Building a spider quilt in miniature

After being inspired by fellow Rebels, I decided I wanted to make a spider quilt.  Unfortunately, I didn't ask enough questions to figure out how to build a big one like the ones Patty and LeeAnn made. One thing I knew for sure was I didn't have the right tool and the Joanne sale isn't until next week.  So, I decided to have a go at a mini.  At first, I was going to make it into an AAQI quilt, but figured out that I didn't want to work that small.  I decided to start with 3" squares cut on the diagonal.  After some playing around, I decided on 3/4" strings that finish at 1/4".  This is how far I have progressed after about ten hours.  This will probably finish a bit less than 15" square.  It will be the center medallion for a larger quilt done intuition style.  What was I thinking!

Happy New Year and joyful quilting in 2013.

 

Catching up

My intuition quilt that I made when I first started quilting again has been published in Victoria's new book!

Victoria Findley Wolfe of 15 Minutes Play and Victoria Findley Wolfe Quilts has a fantastic new book published by C & T Publishers.  It is filled with really wonderful quilts made in an improvisational manner.  There are beautiful photos and how-to pages on making fabric and using made fabric to make some more traditional style blocks.  I am thrilled to have one of my quilts in the company of so many other stunning works of art. 

I spent some time today finishing the last section of "America the Beautiful."

I have to say that this was very time consuming.  I am glad I did it, but I am not sure I would do it again.  I think that diagonal strings would have had just a good an effect at representing "sea to shining sea."

Now, all have left is borders.  The pattern calls for two, but I may have three.  I have to see what I have in my stash.  I am very pleased with this quilt.  The pattern left a bit to be desired, but I have heard that happens with lots of patterns.  Of course, I like to do my own thing sometimes, so that may have been part of the problem.  My sister is finished down to the bottom motif.  I haven't seen it in a while, but I am sure it is quite beautiful.  She is using really pretty fabrics.

Finally, I decided to play catch-up with the Grandmother's Choice blocks.

This is the batik version of Week 10 New York block.  I think I may have done the light and dark stripes in the wrong order in both of them, but they work for me.

Here is the paisley version.  I decided to put the sawtooth star in the corner rather than use the star fabric or the star they recommended.  This just worked easier for me.

It is getting cooler around here, and the leaves are thicker on the ground than in the trees in some places.  The backyard squirrels are fluffier and lighter gray than in the summer.  Bella is already making Christmas decorations and the people across the street have holiday wreaths up across the front of their house.  I guess winter is right around the corner, and I am ready for it.

Enjoy these last days of fall.  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.

Backing for the intuition quilt - finally

Some of may remember my intuition quilt that I started way back when I started this blog.  I have had the top hanging on the quilt rack for a long time now.  Today, I decided to figure out what to make the back with and get it quilted.  I found a wonderful piece of batik in the stash from my Quilt Fairy Merlyn.  I love that it looks like someone spilled tea all over it, then drew tufts of grass to make it more interesting.  I also had a piece of this stripped fabric with all the colors I love.  Then, I looked at the design wall and chose two of the blocks I made for 15 Minutes Play.  Once I measured all that I found, I figured out how to make it the size I needed, 54" x 56".  After I cut and sewed it all together, I cut a piece of batting the same size and put it on the frame.  Priscilla my Juki that I use for quilting) was excited to have another quilt to do, especially after I figured out that she is very fussy about the thread she will allow through her system.  I was reminded of that yesterday when I tried to use the pink Coats and Clark machine quilting thread I purchased.  I had to make a quick road trip downtown to the local shop that carries Superior King Tut.  Priscilla likes that thread very much.  Today, I chose the blue/green/purple multi.  I got everything loaded and the quilting went very smoothly.  After I trimmed it down, I sewed on the binding.  Now, it is waiting for me to hand stitch it down.  I will post a photo of the finished piece tomorrow.  I will be very happy to have this done and ready to cover my legs on the still chilly evenings.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

Ta Da! The Intuition Quilt Top is Done

Creating this quilt top has been a wonderful journey.  It started in January with this block.

I played with many techniques and colors along the way.

The process of creating this quilt without planning ahead was new to me, and very enjoyable.  I love that I only used fabric from my stash.  I am sure I will walk this path again.  I will keep making the small blocks for fun.  Who knows what will grow next,

My husband, Tom, took the great photo of the finished top, and the next few closeups of some of my favorite parts.  Joyful quilting, everyone.



