Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery, part one, done!  One hundred and ninety-two four patch, plus a few more for good measure.



 

 

Just Takes 2 piecing and applique, done!  Just need to decided what I'm going to do on the signature block.



 

And, mother-in-law's top done for Christmas, almost done!  Just a bit more stitching to go on the applique.  The pattern is Penny-Wise by Kim Diehl (that seriously needs a name change before giving it to my m-i-l, lol!).



 

What was I thinking?! and Easy Street fabrics

I've been working away at quilting my son's T Shirt quilt, to have it mostly done before Christmas creeps up on me, so I set myself a goal of having it all quilted but the binding by November 23....why that date?  Because  a Bonnie Hunter mystery starts that day!!  I'm not very good at doing a lot of sewing at one time, so I'm not sure how much time this quilt might take up...and Bonnie's quilts always have lots of sewing!!

So, back to the T Shirt quilt.  When I began to do the quilting, I looked at the cornerstone blocks, and thought what?!!!  Why on earth did I do that ?!!!  Look....the block, I guess you could call it a kind of uneven nine patch, is uneven in the opposite way to the sashing..what was I thinking?



 

It looks okay, but really, did I plan it like that?  My EQ drawing shows it like that, did I just not notice that it was "opposite" to the sashing, or did I do it in purpose?  I sure wish I knew, lol.

 

When Bonnie Hunter announced her latest mystery quilt, I told myself that I would only do it if I could come up with fabrics from my stash...and I did.  Pink, blue, green, white/ivory background, and black "constant".  Hope this works!!



 

Jacqueline's Album and applique methods

I've completed the first two rows of Jacqueline's Album (pattern by Lori Smith) quilt.  There is supposed to be an American eagle type design in the second block, second row.  I substituted that with a different Lori Smith block, one that I thought my Aunt Jacqueline my like.

 



 

I'm using the back basting method of applique...here's the back of one of the blocks....it really amazes me how accurate the placement and shape of applique is achieved with this method!  There are plenty of tutorials around the web on how to back baste...Gayle at Sentimental Stitches is a good place to start.



 

There are many methods of hand applique preparation, and I think I've tried them all.  Backbasting did take some practice and trial and error finding the right needle and thread for the backbasting sewing.  I'm now using Star hand quilting thread and a size 7 sharp needle.  The hand quilting thread is quite stiff and thick, the sharp needle has a thick diameter from tip to end, these two in combination leave a good enough hole in the fabrics to follow when sewing the applique piece.  I also find that doing the backbasting several hours before the applique seems to set the holes to follow.

The great thing about backbasting for me was the accurate placement, especially for those symmetrical designs.

And then I recently received a copy of Jeanna Kimball's Red and Green, An Applique Tradition.  Jeanna provides many terrific stories and information about the history of applique and how various patterns may have been developed.

What I really took from this book was that Jeanna encourages the applique maker to develop her own designs, taking the templates and layouts provided and arranging them in a way that appeals to you...not necessarily following a traditional layout for a block.



 

 

This puts a whole different spin on my efforts to duplicate exactly  the Jacqueline's Album design.  I'll continue along as I have been on this quilt...but I can see an applique quilt in my future where I'm not going to think too much about exact mirror image symmetry!

 

 

Antique Sampler top done!

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1205" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Antique Sampler, top only[/caption]

I just love this quilt!  The pattern and quilt designed by Sue Daley was one of those quilts that I wanted to make exactly as the original...no design tweaks, no changes of colour scheme or types of fabrics, no block substitutions, no size change, nothing!  I did the quilt as block of the month from Quilter's Paradise (Califorina) and they did a terrific job in their fabric choices.

I enjoyed every bit of sewing in this quilt...all hand applique and english paper piecing.  The only machine stitching was to stitch the blocks together into the setting and to stitch on the borders.

Works in progress

Keeping up with Just Takes 2...here are the blocks so far for the third quarter...I think this quilt is going to be a stunner!

