Posts categorized: Quilting

Tiger Lily Block Swap Set 1

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I joined a group doing block swaps at the LQS. It seems to be a sort of democratic process, in that there’s not a specific goal in mind for the full quilt, but we meet up and choose a new block after each swap. The first swap is of a very simple Puss in the Corner block (their name; I would probably just call it an Uneven Nine Patch, because I think Puss in the Corner usually has additional pieces around the outside of this portion).

We get instructions and materials requirements for making 20 blocks (in this case, 10 “positive” and 10 “negative” ones), then when we’re done, we turn them in and get 20 blocks back. It will result in a scrappy quilt of 19th c. repro-style fabrics.

You don’t get your own block back (unless for some reason there are fewer than 10 people who submit blocks), but there is enough extra fabric to make a spare pair if you’d like.

There’s also been a discussion of having additional mini swaps of smaller blocks from the scraps for a border or something of that sort.

I like my blocks, but I haven’t decided whether I want to make a pair for myself or use the spare fabric for other blocks in the quilt.

They look especially nice mixed together

When I picked out my fabrics, I just went with what drew me in. It started with the white vines and pink flowers print, and I picked up on that pink color to try to tie the selections together. Have you ever had a color that you once despised, and then found yourself using all the time? Pink is that one for me, particularly magentas, fuchsias, and shocking pinks. I don’t know what it is, but all of the sudden it’s appearing everywhere for me. In my clothing, in my stash, in my projects. I am still not a huge fan of baby/pale pink, though, at least. If I ever am, you might want to search around for a body pod.

Quick journal of fabrics used for future reference:

More Pink & Chocolate c. 1860-1885 (Windham)
Friendship Collection for a Cause [c. 1855] (Moda)
Leesburg by Jo Morton (Andover)

(I’ll add the other three prints when figure out what they are…)

I can’t wait to get my swapped blocks back and to see what’s next!

Foto Freitag

Posted in Quilting

Two blocks down, 18 to go for the LQS’ block swap. (Actually, I’m about 80% there, I just need to do two seams on each of the remaining blocks).

You know what would make a better Foto Freitag? A photo of my baby niece who was born this morning! Alas, I won’t be able to take her photo until December. But, that’s the latest news in my world this week.

Lazy Work and Regency Workshops

Posted in Quilting

We took a trip to Trenton Falls this weekend. What was once one of the places to nature walk in the 19th Century is now only open two weekends a year. This is the first year I’ve been, and the short walk was definitely worth it. The falls and foliage were gorgeous.

Perhaps some year I can convince a group to go in 19th century clothing like in the days of old (granted, the trails are much improved and restrictive in modern times—we couldn’t see the falls further up stream this year). Carl just rolled his eyes when I suggested such a thing, however.

I think the changing seasons really got to me though, as I spent yesterday morning in bed, and the afternoon watching the second series of Sherlock, a bit of Doctor Who, and making progress on my first EPP block. It’s quite slow going, but fun nonetheless.

Finally, if you are in the northern New York area, consider going to the Women’s Day for the War of 1812 Bicentennial Workshops being held in Ogdensburg, NY on November 3. It’s a day of workshops including making a bonnet, chatelaine, and English dancing, as well as readings from women of the period. You can learn a bit more and get information about registering on the 1812 Quilt Challenge Blog. It’s a bit of a drive for me (2.5 hours or so), but it sounds like a good excuse to break out my Regency gown again (and take photos so that I can post all about it, finally).

Foto Freitag

Posted in Quilting

Choosing a binding was hard. Arduous. I wanted to use leftover scraps, but piecing those small triangles meant that my planning failed again and I didn’t have enough. I think it would have gotten lost in the top anyhow. The only semi-matching fabrics in my stash were solids: a yellow (Kona Canary, I think) and a dark purple (Moda Bella Terrain Iris).

I asked Twitter. Susan and my sister both said yellow (or scrappy), but in person it just looked so wrong. Too bright, too off from the other yellows in the quilt. Carl agreed.

So, I went with purple. It’d be nice if it were lighter, but it is very close to the darkest purple in the prints, and frames it well enough. It’s fine. I’m happier with it than the quilting, at least.

It’ll be a few weeks before I write up the finished quilt. It has to be delivered first.

Saturday Sampler Q3

Posted in Quilting

Back in April, I showed you my first three Saturday Sampler blocks, then in July the second set of three. Here are the three for quarter three, which I call the quarter of on-point squares.

For those who missed the explanation the first time around, this is a monthly block meetup at my LQS. Every year, they choose a theme for the 12 monthly blocks, and this year’s is “Road Trip.” We meet up the last Sat. of the month, learn how to make the block, and are given precut strips to complete it with. They chose to do this one out of batiks.

In July, we went back to the Midwest and made Kansas Star…

…which was the first time I’d ever heard someone suggest pressing open seams in real life.

In August, we took a trip north to the Chicago Pavements…

…so many little squares, but it came together surprisingly easy

And September found us in NYC, Union Square to be specific…

…which will need a little tweaking to get into the quilt without losing the points of the nine-patch. Oops.

