Sewn

An Announcement of Sorts

2012-02-11T17:09:00.000-06:00

I am sorry to say that I am going to have to take a break from blogging and the Skill Builder Sampler for a few weeks. I have been really sick and it looks like I will be sick for another 4 weeks - sick enough that I haven't even been checking other peoples' blogs. To add insult to injury, the smell of a hot iron makes me run from the room - how unfair is that?

So keep checking in. I think I will be able to start up again in mid-March.

25 - Wonky Log Cabins

2012-02-03T20:52:00.000-06:00

This month we will focus on wonky styled blocks for the Skill Builder Sampler. Wonky blocks are traditional blocks made with non-traditional angles and pieces. This week we will be making wonky log cabin blocks.

About 2 years ago John, aka Quilt Dad, wrote a series of detailed Wonky Log Cabin tutorials as part of a quilt along (it was the first quilt along I participated in!). He gave detailed instructions on how to make four different log cabin variations.

Basic Wonky Log Cabin

Quarter Wonky Log Cabin

Squares in Squares Style

Bento Box Style

I haven't been able to make my block yet - we have all been sooo sick over here - but as you can tell from these older pictures, I am partial to making squares in squares. Maybe this time I will make a bento box styled block just to mix things up. ;)

Applique and Curves Giveaway

2012-01-24T19:31:00.002-06:00

Edited:

Giveaway Closed!

Miranda, you are our winner! Congratulations!

This has been a crazy skill building couple of months - I think almost everyone felt stretched making the applique blocks. Some of us have sworn never to touch the stuff again. :) But I realized that even though I am not great at it that applique is sure fun to do while watching my favorite shows.

Curves...I was nervous about these. More nervous about using templates than the actual sewing. Quilting is so precise that I figured I could never cut out the pieces as accurately as I needed to. But again, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I definitely see more Drunkard's Paths in my future.

If you want to try making more curved blocks check out some of these tutorials:

Improv Curved Block from Sew Take a Hike: Make 4 of these 6.5 inch blocks and sew together to make a 12.5 inch block
Set In Circle Tutorial from Cut to Pieces
Wonky Drunkard's Path by Needle and Spatula

If you completed all of the blocks, I think you deserve a prize. I am offering a sample pack of 10 different Echino Nico prints. Each piece is 9 inches square.

You have three Chances to Win:

Leave a comment saying you finished all three applique blocks
Leave a comment saying you finished all three curved blocks
Leave a comment saying you made an extra curved or appliqued bonus block (you can use the tutorials above or make up your own block - go crazy on me!)

Giveaway ends the morning of Friday, February 3rd.

Check out everyone's blocks at our Skill Builder Sampler flickr group!

P.S. If you want more practice and instruction about sewing curves, check out Rachel from Stitched in Color's online Curves Class. The class starts on Feb. 1st.

Long Arm Quilting, Again

2012-01-23T19:05:00.000-06:00

Last week I long arm quilted Julie's quilt top at our local dealer/rental place. It is a fun quilt with a fun pinwheel like design in 1930's reproduction fabrics. I got it loaded on the rack without too many problems, but after the first time across with the long arm, I realized there was a problem. I tried to be more careful basting on the second round of quilting, but no dice. The quilt top was shifting and I had quilted in 3 small puckers. Augh!!!! I wanted to pull my hair out!!! I felt so bad that Julie had trusted me with her quilt!

The third time across I decided that the top edge of the quilt that "floats" at the top of the quilt hadn't been held tight enough as I basted it to the backing. So I pulled the sides out as far as I could on the 4th pass - I even held them tight with the side clamps while I basted - a real no no, I guess. But it seemed to work and by the 5th pass things were looking good. I was quilting with meanders, loops and flowers and my flowers got soooo much better as I went along. I can't wait to quilt some flowers again! I mixed my new and improved 5 petaled daisies in with my basic 4 petaled flowers so the quilting didn't change too much from the top to the bottom of the quilt.

Here it is all done. Isn't it cute? Julie didn't even understand why I was going on and on about the puckers and out-of-control-weird-shaped quilting in parts. I was soooo relieved. If she is happy, then I am happy. :)

But I have some questions for you long arm quilters out there:

Are there any tricks I should know about when basting the top of a quilt? Obviously I did something wrong.
How tight do you pull the top and bottom? I was pulling everything really tight -very paranoid about more puckers. But the more I pulled, the more the seams along the edges would start to pull apart. Is there a happy medium? How do you handle pulled apart edges?
On a related note, when I took the quilt off, it got a pretty crinkly look right away. I think this is because the backing and front were pulled taut, but the batting was more loose. I think it is a great look for this quilt, but what if I want a more flat look? Again, how tight do you pull the top and bottom?
How do you learn new skills and designs? I want to try out new things, but am scared of messing up quilts. Please, tell all!

I can't wait to try again! Even though it is nerve wracking, it is so much fun. Weird, huh?

The Chicken Quilt

2012-01-21T12:12:00.000-06:00

When I made the bow tie block as part of the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler in July I knew I had to make a whole quilt with them. A few months later my good friend Becca had a bouncing baby boy and I knew just what kind of quilt to make for him.

Let me tell you a little about Becca. We met when we lived in Texas and she taught me that you can stack your paperbacks two deep in the bookshelf, threw great Halloween parties and was just totally cool. Then we both moved - thanks to blogs and facebook we kept in touch.

My pig got out -again!- dug up my flower bed and decided to take a nap!

She blogged about keeping pigs. Pigs?!?! I couldn't believe anyone would keep pigs - then the idea grew on me and we bought two piglets - very crazy days. She kept introducing us to cool books and shows.

Becca's Chickens

Then we both moved again. She now has a whole flock of chickens and a few ducks and rabbits. I have downsized to 6 chickens.

Becca's chickens won prizes this year in their small town county fair. I love this picture Bec posted after their win and days before their baby boy was to be born. It is totally her. :)

The kids got all dressed up in their cowboy duds for the fair and their youngest girl was the star of the stick horse barrel race. (Notice the cowboys on the blue fabric?)

My chickens even cooperated and got in the shot.

So I thought this would be the perfect quilt for her. A classic quilt with a retro vibe and chickens - who wouldn't love it? I pulled all of my red fabrics - it turns out I had quite a few - who would have guessed? - and started cutting. There is a lot of American Jane in there along with a few Cosmo Cricket, DS Quilts and misc 1930's reproduction fabrics.

The chickens were raw edge appliqued on the quilt front before it was quilted. The templates are from American Jane's book Quilts for all Seasons. I got stalled for awhile after I ironed on the chickens because I was nervous about messing up the stitching around them, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The eyes were suppose to be little pieces of fabric, but I just did a wide zig zag in place until I thought it looked like an eye.

The back is an American Jane panel - can you tell I love her stuff? - bordered with cowboy fabric. And yes, I did have a I-can't-do-math moment when I was cutting the borders and didn't have any more of the blue fabric. So the off centered-ness was not on purpose, but I think it looks kinda...purposely off center, you know, a real designer look...right? ;)

I free motion quilted it with a meandering stitch and loops and bound it with my No-Fail-Cheater-Binding. After decorating my living room for a few weeks, I finally got it boxed up and sent off. Becca loves it as much as I do. Welcome Baby! You've got a great mom and family! Enjoy!

24 - Curved 9 Patch

2012-01-20T19:02:00.000-06:00

I have always loved curved 9 Patch Blocks and was thrilled when I found a Curved Piecing Tutorial from Connecting Threads with the templates for this block. I was going to have us make the whole block as shown on the tutorial, but it ended up being 13 inches instead of 12! Augh! Anyway...we are going to make the central part of the block and then add on borders.

Print out the templates (page 5).
Cut:
4 pieces of fabric using template D (white),
4 with template B (orange)
4 with template C (yellow)
1 with template A ( yellow)

Follow the instructions on the tutorial and sew the central 9 patch together. Then add the curved outer pieces.

My inner block was 9.5 inches square. To frame the block cut 2.5 inch wide strips. Sew the strips to either side of the inner block. Trim the edges square and sew the remaining strips to the top and bottom of the block. Press towards the outside of the block.

Trim the block to 12.5 inches square.

You Did It!

Our three weeks of curved blocks are done and I have learned that templates aren't that bad, a lot of steam can take care of a bit of waviness and curves aren't impossible. Not too shabby. :)

Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle

2012-01-14T13:01:00.002-06:00

Edited to add: They are now taking votes for your favorite fabric bundle over at Quokka Quilts

- it is just for fun and won't influence who wins.

Head on over and pick your favorite 3.

If you are totally in love with my bundle, it is #320. :)

Have you all seen the contest over at Quokka Quilts were you create your own Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle from the fabrics at the Fat Quarter Shop? I must admit that I have spent way too much time picking out fabrics and have made and rejected many different bundles, but here is my final choice. My favorite color combo of yellow and pink with a bit of a retro vibe. I don't know how in the world the judges are going to choose the winner - there are sooo many great bundles, but I would love to make up something with these great fabrics.

23 - Drunkard's Path

2012-01-13T20:56:00.001-06:00

This week for the Skill Builder Sampler we are going to make a Drunkard's Path Block. I love these quarter circle units - there are so many ways to arrange them and make different designs. Today I am going to show you how to make your own Drunkard's Path templates and you can choose to make a block out of 6 inch, 4 inch or 3 inch Drunkards Path units.

Making the Template:

This is what we want to end up with: a template for the inner circle and a template for the outer section. The inner circle looks much larger than the outer section, but....

...if you slip it under the outer template so that the sides line up, you will see that they overlap by 1/2 an inch. That gives each piece a 1/4 inch seam allowance - perfect! It looks odd, but it works.

So let's get started. Decided what size you want your finished Drunkard's Path unit to be. Mine were 6 inches square. Add 1/2 inch to this measurement and cut out a square of card stock with those dimensions (6.5 inches). I outlined the seam allowances so you could see them, but that isn't necessary at all.

Next, decided where you want the pieces to meet and draw a line - this is the seam line not the line for the template. I thought that a line 1.75 inches from the top and 4.75 inches from the bottom looked good. Place the compass in the corner of the square and mark the seam line.

Next measure down and up .25 inches from the seam line - these are the seam allowances for the templates. The outer section template needs a 1/4 inch seam allowance below the seam line. The inner circle needs a 1/4 seam allowance above the seam line.

Mark those lines with the compass. There is no way we can cut this one piece of paper to make both templates, so grab another piece of card stock to make the inner circle template.

You don't need to cut the card stock into a 6.5 inch square. To determine the size of the inner circle template, take the measurement from the bottom corner to the seam line and add .25. My seam line was 4.75 inches from the corner. Add a .25 inch seam allowance for this and I get 5 inches even. My inner circle template needs to have a radius of 5 inches.

Mark 5 inches on each side of the template and then mark the curve with the compass. This is the template for the inner circle. Cut it out.

Cut the original template along the line that is a quarter inch below the seam line - this is the outer section template. The circle we are cutting out has a radius of .25 less than the seam line.

To recap:

Decide what finished size unit you want and add .5 inches
Cut out a square of card stock that size
Decide where you want the seam line. Measure the distance from the corner of the unit to the seam line, let's call this measurement X (feel like you are back in school?).
On a separate piece of card stock mark X + .25 on two sides of the paper. Join these line with the compass. This is the inner circle template. Cut it out.
On the original piece of card stock, make marks .25 inches below the seam line. Join these marks with the compass. Cut along this lower line to make the outer section template.

You Can Do It! :)

Cutting:

Square up a corner of fabric, place the outer template on it and trace. Repeat and cut 4 outer sections.

Trace the inner template and cut out four pieces.

Sewing:

Pin one corner of the inner circle to the corner of the outer section as shown.

Pin the other end to the other corner and shape into a C shape.

Pin the center of the curve. You could mark the center, but that is a lot of work. ;) Not really, I just hate marking. To find the center without marking, line up the corner of the outer section and the corner of the inner circle as shown.

Look at the top side. The inner circle will peek out past the outer section. That is the center of the curve.

You want the lowest part of the outer section to line up with the highest part of the inner circle.
Wiggle the inner circle down by rubbing your fingers together until they are even.

Pin.

Work your way around the circle pinning very regularly.

Outer section on top, sew along the edge with a scant 1/4 inch seam.

Slow and steady and watch for puckers. Repeat for all 4 sections.

Play around with the arrangement. So many options.

But I chose this one. Sew the units in the top row and bottom row together.

Press seams to opposite sides.

Sew both rows together and press. You did it!

But...

Then you start thinking of all the cool arrangements you can make with more units and you decide to make a block with 3 inch finished units instead of 6 inch finished units.

Make the template (3.5 inches square) and cut out 16 inner and outer sections.

Sew as shown before - the curves are tighter and more challenging.

I found my seams got too scant and I needed to trim the edges of the units to square them up to 3.5 inches.

Play, play and play some more with the arrangement.

Then join the units in rows, and finally join the rows. Some of the seams get a bit bulky, so I ironed the bulky seams open.

There you go!

Two options for your Drunkard's Path block.

Hey Girl...

2012-01-12T19:01:00.001-06:00

My husband has definitely had to do this before, poor guy.