 



 

And, just six more applique blocks and some star blocks for Stars and Sprigs.  I'm pretty sure I'm changing the setting.  The original has a marvelous applique border.  But since I like my quilts to be mostly useable, I don't think that the border would be all that practical.  So I finally came up with the idea of embroidering it with an outline stitch; then, I came up with the idea of medallion setting with the applique border on the inside of the quilt; then I thought maybe I'll embroider that inner border.  So still thinking.



 

 

[caption id="attachment_1162" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Stars and Sprigs by Kim McLean[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1163" align="aligncenter" width="300"] EQ sketch of Stars and Sprigs medallion[/caption]

 

 

 

 

Quilts to consider

 

I thought I'd share this link to Sue Garman's blog where she shows off her new quilt, Afternoon Delight.  Scroll down until you see some wonderful applique pictures!

 

And here's a link to the Caswell Quilt.  Corliss Searcy has drawn a pattern for it.

 

I've been busy with hand applique over the past few days.  I completed  two blocks of  Jacqueline's Album first row.

[caption id="attachment_1146" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jacqueline's Album first row[/caption]

 

 

 

 

Waiting to be a grandmother!

Our first grandbaby is ready to be born, likely sometime tonight!  I've been nervously waiting for text updates from my son at the hospital...waiting for when we can come!  The hospital is just under an hour away, so he's waiting till things are really progressing before calling in the parents!!  I think I'm beginning to relate to those fathers from years gone by who weren't allowed in the labour and delivery rooms!

I did put together the Garden Fence quilt top...during which I made way too many cutting errors on the borders as my thoughts were definitely elsewhere...but I did end up with a quilt I'm thrilled with!

 

[caption id="attachment_1133" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Garden Fence, 66" x 66"[/caption]

 

Clamshell Border

The Antique Sampler quilt has a clamshell border, where each clamshell shape is english paperpieced, joined in a row, then appliqued on to the base fabric.  As mentioned in an earlier post, I had to make up my own method on how to do this consistently.  The centre blocks of the quilt are reverse applique circles...the fabric left from cutting those circles is what's used in the clamshells.  A template makes it easy to cut the clamshell shape.  But now you have a piece of fabric with a 1/4" seam allowance all around, so I pinned the paper piecing shape to the fabric to leave the seam allowance unfolded (as this will later form part of the seam allowance to sew the border onto the quilt)

.

The clamshells are then set together to form a row.  Each is joined along the side with the usual small stitching done for english paper piecing.



I quickly discovered that I had to determine a consistent point at which to stop the stitching....where was my "top" of the side?  Placing a pin at the stopping point let me make a consistent looking curve from piece to piece.

Whimsical Garden progress

I did come up with some great applique setting designs in Electric Quilt, but they couldn't be used as the applique elements in this quilt overlap on to other blocks.  Eventually, I had this idea, to apply narrow sashings between the blocks, which I think worked well enough to make some difference in the quilt's overall appearance.

 

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I made narrow strips of the fabric that's in the block frames...a clover bias tape maker that I usually use for making stems gave me the finished edge.  I cut 1/2" strips from the fabric and sprayed with Best Press. Put the fabric through the bias tape maker, and voila!  instant narrow sashing!

I "quilted" it on to the quilt with a narrow serpentine (curvy) stitch, following the seam line between the blocks.  In this picture it looks like its not quite on centre, but I don't think fussi-ness is necessary in this quilt, because the whole thing has a folk-art-primitive feeling.

Antique Sampler, centre blocks all done!

It's a beautiful Victoria Day weekend here, even a little too warm yesterday!  I enjoyed a few early mornings sewing outside on the deck, and finished the last of the centre blocks for the Antique Sampler, designed by Sue Daley.

64 - six inch blocks, and 9 - twelve inch blocks, each with a reverse applique background, four each of sixteen different motifs on the centre,  plus three more motifs for the larger blocks, each either english paper pieced and appliqued or just appliqued.  A lot of hand sewing!!

