These blocks are from that same batch I found a few weeks ago.
Moon over the Mountain
I don’t remember making this Moon over the Mountain block. It is times like these when I want to look through my journals and find out what I was thinking. I have a distant memory that this block was made in a class.
Sawtooth Star on point
I really like this star. It is another Sawtooth Star, which is one of my favorite blocks. The fussy cutting (did I fussy cut?) I did for the block center of the star is awesome! I wonder if I have more of that fabric?
I am also interested in the peachy pink I used for the star background. My fabric choices are much more interesting than they are now, I think. Maybe not. I’ll have to look for these fabrics to see what comes next.
Both blocks use a Benartex (or maybe Robert Kaufman?) Reflections fabric. You can see it in the peak of the mountain.
If I have more of that fabric, perhaps I will make another sampler, but with random blocks that take my fancy.
I took advantage of the Sotak Handmade 30% off sale last weekend to buy two patterns I thought were interesting, the Petunia Pouch and the Little Pyramid Pouch. I want to make some small gifts for people at the Retreat, so I cut some fabric for the Little Pyramid Pouch out at Sew Day. I would have bought more, but she has a lot of tote bags and I already have a lot of tote bag patterns.
I have a few of her patterns already. One is the Purse Organizer. I made one for Mom and one for Gerre. It is more of a tablet carrier than a purse organizer. I like the pattern, however. Her free pattern (tutorial?) for scissor cozies is a perennial favorite. I also have the Multi-Pocket Organizer, but I haven’t made that one yet. It is very similar to the Mustang Purse Organizer
It doesn’t look like much in the image above, but I have all of the pieces cut out to make the pouch. I didn’t bring my sewing machine or I would have gotten started.
I had a key chain hardware kit that has been in my hardware bag for a long time. I was with my Mom the other week and she kept dropping her cane, then struggling to pick it up off the ground. I saw that it had a place for a ring or key chain. The two pieces of the puzzle clicked together in my mind and I made her a key ring that she can use as a ‘cane chain’.
The webbing was slick and I couldn’t get the ribbon embellishment to stay in place. I think using a cotton webbing (or strapping) would have alleviated that problem, but I used what I had on hand and Mom didn’t mind. I could have also glued it in place. That can be difficult with a textured surface like polyester webbing, but it is doable, especially for a temporary hold. Lessons learned for next time.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I spent the other day working on these blocks and I am already to put them together.
I wasn’t sure if the background would look good. I think it does. It looks very watercolor-y, which is different than the other one I made. I am glad they look different, but have a lot of similarities.
This is a New York Beauty block. The spikes are pretty thin. I think I was going through a New York Beauty stage. It was probably around the time that Karen K. Stone’s pattern came out. I see to recall taking a class from her or about NYBs.
I love the way I used the ombre behind the spikes. I think that my fabric choices were not at all subdued!
Lost & Found: New York Beauty #2
This second block has much skinnier spikes. I might be able to include it in the Handbag Sampler, though there is already a NYB using more of the fabrics.
I really like the layers of spikes as well. Perhaps these two blocks are the start of a New York Beauty quilt? A sampler of New York Beauties?
I almost gave these away, but stopped myself. I wanted to contemplate them. Now I am thinking of making something with them.
I ran out of fabric, so I had to find something to do about that. The first thing I did was buy more fabric, but I wasn’t 100% sure I was buying the right fabric. I decided to make some blocks in a different fabric and make it part of the design.
As I rummaged through various options, I found a grey ombre and had a brain wave. I made the last 4 blocks in the ombre using the gradation from dark to light. I thought the idea would look much more interesting than having all the blocks use the same background.
Colorblocks 3 top finished
I pieced the quilt together and think my fabric choices were good. I tried to place the ombre patches, first, then the ombre blocks in such a way that they blended from dark to light with the other background fabric. I am really pleased with the way it turned out.
The silk is a bear to work with. I thought, at first, “I don’t need no stinkin’ interfacing”. I was wrong. I interfaced all the pieces after the first few and the silk was much more in control.