I have gotten a kick out of the handmade Ryan Gosling pics that have been floating around blogland. I just found an old Quilt Dad's post today full of tons of Gosling-isms that were shared on Twitter in December. I thought I was going to die laughing reading through all of them.

The funny thing is that I do ask for and expect a level of absurd interest from my husband and boy does he have to put up with something bordering on quilt obsession from me.

"oooo...look at this new line..." "What do you think, are my quilts more traditional or modern?" "What do you think about this block?" And goodness knows that I show him everything I made during the day when he gets home from work. :) And ignore him while I write very important blog posts.

He really does an amazing job of being supportive of this obsession of mine. So here is my guy...

Ok, he hasn't actually said this, but he holds down the fort when I need to disappear for awhile in the evenings. Plus he is great about watching the kids while I go to guild meetings.

Actually said last year!

Ok, he really launched into the story of how he sewed his finger when he was little and that was the last time he used the sewing machine...but he gave it a go and I got a picture of it!

What crazy supportive things has your guy actually said to you?

Finished!

2012-01-10T08:52:00.000-06:00

I am done at last! I never got good at needle turn applique. I am afraid that I might have to start a new method called "finger turn applique." :) It won't win any prizes, but I am awfully fond of this block. I didn't know what to do with myself last night while watching Downton Abby (my new favorite show!) - nothing to hand stitch?!? I guess I will have to dig out my hexagon quilt again.

My husband snapped this beautiful blurry picture of me working on the block over Christmas break. It was my turn to be sick, so I snuggled up in my robe and comforter and did some stitching in between naps. :)

Here are all of the applique blocks from the Skill Builder Sampler together. This month was a stretch for my skills, but after a bunch of stitching, I actually think that I might enjoy the long term process of making an applique quilt. I never would have said that when I started quilting. That is one of the reasons that I love quilting. There is always something new to learn and make - not to mention the beautiful new fabrics to make it with. :)

22 - Flowering Snowball

2012-01-06T05:51:00.002-06:00

Made by Mary at mollyflanders.blogspot.com

This is the beautiful block we will make for our first week of curves. Mary who blogs at Molly Flanders wrote a mini tutorial for the Flowering Snowballs block in June. I knew the second I saw it that I wanted to make it. I actually want to make everything I see on her blog. Mary has a great sense of color and style. I love her work.

I am not loving my rendition of her block though. I was trying to move out of my comfort zone by using orange and blue together...my husband says it looks like a flat basket ball. I think it will look ok mixed with all the other blocks.

Please go over to Mary's mini tutorial, read the directions and print out the templates. I clicked on the templates, saved them to my computer and then printed them from my computer. Come back here and I will give some pinning tips that might help if you are new to curves.

After you print out the templates (on card stock if you have it) cut them out on the outer dotted line.
Trace the templates with a pen (4 petals, 4 outer pieces and 1 center piece) onto your fabric and cut them out.
Sew an outer piece to either side of the center piece. Press seams away from the center.

BE SURE TO USE A SCANT 1/4 INCH SEAM

My block ended up small...sigh...

You are now ready to join the 2 petals to each side of the remaining outer sections.

First lay the point of the petal at the bottom of the outer section. Pin in place.

Next, line up the top corner of the petal with the top of the outer section and pin.

Curve the two pieces of fabric into a C shape as shown

and tuck the petal down until the edges are close to matching.

Pin the edges together easing as necessary.

SEW! You Can Do It!

Remember your scant seam.

Just work your way slowly along the edge.

Ease any wrinkles out of the way. We don't want any puckers.

Repeat these steps and sew a petal on the other side of the outer section.

Press away from the petals and towards the outer section.

Doesn't that look like the lining of a swimsuit or something? :)

Lay the petal section you just pieced flat on top of the "bow tie" piece.

Pin at the central seams - they should but up neatly against each other.

Pin the outer corners together. Shape into a C.

Ease the edges together and pin.

Sew.

You can let the fabric curve around and just gently guide it under the foot.

Remember slow and steady and Scant 1/4 inch Seams!

Press towards the petals and repeat for the other side.

You Did It! Give yourself a pat on the back.

I know I did. :)

2011 in Review

2012-01-02T21:23:00.000-06:00

Well, I am late putting up my 2011 mosaic because there has been rampant sickness in the house - it seems to be our yearly Christmas tradition for everyone to throw up over break! Why?!? :)

I did manage to finish up one last quilt on New Year's Eve. That poor Chicken Quilt had been waiting for binding for over a month! I will write more about it tomorrow because today is when I take time to review 2011.

Diamond Quilt, 2. Tree Quilt, 3. Close up of the 100 day Ticker-tape Quilt,
4. Amish Briad, 5. Tree quilt, 6. Baby Jane's Tumbler Quilt, 7. The Finished ToP, 8. Chicken Quilt

I was feeling bleh when I made this mosaic because I have "only" finished 8 quilts this year - and that is counting my daughter's ticker tape quilt as one of my finishes :) and I didn't finish any of my UFOs as planned. But as I made a mental list of all the things I did do in my little quilting world, I realized what a crazy year of blogging and tutorial writing growth this has been.

I wrote my first quilt tutorial for the Diamond Quilt in April and then jumped into planning the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler.

1. Skill Builder Sampler, 2. Fabric I will be using for the sampler, 3. Value 9 Patch for the We Can Do It! Sampler, 4. Log Cabin, 5. Block 3 - Churn Dash, 6. On the Line, 7. Untitled, 8. Pinwheels, 9. Block 6 - Bow Ties, 10. Blocks 4,5 and 6 in the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler, 11. Block 7 - Virginia Star, 12. Block 8 - Breaking Out, 13. 9 - Double Star, 14. Ohio Star, 15. 3rd Quarter, Hive 10, 16. Quilt Block Storage, 17. String Block, 18. Beacon Light, 19. House Block, 20. 14 - Crazy Quilt Block, 21. 15 - Diamond Dash, 22. Starry Night, 23. Circle of Geese, 24. Block 20

The Skill Builder Sampler has really stretched me. It hasn't been easy, but I am so glad I am doing it and look forward to the second half of the Sampler.

Following along with the Civil War Quilts Sampler hosted by Barbara Brackman helped me grow as a quilter too. The precise piecing needed for the 8 inch blocks, combined with trying to use larger scaled "modern" prints tested my skills every time. I want to finish this quilt in 2012.

1. Look What I Can Do!, 2. Patchwork Skirt, 3. Girl with her 100 day Quilt,

4. Not available, 5. Not available, 6. Easter Dresses 2011

I even managed to do some sewing with and for the girls this year. It tries my patience to the breaking point to have guide every step of the sewing process as they learn, but it is sooo worth it. Emily showed absolutely no interest in sewing until she sewed up a messenger bag with her friend, but now I find her sewing random bits of scraps together and trying to make simple totes and even slippers on her own.

What else did I do? I led an online quilt bee, A Twist on Tradition, participated in 2 rounds of the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee, joined the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild, quilted a king sized quilt on a long arm machine and had three projects posted at The Moda Bake Shop.

Bleh?!? What was I thinking? I realize now how many amazing things I had the opportunity to participate in and do this year. I am so very grateful and look forward to another great year of growth.

Thanks for stopping by - I know I wouldn't be writing if you weren't reading! :) Have a great New Year!

December: The Month of Applique

2011-12-31T13:01:00.000-06:00

I am still chugging away at Block 21 - aka Killer Applique. I am half way done and on track to finish by next Friday when we will start Curves in the Skill Builder Sampler. I feel much more confident teaching curves then applique. Yea! to a New Year and new Skill Builder topic. :)

I have also been working on these blocks this month for the 4x5 Modern Bee.

I decided because I was going to spend a lot of time on the plane flying to Abu Dhabi that I would do a handwork heavy block.

Even with over 48 hours of total travel time, I still had tons to do when I got back.

Thankfully they take much less thought and skill than the "Killer Block".

The sides of the hexagons are 3/4 inch. I English paper pieced the hexagons together and then appliqued them onto the background.

I used a lot of 5 inch charm squares that I had gotten in swaps this year in each 12.5 inch block.

I have found that having a well stocked supply of multicolored "scraps" very handy in swaps.

And here they are all together.

Enjoy! Have a safe and Happy New Year!

21 - Rose and Tulip Cross - or applique pattern of choice

2011-12-23T14:42:00.000-06:00

Well, Christmas in in full swing around here. I have made plates of cookies for neighbors and friends, helped an elderly woman clean her house and bought presents. But...I have not wrapped any presents or finished my applique block for this week. This is as far as I have gotten. Yeah, not great...but here we go anyway...

When thinking about what I wanted to do for this week's block, I determined that I wanted us to practice the skills of appliqueing in-y and out-y points. Out-y points being like the bottom point of a heart and in-y points being the middle point between the two top lobes of the heart. (I am sure there is a real name for these kind of points, but I am going to stick with in-y and out-y.) I probably should have just stuck with a simple flower (in-y) with a stem and leaf (out-y) but then I found this series of free applique patterns. I especially liked the patterns in the Applique Sampler section and the Rose and Tulip Cross pattern made my final cut.

It didn't copy very well, eh?

I do not expect everyone to make this exact block. Everyone has different taste in applique patterns and I would hate for you to spend hours stitching something you hated. Feel free to choose any of the patterns on Free Quilt Patterns site, make your own pattern or simply applique a couple of hearts to your background fabric. The one thing I want all of the Block 21s to have in common are in-y and out-y points. Last week's block should have given you a taste of the different types of applique. This week you many use your favorite applique method: needle turn, freezer paper, cheater needle turn or raw edge applique. You many machine or hand stitch the fabric onto the background fabric.

The first step for this week's block is to cut a piece of background fabric at least 13.5 inches square. Then mark the center and diagonal lines as shown below. This will help you center your image. You can either mark the lines with a marking pen/pencil or by ironing them in.

Then choose your design (or draw it) and print it out. Transfer the design to the top of the background fabric. You can use transfer paper, a light box or the tried and true tape-it-onto-the-window method.

I taped the pattern section to the window - this only works when it is light outside, so don't put it off until the kids are in bed like I did one night. :)

I thought I would save myself the hassle of taping my fabric on top of the pattern by having my daughter hold the fabric for me -- Don't. She moved and my lines got off. Take the extra time to line up your center marking lines with the lines on the pattern and tape the fabric firmly in place. Trace the pattern with a fabric marker. Repeat for all four quadrants.

Using your applique method of choice start adding the applique elements. Look to see which pieces should be added first. For example in this pattern I am starting with the stems because I can tuck their ends under the flowers.

Here is a great video that shows how to do in-y and out-y points with needle turn applique. The same trimming, clipping and folding techniques for points can be applied to all types of applique. It also shows a method for transferring your pattern using chalk paper at the end.

When you are done appliqueing on all of the elements, remove any marking lines with water and trim the block to 12.5 inches.

I hope this is clear enough to get you started. I am no expert, so feel free to share any links to applique instructions that you have found helpful. I think the key to making this block is just jumping in feet first. Don't worry too much, just do your best. My block will not be winning any contests, but I am having fun so far. So pick out a pattern, get your pieces prepped and start stitching away while you watch The Christmas Story.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Block 20 - Circles

2011-12-16T12:11:00.000-06:00

From The Purl Bee

Two weeks ago in the Skill Builder Sampler we worked with raw edge applique where the edge of the fabric shows. This week we will start on regular applique - that is applique where the edge of the fabric is turned under so there is a finished edge. There are a million ways to achieve this goal. So many in fact that I was confused -- everyone has their favorite method that they swear by. I narrowed the applique methods down to what I consider to be the top four.

I'm not 100% thrilled with this layout.
I was going for a sweeping arc and got...well, something else.
Oh well, I can always add more circles if I want later.

The block for this week is simply be a series of circles of various sized appliqued onto a square background. I wanted to make a block where we could practice each of the different methods and see which worked best for us. I would urge you to use a different method for each circle so you can see which method you like the best. The methods differ in how they prep the fabric to be attached - the way the fabric is stitched on remains the same. You can machine or hand stitch your circles. I swore I would never hand applique - way too slow and too much work, but it is actually faster than you might think and very calming. You can prep all your circles and then bring them anywhere with you. It might be a good way of avoiding talking with Uncle Fester at the family Christmas party. :)

Use your creativity in size and placement of your circles. The sky is the limit!

Supplies

13.5 inch square of background fabric Cut the background fabric a bit larger and then trim it down to 12.5 inches when you are done appliqueing on the circles.
A variety of fabric scraps for the circles
Freezer paper You can find this in your grocery store next to the plastic wrap and aluminum foil. We will only be using a bit so you could always borrow a scrap from your neighbor. :)
Needle and thread Most people swear by straw needles, but we are just starting out, so any thin longish needle that you have should be fine. It is also recommended that your thread color match the color of fabric your are attaching to your background. I didn't have the full rainbow of thread colors so I just used white (my background color) when I didn't have a specific color - not ideal, but it works.
Compass or various sized circles to trace
Card stock, interfacing or dryer sheet
Iron, pins and scissors

By Jennifer on Flickr

I started to take pictures of all the different methods, but my pictures weren't great. Then I found a series of You Tube videos on applique. I think the videos make showing how to applique much clearer. Make a circle template in whatever size you desire and then follow the directions for each method. By the time you are done you will have an idea of which method of applique you prefer.

