Hello! If you're here for the first time, welcome! If you're a regular, welcome to you, too! I truly didn't think I'd get a quilt done ...
Collage quilt-making has been such a wonderful exploration into creativity for me-- my only desire has been to figure out a way to make it faster so that I can create more! As happens most times I get a good idea, I was awoken in the middle of the night with this solution for how to make the process easier and faster!
I learned how to make these adorable folded star ornaments at my traditional guild at least 10 years ago and haven't seen them anywhere since. I used this activity as a final assignment in an introduc
Sew Kind of Wonderful Floral Felicity Quilt Pattern Sew Kind of Wonderful's Floral Felicity is inspired by perfect summer days at Grandma's country cottage! Bees buzzing, flowers everywhere, hummingbirds and cherished moments! The pattern is made to be used with Sew Kind of Wonderful’s Wonder Curve Ruler (sold separately in this listing). This is a fun quilt to make. This is not a finished product but pattern only. Finished Size: 80"x101" All items listed are brand new and are in sealed packaging by the manufacturer. This listing is for the Sew Kind of Wonderful Floral Felicity Quilt Pattern only. You can find other Sew Kind of Wonderful Patterns, Rulers, and much more in my ShopSewMe Etsy Shop (see link below) while supplies last. Shipping Policy - any shipping cost overages will be refunded to the buyer upon shipment of their order(s); this also includes combining orders. I always strive to get my customers the best possible deal on shipping costs. Be sure to click the link to make my shop a favorite for your quilting, embroidery, and sewing needs. https://www.Etsy.com/shop/ShopSewMe Thank you for supporting my small business 💗💗
BasicGrey has developed five new patterns to feature their newest fabric collection with Moda, Hello Luscious. The company recently contacted me and offered to sponsor a giveaway. Five readers will each win one of the new patterns - yay! These are the patterns: Plus, BasicGrey has made a free pattern available as well - go ahead and check out the Star Fall Pillow Pattern. Giveaway rules: Enter by leaving a comment on this post telling me which pattern is your favourite. One per person please. Giveaway will be open until TuesdayWEDNESDAY (edited - sorry for any confusion!), March 21st at 9:00 pm Vancouver time. Winners will be drawn randomly using Random.org. Please make sure I can contact you by email if your number comes up. (You might want to check and make sure you're not accidentally a no-reply blogger - this post discusses it and includes a nice tutorial for both Blogger interfaces, old and new). Good luck! CONTEST CLOSED. WINNERS CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED. THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Explore felicity.quilts' 1302 photos on Flickr!
When I posted photos of my Holiday Mug Rug , I had a few people ask about the flange (that little bit of red just inside the binding) and h...
In my family, we say someone's gone "off-list" if they select a birthday or Christmas gift that wasn't on the recipient's list. This quilt is off-list for me because it's not on my 2014 FAL Q1 list. I had intended to finish up a UFO involving black & white + solids hexagons to give to my niece, but when I started to work on it, I didn't think it was her style. I asked her mom, my sister, what colours C favoured, and the response was an adamant GREEN! With a follow up: and maybe purple. But no pink. I'd say this fits the bill, eh? My daughter named it: Triangle Garden. It's about 55" x 78". To make it, I went to my stash and scrap bins and started pulling out greens. And a little purple. I used my Tri Recs ruler to cut out the triangles and pieced the triangles into rows somewhat randomly, literally pulling them out of a box and using whatever I chose with only a few restrictions: no same fabrics side by side, and trying to use different fabrics throughout the rows. I didn't impose those requirements when I put the rows together, though. I kind of like the odd diamond that appears. The quilting is concentric circles with lovely 40wt Aurifil in a mossy, taupey green (#2324), and 50wt cream in the bobbin. I traced a cereal bowl to start and then used the seam guide to stitch lines 1" apart. Lots of threads to bury but I like the effect. Listening to an audiobook (Wild by Cheryl Strayed - recommended) helped pass the time. I love the purple binding - it gives the whole thing a nice frame. This isn't a "sanctioned" finish but it's just the project I wanted to make and just the project for a special girl. This is my third project involving triangles - I think they're out of my system for now. But not forever.
For a 19"x20" project, this sure took me a long time! But I'm so pleased with the results. Confetti Quilt! Is! Finished! Here is the main process post, but to sum it up quickly, I couldn't bear to ditch the teeny tiny scraps that were left over from making my Modify Tradition swap quilt. They were truly only shards but Anna Maria Horner's Bohemian line is just beautiful, so I kept them, intending to sew them into a sewing machine cover in the style of Lady Havartine's Confetti. The final product wasn't big enough to cover my machine. But it sure looks nice on my office Wall O' Quilts, doesn't it? l-r: the quilt I received in the Modify Tradition Swap, Confetti Quilt, and a random mugrug I made Some detail of the quilting, for which I used a variety of DMC and Coates embroidery flosses: What's that? You'd like to see an artsier Full Frontal photo? Okay! And the back? I used this tutorial to create a no-show binding. I quite like the effect, and it's SUPER easy to do. I love this little mini, I truly do. And no, my sewing machine still doesn't have a (nice) cover. It's on the list! Linking up to both {Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations, and Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday.
