Quilts and a Mug

UFO + UFO = QOV

2012-01-27T23:58:00.003-06:00

Many of my UFOs have aged way past their "best when used by..." date.
I dealt with two of my oldest ones this week, one from 2004 and one from 2006.

Years ago, before I started working from home, I organized periodic quilt block exchanges at work   Two sets of my exchange blocks have sat untouched for years.
One exchange was 12" patriotic blocks, using the same R/W/B flag fabric, and another exchange was 12" blue star blocks. A friend asked if I could put both sets together into one quilt. I did. Two UFOs bite the dust!

If you've been in block exchanges, you know that all blocks are not created equal. The sizes, the quality of workmanship, and the quality of fabrics usually vary. I set aside a block with tissue-thin fabric, two with cardboard-stiff fabric, and one with 1/16" seams. I remade one that DH said had a swastika.   (Those rail fence segments can be tricky that way, no matter how often you rearrange them.)

Then I had to (gulp) trim them to one size. Each one had slivers or strips trimmed away, and I've lost a LOT of points. But that's life with block exchanges. I added sashing, and I now have a top that I'll finish and give to Quilts of Valor.

The blocks are dissimilar in color and design, but overall they're compatible. Besides, sashing can help tie almost anything together. If you're wondering why the schoolhouse block belongs with these, look above the window. My friend Vicky used the flag fabric in a unique way, unlike all the other blocks in that exchange. Very creative!

Boots and more boots

2012-01-25T11:59:00.000-06:00

Most of my quilts are made in the "one-and-done" mode. Use a pattern once, then put it away. The exception --> I've made 7 cowboy quilts in various sizes. This pattern was published in the Fons & Porter magazine Sept/Oct 2000 issue. It was repeated in a later issue with additional blocks -- as I recall, a cactus and a cowboy hat.

Most of my boot quilts were made for a specific person -- the owner of a horse farm, a lady who was a barrel racer, a sister who collects cowboy boots, a daughter's former boyfriend, a coworker's daughter who received her Ph.D. at the U. of Texas.

I've kept only one--this one. I never plan to give it away or auction it for a worthy cause. It reminds me of the others I made, all 278 boots' worth.

Fabric selection for the boots was the fun part. Most were made from fabrics with horses or barbed wire or cowboy attire. But some were made with the recipient in mind, little personal touches here and there. A couple boots were made using school colors of a college attended. One boot was sewn from flowers for a lady who has a green thumb. One boot was made from fireworks fabric for someone whose favorite holiday is Independence Day.
The options are endless. I've even seen a 12-boot quilt, each one representing a month. The first boot was made with snowflakes, second was made with hearts, the third with shamrocks, etc.

The backing on my quilt is this feedsack my mother gave me when I started quilting. It's thin in places and has a few stains, but it brings back memories of growing up on a NE Iowa cattle farm. It reminds me of all those rows of hand stitching I did as my mother taught me to sew.

I have a few feedsacks from my childhood and some purchased via E-bay, and this is the first one I've actually cut and used in a quilt. One piece was fussy cut for a boot on the front (do you see it?), and the rest is the quilt backing, pieced as necessary to fit this 41 x 62" quilt.

Stay tuned for a giveaway over the weekend. I'm approaching the end of my third year of blogging.

(This is a re-purposed, simplified version of a post from long ago.)

On the design wall

2012-01-22T21:18:00.004-06:00

Winter has given us 5" of snow and a couple days of very cold temperatures, so quilting is getting done.
I'm nearly finished making blocks for grandson Drew's quilt. The large blocks are constructed in quadrants, and 70 quadrants are done, 10 left to make. This is a sideways layout on the design wall, and it's always awkward to photograph "down the hall." I'm doing a 4 x 5 layout.

I don't think the design will look much different when the quadrants and rows are sewn together and the design is tightened up. I'm undecided what I'll do for a border. I don't want it to get much bigger.

I added the white curves--not part of the fabric

I'm using +20 reds and +20 blues. The more the merrier. After it's finished and sent on its way, I'm sure I'll find other fabrics that would have worked in it.

In my stash I found an old red fabric (Thimbleberries, I believe) with "letters to Santa," and several pieces of it are included. My son had been a helicopter pilot for the US Army, and one letter asks for a helicopter. I thought the connection was a fine reason to use this fabric. The only thing that would have made it better is if the name at the end of "the letter" had been Andrew.

A new book came in the mail a couple days ago. I seldom buy just-published books, but I'd read about it here on the blog Wonkyworld. One of this blogger's quilts in written about in the book, in the story about Andrea Balosky. Amazon let me "look inside," I read several excerpts, and I was hooked.
The book is Quilts in the Attic by Karen Musgrave. She shares 30 stories of "quilt discoveries," (auctions, gifts, happenstance, etc), and the stories are as varied as the 30 quilts pictured in the book. The book is a hard cover, it is small (7-1/2 x 5-1/4 x 1"), and the print is small. I'm thoroughly enjoying each and every story.

Slicing the quilting pie

2012-01-19T18:58:00.004-06:00

A survey showed up in my Inbox yesterday from HandiQuilter, the manufacturer of my midarm quilting machine. A completed survey made me eligible for 5 prizes. What's a quilter to do? I completed it.

I bought my machine at the AQS quilt show in Des Moines, so many questions were related to that--how many quilt shows do you attend?   what's your favorite thing to see? did you attend alone or with a group?

There were expected questions regarding age, number of years I've been quilting, my favorite type of quilt, how many hours per week I quilt, magazine subscriptions, etc.

I didn't expect the survey to make me stop, evaluate, and dissect my quilting life, but two questions did that.
The EASIER question: What is the value of all your quilting supplies, machines, tools, etc. if you went out tomorrow and replaced everything?    (The options ranged from "less than $100" to "$15,000 or more.") Oh dear -- it counts up quickly, doesn't it?

The HARDER question:   What percentage of your quilting purchases does each of these categories represent? (I interpreted this to mean "Where did the money go?")   The numbers must add up to 100.
___ Fabric
___ Thread
___ Cutting tools, mats, rulers, etc.
___ Sewing machines and quilting machines
___ Gadgets and notions
___ Books, magazines, patterns, DVDs.

I know the cost of my quilting and sewing machines.   But the gadgets? All the books and magazines? Did I spend twice as much on my fabric as I did for my machines? Did the thread cost half as much as my rotary cutters and mats? It all blurs together into quilted stuff, doesn't it? I didn't lose sleep over the questions and the "division of assets" -- but I found the process interesting.   It's harder than you might think.
My numbers in order were 48 - 3 - 5 - 35 - 2 - 7.

I'll let you know if I win any prize, especially a trip to Paducah. Or fabric from Andover. Or a stack of new books. Ahh -- we quilters can never have enough, can we? It all sounds so good.

Love that fractured look

2012-01-18T12:37:00.002-06:00

My heart belongs to traditional quilt blocks, but I'm impressed by designs that quilt designers come up with as they're playing around with simple cuts of fabric. Like this one.

It's a quilt for our grandson. The layout will be 20 blocks, but the fractured look shows with only these 4 blocks on my design wall. (16 sections not sewn together yet).

This is the cover quilt ("Honeyberries") from Evelyn Sloppy's "40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts." But her cover quilt uses only two colors, and I had to figure out how to position strips of 3 colors, red, blue, and neutral. Playing with paper and crayons and scissors, I found that the answer was sewing some strip sets with blue on the outside, some with red on the outside.

I'm using blues and reds as found in several lines of Minick and Simpson fabrics for Moda. I'm including some paisleys and some leaves, but nothing too flowery. (Grandpa is looking over my shoulder, keeping an eye on fabric choices.)

I enjoy seeing all the fabric strips laid out, ready to go. But better than that are the strip sets, ready to be sewn to each other. These really are quick blocks.

I decided not to buy a quilt calendar for 2012, but then I won one in a giveaway from Kathy. Thanks for the 12 months of inspiration, Kathy.

BTW, if you've never visited her blog, check it out some time. She gets so much done, actually finished her UFOs (my heroine), and she always has something interesting going on.

Stay warm, my fellow quilters. We have -9 degrees F. predicted here in northern Iowa tonight. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

A little quilt finish

2012-01-11T22:50:00.000-06:00

finishes at 18-1/2" x 22-1/2"

I caved in to the temptation of the little "Twelve Days of Christmas" quilt from the Temecula Quilt Company. It's done and ready for quilting.
A couple changes from the original plan.
--I added sashing on the outside of the blocks. (Original has only interior sashing)
--scrambled the blocks in a different layout. Next Christmas our grandkids can find the block with 1 piece, the block with 2 pieces, the block with 3 pieces, etc.

As it has a Christmas theme, I used Civil War era red and green repro fabrics. I chose the two border fabrics first and went from there, using scraps for most of the 3" blocks.

NOTE: The bottom border looks uneven in the photo. It's actually nice and straight.

I'm working on part 2 of my Pink Lemonade blocks. Lori is taking it nice and slow so we can keep up.

Subdivision growing

2012-01-08T23:59:00.001-06:00

I made more of my 8" houses over the weekend. I'm becoming braver about using a wide variety of blues for these, not making everything matchy-matchy. I decided a big picture window here and there in the subdivision would be OK.

I've joined in on every quiltalong that Lori of Humble Quilts has led, and this new one promises to be as much fun as the others. The little antique quilt we'll be making is named "Pink Lemonade" and these shoofly blocks are step #1.

I didn't sew quite as much over the weekend as I'd originally planned.

DH and I helped DD #1 move some large items 100 miles to another city where her sister has a garage and basement with storage space. We spent quite a few hours on the road, but we're all glad to have the items finally moved. We also got a chance to meet the newest member of the family. DD #2 recently bought her first house, and now that she's settled in, she was able to fullfill a wish she's had for many years. She's the new and proud owner of a retired greyhound.

DD #2 with Taima

This is DD #2 with Taima. The photo was taken the first time they met at the Quad Cities Greyhound Adoption Center. Taima is larger than the average retired female. She's a red brindle, had three litters, and is 6 years old. She docile, friendly, and an elegant lady. It was a pleasure meeting her yesterday, and our daughter is so proud of her new housemate.

DD #1 owns a puggle named Scully, and Scully can walk under Taima with ease. The two dogs met for the first time yesterday, and after some cautionary time together with Taima's muzzle on, it was removed and they got along just fine.
Taima would probably never mistake a puggle for a fluffy rabbit she would want to chase, but caution is wise with two 6-year-old dogs meeting for the first time.

Another construction zone

2012-01-04T00:18:00.001-06:00

Houses are being built all over blogland.   I was tempted by Building Houses from Scraps, but I knew I'd burn out, trying to paper piece or hand piece one 3" house every day for a year. Bravo to all those quilters who've begun that challenge.

Then I spotted the first Schnibble quilt for 2012 on Mary's blog, Quilt Hollow.   "Full House" is cute as can be. She has a link to that project, if you're interested.

And I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing the lovely houses that Julia is making from Kaffe fabric-- yet another style of house.

I have my own construction zone under way, making 8" blue scrappy houses. Yellow, orange, and rust scraps are the windows and doors. I'll make either a 6x8 or a 7x9 layout, with scrappy blue sashing and a scrappy blue border. Except for the roof row, all other house parts are cut from 1-1/2" strips.

This is a great scrap buster project, as you can see by my plates with pieces cut and ready to go. I've become comfortable with the pattern. My last house took only 12 minutes to make, using the precut pieces.

I'm sewing with friends this weekend, and I'll stack the filled plates, putting them into a 1-gallon ziplock bag. Squash out the air, zip it shut, and the pieces will NOT move when I transport them.
The pattern I'm using is called "Blueprints," a 1997 supplementary pattern from "Sew Many Quilts," the original name of Fons and Porter's magazine. I pulled the pattern out of a stack that others were discarding, destined for the dump. Lucky me!

Thimble finish

2011-12-29T23:38:00.000-06:00

My little thimble quilt is hand quilted and bound and ready to put up or put away. Finished size is 20-1/2 x 23" and I first wrote about it here. After asking if I was making a thimble or a tumbler quilt, it's clear this is a thimble quilt. The blocks are small, 2" high and 2" wide at the base.

I finished quilting the Be Attitudes quilt in time for it to be pulled out from under the Christmas tree by DD #1. I sent her home with her quilt, plus a label and the buttons that still need to be added. I'm leaving the wording of the label up to her, as she and her sister both worked on the top and I quilted it. I'm sure she'll have it totally done before the end of the calendar year.

I've written before about a BOM that I'm working on with a local group of ladies. It's Rocky Mountain Sampler, and I'm finished with 9 of the 12 blocks. We're getting instructions for two blocks per month, but I figured out how to make block #9 from a picture, so I worked ahead.

Each block has a 6" center, and then HST and flying geese made from a random mixture of our selected fabrics are added = 12" block. These are just stuck on my design wall, but you can see how the block corners will make a bold secondary design.

I'd like to finish one or 2 UFOs before the end of the year, but I'm nearly out of time. I have some WIPs I'd enjoy going back to. Or maybe I'll start something new. Oh, the choices!! Wonderful quilty choices!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T09:13:00.001-06:00

courtesy of http://hubpages.com/

Blessings to you

and your family.

--and after holiday time with family and friends, may your needle and thread stitch merrily till the end of this calendar year.

Last minute project

2011-12-21T22:53:00.004-06:00

This "Be Attitudes" quilt top has been ready for quilting for a while. (Art to Heart book by Nancy Halvorsen) I'm hoping for a last minute finish before Christmas. The maker of the top seldom reads this blog, so there's little danger of spoiling a surprise.

The quilting won't take very long. Many of the figures are rather stiff, where 2 or 3 fabric layers overlap, and I'm planning minimal quilting around them, just to hold the layers together. I know she used a reliable, lighter weight fusible product, and I'm surprised how stiff it got. If I at least get the quilting done, we can add the final touches later. I'm not sure if she wants a hanging pocket at the top. I forgot to ask (or maybe I just didn't listen.)

Not much quilting done in the last two weeks--actually, no quilting done in the last two weeks. Husband's recovery from his knee replacement surgery is going OK, slowly but steadily. As co-inhabitants of the bottom floor of our split level, he's often watching TV shows that I don't care to listen to. And I've been hesitant to go "vroom vroom" with my sewing machine, as that will make TV listening difficult, and up goes the volume.

Solution -- and Merry Christmas to both of us -- wireless headphones. Quite a few choices available locally.
I bought a pair today, and so far, they're working fine. Comfort, clarity, and the picture and sound are synchronized. But I know where the receipt is, just in case. (Pardon the dark photo; took it without DH knowing what I was doing.)

Gifts -- from me

2011-12-17T21:11:00.001-06:00

a favorite from one of my new books

Such a convenient time of year. If a quilter decides to add two or three more books to her library, she can ~~disguise~~ ~~camouflage~~ justify the purchases by saying these are gifts to herself. I'm guessing I'm not the first to use this ~~trick~~ explanation.

So -- I bought myself three gifts for Christmas.

