Friday Night Sew In

Not much to report I only got some squares cut

So I got a few white squares cut.  I was ready to sew, the phone rang, it was a friend I hadn't talked to in ages.  One hour later and too many late nights watching the olympics this week and I was ready for bed.  So today I will be sewing the squares. 

So to Heidi, thank-you for hosting this.

#213 and #219, getting distracted again

So, I volunteered to make a doll quilt.  I knew I already had a top in a tote all ready to quilt.  I couldn't find it, but came across these "4 patch, checkerboard" blocks that are #213 and #219 in the book. 

 I put them together  into this doll quilt.

I used a fat quarter for the backing.

Oh, the color just looks so faded out, sorry, still too much snow to take pictures outside.

The bolt of white fabric is a cotton/bamboo blend.

I bought at joann's with a coupon, they were out of the kona snow.  I neglected to read the label before I bought it.

Can you see it says to use a cool iron.  WHAT QUILTER USES A COOL IRON???????  I did a test on a small swatch with a hot iron so I could return it if I needed to.  Well I was happy to find it held up to the heat.  This little doll quilt will be given away so I don't have time to wash it.  I think I will make myself some pot holders so I can wash them and see how they hold up to laundering.  For right now I am happy with my purchase.  I will keep you updated with further tests.

I am off to get ready to go out and have supper with DH and then I am home to sew for the Friday night sew in that Heidi is hosting tonight.  Maybe that will help me get back on track with Pat's olympic challenge.

Olympic analogy to quilting design

Ok, so I was watching the skaters last night and thought I could compare yesterdays quilting design prep to them. With my Christmas quilt loaded and ready for quilting (one of my two Sloanie Olympics challenge) I started to map out my program. Much as the skaters prepare their programs they perform, a quilter will audition her moves like I did. I could just go with a plain meander, it would do the job, but it would lack the sparkle the judges would be looking for. So like the skaters takes cues from their music, I took cues from the fabric. Holly leaves, snow flakes, ribbon, ribbon candy and Glass Christmas balls are all a possibility. I had planned on showing you these pictures that I am sharing with you and asking for suggestions. However this morning I woke to a light fluffy Christmas kind of snow and inspiration took over. I will share those choices in a later post. So today do as I am and enjoy that second cuppa while sharing my Olympic progress with you all.

In case anyone else played hooky from the Olympics yesterday to watch the Daytona 500, I want to send my congrats out to Jamie McMurray and GER on their win. It was an exciting race when it was running, and while it was on red flags I was able to start another project using a Moda Scrap bag to share with you soon.  Ok I can't get the pictures where I want them but they are all here so you will just have to look at them where they are.

Doing the happy dance here

I just found out that I was the lucky winner of this blog giveaway.  I just had to share.  It turned a crappy day in to a happy day.

The Christmas Quilt step two

Ok, so I have all the blocks made.  Now it is time top set them in rows.  For this quilt they will be set 4 rows across by 10 long.  2 1/2 yards of fabric will be enough for the sashing and outside border if you choose to put one on.  Today I cut two 6 1/2" strips from the white fabric for the sashing. 

OK, I really should have pressed it before cutting the strips (VBG), after pressing I sub cut these into 30 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles. 

I then assembled them into rows, here they are hanging over the longarm quilting frame.

Tomorrow I will be cutting the horizontal sashings and assembling the quilt top.  I am really loving how this is coming together.   Please share with me if you make one of these.  I can't believe how fast this one is going together!

This Years Christmas Quilt

I started with this

I was inspired by a pattern from the book, however the book is MIA so I can't give you the number or the name.  I will let you all know that when I find the book.  So after unrolling the Merry and Bright Jelly roll, last years Christmas line from Sandy Gervais.  I pressed the strips, I left them folded but made sure not to press the fold area.  I lined up the strips on my cutting board.