I’m no closer to figuring out a layout for the blocks, and I’m concerned that I’ll miss the last two sessions anyhow as one falls the weekend of Thanksgiving, and the other the weekend prior to New Year’s, for which we’ll be in Missouri. We’ll see what happens.

Do you want to see the final three blocks before or after I finish the quilt top early next year?

I’m Jumping In: EPP

Posted in Quilting

… and possibly divorcing the Farmer, but more on that after I explain the EPP.

I’m really trying to get more involved in the local quilting community, and meet more local people. When the LQS announced that they are going to have a monthly sit-and-sew focusing on English Paper Piecing, I decided that it is a great way to do that, as well as try EPP, as I’ve been wanting to do lately, all in the cold winter months.

So I am, starting today.

It’s not something we have to pay for, but we are required to get one of two books and must work on an EPP project while we are there. The two books they specified are English Paper Piecing: Fresh New Quilts from Bloom Creek and Lucy Boston: Patchwork of the Crosses.

I bought English Paper Piecing, as it was the one in stock (and was cheaper, and struck me as a more general-purpose book, and “of the Crosses” didn’t seem my style, etc.), but I’m rather disappointed. For a book titled as a specific technique, one would think more than a few pages would be dedicated to that specific technique. But, that’s all there is. And, most of the projects in the book simply combine small bits of EPP with other techniques (mostly machine piecing and applique). I don’t have an alternative to recommend, but frankly, if you’re looking for a beginning EPP book, I don’t think this is the right one unless you’re particularly drawn to one of the projects.

Meanwhile, I looked up Lucy Boston. She was a rather interesting lady! Somehow, I made it through childhood having never read her books (a point I plan on remedying post haste). But, her patchworks are very interesting as well, so I think the second book may join my library eventually (although I have doubts that it is a great resource on EPP too). There’s a coffee table-style book about her as well (Patchworks of Lucy Boston), which I wish my local library system had, but alas.

As to my statement about divorcing the Farmer—I haven’t even opened the box in which my Farmer’s Wife project lives for over a year, yet I truly love the fabrics I was using. So, I think I’m going to shift them to this EPP project and plan a way to use the Farmer’s Wife blocks I did complete (perhaps minus a few I wasn’t happy with, plus a couple more if I feel motivated) in the EPP quilt. They could make an interesting border or a patchwork medallion—but most of all, they will get out of the box and into a quilt top someday.

These are the fabrics I started with for FWQAL

I think it’s a good compromise. An amicable split, if you will. Here the blocks are again, looking bright and happy last August before I put them away.

Now I just need to sort out the type of EPP project I want to make before the first event. I better get brainstorming!

Do you have a favorite EPP book?

When Planning Fails

Posted in Quilting

My original intent was to show you this project again only after completely piecing the top together. But instead, I’m going to point out my major math/planning fail. Last night, I finished piecing the HSTs for the Impressions Baby Quilt. Don’t they look nice on ~~my design wall~~ the piece of batting I hung on the wall?

But looking at my desk, I still have all of these:

Which is many more pieces than the four or so I expected to have after planning this all out extensively. (So, this could be worse—I could have been short; extra fabric’s not bad, right?)

How many 6″ squares can you get out of a fat quarter? The correct answer is nine. For some reason, my brain was dead set on believing it was only six. And so, when I planned this quilt out, I did so with the idea that I only had six squares of each fabric (or 12 triangles).

The result of that belief was that I had to get creative with my color scheming, since I didn’t have quite enough yellow to continue the diamond patern. I was going to eek out the quilt top and scrappy binding with naught but a few slivers leftover from the twelve fat quarters I started with. I even had to piece together the small triangles for the four blocks that have three pieces instead of two (the ones that comprise the points of the heart).

In reality, I have enough yellow to get much closer to my original plan and make at least one doll quilt to boot. I didn’t even need to piece those other triangles from the leftover strips.

I’ll be whipping up more HSTs with the leftovers now, and swapping out some of the squares on the design wall before piecing the top together.

At least there will be a doll quilt out of it all? (I do so like having that extra small quilt for the baby I gift the larger one to.)

Have you made serious mathematical errors before? Does your brain get stuck in an erroneous “this is the right answer” mode?

Foto Freitag

Posted in Quilting

At least I made some progress on one of my projects this week. There’s a method to the madness of HSTs, you just can’t tell yet.

Foto Freitag

Posted in Quilting

Sat and sewed this quick hanging from Fons and Porter Celebrations earlier this week with a group of other ladies. Nothing special, just some fusible applique and some very simple quilting. Trying to finish up the binding over lunch here at work.

Found out that my walking foot and tulle don’t play that well together, but it’s an otherwise fine project.

Foto Friday

Posted in Quilting

Twelve fat quarters, all chopped up into pieces and binding strips. The only waste on this 41″×46″ quilt will be that tangle of strips from squaring up the FQs.