Archive for the ‘Quilt designs’ Category

How about a BearPaw? It’s on my list of quilts to make one day. I’m still playing around learning to use the TouchDraw app on my iPad.

I mentioned that there was no quilt design app for the iPad the other day and I had found a way to as least capture my ideas when I wasn’t near my laptop and EQ but I’ve continued to search apps and today I found a great drawing app that allows me to design a quilt….at least a pieced quilt.

It’s called Touch Draw and look what I did on the plane!

Do you remember this little quilt I designed for Mom? She finished the top and since I wrote up instructions for her, I went ahead and posted them on my MaryQuilts.com site. It’s a cute quilt to work up using a focus fabric.

While they’re working upstairs, I’m playing in EQ7. How’s this for a scrap buster?

This is the quilt I almost started a couple nights ago … before I realized that if I ever wanted to make half the quilts I had ideas for that I was going to have to cut back on some of the donation tops I accepted. So instead, I’ve been piecing backs, binding, and quilting …. but soon I’ll have more time for piecing.

I plan to use my Accuquilt GO to make this one — the bricks are 3.5×6.5 (with seam allowances) and the framing strips are 1.5 inches finished. I’ll play some with the borders once I actually make the quilt because I’ll probably use leftover bricks and cut them in half … which of course will keep them from being exactly square….or maybe not, I forgot I had the 3 inch finished square die just recently purchased but not yet used.

Usually my life revolves around my quilting but lately quilting has revolved around my life ….in spite of that I am making some binding progress. This top was pieced by Sue in FL. I don’t know what pattern she used but I posted a brief explanation of how the blocks are pieced and now it’s bound and labeled and ready for donation once I wash it.

I’ve also been playing with EQ7 again – this time in anticipation of getting the new Dresden Plate die from Accuquilt. I’ve been planning to make a Fan quilt for years but haven’t wanted to do all the cutting. I’m not sure if I’ll use any of these ideas but I might. I love how easy it is to take an idea and quickly create different variations looking for the one perfect design.

Those of you who read my blog know that I make scrappy quilts so I don’t ever worry about fabric yardage needed for a specific quilt. If I have a certain color scheme in mind, I may “collect” fabric in those colors before starting the quilt but usually, I just go to my fabric shelves and start pulling fabric.

On my website, I clearly state that I don’t provide fabric estimates for my instructions because of the scrappy way I work AND because I don’t take time to test fabric estimates — I’m not creating patterns for purchase, I’m providing a free service so I don’t feel the need to go out of my way to do this.

However, I still get requests and if I can EASILY recolor a quilt in EQ and get an UNTESTED estimate for someone, I usually will. Sometimes that’s not possible because I don’t have the file (a recent request for information about a quilt designed for Mom is an example of this, the file is on her computer in VA).

Anyway, this explanation is in part just an opportunity to show you my Framed Rectangles that I recolored in RWB for someone who wanted to have fabric amounts and I found I really liked it in this colorway. Of course, I would use many different reds, blues, and whites including creams, tans, & beige if I was making this version. Wouldn’t it make a great QOV?

JudyL had a good post yesterday about photographing your fabrics for use in EQ7 so I thought I’d share one other way I imported fabrics from a specific collection to use in designing a quilt for Mom.

First, I’d bought her this kit from Connecting Threads and since I didn’t like the open space in the middle, I’d bought her extra fabrics to piece 4 blocks for the center.

That of course left her with enough leftover fabric for another quilt so I designed this one for her by saving the photos of the fabric right off the site since I didn’t have the fabric here to photograph. She’ll fussy cut the birds and then piece the alternate fabrics and by using their fabric line, she can see just what the quilt will look like when she’s done.

But then I changed my mind. After all your input (THANK you very much) I decided I would go ahead with the Drunkard’s Path without borders yesterday. But then today, I realized that if I finished the blocks I had already started I had exactly enough for the version with borders so I decided I’d go with that one because it’s a little longer and it will be a bed quilt for a veteran in Maine. I also decided I’d do a borderless version in pink and purple scraps for Ronald McDonald House.

Now, you have to imagine this scrappy! I don’t often take the time to color in a design with a bunch of different fabrics, in this case I’m using one purple and one pink but I’ll use a bunch of different purples and pinks when I actually make the quilt.

This quilt will measure 55 x 68 and I’ll use my Accuquilt GO to cut the blocks — you wouldn’t believe how much quicker and easier it is to cut a quilt like this with the die — it’s why I bought my GO.

Not much piecing going on with the Drunkard’s Path blocks and today was supposed to be devoted to Strings since it’s Tuesday AND we have a new HeartStrings project but with EQ7 arriving everything else was set aside.

After looking around the program a bit, I decided to play with drafting a quilt I plan to make in blues. I bought a fabric kit just for the indigo and shirting fabrics and had in my mind that I would make a BLUE version of my Red Rover quilt.

Edit: Although only version 2 shows scrappy fabrics — whichever design I choose will be made in a variety of blues and a variety of background fabrics – I often just use a single fabric when designing because it’s so much quicker!

After playing a little more I came up with another couple possibilities.

Version 2

Version 3 (All three of these can be cut with my GO die – using the 4 inch half square triangle and the 2.5 inch strip die).

And just because EQ has that crazy Serendipity option, Version 4. You might not think this version is possible but after my class with Paula Nadelstern, I feel comfortable enough with templates that I could….I won’t, but I could!

