in the “give away” bin.  It’s machine quilted so didn’t take long to finish.  I used the leaf galore ruler to mark the curvy lines.  The ruler was the exact length as the border so I didn’t have to add or subtract anything.  I gave up on trying to finish a UFO every week.  The small ones were easy to do, but the larger ones take more time. they’ve been sitting there for a while so they can sit a little longer.

Last week’s Splendid Sampler block was designed by Rachael Daisy. It is called Around Four Corners. Quilters who write several of the blogs that I follow are doing the Splendid Sampler as well as the Moda Blockhead 2.  They give tips about sewing the blocks.  The tip for this block was to sew it exactly as the pattern says.  That is reasonable.  One of the reasons that I am making the Splendid Sampler blocks is to learn new techniques.

This block starts with a 3″ square and a border.  Then a square is pieced four times. There are four different colors and the background color for each square.   A round piece of freezer paper is ironed to the back of the square.  Then the round piece is placed on and appliqued on the four corners of the first block.  The freezer paper gives a nice edge to sew on.  After the circle was appliqued, I slit the back and pulled the freezer paper out.

I use Gypsy Applique paper.  It is a more solid freezer paper and is water soluble if you want to leave it in.  I usually try to take it out.

I saw a blog today that has a Squirrel Club.  There are no rules.  There is no sign up.  You just are given permission to interrupt what you are doing and dash off to make something that you didn’t even think about until that very minute.  I like this club.  I think that I’ve been a member for a long time anyway.  Now, I can do the “squirrel” thing without feeling guilty.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Cutting squares for quilts is an easy way to use up scraps.  The quilts can be any size, depending on the size of the squares and how many you use. It is an excellent method for making charity quilts or beach quilts which will have a lot of wear.

Trip Around the World is one pattern that places fabric colors in order.  The squares  can be any size.  Quite often, I cut leftover fabric into squares and keep them in a box with similar size squares.

A miniature quilt and a small quilt are two different things.  A small quilt is just that.  It is a small quilt, maybe a doll quilt, a table topper, a baby quilt or a small wall hanging.  A miniature quilt is a miniature version of a larger quilt.  If a picture was taken of a miniature quilt, you wouldn’t know how big it was.  It would look like a large quilt.

     

Two of the above quilts have 6 X 8 squares, but one is 40″ x 50″ and the other is 3 1/2″ x 4 1/2″. They have the same amount of squares, but the size is drastically different.  The middle quilt is either for a doll house or a Christmas ornament.  It is a miniature of the other two quilts.  The third quilt is the largest with squares that are the same size as the first quilt.  All three are pieced as two patches, then four patches assembly line fashion.  They are very quick and easy quilts.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I received the 11th pattern for the Moda Blockhead 2 block of the week today.  Time has gone by fast this summer.  It doesn’t seem possible that I’ve made 11 blocks for this project.  This week’s block is 6 1/2″ and very easy to make.  It has two flying geese and a border.   The border is applied with a partial seam method.  You start sewing part way down one of the seams.  Then you add the other three.  After they are added, you finish the first seam.  The block was designed by Sherri Mc Connell.  I thought that I would use a stripped pattern for two of the borders.  I’m not sure that I like it, but it is done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to go to the grocery store and the laundromat this morning.  When I turned the corner onto Main Street, the traffic was stopped.  One way only on Main Street.  Main Street is under construction. The intersection was all torn up.  I had to find my way around it to go to the store and then again to go to the laundromat.  Then I went to the gas station that I use when I’m in town and found an empty lot.  I don’t know where it went to.   Six of the nine dryers were out of order at the laundromat.  The sign said that new machines had been ordered.  It was a weird morning.  I did get my groceries, the laundry is done.  I just have to find another gas station for gas. If I didn’t have an adventure, I’d have nothing to say.  My ice cream was a bit soft when I got home.  It is so good – Giffords toasted coconut ice cream.  Giffords is a local Maine ice cream.  They have so many wonderful flavors.

Have a great day and happy quilting,

 

Making fabric baskets is easy and fun.  They make a great gift. You would probably keep a few for yourself.  The basket can be used for candy, office supplies, flower pot holders or anything that your imagination can think of.

The supplies needed are two pieces of contrasting fabric.  They can be any size from 8″ . square to 12″ square.  A piece of batting the same size as the fabric and four buttons are also needed.

Place the two pieces of fabric together, right sides together.  Place batting under the fabric and sew around the edge with a 1/4″ seam.  Leave a 3″ to 4″ opening so that you can turn the piece right side out.  

 

 

Trim the batting and the corners before turning the piece right side out. Press carefully.  Topstitch the edge, sewing up the opening.  Quilt the piece.  You  could practice free motion quilting or quilt in straight lines.  I added piping to the edges of this basket to see if I would like it.  It does add another element, but does take longer to make.

 

Fold the piece in half.  Measure and mark 2″ on the fold and up the edge.  Draw a line between the two marks. When sewing on the line, back stitch to lock stitches in place.  The 2″ mark is for a 12″ piece.  You would mark a smaller triangle for a smaller piece.  The measurement is how tall the basket will be.  You might want some baskets taller and more thin or some shorter and fatter.

 

 

Refold the piece the other way and repeat what you did on the first fold.  This is more awkward, so I pinned the points to keep them even while I marked and sewed.