Needle Turn
In needle turn applique, you simply trace the applique shape onto the fabric, cut between 1/8 and 1/4 inch around the shape and then turn under the edges with your needle as you stitch around the shape. And yes, it is easier said than done. I found that I used my fingers to turn under the edges of the fabric more than my needle, but I think that I would improve with practice. This method has the least amount of prep and I think it would be the fastest and easiest method with practice.

To learn how to needle turn applique, watch this great video on You Tube with Nancy Ellen.

By Amy on Flickr

Freezer Paper
I was always confused when people talked about freezer paper applique. That is because there are about a million ways to use freezer paper in applique. I am going to link to the methods that are most common and seem to work the best.

Freezer paper has a mat paper side and a shiny waxy side. If you iron freezer paper waxy side down onto fabric it sticks well and can be easily removed. It can be ironed on and removed multiple times before it loses it's sticking power. It is these properties of freezer paper that are exploited to make applique easier.

This video produced by Connecting Threads shows how to use freezer paper to turn under the edges of the fabric. The freezer paper is kept in the fabric while it is sewn onto the background fabric and is removed by cutting a slit on the backside of the background fabric. Instead of using the applique glue as shown in the video, you can simply pin the shape in place.

In this video the freezer paper is removed prior to sewing on the applique.

Shabby Fabrics has a very detailed series of videos on freezer paper applique if you want to learn more.

Most of these videos use mini irons to iron under the seam allowances - and I think that would be a good idea if you were doing tons of applique - but I found that my big iron worked just fine. Just let the tip of the iron do the work and remember you can always peel off the fabric and start over if you need to.

I am in LOVE! Applique circle skirt by junesimply via Flickr

Cheater Needle Turn Applique
This is the first kind of applique I ever tried. You trace your shape onto interfacing, a dryer sheet or thin muslin, place the interfacing onto the right side of your fabric and sew along the line. Then you make a slit in the interfacing and turn the whole thing inside out. Make sure you really work the seams so you get a smooth line - you might want to trim the seam allowance down to 1/8 inch. Then you pin and stitch. Here is a video that demonstrates the method.

This video shows how to use sticky interfacing so you don't have to pin.

By Emma via Flickr

Gathered Circles
I think this method is the absolute best for making circles but you can't really use it for other shapes. I couldn't seem to find a great stand alone video for this method, so skip to minute 4:45 on this video to see how they make their perfect applique circles.

One final bit of advice: PIN! You know how some of the circles on my block are all cool and overlapped? That is because I didn't pin one of my circles and it shifted - leaving me with a big lopsided mess that I had to cover up. You have been warned. :)

Next Friday we will start working on appliqueing vines and shapes with points. See you then!

(And before then I will share some pictures from my trip - so much fun!)

Charming Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-10T01:25:00.022-06:00

Need more fabric in your holiday decor?

I have a tutorial for fabric covered ornaments over at the Moda Bake Shop today.

These are the ones my girls made. Not too shabby, huh?

We made them together over Thanksgiving break.

The hardest part was cutting accurately.

And of course they added all the extras to make them their own.

Need more Christmas fabric ideas? How about wrapping presents with fabric?

My 2nd First Quilt

2011-12-03T03:00:00.000-06:00

The quilt I made when I was 10 years old is being featured today at Gen X Quilters. Writing up it's story made me think about the first quilt that I started as an adult and I want to share it's story with you today.

When my oldest was 1 year old, I had just graduated from college, my husband was in graduate school and we were living in the on campus student housing. It was the greatest place for a young stay at home mom. I had seen Vanessa, one of the "older moms" (she had a three year old - I know, ancient), around and quite honestly thought she looked kind of mean and grouchy, but it was Vanessa, sweet, wonderful Vanessa, who introduced me to quilting. It turns out her new baby would only sleep if she held him, so she had spent the first 4 months of his life sleeping on the recliner in the living room - more than enough reason to look frazzled and grumpy in my book.

But he was now sleeping in a crib and she talked a group of us into joining a Block of the Month club at Quilts Etc. in Sandy, UT. We paid $5 for the first block and if we brought the completed block back the next month, we would get the fabric and pattern for the next month's block free. Sweet! Perfect for starving students. The owner of the shop walked us through the basic steps in making the blocks, showed us new products in the store and then we would have a show and tell. For each quilty item you brought in to show, you would get a ticket and then they would draw tickets for prizes. Oh, how we cherished each fat quarter or pattern we won. :)

I finished at least two baby quilts that year, and each month I would make one or two extra blocks. We moved before the end of the year long club, but it was a wonderful experience. I became great friends with all of the other girls in the group. We would swap cutting mats, rulers and rotary cutters, share scraps and piecing advice and make the 40 minute drive to the quilt store each month together -- on top of all of the regular letting the kids play outside together.

A year after we moved I finally put the top together. I was terrified of the sashing and posts between the blocks. I was convinced that they would not line up, but it came together wonderfully well. That was 8 years ago...8 looong years it has sat in a tote waiting to be finished. Why? I can't figure out what to do with the border, not to mention I had no idea how I would quilt the thing even if I did finish it.

I started this on point square thing, but then decided that I didn't like how it looked, plus I was worried the squares wouldn't come out even at the corners of the quilt. Then I decided that it really needed some floral applique around the edges to soften it up. Then I decided that applique was too much work. Now, after pulling it out, I don't think that the diamonds look bad, and I will take care of them not lining up by adding some applique in the corners. Problem solved.

And quilting? I am now a long arm pro (snort) so that shouldn't be a problem. You know how they tell you to trim the threads on the back before you quilt something? I had always thought that was odd because I pretty much trim as I go - but not on this quilt. You can't see it well in this picture, but it is a crazy stringy mess - I don't know what I was thinking.

I have come so far in my quilting skills and there is still so much to learn. It might sound corny, but quilting really has been a blessing in my life. I am grateful that the Lord put those women in my life at that time. It meant more than I can say.

Half Way Mark Winner!

2011-12-02T10:23:00.001-06:00

The Random Number Generator choose #7 !!!! Em, you are the lucky winner!

Em said...
Hmm .. I almost forgot to come back here and post that I was all caught up! That would have been tragic! I now have 24 blocks because of the challenge blocks, and one I re-did, and two extra improv houses because I thought they were so cute. I would be thrilled with any of the prizes, but my choices, in order would be:
1. brights

2. dots
3. repro
Thank you for the chance!!

Good thing she came back and left a comment, huh? :) Thank you all for following along. This has been so much fun and it is only going to get better! Look at all of the beautiful blocks you have made!

1. Red and White quilt blocks, 2. DSCN2677, 3. Blocks 1-18 of the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler, 4. Tanya's Blocks, 5. First 18 SBS blocks , 6. DSC_0099, 7. DSCN3037, 8. Blocks 1-18 with a few extras, 9. 20 Squares Done, 10. mosiac of blocks 1-18, 11. Skill Builder Sampler 1-18, pt 1, 12. so far, 13. SBS - Halfway done!!, 14. SBS blocks 1 - 18, 15. Skill Builder blocks 1-19, 16. Skill Builder Sampler (I don't know why some aren't showing up. I tried multiple pictures from their photostreams, but if you click on the link it will bring you to their flickr picture.)

I will be showing different ways to put your blocks together later on, but Linda has gotten a head start and put together this Christmas quilt. Perfect timing, eh? I love it! The white border really makes it pop.

Linda made the leftover blocks into pillows. She even added little Christmas light beading along the roof line of the house. Too cute!

Keep up the good work and I will see you in a few weeks!

Block 19 - Orange Windows

2011-12-02T02:00:00.000-06:00

Orange Windows - get it? A little like the Orange Peel block
and a little like a faux Cathedral Windows block? I'm so funny!

We are starting the second half of the Skill Builder Sampler! This month it is all about applique. Applique is the process of sewing a small piece of fabric onto a larger piece. We could spend a whole year on applique but we will touch on the basics and then you can continue to practice and improve your technique.

This block is made with raw edge applique - that is the edges of the fabric are not turned under when they are sewn onto the background fabric. My husband insists that raw edge applique is cheating, but it is a simple, fast and effective method and even he said the finished block was "really nice - one of my favorites." :)

When I first heard about raw edge applique I was worried that there would be a lot of fraying. But if the pieces are attached with a product like Heat n Bond the fibers of the fabric are almost glued together and the chances of fraying are almost zero.

To make this block you will need:

A Compass
Card stock
Heat n Bond
12.5 inch square of background fabric
Fabric Scraps

First, make a template for the petals.
Cut a 3 inch square piece of card stock. I just used my rotary cutter and ruler.
Next, place the point of the compass in the corner of the card stock and open it until the pencil touches the adjoining corner. Draw an arc from corner to corner.

Place the point of the compass on the opposite corner and draw another arc from corner to corner. Cut out the template.

Next get out your Heat n Bond. Heat n Bond has paper on one side and sticky on the other.

Trace the petal shape on the paper side of the Heat n Bond 16 times.

Rough cut around each petal and iron onto the back of your petal fabric following the directions on the package.

Cut out all the petals just inside the line drawn on the paper.

Cut the background fabric into a 12.5 inch square.

Fold in half along the diagonal and iron.

Fold in half again and iron.

There should be visible folds from corner to corner. These will serve as a guide for positioning the petals.

First, lay out the petals and decide on an arrangement that suits you. It might help to take a picture to refer to .

Remove the petals. Find the center of the fabric and place a petal with one point at the center and the other point along the diagonal line. Press just the center to keep it in place. (If you need to adjust a petal you can pull it off and reattach it - they will lose some of their adhesion and leave a bit of a residue - but if you are putting another petal in the same place it shouldn't be a big deal. But I definitely wouldn't make a habit of it.)

Attach all of the petals along one diagonal.

The corner petals point should be a quarter of an inch from the sides of the background fabric.

Attach the petals along the second diagonal.

Then add the side petals. Their lower points should touch the points of the petals on the diagonals and their top points should touch each other 1/4 inch from the edge of the background fabric.

Repeat for all four sides. When you have all of the petals tacked down, give them a good iron - make sure all of the points are good and stuck.

Now it is time to stitch around the edges. But before we get started, change your thread to a color that blends well with most of your petals - unless you want the contrast. You can use a zig zag or button hole stitch to finish the edge. I used a zig zag. Play around with the stitch length and width on a scrap piece of fabric until you are satisfied. I wanted my zigs and zags fairly wide and close together and set my stitch length to .5 and width to 3.5.

If you haven't stitched along the edge of anything before, take a scrap of fabric, place it on top of another scrap and stitch along the edge of it. One side of the zig should go barely off of the scrap petal and onto the background fabric. Play around until you have the hang of it.

Start sewing around the petals at one corner of the block. Don't worry about back stitching, because we will end at the same spot and back stitch then. Start stitching along the top edge of the petal.

When your reach the point, continue on stitching the under side of the next petal in line. When you reach it's point (the center of the block) continue stitching on the upper side of the 3rd petal in line and so on.

When you reach the corner, stop with the needle down and turn around. Stitch along the opposite sides of the petals until you reach the starting point. Back stitch just a few stitches. Repeat for the petals on the other diagonal.

Now stitch down the petals around the edges. There is a simple way to sew down the rest of the petals without having stop once. Just follow the arrows in my high tech diagram. ;) Start sewing at the star and follow the black arrows all the way around the block going over and under the petals. When you reach the edges of the fabric you will need to stop with the needle down and rotate in place a bit to start on the next petal. When you reach the beginning star, stop with the needle down, rotate and start stitching on the underside of the first petal. Follow the white arrows around the block. Back stitch a few stitches when you reach the beginning again.

And you did it! I really enjoyed making this block. Wouldn't it be fun to make a bunch and join them together into a large quilt?

I am leaving for Abu Dhabi today (crazy!!) to visit my BFF and will be gone for a week and a half, so I will not be posting a block next week. I was hoping to have the tutorial written up before I left, but that just didn't happen. So take a week off, do your Christmas shopping and the next Skill Builder Sampler block will be on the 17th. I'll bring back pictures of my trip too.

A Winner and Other Business

2011-11-29T12:46:00.002-06:00

The random number generator choose #26. Congratulations Ruth S.!

Ruth, you are a no-reply blogger! Email me your shipping info please.

Ruth did not reply, so #9 Shauna was chosen as a winner.

Remember that Wendy is giving a 10% discount through Friday on all of her quilt kits and patterns. Enter the code CITY10 at checkout for the discount.

I normally don't blog about other's giveaways, but I really want another chance to win this EQ7 pattern. AnneMarie reviewed it on her blog last week and I am sold. So go on over and read about it, but don't leave a comment to be entered to win your own copy. Understand? Don't you go decreasing my chances to win! Well, if you must.... ;)

Oh, and for this weeks Skill Builder Sampler block you will need to have your compass and some Heat and Bond fusible interfacing. We will start our month of applique with a raw edge applique block.