I have tons of silk left. Since the pieces are FQs, mostly, I can’t make a dress or anything. I don’t really want to make another silk quilt (I am not sure the effort was worth the outcome), so I don’t know what to do with the fabric I have left. I’ll have to think about it.
The top is done! Remember? I started it at the Retreat. I had to reorient two squares as I sewed them in the wrong way somehow. Fortunately it was no big deal, mostly because they were both on the edge.
I think the top came out really well. The background has some light dots on it. The contrast is good. Onto to back binding and getting it quilted.
I don’t know whether my niece is having a boy or a girl. I hope the amount of pink in this quilt is ok for a boy as well.
I spent some time last weekend making the last of the Pantone blocks for our swap.
The first step is always selecting fabric. For this group, I went through practically every bin of fabric except red. I had a really hard time finding fabrics that were close to the postcards.
Pantone selections – April 2024 pt.2
I always dislike thinking I have to do the selection, but once I get into it, I am happy. It is also a bonus to discover fabrics I didn’t remember I had.
This batch of postcards had a LOT of browns and beiges. I don’t have a lot of those colors, as you know. I made due. Caramel turned out to be the hardest color. I couldn’t match it with anything brown or beige so I went to orange and found one fabric that looks ok if you squint, in a dark room. 😉
4 Patch in 414
Ribbon in Freesia
Ribbon in 600
Ribbon in 9241
Ribbon in 7654
Peaky & Spike in Caramel
Storm Center in 476
166- Sliver Left
5125 – Sliver Left
Whisper Pink (HA!) – Corner Gone
4685 – Sliver Left
732 – Mutt & Jeff Left
677- Wingy Things
I started making blocks as soon as I was done selecting fabrics. I chose the block design based on what I needed for something like the design I showed you last week.
I just received two more postcards and Julie tells me she has about 6 more cards to send me.
Remember the other day when I talked about finding blocks from the Handbag Sampler? In addition to those blocks, I found several other orphan blocks. I almost gave them all to the BAM Community Quilt project, but I couldn’t quite do it.
These are two Baltimore Album Quilt blocks I started in a class with the most famous BAQ quiltmaker, Elly Sienkiewicz. I took the class at Thimble Creek when they still had a shop in Walnut Creek back in the dark ages. It was maybe 1994 or so and I was excited to take a class from the person who started the craze and did the work to bring BAQ quilts to the fore.
Star of Hearts from Baltimore Beauties and Beyond v.1
The first block, which looks like a snowflake, is Star of Hearts from Baltimore Beauties and Beyond v.1 and I used needle turn applique.
It is made like you make paper snowflakes. This one was easier to make as there were fewer thin lines to deal with. It was good practice for dealing with sharp points, I remember. This pattern could easily be done with machine applique’, though that was not discussed as an option back in the day.
Fleur de Lis with Rosebuds III
This second BAQ block is pattern #13: Fleur de Lis with Rosebuds III (pg.34) from Baltimore Album Quilts: Historic Notes and Antique Patterns. I didn’t put the additional rosebuds in the corner. It was all I could do to finish this block as is.
I took the class with the intention of making a Baltimore Album Style quilt, but needle-turn applique’ and I didn’t get along. Perhaps if I tried it now, it would be better. Perhaps I didn’t choose the best patterns to try the technique? I don’t know. I never really did needle-turn after this.
I’ll write about the other lost and found blocks in a follow-up post.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
As you know, I don’t quilt much. I really enjoy the collaborative effort of making a top and allowing someone else to quilt it. Thus, the quilts below are mostly tops, but I will include a finished quilt once someone else finishes it for the group.
WIPs are projects on which I am working. This means that I am past the cutting out of pieces stage, some sewing has taken place.
Baby B-L Diagonal 9 Patch – blocks in progress
Baby Jacobs Diagonal 9 Patch – top complete
Green & Grey Diagonal 9 Patch – blocks in progress
La Passacaglia – I am working on the border, but need to work more and harder.