I've seen quilts all over blogland made from History Repeated and am anxious to try one or two myself.

I fell in love with a small quilt made by Dawn (Collector with a Needle), and she generously shared the source of her pattern -- Great Little Quilts. There are enough ideas in this +20-year-old book to make the purchase worthwhile to me. Several copies are available on Amazon for less than $1 (plus $3.99 S&H, of course).

I'm probably most excited about Childhood Treasures, which shares 80 antique doll quilts from one lady's collection of 300. Photography is by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and I found exciting little treasures, page after page. No patterns included--just great photos, comments by the owner, and historical info about doll quilts.   One of my favorites is pictured above. I think it's quirky and charming. The owner thinks it was probably made by a child and pointed out the one square corner, along with 3 rounded corners.

This owner of the doll quilts also collects doll clothes, and a few photos pair doll clothes with quilts from a comparable time period.   Sweet!

Busy, busy little trees

2011-12-11T01:43:00.001-06:00

finishes at 42" x 42"

My scrappy little trees are finished. I spent way too much time auditioning borders and corners and sashing. This version is busy, but I don't mind.   It looks like quartets of evergreen trees spinning with peppermint pinwheels. Very Christmasy indeed. I used a lot of green scraps, many red and green 2-1/2" squares, and some red striped fabric that's been hiding on a shelf for too many years.

You can find the pattern for the tree block on Marcie's Patchalot Patterns site here.   There's also a gallery of other versions of her block.

I may take out the center green square and replace it with one that's nondescript and hides in the middle of the four green strips. The plaid stands out a bit more than I'd like. The red "Ho-Ho-Ho" fabric certainly is easy to spot.

Maybe I'll get this sandwiched and quilted in the next few days.   No plans to go anywhere. I'm at the beck and call of DH, who's recovering from left knee replacement surgery Dec 5. Recovery is going OK. He was discharged home on the 4th day after surgery. I'm helping with a lot of tasks, and that dependence will decrease as he gets stronger and more mobile.

It's beginning to look a lot... ...

2011-12-04T20:34:00.001-06:00

Trees on the Table pattern

I'm working on a red and green project, the first snowfall of the season has left its mark, and the Christmas tree is decorated. It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

This little Christmas tree project is just begun. The pattern is a free one from Marcie at Patchalot Patterns. You can find a copy of the free pattern "Trees on the Table" here. Marcie's original pattern calls for trees made from strip sets and is a 24" x 24" table topper. I'm using strips, chunks, and crumbs, I'm making 16 trees, and I'll see where I end up.

Marcie's Q in Feb 2012 issue of Am P and Quilting

Interesting that my newest issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (Feb 2012) includes another pattern from Marcie. She used Civil War fabrics, and it's another that's now on my bucket list. The article includes a photo of an alternate setting that Marcie considered for her star blocks.

NOTE: For those of you who know Marcie, she recently lost her son. I'm behind on blog reading and just read the sad news.

Needle and thread withdrawal.

2011-11-29T15:32:00.001-06:00

Princess Maddie looking at birds

Our son and his family departed for the airport this morning, MSP to ATL, and the family Thanksgiving gatherings are past. My quilting withdrawal enters its third week. Some quilt tops quilted early this month, but no piecing for 3+ weeks. That's OK. Family time is first; quilts can wait.

Quilting and sewing projects showed up here and there these past few days. Old costumes kept little girls busy, and finished quilts became tents and hotels and picnic blankets. How nice to have so many things to pull off shelves and out of storage.

I did have a sewing machine out twice--making a little carrying bag for a set of granddaughter Maddie's toys and mending some ripped travel bags.

Maddie (R) and cousins playing dress-up

Stacking Grandma's pretty spools

Little quilts ready to keep dolls warm

Maddie decorated Grandma and Grandpa's tree

Grandson Drew playing--and-drooling--on Grandma's spool Q, and she just laughed


Three quilts are perfect to make a pretty house for a pretty granddaughter

Moving to the garage

2011-11-19T08:10:00.001-06:00

preparing for company

Nothing under the category of "quilting done" for days and days. Getting ready to triple the occupancy of our house (son and family in flight over the Atlantic, from Heidelberg--> Paris--> Minneapolis as I'm typing this). That means my quilting supplies are on the move.

We live in a house unsuited for my beloved past-time. With no basement and a stash that could supply a small quilt shop, plus (too many) sewing machines, a new quilting machine, and all the supplies needed to make several hundred quilts, DH and I live in the midst of Quilt Central.
I read with envy and longing about those with entire rooms or suites dedicated to quilting. No upheaval required when company comes. Just close the door.

We've borrowed a van for the next 10 days (2 grandchildren in car seats + 2 extra adults to transport), and it's going to stay on the driveway. Empty half of the garage! We've been carrying storage bins filled with fabric out to garage, mostly the 64-qt (61 L) size. I could leave a few along an empty wall of the living room and drape a pretty quilt over them, but non-stash-owners would not understand that. And besides -- we want granddaughter Maddie to help us set up a Christmas tree while they're here. The tree goes along that wall.

The bins are relatively easy to move, though I'm overweight and out of shape, and husband is scheduled for left knee replacement in 2 weeks. We're quite a pair, but together we're carefully moving them up 7 steps of our split-level home and out to the garage.

Disappointment #1-- stacks and sacks galore of scraps and strips that I want to sort and trim to a recognizable shape. Too late for that now. They're being shoved into yet another bin and will have to wait.

considering buying

Disappointment #2--I didn't budget my time well enough to make a couple items of clothing for Maddie or grandson Drew's quilt before they arrived. Patterns and prewashed fabric and notions are heading to another bin.

I have hand sewing projects set aside to pull out and work on when time allows. Our hours and days will be busy, but there will be sitting time, and I prefer a project in my hands. And maybe I can use some down time to catch up on reading blogs. I am SO far behind.

Has anyone purchased this DVD set, "Why Quilts Matter: History, Art and Politics"? or have you seen the episodes on public TV? I've forgotten to watch them so far. Maybe I'll remember today, as they're shown locally on Saturday mornings. This 9-episode documentary series was created by Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc. and looks fascinating. You can watch a trailer and read more details. I'm considering buying the DVD set, but I want to watch at least a couple of the episodes first.
Enjoy your weekend. Gramma time is almost here!

No buyer's remorse with my HQ Sweet 16

2011-11-08T23:43:00.002-06:00

HQ Sweet Sixteen (stock photo)

I purchased a Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteen mid-arm quilting machine at the AQS Show in Des Moines in October. Several have asked for my opinion of it.

The features that convinced me to buy it:
1 -- The table it sits in is compact, 30" x 36" -- (I don't have room for a long-arm machine.)
2-- This is a sit-down machine, and the table height is adjustable for my comfort. I do not want to stand and quilt, .
3--The machine stitches from 10 to 1500 stitches per minute, easily adjusted on a touch screen.
4--The generous space between the needle and motor, (16") plus the roomy flat surface, gives me plenty of room for quilting even large quilts.
5--A heavy duty bobbin winder for the M class bobbins is included.
5--The machine is less expensive than long arm machines.
6--It's manufactured and assembled in the USA, and each machine undergoes thorough testing before it's shipped.
7--A local HQ rep came to my house to train me with my machine. She was patient, thorough, and a great teacher. The company knows that a well-trained owner of the machine will be happier with the product.
8--This machine can be upgraded in the future with handles, framework and a computer package to become a long arm, if I'm interested.

extension added to R side of table; adjustable legs

I like to be prepared, trying to anticipate the future. (sometimes a good trait, sometimes not) At the AQS show, I purchased extra bobbins, an open-toe hopping foot, a horizontal spool pin, mass quantities of size 16 and 18 sewing machine needles, and two 18" extensions to add to the sides of the table.
That last purchase was a mistake. I quilted my first large project before I had an extension attached. I set up our card table on the left side. It was the same height as the HQ table and worked great! DH has since added the hardware so I have an extension added to the right side of the table. It can be extended to support the quilt, or it can hang down, out of the way.

And I now have one extra, unused, unwanted extension. If anybody in northern Iowa or southern MN wants to buy it for a good price, let me know. It would cost me $$ to send it back to Utah.

touchscreen and good lighting (stock photo)

My impressions after using the Sweet 16 to machine quilt--
The visibility is wonderful! When quilting with my Brother 1500, an extended arm machine, I'm always dipping my head, craning my neck, peeking around the machine, looking to see what I've done, where I've been, where I'm going. With the Sweet 16, I just shift my eyes and I can immediately see my progress. A light ring with 28 LEDs aids visibility while stitching.

The bobbins hold a lot of thread, more than the standard bobbins I'm used to. On my first large quilt, I barely started a third bobbin. Large bobbins save time.

The biggest difference, which I'm not used to -- there is NO presser foot. I still reach around behind the needle now & then to raise the presser foot lever, and there is none. Oops!

Love the color touch screen. It's a multi-purpose tool. I can change my speed easily, save 3 favorite speeds, needle up or down, change light brightness or volume of the beeps, troubleshoot with diagnostics that check quality of performance, and my personal favorite -- keeping track of # of stitches. It's like the odometer on a car. I reset the stitches each time I start a project, but the total stitches in the lifetime of the machine continue to add up.   In a couple weeks, my total is over 300,000 stitches.

Maintenance is basic. One drop of oil in the bobbin case area after 2 bobbins' worth of sewing. Gently brush lint away. Replace needles regularly. If there are problems, the diagnostics on the touch screen can help. The HQ rep is available to give advice, and there's tech support available online or by phone.

Easy set up and take down. I can do it myself, or DH helps. Machine is 53 pounds, and the table may be just as heavy. It's a strong, solid table and does not shudder and shake when I'm quilting at a high speed.

This machine is not a magic tool for perfect quilting. I did not buy a long arm machine. I did not purchase a stitch regulator (though that can be added for an additional price). There are no plug-in pantographs. I'm responsible for the quality of my stitches. I'm responsible for the length and evenness and direction of the stitches. While quilting in the middle of a large quilt, I still have a lot of quilt to settle on my shoulder until I've quilted away from the middle.   I'm in charge of manipulating the quilt, balancing its weight, and controlling those stitches.   HOWEVER -- that 16" space and the flat surface make it so much easier than quilting with my other machine, which sits up on our dining room table.

If interested, you can read more about the HQ Sweet Sixteen machine on the HandiQuilter website here. There are a couple introductory videos, Getting Started #1 and Getting Started #2. You can find the location of dealers (including Australia) and there's a map of where machines have been shipped. (updated periodically) Plus quilters who have bought Handi Quilter products have sent their stories to the website.

BTW--I'm just sharing my comments and observations here. I have no connection with the HandiQuilter company, other than I bought one of their machines, and at this point in time, I'm very glad I did.

A few blocks

2011-11-06T19:59:00.002-06:00

Rocky Mountain Sampler, blocks 1-4

Weekend quilting away from home with friends. Shared stories, laughs, advice, flavored coffee, and food. It was a great time together.

Robert Kaufman focus fabric

I got caught up on my blocks with a new BOM project sponsored by a local quilting center. The program is "Rocky Mountain Sampler" by Paula Stoddard. You can see the original pattern version here.
Fabrics for my blocks were selected with an eye on this Robert Kaufman fabric. Each month we make two blocks, and the finished size is 48 x 60", but I want mine larger. I'll make extra blocks of some sort to enlarge it.

castle wall blocks with connector pieces (honeycombs)

The blocks are interesting. The flying geese and HST that surround each 6" center make them "float," and the corners of the 12" blocks create secondary designs when the blocks are joined.

I finished a couple more castle wall blocks, made by tracing around the shapes on the back of fabric, machine stitching or hand stitching the pieces together. In the photo are two new blocks (left side) plus connector pieces as used in the pattern -- called honeycombs in one online store. This honeycomb is the equivalent of a 2" square plus a 2" triangle added on each end.

74x90" share quilt done

I have a baby-step start -- 6 blocks done with a goal of 42 blocks.

Quilts for Kids ready to ship (after a bath)

I finished binding these five Quilts for Kids this weekend, after I machine quilted them on my HQ Sweet Sixteen. They're in the dryer right now. Quilts are to be bound, labeled, washed, and dried before they're shipped. To the post office with them Monday. Go to the link above and click on "volunteer" for information, if you want to help.
The 74 x 90" share quilt also was quilted on my Sweet 16. It will go to our guild next month, joining others from the membership, destined for a local homeless shelter. Love the Tina Givens fabric from Free Spirit we chose for my backing. Have a great week.

This and that Saturday

2011-10-29T12:58:00.002-05:00

Star blocks, a ladybug apron, and a retirement quilt. Definitely this and that.

These 12" star blocks will be put in the mail today and sent to John'a Lee in Tennessee. She posted a request here for muted red, blue, and white star blocks, either 8" or 12". Her daughter's fiance was killed in Afghanistan two weeks before his wedding, and he was buried on what was to have been their wedding day. John'a Lee plans to make quilts for her daughter, the fiance's mother and two brothers, and a soldier friend who was with him when he died.
The least I can do is send some blocks. I just cut pieces and parts and started sewing with a random mixture of fabrics.

Gramma Vivian sent a ladybug apron to granddaughter Maddie a couple months ago. Here she is modeling. She's a typical little 3-year-old who loves dress-up. When she have a Skype call with her family, she's often wearing some sort of princess dress. They're coming here for a 10-day visit during the holidays, and I'll see what I can gather to put into a dress-up box for her.

first quilting project with HQ Sweet 16

front folded over back of the quilt

The retirement quilt for my coworker, Dixie, was finished and given to her a couple days ago. I love, love, LOVE my new HQ Sweet Sixteen quilting machine!! Some time in the next week I'll write a post about it. I made a few notes as I worked on this first project. All positive comments so far. (good illumination while quilting; not as harsh as this photo suggests)

As the front of Dixie's quilt is almost exclusively Thimbleberries fabrics, I used some pink floral TB yardage on the back, with a strip of the border fabric across the center of the back. Two WOF pieces weren't quite long enough for the back.
I'm very happy with it, and Dixie was too.

Three tops finished

2011-10-23T19:05:00.001-05:00

quilt for retiring coworker

This weekend was productive, as I finished three quilt tops. Each got its turn on the line in the backyard on this pretty autumn day. They're similar in size, ranging from 65 x 80" to 72 x 90".

The retirement quilt for a coworker was first described here. I pieced random leftover light strips for the first border, and the large print outer border was cut 6-1/2". I really hope to make this pattern from Scrap-Basket Sensations again some day in Christmas colors.

each block finishes at 9 inches

My 36-patch quilt top will have no border. I'm satisfied with it just as it is--except for the bright and bold orange/rust block in the lower right corner. I planned to add one or two similar blocks to help balance it, but I never did. There's a better chance I'll take it out and replace it with a less prominent block. No destination for this quilt. For now it's mine.


share quilt for a guy

The third top is a share quilt I had written about here. I chose a small-scale light toile for the border and will use brown or wine fabric for the binding.

