Month: November 2016

More Bias Rectangles (HRTs) Resources

Last week, I wrote a post on HRTs. After writing it and concentrating, mostly, on tutorials, I thought of rulers. Yes, I mentioned the Tri-Recs ruler, but I thought there might be others. I am not sure why I didn’t think of it myself.

BlocLoc HRT ruler
BlocLoc HRT ruler

This idea got legs when one reader (Thanks, Libby!) told me that the BlocLoc ruler system has an HRT ruler. I saw them in an online shop and they look similar to the BiRangle, though different as well.

I am not familiar with this system of rulers, not because there is anything wrong with them. I haven’t used them, mostly because I don’t want to get sucked in to another type of ruler! I do want to support small quiltmaking businesses and I feel the urge to just try them all the time. It is hard since I am such a ruler lover.

Creative Grids HRT
Creative Grids HRT

After finding the BlocLoc rulers I went searching for others. I found a Creative Grids triangle ruler** that will help you make HRTs in a variety of different sizes. It is similar in shape to the Tri Recs, but looks like you can make more sizes using it.

I think you could also make blocks with super skinny triangles like Storm at Sea or 54-40 or Fight.

This CG ruler is a little pricey – $18.95. Think of how many quilts you could make! 😉

Accuquilt-HRT die
Accuquilt-HRT die

It also occurred to me that Accuquilt may have a die. They do. The die (#55411) cuts two skinny triangles in a 3 x 6 inch** size. You must have a Go! machine to use this die. It is compatible with the Studio, Big and Go! Baby, though you might have to use an adapter. This die is also included in the Accuquilt GO! Qube Mix & Match 12″ Block set**. The obvious drawback is that you get only one size.

I went to the Cotton Patch a few weeks ago and they had a whole Accuquilt Center in their store now! It made me want to swoon. If I only had unlimited funds and space! I suppose more time would be useful as well. 😉

Other Resources

  • Tutorial on using the Split Recs Ruler
  • Deb Tucker tutorial on using the Split Rects ruler

Happy HRT making!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FOTY 2016 Squares Progress

FOTY 2016 Nov 2016 Squares
FOTY 2016 Nov 2016 Squares

This group looks like it would be a wonderfully cheerful baby/toddler quilt. Turquoise and pinky-red! What could be better?

It makes me want to just toss all the FOTY 2016 squares up on the wall and sew them together in a way that creates a larger cheerful quilt with this look. This tells me that I am getting tired of the project.

Don’t worry; it is a stage int he process and I will get through it. It is a good sign and perhaps I will start arranging right after New Year’s Day. We’ll see.

I looked in the box of squares yesterday and found it stuffed to the gills. I hope I don’t have to cut the squares down. I don’t want to.

Orange Soda Journal Cover

I have been in desperate need of leaders & enders lately. The crisis has passed since I got my order of Northcott Colorworks charm squares, though before it did a lot of weird pieces were sewn.

Orange Soda Journal Cover (closed)
Orange Soda Journal Cover (closed)

I had some orange scraps that I had started to sew together, so I continued to sew and turned it into a journal cover. It is along the same lines as the Orange Crush journal cover and the scraps may have been from that piece.

I am really pleased with how this one came out. The front cover is really well placed. The scraps aren’t too small, which always causes finishing issues. It is also bright and cheerful. I need bright and cheerful right now.

Orange Soda Journal Cover - open
Orange Soda Journal Cover – open

 

ColorPlay Friday

Dornbirn Window Boxes
Dornbirn Window Boxes

On my first day in Dornbirn, I went with my Austrian mom to the natural grocery store (Bioladen). Across the street was the house above. I love the painted shutters and the window boxes. September is such a lovely month in Vorarlberg.

I decided to use the photo to see what kind of palette I could make. I have recently been fascinated with the combinations of neutrals. I see a lot of houses in the neighborhood painted in a pleasing combination of neutrals. I am reluctant to commit to such a color combination, however. There is a difference between admiring as I amble by and being forced to look at it each time I drive up and walk in.