In my family, we say someone's gone "off-list" if they select a birthday or Christmas gift that wasn't on the recipient's list. This quilt is off-list for me because it's not on my 2014 FAL Q1 list. I had intended to finish up a UFO involving black & white + solids hexagons to give to my niece, but when I started to work on it, I didn't think it was her style. I asked her mom, my sister, what colours C favoured, and the response was an adamant GREEN! With a follow up: and maybe purple. But no pink. I'd say this fits the bill, eh? My daughter named it: Triangle Garden. It's about 55" x 78". To make it, I went to my stash and scrap bins and started pulling out greens. And a little purple. I used my Tri Recs ruler to cut out the triangles and pieced the triangles into rows somewhat randomly, literally pulling them out of a box and using whatever I chose with only a few restrictions: no same fabrics side by side, and trying to use different fabrics throughout the rows. I didn't impose those requirements when I put the rows together, though. I kind of like the odd diamond that appears. The quilting is concentric circles with lovely 40wt Aurifil in a mossy, taupey green (#2324), and 50wt cream in the bobbin. I traced a cereal bowl to start and then used the seam guide to stitch lines 1" apart. Lots of threads to bury but I like the effect. Listening to an audiobook (Wild by Cheryl Strayed - recommended) helped pass the time. I love the purple binding - it gives the whole thing a nice frame. This isn't a "sanctioned" finish but it's just the project I wanted to make and just the project for a special girl. This is my third project involving triangles - I think they're out of my system for now. But not forever.
Here we are at WiP Wednesday again! This project is an oldie but a goodie - the Sewing Machine Cover! I last worked on this last Fall. Yikes! Time flies! Here's how it's coming along. I'm really happy with it so far - my first attempt at free/improv piecing and I like it! Other stuff I have on the go: Nametag challenge for VMQG. Here's what I've done so far. Gotta get moving - tomorrow is the meeting! That Girl quilt along: no progress. New Wave quilt: ditto. Placemats: whole lotta nuthin'. I didn't get much done at all except bee blocks this week, actually. Here's the other one: Go see what everyone else is up to at Lee's!
While at QuiltCon West in Pasadena this past February, I took a workshop with the inimitable Gwen Marston. A once in a lifetime opportunity, really, since she is not going to be travelling and teachin
This new quilt pattern Felicity has been such a long time coming and I'm thrilled to finally officially share it with you. Felicity, which means intense happiness, is a precut friendly quilt pattern with a clever, easy strip piecing method for quick sashing. It has a look of a granny square- without the fabric waste or bias edges. It also has a fun Irish chain motif that connects all the blocks, and allows for a lot of different looks! I've never made more than one sample for a pattern release, and this time I have 3, plus one in the making. (I did get help with the blocks on one, full disclosure!) I just really love the simplicity of simple squares, the vintage vibe, the versatility and endless possibilities! This one is from a fabric pull I've been hanging onto for years, and was the prototype for the pattern. I added Moda Ruby Ice accent chain, and hot pink Swiss Dots background. The quilting was done by Emilee Hathaway of Paisley, Prints, and Polka Dots. I added a simple solid pink binding, and a backing that matches the chain, and I am all heart eyes for this quilt. There's an option in the pattern to use a Layer Cake for the granny squares in a scrappy way. You eliminate some of the yardage, and use just one Layer Cake. These three are in Sunnyside by Camille Roskelley. These next ones are Strawberry Lemonade by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda, with Kona Mint and Riley Blake Riley White as an accent or background. I loved this version so much that I started one myself. One really sweet thing that happened during the making of this pattern was that weeks into its design, my sister Olivia had a baby girl, and she hadn't told us what the name would be. I hadn't talked to my family about this new pattern that I'd decided to name Felicity. Imagine my delight when she announced that the baby's name was- Jane Felicity! OF COURSE she had to have her own version. Fabrics used are: Kona Blue background Similar green gingham (couldn't find more) for the accent chain Liberty mostly Betsy prints from Duckadilly Kona Charm Pack for the solid centers Black Swiss Dots backing Ruby Star Food Group gingham binding I love how scrappy and vintage feeling this one turned out. I quilted it at home with the squiggle stitch on my Husqvarna, and added some white accent big stitch quilting. I love this pattern so very much. It feels like years of honing in on what I love about a quilt, both the making of, and the final look. My editor Jessica at Blue Sky Crafter did an amazing job helping me come of up ways to make it super efficient and easy to understand. She's the best! See you soon for Ruby Star Scrappy Trip adventures!
