The Splendid Sampler #1

OK, OK, so participating in the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt along isn't enough, I have decided to ALSO do The Splendid Sampler.  More 6" blocks....goodie!

Debby Brown was telling us about this sew along last week when she was in Calgary teaching at the WonderFil Threaducation Centre.  She showed us a couple of the blocks she has already sewn and I was hooked!

I'm thinking of hosting a monthly or bi-weekly sew time, where I can get together with others and sew the blocks.  We would offer help and support to one another as we work on the blocks.

Last week when Debby was here we took a drive to the mountains.  No drive west is complete without a visit to Sugar Pine Quilt Company in down town Canmore.   I ALWAYS spend a few minutes upstairs and pick up a few batiks.  I think they have the best selection around!  So, I  picked up a bunch and have chosen a teal/blue/green colour scheme for this quilt.  Here are some of the fabrics and I am sure I'll add more as time progresses.

The first 5 blocks are cut and ready to sew.  I think I'll try to cut and store in plastic bags so that I will always be prepared and can sit down and sew with minimal prep time.

Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew Along - Becky & Bonnie

I did it!  I joined a sew along!  The plan is to make 2 blocks every week and at the end of the year we'll have enough blocks done for a full quilt.  Woot Woot!

Its the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew along.  You can find all the info here if you want to join up too.  

I'm going to try my hardest to get my blocks done every week.  After all, 2 blocks each week (one on Tuesday and one on Thursday) shouldn't be too hard!!!

I'm going to post at least once a week with the label - Farmer's Wife 1930 Sampler and share my adventures and a few pictures.

My first plan of action is to choose my thread and set up my machine. I have chosen to use WonderFil's Deco-bob thread.  It's an 80 wt cottonized polyester that will give me a perfectly flat seam and my blocks WILL be exactly 6 1/2" from cut edge to cut edge.  I will never (hopefully) have to mess with my blocks once they are sewn.

I will probably do most of my piecing on my Elna 7200.  I've adjusted my needle into the perfect 1/4" seam allowance position and shortened my stitch length.   All set.

My only rule when making these quilt blocks will be to use from my stash (as much as possible) and use only Batiks.  I will be using a light background for the blocks to "float on".  So, I just grabbed 4 different batiks.  Not gonna worry about them "matching" too closely.

I'll store the small usable scraps in one of my flat boxes.  The completed blocks will be stored in a 2nd box.

First up is the bonus block - Becky.

 I'm going to date each block as I sew it.  

The second block this week is - Bonnie.

I'm going to include only one of the fabrics from the previous block in the next one. There is no rhyme or reason for this other than I'll be using up some of those little scraps.

To label the blocks, I'm writing the block number and name on one of the seam allowances of each block.

The seams will all be pressed open.

Sunny Lanes quilt

Sunny Lanes Quilt from Quilter's Cache is my Mum's most favourite quilt pattern.  She has buckets and tubs of fabrics that she keeps cutting into 2" squares and sewing together.  She has done a number of these quilts and just swaps out the background (large beige) and focus fabrics for a different look.  I'm the lucky one who gets to quilt them for her.

 

 

I had made some scrappy nine-patch quilts for some little guys in our church last year.  I still had lots of these 3" cut squares left over, so I enlarged the blocks and sewed half square triangles instead of connector corners and made my own version.  This quilt went together much faster (because it used bigger blocks).

I added a simple single border to use up some of the remaining fabric and to give the quilt a visual finish.  I find adding borders to many quilts acts as a frame and helps to keep the quilt flatter and protect all those seams from opening.

I'll often take a few minutes and lay out some scraps of fabric to "audition" quilting designs that I want to use.  I can then trim these pieces up and they are great to use as samples in classes.

I stitched a simple swirl in the 4 x 4 patch blocks and then stitched Heavy Metal Quilt Design in the red and blue Half Square Triangle Units.

  

  

I needed to use my Clover White Marking Pen to sketch the direction of the swirls....I did make a few mistakes, but oh, well.  The Clover White Marking Pen is one of my favourite tools.  The marks remove easily with heat.  So a quick press, or time spent in the dryer removes all the markings.  I have yet to see them come back.

I quilted the border of this quilt with a ribbon swirl.  I am finding that I like to repeat the same element throughout a quilt.  I had an all over swirl in the 4 x 4 blocks, Heavy Metal Swirls in the red and blue blocks and the Ribbon Swirl in the border.  All are versions of the swirl shape.

I'm partial to solid quilt backs.  Often a new and interesting pattern is seen on the back of the quilt.  In this case, I didn't have enough backing fabric, so I stitched together some remaining 3" cut units and added some blue strips to the end.  

