More play today

Yesterday afternoon, I came to a place where I couldn't do anything right in the studio.  I cut a bunch of fabric for a foundation piece block, and when I started working on the units, most of the fabric was cut too small.  I thought I was measuring so carefully, too.  I also sewed pieces wrong at least three times before I called Uncle and just left the studio.  So, today, with the cold  coming on, I decided to start out playing and making fabric.  There is no wrong way to do that.  I chose some spring colors  in preparation for a Victoria swap.  I will find out my partner and get the pattern on Wednesday.  I know it will be pieced flowers of some kind.  I thought the pinks, purples, and blues were good spring colors.  I hope my partner likes them.

The next thing I did was to prepare parts for this block for another bee I am in.  I made the HSTs a new way to me.  I made all eight with only four sewn lines, and no edges on the bias.  I love short cuts that are useful and don't cause further problems down the line.  Speaking of short cuts, my next project was to get ready to demonstrate another of my favorite ones.

Can you guess?  Tomorrow night, I am demonstrating how to make the no waste flying geese.  I have a tutorial here.  For this, I cut six 12" x 12" pieces of foam board and pieces of heavy flannel.  Tom helped me use spray adhesive to attach the flannel to the foam boards.  Now, I have a bunch of great small design squares I can use to hold the different steps.  Then I got into my stash of deconstructed blue and white shirts and started putting together my flying geese parts, step by step.  This was pretty fun to do, and now I finally have the quilt started I want to do with these shirts.  What could be better than that?

In the mail today, I got another rainbow block and the house blocks from that exchange.  I will put them up and take a photo of them later in the week.  Right now, there is no room on the design wall.

One last thing I want to add is that I am having trouble editing my favorites blog roll and there are a bunch of blogs I have recently found that I want to add because they are such fun and have such wonderful work.  I will keep trying so you can see them, too.

Now, until Friday, joyful quilting everyone.

Some orphan blocks and stacks of flying geese

Today, I decided to play with flying geese.  These are beginnings of the next border for my KT Perennials quilt.  They are 3"x6" finished.  I used fourteen of the patterns in the fat eights bundle I got from Green Fairy Quilts.  If you haven't purchased fabric from them, you have really missed out.  They have great sales and the shipping is very fast.  Their selection seems somewhat limited, but what there is is wonderful.
Back to the geese.  These borders will go around the center that you can see on the design wall here.  The blocks in the center are 12" squares and the borders are 3".  So far, I have used two different fabrics for the backgrounds and borders.  I shopped my stash for both, but I think I am going to have to purchase some yardage to finish the next three borders.  This is a pretty traditional quilt, but I do like it all.
When I was searching for fabric, I  found a small box holding these little beauties.

Many years ago (the 70s, I think), I fell in love with the Hmong reversed applique and embroidery called Pa nDau, or flower cloth.  This is a very old style of needlework that was done by the women in the culture.  The Hmong lived simple agrarian lives in the mountains until the Vietnam war.  They became allies of the United States, which put them at risk at the end of the war.  They took refuge in refugee camps in Thailand and Laos until they could relocate.  Many of them ended up on the U.S.  I purchased these blocks from a group of Hmong women in Seattle who came together to help support their families with their fine work.  I am so glad I found these again.

Here is a close up of the front and back of one of the more elaborately embroidered pieces.  The stitches are minuscule, and the work is incredible.  I don't know what I will do with these treasures, but I will think of something.  They will be interesting in a small quilt.  Hmmmm.

Tomorrow, I have to muck out my studio and the guest room to get ready for my sister in law.  I want to make room for her to work on her quilts while she is here.  This is going to be so much fun!

Joyful quilting, everyone.

A little of this, a little of that

At last!  The intuition quilt is finished and I have been snuggling under it for a couple of days.  Yes, it is chilly and raining again here in Renton, Washington.  I try not to have issues with the weather around here.  After all, it is what it is, and I have chosen to live here knowing that.  However, this time of year, I do yearn for 75 degree days with beautiful blue skies.  At least, I have this quilt done to keep me warm.  I have decided to call it "Self Portrait."  It has a bit of controlled chaos, and that pretty much describes how I am most days.  It works for me, though.

I always love getting squishy envelopes in the mail, and this one was a real surprise.  Karen G at K's Quilting Corner sent me a thank you note with this totally cute thread catcher inside.  As you can see, I have already put it to good use.  I love the colors and the fabric and just the convenience of having a little thread catcher right there on the table.  Thank you so much Karen.

I spent a little time today making heart blocks.  This one was made with my crazy made fabric.  They are freehand and a little wonky, but that is intentional. I used a double buttonhole stitch for the upper heart, and a fancy flower pattern for the bottom one.  I am getting better at this machine applique, but it is still pretty new to me.  I would like to get really good at it before I tackle a big project I have on the drawing board. This block is 8 1/2 inches square. It will be going to an online quilting friend.

This one is going to be my next AAQI quilt after I use it as an example of what you can do with the rainbow of geese I am teaching my guild next week.  Again, I used some of my crazy made fabric for the heart.  My wonderful husband really likes the one above, but this heart doesn't make it for him.  He does like the rainbow geese, though.  I used a single buttonhole stitch for the heart and I pieced the curves for the rainbow arch.  I am calling this one God's Promise.  It is 9 1/2" by 8 1/2".  I think the binding will be a dark color and the back will be more of the background color.