I learned how to make these adorable folded star ornaments at my traditional guild at least 10 years ago and haven't seen them anywhere since. I used this activity as a final assignment in an introductory Instructional Design course and boy was it ever fun to watch a 6'5" man who works as a parole officer learn how to thread a needle! Here's a brief tutorial for making these ornaments, which can be for a Christmas tree or a Solstice celebration or even as a way to celebrate a graduation - anywhere you'd use a star. It's all about the fabric choices. Materials: 3 strips of fabric 2" x 7" - can be all the same colour, all different or any combo you like. one or two buttons, no more than ½" wide. If choosing two buttons make sure their holes line up. 8" length of twine or embroidery floss Directions: Create Triangles: 1. Lay strip of fabric right side down, short end closest to you. 2. Fold up bottom corner to opposite side of strip and line up fabric edges, creating a right-angle triangle. Make sure the bottom corner is pointy. 3. Fold triangle up so that the side aligns with the edge of the strip. 4. Fold again, aligning side of triangle with the edge of the strip. 5. Continue folding the triangles until there's only a small flap of fabric left. 6. Tuck this rectangle into the folded triangle like a tab. 7. Press if desired. 8. Repeat steps 1-7 for two remaining strips of fabric. Assemble Ornament: 1. Lay one triangle long side up, and the other triangles on either side, with the long sides facing out. 2. Place the middle triangle on top of the left triangle, 3. Stack the right triangle on top, aligning the triangles as shown. 4. Secure the stack with a couple of hand stitches. 5. Attach the buttons on both sides of the ornament passing the needle all the way through both buttons from one side to the other (this is why you want the holes to line up). (Alternative: no buttons or just one button sewn and another glued). 6. Make a loop with the jute and knot the end. 7. Slip the loop around the top triangle, bringing it in behind. 8. Tug the loop up to catch on the button stitches. 9. Finished! Enjoy!
When I posted photos of my Holiday Mug Rug, I had a few people ask about the flange (that little bit of red just inside the binding) and how I'd done it. It's super easy and I'm happy to tell you how I did mine. 1. Trim your quilt. 2. Cut a strip of flange fabric 3/4" wide. I prefer to cut the strip parallel to the selvage because the fabric doesn't stretch or distort as much. You can measure the height and width, or just eyeball it like I did and cut a piece for each of side of the quilt's 4 sides. Err on the side of caution and cut them longer than you need. Ask me how I know *that* bit of advice. Press the flange pieces in half. Try not to distort them too much. If they curve a bit, just move them back into shape when they're still warm from the iron. 3. Take a pressed flange piece, and line it up, raw edges together, with the edge of your quilt. Make sure it covers the length of the side you're attaching it to, extending a bit past each end. Stitch it on with a 1/8" seam allowance, which means the seam will be hidden when you attach the binding with the usual 1/4" seam allowance. Try to keep the flange lined up as exactly as possible, and keep your seam allowance even. Every little blip really shows up because you're dealing with small bits of fabric. 4. Go ahead and attach all 4 flanges, and it's okay if they overlap at the ends. Then trim the ends flush with each side. 5. Attach your binding as usual and enjoy your neat little piping/flange effect!
Finally! I have finished my sample, so I can share my exciting project with you all! Introducing my first finish of 2012, Easy Going Moder...