The retirement quilt has to be quilted first. Her last day at work here in town is Friday. If I'm not done by then, I will find a way to get it to her (40-45 miles away), but I'd rather have it done so she can drive home with it.

Enjoy the coming week of stitching, quilting, or whatever comes your way.

Lessons learned

2011-10-22T12:41:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time a quilter read about a project of sharing, and it appealed to her. She had faded but sturdy pillowcases. Into one case, she put all her threads, dogear snippets, slivers of fabric, and thin strips of batting that only the week before would have been called quilting garbage.

When the pillowcase was nearly filled, she sewed the end shut, shook it a few times, and said to no one in particular, "This looks like some of the dog beds I see advertised on TV. And this one didn't cost anything!" The quilter was glad to turn an old pillowcase and quilting garbage into something usable. She felt proud.

She contacted the kind people at a local dog shelter, and yes, they would be happy to receive any filled pillowcases she might bring to them. A plan was set in motion, and she felt excited.

The quilter eventually filled all her old pillowcases. Then she cut up unwanted sheets and curtains, sewing cases of various sizes from the usable fabric. She felt creative.

The quilter took pillowcases to weekend quilting sessions with her friends, and the cases filled quickly. She occasionally went to a quilting center and emptied their bags of trash into her pillowcases. The dogs were more comfortable, and the quilter was content.

One day a lady approached the quilter and asked if she wanted fabric that others didn't want. There would be a variety of fabrics, but they could be used "for the dogs." The quilter agreed.
She drove to a parking lot, and 6 large bags and 2 small bags were moved from another car to hers. The quilter offered her thanks and went home with the bags. Then sadness overcame her.

found inside one "fabric" bag

Yes, there were a few strips and squares and chunks of fabric that could be used for quilts.
Yes, there were small chunks of fur and satin and polyester that could go directly into the pllowcases for the dogs.
Yes, there were pieces of velvets and satins and elegant fabrics that could be shared with her friends who are making crazy quilt blocks.

But there was more.
Inside the bags, she found large chunks of denim, satin coat linings, and six intact jeans.
She found cut-up sweaters but also intact sweaters.
She found chiffon scarves, skirts, and 3-yard cuts of heavy double knits.
She found sweatpants, canvas yardage, and parts of costumes.
She found garments someone had started sewing but did not finish.
She found a wool blazer, nightgowns, styrofoam craft balls, and patterns.
She found loose straight pins and straight pins still holding pattern pieces to fabric.
She found two items made from interlocking embroidery hoops, covered with strips of fabric, with a fake bird hanging from fishing line. She wanted to cry.

The quilter had offered to take fabric that others didn't want, but she felt she had become a dumping ground.
Were these things that didn't sell at a garage sale? Were these things that someone knew had no potential to sell at a garage sale? She felt distressed, and she had brought it on herself.

Two lessons learned--
--do not automatically agree to accept fabric from someone else. You never know what may be included.
--other people may take advantage of you. Even if that wasn't their intention, that's what it feels like.

Blocks done

2011-10-20T13:49:00.001-05:00

20 blocks done

The 20 blocks for my version of "Blessings from the Hollow" (Scrap-Basket Sensations) are done They're pinned to the design wall and will be stitched together later this afternoon. Before borders it will be 56 x 70".

I chose the fabrics with a large print from Thimbleberries "Lodge and Lakeside" in mind. I'll add a narrow border (probably cream) and then a wide border of the birds and leaves. The project is moving along nicely.

border fabric

This may be the first project I'll quilt with my new HandiQuilter Sweet Sixteen mid-arm machine. The training session I had with the HQ rep this week was great! I was surprised that someone would come to my house for anything other than the purchase of a long-arm machine. The fact that she did says a lot for the company's desire to have satisfied customers, ones who understand their machine and have been trained to run it. So far, yes I am very satisfied. I'll report more later.

Four and counting

2011-10-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

Sixteen blocks to go. This is "Blessings from the Hollow" (as in Quilt Hollow, Mary's blog). The pattern is in Kim's book Scrap-Basket Sensations. I'm planning a simple border. I love the pieced border in the book, but time is a factor. I decided I could make 8 extra blocks more quickly than the pieced border to reach the size I want.

FYI--did you know sometimes there's an option on Amazon to "see all product images" in a book? You can do that with this book. Look for that option just below the large illustration of the book. I think it's a great sales tool!

This is definitely a paper plate project. The cut strips need to stay together in groups. Clip them together or use paper plates. You don't want to mix up the strips destined to be the center flowers or the ones that will be the outside frames. Cutting and organizing the parts takes time, but then the blocks go together quickly.

The slowest step in this block is pressing the 1/4" seams open around the interior sashings. (Little arrows on the illustrations show pressing directions, in case you miss those written instructions.)
Kim's instructions are precise, and I appreciate color illustrations to show me "how-to at a glance."
If the instructions for a quilt are to press the seams open, do it.   I've learned from a few bad experiences not to ignore that step. The designer has a reason for open seams--usually bulky seams or a situation where the design won't allow seams to nest as the blocks meet.

Back to my blocks. Wouldn't these look great in Christmas colors?   They remind me of poinsettias.

Saving -- and spending

2011-10-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

A couple large Thimbleberries kits in bags followed me home from a lady's sale last year. She was downsizing her fabric stash, quilt kits, and finishing kits. I'm usually not a buy-a-kit gal, but those bargains couldn't be ignored. Each bag had +20 yds of Thimbleberries fabrics for a great price.

I've chosen a pattern for my coworker's retirement quilt. Rather than finishing a top I already have, I'll start a new one, darker and more fall/winter looking than any of my tops.   I'll use many of these fabrics pulled from those 2 kits. Colors are not very accurate; our camera seems confused by light from some of our energy-saving lightbulbs.)

I narrowed my pattern choices down to jelly roll quilt books. And as I don't own any jelly rolls, I'll be cutting a lot of 2-1/2" strips. The book I'll use is authored by Kim, and the quilt I chose was pieced and quilted by Mary. No more specifics till I get going, but some of you could make an educated guess.

As for the second part of my post title -- I have a new toy, under the classification of "mid arm." I stay away from vendors at quilt shows as much as I can. Too many temptations. But I went to the AQS Show in Des Moines 2 weeks ago, and temptation was just inside the entrance.   The long arm machines are expensive and big. I don't have the room. But if you find a quilting machine that rests in a 30" x 36" table, with adjustable height, where you sit to quilt, you stop in your tracks.

The UPS guy delivered boxes today from Utah. I set up the machine easily and did a bit of FMQ, but I need guidance & confidence building with the bobbin and threading and tension. I'll get that help when an HQ rep comes to my home next week for a training session.   Many ladies give their machines names. I'll think about that.

CW and castle blocks

2011-10-11T16:45:00.001-05:00

# 33 - Indiana Puzzle

It's been a while since I've made any of the BOW Civil War blocks. I just keep reading Barbara B's weekly history lessons and printing a copy of the instructions. Today I made a couple fast, easy ones, just so I could mark something off the list.

#36 - Kentucky Crossroads

castle wall blocks #3 and #

Two more castle wall blocks finished. They're probably all going to look pretty much alike with the same slate blues, the same soft greens. But these really are two new ones-- machine stitched. Looks like I'm going to concentrate on hand piecing and machine piecing -- no English paper piecing. How quickly plans changed once I got going on the blocks.

I've found the perfect reason why it's good to have a stack of quilt tops done and/or a lot of WIPs. Today at work we got an unexpected message that one of our coworkers has decided to retire. The party is a week from today, but her last day of work is October 28. She's a lovely lady and I really want to give her a quilt. So, I'll be looking through the tops and the almost-done quilts. Or maybe I'll start something new. This is my favorite type of dilemma. It involves quilts, there's an adrenaline rush because of a time limit, and I have a lot of choices.

Barbara, Judie, and Jo

2011-10-05T19:23:00.001-05:00

If you know their last names, you'll recognize their fabrics in this little wallhanging (20-1/2 x 27"). I pulled 32 triangles out of the garbage and turned them into this. Literally -- out of the garbage. The triangles fell out of a full garbage sack as I was transferring scraps and threads to pillow cases (for the dogs). I know a Judie Rothermel fabric when I see it, and how convenient -- 16 big triangles and 16 little ones.

I didn't follow a pattern. I made the HST from the scraps and experimented after that. I added some Barbara Brackman tans, another Judie R navy print, and a large scale Jo Morton for the border. This week I saw a rich, luscious "elevated doll quilt" made by Barb, and her idea gave me the courage to put the rotary cutter to the border fabric. Thanks, Barb.

I have five Quilts for Kids tops finished and ready to quilt, label, bind, wash and return by mail. Hopefully I can get some done this weekend. There seem to be a lot of things to finish right now, and even a couple things of importance to start (a BOM at a local sewing circle and a quilt for our new grandson). Even with random days off work, I don't get as many things done as I'd like. But most of us complain of that.

Entering the castle with EPP

2011-09-28T13:43:00.000-05:00

castle wall block #1 using EPP

I'm near the finish line for a couple projects, so I'm starting a new one. That's why my piles of WIPs and UFOs don't disappear. I start new projects before completely finishing old ones.   But I get bored if I'm working on just one project.   I like the diversity of going from project to project.

Andrea, the Welsh Quilter, posted about a quilt four years ago that caught my attention. Made from castle wall blocks, she wrote that it was a logical choice for her, with so many castles and remnants of castles around Wales. Andrea kindly shared the issue # of the Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine I needed for the pattern (vol 14, no. 2).   The quilt in the magazine would not have caught my attention, but Andrea's blocks did. The magazine version is a wonderful group of bright, bold colors, but Andrea's is a more controlled group of muted colors. That's the look I want.

Her quilt is made using English paper piecing. Paper Pieces is my go-to online company for EPP precut shapes. Their website is loaded with products, free downloads, a gallery of projects made by customers, and inspiration galore. Five of the 2" shapes I need were available for immediate purchase, but I custom ordered 2" honeycomb shapes.   I've been gathering various Willliam Morris-style blues, greens, peaches, and pinks for a while.

block #2 -- machine pieced

I made my first block this week, and it took hours. Friends have suggested using Fons & Porter glue to attach the fabric to the EPP shapes, rather than basting. That would save a LOT of time.

But before buying a new product, I tried a different construction method. The pink/green block was machine stitched. I traced the shapes on the fabric and sewed the 2" seams by machine. It cut my time in half. (I could hand sew the blocks by this method too.)

I'll have a minor dilemna joining blocks made by different methods, so I need to settle on one. EPP or not? Money spent can't be ignored. I don't like having all those precut shapes and not using them, but I've spent money more stupidly than that in the past. Earlier today I asked DH, "Have you ever spent money on supplies and then changed your mind and never used them?" He looked at me like it was a trick question.
I guess that answers my question. We've both done the same thing. My level of guilt has been diluted.

I'll trace the shapes and have the option of machine or hand stitching the blocks. I always want a portable project ready to grab-and-go for hand-sewing sessions, but I'll have the option of a quicker finish with my machine. Dilemma settled.

A few to share

2011-09-25T19:13:00.002-05:00

top still needs outside borders

Quilts made to share are the ones that make me feel best about how I've spent my time.

I've written about this top before, one that will be given by our Q. guild to a local shelter. The blocks are together, and I'll add a 4-5" wide border to get it to the 70x90" size we want. It's a guy's quilt and is not from a pattern. It's a scrambled grouping of whatever I decided to do with strips, with the addition of some bears and moose--exactly what every guy's quilt needs :)

I've written before about Quilts for Kids (QFK). The organization's goal is to distribute patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse.

I sewed a quilt from one of their kits months ago. I only had to add my time, the batting, and the postage to return it. But in that box, I added two quilts made from my own stash. Following the QFK guidelines, they were made from 100% cotton and were washed and dried before sending.

4 kits from Quilts for Kids

A couple weeks ago I sent a request for 4 kits, and they arrived quickly. One top is done, and I'm well on my way to finishing the other three. I may name the first one "Best Friends," as the fabric features Lightning McQueen and Mater from the movie Cars. I'll probably add one or two more from my stash.

As our grandchildren are young and don't live nearby, I'm a grandmother who knows very little about Happy Meals from McDonald's. But that was my supper tonight.
Our city has two McDonald's. The older, outdated one was demolished a couple months ago and a new one rebuilt in its place. They're celebrating with grand opening specials and giveaways for a week. One of today's specials was a Happy Meal for $1.50. How nice to have healthy options. We got a cheeseburger Happy Meal with apples (and caramel dip) and low-fat milk. I don't understand what the toys are, but that's OK. We're setting them back till someone can explain them to us.

Busy quilting week. A lot of sewing done today, hand sewing with friends tomorrow, attending an evening quilting group meeting on Tuesday, and a bus trip to Des Moines on Saturday for the AQS show there. My walking shoes and credit card are ready to go.

Rows on the design wall

2011-09-24T00:34:00.000-05:00

most of the 80 blocks

My 80 blocks are done, and I've started sewing the rows together. They're pinned to my design wall horizontally, as it's too big to fit the other way. The finished size is 72" x 90", which will work well with our tall family.

I spent way too much time shuffling and rearranging them. Finally I called it quits and just started sewing the rows. I'm sure I'll eventually wish they were arranged differently, but this layout is OK.

4-patch blocks from leftovers

Each block used two 2" WOF strips, approximately 1/8 yard. So the top uses about 10 yards of fabrics. What a fabulous way to dig into my stash!

A few byproducts from the 36-patch blocks -- little 4-patch blocks made from the leftover strips. They'll go into a box for some future project.

I'm way behind on blog reading, on purpose. I've stayed off the computer for several days, trying to stay focused on other things. The hours slip away too easily when I'm soaking up quilting inspiration out in blogland.

Six dozen and counting

2011-09-15T22:45:00.000-05:00

Nearly done. I didn't plan to keep going on these 36-patch blocks after the weekend, but with a full box of 2-inch strips calling to me, teasing me, and tempting me -- I couldn't resist. Another 2 dozen finished.

A few of my blocks are made from leftover squares and short strips, but most are made from two WOF strips. I prefer the simplicity of making 24 blocks from 48 strips of fabric, compared to stitching 864 individual squares, one little 2" seam at a time. It's a no-brainer.
Hurray for strip sets !!

I'm keeping a running list of the colors of blocks made, so I don't overdo one color or the other (pink is leading the list, so no more of those). But this photo shows me that the value of the blocks is just as important as the colors used.

I still need at least one block to mimic a single bold orange one I made a month ago, and for the final blocks, I'll focus on light and bright..

One of my favorite photos to share--a closeup photo of a stack of finished blocks. It's not that it's a gorgeous photo. It just that I'm nearly ready to start sewing the top together.

Our overnight temp dropped last night to 26 degrees F. But the warmth is coming back. Daytime temps are heading back up to the 60s and 70s over the next week. We're not ready for the cold stuff quite yet.

Weekend--this and that

2011-09-12T01:21:00.003-05:00

Spent the weekend quilting with friends. Relaxing, sharing stories, venting about life, stitching and quilting, eating chocolate and cinnamon rolls and assorted goodies, giving and getting advice. It's always a special time and the weekends never disappoint.

