10 January

Today's block was another simple one.  A double 4 patch.  This block is a great way to use up even the smallest pieces of fabric.  Make the small 4 Patches, then put them into a larger 4 Patch.  It could even be done with a 9 Patch, using the small 4 Patch blocks in every other spot in the 9 Patch, it is an easy way to make a quilt block look more complicated than it is.

10 Jan

I will be working on borders for the UFO I finished up yesterday.  I need to find my Companion Ruler, to cut my quarter square pieces, I know I have one, it just didn't get put back where it should have, so now I have to figure out where it decided to live.  I'm sure it is in the black hole (craft room) some where... I guess this is as good of an excuse as any to get better organized.  :-)  But organization is an on going project, and will be something I struggle with for the rest of my life... sigh.

Happy Crafting!!!

UFO Challenge

My local sewing machine store is holding a UFO challenge this year.  You fill out your form, listing 12 UFO's you want to complete this year, and if you get them done, take them to the store to show them, you get a ticket into a drawing for a $500 Gift Card to the store at the end of the year.  They did the same challenge last year, and I didn't participate, but thought I would give it a try this year.  I certainly have plenty of UFO's to choose from.  I have more than 12 quilt tops that need to be quilted and bound.  While some of those will make their way onto my list, I don't think all 12 of them will be from that pile of UFOs.  As I decide on what to list, I will list them here as well.

On my way towards getting some of them complete, I got this quilt top sewn together.

 I started on this top over 5 years ago.  I got all the squares made, then never got around to sewing them together to make the top.  I decided to pull it out and get to work on it.  I still need to figure out borders.  I'm not sure I want to do what the pattern calls for, as there are supposed to be more hourglass blocks in the border.  But I will be giving it some thought over the next few days, and come up with something.  My plan is to use only fabrics from my stash, so it might end up being scrappy some how, if I don't have any green or gold that will set it off nicely.  I do have some green fabric in the box this was stored in, but none of the gold.  And there isn't enough green in the box to create a border.  I will be checking my stash to see if there was any yardage left over when I started cutting the fabric up for this.  But since it was 5 years ago when I started, there may not be anything left.  And if I'm remembering correctly, the fabric I picked 5 years ago, was scraps from other projects anyway.   Chances of me having enough to make borders out of one fabric in the quilt is slim.  But Green is one of the colors I tend to buy a lot of, so I'm sure there will be something I could use. This will give me an opportunity to get creative and see what I can come up with, with out following the pattern.

Well, I'm off to check my stash.... I'm so happy with the progress I have been making on this, that I don't want to delay finding borders and backing. 

Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!

Day 9 365 Challenge

Another block complete.  I have to admit, most of these blocks are ones I have never made, even though they are so simple.  They just weren't part of any quilts I have made.  This challenge is doing a lot more for me than just getting one quilt block sewn daily.  It has forced me to organize my scrap strips into sizes, so I'm not digging through everything only to find the one fabric I want to use is too small.  Getting my scraps more organized was something I have been wanting to do, but just never made the time to work on it.  I think by the time I'm finished with this Challenge, my scraps will not only have been used, but will be better organized.  

It is also giving me an opportunity to work on my precision.  Who wants to measure every block they sew, to make sure it is the correct size??  I know I don't.  But making only one block, I am taking the time to measure it after each seam, to see if it is still the correct size.  As each day comes, and I cut, sew, press and measure, I'm getting more and more accurate.  When working with small blocks, accuracy becomes even more important than with larger blocks.  And since I have already decided I want to make more   2" star blocks, my accuracy is going to need to be spot on when I make them. So this gives me the chance to practice accuracy before I start making even smaller blocks.  


Here is today's block.

9-Jan

And here is a picture of all 9 blocks to date.   I was concerned when I first started that my fabric selection wasn't going to work, but now that I have a few more blocks, I think they will all work together nicely.

Blocks 1 - 9

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!!

