ta-da

The sum total of my creative output the last two days, other than tweaking my Farmer's Wife inspired sampler::

Album Cross block from re-purposed fabric that might go in the said sampler.  My re-scaling plan from a 8 inch finished to 6 inch finished  block using Fons and Porter's mag article worked.

Other than that----ugh, binding and more binding but I got it done about 4 this afternoon.  The 60 x 90 size was making it very hard for Quilt Holder to hold it up for pictures.   Glad that job is finished.

Out comes the sewing machine again and tomorrow I'll try to figure out where I was on the Popsicle Sticks top and get back to making more blocks for a queen sized top.

works in progress---post 2

As it is in a lot of quilt groups (I hope so anyway!) there is a lot of sharing and "consultation" going on.   The Belles and I don't ever seem to be able to pull off an organized show and tell, LOL.  People arrive when they can and leave when they must.   We scatter out all over the Fellowship Hall---some pinning, some sewing, some binding, some looking at books and magazines from our library cart.  We spread things out on the tables or holler when we have something to hold up.  Fairly informal.   Opinions are solicited or kept to ourselves.

These are a few of the projects seen at the Tuesday meeting-----

That gray-y black tone on tone used in this top is the challenge fabric this year.  Bev donated it and we had like 20 yards of it to do something with.   It might have been easier to work with it were 1)  not a bit directional in the striations and  2) if it were truly black.  I guess that is where the challenge comes in!  As far as I know, Beverly is the first one to get a top made with  the challenge yardage.

She said at first she was not so crazy about the quilt.  It has an Amish quilt feel to it, doesn't it?   By the time she finished it was growing on her.  Her husband Jack was helping her decided what fabrics to include--- if he groaned that meant a veto of the choice but he okay'd others, from what Beverly reported.  I think this "works" as she stayed with the grayed, dusty tones  in the blues, pinks, greens and then added just enough brights to make it pop.   We dug around in the closet for some backing but will pin it down the line.   After all, we only have to have a top done by December  (if we can---that is loose too, LOL)


Next up we have Marilyn's Wonky Stars that she is making as an ovarian cancer fund raiser.  We were consulting about whether she should include some of the non-teal blocks or the ones that were not screaming teal but had teal in the prints.  I was always told to look at what a block looks to be from 10 feet away (or the camera lens, door peephole) and then decide.  It may look tan or gray from the distance and you have to decide if it fits or not.

We were also wondering what size to cut the sashing----looks like the churches' vinyl table cloth looks pretty good with the blocks floating on it.   She is considering doing little wonky stars in the sashing.  I had some EQ sketches that had been done that way and some friendship stars that have the same sizes of block stitched in to show her though I have also done the teeny ones in the sashing as well.  We had talked on the phone about it the day before so that was why I knew to throw the project box in the car. It can be done scrappy but you have to be watchful and a design wall helps immensely.  Well, HERE is a post about that   I don't think that the actual project progressed much past the picture show in THIS post, LOL.  Another one to re-visit circa 2006.

The next picture shows Brenda's recently completed Grandmother's Flower Garden top.  I love the applique she has done in the corners!  She is considering adding a few buds to it.   Other than admiring it we were discussing how she might hand quilt it.  The blocks are hand done so she wants to hand quilt it but not every stinkin' hexie!!

We talked about how you often see them quilted a quarter inch in from the seam lines but each and every hexagon.  Could you just do it a quarter inch away from the centers and do the same thing on the outside or inside of the rosette??  Try it and see if it will pop and recede in a pleasing manner to you, maybe on a small project first.   I believe she is planning on cross hatching in the outer border since there is a fair amount of space to be filled there.   Wouldn't double lines look cool--even with the initial grid about 2.5 or 3 inches apart??  That just came to me.   Not my quilt so I can come up with more work ideas, LOL.


The next three are some of the shots I took of Bev's Block of the Month Crazy Patches.  (Just a few selected months are shown here though she has all 12 of them done.)  Bev is so inventive and seems to enjoy improvisational work with fun embellishments so this is right up her alley, I would say.   I think you will see themes each block represents.

Here we have Pat F and Betsy pinning Pat's fall toned quilt.  The girls set up two tables since Bev was pinning some of her Christmas gift quilts and the usual one was tied up for quite a bit.   Table two is normally covered with the Bunn-o matic and the coffee supplies.  Actually this worked better for Pat as the table is longer than the one we normally use.  The quilt would need to be shifted up and down as well as side to side.