I used to be quite particular about binding.  I considered myself a "purist" and would only hand stitch the binding to the back of the quilt.  I have become a more "practical" quilter.  I want to get the quilts done!!!!!  So, now I'm machine stitching the binding to the back of the quilt, folding it to the front and machine stitching it to the front of the quilt!  

   

Lately, in my mind, DONE is more important then PERFECT!

A week of Quilts - Day 2

On the weekend, Karen challenged me to show off my quilts...3 per day for 5 days.  I thought about this and have decided to show of a different theme of quilts each day.  So, there will be more than 3 quilts each day, but it will be fun.

I apologize ahead of time for any fuzzy pictures.....I am using the camera on my phone.  I want a new camera, but am not sure what to get, so I am holding off.

Today I am sharing my Lone Star quilts.  I really do like making these quilts.  I strip piece them and have found them very enjoyable to make.  I have sewn 3 bed size lone stars.  One went to a friend for their 20th wedding anniversary.  One is very dog chewed (memories of a family pet) and sits on our bed as an under quilt....keeps us warm in the winter.  The third is still under construction.  This is a very large broken star quilt in yellows and blues.  I have finally found the right colour thread for it and as soon as my backing fabric arrives, I'll quilt it.

This little lone star measures 15".  The star is make up of 1" cut strips.  The star measures just over 7" from point to point.  I made this in 2005 and quilted it with WonderFil's Invisafil thread.

Mini Lone Star

I think this is the quilt that started it all.  I call this Whitefish Star.  It measures 33" x 33" and is made up of 1 3/4" wide strips. I stitched this in 2000.  I bought a bundle of Fat Quarters at a Quilt shop in Whitefish Montana. 

Whitefish Star

This is the only quilt I have ever (and ever will) enter into a competition.  The judge's comment was a poor choice of fabric for the backing and to watch my tension.  I used whatever I had for the backing....its a wall hanging! And I quilted this quilt with twin needles.  I don't think the judge understood. I still love it!

quilted with twin needle

   

The rest of the quilts are samples of my Lone Star and Friends pattern.  I created this pattern to teach 3 types of stars, the lone star using 3 fabrics and two other pieced stars. The quilt is easy to sew, but teaches some precision piecing techniques.

Asian Lone Star and Friends

I sent my hubby to the store to get me fabric.  He chose well for this Asian Lone Star and Friends.

 This was my first class sample.  Used fabrics I had in my stash.

Christmas Lone Star and Friends

This Lone Star quilt was made with non traditional Christmas fabrics.  Not sure I like it, but it makes a great class sample.

Am I Blue? Lone Star

When I chose the fabrics for this quilt, I wanted anything but blue!  I didn't do too well choosing fabrics!  But I do love this quilt.  I quilted it with a hologram thread.  The stitching really shines.

Feathered Lone Star

This is the last Lone Star I stitched.  It is a sample for my class and used as the picture for the printed pattern.  I used WonderFil Tutti (50wt cotton) thread to quilt this.  Love it!

A week of quilts - Day 1

The challenge has been received and accepted!  Ack!  What have I got myself into?

Karen Walker, a quilting buddy I met last year at the Handi Quilter Academy in Salt Lake City in Utah challenged me to post 3 quilt pictures a day for a week (5 days).  I then have to challenge someone every day to post their quilt pictures.  

I thought this would be a great blog post.  A way for me to pull out all those quilts I have stacked downstairs and really look at my work and maybe do something with them....like get them out of the basement and onto some of my walls.

I was very disappointed to see the fold creases in these quilts.  I did try pressing and steaming and some of the creases came out, but not all.

Elaine's Windows 15" wide x 35" long

First up....Elaine's Window.  Many, many years ago my Dad started doing stained glass.  He used to work in the aerospace industry working on planes.   He is very particular and found that stained glass was the perfect outlet for him.  He was semi-retired for almost 2 years and started doing more and more stained glass.  A friend from church had found an old window and asked my dad to re-do the leading on it.  Guess what?   Never been done, and now its in my sister's sun room and she loves it!  I was just starting to learn to do stained glass on fabric and took a rubbing of Elaine's window.

The quilt on the right is my first completed attempt using my own hand dyed fabrics.  I love it!  The quilt on the left is the one I used as a class sample for promotion.  I have taught this class using a reverse applique method and the bias tape.  In the class students learn how to make their own bias, which saves a lot of money!

Avril's Window 15" wide x 38" long

Next is Avril's window.  I named it after my niece, Avril who is now 10.  I did most of the reverse applique stitching while she was propped in my arms as a 6 month old.  So I can say the method is pretty easy.

My Rose Garden 27" wide x 23" high

I have always wanted wild roses in my yard.  I live in a pretty part of the country and the Alberta Wild Rose is our province's flower. I stitched this version of my roses.