I sewed the rows of a share/donation quilt top together. It's ready to add a border, then quilt and finish it. Photo when it's done.

My 36-patch blocks are easy to make while I'm listening or talking. It's way too easy to cut something wrong or make a stitching mistake when the mouth is moving and the ears are listening carefully.
Another dozen done, which brings my total to 48. I'll probably make an 8x10 layout, so I'm over half done.

Today I started a project I've had in a box for 8 or 9 years--undisturbed. It's a simple Thimbleberries pattern using 8" Sawtooth Stars alternating with 8" cuts of fabric. The pattern shows a border with mittens and snowmen fabric, which I have, but I may skip the border. I have enough fabric in that box to make 2 or 3 of these.

my 2 tote bags, from furniture store fabric samples.

We walked into our quilting room on Friday and were greeted by stacks of fabric to look through. A friend found that the outdated fabric samples from a local furniture store were heading to the dumpster.

QUILTERS TO THE RESCUE!!! Becci brought them to us, and we all looked at the discarded upholstery and drapery samples with fresh eyes. I arrived later than most, and they'd already set aside toile samples for me (cuz I adore toiles). Some gals saw the potential for fabric going into crazy quilt projects. I saw tote bags.

On Saturday I made one 20 x 20" tote bag in about 90 minutes. Furniture store fabric samples come in all sizes, textures, and design styles, and I used 4 compatible fabric samples about 17" x 21" each. One for the front, one for the back, one for a band at the top, and one for the straps. I used a sewing machine with only a straight stitch, so I took advantage of the overcasting on the fabric samples.

No pattern. I just made it up as I went along, taking advantage of 50+ years of sewing experience.
(1) Stitch front and back together. (2) Sew the band on the top. (3) Make the straps and attach them. S*I*M*P*L*E.
I was excited making something that was absolutely free, and excited that this was the ultimate in recycling, keeping a lot of fabric out of the landfill, making something that will be used. Several of us sewed bags today, following my lead, and every one was gorgeous and sturdy and (my favorite "F" word) free!

Well begun and nearly done

2011-09-06T17:23:00.000-05:00

blocks well begun

Share Quilts --
Our quilt guild's last meeting focused on preparing to make quilts for local homeless shelters. Donated fabrics, ranging from chunks to partial bolts, were spread around the meeting room. Instruction sheets for simple, fast quilts were available to borrow. We were asked to take cutting mats, rulers, and rotary cutters.
We selected and made plans and cut.

Quilting friend Chris helped me gather guy-appropriate fabrics, and we them into cut 2-1/2" strips. So many options. They were not all WOF cuts, so string/strip blocks were my choice for this one.

I've cut strips sets into 8" rail blocks, and I found a fabric in my stash to coordinate with them. I'll have an 80-block layout, and 16 of the blocks with be a Debbie Mumm fabric with moose and bears and pine cones. But everything is strips--even the rows of animals on that fabric. So I've framed each animal block with some black/tan fabric.

nearly done

I also took home a precut "kit" that someone had already prepared for a share quilt. The black, dark gray, and light gray fabrics are to be sewn into a simple double 4-patch layout. I still have to add a black border, and the kit has red fabric for the backing and the binding.

Before I sewed the 4-patches together, I added some corner red triangles here and there to add a bit of variety to some of the blocks.

I also have some partial bolts of fabric ready to be cut into something. Those are a bit more feminine. After sewing darker, more masculine quilt tops, I'm ready for a few flowers.

This and that -- and ladybugs

2011-08-31T20:22:00.002-05:00

Simplicity #3949

Nothing much to show of a quilty nature.

I made this little apron with ladybug fabric last week, a birthday present for granddaughter Maddie. Our daughters are in Germany this week and took the apron and the hat (found at JoAnn's) to Maddie.

I made a few modifications to the original pattern--contrast fabrics, rickrack, changed from 2 straps to tie at the neck to a single strap to button.

label on button flower quilt

I sewed the label on the back of the little button flower quilt I made last week (previous post).

I took 5 scrap-filled pillowcases and 5 worn-out pillows to our local humane society today. The staff were appreciative. (no photo)

I've read quite a few quilting-related fiction books--some good, some predictable and rather boring, and some merely OK with a thin connection to quilting.

I've read many of the Elm Creek Quilters books--enjoyed all of them.
I've read many of the Benni Harper mystery books--after a while, they seem very similar, just with different titles.

I just finished two books by Marie Bostwick with a continuing story line and characters. Both are interesting, both have a legitimate connection to quilting, and both are a very satisfying read. (borrowed from our quilt guild's library cart)

I've always felt comforted in the knowledge that while I'm quilting alone late at night, if an intruder should came into my home, I'd be duly armed with my trusty rotary cutter. I never expected to see in print where quilters held 60-mm rotary cutters in a threatening manner.

The 2nd book of the series ("A Thread of Truth") has that scene in it, and I nearly rolled on the floor in glee, but I would have had trouble getting back up, so I controlled my enjoyment. But when the police arrived and yelled "Drop your weapons!" -- I lost it. It was welcomed quilting comedic relief to break the tension of a serious situation.
I'll be on the lookout for books #3 and #4 in this series (Cobbled Court Quilt Shop series). I want to find out what happens next in the lives of Evelyn, Abigail, Margot, Lisa, and Ivy.

Button flower finish

2011-08-23T05:45:00.004-05:00

It's nice to use some of my countless buttons in a project. My button jars and boxes don't seem any emptier, but I used about 75 buttons on this project. All were old--not a penny spent on new ones.

This project is from Kim Schaefer's new book Quilts from Textured Solids. Kim framed her project, but I added the borders, finishing at 16-1/2" square, and I have a hanging pocket on the back.

Her instructions say to quilt as desired, bind, and then "add buttons if desired." I wouldn't have made this without the buttons.

I layered the quilt and then sewed on the buttons. Next some quilting and finally the binding. That sequence worked OK. The back is a bit messy with thread traveling from button to button, but I don't mind.

Kim's instructions are to applique the 6 small segments on each leaf. I cut 2 dark leaves and 2 light leaves. I trimmed out the sections so the bottom leaf shows through when they're stacked.   It's stiffer this way but it's just a little wallhanging.

A closeup of the buttons in their starring role.   This has kind of an autumn look, so I'll have it on display before long.

Happy Birthday, dear Maddie

2011-08-22T05:15:00.011-05:00

Our granddaughter Madelyn Marie is 3 years old today. In the blink of an eye, she's grown from a new little baby, our first grandchild, into this lovely little lady, smiling and posing in the hills above Heidelberg.

This is our birthday greeting to you across the many miles, dear Maddie.

With all our love, Gramma and Oompa.

PS--you can open the packages now :)

Razor sharp and peachy keen

2011-08-21T16:36:00.001-05:00

Progress on the small project begun in my last post. I'm ready to put the layers together and start the finishing steps.

Aren't our specialty toys wonderful? I pulled out my razor-sharp Gingher applique scissors to trim away some of the rip-away backing that I didn't want to rip.
I don't use these scissors often, but they're handy to have when I want to be careful about cutting and trimming fabric.

pie before adding topping

baked pie with one small piece gone

DH's favorite pie is probably my peach pie. I can make it any time of the year using canned peaches, but fresh peaches in the summer is our preference. I'm not much of a cook. I know shortcuts galore and use them as often as possible.

One unbaked pie shell. (I buy the deep-dish version)
Mix 1 c. white sugar, 1/4 c. flour and 2 Tbsp. butter until crumbly. Place half that mixture in the bottom of the pie shell.
Remove skin and pits of 6-8 peaches; fill pie shell with fresh peach chunks or slices. Don't pack too tightly. (or use well-drained canned peaches)
Pour 1/2 c evaporated milk or half-and-half slowly over the peaches. (I use no-fat half-and-half.)
Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture over top.
Sprinkle nutmeg or cinnamon over top.
Place pie on drip tray or cookie sheet to catch drips or the overflow as it bakes. (I have overflow 90% of the time.)
Bake 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and the custard appears set. (The pie sets up more as it cools.) Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dab of whipped cream if desired. It's a family favorite, and I think of summer whenever I eat it.

A lovely thank you.

2011-08-19T00:15:00.000-05:00

Quilters in general are kind and generous. One particular quilter was especially kind and generous to me.
A surprise arrived in the mail. I'm doing a favor for Carolyn of Lee Prairie Designs, and she sent me this thank-you gift. It's a lovely needle keeper she made with butter-soft pages and a surprise inside the back cover -- a small pair of scissors with razor sharp blades and its own little protective guard.

I've been collecting selvages for years and enjoy the stories they tell. The outside of this keeper is selvages, and Carolyn joined them with a wonderful variety of decorative stitches.

The significance of the center selvage is something Carolyn wouldn't know-- and the coincidence gave me goosebumps.   Our son is a graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the International Quilt Study Center and Museum was nearing completion at the time he graduated. For those who don't know, this center is home of the largest known public collection of quilts in the world.

I'd enjoy touring the center some day.   For now, I just enjoy their wonderful website where you can browse their collections, read about exhibits, schedule a tour, learn about their leadership role in quilt studies and research, etc. I especially enjoy their "quilt of the month" feature.

Carolyn, thank you for your kindness and generosity. I'll put the needle keeper to good use, always with kind thoughts of my blogging friend.

Something new

2011-08-18T14:48:00.002-05:00

Last night I decided to start something new--something small--something that caught my eye when I went through a new book last month.
Four fabrics -- check.
Assorted buttons -- check.
Tan thread for stitching -- check.
Heat-n-Bond Light -- ch -- oops! one 4x8" piece isn't enough. So off to JoAnn's. I decided not to use my 40% off coupon because the price on the end of the bolt was $1.99. When I got home -- of course, not till I got home -- I looked at the sales receipt, and the Heat-n-Bond is listed at $2.99/yard. Were my eyes that tired? Should I have pulled out my reading glasses to read that bolt end info? I'm heading back there in a bit. It's not a lot of money, but if those 2 numbers don't match, that's not right.

The top photo is the project, begun and ready for some stitching. Some of my supplies are sitting on the back cover of the book in the 2nd photo. This project is kind of modern, kind of folk art-like -- a step away from my usual traditional piecing.

I'm off to JoAnn's to see which is in error -- my eyes or the price marking.

BTW -- I saw an ad on Food Network this afternoon about a new TV show coming soon -- The Pioneer Woman (yes, the lady with the fantastically popular blog) will have her own TV show on Food Network. First show is Saturday, Aug. 27.   Check your local listings for time.

UPDATE: My eyes are fine. JoAnn's bolt end and computer prices did NOT match.
The Heat-n-Bond was $1 off, and so was a green Heidi Grace fabric I bought. Price on bolt $6.99/yd, price on receipt, $7.99. (That's the one I used 40% coupon for.)
I got my money back, and the clerk's solution --> she used her fingernail and scratched the incorrect price off both bolt ends. Wonderful.
I looked at the other Heidi Grace bolts; some had price of $6.99, some had price of $7.99. It would have been nice to be offered a complementary spool of thread or a $1 cloth shopping bag for my trouble and their error-- no offer of apology or anything else.

Layout comparison

2011-08-14T10:25:00.001-05:00

Success last night using my computer design program (Quilt Pro) to get a sense of what's coming, using 4 colors in a Honeyberries quilt. Each big block is composed of 4 little blocks (two of block A, two of block B).

2 of block A, 2 of block B= 1 big block

Ignore the borders --I just popped in one of the options in the design program. I'll probably add a fairly simple border.

Top version -- each big block is one color. The colored blocks will be scattered around the top.

Middle version -- each big block is made from 1/4 red, 1/4 yellow 1/4 blue, and 1/4 green.

Bottom version -- each quadrant of each big block is made from two colors. This is the most jumbled, the most complex scrambling.

top version

middle version

Any of the three layouts is OK. My main concern is that I keep the look of fractured blocks. I know a 2-color version gives the most dramatic fractured look, but I'm looking for the "best" 4-color version. So, any preference?

DH and I have a preference, but the final decision will be made by son and DIL, AKA Mr. and Mrs. Heidelberg. I'm curious what opinions are from fellow quilters.

bottom version

Advice, please

2011-08-13T16:39:00.002-05:00

I've only seen this quilt made in two colors, and I want to make a 4-color version. "Honeyberries" is the cover quilt on Evelyn Sloppy's book "40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts," and it's been on my bucket list for a while. I like the fractured blocks

Our son and DIL picked this one for me to make for new grandson Andrew. His nursery room decor is primary colors red, blue, and yellow, plus secondary green.

strip set for Honeyberries quilt

The blocks are made from strip sets with alternating dark and light strips. The strip sets are sewn and cut and sewn and cut and sewn.

So, how do I use four colors?
Option #1 -- Make 5 blocks each--red plus cream, blue plus cream, yellow plus cream, and green plus cream. Scatter the colors randomly around the top.

Option #2 -- Use 2 different colors per strip set with the cream, and once the cutting and mixing is done, I'd have all four colors in each block.

I've had an e-mail conversation with another quilter who started making blocks using option #1, and they're pretty as a picture, but I'm curious about option #2. Any suggestions? Any predictions? Any advice?

For now, I'm going to use her suggestion and try creating a 4-color block with my old QuiltPro program. That should help me get a glimpse of how option #2 would look.
I hope your weekend plans include some quilting.

A few more for the design wall

2011-08-11T00:32:00.000-05:00

These 36-patch blocks are going together quickly. After looking at the first group of nine I made, I definitely needed to add brighter blocks to the mix. I especially like the high contrast blocks, but they're all fun (and easy) to make.

I think my goal will be a 7 x 9 block layout. These bring my total of the 9-inch blocks to 36.

That orange one really sticks out among the others. I'd better make a companion for it while I have my rust and orange strips out. This photo has washed out the brightness of the colors. They're a brighter, more energetic group than the photo shows.

I'm tempted to using sashing between them, but I'll probably resist and just make this new quilt with the 36-patch blocks.

My new blocks remind me of this 16-patch quilt I made three or four years ago. I was influenced by a cover quilt on an old Fons and Porter magazine. I used a blue and green trees fabric for 10 blocks, and the yellow, blue, and green fabrics used for the 16-patch blocks were picked to look good with those trees. Are the trees a Kaffe fabric? A Hoffman? I don't remember. I think I still have a piece of it hiding in my stash somewhere.

This quilt went home with a co-worker following a drawing at work. The lady who won it was blonde and usually dressed in blues or greens. The quilt looked like it was made for her, but it was just the luck of the drawing. This is one of my giveaway quilts that I was very tempted to keep.

Lesson learned

2011-08-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

I've been watching the easy-to-do, yet dramatic 36-patch quiltalong that Amanda Jean has been leading on her inspiring blog Crazy Mom Quilts. The 25 blocks she's made so far are so bright and pretty. I couldn't resist.

