Block & Border

Christmas Tree Quilt

12/14/2019

In August I began sewing buffalo plaid tree blocks.

Large buffalo plaid tree blocks to be more precise.
They required a considerable amount of floor space.

Tammy at Three Sisters Fabric provided the Diagonal Plaid pantograph.
She is my go-to, always-reliable, long arm quilting specialist.

I chose an unexpected backing fabric, bright and cheerful for the season.

Now in December we snuggle under my new Christmas tree quilt.

Buffalo Plaid Trees
60" x 72"
Approximately 539 pieces
Pattern by Center Street Quilts

Have a joyful Christmas!

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Leafy

10/26/2019

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Introducing Leafy

Leafy began as a bundle of fabric that came home with me from Seattle.

My sewing goal for this block pattern by Elizabeth Hartman was to keep the veins even and straight. They are skinny...less than 1/2" wide.

I think I did it. Yeah!
Then on to the "flimsy" photo shoot at Wellfield Garden.

Vessels for Water and Wind
(I love this photo. Windy days do work for photo shoots.)

I do not love this photo.
It reveals my personal quilt-making nadir.
Pin basting involves moving furniture and too many hours on my knees.
But I persevered.

I quilted it myself with vertical wavy lines and some leaf shapes tucked into random places.

And I'm loving the result.

Leafy
approximately 630 pieces
60" x 56"

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Sunday Beach Day

8/4/2019

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I selected watermelon, salmon, peach, and nectarine fabrics for making Sunflare by Meghan Buchannan.

A Sunday walk along Lake Michigan granted me an opportunity to take fun pictures of those vibrant colors.

Sunflare
71" x 84"

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Liberty Two

7/18/2019

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Liberty of London fabrics also dazzle on a black background.

Enough scraps remained from Liberty One to piece nine blocks for Liberty Two.

Simple diagonal line quilting complements the fabric.

Liberty Two inspires me hanging next to my sewing machine.

Liberty Two
32" x 32"
253 pieces

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My collection of Liberty of London fabric originated more than three years ago with a purchase from Drygoods Design just off Pioneer Square in Seattle. Very few shops in the states sell this fabric, but I managed to purchase some scrap bags online. With additional fabric gifted to me from my daughter last Christmas, I had enough small pieces of this dear (and by dear I mean heart-warming and three times the usual price per yard) fabric for a quilt.

What makes Liberty of London unique? The fabrics are made with fine, high-count yarns which make them luxurious and silky to the touch. Most of their designs are comprised of intricate, multi-color florals. They have been available in England for over 135 years.
Feels amazing. Looks amazing.

I chose the pattern Round and Round by Camille Roskelly.

White worked well as the background color.

This is Liberty One, ready for quilting. It currently measures 68" x 72."
I may choose to add white borders to make it bed-size.
Tough decision.

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Happy Tenth Anniversary

6/27/2019

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Perfect for a ten year marriage celebration.
Happy Anniversary to the best son and daughter-in-law ever!

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Seven Letters

6/7/2019

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After two years of inhabiting the second dresser drawer (where my quilt tops go to be ignored), this one begged for attention.

Well, not really. I needed a gift. A wedding gift.
I pulled this pieced top out and moved the kitchen table.
(I needed floor space).

I taped and pinned...413 pins to be exact.

Then, this neglected quilt top received hours of attention under my machine's needle...

and under my handheld needle...

and emerged as a gorgeous finished quilt/wedding gift.

The pattern for this postage stamp quilt Seven Letters was designed by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. The fabric collection Wordsmith was designed by Janet Clare.

Seven Letters
74" x 74"
approximately 2,401 pieces

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Stacked Stars

5/19/2019

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Stacked Stars is a quilt found in Casual Classic Quilts by Gerri Robinson of Planted Seed Designs. The appeal of this design comes from its use of traditional stars in a contemporary setting. I hoped by using only two main colors-blues and grays-I could create a look of timeless charm.

Once I started piecing and laying out the blocks, I stepped back and took a look. Perhaps it needed some medium volume blue fabrics to achieve the effect I wanted. It worked for me to add two more fabrics to the mix...the second and third from the left in this photo.

As the growing quilt top moved from the wall to the floor, I grew excited.

Of course in my excitement, there was an oops. Do you see it?
Now it is fixed and finished.

Stacked Stars
89" x 69"
Approximately 1624 pieces

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Renovation

5/6/2019

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I have spent the last month NOT sewing in my existing bedroom/sewing room to allow some extreme renewal...renewal involving wall and ceiling paint, new carpet, a larger ironing board cover, a design wall, and thanks to IKEA, a blonde cart and a black cabinet that go perfectly with an existing IKEA black and blonde table and black chair. (That long, long, long sentence illustrates the long, long, long time I went without sewing.)

After new paint and carpet, I added a handy cart, and I welcomed a design wall that is actually a wall and not a "design bed" or a "design floor."

I expanded my ironing surface by adding a quilter's ironing board.

My new spacious quilt cabinet completes this space.

I LOVE that I am back to work in this renewed and inspiring room!