After all of that, I’m still leaning toward the first version but it will be a while before I can even think about starting this one!

One of the things I always do when I visit Mom is help her line up some projects to work on between my visits. Sometimes it’s cutting, sometimes fabric shopping, and sometimes designing or modifying patterns. This trip I did a little of everything including modifying a quilt she saw in one of her books that had a cute elephant appliqué. Thanks to EQ I’m able to work up instructions easily.

So I was bad and started a new project today. I think I deserve it because I’ve only started one new quilt this year and it’s already March!

I’m not sure what this block is called — I looked it up and the closest thing I saw was an Indian Hatchet but all those blocks slanted in the same direction. I’ve seen versions of this quilt in lots of books and Judy even has a rectangle version in her new book Weekend Quilts.

So with my GO Cutter and a big set of fat quarters, I started cutting. I’m using my 6.5 inch half square triangle die and my 1.5 inch strip die. The blocks are squared to 6 inches for a 5.5 inch finished block. EASY!

Here’s my EQ drawing.

And how about a 30′s version for Mom to make?

So I thought I’d just share this EQ drawing of the Twisted 9 patch that I recolored so I could calculate how much fabric I was using. Doesn’t it look kind of interesting?

Today was one of those days I had good intentions but never actually did any sewing. I also didn’t get my 2nd red sock cast on. What I did manage to do was walk downtown to get my haircut, visit the library, read, and meet Keith for drinks at the Foshay .

How about a Twisted version?

Norma linked to Gail’s quilt which is very much like an EQ version I was working with but I had a 9 patch in the sashing and thought it was too busy. Keeping the rail fence and using a solid block like Gail’s is much more to my liking.

I love suggestions that allow me to tweak something I’m working on and making it better!

Anyone else have a favorite 9 patch? I’m saving links and might just do more than one of these quilts. I knew I’d just recently seen another 9 patch & hourglass setting when Kathy linked to hers but couldn’t remember where — well it was Laura’s Christmas 9 Patch.

If you ever want to go back and look at one my my EQ drawings I’ve shared here you can click on the Quilt Designs link in the sidebar under Just Quilting.

If I decide to sash both of these are possibilities. I love the look of sashing, just not the extra work.

I like this one better I think but it would be even more work. (Have I mentioned I’m kind of a lazy quilter?)

Kathy shared a photo of one of her 9 patch quilts that I really like too — with hourglass blocks. Some of my favorite 9 patch quilts have alternate hour glass blocks.

My copy of Gwen Marston’s Liberated Quiltmaking II arrived today – I have the first book and love it and was excited to get this one too. I have some ideas floating around in my head….

As usual I cut too many strips so I started thinking about a leftovers quilt to empty to bin out after briefly considering just tossing the strips in the string bin. First I looked at doing another spiderweb.

But then I thought I’m tired of these fabrics and just want some quicker so I think I’ll do a two rail fence.

Of course my version will be scrappier but I’m lazy when I’m working in EQ6 and just use a single fabric where I’m going to use many in the real quilt.

One of the instruction sheets on my MaryQuilts.com site was recreated from memory because I’d lost the photos I had of this quilt which I made in 2001. I was very surprised to come across my photo on a group site where I’d posted it back then and to see I hadn’t remember the quilt as well as I thought I had.

The original quilt

My design 6+ years later – I’m shocked that those stars are friendship stars rather than sawtooth stars and I didn’t remember putting the star border on the bottom either (but I can understand not remembering which order I placed the colors in the rails). I was also surprised to read that I was  sharing the instructions for quilts I’d created myself that long ago.

The instructions for the Patriotic Rail Fence quilt are on my MaryQuilts.com site.

Or maybe a baby quilt and THEN a wedding quilt. I’m not quite sure the order I’m going to need these but I’m working on designing borders for the Stars & Pinwheels quilt to bring it up to queen size. So which do you like better?

Version A

Version B

And just in case you were wondering, it’s my son Adam and his girlfriend Lindsey who are expecting.

I added the instruction sheet for this quilt to my MaryQuilts.com site for anyone interested.

Please keep in mind that my quilt is made with 4 inch finished half square triangles (4.5 with seam allowances) and finishes at 80×96 without borders. I included measurements in the Quilt Note section for creating a smaller version using 3 inch finished half square triangles (3.5 with seam allowances). As always, if you make a quilt using one of my instruction sheets, I’d love to see a photo.

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I’d been thinking about making a framed rectangle quilt for a while — there are several patterns out there and Judy just created a GORGEOUS version so I decided to play around in EQ6 and see if I could come up with one myself that would just use dies from my GO. So using the 3.5×6.5 rectangle, 2 inch and 2.5 inch strips this is what I came up with and I like it!
Just a note about the GO Cutter. Angie had written that she has a GO and has been very upset to find some inaccuracies in some of the dies. After her email I checked my 5 inch die and found it to be slightly less than an 1/8 inch short on one side.

Apparently there’s a Yahoo discussion group and some unhappiness with GO in general but I have to say I’m still VERY happy with my cutter and the dies I’ve used. Even with some variations, all my quilts have gone together well and I’ve been thrilled with the results. Of course, I’ve never been a perfect piecer so I’m used to working with blocks that have very small variations.

So just one more thing to consider for those of you that have been looking at the GO. By the way, there is some discussion about ways to minimize the variation by paying attention to grain and using a piece of paper….if interested — check out the Accuquilt Yahoo Group — you have to join but you’ll get more than one point of view there.

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