ColorPlay Nov 11 n.1
ColorPlay Nov 11 n.1

This photo has some interesting neutrals. I focused on the neutrals in the first palette. As individual colors combined with super brights, as per my usual, I can imagine using them. I am not sure about the palette above. I was trying to get a white, but the Palette Builder recognized the color as baby blue. It is interesting to think about using a very, very pale blue instead of white. This is when I need a team of assistants to sew on command. 😉

ColorPlay Nov 11 n.2
ColorPlay Nov 11 n.2

Kind of depressing, especially after Tuesday, so I tried to create a brighter version. Not much to work with, but I do like the result. The watermelon is an interesting color.

What have you made?

Peacock Work Continues

I know I just wrote about my progress on The Peacock a few days ago, but I have made more progress and I am pretty excited. The progress feels kind of like a baby. The first few months of a baby’s life sees a lot of change in their looks. In this piece, each row seems to provide more personality.

The Peacock - Nov 2016
The Peacock – Nov 2016

I spent most of the day Sunday out, but since it is Standard Time and the day started early, I arrived home on the early side. The timing allowed me to spend a few hours sewing. I wasn’t expecting any sewing time and was very pleased. As I am getting towards the top, the piece really looks more and more like something.

I am not sure I am a huge fan of the green (feather) diagonal line, on the right towards the middle, that was formed when I pieced those rows. I am not, however, unpicking. I do like the trails the green solid has made and I am eager to get those sections on the design wall so I can finish working on the final width and layout.

I know I was pretty ambivalent after making the blocks for this piece. I am really interested in how the quilt top is turning out. It is taking a lot of time and work. However, the challenge is really working my brain.

Thanksgiving Tablerunners

Pumpkin/gourd tablerunner
Pumpkin/gourd tablerunner

The tablerunners are ready for their first outing in a couple of weeks. I have no illusions about finishing the tablemat, but I am pleased with my efforts thus far.

The first one I finished is shown on the left. I really like this one and kind of wish I had bought more of these panels, so all of the runners could match. I didn’t and I am not making more.

Tablerunners #2 & 3
Tablerunners #2 & 3

I did very simple quilting, for the most part, though the quilting ended up being much more complicated on the alternate design just because of the fabric motifs. I did a lot of outline quilting of the leaves and such, so it took more time.

I think, depending, that I will plan to take the tablemat to the next quilt retreat. I get a lot of blocks made at retreats, but quilting is also a good task for a retreat.

 

26 Projects – November 2016 edition

The last time I reviewed my list was in July. I have made some progress, but not a lot. August was pretty much a desert for getting projects done and I was gone in September so no sewing then either. I was ready to rock in October and am making some progress.

Finished 2016 Quilt Projects

Finished 2016 non-Quilt Projects

In Process
The  ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or pretending to stitch. I try not to put away projects, because that will ensure I never work on them.

  • Carpenter’s Wheel blocks – I finished #9 and #10. I thought this finish concluded the blocks. However, after I laid them out, I realized that I didn’t have enough to do what I wanted. I need to make a few more. Perhaps as leaders and enders?
  • English Paper Piecing Project– half hexies – I added three more stars to the large piece over the weekend. I also measure the piece and figure out how much more I have to stitch to get it to a good size.
  • Lobster – have more stitching to do and then I need to quilt it.
  • Octagon 9 Patch: ready to put together. Not sure what I am waiting for. Another leaders/enders project or do I want to lay out the blocks more carefully?
  • Peacock Quilt – on the design wall and sewing the top together is in process.
  • Pies and Points from Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. No further progress. I did find more of the background fabric when I went to Portland, so I can make a larger piece.
  • Stepping Stones #2 – I am in the process of making the border blocks after I designed them to be a little different from the first Stepping Stones quilt.

Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

  1. Aqua-Red Sampler – I made progress on the partial seaming tutorial and need to sit down to finish it.
  2. The Tarts Come to Tea: I still haven’t worked on this since April 2011, though, it is in a prominent location so I have easy access. I am taking a machine quilting workshop soon (shock, horror, I know) and the focus is on background motifs. Just what I need!
  3. Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. I still haven’t worked on this project either, but I do think about it.
  4. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. My career counselor breathed new life into this project for me. She asked a simple question and the end result was inspiration for this piece, but I kind of lost steam again after printing images on paper to try out different designs. Lately, I have stopped feeling like I need to finish this piece. I am not ready to give up on it yet. I think it really needs major surgery.
  5. Under the Sea: class project; like the design and am happier with the colors. I bought a few spools of Aurifil 12wt and have been embroidering with it and the Perl Cotton on it. It might become a lush pillow for someone.
  6. Serendipity Lady Quilt

Ready for Quilting

  • Thanksgiving tablemat

In Quilting Process

  • Theoretically, the Tarts Come to Tea is in the quilting process. I am taking a class next weekend that may give me some ideas and perhaps get me back on track with it.

Binding

None

Hunting and Gathering

  • Blue Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5″x 4.5″ blue rectangles
  • Blue Lemonade: cutting blue, green, purple 2″ squares
  • Pink Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5″x 4.5″ pink rectangles
  • Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
  • Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I am supposed to be cutting a variety of greys for the background. I bought a new template, so I should be able to get going again

Other

What’s on your list?

Thanksgiving Napkins

Thanksgiving napkins, October 2016
Thanksgiving napkins, October 2016

I think my last update about this project was in August. A lot has happened and I think we are nearing the end.

SIL and her machine have been working hard. She has to recolor all of the designs so use just 6 colors. Sometimes that is really hard and she has to make compromises. Still she has done a great job and I can’t wait to have the napkins out at Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Napkins, mid October 2016
Thanksgiving Napkins, mid October 2016

My job has been to wash and press all of the embroidered napkins. I have had no bleeding or fading of the designs. I have used a lot of Flatter and Mary Ellen’s Best Press!

The embroidery machine had a hissy fit and ate one of the yellow napkins. While there were probably enough napkins for everyone, we decided to get one more packet (World Market Buffet napkins). I bought a dusty purple and these came out SUPER well. I am very pleased with them.

I really like all of the napkins. Not only are they pretty and festive, but they are also large enough to keep laps clean.

More Peacock

Time does funny things to my head when I am sewing. I know I sewed A LOT over the weekend. Still, I felt like it wasn’t enough. Will there ever be enough time to sew? I don’t know.

The Peacock, end of October 2016
The Peacock, end of October 2016

During all that time, I worked, mostly, on the Peacock. I now have 10 rows sewn together in some fashion or another. I have them mostly sewn together in groups of four rows. They will all be sewn together eventually, but I am just doing this much for now.

I also started to sew some bits of the upper rows together, but nothing major is done up there. I have to get serious about the solids and see what I can make for the background in the upper right hand corner.

Bias Rectangles (HRTs) Resources

I have an idea to spice up the latest batch of 16 patch blocks I made for the BAMQG charity project using HRTs.

HRTs are half rectangle triangles, which are similar to half square triangles. This shape/block is also called a Bias Rectangle. I wanted to make them using a method similar to the Triangle Technique. Wouldn’t that be great? DH and SIL worked on the math, but they could only get one rectangle and a kite shape out of a similar method.

Sigh.

I went looking for tutorials.

Adrianne of ilovefabric.com and Little Bluebell blog uses one part of the Tri-Recs ruler. She shows a top in the post that she made and details how the ruler works. If you are doing Bonnie Hunter’s 2016 mystery quilt, you need this ruler set anyway. You can buy it for the mystery quilt and have it for HRTs.

It might be easier to cut these shapes if you had a cutting mat turntable. Martelli has one that includes an ironing surface.