I fell in love with this quilt just as it is shown in the pattern picture.  There was nothing I wanted to change...except maybe the centre block (which I did, by not including the red circles on the tree).  It isn't often I see a quilt that I want just like it is, with no, well I would do this colour, or this arrangement, or that border.  I could never have kept my commitment to this quilt without doing it as a block of the month - Quilters Paradise in Clovis, California, did a wonderful job on the monthly kits; offering lots of variety of fabrics in good sizes.  Next to sew are all the outside border tongues, these are made from the fabrics that were cut from the blocks when preparing the reverse applique.

More applique play

I made yet another partial applique block yesterday – this time a design from one of Kim Diehl’s book.  I’ve now decided that I definitely need to treat myself to some new fabric :)

I’m bored with my stash; unhappy with how the fabrics I want to use are looking in the projects I thought they’d be good for.  Time for some new stuff – some style familiar, not so different that I won’t be happy working with it – but different enough that I get a little lift.

I’m also looking for a “just right” pattern – not really flowers, vines, wreaths, samplers – I’m looking for some pattern that has a repetition of a single block.  Something I can slowly work away at, just to keep up my needleturn skills.

I keep thinking of the Applique Sampler I did from the Piece O Cake ladies – that quilt was all done in FigTree quilts moda fabric.  I love the look, but never went back to it.  Kind of got stuck in a rut of civil war repros, and tiny prints and tone on tones.  Tried some brights, but they weren’t my style.

So I’ll do some shopping, I’ve got yet another pattern in mind, Twining Blooms & Baskets by Elly Sienkiewicz and hopefully have some positive results soon!

Tiger Lily applique

I’ve completd a Tiger Lily block, pattern by Ruth Ohol (Quilters Newsletter April/04) . The sashing and centre block look a little odd as I haven't pieced it yet, and am still thinking about those fabrics.

I had originally planned to do a lap or full sized quilt, but realize
now that I think this block would be a great spring wallhanging. I'll
do the floral middle border as in the pattern, and larger pieced
triangles as inner and outer borders.

Cherry Berry Album

I started this project in September, five blocks left to go. The pattern is from Betty Alderman's book, Favourite Applique And Emboirdery Quilts.

I wanted to make this bright, so I've used assorted batiks in colours similar to those in the original quilt. What makes the blocks wonderful is the 30 wt. Sulky Blendables thread - those colours shine! I might have used the 12 wt., but I had already had a few of the 30 wt., so it was less expensive to just add a couple rather than buy several new spools.

It started out as hand blanket stitch, but I got involved in other hand work, and wanted to see this top progress, so I changed over to machine blanket stitch - right in the middle of the third block! I was quite surprised and happy to see how well the two get along - there really is very little difference.

Whitework Sampler

I set out to hand applique a pattern called Whitework Sampler by the Rabbit Factory. I settled on a deep yellow with the white applique - my problem is that all the tone on tone whites I've got seem to be wimpy - flimsy, almost transparent, no uummpph.

After needleturn applique-ing part of one block, I remembered Sue Nickel's book about machine applique and proceeded to make a block by decorating the yellow background with machine stitches, then using fusible to machine stitch the applique -

While I think this is great, I'm really not interested in doing a bed sized quilt with fusible applique - I think that the method is great for smaller quilts but I'd be concerned that with a bed sized quit it would jsut get weighed down and stiff, no matter how little fusible I tried to use.

I completed this block last weekend and have since been thinking about it in the back of my mind - I'm now trying different colour combinations and trying to determine if I can find a white fabric with more body.

Sally Post Floral Sampler

This quilt pattern was presented by Gayle at Sentimental Stitches,(http://sentimentalstitches.net/) recreating an original quilt by Sally Post, c. 1854. When quilting, I put buttons on the sashing squares and yo yos on the border corner squares, to pick up the 30s fabric theme that I used.

Butterfly Garden

This week, I did a lot of applique - partly because I wasn't having fun quilting the Sally Post Sampler. I did one block of Butterfly Garden, an easy needleturn quilt from the summer issue of Fons & Porter. I liked this block because it gives free rein to completely mix up colours, use big prints, some uglies from the stash, and just generally go wild with no concern at all for a colour scheme.