Welcome! For my Finish A Long 2017 tutorial, I'm sharing the process for making my Churn Link block. It's really versatile and looks great in all kinds of settings, which we'll explore at the end of the tutorial. But for now, let's make a block! Cutting: For one 12.5" unfinished block, you will need three fabrics: Background, Colour A and Colour B. From the background fabric (yellow in my image above), cut: (4) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3" x 3" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 6½" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 4½" (2) squares, 4½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3½" x 3½" From EACH of Colour A (red in image) and Colour B (blue in image), cut: (3) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (1) rectangle, 1½" x 3½" (1) square, 3" x 3" (3) squares, 2½" x 2½" Piecing: 1 Take a 3½" x 3½" background square and sew a 1½" x 3½" A rectangle to one side. Press toward the A rectangle. Repeat with the other 3½" x 3½" square and a 1½" x 3½" B rectangle. Press toward the B rectangle. 2. Position the units from step 1 so the A and B rectangles are along the top edge. Stitch a 1½" x 4½" rectangle of the other colour to the left side of both units. 3. Take all 2½" x 2½" A and B squares (6 in total) and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other on the wrong side of each square. 4. Take a 4½" x 4½" background square and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one corner as shown. Stitch along the line you drew, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangle back and press. Repeat with the other 4½" x 4½" background square and a 2½" x 2½"colour B square. 5. Pair a 1½" x 4½" background rectangle and a 1½" x 4½" colour rectangle and stitch together along the 4½" side. Press toward the colour. Make 2 of these sets for colour A and colour B for a total of 4. 6. Take a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one end of each background piece, making sure the drawn diagonal lines are oriented as shown. Stitch along the drawn diagonal line on both squares, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangles back and press. Repeat using the 2½" x 2½" colour B squares with a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle, again making sure the diagonals are positioned as shown. 7. Take both 3" x 3" background squares and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each one. Place a 3" x 3" background square right sides together with a 3" x 3" colour A square. Stitch on the drawn line, cut off one corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance, flip the top corner back and press the HST. Trim to 2½" x 2½". Repeat with the other 3" x 3" background square and 3" x 3"colour B square. You have now made all of the components of the block! Block Assembly 1. Assemble the block centre first by using the two units you created in Step 2 and the two you created in Step 4 like so: 2. Create two side strips using one units of each colour from Step 5 and the 4½" long Step 6 units as follows: 3. Attach to each side of the block centre: 4. Create the top and bottom border strips using the two remaining strip units from step 5, the 6½" long units from Step 6 and the HSTs: 5. Attach to the top and bottom and your block is done! Ta daaaaah! And here is the block laid out in a quilt with some sashing: You can put it on point: Or change up the block background: to create a really interesting quilt: So many possibilities! Enjoy! If you're interested in joining the Finish A Long for Q3, the information is in the 2017 Finish A Long tab up top.
Something that makes me extra happy - a SuperFelicity if you will - is when I am vindicated in my refusal to throw away an object that I "might need one day." I know, I know: that way lies Hoarders. But believe me when I say I am MUCH better about this because I just don't have anywhere to put much in our urban townhouse. While I was trying to decide how to quilt Easy Going Modern, I had a brainwave so huge that when I tried it and it worked, I ran into the room where my husband was minding his own business and announced: "I????? Am BRILLIANT!!!!" and ran out again. So you know those not-easily-recycled vinyl bags that sheets and other bedding-type products come packaged in? They often have handles and zips, and they just seem like they could be really useful for something. I do use them to keep WIPs and other projects organized, but I have way more vinyl bags than I have WIPs (so, a LOT of vinyl bags), and the bags are often impractically large. But I kept 'em and now I know how to use 'em. Read on, friends. It's not a secret but you may not know that I find choosing the quilting design for my quilts to be the very hardest part of a project. I'm terrified that I'm going to "wreck" the quilt with a poor choice of quilting design either because it's wrong for the quilt or wrong for me (i.e. something I can't execute well enough). I'm often paralysed by this indecision and then rush through the quilting to "get it over with." But no more of that! I can now try out how my quilting design is going to look before lovingly shoving inserting my quilt into my machine's tiny harp and starting to stitch. Tutorial: Auditioning Quilting Designs What You'll Need: Printed photo of your quilt, enlarged to fit at least an 8½"x10" sheet of paper (I printed mine to fit a Legal size page - 8½"x14") Vinyl bag (should have one clear side (no snaps, zips, stickers) that is at least an inch bigger all around than your quilt photo) Scissors (not your fabric shears - what you'd use to cut paper with) Clip board long enough to accommodate the entire photo of your quilt OR masking/painter's tape Waterproof marker in a colour that contrasts with your quilt's colours (I used one of my daughter's - you can get fancier ones like this) Piece of batting, paper towel or rag, dampened with water How To: 1. Cut a rectangle out of the vinyl bag that is slightly bigger all around than your quilt photo. No photo of this step as it is pretty much impossible to meaningfully photograph a square of clear vinyl. 2. Layer the vinyl over the quilt photo and insert into the clipboard. Alternatively, you could tape down the photo on a hard surface and tape the vinyl over top. 3. Start doodling! Use your marker to draw the design "on" the quilt. Hmm... maybe some wavy lines? 4. Wipe off. 5. Repeat until you find a design you like. Here are a couple others I auditioned for Easy Going Modern. Too hard to do on my machine Too linear 6. Happily quilt your quilt! If you were really ambitious, you could piece together the vinyl to create an auditioning film large enough to cover your whole quilt top (or part of it) and doodle right on your actual quilt. RISKS to this method include, but are not limited to, accidentally writing on your quilt top, rubbing the icky cloth full of ink on your quilt top, dropping the pen on your quilt top etc. etc. See a theme here? On the upside, I guess you'd have an opportunity to test how washable the markers really are! Happy Weekend!