And this was another point of discussion.  How to make an Album Cross block.  Brenda and I were talking about it at the last meeting in relation to a quilt she was considering.  The background information is found on that post.  Crossed Canoes versus Album Cross---less pieces but still effective.

The Fons and Porter method I had in mind was in their magazine September/October 1998 when it was still called "Sew Many Quilts"   I found the magazine the other day while looking for something else FOR someone else, LOL.    My mind leapt to the abandoned blocks from my mom that I had taken apart to re-purpose the fabric.  I cut out 6 blocks that would finish 8 inches as the magazine shows---some used the re-purposed fabric and others, some of the over-cuts from that Prairie Stroll top I was working on.

Even though the block was not pieced yet, I showed the girls how Liz avoided making a template as you use an overlay at the half way mark of your finished blocks and just trim the extra fabric away using your 8 1/2 inch square ruler.  I had some vinyl to attach to the ruler top that I had picked up years ago at a quilt show from Master Piece Products called Static Sticker.  There are 1/4 inch grid lines marked on the back of the vinyl make it easy to trim to size. You can see the seam lines and it comes right off when you no longer need it.

That brings up to today's creative plans-----
In my haste Tuesday morning I mis-cut the 2 1/2 inch strips I had intended to use with the re-claimed fabric.  I decided to see if I can make a six inch finished Album Cross block instead of the 8 inch finished shown in the magazine.  I'll  use the same principles but  will be looking for the 3 1/4 inch mark to orient my little square---you have to angle the square with one tip on the  middle of the block horizontally and vertically.  6 inch finished---this might go in my Farmer's Wife Sampler.  There is a similar block listed that she called Seasons but more chunky looking.  2 inch strips would work and I have an easy way to piece it.  Because I may be using white sashing on that project I think I am going to put these cut QST back in the abandoned block project bag and cut a soft green background instead---I just decided that.    Whip that block right up today!

Also on today's plans----start on the QOV binding.  I think I'll put up the machine after I whip up that little block and spread out for a day or two--- or knowing me, three.  Gotta be done as a deadline awaits.  Jane, Aline, me and I think Bev all have quilts that will need to be delivered for the Veteran's Home and we are shooting for the Aug. 30th small group day.

I did get the Prairie Stroll top colored flap and borders on yesterday.  Backing has been found for it and it is now with the 4 other pro bono tops in my bedroom closet.   Still not ready to pin those, nor could I this week with the tables in continuous use even if I wanted to---which I didn't.  I already told you 3 of them need marking and batting pieced meaning more work, LOL.

Okay, posting is done, the laundry is done, almost time for lunch----and that is how a morning can slip away from you!

meeting date

Bama Belles met yesterday---a few folks had other plans, appointments and one, I know, is traveling with her husband.    The 7 of us that were there still enjoyed some time together.  Teresa's sister Judy came with her and they were doing some cutting on a project Judy is working on, or will be working on soon.   Bev was labeling the quilt she was ready to turn in and had some binding going on another recently pinned and quilted top.  Brenda was labeling and completing the binding on her donation quilt as well.  You'll see all of those below in a minute.

Janet had a quilt to trim up and was binding with two color binding----really a neat technique and something I had not tried.  Brenda and Janet are members of a Wednesday evening group and said that a fellow member, relatively new quilter too, had shared the method with them.  If I can find a link for this, I will share it.  I know my pal Norma had used this on some placemats or table toppers at one point---maybe she can direct me?

Beverly also had a quilt to deliver and was working on a quilt for a little person in her life.  She was using panel pieces, those ones you can sew up for a cloth book for kids, but joining them together, quilt as you go style.  It is going to be cute!!  It already IS cute, LOL.  Pretty green on the back of it.  I'll get a picture when she is further along with her project.

Let me brag on the girls a bit before I tell you how I spent my day--------it being MY blog and all, you would expect that.

First up, Teresa's Toy Story Jewel Box----we had some cut 5 inch squares at the last sew-in.  I showed Teresa, Judy and Judy's guest how you can make 4 patches and half square triangles with 5 inch cut squares and shared this block with her.  She ran with it----pieced and quilted it.  Woohoo!

This is Bev's quilt----the fabric panel was an ebay or flea market find, I believe she said?  Doesn't it look soft and feminine?  Good piece to practice quilting on.  Bev would probably tell you that she is getting more comfortable with her quilting these days. 

