Archive for the ‘Piecing in progress’ Category

After a sleepless night, I had to nap today so I’m slow getting started.

I did manage my bike ride – I love that the Mississippi River is just right outside my door and that I have such a scenic place to walk and ride. My new sandals arrived today – I wanted a pair that I could wear instead of tennis shoes when I walk and ride around town – aren’t they pretty in an ugly functional kind of way?

And as you can see, the homespun blocks are still on the design wall – maybe I’ll work on those last 8 blocks later tonight.

Did you wonder if I was ever going to sew this week? I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to sew a single seam but today I found myself with the time and the motivation to start my blocks for our current HeartStrings project. I’ve finished half the blocks.

As tempted as I was to start a new set of blocks, I decided I’d get this Lattice top assembled first. I’d made all the blocks but when we were planning to spend 6 weeks in GA this summer, I was saving up projects to work on. Now that we’ll only be there 2 weeks and are flying so I won’t have my machine, it’s time to get this top together.

I’m sewing all the blocks together in groups of 4 and then will assemble the top from there. Mom finished assembling her 30′s version we cut out while I was visiting her but she hasn’t sent me a photo yet.

I’m not sure if Keith was happier to see me or Chesty when he got home this evening. We’ll have to enjoy his company quickly because he’s gone again on Wednesday.

Not a lot of piecing or quilting going on since I got home but I have been working some on the Drunkard’s Path blocks.

These are being cut with my Accuquilt GO and I’m piecing them without pins, using my regular 1/4 inch foot. I haven’t decided if the stretchiness of the homespuns makes it easier or harder but as I’m squaring up each block I don’t really care.

Using my 15 inch ruler, I line up the 7 mark with my center.

And trim to 14 inches square. I technically end up losing 1/2 inch per block but in reality, my seam allowances tend to be on the slightly generous side so I’m OK with that in exchange for not pinning and having all the blocks trimmed to the exact same size.

When I line my ruler up for the first cut, I just make sure that everything falls at or over the 14 inch mark and then flip the block and trim the last two sides leaving a 14 inch block.

I’m not home but before I left, I tossed these blocks up on the design wall. I haven’t decided the setting or even figured out how many blocks I need but I’m toying with the idea of appliquéing some circles. Not sure what size or color but when I get home I’ll play a little in EQ – in fact, my copy of EQ7 might even be there when I get back.

It’s not that often that I have something new on my design wall on Monday but I’m making good progress on the Patriotic Rail Fence quilt. Just one more row of blocks and 3 stars and I’ll be ready to assemble. The stars go on the top of the quilt by the way, there just wasn’t enough room to put them there on the design wall.

I’m cutting this quilt out with myAccuquilt GO which makes the cutting really quick so I can get to the piecing faster. Many of my recent quilts are designed so I can use my GO but older ones like this one can be cut with it too.

When people ask me about how much use they’d get from the GO I can just speak about my experience. First, the dies are perfect for the kind of quilts I’ve always made and 2nd because I’m very comfortable working with EQ6 and modifying block sizes, it’s no problem to adapt quilts I want to make to dies that I have. Because more people are purchasing the GO Cutter, I added a page to my MaryQuilts.com site that lists quilts that can be made in whole or partially with the GO.

GO Friendly Quilts

And finally, this isn’t the best photo of it because the sun is kind of bright out there right now, but Caleb’s quilt is finally done.

Are you a perfect piecer? I’m not and sometimes just a little trim helps my blocks go together better.

My blocks are in the process of going from the floor to the design wall as I finish and assemble the rows. I’ve just worked on this quilt in bits and pieces and it’s a perfect example how 20 minutes here and there adds up.

How long ago did I design this quilt, I don’t even remember but I’m finally working  on piecing one.

Instructions can be found at my MaryQuilts.com site.

I have 2 rows that don’t fit on the design wall and a few more blocks to make but it’s just about ready to be assembled….after the wedding quilt is bound.

Very scrappy I know and I’m sure it’s not to everyone’s taste. Framing each of the 9 patch blocks in a single fabric or putting sashing between the blocks would have calmed it down some but I love it like this. I spent today making the rest of the blocks and I’ve started to assemble the rows.

I’m also  enjoying  having my sewing table in front of the window — not sure why I didn’t put it there when we first moved here. Today I was able to watch the snow coming down as I was working ….and as you can see, it’s still snowing. Again, not everyone wishes for snow but I love it.

The same twisted 9 patch blocks are on my design wall but I’m slowly making progress on them. I need to go back to making 9 patch blocks now as I’ve twisted all the ones I had.

This quilt will take (48)  9 inch blocks (blocks are 9.5 with seam allowances and I started with a 6 inch 9 patch block (6.5 with seam allowance)) It will measure 54×72 which is a good size donation quilt.