Betty Pattern Giveaway! (open to all)

2011-11-24T21:43:00.000-06:00

I discovered quilting blogs about 3 years ago and boy, was I hooked. Then I started reading about these "bees" where people exchanged brilliant quilt blocks. How fun is that? About two years ago I joined my first bee where we exchanged improvisational blocks. It was sooo much fun. Wendy organized the bee and I have been stopping by her blog (Sewing in the Wendy City) off and on since then. I was so ~~jealous~~ excited for her when she went to Market last month. Not only did she go to market but she also wrote her first pattern.

I give you...Betty - a classy lady with a wonky style. :)

Wendy sent me a copy of her pattern. The instructions are simple and thorough. Plus, there is no waste of fabric. I LOVE that. I hate patterns where you buy a tons of fat quarters and then only use a bit of them, but I digress... The finished quilt size is 50 x 65 (the perfect size in my opinion) and Wendy gives instructions and fabric requirements for a twin sized quilt also.

Not sure if it is your style? Take a close up look at the same pattern in solids. I love it! The colors remind me of my brother's botched quilt. I need to fix that...someday...

Wendy has offered to give one luck reader a free copy of her new pattern. If you would like a chance to win, simply leave a comment.

But that is not all. Everyone is a winner today! Now through next Friday (Dec 2nd) you can receive a 10% discount at Wendy's etsy store. She not only has patterns but kits for the Betty quilt as well as yardage. Simply enter the code CITY10 when you check out for your 10% discount.

The giveaway will close Tuesday the 29th at 8 am Central Time. Good luck and have a great weekend!

A Tutorial For Large Drawstring Bags

2011-11-21T17:20:00.001-06:00

This tutorial is the first of a series of tutorials that will show how to make drawstring bags, pajama pants and simple blankets for Foster Care Kits. Let's get going!

Supplies:

2/3 yard of fabric for the bag

52 inches of twill tape, soft rope or ribbon for the drawstring

1 large safety pin

scissors

pins

yard stick or measuring tape

sewing machine

Cutting:

Fabric comes off the blot folded in half. The finished edges with the writing on them are called selveges. If you bought more than 2/3 yard (24 inches) you will need to cut the fabric to size. If you have a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, use those to cut the fabric. If not, no worries. Grab your yard stick or tape measure. Make sure the cut edge of the fabric is fairly straight, then measure 24 inches from the edge of the fabric along the selvege.

Make a mark at this point with a pen, pencil - whatever you have on hand. Move the yard stick up a few inches and make another mark. Continue until you have made marks all the way up to the top of the fabric.

Then simply cut along the marks. It doesn't have to be perfect, just decent. The selvage will not unravel in the wash, but the unfinished sides might so we are going to zig zag along both sides to prevent fraying.

Sewing:

Before we get going, let's talk about setting the stitch length and width.

There will be something like this on your machine. It controls how long the stitch is. 0 is no length and 4 is quite long. I like to keep mine at about 2.

To set the width of the stitch, find a knob like this. When the line is at 0 the stitches are 0 wide - that is they just go straight. The higher you go, the wider the zig zag. I like to set my stitch at 3.5 when I zig zag.

Once you have the stitches set, place the corner of the fabric under the presser foot. Line up the cut edge of the fabric with the notch in the presser foot.

Start stitching! The zig zags are should go just over the edge of fabric.

Once you are done zig zagging both sides, trim the threads and fold the fabric in half, the right sides of the fabric facing each other. The selvages should line up with each other at the top. Pin the fabric together along the zig zagged edges.

On one of the edges measure 2.5 inches from the top of the selvage and make a mark. You will start sewing at that mark.

Before you start stitching, change the width of the stitch back to 0 and identify the 1/2 inch mark beside the presser foot. Two marks out is the 1/2 inch mark. When you are sewing you will keep the edge of the fabric lined up with this mark. If you are sewing with children, you may want to place a piece of tape on the edge of the mark to make it more visible.

Place the presser foot on the edge of the selvage with the zig zagged edge at the 1/2 inch mark. Sew forward a 4 or 5 stitches, back stitch and then continue forward to the end of the fabric. When you reach the end, back stitch again.

To back stitch, you will need to lift and hold up a lever like this. Some machines have a button you hold down.

When you sew the side that you marked, start 2.5 inches down at your mark.

When you have stitched both sides trim off the bottom corner.

When both sides are sewn and trimmed, iron the seams open on both sides.

The notched side will look like this.

Next, fold over the selvage edge 1.25 inches so that the top of the selvage is even with the bottom of the notch.

Iron the selvage edge down all the way around the top of the bag.

Next, position the foot with it's left edge even with the selvage. Take a few stitches, back stitch and continue stitching all the way around the bag.

It should look like this. When you reach the beginning, back stitch again and remove the fabric from the machine. Trim the thread and turn right side out.

Now all you have to do is put in the drawstring. Find the biggest pin you have (bigger than this one!) and pin it to the end of your ribbon/rope/tape. You will use the pin to help guide the ribbon through the channel made by sewing down the top edge of the bag.

Place the safety pin in the channel at the top of the bag.

Hold the end of the pin with your left hand. Push fabric onto the pin with your right hand.

When you have covered the pin with as much fabric as it can hold, take a hold of the top of the pin with your right hand.

Pull the fabric off of the pin with your left hand. Repeat until the safety pin exits the other side of the bag.

Knot the ends together and you are done!!!

Congratulations!

You just made a drawstring bag!

Foster Care Kits

2011-11-20T20:40:00.002-06:00

I was recently asked to help with a service project at church. Our women's organization in north east Iowa was challenged to put together Foster Care Kits for children. I think this is a brilliant service opportunity and wanted to share it with you.

When a child is in an abusive or neglected home situation in the US, Child Protective Services will take them into custody. The children are placed with Foster Families until their home is safe to return to. The children often show up on their Foster Parents doorsteps with just the clothes on their back and in a state of emotional turmoil. The Foster Care Kits are meant to help make this painful situation a bit better.

A Foster Care Kit Contains:

Basic Hygiene Items: toothbrush, toothpaste and brush/comb. It may also include rubber bands, barrettes, deodorant and lotion. (Items may be travel sized)
Pajamas It may also contain clothing, socks, underwear or diapers.
Blanket (45x45 for 0-2 year old, 45x54 for3-6 year old, 54x66 for 7-11 year old, 54x72 for 12-18 year old) Sizes are approximate, but the blanket needs to be big enough for the child. The blankets may be fleece or pieced. Foster Care Families will have blankets and beds for the children, but this blanket is something soft and special for the child that they can snuggle with and keep forever.
At Least One Comfort Item Some ideas include: stuffed animal, doll, coloring book/crayons, notebook, journal, pen, pencils or book. No one is too old for a stuffed animal, especially when you are going through hard times.

All of these items are collected and placed in a bag. It is best if the bag can be zipped, buttoned or velcroed so that the contents are not mixed up or lost. A drawstring bag also works well. The contents of the bag, age and gender of the child are written on a note card and pinned to the outside of the bag. The bags are collected and brought to local agencies that place foster children.

All of the items may be purchased, but that adds up fast. You can definitely save money by making some of the items yourself. In the next week or two I am going to share tutorials on how to make a large drawstring bag, pajama pants and different ways to finish fleece blankets. These posts will be geared towards people with minimal sewing skills. Anyone should be able to complete these projects. I hope these posts will be a resource for the women in my area making the Foster Care Kits and perhaps others will run with the idea and make Foster Care Kits for the children in their area too.

This would be a great service project for a church group, Boy/Girl Scouts or quilt guild. Before starting, however, contact your local foster care agency, tell them about the project and ask if they have any specific needs.

Big Half Way Mark Giveaway for the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler

2011-11-18T13:55:00.002-06:00

I can't believe there have been 6 months of the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler!

We started out by making sure we had the basics covered with cutting, 1/4 inch seams and pressing while making these blocks. (oh, how I miss the days when my backyard was green...)

We moved on to half square triangle and corner to corner sewing. Finishing up with some quilt math.

With all the different skills I tried to show many different methods for getting the same result. We learned the traditional, corner to corner and magic method of making flying geese.

Then we learned how to make 1/4 square triangles and played around with improvisation.

(I just realized I never wrote up the 1/4 square triangle math post...oops...coming soon...)

We tried out paper and fabric foundation piecing and started paper piecing.

And more paper piecing...oh how I love these paper pieced blocks! Why did I wait so long to learn how to do this? This is what the Skill Builder Sampler is all about! - just biting the bullet and doing things that we are scared of.

It was hard to get a picture of them all!

If you haven't been quilting along with the Skill Builder Sampler, now is a perfect time to join in. We are going to start hitting skills that even long time quilters might not have tried their hand at. Here is the schedule for the rest of the Sampler:

December - Applique (many different methods will be shown)
January - Curved Blocks
February - Wonky Blocks
March - Odd Shapes (tumblers, apple cores, hexagons)
April - Inset Seams
May - There is No Way I Can Make That Block! Blocks :)

For all of you who have been following along - THANK YOU! - it would have been totally lame and depressing to write all these tutorials for only one or two people. As a thank you and reward for participating in the Skill Builder Sampler we are having a Big Half Way Mark Giveaway. And because I want to motivate anyone who has fallen behind to catch up I have three different prize options. Everyone likes different fabrics and I wanted the prize to appeal to everyone.

For those who love reproduction fabric:

A jelly roll of 1862 Battle Hymn and one yard of Kona Snow.

For those who are drawn to brights:

10 fat quarters of Treasures and Tidbits and 1.5 yards of Kona White.

For sweet dot lovers:

8 fat quarters of assorted dots, a half yard of the pink floral from Snippets,

and 1.5 yards of Kona Unbleached (my favorite "white").

Any of these prize packages would be enough fabric to make a large lap sized quilt.

To be entered in the giveaway:

You must have completed blocks 1-18 in the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler. A list of all blocks and links to the tutorials can be found at the link at the top of the page.
You must post a picture of all of your blocks on the Skill Builder Sampler flickr site or email me a picture of the completed blocks.
Then leave a comment in this post. Let me know what fabric package you would like if you are the randomly selected winner.

The giveaway closes on Friday, December 2nd at 7:00 am Central Time, at which time a randomly selected person will win the fabric package of their choice. That gives you two weeks to catch up. Totally do-able. :)

You Can Do It!

18 - Circle of Geese

2011-11-18T08:54:00.001-06:00

1. Circle of Geese Block, 2. Flying Circle Geese - starter block, 3. Circle of Geese,

4. Circle of geese, 5. Circle of Geese Quilt, 6. Circle of Geese block for Renee,

7. Finished quilt, 8. Circle of Geese Wreath, 9. HV Sampler: Circle of Geese

Today we are going to make what I consider one of the prettiest paper pieced blocks of all times - Circle of Geese. I Love It! I want to make a whole quilt of them. Sigh...melt... I am so proud of my rainbow Circle of Geese. Wouldn't one of these look great framed? Anyway...

Oh, how I love you...

We will be using the Circle of Geese tutorial written by Cara from Me? A Mom? and found on Bec's Chasing Cottons blog. It is a great tutorial. I am only going to add a few tips.

Download the template before you try printing it. I couldn't get the size right when I tried to print it from online - why is that? Also there are two different templates - clockwise and counter clockwise - choose one direction and print out 5 of them. (one to use as a pattern for cutting out fabric)
If you want your geese to be in some sort of order, lay out the paper templates so the geese are going in a circle and write the name/color of the fabric on the goose so you won't get turned around half way through piecing. Then double and triple check. :)
I pieced the first section to make sure I knew what I was doing. Then I pieced the next three at the same time. That is I sewed piece 3 to piece 4 on all of the papers, trimmed and ironed them all and then moved on to sew piece 5 onto them all. I think sewing them in a batch like this is much quicker. Less getting up and down to iron and trim, plus you get faster at lining up and sewing the pieces when you do the same piece 3 times in a row.
I like to trim with scissors. I think it is faster, if not as neat and tidy, but that is just my personal preference.

Can you believe we are at the half way mark in the sampler? I can't. Stay tuned for the Big Half Way Mark Giveaway later today.

WIP Wednesday

2011-11-16T08:09:00.001-06:00

How can it be Wednesday again? Thanks for listening to my whining last post. I am feeling much more on top of things this week. I have decided just to focus on the things that I need to finish by the end of the month and that brings me down to my "average 5-7 WIPs" -- much more manageable. :)

Finished:

Purse for Guild swap. Done! I love it!!

Quilt Rachel's quilt on the long arm. DONE! I wrote more about it here.

Finished and sent back Nov. Bee Block
(I was in such a hurry to get it in the mail I forgot to take a picture, sorry.)

Progress Made:

I cut out fabric for a skirt and tunic for Emily and for the Nov. Bake Shop Project.

No Progress:

December Bake Shop project

Drawstring bag prep.

Yea! Check out the other WIP-ers at Freshly Pieced.

First Long Arm Quilt

2011-11-15T19:10:00.000-06:00

Last week I took a long arm class at The Heart of Quilting in Des Moines. It was a four hour class and I learned how to thread, load, free motion quilt, use a panogram, start and stop, unload and clean the machine. It was soooo fun. I was awful at the panogram (where you trace a pattern with a laser light and it sews it on the quilt) but pretty good at the free motion quilting. The lady who was teaching me said that the more you have practiced FMQ on your home machine the easier it comes on a long arm.