Day 8 365 Challenge

This is almost too easy.  :-)   I'm sure as the year goes along the blocks will become more involved and take a bit longer to make.  But so far, it has been very easy to keep up with making one each day.  What I always find interesting is how the value of fabric changes, depending on what you put it next to.  The colored fabric in this block looked dark to me, or at the very least, medium.  But when put with this Dark Dark, it looks almost like a light.  I can't wait to get enough blocks to start putting them on my design wall to get an overall look at what I'm going to have.  It's too early in the process to decide if any blocks need to be redone, because they just don't play well with others, but I think by the time I get all the blocks done, they will all fit in some place in the quilt. 

Today, I'm back to work on a UFO that has been laying around for far too long... should have the top sewn together today, then need to decide on borders.  Once the top is sewn, I will post a picture. 

Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!

Stars for a New Day

Back in 2009 a website called The Quilt Show, released a Block of the Month project called Stars for a New Day. I remember making the feathered star for the center medallion at the time, but used fabric I wasn't thrilled with, and so didn't like the finished block. I enjoyed the process of making it, just not my fabrics. (If I can find that block, I will get a picture of it and add it, so you can see how bad my fabric choices were back then).

Over the years, I kept thinking about that quilt and really wanted to make it.  I just couldn't decide on a color scheme.  Last year, I decided I would use batiks for this quilt and started gathering fabrics to use.  I kept that fabric together in my craft room, so I wouldn't lose it in the black hole my craft room has become, but I couldn't seem to find the time to start working on it.  As the end of the year got closer, I kept getting that nagging feeling that I needed to start working on this quilt.  About the 2nd of January, I was headed to bed, but made a detour to my craft room, pulled out my fabric and started cutting what I needed for the first month's block.  I didn't cut all the pieces, just the amount I needed to get started off the yardage and kept it on my cutting table.  The next morning, when I woke up and got ready to start sewing for the day, I was able to start sub cutting my fabric into the sizes I needed, and start sewing.  5 days later I finished that feathered star.  I love how this turned out, it's going to be quite colorful, which is not my typical look.

It wasn't until a couple of days ago, that I realized that I started working on this 10 years after it was first released.  I didn't think any one else that is a member of The Quilt Show, is working on it at this time, although I have posted to the forum that I did start.  I think my post has inspired someone else to start working on theirs as someone responded that they are finally going to finish their quilt.  Maybe others will get inspired to start theirs, or pull it out of the UFO pile and get it finished.  It is the right time for me to be working on this project and I'm looking forward to seeing it all come together as I progress. 

If you want to get an idea of what the entire quilt looks like you can search Pinterest for "Stars for a New Day" and you will come up with all kinds of photos.  Or, check out TheQuiltShow.com, and look in the gallery for 2009 BOMs, there are all kinds of pictures from people making this quilt.  You do not need to be a member to see the photos.  However, you can become a member for free, and get access to most of the site.  IF you want to watch the shows that they offer, the membership is only $49.00 for a year, or if you prefer to pay monthly, $4.95 per month.  I believe they even have a one month trial, so you can check it out before you commit to a whole year.  I've been a member since they started all the way back in 2007 and while I haven't always watched all the shows, as a member I can go back and watch any show I like, so as my interests change, I can watch the shows that now interest me.  It's better than waiting for my local PBS station to play a quilting show, or searching the tv channels for quilting shows, and hoping that they talk about something I'm interested in.  And after having taped shows for 12 years, there are a lot of shows to choose from. 

Well, it's time to get back to work on my Wild and Goosey blocks for this week... only 65 more blocks to make to have enough for a quilt top, then I can start sewing them together in sets of 4 with sashing.

Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!

Day 7

Today's block was fun... just sew two strips together, sub-cut to the proper size, and rotate two of those sub-cuts to sew together as a 4 patch.   If you stop to think about patterns, you can make these blocks in almost any size you want.  Your finished block doesn't have to be 3", you can make it 4", or 5" or even larger.  You just have to figure out what size you want to end up with, then figure out what size strips you need to start.   Or an easier way, what size strips do you already have, and what is the size block you can get from those once finished, in your desired pattern.  This particular block might not play well as a 5" block because of the size strips you would need to start with, so it would be easier to make it another size, but if you want to do the cutting for the odd sized strips, there is nothing that says you can't do that.