Palomino pouch – cut out and ready for assembly
Retreat Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list. I have started it, but stopped when I started thinking about whether to embellish the straps.
Cut Out & Stopped
EPPic Bag – I need to make a cover/ main exterior piece for this bag. I was thinking of a Pineapple block, but haven’t gotten back to it yet. I am also kind of scared of this pattern. I know what to expect from Sew sweetness patterns, but this is a new designer to me.
Hildegarde Notions Trunk – I just cut it out, but will wait a bit before I start working on it
Still UFOs
I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
I am annoyed that some of these are still UFOs. I have to give myself credit for completing some of them last year.
Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.
Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started. I did pull the fabric, supplies and found a photo I plan to use as inspiration that others posted, so I am one step closer.
Handbag Sampler – I found the blocks! I found them in a bin I thought I had thoroughly searched! I also found the fabrics carefully stored together. Hooray!!
Do you need to start thinking about small gifts for teachers or co-workers? Try the coffee cozy by Sew Hungry Hippie. Natalie has a video tutorial to help you be successful.
Larissa has just released some new wool felt projects. They are stars and can be used as Christmas decorations as well as other types of decorations. Her patterns are available exclusively from her Etsy shop.
Recently I watched a Fresh Quilting Episode where the host showed how to sew a multicolored binding. I went looking for that episode and found some others as well. Sylvia Schaeffer talks about straight seams and angled seams when doing a multicolored binding.
I couldn’t decide whether this tidbit should go in this category or in NQR. It is definitely not quilt related, but something in which I dabble from time to time. I just finished the book End of Story by A.J. Finn. In it one of the characters folds paper butterflies. I imagined them as large and complicated. I had to look up some tutorials. I didn’t find what I saw in my mind, but I saw a few tutorials and will let you know if I try one. This one by Michelle looks the most intricate. One from MyCrafts only has a video, which is both good and bad. The Mavink site has a collage of different kinds of paper butterfly tutorials. I’ll let you know if I try folding one.
Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies
Fabricworm has moved. Visit them in their new space at 1745 Riverside Ave. Suite A Paso Robles, CA 93446
I saw another request for ideas about where people shop in one of my Facebook groups. Whenever I see that kind of post I wonder if there are people who don’t Google fabric they want then shop online? To each his/her own. Anyway, one of the good things about this request is the suggestions. One was Sew Yeah. I have never heard of them, but they have some interesting fabric.
Brooklyn Fabric has a lot of fabric (not all!) for $9-$11 per yard.
Media, Books and Articles
The New Yorker Magazine has an article called Piecing for Cover, about quiltmaking. A quote from the article explains how quiltmaking helps me when it says “Quilting is a craft that requires the use of the brain and the body, that involves the senses of sight, touch, sound, and smell, that requires mathematical calculation, forward planning, and rapt attention. It begins with a pattern, or, in the case of what’s known as improv quilting, an idea, an emotion, or even just a whim. (“Today, I’m in the mood to make circles!”) Then there’s the fabric. You choose it not only by color but also by how it feels in your hand. For this pattern or idea should the fabric be slick, or should it be nubbly? Do I want to see and feel the warp and weft or am I going for a sleeker effect? Even the smell of the fabric comes into play: it has a mellow, warm aroma, especially under a hot iron.”
Quiltmania is shutting down. Website / IG post. This makes me sad. Go buy a magazine.
I started off strong with my green scrap bin out and using strips as leaders and enders to make strip blocks for my next Color Strip donation top.
I made a few blocks at the Retreat, which helped with my numbers for the month. I am pleased to report that I achieved my goal of 30 donation blocks this month.
I brought 4 projects to work on. I was able to work on all of them and make significant progress.
Colorblocks 3 – quilted
First, on Friday, I buckled down and quilted the Colorblocks quilt. You will see some in progress posts after already knowing that I finished the quilt, but that is the breaks with my blog. 😉
Colleen did a better job of quilting Colorblocks 2, but I am not unhappy with my work.