I've made one major change. Amanda Jean is using 2-1/2" strips, and her finished blocks are 12". I want to use strips I have from leftover projects. Each block requires 45" of each fabric. That's OK if I have more than one WOF strip of the fabric I want to use, but that's not always the case. On to Plan B.

I'm working with 2" strips, and each finished block will be 9". I need less than 40" of each fabric, so one WOF cut is enough for a block.

wrong

oops!

I picked pairs of light and dark fabrics, sewed strip sets, and made the 6-piece chunks, ready to sew together for the finished block. I didn't think it mattered how I sewed the pairs together. Wrong. There's a right and a wrong way.

With these cream and aqua strips, I sewed two together with the dark at the top and one with the light at the top. See the problem? I can twist and turn them all I want-- the strips will not match to make the block.

correctly sewn, same fabric at the top

The strips with the 6 chunks of fabric have to be sewn together with the same fabric ALWAYS at the top.
Lesson learned.

So far I've made these nine blocks. They're fun. But they're pretty boring and dark compared to the summery brightness of Amanda Jean's. Enough black and navy and deep purple. Time for pastels and brights.

Newest family member

2011-07-29T19:06:00.002-05:00

I'm very proud to introduce our new grandson. Andrew Michael L. arrived yesterday, July 28 at 1:07 p.m. Germany time. He was born at St. Elisabeth Hospital in Heidelberg, 8 lbs 13 oz and 21 1/4 inches. Madelyn is a proud big sister and was given a Princess watch from her little brother.

Bless technology! Packing for their trip to the hospital included taking a laptop. We talked to our son and DIL via a Skype call just a few hours after Andrew was born. In the middle of the call, Big Sister Madelyn came running into the room, meeting her brother for the first time. We watched her place a very gentle kiss on his cheek. Priceless!

I see a blue quilt in my future, or whatever color they want for his bedroom. Quilts for family are the most fun to make.

Border, blocks, and bows

2011-07-27T18:35:00.001-05:00

Too much of a good thing is -- too much.
I'm sorting through so many options for the border on my scrappy quilt from Bonnie's book. I wanted one similar to hers but with the focus on dark fabrics. I have hundreds of 5-inch squares and hundreds of 2-1/2" squares cut and stacked, and I wanted something using only those.

page from Pat Speth's book

I auditioned many borders from Pat Speth's book Nickel Quilt & Borders. She shows 260 borders based on 5-inch squares--using squares, rectangles, HST, hourglass units, picket fence units, combination units, etc.

#19 and #30 (left); #29 on right

Pat was a guest speaker/teacher at our local quilt shop years ago. She was a great teacher, leading us through so many adventures with 5-inch squares. Her Nickel Quilt books go back to 2002, at the very beginning of the 5-inch square phenomenon.
I finally decided that the border on the book's cover is the one I want. There may be a better choice, but I've spent too much time on this.

Three more Civil War blocks done--#19 Missouri Star, #29 Railroad Crossing (nice fussy cutting, Vivian), and #30 Peterson's Stars and Stripes.

Our hollyhocks are past their blooming prime. They're spindly, drying out from the heat, and the blossoms are quickly morphing into seed pods. DH and I found all sorts of advice online re: how and when to collect seeds. My mother and my MIL both asked for seeds from our plants, and we'll be happy to share them.
But when only green leaves and seed pods are visible at "harvest time," how will we know that we're giving them a variety of plants?

Fabric to the rescue! I tied strips of colored fabrics on appropriate plants--yellow strips mean yellow hollyhocks, pink represent pink, etc. We'll get seed pods from all the plants with bows and dry them in color groups. The colors of the strips should last till the fall.

More Civil War catching up

2011-07-23T02:20:00.003-05:00

#11 London Square

#12 Louisiana

#13 Little Blue Basket

#15 Fort Sumter

#24 Ladies' Aid Album

Six more blocks made this week. One of these needs a change, which I'll do shortly. Photos really magnify our sewing flaws and disappointing choices.

I don't take much time with photos of these blocks. My shadow is in some, and the angle of the photo is so crooked in others that I can't crop the photo evenly. Don't adjust your computer monitors. It's my photos, not your eyes.

I'm working on the border for my scrap quilt described in the last post. Hopefully that will be my next post. Have a quilt-filled weekend.

(ADDED LATER) TO ANSWER A COUPLE QUESTIONS RE: WHAT'S WRONG: I want to fix the basket handle. I worked on it late one night and wanted a handle to fill the open space. I was lazy, impatient to finish, and decided not to cut a bias strip for a sweet curved handle. Instead, I cut a fat strip of straight fabric, pressed under both edges, mitered a crooked top angle, sloppily machine stitched it down, and tucked the handle ends inside the seam. The topstitching is uneven, and the top angle of the handle is crooked. But since none of those commented noticed the problem, maybe I'll just leave it. ??


#18 Union Square

Double T's and double blooms

2011-07-17T00:46:00.005-05:00

My double T variation scrappy blocks are done and going together into rows. I auditioned several fabrics for the setting triangles last weekend while sewing with friends. I liked three options and public opinion selected this one for me. It's an older Nancy Halverson fabric for Benartex. I'm always nervous about cutting setting triangles the right size without being too small or too wasteful, but Bonnie's instructions in her Scraps & Shirttails II book are perfect.

The entire quilt has 28 full blocks and 4 half blocks. Photo on the right is my layout plan. It's easy to spot the two maverick blocks that look so different because of color placement. After the blocks are set with the triangles, then on to the borders.

We had 2 inches of rain Friday night, and our hollyhocks took a beating with the heavy downpour at times, but they were standing tall by late Saturday afternoon.

yellow doubles hollyhocks

Most of our flowers are the traditional and familiar type, described as a "prairie" variety in a couple sources. They have a single round of 5 petals, either simple or ones that look scalloped. The center is showy and is a yellow, 5-pointed star in several of the plants. I like the burgundy center in the pink blossoms below.

traditional or pioneer variety

Two of our plants are doubles -- a yellow plant and a bubblegum pink plant. You can see the abundance of petals, layered so tightly that the center is hidden. A seamstress would say the petals in the hollyhock doubles are tightly gathered or ruffled. Our pink doubles look like carnations. They're all lovely, and we're enjoying them. I'm sure the butterflies and bees are too. The blossoms are dusted heavily with pollen.

pink doubles

One more thing before I sign out -- are you a Jo Morton fan? If you are, visit Heather's blog and leave a comment by Sunday, July 24. To celebrate her wedding anniversary, she's having a Jo Morton themed giveaway. Check out the goodies and leave a comment if you feel lucky :), or just to wish her congratulations.

"You're doing it wrong"

2011-07-12T17:31:00.002-05:00

My daughters could name the movie that line comes from in 3 seconds flat. The line keeps running through my head as I'm trying something new.
Hand quilting. I'm a complete novice (as my uneven, amateurish stitches prove). I've prepared myself as best I can--advice from friends, watching videos on YouTube, and checking to see that I have appropriate needles and thread. Yes, I do. I'm starting with a small project that I wrote about here, 21 x 23".

My question. Am I doing it wrong? I've just had it resting on a table or sitting in my lap. I'm not using a frame or a hoop. Is that wrong? I'm sewing straight lines 1/4" (plus or minus) away from the seams of the blocks. I'm going back and forth down the length of the little quilt. I'd be moving a hoop so often. It's not puckering, and it seems to be lying flat.

Most of the info I read online talks about using a hoop or frame. It seems to be assumed. But I think this little project is going OK without either. Am I asking for trouble? I'd appreciate advice. I don't anticipate hand quilting a large quilt--just smaller projects.

I finished 4 more BB Civil War blocks over the weekend. Clockwise from top left: #14 Fox and Geese, #10 Lincoln's Platform, #9 Birds in the Air, and #26 Barbara Frietchie Star.

Total: 17 done so far, 8 of them in the past week. It's easy to catch up if that's all I'm concentrating on. But my fingers seem to be in too many pies.

NOTE added later: Angela mentions the movie "Toy Story" in her comment. I was thinking of a different movie -- two words -- both start with "M")

Another guy who quilts

2011-07-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

Thursday night the guest speaker at our guild meeting was Aaron, the son of guild member Chris. He's a science teacher, husband, father, and has been quilting for just over two years. He presented a trunk show, along with his perspective on how he's grown as a quilter.

Aaron had always admired quilts and had a general idea of what was involved, and thanks to his mother, he started with a borrowed sewing machine, basic tools, and access to her stash. Chris taught him the basics, and away he went.

This "Exploding Star" was one of his early quilts, made entirely from HST, approximately 780 by my count. The finished HST size was 1-1/2 or 1-3/4", I believe.

Log cabin blocks are some of his favorites, not so much the making of the block but the variety of ways they can be used.
If you enlarge the Christmas tree photo, you'll see that the entire quilt is made from log cabin blocks. I believe those were 1/2" finished width strips.

The spinning log cabin blocks with turquoise border below was an early paper piecing project, and it was also an early project that he machine quilted.

The wallhanging with the wonky little houses and trees was a crowd favorite. The finished project is no more than 18-20" square, if I remember correctly. Click on the photo to enlarge it to enjoy the fabric details he included.

This bold quilt (left) was his venture into foundation piecing, with the strips sewn onto muslin. He enjoyed the fact that the lines didn't have to match exactly when he sewed these blocks together.

His machine quilting is impressive on the large bright quilt with black background and candy-striped border. (right)

(left) He found he did NOT enjoy making this bargello quilt. It may be his last.

On the right, one more log cabin quilt, held by Aaron and his mom.

This was an unbelievably impressive quilt, made totally from 1" squares. He named it "Around the World in 5293 Squares." This quilt was NOT made block by block. It was not made with strip sets. It was made row by row, sewing one square to the next square.

He planned out the entire quilt on an Excel spreadsheet and organized the pieces on paper plates (a trick from his mother, and one I use a lot too). It's a gorgeous quilt!

By the time he made this one, he was comfortable with his machine quilting, but this is quilted with straight stitching or cross hatching through the rows . The quilting is perfect for this quilt.

His new challenge with this quilt -- Y-seams. It's made from Civil War repro fabrics, and note all the little log cabins around the 8-pointed stars. The quilting is outstanding. He loves quilting feathers. He quilts on his sewing machine, not a long arm or a mid arm. He uses his Janome. This is his masterpiece, so far. We know he'll keep making outstanding quilts as he hones all his quilting skills.
Great trunk show. Great program.

A surprise from Alberta and CW catchup

2011-07-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

I sent Heather of Creative Creations a lot of little triangles that she can turn into HST. As a generous thank you, she sent a very tempting pattern (Tumbleweed by Renee Plains), fragrant packages of tea, a kind note, and four pretty green and orange 1930s prints that I don't have. Thank you, Heather! What a wonderful surprise.

I don't want to give up on the weekly Civil War blocks from Barbara Brackman, but I'd only made 9 of 27. Catch-up time. Four done so far. Clockwise from top left: #27 Irish Chain, #25 Calico Puzzle, #23 Illinois Road, #16 White House.

My favorite is my blue and cheddar version of the White House block. I spend too much time deciding which fabrics to use. Just pick something and get going!

Quilt guild tomorrow night with a friend's son as the guest speaker. He's been quilting for only two years and has enough finished quilts to present a trunk show. It should be great fun.
And this weekend will be spent sewing with friends. Sometimes life is just packed with good times ahead.

For the dogs and for the butterflies

2011-07-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

These four pillowcases are filled with fabric scraps and threads and trimmings and batting leftovers from me and my friends. That's the quilting garbage we used to put at the curb every week to send to the landfill. We're going green with our quilting garbage.

The pillowcases are old (not threadbare), ready for a new use, or they're made from old fitted sheets that are cut up and resewn. These 4 are ready to go to the local humane society to be doggie beds. Hopefully I'll take them early next week.

In the background of the photo is my wonderful Reisenthal basket, a present from DIL and DS. I use it all the time, especially when I spend an evening hand sewing with friends. It's my pretty grab-and-go basket.

Our backyard hollyhocks continue to make me smile. We now have four colors opened and ready to attract the butterflies -- deep purple, medium pink, white, and yellow, which are a different variety with almost ruffled petals. If these don't attract butterflies, I'll be surprised.

We're heading to Iowa City soon. After years renting an apartment, DD #2 has bought her first house, and our "van" is packed with various housewarming gifts. New tools and accessories for gardening and household upkeep, plus a few well-used things that we don't need – an extra stepladder, an extra step stool, floor lamps, etc. We're delivering our new and used gifts, and then we'll take the new homeowner and her sister out to eat to celebrate. DH is thinking about Red Lobster. His appetite is definitely back if he's thinking melted butter and those oily, cheesy biscuits. Yum!

Game with a quilt connection

2011-06-30T20:12:00.001-05:00

Bricks Breaking Hex - a free Yahoo game

I play a computer game now and then, just to take a break and relax.

I wandered through the Yahoo Games last week -- only the free ones, those ready to play after a quick download, & no commercials interrupting the game. I like puzzle games that aren't too challenging. I play them to relax, not to increase my IQ. I enjoyed Bricks Breaking, but it got tiresome. More wandering through the free games--ah HAH! I found one with a quilt connection.

Bricks Breaking Hex. A free, easy game to play. Click on a group of same-colored hexagons, and they disappear. Continue making the groups disappear. Click on a single hexagon, and you lose a star. Lose 5 stars, and game is over. Clear the screen of hexagons, and a new screen appears. It's a simple way to unwind.

There are ads on this Yahoo site, but they haven't interfered with the games I've tried. For one word game, you race the clock to make as many words as you can out of 6 or 7 letters. Fun way to exercise the brain.

Speaking of games, I played with hollyhocks when I was a little girl, stacking blossoms atop each other till I had a little flower/fairy lady. I loved those velvety hollyhock blossoms.

DH planted hollyhock seeds last year along the back of our garage, but rabbits kept chewing the young plants. This year he put up a early protective fence, and the plants are full and lush. Finally this week-- blossoms. So far we have these deep purple blooms and some white ones on the other end of the garage. Seeing hollyhocks next to a garage triggers memories from my childhood years.

Tumblers on breen shelves

2011-06-28T23:42:00.001-05:00

Consensus of opinions -- the difference between thimble and tumbler blocks is their size. I've seen smaller and I've seen bigger blocks than mine. I'm choosing to call mine thimbles, and here they are, resting on some shelves.

Not the layout you expected? Blame it on an 8-year-old book. Only one layout in the book is just tumblers (or thimbles) side-by-side. The others offer interesting options.

So I played with my rows of little Moda cuts, auditioning various fabrics for the separating strips. This one I'm using is an old Northcott fabric I found in my stash, and it's just the "breen" I was hoping to find. I'm not sure how commonly "breen" is used in the fabric industry, but I've found the word online, describing a brownish green.

I'm putting a ugly bolt end to good use. This is how the fabric looked when I pulled it from my stash--bolt end piecing, yellow marker squiggles, and massive wrinkles. My steam iron and my rotary cutter cleaned up the mess quickly.

