The half square triangles are all made and up on the design wall ready to be assembled. The pattern says to sew this in rows but it’s much easier to sew one like this together in 4 quads!
I also got the binding made and sewn on the Happy Block quilt so that one is ready to hand-stitch too.
This month we’re playing with half square triangles and after debating a while, I decided to make this quilt. I bought a kit from Craftsy several years ago and the kit is at Mom’s but I’ve got the pattern and a room full of fabric!
I did several searches for the quilt and only found it at Craftsy. I even found my invoice – I paid $33 for it. A good deal in my mind and if Mom isn’t going to make it, I’m going to get it back from her and make it in these fabrics too.
But for now, I searched the stash and pulled 5 fabrics. I could make it scrappier but it’s a busy month for me so I’m going to make it easy. I’m taking photos in the evening again so not the greatest – sorry!
I’ve had several discussions recently with blog readers about my Accuquilt Go asking if I use it a lot and the answer to that is YES! While I have some dies I haven’t used and some that have been only used a time or two, I have others that I’ve used a lot and my half square triangle dies probably get used most of all. I’m using my 6 inch finished HST die for this quilt so mine will be a slightly smaller than the one from the kit which is made from 10 inch squares (they get 4 triangles from (2) 10 inch squares).
It’s quick to cut with the GO and quick to sew. I’ve got 3 rows of blocks sewn already this evening.
Keith’s out of town so I’m settled in with my crochet and the Tour!
Finn’s content to nap.
Keith and I have been busy this weekend watching the Tour de France, biking, and even playing some Pickleball but I sewed a little each night after he went to bed and the Bento Box Half Log Cabin top has been assembled.
I like this top a lot more in person, the photo isn’t the greatest maybe because I snapped it at night and the lighting in my room isn’t the best for that. In hindsight, using a single background fabric would have been much easier with the fabrics in this Jelly Roll. I ended up pulling out some of the blocks that didn’t have good contrast and while the quilt is smaller than I originally intended, it’s still a great size for a lap quilt. In fact, I like a smaller quilt when I’m sitting in my recliner because I don’t get tangled up in it when I’m getting up and down.
You can find the instructions I used to piece this block from Jelly Roll Strips at this link. It was a quick and easy method but I don’t press my seams open unless I need to – it’s easy to press the seams in this quilt to the dark (or in some cases away from the light strip) and have them nestle nicely.
I don’t have big goals for this week – we’re cleaning up, doing laundry, and re-making all the beds after Chris’ visit because Adam and the kids will be here Thursday for a visit. I’ve got appointments Monday and Tuesday so my only goals between their visits are to finish this top (done), bind one of the Happy Block quilts, and make progress on the current crochet afghan. If I have time I might get the Precut Party quilt for July started – it’s half square triangles this month!
A few weeks ago I received an email asking me if I was interested in receiving a copy of a book on free motion quilting and reviewing it on my website. Of course I said yes! I received the digital book which I’m able to read and refer to in my Kindle app on my iPad. I could have also used iBooks to save the file but I find that it’s easier to search and find the book I’m looking for in the Kindle app.
Step-by-Step Free-Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli
I already have a couple books by Christina that I’ve found helpful and I like how she presents the information in this book. She reviews the shapes used to create the designs and also breaks them into categories. Once you learn how to sew a design from a category it’s easier to learn another one because you’re familiar with the path. I tend to prefer edge to edge designs and she has lots of them in the book but I need to challenge myself to do more emerging designs. (These are just two of the categories … also included are nestled and branching designs).
Another thing I really like about this book is that the individual designs are presented step by step first and then shown drawn up as a full (or partial page) which is really helpful in visualizing how a specific design is going to look on a quilt. I’ve been quilting spirals for years but something simple like quilting the wavy lines first and then adding the spirals in the space really creates a new look.
Finally, I like designs that can be quilted on a longarm or domestic machine. Would it surprise you to know that Christina quilts on a domestic machine?
Becky and the girls left this morning to drive home but Chris is flying out this evening on a business trip so we had some extra time with him. Loved having him come on one of our bike rides!
Or as Rae would say Happy Birthday to America! We had fun today – swimming, pickleball, grilling burgers and hotdogs, and watching fireworks!
I’m thankful for the time we have with our girls!
I’m also thankful that Chris was willing to spend part of his day installing a Ring doorbell. We replaced our front door a couple years ago and it doesn’t have a peephole so the Ring will allow me to see and talk to anyone coming up to the door without opening it.