The last thing I worked on today was to get En Vino Veritas up on the design wall.  All the blocks are sewn, and I am pretty happy with the layout.  There is supposed to be another row, but I wanted the bottom and the top to look the same, so I left it off.  Now I have six extra blocks.  I will probably make a pillow out of four of them.  I haven't made a pillow in ages, and we could certainly use some.  The process for making this quilt has been a bit repetitive, and when that happens, I tend to make mistakes.  I only messed up twice on this so far.  I intend to be more careful piecing this all together.  Hopefully, I will make progress on that tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

The seam ripper is my friend

I couldn't resist posting this photo of our lilac tree/bush.  I grew up loving lilacs.  My grandmother wore Avon's lilac water all the time, and it is a smell that takes me back to her warm cozy home every time.   This year, our lilac has more blossoms on it than it has had since we moved here.  It smells so wonderful as you walk through the gate to the back yard.  I will probably cut some to bring in the house in the next couple of days.  I am so excited we have this tree and that it is in full bloom this year.
In more quilty news, I spent the bulk of the day yesterday working on Hokule'a.  I finished piecing the circle of geese and am very happy with the results.  When I laid them over the star compass, I decided I really did not like the job I did with the double button hole stitch on the star compass.  I didn't like the color of thread I selected, either.  So, what is a quilter to do?  I got out my trusty Bernina seam ripper and started carefully taking out stitches.  Have you ever spent time taking out double button hole stitches?  Believe me when I tell you it is not much fun.  It took the better part of the afternoon and evening.  I had to quit when my eyes gave out on me.  I finished this morning.  Then, I went to the store and picked up more King Tut in a color better suited for the project, and started over again.

My first mistakes were twofold.  I did not use a fusible, and I did not use a backing.  Beginner's mistakes, I know.  I don't know what I was thinking.  This time, I used both, and I am much happier with the outcome.  Here you can see the geese all pinned down and ready to sew.  I am going to hand stitch them down because I don't want the stitching to show.  I am pretty proud of this piece so far.  I designed it and made it myself, from drawing the pattern, to making the foundation pieces.  Imaging my surprise today when I picked up a copy of the new Quilter's Newsletter to find something very similar on the disc that came with the magazine.  Now, people are going to think I copied it, but I did not.  I hope this does not become a problem when I enter it into our guild show in August.  Any suggestions?
One other project I worked on today was putting together little kits to teach curved flying geese to my guild next week.  I decided to do a rainbow of flying geese with them.  This is what each participant will get.

I will be with my granddaughter the next couple of days, so see you on Thursday.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

H2H top finished

I try not to show the same quilt very many times here, but I got this top finished today and wanted to share it.  I am really pleased with the overall look.  Rhonda sent some fantastic fabrics.  These are colors I would not have selected on my own, so it was really fun to expand my horizons.  I used up just about every last piece she sent me.  I was able to use a large piece I had been saving for the back, the small inner border, and the short bars on the squares block.  The only thing I had to buy was the black and white for the star background and the outer 4" border.  Here is a close-up of a corner so you can see the fabric better.

The quilt is 60" x 60".  It is now hanging on the quilt rack with its backing waiting for me to have a quilting day.

Amongst the other things I did today was to design a foundation piece for a circle of flying geese to go around Hokule'a.  As soon as I decide on colors for the geese and background, I will get that started.  I finished stitching the compass to the background using a double blanket stitch (number 79 on my Bernina 350).  I used variegated King Tut in blues, golds and greens.  I am not sure I am thrilled with it yet, but I am hoping I come around.  I would hate to rip that all out.  It is raw edge stitched, so if I feel so compelled, I could rip it out.  Maybe the ring of geese will make a difference. 
Today, I finished two quilt tops, made a foundation piece pattern, made a star block with made fabric and took photos to write a tutorial for another blog, and generally had a great time in the studio.  The rain is back in our neck of the woods.  One day of sun was nice, but I am ready for at least three in a row any time now.  I hope all is going well with all of you.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

Flying Geese Tutorial

I have been making flying geese for a while now.  I have tried several different ways:  flip and fold, paper piecing, and templates.  This is the way I have found the fastest and best way for me. The best part is I get four great geese, and no little triangles.  No waste.  With the price of fabric, that is great for me. I wanted to try my hand at a tutorial, and decided this would be a good place to start.

First, I cut my squares.  When you are making geese this way, you add 1 1/4" to the desired finished width, and make a square instead of a rectangle.  The small squares (the sky or wings) are cut 7/8" larger than the desired height.  For a finished 6" x 3" goose, I cut my 1 large square 7 1/4" and the 4 small squares 3 7/8".  I have also used this method for 2" by 4" geese with much success, cutting the squares 5 1/4" and 2 7/8".

 I always draw lines when I am doing diagonal sewing.  I use a #2 mechanical pencil because it gives me a finer line.  I use a light touch so I don't stretch the fabric, and a deep angle to get as close to the ruler as possible.  Draw a diagonal from corner to corner on each small square, then parallel lines 1/4" to each side. 

Pin two squares in opposite corners of the larger square, right sides together.  Make sure the marks line up.  The squares will overlap.  I always pin the squares so they don't wander when I sew.  Sew on the lines on each side of the center diagonal.

 Make one cut on the center diagonal line.

After you have made the cut, you need to press the sky/wings up.  This is a very important step.  If you forget, you will have one wing that folds out nicely, and one that does not.  See the bottom unit to the left.  I call this the wolf face stage. It just reminds me of a cartoon wolf.

Place the remaining two squares, right sides facing, so the lines go from the corner to the space between the two points.  Sew along the outside lines.

Cut each unit along the center diagonal line.

Press each piece.  You will have four beautiful flying geese.

This is the block I made with these flying geese.  It is 12" x 12" finished.










I hope you found this tutorial useful.  It was interesting to make.  I may have to make more some day.  Joyful quilting, everyone.