I'm hoping to quilt it tomorrow. It shouldn't take long, as this little quilt is about 21" x 23", and I'll quilt it simply. Then I'll straighten the sides and possibly narrow the top and bottom borders a bit. This has been a satisfying project.

Tumbler or thimble?

2011-06-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

What's the difference between a tumbler quilt and a thimble quilt? Same thing? or do proportions or dimensions dictate which name to use?

Whichever its name, this is my first. I received a packet of 2-1/2" charms from the Moda "Grace" line and had no idea how to use them. Sewing 40 or 42 together , it would be a very small quilt, but it would be do-able.

Light bulb moment! Years ago I found a wonderfully discounted metal lunch box with a Moda "Chocolat" kit inside, and if I remembered right, there was a packet of 2-1/2" charms with it. Tah dah!! My memory was accurate. A 2nd packet of little squares was inside the metal box.

I recut the squares into tumblers (or thimbles) -- trimming slivers from both sides. Cut size is 1-1/2" at the top with the 2-1/2" base. The reds and browns and greens aren't perfect matches from the two lines, and only one line has blue, but I put them all together. I also tossed in 3 or 4 random additions that seemed to fit with the group. This won't be a pure charm quilt, as a few of the solid-color pieces look like duplicates, but I think they were cuts from open sections of fabrics that had widely scattered flowers. That's OK. My goal isn't a pure charm quilt. I want a finish this weekend. They've been few and far between this year.

I just can't stop

2011-06-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

Good intentions last weekend to put away my scraps and work on something besides my Bonnie Hunter project, but it's so addictive. I enjoy the process, and I enjoy seeing how different the blocks look, depending on which fabrics I use in the center and the larger outer HST.

These 11 blocks bring my total to 23 done. Only 5 more blocks to make, plus 4 half-size blocks, and then I can start putting the top together in its wonderful zigzag layout which I shared here.

Two of my latest blocks are "mavericks." They look different from the others in this group because of my fabric choices. When the Q top is put together, the differences may be more pronounced.
The center and larger HST fabrics in those two are light, so you focus on the little HST, not the T's.
Another unique one is the top right block. These blocks all finish at 9 inches, but that one looks larger than the others--blame the dark outer corners of the HST.
Aren't colors fun to play with? We get such interesting results.

Finally -- something

2011-06-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

I've not had much time for sewing in the last 3+ weeks. But I've made little 2" HST now and then from pure scraps and otherwise unwanted fabric. Funny how scraps can turn into a pretty quilt block, as long as a common fabric is used in 4 or 5 places to pull the scraps together. These would be just such blocks.

This will be my version of Bonnie Hunter's "Stars Over Shallotte" from Scraps & Shirttails II. These 7 bring my grand total of double T variation blocks to 11, so I only have 17 more to make, plus 4 half-blocks, plus 100 border units.

Any little scraps work together with one unifying fabric

Working with the scraps is satisfying, turning them into usable blocks, but I have piles of scraps all over, sorting and pressing and trimming and sewing. Messy. Time to put it all away for a while and maybe work on a small project. I need a finish!

DH came home from the hospital after 18 days. Shoulder replacement surgery, followed by surgery for a small bowel obstruction 3 days later. And just to keep it all interesting, two days after discharge, he had a kidney stone start to move late Sat night, and we spent over 4 hours in the ER, getting that pain under control.

Status quo here now. I'm Nurse Vivian, changing the packing and covering for his open abdominal wound daily. Multiple runs to the grocery store for whatever (appetite is not strong yet), and today we begin recheck appointments over the next week, first urology, then orthopedics, then general surgery. Everything he's dealing with is minor, in the grand scheme of life. We're thankful for that.

It must have been a sale

2011-06-05T19:10:00.000-05:00

a more modern style than I usually buy

Taking advantage of a quiet house, I've been sorting and reorganizing. I really want to sew, but I'm doing some of the dirty work first. Sorting a lot of fabric is tiresome, but it's great weight-bearing exercise, and it's reinforcement to keep me from buying more.
This weekend I focused on my green fabric. But to reach those shelves, I had to move three bins of assorted fabrics, stacks of old magazines and a rolling cart of drawers. Oh, the treasures we sometimes have hidden!

some pretty ones I don't want to forget about

In one bin I found the 8 fabrics in the top photo. I bought these? I don't remember buying them, so it must have been a sale. Sometimes the word "sale" puts me into a mindless stupor, and I just buy, buy, buy. The four on the left are 4-5 yard cuts (Free Spirit and King's Road). These more modern, funky designs aren't in my comfort zone, but I'll figure out something to do with them. They'd make pretty backs.

#21 Massachusetts star

In the second photo are some beauties that were hidden here and there. Does anybody recognize the top right gray-green fabric with peacock feathers? I've had it for at least 10 or 15 years. It's soft & smooth as butter and there's nothing written on the selvage. Might it be a Liberty of London?

The bottom left blue/lavender fabric above looks like a William Morris print but has a lot of silver, kind of showy. It's also an older fabric; the selvage says "Hi Fashion Fabrics." The bottom right fabric is a disappointment. I love the colors and design. It reminds me of some of the wilder 1800s repro fabrics I see now and then. I'm disappointed in the feel of it. It's not very soft and the surface is bumpy. It's by Blank Fabrics, and I find the quality of their fabrics really varies.

I took a break from cleaning and finished one more Carol Doak star. Maybe I'll get to my Civil War stars this week. Maybe not.

Little triangles for leaders and enders

2011-05-30T18:20:00.002-05:00

free to a good home

Do you like working with little HST that finish 1" ?
I don't. I thought I did, but I changed my mind.   I don't want to deal with these, and I won't throw them away (though I'm tempted).   They're ready to go to a new home where they'll be appreciated.

If you live in the US or Canada and want me to send these to you, leave a comment. The first one who leaves a comment, telling me how you'll use them, will get them. I must be able to contact you to get your mailing address.
My guess is there are between 300 and 400 pairs of triangles, trimmed off projects over the years.

UPDATE:   Heather from Alberta, Canada, will receive the triangles. Her blog is Creative Confessions.

A few triangles are sewn together, and a few are pressed flat. But those are rare. I'm mainly just giving away the parts, ready to be sewn.

The biggest group is 1930s repro fabrics, a few are Thimbleberries, just a few brights, and the rest are misc. Most were shoved into bags in pairs after they were trimmed, but you'll have to do some matching.

They'd work well as "leaders and enders," if you're familiar with Bonnie Hunter's books.    When they're sewn and trimmed, most will produce 1-1/2" HST, which will finish at 1".   Too small for me. I'm not in the mood. Someone else can have them, if they honestly plan to use them.

I'm heading back to the hospital soon to visit DH. This is day #8 of his hospital stay. He's still waiting for nature to take its course after his May 26 surgery for small bowel obstruction, following May 23 left total shoulder replacement surgery.

Entertainment reinforcements came yesterday. DD #1 from Des Moines and DD #2 from Iowa City arrived Saturday noon and went right to the hospital. They've brightened their dad's spirits, got him to chuckle a bit (it hurts to laugh), and I know he appreciated their several short visits over 36 hours.

This HAS to resolve itself soon. His patience is gone and the last thing the guy ate, other than ice chips, was some orange sherbet on Tuesday, 6 days ago. I asked him what he wants to eat first, when he's given the green light. He mentioned orange sherbet. That must have stayed in his mind.
He's curious how much weight he's lost with only IV fluids and ice chips for so long.
Here's hoping that a serving of orange sherbet is headed his way soon.

Medical distraction

2011-05-26T16:52:00.000-05:00

I last touched my sewing machine 5 days ago. I hoped to be back quilting by now. No such luck. I have good intentions. I even have patriotic fabrics prewashed to make some pillow cases for a project.
DH had left shoulder total replacement surgery early Monday a.m.   Typical stay is 2-3 days, but today is day #4, and he's headed back to the operating room in an hour or so (early Thursday evening).   Small bowel obstruction developed, probably a combination of the anesthesia, the opiate pain killers, and his own body's tendencies.

Our hospital is here in town, so it's a short trip. After the initial full day in the hospital, I've visited him 2 or 3 times each day as he's waiting for nature to take its course. That's not working, so surgery is scheduled. He's not in a visiting, chatty mood and sends me home after a short visit, but I like being there, even just for a little while.

The biggest positive to all this -- he hasn't complained once about pain in his shoulder.   His mind is otherwise distracted.
I'll be back -- just not sure when.

Following Bonnie's lead

2011-05-21T02:41:00.001-05:00

my first Double T blocks

I started making some scrap blocks this week. That's a big deal for me. I realized this week that I've never made a true scrap quilt, except for a selvedge quilt years ago. I love them. I just haven't made them. No excuse for that, other than poor use of my time.
I have everything I need --

-- two dozen quilt books with the word "scrap" or "scraps" on the cover.

--plastic shoe boxes with stacks of squares, neatly organized according to size.

--boxes of strips filling quickly.

I love, love, love scrappy quilts. I don't plan to ever make another quilt with 12 or 18 or 24 identical blocks (the exception might be a small quilt). I get bored too easily with cranking out the same block, same fabric. I want variety, a blend of fabrics and colors and scale.

Bonnie's quilt from Double T blocks

Bonnie Hunter's "Adventures with Leaders & Enders" joined my library last year, and a few months ago I won her latest book "Scraps & Shirttails II." I've read and read her basic guidelines till they're stuck in my mind. I want to steadily get my scrap collection under control and turn them into some scrap quilt lovelies to call my own.

There are as many "controlling your scraps" plans as there are authors. I'm familiar with several others, but following Bonnie's lead makes sense to me.

DH and I went to visit my mother in the middle of the week, a 2-1/2 hour drive in the countryside. She had things for us and we had things to return to her. It was a lovely drive on a moderately warm spring day, and we spotted two new barn quilts. These two are in Clayton County in NE Iowa, between Edgewood and Strawberry Point.

Back to my stars

2011-05-15T00:16:00.001-05:00

I've set aside my Carol Doak stars for over a year. It didn't seem that long ago, but that's what my notes say. I've been quilting with friends this weekend, and I finally finished something to post about.

Both of these blocks are from Carol Doak's 50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars, that I've posted about here in January 2010 and here in Dec 2009 and here in October 2009. My stars are 10" finished.

The top blue star is #8 Delaware pattern (only 40 pieces), and the bottom lime green star is my version of the #23 Minnesota pattern (56 pieces).
I simplified the Minnesota pattern by eliminating some extra pieces in the corners.

I'll probably finish a third star tomorrow.
And then I REALLY want to get to my Barbara Brackman Civil War blocks. Today she posted pattern #20 and I have over half to make.

I hope your weekend includes time for quilting, if that's in your plans.

Symmetry and patterns in a garden

2011-05-09T00:12:00.001-05:00

We've been home for 48 hours, settling back into our routine after a wonderful vacation in Germany. Hundreds of photos have been organized and reorganized, resized and moved around in the computer. Responses to my single post while in Germany were heartfelt. Several came from ladies who have a connection to Germany, having lived there or visited there, all with fond memories.

No quilting till everything is unpacked, till the list of errands and misc tasks is crossed off, till I've finished a full day or two of work. I'm teasing myself with my own quilting. Get the have-to things done first, and then I can treat myself. I still haven't started to catch up on blog reading, and I'm looking forward to that.

Our last day of site-seeing was a trip to Schwetzingen Castle. The town of Schwetzingen, the palace, and the gardens are a beautifully preserved and functionally complete 18th century princely summer residence, built on the foundations of an older moated castle. We knew of Schwetzingen, as we had seen lovely photos taken there of our granddaughter.

The current Schwetzingen garden is described as a combination of a French formal garden and the English-style landscape garden. In the later 1700s, the popularity of the formal garden waned and was replaced by more interest in the English style garden. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering all over the Schwetzingen grounds.

The profusion of flowers is pleasing, isn't it? It's not random. It's planned. There's a quilt connection somewhere here, folks. Look what I found in a display room near the main residence -- a plan for the flower planting. Kind of reminds me of a quilt pattern, don't you think?

Diorama of the layout of Schwetzingen


repeated designs with pink and white flowers together

I appreciated seeing a list of the flowers used. The violas, all purple and lavender and yellow, were especially eye catching.
I'll be sharing more vacation photos now and then.

tree arches found in several areas of the gardens

grouping of all violas in the garden design

low shrubbery + colored rocks create lovely ornate designs

Greetings from Heidelberg

2011-05-02T18:45:00.001-05:00

view along the Neckar River on a scenic boat ride

We're in the middle of our week's vacation in Germany, and it's as wonderful as we knew it would be. Time with our family. Plenty of site seeing. Enjoying unique and wonderful food. Soaking in an environment so different from our familiar, rural, Midwest American life.

As a baby boomer couple, DH and I were ~~conservative in our views~~ maybe a bit nervous when we learned we'd be riding along on the German Autobahn. There is no general speed limit, although about half of this national road system is subject to local or conditional limits (weather, etc). Advised speed limit is approximately 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph). One of us was riding in a car this afternoon, traveling on the Autobahnen at over 100 mph when another car sped past. :)

Even though I'm far from home, my quilting has not completely left my mind. Yesterday we toured the grounds of Heidelberg castle and what did I see up high on several castle walls? Hexagon-shaped window glass.

One evening we went for a family walk and I saw this lovely, rustic fence bordering a yard. It reminded me of a border I added to a quilt some time ago.

Today we spent hours wandering around Vogtsbauerhof, an open air museum in the Black Forest. We wandered through buildings and saw tools and equipment from the 1600s and 1700s, possibly as were used by some of my ancestors, generations before they emigrated to the United States. This is my favorite way to learn history.

In an upper floor of one building was this sewing machine. This is not from the 1600s or 1700s, but it certainly caught my eye. I just can't get completely away from sewing.

We've been busy each day and my yo-yo group hasn't grown much from last week, but I've added to the original 3 small and 3 larger.

Granddaughter Maddie was given all her new pillowcases mentioned in a previous post, plus one small quilt I just happened to have sitting around.

Maddie carefully laid them all on the floor and arranged stuffed friends on or under them for a group nap.

One new pillowcase went upstairs to her bed, and the lucky winner was the Disney princesses pillowcase.

I haven't had much time to catch up on blog reading, but that's on the agenda when we return home. Our days in Heidelberg and nearby locales will be over way too soon.

One block, 6 yo-yos, and 3 passports

2011-04-28T00:05:00.001-05:00

A quick post before I call it a night and head upstairs. So many things running through my mind that I'll probably have trouble shutting it off and getting to sleep.

Laundry, clearing the fridge, contacting friends and relatives, listing what to take and what to unplug -- doing what needs to be done before we leave for vacation to Germany early Thursday a.m. I rarely leave home for many days. I think my last week-long vacation was our honeymoon 38 years ago.

My sweet DH used to head off on vacation with our 3 kids and I was home alone to do what I wanted--that was my vacation, and I loved it!

One Barbara B Civil War block finished over the weekend, my first in a long time. This is #17--quick and easy.