Welcome! For my Finish A Long 2017 tutorial, I'm sharing the process for making my Churn Link block. It's really versatile and looks great in all kinds of settings, which we'll explore at the end of the tutorial. But for now, let's make a block! Cutting: For one 12.5" unfinished block, you will need three fabrics: Background, Colour A and Colour B. From the background fabric (yellow in my image above), cut: (4) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3" x 3" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 6½" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 4½" (2) squares, 4½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3½" x 3½" From EACH of Colour A (red in image) and Colour B (blue in image), cut: (3) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (1) rectangle, 1½" x 3½" (1) square, 3" x 3" (3) squares, 2½" x 2½" Piecing: 1 Take a 3½" x 3½" background square and sew a 1½" x 3½" A rectangle to one side. Press toward the A rectangle. Repeat with the other 3½" x 3½" square and a 1½" x 3½" B rectangle. Press toward the B rectangle. 2. Position the units from step 1 so the A and B rectangles are along the top edge. Stitch a 1½" x 4½" rectangle of the other colour to the left side of both units. 3. Take all 2½" x 2½" A and B squares (6 in total) and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other on the wrong side of each square. 4. Take a 4½" x 4½" background square and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one corner as shown. Stitch along the line you drew, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangle back and press. Repeat with the other 4½" x 4½" background square and a 2½" x 2½"colour B square. 5. Pair a 1½" x 4½" background rectangle and a 1½" x 4½" colour rectangle and stitch together along the 4½" side. Press toward the colour. Make 2 of these sets for colour A and colour B for a total of 4. 6. Take a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one end of each background piece, making sure the drawn diagonal lines are oriented as shown. Stitch along the drawn diagonal line on both squares, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangles back and press. Repeat using the 2½" x 2½" colour B squares with a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle, again making sure the diagonals are positioned as shown. 7. Take both 3" x 3" background squares and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each one. Place a 3" x 3" background square right sides together with a 3" x 3" colour A square. Stitch on the drawn line, cut off one corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance, flip the top corner back and press the HST. Trim to 2½" x 2½". Repeat with the other 3" x 3" background square and 3" x 3"colour B square. You have now made all of the components of the block! Block Assembly 1. Assemble the block centre first by using the two units you created in Step 2 and the two you created in Step 4 like so: 2. Create two side strips using one units of each colour from Step 5 and the 4½" long Step 6 units as follows: 3. Attach to each side of the block centre: 4. Create the top and bottom border strips using the two remaining strip units from step 5, the 6½" long units from Step 6 and the HSTs: 5. Attach to the top and bottom and your block is done! Ta daaaaah! And here is the block laid out in a quilt with some sashing: You can put it on point: Or change up the block background: to create a really interesting quilt: So many possibilities! Enjoy! If you're interested in joining the Finish A Long for Q3, the information is in the 2017 Finish A Long tab up top.
Collage quilt-making has been such a wonderful exploration into creativity for me-- my only desire has been to figure out a way to make it faster so that I can create more! As happens most times I get a good idea, I was awoken in the middle of the night with this solution for how to make the process easier and faster!
*Physical pattern (not a digital download) for Brenda Riddle's Felicity quilt As described by Brenda: You may recognize this design! Many (many) years ago (in my first year designing quilts!), I designed a quilt called Meadow. I re-released the pattern, with a mini-version with my ‘Ambleside’ fabric collection (9 years ago now) - & over the years, I have received many requests for it to be larger… & so was borne - Fair Meadow. Fair Meadow does have appliqué on the borders - but I use the fusible, machine stitched technique that makes it much easier than it might look. This version is square & will work as a larger throw or coverlet. 76" x 76" (Sample quilt uses my Ellie fabric collection for Moda)
How's that for a catch-all title? These past few months have been very life- and work-busy, and so my sewing time and inspiration have taken a bit of a hit. I did manage to squeeze in a few projects,
Well, I can't think of a nicer way to wrap up Bag Lady Week than with my fellow Canuck, Felicity, of Felicity Quilts . Felicity has the best...