 

When you fold the piece in half, the inside fabric will be the outside of the basket.  The fabric on the outside will be the inside of the basket. It does sound backwards.  I’ve made a lot of baskets forgetting this.  They were pretty anyway, but not what I had planned.

Before you turn the basket right side out, tack the points down, all going in the same direction.

 

 

Turn the basket right side out.  Fold down and tack  the points with a button, sewing completely through the basket and point.

 

   

 

Enjoy or give away.  It is a nice gift that uses very little fabric.

If any of the instructions are confusing to you, just let me know and I’ll try to help.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

Last week’s Splendid Sampler block was Flowering Tree by Amy Friend.  Amy is known for her paper piecing and modern quilts.  Last year, Amy came to our Guild.  She talked about modern quilts and gave a class where we paper pieced a table runner.  It was fun and easy.  Amy’s instructions are very clear.

Amy suggests leaving the paper on until you sew it into the quilt.  It will keep the bias edges straight.  I did pull the paper from the center so that I could press the center seam open.

I didn’t have flowering fabric that I liked so I made my tree with red/orange so that it looked like a maple tree in the fall.  It is very bright.

 

After I finished the piece, I was putting the scraps into my overflowing mile a minute fabric bin.  I decided to not put the scraps away, but make mile a minute blocks right away.  I also used other scraps from the bin.  I made nine blocks and made them into a table topper.  It’s machine quilted already so it won’t go into the UFO pile.

 

I’ve enjoyed the Splendid Sampler 2 block of the week.  Each one uses a different technique.  Some I like, some not so much.  They will all go together very well.  Just one 6 1/2″ block a week is easy after trying to keep up with the Canadian 150 project.  That was three blocks a week.

I’ve been spending part of the day on the porch swing, pulling the papers out of the Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt.  If I make another one, I will pull the papers from the center as I sew them together.  Live and learn.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I had made over 20 Gaa-barge pieces.  They were made from scraps that were left over from other projects.  Also left over thread .  Anything picked up off the floor or taken out of the waste basket.  Most were made with traditional quilting methods.
I decided to make an underwater scene with cut out fish from a leftover scrap.  A peacock feather became a piece of coral.  I did some thread painting and it turned out very nice.  After I made the underwater scene, I wondered if I could make a landscape out of the tiny bits and pieces of fabric that should have been thrown away.  When I was working, I had several photos taped to my work station.  They were of places that I had been and enjoyed.  Maybe I could use the photos and commit the scenes to fabric.  The scenes were small so the first thing that I did was enlarge them to 8″ by 11′.  It seemed the perfect size for a small wall hanging.

The first one that I made was terrible,  It was a mountain scene in N. H.  I had written a mission statement before I started the Gaa-barge project and it stated that no matter how bad a piece was, it would remain in the project. This one is still with the others, mainly to remind me that not all quilts are successful.  Some are really, really bad.

 

I worked out a technique that was satisfying and actually taught classes on how to make a Landscape Gaa-barge quilt.  The students enjoyed the process and made some awesome pieces.

The photo was taken in Provincetown, Massachusetts on a trip that we took with my Mom and Dad,  I have such fond memories of out trips together.

 

 

The wall hangings are an interpretation of the photo and are not an accurate copy of it. Thread painting adds a lot of detail.

I keep the photos in a baggie that is stapled to the bottom of the wall hanging.

I have several of these little scenes and will probably make more when I find a landscape to copy.  I started one and am bogged down with it.  It is sitting in a drawer until I feel the urge to finish.  Quilting should be fun and this piece was not.  I was trying too hard to make it perfect.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

It has been a most productive day.  We did have a thunder storm with one lightning and thunder hitting at the same time.  It was a loud crack.  Miss Molly was already hiding so I really don’t know if it frightened her more than usual.

Of course, the sewing machine and other electronics were unplugged. I finished the bottom row of the Dear Jane quilt.  It just has to be ladder stitched onto the main body of the quilt.  I have three blocks to sew for the side rows and then I can sew the third row around the center of the quilt.

Before the storm hit, I caught up to today’s date on the temperature quilt.  I also finished the center of the Melissa quilt. The borders are next.  That should take just as long to quilt as the center.  It should be done by the end of next week.

Moda Blockhead 2, block #10 was designed by Jo Morton.  It is a 12″ block called Duck and Ducklings.  It went together easily.  I’m using the Japanese fabric for the Moda blocks.  Most of them go very well with the printed fabric.  I try to use that fabric in most of the blocks, although,  some blocks do better without it.  I look forward each week for the Moda pattern.  Most are made up quickly.

I did flip around a lot today, depending on the weather.  At least, I didn’t have to go outside to weed or water the gardens.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

I have very few 30s fabrics.  It’s not that I don’t like them.  I just prefer to use other types of fabrics.

When I saw this pattern, I knew that it needed to be made in 30s prints.  That was the time period that women wore aprons.  I’m not sure where I saw the pattern.  It was  one of the wall hangings that just had to be made.

The top of the block is supposed to be the apron ties.  The apron is appliqued on and outlined with ricrac.

 

The pocket is open and there is a piece of lace peeking out.  It is also outlined with ricrac. This fun wall hanging hung on the back of my extra dining room chair for a long time.  I should bring it out again.

Have a great day and happy quilting.