As you can see, I have to take out the pins, trim, add binding and a sleeve. I also need to enter it into the Fair. I am really pleased I got to quilt it at the Retreat as it was a lot more pleasant to do an unpleasant job in the company of others.
After that chore was done, I was able to have fun with my three other projects. They are all Diagonal 9 Patch quilts like the one I made for my great nephew.
First, I started out by cutting some strips with the Accuquilt, then subcutting the strips into the sizes I needed. I did this and just sewed. I used 2.5 inch squares I had been cutting and saving from scraps.
Baby Jacobs quilt start
After awhile I had a good start on all three. After I saw what I had for this version of the pattern, I did some match and began sewing the ‘A’ blocks with determination. After awhile I ended up with a lot of ‘A’ blocks, so I finished the ‘B’ blocks I needed and laid the quilt out.
Baby Jacobs Diagonal 9 Patch laid out
I still had to fill in some of the blocks, but eventually I was able to make a square quilt (8 blocks x 8 blocks). I started putting it together on Sunday night and was able to finish in time to get some tickets before the final raffle drawing.
Baby Barney-Liang Diagonal 9 Patch
My second project, with the same pattern is for my nephew’s new baby. After I made a few blocks, I decided I needed to select darker squares, at least for the patches that are next to the background.
The background is a lot more painterly/ watercolor-y than it would be if I had used white or a light color background. I started off with about a yard and will keep making blocks until I run out.
Baby Barney-Liang Diagonal 9 Patch – show diagonal
I think it looks like a watercolor quilt from the 1990s (?).
The blue lines indicate the background. You can use the photo above for reference. I think the fabrics will blend a little, but I think the effect will be good.
Green & Grey Diagonal 9 Patch
Finally, the last quilt I started using this pattern is a much more controlled palette. This is for another great nephew. I made a quilt for his sister and thought I had better make one for him before I sent hers off. They are both teenagers and might not be as understanding as my older nieces and nephews.
I kind of felt like I should work on a bag, but I wanted to do a lot of piecing. These quilts fit the bill.
Making these blocks is somewhat addictive. I want to make more and more until I have enough to make them into quilts. I don’t want to stop!! It was great to have so much time to sew. Of course, it is never enough, but I was pleased I was able to take advantage of the opportunity for so much uninterrupted sewing time.
Thread catcher by Claire
One thing I forgot to mention the other day was the fabulous thread catcher that Claire made each one of the retreat participants. She wanted to work through some of her stash so she made 20 of these!!! They are large and amazing.
We each got to pick the one we wanted. I know this one isn’t turquoise, but the turquoise one that was left was not to my taste.
Now I have two thread catchers. I’ll have to figure out how to use them both.
I made some progress on the Colorblocks 3 quilt. I started making blocks using the Square in a Square ruler**. My YM helped with basic directions for that ruler. I used silk I have had for making this quilt since 2003 or so.
Colorblocks 3-laying out blocks
I had a plan to make 16 blocks only and began laying out the blocks as I finished them.
I started using a limited amount of colors but it soon felt like the silk FQs were multiplying. I kept finding new and different colors in the stack. I had a little of each color, but mostly pink and blues. No big surprise there.
The blocks went together quickly and the Square in a Square ruler was pretty easy to use. I was disappointed that the blocks ended up all being on the bias. I have to check and see if I missed something about how to cut the fabric so the outside wasn’t on the bias. I was careful not to stretch them unless I needed a little ease.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
At the last minute, or nearly the last minute, before the YM went home, he finished his PJ pants. I provided a little help.
We only had to do the casing for the elastic, and the hem, but it still took a couple of hours. He did a lot better at sewing this time. His stitch lines were a lot straighter than last time, so he didn’t have to rip anything out.
There were a couple of details in the pattern instructions I didn’t understand, but I think we made the finishing work.
Having to finish before he went home stressed him out a little, but I just kept supporting him and reeling him back from the stress abyss.