Welp here we are again, setting goals for the quarter. I didn't have a great showing last quarter but what're ya gonna do? Life happened. Day job work and life in general are busy and stressful at the
Felicity - Pantograph / E2E © 2014 Patricia E. Ritter and Valerie Smith PAPER: A single row is 9.5 inches - printed with one row - 144 inches long DIGITAL (computerized quilting systems): Zip file includes: BQM, CQP, DXF, HQF, IQP, PAT, QLI, SSD, TXT, WMF and 4QB or PLT. Most designs also include a DWG, GPF, PDF, PNG and SVG. SELF-PRINT: A single row is 9.75 inches - printed with one row. EMBROIDERY (computerized embroidery systems): Zip file includes: ART, DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PCM, PCS, PDF, PES, VIP, VP3 and XXX Sizes included: Size 1: 273.0 mm x 110.6 mm (10.75 Inches x 4.35 Inches)
With the motivation of my Q1 Finish A Long Goals list, I have been a busy quilter, especially now that my MQG Swap minis are done and have been received by their recipients. I finally (FINALLY!) finis
November's Bee Sewcial blocks for Leanne she can quilt closed out another year of incredible collaboration, creativity and challenge. Leanne asked for "maximalist" circles (ie the opposite of minimali
Welcome! For my Finish A Long 2017 tutorial, I'm sharing the process for making my Churn Link block. It's really versatile and looks great in all kinds of settings, which we'll explore at the end of the tutorial. But for now, let's make a block! Cutting: For one 12.5" unfinished block, you will need three fabrics: Background, Colour A and Colour B. From the background fabric (yellow in my image above), cut: (4) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3" x 3" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 6½" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 4½" (2) squares, 4½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3½" x 3½" From EACH of Colour A (red in image) and Colour B (blue in image), cut: (3) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (1) rectangle, 1½" x 3½" (1) square, 3" x 3" (3) squares, 2½" x 2½" Piecing: 1 Take a 3½" x 3½" background square and sew a 1½" x 3½" A rectangle to one side. Press toward the A rectangle. Repeat with the other 3½" x 3½" square and a 1½" x 3½" B rectangle. Press toward the B rectangle. 2. Position the units from step 1 so the A and B rectangles are along the top edge. Stitch a 1½" x 4½" rectangle of the other colour to the left side of both units. 3. Take all 2½" x 2½" A and B squares (6 in total) and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other on the wrong side of each square. 4. Take a 4½" x 4½" background square and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one corner as shown. Stitch along the line you drew, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangle back and press. Repeat with the other 4½" x 4½" background square and a 2½" x 2½"colour B square. 5. Pair a 1½" x 4½" background rectangle and a 1½" x 4½" colour rectangle and stitch together along the 4½" side. Press toward the colour. Make 2 of these sets for colour A and colour B for a total of 4. 6. Take a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one end of each background piece, making sure the drawn diagonal lines are oriented as shown. Stitch along the drawn diagonal line on both squares, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangles back and press. Repeat using the 2½" x 2½" colour B squares with a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle, again making sure the diagonals are positioned as shown. 7. Take both 3" x 3" background squares and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each one. Place a 3" x 3" background square right sides together with a 3" x 3" colour A square. Stitch on the drawn line, cut off one corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance, flip the top corner back and press the HST. Trim to 2½" x 2½". Repeat with the other 3" x 3" background square and 3" x 3"colour B square. You have now made all of the components of the block! Block Assembly 1. Assemble the block centre first by using the two units you created in Step 2 and the two you created in Step 4 like so: 2. Create two side strips using one units of each colour from Step 5 and the 4½" long Step 6 units as follows: 3. Attach to each side of the block centre: 4. Create the top and bottom border strips using the two remaining strip units from step 5, the 6½" long units from Step 6 and the HSTs: 5. Attach to the top and bottom and your block is done! Ta daaaaah! And here is the block laid out in a quilt with some sashing: You can put it on point: Or change up the block background: to create a really interesting quilt: So many possibilities! Enjoy! If you're interested in joining the Finish A Long for Q3, the information is in the 2017 Finish A Long tab up top.
Hooray for WIP Wednesday and this Wednesday in particular: after running a webinar this morning (may the Microsoft Live Meeting gods smile down upon me), I'll be done my training sessions for a few months. They've been super fun but very tiring. Being "on" for a 6+ hour day is difficult for my Introvert side. This past weekend, my daughter was at a birthday party so I spent some quality time in my sewing space, tidying up and organizing. I found a baggie of triangle corners that I had accumulated in the course of making my Oceanic Supernova quilt. I loooove the colours in that Kona Solids collection ("Poseidon") and couldn't bear to part with even the smallest shard so I saved them for one of those "one day" projects. I rewarded myself for finishing the Memory Quilt by playing this week. Those little triangles really wanted to be stitched onto a corner of a square of solid fabric. I found some Essex Linen in Natural in my stash and thought it looked kind of like sand so I went with it and then added in some Kona Bone for sparkle. This is how far I've progressed. The squares are cut at 4½". Photos are a great way to see your project from afar - I can already see squares I need to move! G saw it up on my design wall and when I said that the blue/green colours reminded me of sea glass, she said, "No, Mama. It looks like water!" So this project's name is definitely going to have to include Water. I didn't work on anything else whatsoever this week so that wraps things up for today. This Week's Stats Finished Projects - 0 New Projects - 1 In Progress - 8 Please do visit WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and The Needle and Thread Network with Monika and have a great hump day!