The one quarter inch seam and other quilting challenges

Today, I put all the blocks and sashes together for the chemo quilt I am working on.  I have some light green I will use for the first border, then some dark blue with small pink flowers for the second border.  I have some very sweet pink flannel for the back.  I think I will use the green for the binding, as well.  This is not going to be a really big quilt, but it is for a little girl, so it doesn't have to be.  It is a wonder, however, that it has come this far.
I have been sewing these blocks for a while.  That means that I sewed many seams before I solved my quarter inch seam issues.  Today, I tried to work around that issue, but it was pretty tough at times.  I ripped a few seams and used my steam iron quite a bit.  It is still a bit wonky, but the over all look is pretty nice.  I will square this up before I attach the first border.  That should resolve all remaining issues.  At least I didn't have points to match.
Now that I am quilting much of the time, I am discovering several things about quilting I never realized before.  First of all, fingers have to develop tough skin on the tips to withstand heat from the iron and jabs from the occasional pin or two.  Second, I need a better chair that will support my lower back.  It does get sore after four or five hours, even though I am constantly up and down going to my ironing board in the other room.  Third, my hands get so dry from constantly handling fabric, being near the hot iron, and just generally putting them out there.  I am glad I have good lotion to put on at the end of the day. All of these things may deter the less hearty soul, but I will keep on quilting.
After I pieced the above top, I spent some time making three more blocks for the border of my intuition quilt.  I am getting near finishing this quilt top.  Maybe next week.  Joyful quilting, everyone.

Friendship Stars by the dozen

Today, I spent the time in the studio creating these wonderful friendship stars. I used all scraps that I have been using for the intuition quilt and for my D9P. I really like this little stars. They are 6.5 inches and will be used as part of the next border on the intuition quilt. It is amazing how long it took to make these beauties.

I got two wonderful packages of fabric in the mail today, and a fantastic envelope from Victoria at Bumble Beans filled with beautiful cards she made with photos of her quilts and other great stuff. I saw a quilt at Harbor Quilts in Gig Harbor that I fell in love with. It is very simple, but they didn't have the fabric. Then I saw that they were putting together kits, so I asked about one. I ordered one and it came in the mail, and it is very wonderful fabric. The other package contained two Moda Rhapsody charm packs. I am going to use these to make another D9P for a friend. I am also getting close to finishing the blocks for the Grab Bag bonus quilt. That will be going to a little girl who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor and can use it to wrap in during chemo. All in all, the studio is a rockin' place these days.

I won't be posting much until Saturday, as I will be away from the studio for the next four days. Joyful quilting until then.

Sunday in the Studio

Today, I spent much of the day in the studio, but most of what I did was prep for bigger projects. I started designing a Rhapsody Quilt based on Ricky Tim's instructions. I watched part 1 of his show on Rhapsody quilts and got very intrigued. I am not sure how I feel about all the applique that is involved, but I love the look of this genre of quilt. I have designed the basic background for the quilt and some of the applique shapes. So far, I think it is doable. I may scan the design when I get it all drawn in.

I also worked on another 15 minute block for the intuition quilt. These are all going to be 6.5 inches. Yesterday, I thought I would alternate them with some strings I built, but today, I decided I would alternate them with friendship stars. That is the wonderful thing about this quilt. I am just following my intuition.

Section 4 of the Oh My Stars quilt was posted yesterday. This is what it looks like so far. As I anticipated, I ran out of the light color I was using in the other sections, and had to start using something else. I am determined to make this quilt completely from my stash, so I am pretty limited. I don't have much in the way of really light fabric. I have three 4 inch blocks to make to finish this section, then I will put it all away until March.

One of the wonderful things I have discovered about quilting is that it is teaching me real patience. The world just seems to get busier and crazier as time passes. Maybe it is my age, but I feel a need to escape the insanity. When I get into the studio, I feel very peaceful. Not so long ago, I was always in a hurry to get things finished. I wanted to see the end result. With quilting, I really enjoy the process. I can't make it go any faster, or I make mistakes I don't want to have. So, I am just being patient, enjoying the process. It will all get done in time.

Rockin Studio Day!

I got to spend seven hours in the studio today. I finished the section shown below, in a pretty poor photo. It is not this wonky, just my camera angle. I finished putting together the center section of my intuition quilt and playing with border ideas. After playing with all the purples with Bella, I was drawn to them for this quilt. I picked out some of my favorites, and pieced together the first border. I then sewed together strips to create pieces for the second border, which will alternate between created fabric and strings. It will be 6.5 inches wide. At the present time, the piece is 29 x 32. I am aiming for a lap quilt size. I am really enjoying this process.

Here is the third section of the Oh My Stars BOM quilt from Planet Patchwork. The fourth section was released today and I will cut it out tomorrow. I may even get it pieced if tomorrow is anything like today.

A commenter asked me about starters and enders, so I took some photos to explain. In the photo on the left, the starter is just behind the needle to make room for the larger piece I am working on. In the photo at the right, I have finished my seam on the big piece and grabbed a small block from another project I am working on. I will sew that seam most of the way down, then park my needle down. In the last photo, I show the two small blocks for the second project that were done for the seam on the larger project. For each seam I sew on one project, I sew two on the smaller one. I love this method because I always have more than one project going at a time, and sometimes one of them is not as interesting to sew together as the other. I hope this helps explain the way I use starters and enders.