I have mixed feelings about the finished block - its very large (to me, who usually works on smaller pieces), I don't like the flower and especially its leaves, and I'm not happy with the solid black I chose for the butterfly body.

What I'll do with the next one is try a 9" block instead of 12", try a black and white print fabric for the body, and use a different flower and leaves. The Piece O Cake book Applique Delights has a few ideas, and so does Janet Pitmans' Applique, the Basics and Beyond. I may end up making the quilt from 12, 9 and 6 inch blocks, with various flowers and leaves or none at at all on the smaller blocks.

I also completed another 21 birds block, and got everything organized and fused - and even started sewing - the next Cherry Berry Album block.

A Picture of indecision!

Yesterday I found myself planning yet another applique quilt - I think I found just the one that will give me the easy needleturn that I need. When I looked for a drawer in my sewing room that could hold the pattern and fabrics, look what I found:

There are ten blocks here - and these are just the ones I found in the drawer. I think there might be a couple more lurking around elsewhere - and I'm almost certain that some backgrounds I re-used after unstitching a piece or two. And don't forget - these represent not just sewing a patch or more, but planning a quilt layout colours and drawing templates or preparing a block for backbasting.Even I was suprised to see just how much trouble I've been having with making a decision on applique.




I'm not indecisive on planning piecing - I find a block or quilt I like, change it or tweak it a bit, pick the colours, and get going!

I did get some piecing done this weekend - three more flannel peaks blocks, and one more block from the 30s sampler.

Hand Blanket Stitch

Here's the first of Twenty One Birds....pretty cute, eh? He just makes me smile. So I'll have to remember to sew on of these whenever I'm feeling tense - its quick and easy, fusible and hand blanket stitch with two strands of floss. I did the wing's stitches a little larger to give it more accent.

Meanwhile, I've discovered that I can't needleturn applique Cherry Berry Album. I tend to have eye fatigue, hand shakes, and some coordination problems and the small details in this pattern are just too much for me to do well. So I've ended up deciding to do that one with a hand blanket stitch as well. With the blanket stitch, I can just keep poking at the cloth until I'm sure I'm where I want to be, there's no risk of fraying, the thread is easy to see. I've started stitching it with two strands of sulky cotton blendables 30 wt. I think it looks good so far. Hopefully a picture will be here by the end of the weekend.

So now I'm without a needle turn project, which is disappointing. Perhaps I can keep looking and find one with very easy curves and points.

I still haven't turned on a sewing machine all week - today I would really like to get going on some piecing or quilting as I do enjoy it so much - if I don't get caught up with looking for yet another applique pattern!

21 Birds

21 Birds could also be called, 21 different ways to do applique....

Indecision seems to rule my quilting life. Once I get a "good idea" in my head, I can't seem to let go of it until I have come up with a plan to incorporate it into something. This often leads to a domino effe ct amongst my list of quilts to do.

I received Betty Alderman's book and was still very happy with the Cherry Berry Album pattern. I quickly discovered though that some of the pieces would be challenging for my experience with needleturn, and perhaps I ought to look into other ways of making up this design. Betty Alderman uses fused pieces and hand blanket stitch.

Onto an email group, Applique Addicts, where I got great help. Into my books and patterns and samples, where I had more ideas to think about. Wool applique for this quilt was definitely calling my name.

All said and done, I think I've decided to stick with needleturn for Cherry Berry Album, redraw some templates to make it a bit easier for needleturn and embellish where necessary with hand embroidery stitches. I've also found enough batiks and hand dyes to use on this project, with just a bit of supplementing from the quilt shop, as I do think they will behave better on the tight curves and long narrow inner points.