Yesterday I took my friend Rachel's quilt into the shop to quilt. It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to set up! Augh. There weren't any real problems, it just took awhile. And then I got to quilting.

Rachel had taken a look at my practice "quilt" from the class and said she wanted loopies all over the dark area but not on the white areas. The great thing about quilting in a like color thread is that it is hard to see any mistakes, but it is also hard to see your thread so I ended up having some areas where I ran back into my own quilting and one small area that got forgotten.

Here is the whole quilt. Isn't it pretty? She used the 10 minute block from this You Tube video.

Have you ever been so proud of something, yet so uggh! about the mistakes? It is a weird feeling. I am totally proud of quilting this King sized beauty, but disappointed in the number of mistakes I made. Crazy perfectionist. :) I have a whole list of large quilts that I want to long arm quilt next year. I can't wait!

First Purse

2011-11-14T11:21:00.000-06:00

Last week I finished up this purse. I first saw it a few months ago on OCD: obsessive crafting disorder and knew I would have to make it. The tutorial is found here.

It went together well and I even put in my fist magnetic clasp. Fun. The lining is a green sateen fabric.

I am bringing it to the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild for a swap on Thursday, but I am planning on making one for myself later. I am linking up this fun fall colored purse to Celebrate Color.

17 - Starry Night

2011-11-11T08:08:00.001-06:00

Today we move onto an intermediate paper pieced block. We will be making Starry Night, a pattern that Faith recently posted on her blog Fresh Lemon Quilts. Her instructions are clear and straight forward and I had no problems making this block. That is a first! Yea! I am getting better. :)

I really don't have anything else to add, so head on over to the Starry Night tutorial and start sewing!

WIP Wednesday

2011-11-09T22:44:00.002-06:00

"Once a week whether you need it or not!"

I don't WIP every Wednesday, but when I do it really helps me feel more organized and I really need that feeling right now. I have a lot going on and I feel like I just keep moving from one thing to another and not really finishing anything. It is not just too many sewing projects, it is laundry, dishes, kids, church responsibilities, post office runs, feeding chickens and all the other basic things that go along with life. I won't bore you with a total "real life" list - I did do some laundry today - but hopefully this WIP Wednesday will help me get more organized and prioritize at least my sewing projects.

The ideal time to write a to do list.

So in order of what is "due" first:

~~Put Baby Jane Quilt and October Bee block in the mail - due TWO WEEKS AGO!~~
Clean my work space. My husband just put in a closet in around the corner from my quilting "den" and the whole basement area is a crazy mess. I am usually really good about ignoring sewing room messes and continuing to sew, but it has moved beyond even my tolerance level. Due ASAP so I can get some work done!
~~We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler blocks - need to make one tomorrow!~~
Quilt Rachel's quilt on the long arm. I took my first long arm class today and am now qualified to rent time on the machine!!! Scheduled for Monday afternoon.
~~Finish fall inspired bag for guild swap - due 11/17. I am making this bag. So cute!~~
Make November Bake Shop project - due by mid Nov.
Send back November Bee Block - due end of Nov.
Make some skirts for Emily. She really needs something for Sundays. I have the fabric but keep putting it off. Will work on this during Thanksgiving since she will be around for fittings.
Make December Bake Shop project - due end Nov./beginning Dec
Prep drawstring bag fabric for church service project - due beginning of Dec. I will share more about this project later. I think it is a really meaningful service opportunity.
Finish the drawstring bags that I was going to give all the cousins last Christmas. Due mid-Dec
Finish Improv. Quilt - January
Make blocks for the 4x5 Modern Bee. I have my fabrics already pulled for these. I am going to make three mini hexagon flowers and applique them on a solid background. I have over 48 hours of airport travel scheduled for December, so I thought a handwork heavy block would be a good idea. Due mid January
Start and finish liberated fan quilt by February. Or at least a large number of blocks? I am teaching a class on liberated tumblers and fans for the local guild and need to do some serious prep work. Eeek! Yet rather proud.

Things I have started and would really like to finish soon, but which have no specific due date:

The chicken quilt - it is for baby Calvin who is now almost 3 months old. It is bound and basted and just waiting for quilting. Oh, I want to show it off at the guild meeting.... Due Nov. 17 if at all possible.
The HST quilt. This quilts is in yellows and will be for my sadly neglected living room. I borrowed my friend's Go! and cut out all of the million HST and have pieced about 1/3 of them. I want to work on it so much, but it doesn't really have a due date.
Clogs - baby, kid and manly size
Grandmother's Flower Garden
Stars and Pinwheel quilt, 1930's quilt, scrapy 9-patch and dresden quilt, all of which haven't seen the light of day for months to years.

Ok, I still feel overwhelmed. This is insane!! I told Lee I only had 5-7 projects going at a time - I think I was in denial. I need to be more like Alison who works on one thing at a time. That is my new plan. I will just work down my list and finish every project one at a time. And no matter how much I want to, I will not start anything else until this list is finished. Right???

Sorry there aren't any quilty pictures, but the idea of descending into The Mess to take pictures, download, edit and upload is beyond me at this point. For way more uplifting and inspiring posts that include pictures of actual projects, check out all of the links at Lee's Anniversary WIP Wednesday post. :)

Block 16 - Minnesota

2011-11-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

For the second paper piecing block I wanted to choose the easiest paper piecing block with the best instructions and the Minnesota Block by Lee at Freshly Pieced won hands down. Lee posted the instructions in July as part of the Summer Sampler Series.

Even though it is probably the easiest paper piecing block out there and Lee's instructions leave nothing to be desired, I still had some problems.

Notice how my block is perfectly square and beautiful? Nice, eh? Only problem is that it is a perfect 11.75 inches square instead of 12.5 inches square. Augh!!! What went wrong?

The templates: Make sure your templates are printing out at exactly the right size. My 1 inch test square was a hair small and it added up. I did download the templates and print from Adobe as instructed, but the template was still a bit small. I would suggest increasing the sizing from 100% to 105% or so if yours run small.

The pieces of fabric Lee has you cut out for the paper piecing units are more than large enough for anyone who has the most basic of paper piecing skills. But...I found I had more wiggle room and fewer problems if I cut the pieces a generous 1/4 inch larger. I hate it when my pieces don't cover the whole template when flipped open!!! I would rather cut my fabric a bit too large than unpick bad seams.

My quarter square triangles were also a bit on the small side. (I don't know what my problem was yesterday.) If you want to trim your quarter square triangles to size, cut the initial squares a quarter inch larger than instructed and then trim the resulting quarter square triangles to perfect 5.5 inches square.

Last tip: I am not a big pin-er, but I would recommend pinning when you piece the quarter square triangles and paper pieced units together. The bulk from the paper pieced seams made stitching accurately without pins challenging.

But...YOU Can Do It! And if you have problems along the way, that is ok too. We are learning new skills and it might not always turn out right the first time. Right?!? :)

No fear! Head on over and whip that bad boy into shape!

Let me know how it goes.

Blocks 13-15 Giveaway Winner

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

The winner of a bundle of Echino prints is #13 - Miranda!!!

Here are her beautiful blocks. I love seeing all of the different prints everyone is using and these make me want to whip out my own DS prints and start sewing.

I happened to win something today too! Barbara Brackman hosted a giveaway to celebrate her new line of Old Fashioned Calicoes and this picture of me in calico was a winner. Go here to read more.

Simple Drawstring Bag

2011-11-01T11:27:00.000-05:00

Check out my new tutorial over at the Moda Bakeshop. I love how simple this bag is.

Perfect for lunches, presents or all of the "special" things your kids might "need" to tote around.

Baby Jane's Quilt

2011-11-01T09:53:00.001-05:00

1. Pink of fall, 2. love, 3. pink leaves, 4. CIMG2593, 5. autumn leaves,

6. leaves, 7. Halloween on Molokai, 8. Orange Leaf, 9. Pink Leaves

I would never have pegged pink as a fall color, but last month I noticed the leaves on one of our trees had definitely turned pink - not red. I didn't take a picture, but I searched on flickr and found many more pink leaf pictures - it wasn't just me who had pink leaves . Why the pink leaf interest?

That is Plants - not Rants - for sale. :)

Because of Baby Jane's new tumbler quilt! A new niece is on the way and so I "had" to make her a little quilt. My SIL is decorating the nursery in pinks and orange - love the combo - and the more I worked with those colors the more I was reminded of the more subtle colors and changing leaves outside. As an added bonus, I was able to pull all of these beautiful fabrics out of my stash! - many of them are from the Meadowsweet line (oh, how I love working with them).

The backing was pieced out of Heather Bailey Bijoux and Meadowsweet Henna fabric.

The finishing touch was the double border. I attached a flange of fushia and then finished with orange binding. I love how it turned out - although next time I will only cut the binding 2 inches wide.

The quilt is approx. 36 x 46 inches.
I hope you enjoy it Baby Jane!

I am linking up to:

Blocks 13-15 Giveaway

2011-10-28T13:00:00.002-05:00

This month's blocks in the Skill Builder Sampler weren't exactly normal, were they? We started off with a paper foundation string block, then a fabric foundation crazy quilt block and finished up with a paper piecing practice block. We have started to leave the basic quilting skills and are moving into skills that we might not have practiced before. Kind of scary and uncomfortable.

Coming up in November we will continue to work on paper piecing, in December we will practice applique and in January we will start the year off with curves. Now would be a great time for quilters who feel comfortable with the basics, but who want to stretch their skills to jump in.

If you have fallen behind, no fear, catch up as you can. These tutorials will be there when you need them. But...the half way mark of the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler is at the end of November and there will be a larger than normal giveaway for everyone who has completed all of the blocks. Enough fabric to make a lap sized quilt!

But for now, if you have completed Blocks 13-15 leave a comment below and you might win a "mini layer cake" of Echino fabric. There are nine 9 inch squares of various prints from the Nico Spring 2011 collection. I didn't see why everyone gushed about these cotton/linen blends until I got some in a swap. I love the feel of the heavier linen and the prints are really fun. If you don't win and want to buy a package click here.

Giveaway Closed

What I Have Been Up To...

2011-10-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

I received the last of the 4x5 Modern Bee Blocks last week. I love how they all look together and I can't wait until they announce the new groups!

I worked on the next paper piecing block today. I have to say that it was harder than I thought it would be - I had to recut a bunch of pieces and unpick some stitching, but it came out looking good!

I used the Green Mountain tutorial to make the large block for my neglected Stars and Pinwheel quilt last week. I love how it turned out! The yellow and pink one - not so much. I didn't want to do pink/brown or yellow/green again, but I should have. :)

Last week I also finished up the "ugly fabric" challenge for the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild. I was given the multicolored oval-ish fabric. I think it is actually pretty cute, but it wasn't saying "quilt" to me. It kept saying, "I would make great kid skirt."

So that is what it became. Perfect for the girl who dresses herself. It will go with anything! And could double as a clown costume. ;)

Thankfully, I have not been sewing Halloween costumes. The girls all chose to be things we already have costumes for. !!! :) !!!

15 - Diamond Dash

2011-10-21T09:48:00.001-05:00

We are moving on to paper piecing and I am proud to say, "I DID IT! I am a paper piecer! I paper pieced! Is this a break though?!?" I had been tempted in the last few months to try it out, but decided to save my first try for this sampler so I could say for real, "Hey, that wasn't so bad!" or "Wow, tricky! Watch out for..." I am pleased to report that it wasn't bad at all.

If you are looking at the block and thinking, "Um...where's the paper piecing? I can totally make that without paper piecing," you are correct. You can make this block without paper piecing, but everyone suggests making some paper pieced squares in a square before starting more complex paper piecing patterns. I thought this week we could practice paper piecing by making four squares in a square and then use them to make our block.

Marcia from the Quilter's Cache website has very detailed instructions about how to paper piece a square within a square. Follow her instructions. However, do not print the template at the top of the instructions. Print this one - it is sized to finish at 4 inches and has a 1 inch test square printed in it. Print one of the templates. Measure the 1 inch test square to make sure it is actually 1 inch. If it is not, when you print again click "Properties" and make sure that it is not "Scaled to Fit." You want it to print at 100%. Hopefully, it will all work. Print five templates total.

Why five? Because you can cut one apart and use it as a guide when you are cutting out your fabric. One thing that everyone complains about is how paper piecing uses up a bunch of fabric. I think if you print out an extra template and use it as a basic pattern, cutting a rough 1/2 inch away from the edge on each side, that much of the fabric waste can be done away with. Sweet!

The trickiest thing for me was remembering to put my middle plaid fabric face up on the backside of the paper. After I got the first two pieces sewn on it was smooth sailing.

The rough 1/2 inch cut around the "pattern pieces" gave me more than enough wiggle room. One thing Marcia doesn't mention at the end is that you will need to trim around the edges of your pattern. Simply flip the square over so the paper is facing up, and using your ruler and rotary cutter, trim to the edge of the pattern. Perfect!