This next one is Beverly's String quilt.  I am not sure but this could have been the blocks she was working on at the sew-in earlier this spring as the strips look to be the same size in width.   She used a small star motif to quilt and anchor the strips in the block.  Trust me, I am borrowing this idea as I have one of my own to quilt---either a large heart or 5 pointed star,  I am thinking.

Brenda was working right up to 2 p.m. to get this one finished up.  It will go in the group to be donated to the Red Cross as her husband is the person who works between them and the fire and police departments.   You will recognize the pattern as Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips Around the World.  I like to think of this as being a block version of Snuggle Up---the technique is the same but on a smaller scale.   These blocks were begun at the spring sew-in as well.   

And me?  I did manage to get some sewing done though I was the last one out the door---first in, last out since I have the keys but I was not about to go till I had another strip added to my pile of 48 Prairie Stroll blocks.  That just leaves adding the top strip of teal fabric.  Picture taken right before I packed it up.  I DID get them pressed up last evening though before I set the project bag aside.

I also showed Teresa how I do a binding join since she had me to do so ahead of the meeting.  I was not sure if she would have a quilt to do it on but I sure did----the pineapple blossom I had just finished quilting the night before.  My method isn't like the books say with all that folding stuff and lining up the fold lines, blah, blah   I lay it out, line it up, mark where the edges touch and then measure a little bit wider than a quarter inch away from my tic marks with my small easy angle ruler so I get the angled cut that will match up with the angled cut I had already made on the other end of the binding.  I still need to sew on the label but that won't take long. 

I pinned up two tops with the help of the gals, two extra wide ones so again, I am grateful that Judy J and I had sewn together batting scraps for this purpose.  We had marked the size of the batting rolls so it made it easier to match things up top size wise.  One was just a hair short on the top left and lower right corner---I flagged the trouble spots. Once I got home I patched it up with some of that heat press tape using the overage of batting on the two opposite corner trim-aways.  One of the pinned tops was my Faux Log Cabin from back in October 11 and part of the scrappy challenge.  The other, one of Linda C's that I had made binding for some time back.  Yep, they go in the quilting pile but I said I was going to do this.  I planned for it, LOL.  Two finished up and two more take its place.  No wonder I am never "done" but quilting is cylical.

Brenda and I were talking about a top she had seen in Fons and Porter magazine that used a Crossed Canoes quilt block, mostly about the coloration though.  That link is for a foundation pieced block which would make piecing it a little easier, but I like to foundation piece while others are not so fond of  it.   Anyway, I said if she did not want to make a blocks with as many pieces as that one called for she might consider using the Album Cross block.  A few years back the Belles and I had explored a technique from Fons and Porter magazine--Sept/Oct. 1998 that had you piece the crossing stuff  longer than needed and the sections of quarter square triangles slightly oversized.  You then put a template shape on the ruler which lined up over the blocks center square, centered it and then trimmed down the block.   Brenda and I looked through all the printouts, clippings and patterns we had at the church and I could not find the magazine clipping---dang it but I did find a picture I could share with her that showed what an Album Cross was!  We have several photo albums (5) of our completed quilts to look through too.  Always fun to go back and visit those.   I finally found it after going through several of my notebooks here at home---that one sorta defies the categories I have my notebooks organized in, LOL and could send it off to Brenda if she wants to try the block. 

I spent some time logging in the donation quilts and updating my document as I unpacked my haul around cart after the  meeting.  Today's list contains some paper work stuff and a couple errands so I am not apt to get much done in the quilting or sewing department.  When I was looking for binding for the Pineapple Blossom in the two containers I have set up for that, I found two "somethings" that might work for the one we just pinned---strips that I had cut and then not seamed for previous quilt projects.  Seaming and pressing that along with applying that label might be all I will aspire to in the sewing department.  Also my warm and natural order just came in which means my pressing board can be recovered since I have the iron quick fabric on hand already.  I already warned DJ that the plywood board may need replacing and he might have to accompany me to Lowe's should the wood be staple worn out on both sides.  That might get tended to as well.

Okay, see how it goes.  Laundry was finished up hours ago.  Balance the checking account(s), pay the bills, bank and post office await.  Meanwhile DJ completes the kitchen cabinet project---the frame is built and he is working on the trim board.  Eventually I will get to put the stuff the is stored in there back in its place.  I believe he mentioned min-wax  or painting it yet.  Guess I better not run the newspapers to the recycle bin just yet. 


Stay cool and thanks for stopping by--------