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Pink Dahlias

4/13/2019

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Because pink was Mother's favorite color...

Because she once made an appliqued dahlia quilt from the book Aunt Martha's Favorite Quilts (published ca. January 1953)…

Because I wanted to take handwork on our road trip to Savannah...

Because as I stitched I thought of her...

Because I treasure her quilting inspiration...

Because one dahlia was not enough...

Because I have siblings who also loved her...

And because I think they all would like a pillow...

I made seven.

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Indian Blanket: A Picture Story

2/16/2019

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Quilted Strait in Port Gamble, Washington, where I purchased the book Oh Scrap! by Lissa Alexander

Fabrics chosen after reading pages 11-15 on cohesive design or "how to avoid a hodgepodge of everything but the kitchen sink" when making a scrap quilt
(These pages alone make the book worth buying.)

A sampling of the required 760 half square triangles posed on the book

The beginning of the first quadrant

Almost

First and second quadrants finished

Close to the end

Quilted clamshells for texture by Tammy of Three Sisters Quilting

Binding in oh-so-happy orange

Love it!

The requisite outdoor photo

Hanging

Indian Blanket
56" x 56"
800 pieces

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Christmas Chandelier

11/25/2018

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Christmas Chandelier
60" x 60"
307 pieces

Pattern from the book Charm School by Vanessa Goertzen

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Ocean Waves Quilts

11/20/2018

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I began in March 2017, and now twenty months later...
it feels amazing to have three scrappy style Ocean Waves quilts completed. These may be the quilts on which I have spent the most time ever cutting, sewing, and squaring up half square triangle blocks.
I used greens, blues, and neutral low volume fabrics...some from my scrap box, some from precut fat quarters, and some from a few small pieces of yardage purchased at quilt shops along the way.

I chose this pattern to make three quilts for three reasons.

It may be my favorite traditional pattern. (Or at least tied with Irish Chain.)
I did not need a pattern. I could look at a picture to see how it was constructed, and I could imagine how the simplicity of half square triangle blocks made of green, blue, and low volume printed scraps could transform traditional into more contemporary.
I have three grandsons that needed quilts. (Okay, they may already have a few.)

As usual after a quilt finish, it was time for photos.

This time I also researched the history behind the design.

Early American New England coastal living inspired the original Ocean Waves quilt pattern. Through the years the pattern gained in popularity. Many midwestern quilters made Ocean Waves quilts, pioneers took them along on their westward journeys, and the pattern eventually reached the Pacific coast.
If you search for images of Ocean Waves quilts, you will find a gazillion variations, colors, and sizes.

It seems to be an authentic American traditional quilt pattern.

Each of these quilts has a different color for the back, and I used the leftover backing fabric to make the bindings.

My grandsons sleep, cuddle, stay warm, make houses, drag around, camp with, and play on the quilts I have already given them.
(What more could a Nana want?)
For Christmas they will each receive one more.

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Shopping, No Sewing

10/5/2018

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Such. Limited. Sewing. Time.
Seriously. With grandsons in town and traveling...

At least I have had some time to shop.
And in the state of Washington!

I first visited Quilted Strait in Port Gamble.

I purchased Oh, Scrap! by Lissa Alexander...most likely for this quilt...
Indian Blanket.

Next I visited Dry Goods Design in Seattle.

I purchased my first Liberty of London fabrics.
Aren't these awesome!?!?
I will be hoarding them.

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Arabesque

8/3/2018

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Often my process of piecing a quilt top follows the same pattern.
Love it.
Hate it.
Love it.

Isn't this a great quilt?

Love it.

I looked at the fabric requirements and matched them with the possibilities already existing in my fabric boxes.
Layer cake? Check. Background fabric? Almost enough.

Does almost enough stop me? NO.

If I switch the layer cake requirement to the background, I can cut color scraps to make almost enough substitution layer cake blocks.

Does closer-to-being-enough stop me? NO.

I started sewing, cutting, and trimming half square triangles.
I drew up a sort-of maybe plan.
Notice the edges and corners are not complete. That is where I'll need to get even more creative and find more scraps. I can do this.

The grid is 19 by 23 squares. Only 12 by 17 fit on my design wall (bed).

Hate it.

Along the way my long suffering sister puts up with some ridiculous pictures and texts.

Why did I start this?
These colors are so bizarre.
This confuses me.
It's ruined.

Okay. I'll finish it.

Do I love it?

I love the fabric combinations and how they play with each other.
I love the motif.

Do I love the quilt?

I almost hate to admit it, but yes.

And perhaps when it's quilted it will be a picnic blanket with bread, cheese, and wine...or a quilt to snuggle under on a snowy evening with a glass of wine...you get the idea.

Arabesque
86" x 71"

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<<Previous

Christmas Tree Quilt

Leafy

Sunday Beach Day

Liberty Two

Liberty One

Happy Tenth Anniversary

Seven Letters

Stacked Stars

Renovation

Pink Dahlias

Indian Blanket: A Picture Story

Christmas Chandelier

Ocean Waves Quilts

Shopping, No Sewing

Arabesque

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