Hello! If you're here for the first time, welcome! If you're a regular, welcome to you, too! I truly didn't think I'd get a quilt done ...
Welcome! For my Finish A Long 2017 tutorial, I'm sharing the process for making my Churn Link block. It's really versatile and looks great in all kinds of settings, which we'll explore at the end of the tutorial. But for now, let's make a block! Cutting: For one 12.5" unfinished block, you will need three fabrics: Background, Colour A and Colour B. From the background fabric (yellow in my image above), cut: (4) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3" x 3" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 6½" (2) rectangles, 2½" x 4½" (2) squares, 4½" x 4½" (2) squares, 3½" x 3½" From EACH of Colour A (red in image) and Colour B (blue in image), cut: (3) rectangles, 1½" x 4½" (1) rectangle, 1½" x 3½" (1) square, 3" x 3" (3) squares, 2½" x 2½" Piecing: 1 Take a 3½" x 3½" background square and sew a 1½" x 3½" A rectangle to one side. Press toward the A rectangle. Repeat with the other 3½" x 3½" square and a 1½" x 3½" B rectangle. Press toward the B rectangle. 2. Position the units from step 1 so the A and B rectangles are along the top edge. Stitch a 1½" x 4½" rectangle of the other colour to the left side of both units. 3. Take all 2½" x 2½" A and B squares (6 in total) and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other on the wrong side of each square. 4. Take a 4½" x 4½" background square and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one corner as shown. Stitch along the line you drew, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangle back and press. Repeat with the other 4½" x 4½" background square and a 2½" x 2½"colour B square. 5. Pair a 1½" x 4½" background rectangle and a 1½" x 4½" colour rectangle and stitch together along the 4½" side. Press toward the colour. Make 2 of these sets for colour A and colour B for a total of 4. 6. Take a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle and place a 2½" x 2½" colour A square from step 3 face down on one end of each background piece, making sure the drawn diagonal lines are oriented as shown. Stitch along the drawn diagonal line on both squares, then cut off the corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance. Flip the triangles back and press. Repeat using the 2½" x 2½" colour B squares with a 2½" x 6½" background rectangle and a 2½" x 4½" background rectangle, again making sure the diagonals are positioned as shown. 7. Take both 3" x 3" background squares and draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each one. Place a 3" x 3" background square right sides together with a 3" x 3" colour A square. Stitch on the drawn line, cut off one corner leaving a ¼" seam allowance, flip the top corner back and press the HST. Trim to 2½" x 2½". Repeat with the other 3" x 3" background square and 3" x 3"colour B square. You have now made all of the components of the block! Block Assembly 1. Assemble the block centre first by using the two units you created in Step 2 and the two you created in Step 4 like so: 2. Create two side strips using one units of each colour from Step 5 and the 4½" long Step 6 units as follows: 3. Attach to each side of the block centre: 4. Create the top and bottom border strips using the two remaining strip units from step 5, the 6½" long units from Step 6 and the HSTs: 5. Attach to the top and bottom and your block is done! Ta daaaaah! And here is the block laid out in a quilt with some sashing: You can put it on point: Or change up the block background: to create a really interesting quilt: So many possibilities! Enjoy! If you're interested in joining the Finish A Long for Q3, the information is in the 2017 Finish A Long tab up top.
Hello! If you're here for the first time, welcome! If you're a regular, welcome to you, too! I truly didn't think I'd get a quilt done in time to share, but the stars aligned this past weekend and I got lots of time to finish up one of my WIPs. I'm calling this quilt Land and Sea and it's my own design (patttern coming soon!). These photos are the pits - sorry! - but it's that time of year. I've had this quilt backed and basted for a long time, but the quilting stumped me. I asked for advice, and got some great suggestions but I admitted to myself what I had known all along: that this quilt needed some funky FMQ. I'm really, really happy that didn't rush the quilting like I usually do. I was willing to spend the time needed and I'm super pleased with the results. I still need a lot of practice, but I'm satisfied for now. Like those plume feathers? ME TOO! I am so happy with how they turned out (thank you, Free Motion Quilting by Angela Walters!) I used my beloved Aurifil thread. The blue and green are 40wt, and for the first time ever, my machine and Aurifil didn't see eye to eye. The clattering was so bad, I was afraid I was doing permanent damage so I switched to the white 50 wt in the bobbin, and it solved the problem but I was so sad that I couldn't use the coloured thread in the top and bottom! I pieced the back in a pattern that echoes the front. I likey. The fabrics are Kona solids in Chartreuse and Turquoise, and the binding is a black and white check I found in my stash. This quilt is destined to be given to Siblings Together, a charity devoted to bringing together siblings who are "in the system" and have been separated from their siblings. Blogger’s Quilt Festival Stats Linky #439 Finished quilt measures : 44" x 60" Special techniques used : Quilt is my own design. Completely Free Motion Quilted by me on my Bernina 145. Best Category : Favourite Throw Quilt, Favourite Home Machine Quilted Quilt Thanks for stopping by, and please do go and see all the gorgeous quilts on display at Amy's Creative Side! And I'm also linking up to Sew Happy Geek's Manic Monday and Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday linkies!