I also finished quilting this top sent by Cecile for me to quilt and donate. I used my Circle Lord Swirls template. It’s been a while so I was a bit wobbly in places — it won’t be very noticeable when it’s done thanks to cotton batting and washing/drying the finished quilt.

Bouncing around in the channels with the stylus is my biggest challenge with these giant templates but I love the texture and the results I get and once I’m warmed up it’s not bad. In fact I just ordered the Pampas Clam board the other day — I’ve been wanting a clamshell version and this can be quilted with or without the *grass*.

I always make sure I have several quilts lined up before loading one of the templates on the table so you’ll be seeing a few of these in the next couple weeks although I’ll alternate with some freehand quilting too.

I started twisting a few nine patches last night and I wanted to play with them today

….but Tuesday is for Strings. I finished the first set of Quilt as you GO blocks I’ve been working on for HeartStrings.

Now I’m going to get out of the house for a late lunch and stop by the corner grocery store to pick up a few essentials like milk on my walk home! When I get home I still have to piece a backing too.

I got all the rail fence blocks made and probably would have had the top finished but just like it’s *parent* quilt, I thought this one might need a pop of red.

I’ve used piping before in between borders or bindings but never in the blocks however I think it was the only way I could get the little sliver of color I wanted in here.

As you can see, it’s going to be a very subtle effect and I’m probably going to regret inserting these when it comes time to quilt.

I started with a strip of red cut 0.75 inches and folded it in half to sew in between the seams.

Cut it into 8.5 inch sections (my unfinished block size)

And I am adding it to the appropriate blocks as I assemble the rows. I’ll only have 3 kind of randomly placed zig-zagging lines running through the top.

Here’s a block ready to be sewn into it’s row. I’m using a narrow 1/8 inch seam to sew the piping on first. Some people might just pin it in between the two blocks and sew but I have better luck sewing it first.

And so, rather than being done with this top, I’m slowly getting it assembled. I hope the red is going to be worth the trouble. You might be able to see it a little better in this final photo by clicking on it to enlarge.

By the way, how many of you use digital photographs to help you *check* your work? See that block in the second to the last row that is not rotated correctly? I might not have caught it until it was too late without the photo.

It was empty Monday so I didn’t show it to you but I got up at 2AM and after piecing my batting leftovers, I put this Boxed Squares back on the design wall.

When I put this away, I had assembled a section as large as my design wall 72 x 72 and I needed to add an additional 3 rows.

I finished the additional 36 blocks I needed.

I’ve already sewn these rows together and the top is done but I need to wait until it’s light outside to take a photo of the full top.

Originally I was going to add borders to make this bed size for Adam but since he’s chosen to have the other quilt as a wedding quilt, I’m going to stop at this point with the top being 72 x 90.

Well it’s not Monday but I hadn’t made any progress so it wasn’t worth showing you then. Today however I’ve finished the blocks for this HeartStrings quilt and now I just have to assemble them.

I don’t have any real goals for this month except finishing this top and one other and doing a bit of quilting. I also don’t have much planned around here for the holidays. No company is expected and we might even go out to dinner Christmas rather than cooking.

We will be going to GA to visit the boys the week between Christmas and New Year’s so I do have something to look forward to.

I decided to set the table up tonight to give me a surface for working on my Applecore blocks.

The snow continues to come down and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get Chesty to the Vet tomorrow. You know I don’t do well driving in snow and so far I haven’t heard the snowplows out yet – usually you can hear the beeping all night. Now it’s time for bed so I can get up in the morning.

I mentioned cutting out blocks for an Apple Core quilt the other day. Well my plan is to hand piece these and while it feels very awkward now, I’m hoping that it will feel more natural as I go along. I’m also hoping this doesn’t end up in my never to be completed UFO pile!

Still working on the HeartStrings blocks… I’ll be up all night and leave for VA first thing in the morning so I  may get these blocks finished. Do you see the heart?

I’m still working on my third set of HeartStrings blocks. I wasn’t sure about these blocks at first but now I’m really liking the jewel tones.  I’m using our HeartStrings Logo setting for this top.

I also finished tying the 3rd quilt from Lani and her group in CA and got two of them bound.

I talked to Keith today and now he won’t be coming home until Tuesday around dinner time.  I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up this pace that long but I still have a couple things left on the list to work on tomorrow.

This one a RWB HeartStrings and one of my favorites.  After playing in my pantograph box this past week I was ready for some freehand fun so it’s quilted with a swirly version of Dwirling from the Pajama Quilter DVD.

I’m also still working on my brown centered HeartStrings blocks.

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