Once you start thinking about the sizes of blocks and sub units, you can start looking at creating different size blocks using what you have in your stash, at a given size.  I could make this block using 2.5" strips from jelly rolls,  and end up with an block that finishes at 8".   It wouldn't take many 8" blocks to make a lap sized quilt. You could keep one strip constant, such as the dark in this block, and have many colors for the strip that is purple.  That could result in a very fun and colorful quilt.  Some of the previous blocks for this 365 Challenge could also be made using 2.5" strips to get a larger block.  How many different ways can you think of using just the 7 blocks we have made so far to create your own, one of a kind quilt using different size blocks?

If nothing else, I hope this 365 Challenge starts you thinking about different blocks, and how you can use them for other quilt projects.

Until tomorrow... happy crafting!!!

4 Strip block for 365 Challenge

Another day, another 365 Challenge block.  This one, is another simple one, just 4 strips, but they start out at only 1.25" by 3.5"  Again, with something this small, you really need to be careful when cutting and sewing to make sure it ends up the correct size. Each of those strips are .75" when finished, so you are working with small pieces of fabric.

6-January

I think what attracted me to this challenge besides making one quilt block a day, was the size of the blocks.  I recently got intrigued with miniature quilts, and have been making some 2" star blocks.  Then I decided to see what I can do in the centers, besides just a plain block.  The first one I did was a pinwheel, which meant that each half square triangle was only .5"  I have plans for trying other things in the center, but I have other projects that are beckoning me before I can play with the 2" stars.  Here are pictures of the 2" star blocks I have made so far.

I have a lot of ideas on where I can use these small blocks, but for now, I just want to get a few made and see where that takes me, before I plan any sort of lay out.

I'm not done playing with stars, I'm working on a large quilt that has stars galore, and contemplating another star quilt.  I am trying to hold back on starting any more new projects until I get some of my old ones finished up this year... but I can still plan.  :-)  Perhaps having quilts in mind that I want to make will help motivate me to getting my old projects finished so I can start something new.

Well it's time to get some serious sewing done... happy crafting!!

A Simple 9 Patch

Today's 365 Challenge is a simple 9 patch block.  But don't let the simplicity fool you.  If  you aren't accurate in your cutting, sewing and pressing, you can make your block either too small or too large.

Jan 5

I'm using this challenge to hone my skills in all aspects of quilting.  I want to make sure I cut accurately.  I want to test my seam allowance, and make sure it isn't too big or too small.  And when I'm pressing my seams, I want to make sure I'm not stretching my fabric, or getting tucks in my seam lines.  When you are making small blocks, the accuracy is even more important than if you were making larger blocks.  If you are off, even 1/16" in a 3 inch block, and you have 12 3" blocks in your row, you could be off by as much as .75" when you get your row sewn together, and if your next row is accurate, they won't fit together like they should.  So even a small discrepancy can add up over the size of the quilt.

To help me with my accuracy, I have started using glue to hold my small pieces of fabric together.  I found a product called Acorn Easy Precision Piecing Starter Kit.  It includes what they are calling Seam Align Glue.  You use just the smallest of drops in your seam allowance, and put your two fabrics together, and it holds it while you stitch.  If you need to take it apart, the glue releases from the fabric easily, with out distorting your fabric, and will wash out once you are finished with your quilt.  So it isn't going to stay in there forever.  The next part of the kit is Easy Press Solution and an Easy Press Pen.  You put the solution in the pen, and then apply it to your seam, press and your seam will lay flat!! 

I'm looking for alternatives to these products, since they are hard to find locally, and they aren't exactly cheap.  I think I may have found another glue that works just as well, but is not the Elmers School glue (although I have used that for some things as well).  I will post about that another time.

But for now, it's time to get back to sewing.  I'm starting another project that has been on my mind for a number of years.  It's The Quilt Show's 2009 BOM, Stars for a New Day.  I have loved that quilt since they first released it, but didn't have the time to spend on it.  Last year, I started gathering fabric for it, and today I'm starting on the center feathered star.  I will share pictures as I progress.  I also have more work to do on my Wild and Goosey blocks so I can get that quilt top together.  Only 68 more blocks to have enough for the lap sized quilt I want to make. 

Until next time...  happy crafting!!!