Thinking About Color

I finally found some time to get back to my intuition quilt. I keep finding wonderful colors and patterns in my stash bins (a gift from a friend) that I want to include in the quilt. Fortunately, the original color palette is one I can add my favorite colors to. I love interesting color combinations. I tend to select fabric in the olive green, gold tone, rusty orange, teal blue, and turquoise families. There are some purples that work really well in this group. I can also add other blues and greens and an occasional touch of bright orange. I really enjoy the happiness and the richness of these colors together.

For the house, I added the orange column to liven up the plain color of the house. I decided to use the golden batik to symbolize a warm sunny day. I found a small piece of the flower fabric on the left and knew I had to use it. There is a bit more of this I will use elsewhere in the quilt. The roof is made from the left over sashing and border of the D9P. In fact, many of the scraps used in this quilt are from the quilts I made last year as gifts for the family. I love having something to remind me of these quilts.

After I made the house, I decided to make some fabric and create another block for the quilt.

This is still a challenge to me. It is like making a collage, only I have to figure out how to sew it together - the challenge part. I chose this block to introduce a little more blue. They are scraps from a challenge quilt I am working on. You can see below how both these new blocks fit into the growing intuition quilt.

This is what my new design wall looks like today. I am very happy with the size and the holding power of the felt/flannel.

I spend a good long day in the studio today working on the D9P and my intuition quilt. I got all the 9 patches done, cut, rearranged, and sewn together. Then, I cut the sash pieces, put together the rows, and celebrated with a piece of dark chocolate. I really love the colors in this quilt. I wanted to use a darker sashing. At first, I was going to use a solid brown, but an end of bolt piece of paisley jumped out at me. I has dark brown, golds, greens, and oranges. What could be more perfect. I am going to add a border of this paisley, then a lighter border of a gold tone. It appears I have broken some rules here of combining traditional patterned fabric with modern prints with batik. I didn't know there were rules about this sort of thing, and I am glad. I just look at the colors and see if they will go well together. I've never been much of a purist in art. Below is a detail so you can see the sash.

I have been looking at my intuition quilt for a few days without getting back to it. I decided to add a light border around the focal square, and then add the flying geese to two sides. I used the light fabric because I thought the quilt needed a place to rest your eyes between busy units. I find that I think about adding things I really like to this quilt. I am going to make some house blocks because I enjoying being at home, or in someone else's house. I am also going to make some applique bird blocks because I really like wild birds. I may even stick in a sunflower or two, and definitely some moons and stars. There will also be more wonky blocks like the center, only smaller. I think this may take me a while, but I am enjoying where it is going.

Starting a new quilt block

I spent much of my time in the studio cutting fabric for a new quilt and for a star block, that I started stitching. I really enjoy foundation piecing. I always see these wonderful complicated stars, and know that I could never make them because I can barely get the seams matched right on a basic nine patch. Then I discovered Carol Doak and her fabulous patterns. She has quite a few free ones at her website, Carol Doak.com. This one is from the 2000 member celebration quilt designed to celebrate the 2000th member of her Yahoo group. I selected colors that will go with my intuition quilt so the completed block will be another unit in that project. I am pretty pleased with this corner of the star.

I also put together three small squares highlighting my favorite reptile, the lizard. In my stash, I found a fantastic border print with a southwestern motif. I noticed the colors were almost perfect for the intuition quilt project. I quickly played around with some other fabrics until I came up with these. Such fun. I never know what I will find to add to my project. I am glad I found these.

Playing with Pink - disappearing nine patch

Today's 12 inch block is a disappearing nine patch. I heard about this block and wanted to try it. I opened the bin with pink fabric and the one with purple. I picked out nine fabrics that worked well together and built a standard nine patch block. Then I cut vertically down the middle and turned it to make the cut the other way. I played with the blocks until I came up with a pattern I liked. I can see there are wonderful possibilities with this pattern depending on the colors, patterns, and ways you turn the blocks. The bonus is that there are no points to match. I will get back to a new star block tomorrow.

For a completely different sort of quilt, I have started an intuition quilt based on instructions over at 15 Minutes Play by Victoria. I have been having a great time creating cloth from scraps and crumbs. For the intuition quilt, I have been pulling colors from the scrap bag that I really like together - golds, oranges, greens, and purples. I will probably add some blues before it is all done. This is the center 12" by 12" block. I love the freedom to this method. I can use abstract collage style along with some more traditional. I added a star and some flying geese as well as a wonky house. The next step for me is the first border. Since I am using only fabric I have on hand, all the borders will be pieced in some manner.