And, as I am still interested in exploring hand blanket stitch, but not wanting to buy more fabric, I've decided to pursue another quilt called 21 Birds (from the book Stitched Raw Edge Applique by Sue Holly and Pat Nickels) - using fused applique and hand blanket stitch. So I've added another project to the list, and I certainly won't be lacking choices when I sit to do some hand sewing when resting or in the evening.

I'm still in a stage of not feeling up to much, I haven't turned on a sewing machine or an iron, or picked up a rotary cutter, since Friday. I hope that I can get to work on something today - even if its finishing my EQ lessons, or starting on one of those birds! I might even get the templates and overlays done for one of the Cherry Berry blocks.

Where I'm At - Current Projects

I'm tired and recovering from all the intense work on the fair quilts....I've also had an intense week dealing with Wendy's 16th birthday and especially the complete mess up of her timetable, including missing classes, and an additional computer glitch where she lost an entire two credits from last year. That, and coaching and monitoring Scott's entry into first year high school.

So, I will sit and ponder what I've got in my definite would like to work on projects for the remainder of the year -

Quilting -

• Almost Log Cabin - I've started quilting this, and really only have about a day's work left
• Sally Post Floral Sampler - an almost queen size quilt that is ready for basting, and I would like to have ready for the church at the end of September
• Three small Christmas/Winter theme quilts - these are small wallhangings or table toppers that I started as gifts for my sisters and sister in law last Christmas, they're basted and ready to go - they're definitely headed out the door this year, but to whom I'm no longer certain
• Sudoku - this one I started quilting when my Sapphire came back to me, reincarnated as an 870. Practiced and got my faith back in using the Sapphire before starting the fair quilts - I'm in no hurry to finish this by any specific time

Piecing and machine applique

• Strippy Basket Sampler - this just needs wide borders added, to make it a bit bigger for my Mom, and needs to be quilted by Christmas!
• Redwork Christmas and Jelly Roll - I have to start giving this some serious thought - I have a machine embroidery disk for the Snowman Collector quilt by the Stitch Connection, and a winter themed jelly roll bought last year - should this be a lap quilt or a wallhanging? This Chrimas or next?
• Flannel peaks, the delectable mountain pattern that has the preliminary cutting done - I'd like this top done in January but its such an easy one to pick up the odd block or two I just might have the top done much sooner
• 30s sampler - long term project that I'd like to work a little bit on each week or two
• two BOM quilts - Jan Patek's 2008-2009 girl gang, and Liz Lois' Just Plain Nuts

For me, this list is too heavy on the quilting and too light on the piecing. I have a few other ufos and wips that I might get into this fall, and I certainly would like to make a new small (20 x 20) wallhanging for a certain area in my home; and also, a new Christmas wall hanging (36" square or so) to replace a wreath wall hanging that's been in use for too many years.

Handwork

• Applique - the Cherry Berry Sampler pattern book arrived, and I'm still in love with it. Some pieces look a bit challenging for needleturn, especially if not using the firmly woven batiks or handdyes. So I'm thinking about whether to indeed go with batiks, or stick with the fabrics I've chosen and do fusible applique with hand blanket stitch.
• Hexagons - yep, I'm still slowly working with those vintage fabrics and english paper pieced hexagons
• Hand piecing! - I would very much like to explore this a bit more, especially as I have a small collection Australian Patchwork and Quitling magazines that have a number of patterns that can really only be done well by hand piecing, and I think I'd enjoy learning

Okay, now I'm beginning to wish I never started this. I don't know if it makes me feel better to see how much I can do, or be thinking that I've set too many goals. Quilting is more than a hobby to me. As I am almost housebound, I have plenty of time to work on projects when the time is right. Despite being able to work only about a half hour at a time, and a doctor's rule of resting - one time rest for 2 times activity (meaning, 1/2 hour of activity means 15 minutes of rest); and often one time rest for one time activity; its amazing how much I can get done. Whenever I have the opportunity to try something new, or learn something new, I can. I'm studying Patsy Thompson's free motion dvds - fantastic - and I'm also taking a Quilt U class on Electric Quilt layouts.

Wish me luck - and please don't tell me how many days until Christmas!