My new toys are going along as my handwork project. I'm taking a break from hexagons. These large and extra-large yo-yo makers create 1-3/4" and 2-3/8" finished yo-yos. The Clover makers are easy to use and precise, just as I was told. I made these six, start to finish, in less than an hour.

I've been practicing a few relevant words and phrases with the help of a English-->German translation site: Good morning; thank you; a cup of coffee, please; I am a quilter; and May I take a photograph? That should cover a few situations.

A gift bag for our granddaughter is pretty full. We'll show her mommy and daddy first and let them decide what she gets and when. I got carried away with pillowcases. Final count was 3 small floral ones for her little pillow and these 5 for her big girl pillow. Yes, that's too many to spring on a 2-1/2-year-old at once.

I'm so behind in blog reading, and I apologize for not keeping up with my online friends. One of these days I'll catch up, This week-long trip to Germany to visit son, DIL, and granddaughter Maddie has been my focus for some time. Iowa --> Atlanta, GA --> Frankfurt, Germany, and then DH and older daughter and I will get our first stamps in our passports. Our son will pick us up and drive us to their home in Heidelberg.

Happy quilting. Happy stitching. Happy blogging.

I just couldn't help myself

2011-04-22T18:56:00.002-05:00

My vow for 2011 -- stop impulsive buying of fabric and patterns. But I crumbled to temptation lately.

I couldn't resist some CW repro fabrics on sale (plus 3 not on sale) at Purl Soho, an online store in California that I'd read about on several blogs. It was
a true Easter present, with fabric wrapped in bright pink tissue paper inside the box.

Another delivery was an envelope with patterns from Cheryl Wall, Country Quilts in Canada. You'll find Cheryl's book and patterns on her blog. If you know Mary from Quilt Hollow and her wonderful quilting, you'll enjoy reading about Mary's connection to Cheryl's next book.

I couldn't resist Cheryl's primitive designs, and I'm trying to decide which one to start first. As we'll be with our granddaughter in less than a week and I'll be in a grandma frame of mind, I may want to make the "Now I Know My ABCs" quilt first.

Final admission: I went shopping at JoAnn's yesterday. I'm reading all over blogland how designer Denyse Schmidt is teaming with JoAnn's. Our local shop had 10 or 12 of the current line, and as I only had one coupon to use, I limited myself to cuts of only 5. The fabrics are smooth, soft, and great quality. They have a retro look that makes me smile, and as a baby boomer, they "speak to me."

I also bought two toys I have never used -- Clover's yo-yo makers. The cover of the Am.P&Q June 2011 issue caught my attention and has not let go. Maybe I'll try a smaller version of that cover Q. I found a video on YouTube where Pat Sloan demonstrates how to use them, in case I have trouble with the written instructions.

But catch-up time with my Barbara Brackman CW blocks first. We'll get block #17 tomorrow, and I've only finished 8.
Have a wonderful Easter weekend, and if quilting is on your agenda, enjoy!

Daffodils, snow, and burritos

2011-04-19T15:38:00.001-05:00

This is our granddaughter Maddie admiring the daffodils at Arcen, the Netherlands, (Castle Gardens) earlier this month. I adore her smile and this lovely display of daffodils.

Compare this warm, green, spring scene to the next photos that show our back yard here in northern Iowa this morning.

A predicted but totally unwanted snowfall fell last night and continued today. We have 3 small daffodils which sadly collapsed under the weight of the wet and heavy snow. Can you see the little spots of yellow in the middle of the left photo? At least our forecast is 60 degrees by Sunday.

daffodils nearly hidden by snow


back yard snowfall this morning

My current project is three pillowcases for Maddie. I'm using the "burrito" method. A band is sewn to the top of the main pillow case fabric (main fabric rolled up inside the band in this photo); then ends and sides are sewn with French seams. No exposed raw edges when they're done.

I'm using directions provided free by "American Patchwork & Quilting" magazine for their 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. Instructions for more than a dozen versions of pillowcases are available here for download. I'm using the "Roll It Up" method (the "burrito" method). Totally fast and totally fun to make.

Plans for the week

2011-04-17T13:55:00.002-05:00

Two goals on my agenda for the upcoming week, and pictures show what's in store for my sewing machine. But in case the photos leave you with questions, I'll add two facts.

Fact #1 -- We're going to Germany in 11 days to visit our granddaughter, son, and daughter-in-law, and little Maddie is now sleeping in her "big girl bed." (but these aren't for a quilt--guess again).

Fact #2 -- I'm way behind with my Barbara Brackman Civil War blocks.

Time to prewash some fabric, and cut some fabric, and get the machine going.
'Nuff said.

Sharing our guild show #2.

2011-04-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

Becci sewed folded strips on top folded strips

Sue's version of Kaffe F's Jewel Squares

Pat used Rouenneries by Fr. General for Moda

Cheryl's Q is black and gold but photographed as navy

B/W/red pineapple by Chris

Linda's modified version of Twist and Turn

Muftanoma Falls, Oregon, by Pat

Kris's lovely signature blocks Q (original design)

Civil War Tribute by Cheryl

Sue assembled blocks from fabric and pattern from 95-year-old lady


Six versions of the same Round Robin instructions


Betty and Jackie's versions of Alaska Toss

Six versions of the same Round Robin

Marian used a Whimsicals pattern

Sharing our guild show

2011-04-13T23:45:00.002-05:00


Kris's version of the cover quilt from Scrap-Basket Surprises

Margaret's Bargello

Donna's version of BQ2 pattern

Orange Zinger by Pat

Colette's Moda University from 2008.


4th of July by Chris, using Judy Niemeyer pattern

Georgia's version of an Aardvark pattern


Donna's son gave her the border fabric and the pattern. She did the rest.

Purchase with a surprise

2011-04-10T13:09:00.001-05:00

A $75 book for $10 at yesterday's guild show -- that's a bargain. It's large, it's heavy, a typical "coffee table book" loaded with photos. As it turns out, I could have bought a copy for $0.01 plus $3.99 S&H on Amazon, but that's OK. I have it in my hot little hands.

America's Glorious Quilts is in no way an all inclusive book, and it's not my favorite quilt book, but it's loaded with information and eye candy, and a few surprises. Chapters are devoted to specific types of American quilts such as Amish, Hawaiian, crazy, doll-sized, and contemporary, with a few other topics thrown in. Total of 272 color photos.

The big surprise was photo #18, described as Pieced and Appliqued quilt, c. 1910, 85" x 85", Collection American Hurrah Antiques. Recognize it?

It apparently changed hands. Unless there are two identical quilts, this one is now owned by Joanna Rose, the lady who shared her 651 red-and-white quilts at the recent Infinite Variety exhibit of red and white quilts in New York. This quilt was a popular quilt to photograph. I'm seeing it pictured all over blogland.

Yes, this photo was a big surprise in the book.

When I see bright, chrome yellow among 1800s repro fabrics, my first impression is that the color just isn't right. Well, here's proof that it IS right. This bold yellow/red geometric quilt is identified as from the 1850s.

The fabric in the triangles is intersting and a beauty (to my eyes). I have some unusual CW repro fabrics that could work like this. I'm not sure what to do with them, other then use them as backing. But this could be an idea to work on some day.

1890 flying geese Q made from silk neckties

An exceptional crazy quilt (left), silk and silk-satin, 80 x 72", dated 1880 . Unbelievably, the four borders, all different, are also embroidered.

I have a lot of catching up on blog reading. Maybe I can do it this evening.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Guild show overload

2011-04-09T20:53:00.002-05:00

Three hours on Friday helping to set up our guild show.
Three hours today wandering through all the displays, and chatting, and shopping, and being a "white glove lady."

Photo ops galore. I was shocked when I got home and found I'd taken over 300 photos. Some are duplicates, some are unnecessary, but I photoed most of the quilts, plus a photo of many of the info cards -- the number counts up quickly

This is one of my favorites. Becci made it for her daughter following a family trip to NY. The finished Q is about 24 x 30", and this pattern and ones for some other places are made by Zebra Patterns. The finished product is rich and bold, made with wonderful batiks.

Here are a few photos of some of the smaller projects. (Double click on photos for a closer view.)

10 projects on left made during a guild class


several dimensional blocks quilts made during another guild class


more small projects

The quilt in the photo above with the Roman stripe blocks (lower right quadrant of the group) is made from new wool and strips from thrift store neckties. (another beauty by Becci.) Hand quilted, of course.

Closeup of another of Becci's small quilts. I only have part of her info label, but I believe these are 1/2" hexagons, and it's a charm quilt -- nothing repeated among the 331 hexagons. She hand appliqued it onto a light lime green background.

BTW, most of husband's ruler racks are sold, and I think I've sold one needle case out of 12. There were so many cute items in the boutique. I bought a pincushion made from coffee mugs and coffee bean fabric (duh, given my blog name), and a cute fabric wallet.

One more thing to share. In previous guild shows, wearable quilted items were here and there and were often missed. Someone found a creative way to display the jackets, using these 2-dimensional mannequins. No missing the quilted wearables this year!

More photos another day. Right now, I want to put my feet up and go through the stacks of old magazines and a couple books I bought -- all bargains, of course. (excuse highlighting here -- it means nothing. Can't get it to go away)

front of Becci's jacket

back of Becci's jacket

A finish hanging on the line

2011-04-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

72" x 85" finished

My "Chocolate-Covered Pineapple" quilt is done except for sewing on the label. I tried not to quilt as much as I did on the previous quilt. I just stitched along the points, adding a smaller triangle inside the larger brown or teal triangles I'd created. I didn't think I'd stitched that much, but the quilt in the sunlight tells the story. There are a LOT of lines stitched.

Cream thread on cream areas, brown thread on brown, teal thread on teal. I liked the brown thread I used, a Valdani called "Black Nut." It's a variegated thread moving from deep, dark chocolate brown to black, then back to the brown.

A different type of stitching in each of the borders. I'd never stitched the free-form flowers and leaves together before, but they seemed appropriate to stitch through the floral / paisley outside border. You can't see all the border stitching from the front, so here's the back. As I mentioned before, I don't mark my quilting, which is so obvious from my mixture of things and varying sizes. I just go with the flow. It's called free motion quilting, and I just stitch. So my straight lines aren't always perfectly straight, and my zigzags aren't perfectly spaced, and my leaves are 6 different sizes.
The key word here is DONE, not perfect.

I'm on to my next top to quilt -- a Thimbleberries top I wrote about here 360 days ago. I think the top has cured properly on the shelf for nearly a year. Time to turn it into a real quilt.

Sandwich time

2011-04-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

My pineapple quilt top is done. So many border options. Browns? teals? what combination? widths? pieced or just strips?

I want focus on the 12" blocks, so I added only strips. I use prominent widths in a block as my guide. The pineapple strips are 1" finished, so it's pleasing to the eye for the outside border to also be 1". Then I doubled that for the teal border. Then I doubled that for the outside border.
The overall look (hopefully) will be pleasing and logical to the eye and brain.
I was able to find enough of the paisley fabric online so I could cut length-of-fabric strips for the outside borders. It's more stabilizing -- WOF stretches, LOF doesn't.

Finished top is about 74 x 86" and I've decided to name it "Chocolate-Covered Pineapple."
To carry on a food theme, my backing is an older, on-sale fabric (my favorite kind) called "Pie a la Mode" by Ami Simms. Light teal and teal ice cream on some mysterious pie? Strange, but the colors and the theme work for me.

My batting is fluffing with a damp towel in the dryer, and I'm ready to start my sandwich-- quilt, that is.
I'm half listening to "Runaway Bride" while I prep for quilting. Richard Gere and Julie Roberts and quilting. My goodness! that's a nice day.

Arabic Lattice UFO

2011-03-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

My weekend is filled with brown and red thread, quilting another UFO. I first wrote about my Arabic Lattice quilt here almost one year ago. (The top is hanging from our clothesline last spring.) The Arabic lattice block is #2561 in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

I ordered a set of arabic lattice templates years ago, with just this quilt in mind. But the acrylic templates didn't work. Maybe they were packaged wrong. The parts didn't fit together. Stupid of me not to send them back, but they sat around for a couple years before I actually tried using them.

I used the template from the Country Threads book I used, Quilts from Aunt Amy, taped to an acrylic triangle I had for another project.

V-E-R-Y careful sewing required on these blocks. Two edges of the triangles are bias.

This particular layout for the Arabic lattice blocks is unusual. When I saw this bold "streak of lightning" layout in the "Aunt Amy" book, that was the layout for me.

I do my own quilting on my sewing machine, and even though I've quilted dozens of quilts, I'm seldom satisfied with the designs I use. I don't mark anything. I've heard too many horror stories of marking that doesn't come out. Some day I'll probably try the pounce filled with chalk that disappears when heat touches it -- but putting a hot iron on a quilted quilt? I'm leary of everything.

So, after practicing a design with pencil on paper or my index finger tracing a design over and over on the table top, I do my amateur free-motion quilting . Sometimes even without a solid plan, I just start quilting.

When I opened the curtain next to my layout table this a.m., I got a decent view of the quilting I did yesterday on the red streaks. Red streaks quilted yesterday, the pairs of light squares quilted last night, and the rest today -- I hope. I know that I need more pins in the brown areas. It's puffy after the red areas tightened up from that quilting. Yes, I definitely need more safety pins.

Imagine a blue binding

2011-03-23T16:25:00.002-05:00

58" x 70" finished size

A UFO turned into a finish today, but it's in its new home without any photos of the finished project. All I can show you is the finished top as it looked 10 months ago. Picture it quilted and with a blue binding that matches the inner border.

This was a fun quilt to make, using a pattern from Kim Brackett's first book "Scrap-Basket Surprises." Her instructions are clear with drawings to illustrate steps. That's my favorite kind of quilt instructions--words + plenty of drawings. It's not the child in me. It's the former seamstress in me. Those pictures lead me along.

I took the quilt to its new home and hung it on the wall. I gave it a couple smoothing pats and walked out the door. I had a camera in my purse, but there were several ladies standing around, looking at the quilt, and I just left. I don't like to talk about my quilts--or hear a critique of my quilts-- in the middle of a group of non-quilters.

close-up of corner

Do you ever get so anxious to finish a quilt, for one reason or another, that you're glad to see it leave the house? This was such a quilt. I loved the fabrics I used (many were Mark Lipinski's) and Kim's pattern was fun to make. But I wasn't satisfied with my quilting and spent way too much time with un-sewing the past couple days.

Plus there's a story behind the quilt's new home, but I won't go into that. I named the quilt "Metasomatism." I found that word in a thesaurus, and it fit. I enjoy giving names to quilts that others won't understand. It's between me and the quilt. :)

backing -just the right green

This was the backing I used -- "Purses and Paisley," an older fabric from Wilmington Prints with the perfect shade of green and the equally perfect price of $2 / yard on clearance. Love it!

That wasn't so bad

2011-03-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

The last buttons were sewn on my needlecases a few minutes ago. I'm done. One dozen ready to have price tags attached. Finishing that many wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. But making a dozen of anything gets a bit tedious as times.