Spring 40" x 40"

And last up is Spring.  The vision was to create 4 quilts that would be similar, yet different enough to represent the 4 seasons......maybe I'm an eternal optimist and always want it to be spring with all that is promised with new birth, etc.  An interesting note on Spring, this quilt took over 47 meters of 1/4" wide bias tape.  Purchasing that stuff when I was making these quilts was very expensive, so in my classes an important part of the class was teaching students to make their own bias.  Way much cheaper.  I think this quilt took less than 2 meters of black fabric vs. 47 meters of purchased bias.  Very economical.

All of these quilts were made between 2000 and 2007.  I think I need to start with more Stained glass quilting projects.

That's it for day 1 of the quilt challenge.  

half, quarter and split half square triangles

I spent a lovely Friday sewing triangles. I've decided that many of my quilting samples should be a consistent size. So I'm going to spend some time working on samples for classes that are 2 by 3 feet... 24 inches wide and 36 inches long. This is a challenge. I usually just wing it, see whatever size the quilt ends up.

This is a sample for my half square triangle quarter square triangle and split half triangle squares. I just learned the term split-half triangle while doing some Pinterest searching the other day. I never knew what to call those squares made of two quarter triangles and one half triangle. Now I know. Split half triangle square perfect name.

Custom Quilting - February Special

I'm offering a special price for custom quilting for the month of February.


Book your quilt in during February and get 20% off the price of medium density quilting. Price for this is regularly 3¢ per square inch.  Now only 2.4¢ per square inch. 


A quilt that is 60" x 90" would be 5400 square inches.  At 3¢ per square inch the total would be $162.  At 2.4¢ per square inch the new total would be $130.


Give me a call at 403-819-8126 to book your quilt in for quilting.

Allison

quilt retreat in Trail BC.

It's been a great week. I feel like I've accomplished a lot.  I have COMPLETELY FINISHED my Arabesque quilt.  I finished quilting it at home. Came to retreat and trimmed and bound it.

I completed my Winter Ice quilt top.  Had to sew 4 blocks, get them into the top and add the border.  The quilt measures 113 x 113 inches. ...that's 12 meters of faux piped binding already to go.   I've found that I need to make the binding when I make the top, otherwise I loose or use the fabric.

We went to the States on Wednesday and I bought some fabric for my HST sampler quilt.  Calling this Entwined Swoon.  The quilt top uses 2 sizes of Half Square Triangles which will be a great teaching sample for guild in two weeks.

Now to spend the rest of our last day working on some mini trips blocks.

Arabesque....quilting

Gonna get this done today if possible....but for sure by the weekend. 

Many Trips Around the World (MTAW) - part 1

When I first started quilting, I made a large Trip Around the World quilt for my parents. Now, as part of my challenge to deal with fabric, projects and stuff in my studio, I have decided to use up my 2 1/2" strips and make a Many Trips Around the World quilt.  I first found this project on Quiltville last year.  

I made a single block with 2" wide strips and thought....too much trouble.  Pieces too small and would take too long.  Fast forward to today.

I have been cutting my print fabrics into 2 1/2" strips.  I have a basket full.  

To make this quilt block I'm using the 2 1/2" cut strips.  They need to be approximately 16" long.  

I am choosing fabrics that have either a value (light and dark) contrast or a print (solid and print) contrast.  I sew strips into pairs of two.

It was head down and sew, sew sew as I chain sewed the 16" lengths together.

Once the strip pairs were sewn I stacked them up and starting sewing pairs into sets of 6 (3 sets of pairs).  I tried to match either a dark with a light or a print with a solid.

I like the 2nd set better.....will use the dark blue and floral print pair elsewhere.

 I sewed pairs....

 Then added a 3rd pair.

That's a lot of block sets.

Fold the strip set in half with 3 strips on each side and sew the set into a tube.

I haven't pressed anything yet, partly because I am lazy and partly because every time I press, I press the wrong direction.  Cross cut the strip tubes into 2 1/2" sections.  The section on the far left gets thrown out.

Now comes the hardest part.....one seam on each tube needs to be frogged (stitches picked out).  I make a mistake every time, so this is how I have solved this problem.  I move the units so that the seams I will frog (unpick) are at the top (furthest away from me) to the set. 

I take a few minutes and use my seam ripper, not my rotary cutter, to unpick the stitches. And Voila!  my block is ready to sew.

Because I don't press the seams, I can easily flip the seams in the needed direction so I can nest the seams.

Once I have sewn a set together, I don't want to stop and cut the thread, so I chain piece. I grab another 16" strip set and sew them. 

At the end, clip the block pair from the end of the strip, bring it to the front and add another block set. 

Ta Da!  Block is done......I think I have 19 blocks ready to cut and sew.  Not bad for a couple of hours work this morning.  I only have 91 to make in total!

Watch for Part 2 - the Quilt Top and Part 3 - Quilting for the complete story on this quilt.