I had also heard horror stories about how hard it was to tear off the paper backing - but it wasn't. I lowered my stitch length to about 1.7 as directed and when I was done sewing and trimming, I folded the paper up and down a few times along the perforations and carefully tore it off. Not a big deal.

Although there is a lot of mess. Sorry trees. Maybe I'll start saving all of my girls' pictures that they color on printer paper - there are tons - and print my templates on the back of them.

After I took the paper off, I lifted up the seam allowances and trimmed them with scissors to something closer to 1/4 inch - they were pretty bulky.

But enough of my rambling thoughts on paper piecing, let's make this block...

Step 1: Following Marcia's instructions and using this template make 4 square in a square units. Use a print in the center and your background fabric for the edges.

For the rest of the block:

Cut:
2 - 5 inch squares out of background fabric
2 - 5 inch squares out of printed fabric
1 - 4.5 inch square out of printed fabric

Cut the 5 inch squares in half along the diagonal.

Sewing:

Place a background and print triangle right sides together and sew 1/4 inch seam along the diagonal cut. Press open with seam towards the darker fabric. Trim to 4.5 inches square. Repeat for all 4 half square triangles.

Lay out your pieces as shown. Sew the pieces together in columns. Press towards the half square triangles and solid center block.

Then sew the columns together. Pin where the seams intersect to help ensure matching points. You did it!

I think I looked at almost every paper pieced pattern in the Quilter's Cache trying to find a 4 inch square in square template and let me tell you, there are so many great paper pieced blocks. I can't wait to get piecing!!! We are going to have a great time! Why didn't I do this earlier? Tell me, am I the only one out there who was too scared to try it? I know it is going to get trickier, but boy, will it be fun!

Des Moines AQS Quilt Show

2011-10-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

Almost three weeks ago I went to the Des Moines AQS Quilt Show with my friend Julie - yes, I had someone to go with! :) We had a good time and saw lots of great quilts and fabric. I thought I would finally share some with you.

I really liked the vibrant colors and black background of this quilt.

I loved this scrappy hexagon quilt with the black "sashing."

Almost better than the quilt was the name of the quilt, "Why Do People Think I'm Crazy?" Who in their right mind would think she was crazy for piecing together thousands of tiny hexagons? :)

I loved the colors and all the different blocks in this quilt. The funny thing was that just a few quilts down was the same quilt done in a different colorway.

I love simple red and white applique. Something like this is on my quilt life list.

Julie pointed out the cool scalloped border made by the bat wings in this quilt, and as I stopped to take a closer look...

I noticed that it was made by Becky Larson from Huxley, IA! My little town of 3,000 had a quilt in the ASQ section of the show! I have no idea who she is, but I thought it was pretty cool.

This is a closeup of a Hawaiian style applique quilt. At first I thought that the shiny red buds were made from fabric, but they are made up of very close lines of stitching with metallic thread.

Love these applique poppies!

After checking out the quilts and vendors in the main show area, we went into the arena where the local Des Moines Area Quilt Guild was having their show.

I thought this idea of using bandannas for a quilt was brilliant - although I think I would chose ones not so Americana.

A postage stamp quilt. This is also on my list of things to make.

I really liked the simplicity of this green and blue quilt.

Loved the simple tiny blocks in multiple frames in this small quilt.

There was a section of the show with various WWII quilts. This was one had appliqued badges from Navy uniforms on the front. The woman who made it would trade the sailors a pack of cigarettes for a badge. ?!?

When I looked closer, I could see that the badges had many different symbols on them - different Navy duties/jobs? Pretty cool.

I had a good time, although I am pretty sure that the show has gotten smaller over the last three years. I was hoping to find some specific vendors I had seen the previous two years and they weren't there. Humm... I mentioned to another quiltly friend that I was disappointed that I hadn't been able to find some of the fabric I had been hoping to see and she said, "You go to a quilt show to see vendors?" Umm...yeah? In case you were wondering, I totally scored some out of print American Jane prints and a Fairy Tale Friends charm pack. :)

I am already trying to figure out a way to go to the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati in April or Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City (only a 3 hour drive!) in May. I don't qualify as a vendor or a buyer, but maybe I could help at someone's booth? A girl can dream, right?

14 - Crazy Quilt Block

2011-10-14T08:59:00.000-05:00

Today we will be making a Crazy Quilt Block with a fabric foundation. Since crazy quilt blocks are normally made with many different types and weights of fabric (silks, knits, cotton, polyester and wools) having a sturdy and unstretchable base to attach them to is a must. The base also allows odd shaped pieces to be added fairly easily.

I saw this beautiful Crazy Quilt at the Des Moines AQS Quilt Show.
Notice how the "crazy" blocks are really traditionally pieced.

I have a soft spot for Crazy Quilts. One of my Life Quilting Goals is to make a "real" crazy quilt out of wools and silks with tons of embroidery. Don't hold your breath, it won't be in the next 5 years, but someday. :) I have, however, made a Crazy Quilt out of my girl's worn/stained clothing and I love it! It was really fun to make and I plan on making more as the girls wear out more of their clothes. I even wrote up a series of tutorials for making a Crazy Quilt this spring - it seams like ages ago... Well, enough talk, let's get started.

Crazy Quilt made from my girls' clothing.

1. If you are going to use any non-quilting cottons in this block, be sure to prewash them in the same manner you will be washing your finished quilt.

2. Cut your foundation fabric approx. 13.5 inches square. You can use any type of woven cotton for this. In fact, I would suggest using a piece of why-did-I-buy-this-and-what-in-the-world-am-I-going-to-do-with-it? fabric. Just be sure the foundation fabric will not show through the crazy quilt fabric that will go on top of it. If it helps, you can sew on the backside of the foundation fabric over so the pattern is less intense.

3. Collect your fabric. I would suggest rounding up all of the scraps and odd sized pieces you have leftover from your other blocks and starting with those.

4. Start Sewing! Follow the directions for the Center Oriented Block. The only thing that will be different, is that we will trim our block to 12.5 inches square when we are finished. Don't get too stressed about the process - just keep adding fabric until the foundation fabric is covered. For more info on adding trims and curved pieces, check out the Corner Start Block post.

When it come down to it, this is really an improvisational block, so don't stress, just keep on adding pieces of fabric. You can do it! :)

13 - String Block

2011-10-07T08:17:00.000-05:00

Today we will be making a string block using a paper foundation. A foundation can be paper or fabric and is a base you build your block on. A foundation keeps odd shaped and bias cut fabrics in place and steady (ie not stretching every which way) during the piecing process.

To make this block, follow the instructions in Ashley's, from Film in the Fridge, tutorial. The only change is to cut the pieces of paper 6.5 inches square. I just used my rotary cutter to cut the paper squares - it is getting dull anyway - easy peasy.

If you have any questions please be sure to ask.

Before I forget the winner of the Block 10-12 Giveaway is..... #18, Kathy! Congratulations!

Kathy said... I completed a bonus block using the waverunner design. You can check it out at:

http://new2quilting.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-can-do-it-skill-builder-sampler.html
(or looking in the flcker group under Shahann)

Here is her waverunner block!

Thanks for playing along everyone!

Bee Blocks

2011-10-04T12:17:00.001-05:00

I just put all my bee blocks in the mail. The first group was the blocks for the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee.

This is how they looked two months ago...

And here they are in all of their finished glory. I used the Beacon Light tutorial and gave each block a customized center based on the recipient's mosaic of favorite blocks. A whole quilt of this block in rainbow colors would be so fun - but I am totally burned out on trimming quarter square triangles down to size right now. :)

I always saw people posting their 3x6 Bee Blocks and didn't know what in the world they were talking about, so I'm going to take a minute to explain the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee. Basically, a bunch of people get together and they are divided into groups of 6. Each group is called a "hive" and one member of the group is designated as the "caretaker" and is responsible to make sure things run smoothly for the group. Each member agrees to make a 12 inch finished block for each of the other members - 5 blocks total. That's where the 5 comes into play. (I made 6 because I wanted one for myself too.) All 5 blocks are made with the same pattern.

How do you make sure everyone gets blocks that they like? First, the group is designated as "Modern" and has specific guidelines as to what types/styles of fabric can be used. Also, each member of the group specifies up to three colors they would like their blocks in and provides a mosaic of their favorite blocks so their fellow hive members can get a feel for what they would like to receive. (Here is where I make my mosaics.)

This is the Mosaic I posted.

Timeline? The year is divided into 4 quarters (there is the 4 in the 4x5) so you have a few months to make the blocks for the members of your hive. Each quarter there is a new sign up and new hives are formed. In fact, sign ups for the 4th quarter of the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee are happening right now. If you are interested, ~~read the rules and guidelines and fill out the online form.~~

Edited: Oops. It looks like you have to go to the main 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee page and click "Join Group" and then you will be able to go to the discussion section that will have the rules, guidelines and online form.

Whoo! Hope that wasn't too much information. :)

Moving on, here is the block I sent off for Danielle in our Twist on Tradition Bee. It feels good to be all caught up and ready to go!

Tree Quilt

2011-10-03T21:37:00.001-05:00

This quilt is finished and has been sent off to it's new owner. She loves it and so do I. I had such a fun time making this. I loved piecing all the different types of trees. To keep the record straight, I must admit that the tree in the top left corner and the pieced pines in the bottom left corner are from a bee I was in last year. The blocks had gotten lost under some fabric for a year - oops! - and I am so glad I had a chance to use them in this quilt at last.

This central tree is the fanciest of the bunch. I love the improv top and cool trunk.

My husband said this tree looked like a mushroom. What!?!? It's totally suppose to be a willow. It even has the leafy-going-towards-the-ground fabric! But his comment turned out to be a good thing. I quilted the word "willow" along the left edge of the tree so no one else could make the same mistake. :) Then I decided to add quilted labels to the other trees I thought looked like specific varieties.

Poplar

Pines (beneath the small pines - it's hard to see)

Then I was on a writing roll. In the border, I "wrote" the names of many different trees (oak, redwood, walnut, cherry, ginkgo, elm, maple...) separated by a bit of meandering quilting. Love, Love, Love It!

The back turned out well too. I really like the poison green Civil War reproduction fabric paired with Kate Spain's green leaves from Central Park. The Kona Espresso stripe on the back gave the backing the length and classiness it needed. Is is just me or does quilting with white thread on a dark background give anyone else hives? Thankfully, all went well.

Sometimes it is hard to tell from pictures what a quilt is really like. Sometimes quilts can look good in the pictures (like the purple Amish Braid) and be horrid in real life. I just want to let you know:

This. Quilt. Is. AMAZING!

It is seriously the best work I have ever done. It feels so good to make something I can really be proud of. I hope I can keep it up!

Quilt Stats:

Finished Size: approx. 40 x 52 inches

Fabric: Kona Unbleached and Espresso and a variety of green and brown scraps

Bonus Block #2

2011-10-03T10:09:00.001-05:00

I totally forgot about the bonus block this month. It has been a challenging month, the details of which are a bit too personal to share online, but I think things are looking up now (knock on wood!). So hopefully, I will be sewing more, posting more and forgetting less. :)

If you would like to make an extra block this week, here are some ideas:

You could make a wave runner block using Victoria's tutorial.

Or blocks like this using the Mod Mosaic Floor Pillow tutorial from Oh, Fransson! With both tutorials remember that your blocks will need to be 12.5 inches square if you want to use them with the other blocks in this sampler.

From knitsmith on Flickr

For a more traditional bonus block, you could make the Green Mountain Star block. It has quarter square triangles, flying geese and corner to corner sewing. Wow! Great review block and sooo pretty. Thanks to Em for sharing this block.

If you make any of these blocks in any size leave a comment on the giveaway post for an extra chance to win. Happy sewing!

Block 10-12 Giveaway

2011-09-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy week around here. I am glad it was a catch up week for the Sampler. Next month we will start exploring foundation pieced blocks. But for now, leave a comment below if you have finished blocks 10, 11 and 12 in the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler. I will draw a winner from the comments Friday, October 7th after the kids go to school.

This month's prize is a fat quarter pack of these fun prints from Treasures and Tidbits collection by Robert Kaufman. So cute! So get sewing!! :) I hope you have a great weekend!

12 - Improv House and Tree

2011-09-22T20:40:00.007-05:00

Today is pure improvisation - no cutting directions, nothing. Just some general guidelines to get you started towards making your own unique house and tree. There are only two rules: keep using at least a 1/4 inch seam and trim the finished block to 12.5 inches square so it will fit with the other blocks. Let's go!

Start by picking a fabric for your door (red) and one for the siding (blue). If you want to have windows in your house piece the blue pieces so they have a square in them where you feel a window should be. Sew your siding onto either side of the door.

Cut a piece of fabric for the area of siding above the door. Just rough cut these pieces - no real measuring needed. Sew it to the top of the door piece.

Sew some of your background fabric to either side of the main house piece before you put on the roof if you would like eaves.

To figure out how large to cut my roof piece I placed the roof fabric above my house and rough cut a triangle. Remember to cut it a little large to accommodate seam allowances.

To figure out what shape to cut the background fabric for each side of the roof, I placed a piece of the background fabric behind the roof piece.

I cut along the roof line and continued off the edge of the fabric.

Then I cut along the second side of the roof.