After cutting a straight edge I made two cuts, one at 13 1/2" and one at 2 1/2", this will give you two of each pieces in these sizes.,

Next take the left over strips back to the ironing board and press the fold out of your left over strips.  Then line them back up on the cutting board.  Give yourself a new straight edge and make your cut at 9 1/2".

Now take one of your 9 1/2" strips and chose a contrasting color of all of your other cut pieces to make up your block.  Sewing your 2 1/2" pieces on the ends of the 9 1/2" strips and the sew the 13 1/2" strips to either side as shown below.  These can be chain pieced, I did my blocks in groups of 10.  I started this quilt yesterday afternoon and by bed time I had all 40 blocks for the quilt top finished.

Check back tomorrow as we I will be giving you a yardage requirement for the sashing as well as the cutting and sewing instructions.

I so rarely am inspired to work so hard on getting a quilt finished.  I so love these fabrics and am really moved to get this quilt finished.

Peek-a-boo finished and tutorial

I have finished the quilt from the last post. I was able

to use some fabric that I had purchased for another
baby quilt.  I had to use two fabrics for the border,
but that worked out ok.  The quilt finished 44" square.  A great size for a baby quilt.
To make the quilt you will need 3/4 of a yard of 3 different fabrics. This will make a quilt with a border that is all the same fabric.  If you like the two color border 1/3 yard of two different colors will work.  For the explaination I will use the fabric colors I have used in my quilt.

This block will finish 12" in the quilt and you will need the following

2 blue squares at 6 7/8" for each block.  You will be making 5 blocks for the quilt so you need a total of 10 squares.

Cut them in half diagonally, for a total of 20 triangles.

Now you need to cut 5 squares at 9" each.  Using the technique described here on my other blog. Sew the blue triangles to the 9" squares.  Make your 5 blocks.  They should measure 12 1/2" at this point.

Now for your other block, you will need 4 of these. 

You will be cutting your rectangles at 4 1/2" by 12 1/2"

You need 8 from the fire truck (focus) fabric

and 4 from your blue fabric.

Assemble blocks as pictured above.

Your block should measure 12 1/2"

Assemble your 9 blocks as shown in the center of this picture.

For the borders you need to cut 4 - 4 1/2" strips from the border fabric, they will need to at least measure 40 1/2".  The center of the quilt should measure 36 1/2".  Since most fabrics are narrower than 44 1/2",  I chose to use a little different technique to sew on the borders to eliminate having to piece two of the borders.

You will start to sew your first border on as you normally would.

Stop sewing the border about 5 inches from the end

Press the border as you normally would.  Now leaving the border you just sewed on at the bottom, add the second border to the right side of the quilt.

As shown here, continue stitching

when you have finished stitching the second border on it should look like this before you press the border.  After you have pressed the border leave it at the bottom of the quilt top and sew your next border on the right side again. Continue until you have sewn on all four borders.

Once you have sewn the 4th border on and pressed it, your quilt top should look like this.

Fold your first border back over and finish sewing the seam you started when you first added the border.  Press and trim.

You have now finished your quilt top.  It should measure 44 1/2".  Finished top is pictured above.

I used a 1 1/3" piece of fabric that I had for the backing.  I made a cut parallel to the selvage about 15" from the selvage.  I used left over 4 1/2" wide pieces from the front to add a strip to the backing to make it large enough so that I had the extra I needed for quilting.

Here is a picture of the back.

Here is a close up of the quilting.  I used a simple loop de loop meander.

The binding was cut at 2 1/2" and sewn on completely by machine.  I needed 5 strips to complete the binding.

If you have any questions or I need to make something more clear, please leave me a comment.

I hope you enjoyed the first of my renditions of blocks from the Key to 1000 quilt patterns.  That means I have 999 to go. I have been playing with some 2 inch strips and have a few more blocks in the works.  This will be scrap oriented, so check back soon.  If you make any projects from my blog please link back to my blog.  I also ask that you honor my copyrights and not publish these works as your own.