The Modern Quilt Guild posted a tutorial on bias rectangles. The tutorial shows how to make 4.5 x 6.5 inch final block size, but notes that the tutorial works for any size as long as you use the same sized rectangles. The tutorial includes directions for “squaring” up the blocks (a rectangle made up of two triangles).

Wayne Kollinger also posted 3 (yes, THREE) different tutorials for making HRTs. First, he talks about just cutting fabric. No tools or special rulers. Wayne’s second method also uses the Tri Recs ruler. The third tutorial uses freezer paper. One thing Wayne says is “the rectangles are twice as long as they are wide. This means that for a 6″x6″ block the rectangles would have a finished size of 2″x 4″. For a 9″x9″ block the rectangles would have a finished size of 3″x6″.”, which is very helpful information moving forward.

Heidi at Buttons and Butterflies posted a tutorial includes what not to do, which is a great illustration of what I found out from DH’s mathematical adventures. From the tutorial you can see what happens without having to do it yourself. 😉 There are a few different techniques included in this post including an Accuquilt technique. The Accuquilt die has the tips cut off for easier matching of patches. She finishes up with a tutorial similar to the Modern Quilt Guild tutorial. Heidi also talks about the differences in HRTs, which I was glad about since I didn’t realize some of the things she discusses.

Kristi of the Schnitzel and Boo Blog uses a similar technique to Heidi, but sews on each side of the center line to make her HRTs in her post. The post includes a quilt tutorial/pattern as well.

Marjorie Rhine from Quilt Woman has a PDF discussthe topic, including three options for making the blocks. One is to use a template, similar to my tutorial on using templates. I supposed the Tri Recs ruler discussed above would also work. Also mentioned are the Marti Michell’s Template Set D or Margaret Miller’s AnglePlay Template. The latter is a companion to a couple of books. She includes paper piecing and using templates as techniques. The PDF includes a lot of useful information.

These can also be made using foundation piecing. Printing a template from EQ7 or drawing the paper template is also possible.

BiRangle ruler
BiRangle ruler

Finally, I have a ruler called a BiRangle ruler. It is by Martingale (I bought it when the company was called That Patchwork Place).

Sew Mama Sew has a tablerunner pattern. She talks about why the Triangle Technique does not work for HRTs.

 

November 2016 To Do List

I am pleased to report I have used about 145 yards of fabric this year. Isn’t that crazy? I can hardly believe it. I still have to work on using more and I am sure I can use at least another few by the end of the year.
November To Do

  • Wash fabric AKA The Great Unwashed-some progress
  • Cut out 3 notepad covers for gifts
  • Finish cutting out Day in the Park backpack variation
  • Cut out Art supplies pincushion
  • Sew Art supplies pincushion
  • Sew purple pincushion
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #2
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #3
  • Quilt Thanksgiving table mat
  • Make Chubby Charmer for SIL
  • *Bind Thanksgiving Tablerunner #2
  • *Bind Thanksgiving Tablerunner #3
  • *ATCs for December 2016 CQFA meeting

*New since last post

Finished since December 2015 post

  • Pull fabrics for QuiltCon class
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Cut out Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote
  • Cut out Art supplies Sew Together Bag
  • Finish cutting out 3rd Petrillo bag
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #2
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #3
  • Cut out Thanksgiving table mat
  • ATCs for CQFA December meeting
  • Finish sewing Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote -this was a gift I intended to give during Holiday 2013- sigh. Missed 2014 Holiday deadline as well. I made it for birthday 2016 and it was a successful gift.
  • Sew Art supplies Sew Together Bag
  • Cut out Purple Sew Together Bag
  • Sew Purple Sew Together Bag
  • Bind Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Make binding for Flowerburst
  • Quilt Christmas table runner
  • Sew Bon Appetit apron
  • Sew 3rd Petrillo Bag
  • Create Partial Seam tutorial