I remove the extra background triangle and sewed the roof to the background starting with the piece that was cut off second.

Next I trimmed the bottom of the roof and the top of the house flat and sewed them together. Somehow I missed taking a picture of the sew together house with the smooth edges, but I am sure you can imagine it. :)

With my house done I decided I wanted a tree. First I measured my house and discovered that the tree would have to be pretty skinny for it to fit into a 12.5 inch block with the house. So I cut a skinny triangle for the tree and a tall narrow piece for the background.

I made cuts on either side of the tree just like I did for the house.

And then sewed it back together again.

Next I cut a skinny piece for the trunk of the tree and some background fabric for either side. Word of advice here - trust me, I've messed it up - make your trunk and side pieces wider than you think you need them. The seam allowances always shrink them more than I expect.

Sew the background to either side of the trunk. Trim the top of the trunk and bottom of the off tree and sew together.

After I finished the tree, I squared up my house and the house side of the tree block and sewed them together.

I trimmed the block so it was 12.5 inches wide, but it was still too short.

Instead of adding more background fabric to the bottom, I added a strip of "grass" and squared up the block to 12.5 x 12.5 inches.

But you don't have to make your block like this. There are an infinite variety of houses and trees you could make. I searched "house quilt blocks" in flickr and came up with a sampling of the most incredible blocks. There is also a flickr group called New House on the Block that has some amazing houses. Here are some of my favorites:

1. First House Quilt Block , 2. Joy Circle May House Block, 3. little houses - block #2, 4. House Block Bee block by Four Monkeys Quilts, 5. Cathy's Liberated House #2, 6. PnP - Amy, 7. Block for Heather in Sew Fun 2, 8. First Wednesday Bee Tiny House Block January, 9. DQS10 Block 4/6, 10. Caroline's Liberated House #2, 11. house block, 12. Megan's Block 1, 13. January Blocks for Megan, 14. Bee Improvisational - November 1, 15. Bee Modern July Block - House 1 Detail, 16. American Gothic, 17. November Bee Blocks - Houses, 18. mid-century modern house quilt block, 19. May 2010 STUD Sent to miniaturequilter, 20. January Swap Blocks for Megan, 21. Block Swap- February, 22. Birthday Blocks - House block, 23. Sew 2 Speak Bee - April Block 2, 24. H2B2 - April, 25. Dionnes block

I had a hard time narrowing it down. :)

And of course there is more than one way to make trees. Somehow trees are not as popular houses on fickr - weird - so you are stuck with mine. :)

You could just cut out a square and add a trunk to it.

Or spice it up by stacking squares to make a tree shape.

For a more rounded look, use corner to corner sewing to add triangles of your background color to the corners of your square/rectangle.

These trees are made from tumbler shaped pieces.

This tree is made from a tumbler that was cut in thirds. The middle section was turned upside down and all three pieces sewn back together again.

These poplars are just rectangles with the bottom corners cut off with some corner to corner sewing and a bit of their sides cut off at an angle.

This tree is made from "made" fabric. To make the branch, cut out a rectangle and cut through it at an angle. Add in a strip of brown and then sew it to the side of your trunk before sewing the trunk to the top of the tree.

The top of this tree was made using this circle tutorial.

This tree is simply a line of flying geese sewn together. The possibilities are endless.... There is no right or wrong way to make this block...just start cutting and sewing and see where it takes you.

I can't wait to see what you make!
Edited to add:
You don't have to make a house and a tree, you could make birdhouses, dog houses, a city, a forest. Just take these basic house and tree building skills and make this block your own!

Etsy Shop Open for Business!

2011-09-19T11:26:00.001-05:00

There are a few less than positive things I am known for in my family. One of the worst is mixing up the date and time of airline flights. Yeah. Not good. But sheesh, why don't they look themselves to see when the flight is instead of asking me? Another thing I tend to mess up are little make-some-money-on-the-side businesses - let's not talk about our family's spring plant sale, ok? But I think my luck is going to change. (knock on wood)

I decided to take some of the proceeds from my commissioned Baby Tree Quilt and reinvest them in fabric - who doesn't like fabric? I opened my own Etsy shop called Sewn and have eight "layer cakes" of Echino fabric listed for sale. If you have been looking to get a little bit of many Echino fabrics this listing might be for you. No pressure, just wanted to let you know. I will be more than happy to take care of any layer cakes that don't sell - not like those dumb hostas. ;)

11 - Beacon Light

2011-09-16T19:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry this took so long to post today, but life happened. Nothing that a "professional" blogger couldn't have pushed though, but I am not planning on making myself crazy. Although looking at the block I made could make one go a bit loopy. :)

I might call mine - When the Clowns Come to Town. :)

I saw this block a few months ago on 15 Minutes of Play and thought it was brilliant. It is even more brilliant now that we are combining 1/4 square triangles and improv. The idea behind 15 Minutes of Play is to "make" fabric out of scraps and improvisational piecing in just 15 minutes. Victoria Findlay Wolfe started the site and in this post she shows how to make fabric out of your scraps in 15 minutes. (You can click on the pictures to make them larger.) Go on over and read it and then hop back here for more details.

Make Fabric

Isn't that fun?!? Just sew and cut and sew it all back together again! I love improv.

So, the first step in making this block is to make two pieces of fabric. One at least 6.5 inches square and the other at least 9 inches square. I made my 6.5 inch center according to Victoria's directions, using all of the small leftover pieces from other blocks. For the 9 x 9 inch piece, needed for the quarter square triangles, I started with a leftover 9 patch and started cutting it apart on an angle and inserting strips. This wouldn't have made for a very good center block, but when subdivided into four 4.5 inch blocks none of the strips is overpowering.

Cutting:

Out of background:
four 4.5 inch squares*
four 3.5 inch squares

Out of made fabric:
one 6.5 inch square
four 4.5 inch squares*

*I do recommend using these slightly larger than needed measurements for the quarter square triangles. You will need to trim them down at the end, but it will give you some needed wiggle room when dealing with the bulky seams the made fabric causes. If you do not want to trim the quarter square triangles to size cut the four background and made fabric squares to 4.25 inches square instead of the 4.5 inches.

Follow Victoria's instructions to make the Beacon Light block. In brief, you simply make eight quarter square triangles, trim to 3.5 inches square and then sew them all together.

A quick note about pressing. This block is a killer! You will need to use a combo of side, open and creative pressing and a bunch of spray starch depending on how your made fabric decides to behave.

But you can do it! I can't wait to see what fun blocks you make!

Amish Braid - My First Bake Shop Project!!!

2011-09-13T09:04:00.000-05:00

Amish Braid

I'm feelin' a little crazy! My first Moda Bake Shop project is live! Jump on over and check it out.

In honor of the event, I wanted to write a post about the ins and outs of my first project. I really appreciated Rachel's post last month about the behind the scenes process of being published in Stitch Magazine - maybe I will submit a project to a magazine next? - and wanted to pass on the favor to others.

I was completely clueless but knew I wanted the "fame and glory" of being a "Moda Chef." (lol at self) Anyway, I started thinking of ideas using solid precuts. I decided to focus on solids because:

I didn't know for sure if Moda provided the fabric and solids are cheaper than prints
I wasn't sure I could get my hands on newly released precuts and worried even if I did that the line of fabric would be discontinued before I finished the quilt. :) Solids never go out of print.
No one uses solids in tutorials and I thought I might be able to get my foot in the door by spinning the project as a great way to increase awareness of Moda's precut solids.

The "design concept" I emailed.

I sketched out this idea back in October when I just started my blog. I sat on it for six months until I got up the guts to email the Bake Shop about my idea. I don't know where I dug up the email address, but I got back a kind email directing me to the Chef Application Page. When I went back and looked at the Bake Shop site, "Submit a project idea... apply here" was staring right at me on the side bar right above the pictures of Fresh Fabric Treats. Duh.

Anyway, I got started filling out the online paper work. It is fairly straightforward. After name, address etc. they ask you about your blog, a specific example of your work, why you want to be a chef and a description of your proposed project. They would also like you to attach a picture or sketch of the project.

For an example of my work, I linked to my Diamond Quilt tutorial. I figured they would like an example of my tutorial writing, not just my sewing. Plus I think the Diamond Quilt is way too cute.

For the why do you want to be a chef question I wrote something appropriately awkward and hopefully not too gushy. In plain english? Because chefs are totally cool, no one reads my blog (at the time) and I would like to get some of my awesome ideas out there. ;)

For the project description I played up the use of solids, wrote a few sentences about the basic construction of the quilt and listed the precut and fabric requirements.

Then I checked my email multiple times a day for a week until I got the "...we would like to feature your project on the Bake Shop!" I was directed to email them the fabric requirements needed to complete the project and they would send the fabric to me. Sweet! I had thought they probably provided the fabric but now I knew for sure. A few days later I was sent an "invite" link so that I could have access to the Moda Bake Shop site and create a post. A week later I got my stack of fabric in the mail.

We were all excited to receive the fabric.

I could reach the Moda site though my google dashboard and create and edit my post all I want during the sewing process. However, summer happened and my sewing process totally stalled. About three months after I received my fabric, Jenny emailed and kindly inquired after the state of my project. Eeek. I promised to have it done by the end of August.

After I finished writing the post, I emailed Jenny and told her it was ready to post. She/others? reviewed it and scheduled it for publication.

I was worried that I had ruined my chances at getting another project approved because this one took so long to finish, but I sent in a series of small project ideas and one quilt idea yesterday and they were all approved. (Happy Dance!!) Once you are accepted as a chef you can just email in project ideas - no more painful "why do you want to be a chef?" questions.

Moda chefs are allowed to post a project once a month and I have four months of projects set up. The first three are non-quilty things I can make in an afternoon and the fourth is a quilt made out of this fabric that I plan to have done by January (knock on wood!).

I think one of the funnest parts of planning a project is picking out what fabric to use. If you go to the Moda homepage and click on fabric collections it will bring you to a list of current and future fabric collections. Then you can click to see swatches of the fabric in each collection. Way too fun.

So, to sum up this rambling post, if you want to be a Moda Bake Shop Chef:

-Think of a project using precuts. They are always looking for non-quilt ideas.
-Make sure it is a project you love and that you would make anyway. The free fabric and "glory" are not worth the pain of working on a project that you don't enjoy.
-Search the Bake Shop site to make sure no one else has written a tutorial for your project yet.
-Pick out fabrics you would like to make it in - choose three back up lines just in case.
-Sketch out your idea.
-Fill out the online paper work and get ready to create!

Do you have any questions? Are there any other Chefs out there who have had different experiences or advice they would like to share?

Leila Goes to the Quilt Show

2011-09-10T09:35:00.001-05:00

Only three weeks until the annual American Quilter's Society Quilt Show in Des Moines! It is nothing like the Houston Show or Market, but it is as good as it gets here in Iowa and I have had a fun time going the last two years.

From last year: A Farmer's Wife? Or did the quilter design her own blocks?

Except I can never get anyone to go with me. I thought I had a few gals from church lined up to go last year, but they all (ok, there were only two who showed any interest) had things come up. It wasn't bad going by myself and I tried not to feel like Loner-Leila-No-Friends, but then I would get really excited about a quilt or fabric and just have to say something to someone about it. Half the people were friendly and the other half gave me "Do-I-know-you? Don't-you-know-better-than-to-talk-to-random-people?" looks and short answers. Kind of a downer. But not this year!!! Or if it does happen again this year it won't be because I didn't do my darnedest to find someone to go with.

I love this one. The center hexagon has an appliqued doily.

So this is my Three Pronged Plan to have someone to gush to at the show:

I am going to try to recruit my church friends again...third time's the charm?
I am going to go to the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild meeting on the 15th and see if anyone wants to meet up (They have a fun meeting planned too.)
And I will be in the way-over-priced food court at noon if anyone from blogland wants to get together. I will be wearing a red rose and eating a sack lunch. :)

This American Jane pattern is on my "make someday" list.

Common! You know you have always wanted to visit Des Moines. Right?!? It's so ~~exciting, historic~~......well, there is a quilt show and it doesn't get any better than that. :) Did I mention there were lots of vendors?

10 - Ohio Star

2011-09-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

First things first: The giveaway winner is finisher #25, Cassie! I'll be in touch and will mail you some red fabric goodness! Also, I want to stress the very deliberate wording of the giveaway. You just have to finish the blocks for the given month not all of the blocks to date to be eligible. This is intended to help anyone who has fallen behind to be able to jump back into the Sampler without being overwhelmed with all of the catch up work. But...there may be a BIG giveaway at the halfway mark for all of those who have completed all of the blocks to date. Just sayin'.

More business: Someone pointed out that the schedule said we were suppose to have combined half square triangles and quarter square triangles in August. I could have sworn I gave each type of triangle their own month, but I guess I didn't. So this is what we are going to do. In September we will work on Quarter Square Triangles and Improvisation. I will probably also throw in an improv. block during another month too - I could improv. all year... But with no further ado....lets talk about quarter square triangles.

A quarter square triangle is a square made up of four triangles. You use the same skills to make QSTs (quarter square triangles) as HSTs (half square triangles). Before going on, please read Sandi of Piecemeal Quilts's excellent post on quarter square triangles. It gives all sorts of details and extra step by step pictures.