Something that makes me extra happy - a SuperFelicity if you will - is when I am vindicated in my refusal to throw away an object that I "might need one day." I know, I know: that way lies Hoarders. But believe me when I say I am MUCH better about this because I just don't have anywhere to put much in our urban townhouse. While I was trying to decide how to quilt Easy Going Modern, I had a brainwave so huge that when I tried it and it worked, I ran into the room where my husband was minding his own business and announced: "I????? Am BRILLIANT!!!!" and ran out again. So you know those not-easily-recycled vinyl bags that sheets and other bedding-type products come packaged in? They often have handles and zips, and they just seem like they could be really useful for something. I do use them to keep WIPs and other projects organized, but I have way more vinyl bags than I have WIPs (so, a LOT of vinyl bags), and the bags are often impractically large. But I kept 'em and now I know how to use 'em. Read on, friends. It's not a secret but you may not know that I find choosing the quilting design for my quilts to be the very hardest part of a project. I'm terrified that I'm going to "wreck" the quilt with a poor choice of quilting design either because it's wrong for the quilt or wrong for me (i.e. something I can't execute well enough). I'm often paralysed by this indecision and then rush through the quilting to "get it over with." But no more of that! I can now try out how my quilting design is going to look before lovingly shoving inserting my quilt into my machine's tiny harp and starting to stitch. Tutorial: Auditioning Quilting Designs What You'll Need: Printed photo of your quilt, enlarged to fit at least an 8½"x10" sheet of paper (I printed mine to fit a Legal size page - 8½"x14") Vinyl bag (should have one clear side (no snaps, zips, stickers) that is at least an inch bigger all around than your quilt photo) Scissors (not your fabric shears - what you'd use to cut paper with) Clip board long enough to accommodate the entire photo of your quilt OR masking/painter's tape Waterproof marker in a colour that contrasts with your quilt's colours (I used one of my daughter's - you can get fancier ones like this) Piece of batting, paper towel or rag, dampened with water How To: 1. Cut a rectangle out of the vinyl bag that is slightly bigger all around than your quilt photo. No photo of this step as it is pretty much impossible to meaningfully photograph a square of clear vinyl. 2. Layer the vinyl over the quilt photo and insert into the clipboard. Alternatively, you could tape down the photo on a hard surface and tape the vinyl over top. 3. Start doodling! Use your marker to draw the design "on" the quilt. Hmm... maybe some wavy lines? 4. Wipe off. 5. Repeat until you find a design you like. Here are a couple others I auditioned for Easy Going Modern. Too hard to do on my machine Too linear 6. Happily quilt your quilt! If you were really ambitious, you could piece together the vinyl to create an auditioning film large enough to cover your whole quilt top (or part of it) and doodle right on your actual quilt. RISKS to this method include, but are not limited to, accidentally writing on your quilt top, rubbing the icky cloth full of ink on your quilt top, dropping the pen on your quilt top etc. etc. See a theme here? On the upside, I guess you'd have an opportunity to test how washable the markers really are! Happy Weekend!
My Q1 Finish Along list was pretty simple - four projects. That's it. How did I do? 1. Bee Sewcial Winter quilt. Not yet finished, and probably won't be before the deadline. I've begun quilting this q
It's a Felicity for me to be able to use my hobby to do some good in the world. One of my 2012 Quilty Goals is to make a quilt for charity, and when I saw Lynne's post, I jumped on it like a duck on a junebug (that expression is further proof that I am, in fact, becoming my mother who used it all the time). Lynne at Lily's Quilts is putting together a group of quilters to make quilts for the UK-based organization called Siblings Together. Siblings Together is dedicated to promoting positive contact between siblings who have been separated by care. The contact is generally achieved during holiday camps, and the idea is to set a foundation for continued contact. Further, Siblings Together educates social workers on the importance of sibling family contact. The organization's goals really spoke to me for a couple of reasons. First, I have 4 siblings (2 sisters and 2 brothers) whom I absolutely adore. Even though I live far away on the other side of the continent from all of them, I truly couldn't imagine my life without them. And second, my niece lost her (twin) sibling when my nephew died about a year and a half ago at age 3½. The quilt I make will be dedicated to our beloved Ben. Won't you join us? You can make a block or a quilt or a backing or donate fabric or, or, or....! Lots of details here in the Flickr Group. Have a wonderful weekend!