I'm not sure what to charge. I checked on Etsy for some guidance but that didn't help. I'm splitting any sales 50/50 with our guild.

I'll always associate these cases with the NCAA men's basketball tournament and Harry Potter movies. I listened to BB games and HP movies (and way too many commercials) all day as I worked on them.

I have a couple favorites, but if I could only pick one to keep, it would be one with the pink/wine/gold floral and paisley fabric.

They look kind of cute, all lined up.

Almost gave away the wool

2011-03-19T12:36:00.000-05:00

I'm envious of all the lovely, primitive wool felt projects I see -- penny rugs, wallhangings, and all sorts of creative, handstitched projects. I've not tried those yet. Maybe some day. All I can manage for now are some simple needlecases.

My first was made as a Brother 400 class project years ago. We 400 owners met at our LQS to learn about, appreciate, and use the features of our machines. This project promoted using decorative stitches. At the time I bought more wool felt, but it's sat unused for years. Almost gave it away.

Ignoring the tab, the shape is 8" at the widest and 7" from "dip to dip." The tab extends 1-1/4". The shape is an 8" circle, divided into eights, scallops shaped in each section, and the tab added at one dip.

The shape is traced onto a piece of lightweight interfacing and sewn to the right side of cotton fabric. Trim the seam, cut a slit in the interfacing, turn it right side out, and press it to shape. The lined cotton is pinned onto the wool felt.

Blanket stitch around the entire shape.

Stitch from "dip" to "dip" four times across the case with decorative stitches. (for this step, the tab is a "dip")

This is the spot where the project can be messed up if you rush. Carefully trim the excess wool felt, leaving an edge of wool showing.

The case is ready to be folded. Two side-by-side scallops at top and bottom are not folded. The two scallops on the sides are folded in.

I added Velcro and a button to hide some of that stitching.

Five done; seven more to finish for the bazaar at our guild show next month.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Four Stars for Moda

2011-03-13T20:44:00.001-05:00

My four star blocks for Moda's "Just One Star" project (see previous post today) were sewn quickly. They're overlapping each other for this photo.
They'll be mailed tomorrow exactly as they finished. The specific request is for "untrimmed blocks."

I would love to read that they've been overwhelmed with the number of blocks sent, and the Moda staff and designers will be making more than the original 100 quilts they planned. That would be a wonderful achievement.

Please join in this very worthy project.
OOPS!!! I forgot to sign them!!!

In the middle...

2011-03-13T16:20:00.001-05:00

four star blocks

... of several projects. I'm tempted to drop everything and make a little quilt, just so I can claim a finish, but that wouldn't make sense right now. Too many deadlines. Focus, focus, focus.

Hopefully you've read about the Moda Fabrics "Just One Star" project. Moda staff and designers want to piece, quilt, and bind 100 quilts in 100 days using the "Flag of Valor" pattern by Minick and Simpson. The quilts will be given to wounded soldiers through the Quilts of Valor (QOV) program. They need 1800 star blocks to reach their goal, using this pattern.

pineapple blocks and border fabric

As a military mother, I know how special QOV is. Their total to date is +39,000 quilts given to soldiers. Unfortunately, there is a great need for more.
I've donated 14 quilts to QOV over the years, but recently I haven't budgeted my time well to make more. This is a way to participate immediately.
I'm making 4 blocks. A favorite cream fabric is my background for all four, added to different star fabric for each.

NOTE: Many have mentioned there is no finished block size listed in the instructions for these star blocks. REASON: With 1800 blocks coming their way from hundreds of quilters, the blocks are to be left oversized, and will be trimmed later. The ready-to-mail blocks are about 10-1/4" x 10-1/4". If you participate, do NOT trim the star blocks before mailing.

needlecases in progress

My 30 pineapple blocks are ready to sew into rows, and I have my border fabric ready to go. I just need to work it into my priority list.

I'm also making needlecases to sell at our upcoming guild show. I finished two last weekend, but one went home with each visiting daughter. It probably had something to do with the chocolate candy fabric I used. Daughters follow in their mother's footsteps--they enjoy chocolate.
DH is getting in on the guild show preparations too. He's making ruler stands; some are 20 x 3-1/2" and some are 12 x 3-1/2". I love mine. It's a wonderful organizational tool.

Weekend quilting

2011-03-06T21:48:00.001-06:00

Finishing pineapple blocks, making some little needle holders, and filling out forms for a guild show -- my goals for the weekend. Check, check, and check.

Becci's round robin

The last pieces were sewn on the final 10 pineapple blocks tonight, and I can start sewing the rows together this week. Thanks to a suggestion from Sheila, I used quiltshops.com to find one particular fabric I wanted for a border. That site checks the inventory of 200 independent quilt shops at once. (Write that down for future reference, folks. It can be quite a time saver.) The fabric is already in my hands with speedy service from a shop in Illinois. BTW, that's my first fabric purchase in 2011, and it's specific fabric for a specific project. So I'm OK with that.

A lot of misc. projects worked on by Becci, Betty, Chris, Georgia, Jeanette, Julie, Kris, Linda, and Pat this weekend. (I don't think I missed anybody). We came and went throughout the weekend, and the weather cooperated with no storm. Several gals worked on their round robin projects (not all pictured).

Julie's round robin

I AM HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME GETTING THE TEXT AND THESE PHOTOS TO GO WHERE I WANT THEM. I ANTICIPATE UNWANTED, LARGE, OPEN SPACES OR WEIRD SENTENCES. SORRY.
Is this a special problem saved for Sunday nights? I think that's when I have the most trouble. Or maybe that's the evening of the week when I'm most impatient.

Georgia's lottery blocks

Chris just sold her house and is preparing to move, so carting around a sewing machine and a lot of projects was not on her agenda for the weekend. She worked on a ~~redwork~~ purplework Old World Santa.

Linda's pin

The black/white/hot pink blocks were won at a guild meeting, (a lottery) and this dramatic layout, suggested by Kris, was the one Georgia decided to use.

Linda made a cloth mantle / chatelaine to display and wear her collection of quilting pins. My two favorite pins were a little red/white group of fabrics made to look like a set of fat quarters, and someone partly flattened a metal thimble and filled it with miniature items.

The quilt with state bird fabric framed in attic window settings was made by a quilter with limited experience and limited room to work. I think her quilt is quite extraordinary, considering her circumstances. Georgia offered to put the binding on that quilt.

Chris's Santa

state birds quilt

Jeanette's round robin.

Our quilting weekends are always over more quickly than we want. I never get as much done as I'd hoped to, but we can usually call the weekends successful.

We got out of our houses and spent time with our quilting friends. That's always the setting for a wonderful weekend.

All I had to do was ask

2011-03-01T20:08:00.000-06:00

I'm married to a man who's generous with his time and generous with his talents. Sunday night I showed him an ad for a ruler rack. I would really like one. My assorted quilt rulers don't fare well in stacks, sitting hither and yon all around the house. The one I want always seems to be missing, or hiding. Just one more gadget (or specialized piece of wood) will make life neater and easier, won't it? I think a ruler rack would really be helpful to keep them organized.
By noon Monday, a 29" x 5-1/2" ruler rack was sitting on the table, ready to be used. It's wonderful!

Progress continues with my pineapple quilt. The first 20 blocks are done, quietly resting side by side on the design wall. Only a few steps left on the final 10 blocks. I wish I'd checked around earlier for one particular fabric for a border. The fabric I would like to use is no longer available, and I have only 1/2 yard of it. I'll find something else on a shelf or in a bin that will work just fine. Still no fabric purchased in 2011, and I'm sticking to my plan.

Our daughters visited last weekend, and they brought their "Be Attitudes" quilt top (author / designer Nancy Halvorsen). It's turned out to be a group project. DD1 sewed the blocks and DD2 put the blocks together and added the borders. It's up to me to quilt it. Some of the blocks already have eye buttons added or flower buttons, but I'll take them off before I start quilting it. Even though I know they're on, it would be too easy to have them interfere. I can't quilt this right away, but it's not too far down my priority list.

The guild show creeps ever closer, and I still have projects to finish. Back to the machine.

Pineapples disguised as Swiss cheese

2011-02-24T12:33:00.001-06:00

Pick apart four blocks to the point where they started going wrong, and this is what's left -->> -->>

I made four pineapple blocks months ago, and none of the four matched another in size. I trimmed them to the smallest size--12". You may wonder why I trimmed them. I had a stupid reason. I wanted them side-by-side for a photo for my blog, and I wanted them to look good.
But the trimming is irrelevant. They started losing their accuracy well inside each block.

I measured each, round by round, till I found the spot where the size first was off. I kept the accurate centers and discarded the rest, which now look like elaborate picture frames. One of these will become a lovely label for the quilt. The rest? They'll show up somewhere. (They're now moose muffins.)

My work table (aka dining room table) is covered with parts on plates and blocks in various degrees of "doneness." I'll be short some strips from my original cutting session, as 80 or 90 strips are in the "pineapple Swiss cheese." But leftover WOF strips are sitting on one paper plate, waiting to be used.

Isn't it frustrating how quickly deadlines sneak up on us? We have a guild meeting a week from today, and we're to take completed entry forms for our guild show in mid April. I have tops to quilt, plus this (and maybe one more) top to finish. I need to be realistic and fill out forms only for what's humanly possible. But maybe I can switch my quilting speed to a slightly higher gear and finish all the ones I want. Back to the sewing machine.

Back to the pineapple, rows 5 and 6

2011-02-20T22:31:00.001-06:00

My pineapple quilt has been set aside for a while, but this weekend I added row 5 and most of row 6. Way back in October, I totally finished four blocks so I could see what they looked like. But I put the project aside, as doing one step at a time on the remaining 26 blocks seemed so tedious.

The three stacks of blocks in the first photo are (left) row 5 done, (middle) turquoise half of row 6 added, and (right) the rest of row 6 is added.

I found one way to speed up the process just a little bit, and I'm ending up with blocks that are more accurate in the process.
The ruler in the middle photo is the one we used for our pineapple quilt class, the ruler from Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith to accompany their book. During the first steps of the pineapple blocks, using that ruler is efficient and helps keep the blocks accurate. You trim one side at a time.

But as the block gets bigger, I'm not confident that I'm keeping my blocks truly square. Time for a ruler change.
I'm more quickly trimming and squaring up my blocks now using a plain square ruler. After one round, the blocks were trimmed to 6-1/2".
After another round, the blocks are trimmed to 7-1/4".
Each round adds 1-1/4" to the blocks. Using the square ruler helps keep the block true, and I'm trimming 2 sides at once.
Goal achieved! I'm saving time, trimming blocks more quickly, they're accurate, and I'm smiling.

Finally, a plan

2011-02-18T15:11:00.001-06:00

Spending a few hours with my hexagon flowers--and nothing else quilt-related -- helped me decide on a layout for them. I have 97 done, and you can see I used assorted colors and fabric types. I just made whatever I wanted, with no plan in mind. Now it's time to grow up, stop playing, and develop a plan.

I sorted the flowers into color groups, so I know what I'm working with. I was surprised to find twice as many purple flowers as any other color group. I thought I had a lot of yellow and peach, but only 3 of each. I went a bit overboard with 12 brown flowers, dark blues, deep reds, and even blacks. I think I need more bright, lively flowers. A few are totally forgettable and may disappear. Hopefully I can make them look like a cohesive group.

So, how big will the finished quilt be? I'm not sure. The yardstick at least gives me a general idea.

We've had computer frustrations for a few days. A week ago, our 3-year-old modem died. I replaced it, and that's not our problem. The lights on the modem are lit, and the router is fine. A diagnostic check of our connection speed says we're getting the speed we're paying for.
But DH and I are impatiently tapping feet, drumming fingers, and sighing loudly, waiting for a website to totally download or for the e-mail inbox to appear.

I contacted our internet provider, asking about something faster. We've had our current plan for 3 years, and did you know that sometimes prices drop? I ordered a faster connection speed, and our bill will be $10 less per month. That's not a typo. We'll pay $10 less for double the speed.
Our computers had to start acting slow for us to check into our options.

The speed change is scheduled for next week. Fingers crossed that we'll see a difference. My fingers hurt from drumming the table in frustration!

Midnight Stars ready for quilting

2011-02-13T00:30:00.002-06:00

The Midnight Stars quiltalong has been fun to follow. Lori's always are. Her step-by-step instructions were posted at a comfortable pace, and with so many pieces per block, I was surprised how accurate my 5-1/2" blocks were (unfinished size). Just a few slivers of trimming needed, and don't we always love that, rather than having blocks a bit too small?
Compared to Lori's version, I used different colors and added one extra row of blocks. It looks like I chose colors for autumn and Halloween. This is 21" x 28" and is ready to be quilted.

There are a lot of triangles here -- 350 triangles and 66 squares. (I just had to count.)
Choosing the fabric to go with the pieced blocks wasn't easy. I substituted browns and green in place of the blues and red in Lori's quilt, and I'm not thrilled with the low contrast here and there. This photo makes it look more gray-green in areas than it is in person.

I've proud to have followed each of her quiltalongs. This is #3 of three. You can see other versions at this post on Lori's blog, Humble Quilts. Thanks for leading us again, Lori.

UPDATE: In response to questions, my setting fabric is one of "Nancy's Blues" by Nancy Gere, Windham Fabrics. I enjoy toile-type fabrics, rarely let one get away from me, and I have a small cut of two versions of this fabric. One is this, tan drawings on black-brown, and the other is the reverse, black-brown on tan. I didn't have enough of this for a large project, but it was perfect for this smaller quilt.

Catching up

2011-02-10T22:27:00.007-06:00

By week three of Barbara Brackman's CW block of the week, I was already behind. But now I'm ready for the new block on Saturday. I'm caught up. I didn't have a specific plan when I started, but it looks like I'm making my blocks with blues, reds, and greens. At least those are the colors that have shown up on my cutting mat so far.

One block was smaller than the target 8-1/2" when it was done. It was late yesterday when I worked on that one, and I wasn't in the mood to pick out seams and redo it.
My remedy was one I've used now and then with some of my Dear Jane blocks -- add a strip or two (or 4) so it's big enough. Tah dah! It's now 8-1/2" square.

These aren't perfect, but they're done. (I may as well create a shortcut for that sentence. I use it so many times.) With all my UFOs and all my WIPs and all the projects that I'm anxious to start some day, I'm not going to stew and fret about imperfections. These CW blocks are OK.

Next focus -- get going on my Midnight Stars quiltalong with Lori of Humble Quilts. Sixteen have already linked from her blog to their finished and/or quilted tops. I'm anxious to get mine done so I can do the same.

My friend AnnieO from Annie's Quilt Orts is having a blog 2nd anniversary giveaway (a sweet table runner). Comments to enter the giveaway are accepted until Friday, Feb 11, at 5 p.m. PST. So head over there, read about the giveaway, and wish her congratulations. Her Tuesday's Orts are always great fun to read!

We're excited about the weather here. After several nights of frigid temps, including -13 degrees one night, we're heading to +30 degree days. Time to break out the shorts and flip-flops! (or maybe not).