Done reading? Let's get started. Today we are going to make a quilting classic, the Ohio Star.

Ohio Star

Cutting:

From background fabric:

four 4.5 inch squares
two 5.25 inch squares

From the fabric you want to form the star:

two 5.25 inch squares (these will be the star points)
one 4.5 inch square for the center

Two Piecing Methods

The first method consists of simply cutting the 5.25 inch squares into quarters from corner to corner...

Rearranging them...

And sewing them back together again.

Be sure to feed the triangle pieces through the machine flat side first. If you feed in the pointy side first, the sewing machine tends to "eat" the point.

This method is especially good when you want each of the triangles in the finished quarter square triangle to be a different color.

The second method is basically the draw-a-line-down-the-center-and-stitch-1/4-inch-on-each-side method used for making HSTs.

First draw a line from corner to corner down the middle of one of the 5.25 inch squares. Sew seams 1/4 away from the line on both sides. Cut on the line and press open.

You have now made two HSTs.

Next cut each HSTs in half from corner to corner perpendicular to the seam.

Switch the pieces around and sew back together. And there you have it -- a quarter square triangle. Each set of squares will make two QSTs. You can try out each method or do both with the method you like best. The finished QSTs should measure 4.5 inches square.

If you would like, you can cut the 5.25 inch squares larger (5.5 inches or so) and trim the finished QSTs down to size (4.5 inches) when you are done.

After you have made the QSTs lay out the fabric like so.

Sew the squares together in rows. Press away from the quarter square triangles.

Sew the rows together, press and you are done! One Ohio Star.

Got Chickens?

Value, Color, Orientation and Amazing Talent!

2011-09-07T23:47:00.002-05:00

I just spent an hour looking through the Skill Builder Sampler Flickr Pool. You guys are AMAZING! So many cool fabric combinations! I have a serious case of fabric envy. :)

As I was going through all of the pictures I realized that the same block could have many different "looks". Let's look at the Double Star block. (You can click on any of these pictures to see them in Flickr.)

This Double Star by Gina uses the same light/dark combos my example block did. I love how refreshing it looks, like a pool.

Then CrizzyZ2 used a light fabric in the middle that gave the block a more open fresh look. Love the coral fabric!

Cassie used the same fabric for two of the "rounds." It looks like a completely different block! Seriously love it! There are so many different looks you can achieve depending on what fabric you choose and where you place it!

And then there are the different looks you get when you flip block pieces.

Mama Thomps block, with the flipped outer geese, is a great example of this. Doesn't her Double Star look rich?

Take a look at these accidental beauties.

Miss 376/Loopylou flipped some inner geese on accident, but I think it gives the block a fun look. I like the side chevrons it forms and would like to see a block with both inner geese flipped. We could name it The Loopylou Star. :)

Tusen accidentally flipped her geese on the Virginia Star and came up with this. Love it! I think a whole quilt of these would be great. Does anyone know if this block already has a name? If not, The Tusen Cross it is! :)

And Leia added an extra layer of fun and complexity to Breaking Out. It took me a second to figure out what was different - can you see it? Instead of solid side strips she added a corner square and extra blue goose!

I love seeing how you take these tutorials and make them your own. This is what I love about quilting - the creativity and skill it takes to put bits of fabric together and make something more beautiful than the individual pieces. Sometimes it doesn't turn out like expected (and that can be a very good thing!), but that is part of the journey and makes the successes all the more sweet. I am so glad we can share this Sampler journey together. Thank You!!!

Alright...sappiness officially over - go look at some more quilts. ;)

WIP Wednesday

2011-09-07T17:24:00.001-05:00

This is my husband peeking out with the "are we done yet?!?" look.
I love him, but will not be able to give him a recommendation as a professional quilt holder. :)

1. Amish Braid - FINISHED!!! I almost had a nervous breakdown when it didn't turn out the way I expected/wanted, but I got some Amazing pictures of it. Seriously, it was a miracle. It looks a million times better in the pictures than in real life. I will not have to hang my head in shame on Tuesday the 13th when it is posted at the Moda Bake Shop!!!

2. Stars and Pinwheels - No progress

3. Skill Builder Sampler - Caught up! :) I even have my block for Friday finished.
4. 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee Blocks- No progress

5. Chicken Baby Quilt - I thought I might have the finished top to show you until I decided to add two more rows of blocks. I love bow tie blocks and who knew I had so much red fabric?

6. Commissioned Tree Quilt - I just have to add the brown flange and white border and this will be ready to quilt. I am loving it and am on track to finish by the 15th! Yea!

7. Flower Garden Quilt - very slowly but surely it is progressing.

8. Crazy Quilt - No progress
9. Scrappy 9 Patches - no progress
10. Dresden Plates - no progress
11. Tumbler Quilt For Jane Marie - Pulled fabrics.

I've Finished Blocks 6-9 Giveaway!

2011-09-02T08:17:00.001-05:00

Giveaway now closed.

1. Pat from FL & MI, Block 9, Double Star, 2. Block 9, Double Star, 3. SBS block #7, 4. Star of Virginia, 5. Flying Geese - "Magic Style", 6. DSCN2663, 7. Skill Builder Sampler Block 8, 8. Skill Builder Sampler: Block 9, 9. Block no:8 Flying geese

I love seeing all of the blocks you guys have made! Leave a comment in this post if you have finished Blocks 6-9. Up for grabs this week are four fat quarters of some of my favorite red fabrics.

Four vintage inspired prints by American Jane and Cosmo Cricket.

Giveaway closes Friday Sep 9th at 7:30 am Central Time - ie after the kids go to school. :)

Another Baby Quilt Start

2011-09-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

My sister in law is having a baby this fall and I want to make the newest member of the family a quilt. When I asked about nursery colors she sent me this inspiration picture. Fun!

I pulled these fabrics from my stash. Most of them are from the Meadowsweet line with some dots and checks thrown in. How thrifty to use things I already had - it is always a good idea to buy fabric to have on hand for such occasions. ;)

1. Tufted Tweets quilt, 2. 30s Irish Chain Dresden Plate Quilt Top, 3. swoon quilt 3, 4. Tumbler Quilt

Here are some of the ideas I have for the actual quilt. (Maybe 9 Dresdens instead of Dresdens and 9 patches on the second picture though?) I like them all and think any of them would work well with the fabric. Which do you like the most Charlotte?

Conflicted Cowboy

2011-09-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

I "cowboy-ed up" and finished the quilting on my Amish Braid quilt. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but have you ever been excited about a project, then frustrated during the process and finally, when it is done, you stand back, look at the quilt and say, "Blah, bleck, ugg..." This is one of those quilts.

The pattern and idea are good, but dominate color is all wrong -
and it makes up two thirds of the quilt.

The inner border is too thin.

The quilting is uninspired .

Ugg...

My husband says he'll sleep with it,

but it is one of those quilts that you just want to donate.
And that is ok. I'm not going to be in love with every quilt I make.

Drat all that fabric lint!

There is just one problem. It is destined to be a Moda Bake Shop project for all the quilting world to see. Ugg. It is one thing to share not-your-best-work quilts with blog friends who have seen your other work and know that this isn't as good as it gets, but rather humbling to be obliged to share it with thousands of strangers.

Maybe I will be able to get some pictures that make it look better. Maybe when the Bake Shop staff see it they will change their minds and won't want to publish it - that would be a good thing. Maybe it isn't really that bad...

...I just needed to vent now. I think it is probably poor form to say that you don't like the quilt you made the same day it goes live at the Bake Shop. ;)

**Edited to clarify: It is not in the Bake Shop yet, I just finished it yesterday and will send the finished tutorial and pictures to them today. It will probably be a few weeks until it is live on their website. I also just got back in from taking some quilt glamour shots and am pleased with how they turned out. The colors look much better than in real life. I don't think I will die of embarrassment anymore. :) Thanks for putting up with my ungrateful whining. :) **

Last Day To Vote!

2011-08-30T09:52:00.000-05:00

I know most of you found my blog through Lee of Freshly Pieced, but for those of you who haven't heard, Lee entered a fabric design contest through Connecting Threads.

This is the fabric she designed. I can see lots of fun projects made out of this. Perhaps a skirt for my 4 year old? I am always on the lookout for a great floral that has lots of colors. It makes letting her dress herself easier on my eyes when all shirts are potential matches. ;)

How to vote? Go to the Connecting Threads site. Lee's design is four rows down on the right side. Find it and click Vote! You can vote for more than one design so go give some other great fabric designs some love - there are some beautiful ones with only a few votes. Kind of sad. Of course we don't want to vote for the competition (Lee currently has 931 votes!), but I think letting someone with only a few votes know that you like their fabric would be heartening for them.

The contest ends tonight! Go Vote!

9 - Double Star

2011-08-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

Peek-a...

Alright! Are you ready for the last flying geese block?

Fabric: Fabric choice is VITAL in this block. You need a light, medium and dark fabric. Choose the lightest fabric in your collection. For the pattern to stand out it must be distinctly different from the medium and dark fabrics. It is not quite as vital for the medium and dark be significantly different from each other as long as there is a high contrast between med/dark and light.

Cutting: There are a lot of pieces in this block so just take your time cutting. I will give measurements for both traditional and magic methods here and for the corner-to-corner method below.

For the traditional and magic methods:

From the light valued fabric cut:

1 - 4.5 inch square

12 - 2 7/8 inch squares (4 many be in one color and 8 in another light color if you desire)

From the medium valued fabric cut:

1 - 5.25 inch square

4 - 2.5 inch squares

From the dark valued fabric cut:

2 - 5.25 inch squares

4 - 2.5 inch squares

For the corner-to-corner method:

From the light valued fabric cut:

1 - 4.5 inch square

24 - 2.5 inch squares

From the medium fabric cut:

4 - 4.5 x 2.5 inch rectangles

1 - 2.5 inch squares

From the dark valued fabric cut:

8 - 4.5 x 2.5 inch rectangles

4 - 2.5 inch squares

Sewing: Now it is time to make our flying geese. For this block you get to choose whichever method you prefer. In the end we want to have 4 medium geese with light sides and 8 dark geese with light sides.

If you are doing the traditional method, cut the 5.25 inch squares in quarters on the diagonal. Cut the light fabric in half on the diagonal also. Piece the light triangles on each side of each light and dark triangle as explained in this post.

For the magic method draw a line from corner to corner of each of the light squares and follow the instructions given in this post.

For the corner-to-corner method, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each of the small light squares and follow the piecing directions in this post.

Once you have made all of the flying geese units, lay them out as shown above. That's right, there are two different designs you can made depending on which direction the outer round of geese face. I think I kind of like the one I didn't choose better - oh, well.

Once they are laid out how you want them, piece the inner star. Sew the squares to either side of the top and bottom goose and sew the side geese to the large middle square.

Next sew the top and bottom pieces to the middle section of the star.

I like to pin where the seams match up at the edge of the corner squares and in the middle of the flying goose.

The center is done! Now to piece the outer round of geese. Sew two geese together for the sides - press seams open (I know, I never say that, but these seams are Bulky!) Sew two geese and the corner squares together for the top and bottom sections.

Attach the sides, pinning at all intersections.

Attach the top and bottom strip.

You are done!

Great Job!

Boo!

Famous!

2011-08-26T08:48:00.000-05:00

Not :)

But I am being featured over at Gen X Quilters.

Thanks AnneMarie!

Head on over and see what my sewing room looks like when I spend some quality time cleaning it. :)

Corner to Corner Method for Making Flying Geese

2011-08-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will post instructions for our last Flying Geese block. I was planning on showing how to make some of the flying geese units with the corner-to-corner method, but I don't have very much of the light yellow fabric I want to use and this method is a bit wasteful of fabric. So I am just going to introduce the corner-to-corner method tonight.

The pros of this method are that it is fast, easy to be accurate and the math is very straightforward. It is also useful if you only have to make one or two units. The only negative is that it uses more fabric than the other methods.

To make a flying goose unit cut a rectangle 1/2 inch longer and wider than the finished flying goose unit. This will be your goose. The sides are made from two squares that are 1/2 inch larger than the height of the finished unit.

The rectangle in this example is 4.5 x 2.5. The squares are 2.5 x 2.5. Draw a line from one corner to the other of each square.

Place one square on the side of the rectangle and sew ON the line.

Trim off the corner and press.

Place the other square on the other side of the rectangle with the diagonal line running up towards the other side piece.

Stitch on the line. Trim off the excess - be sure to leave at least a quarter inch seam allowance.

Press and you are done.

Now you know three ways to make flying geese: The traditional/exact method, the "Magic" method and the corner to corner method.

Here are some more very detailed posts on making flying geese units from the Skill Builder Series you might want to read:
Traditional, Squares/Corner-to-Corner and Dimensional
Magic Method (she doesn't call it that, but that's what she means :) )

P.S. It is getting late, my mind is fuzzy, Block 9's tutorial isn't done and the kids have dentist appointments tomorrow morning...so the next block probably won't be posted until tomorrow afternoon. Sorry. It will be worth the wait though. It is one of my favorite blocks so far.