Sunday, April 24, 2011

All set!

I appreciate all the comments about which fabric to use to sash the postage stamp strips. I chose red. It's not the brick red in the photo because I didn't have enough. This red is pinker, less brick-y.  I cut the sashes 3".  This will be have to be an example of "it will quilt out" because I didn't pay a lot of attention to the bias edges on the strips. (I should have used quarter-square rather than half-square triangles.) 
It's 49 x 78.  The 1.5" stamps sparkle, don't they?
(See this quilt for another example.)
And, "all set" in a second meaning -- a vintage tablecloth and daffodils from our garden for our Easter table.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Dead Dog Creek Ravine, April



 The Saturday before Easter:  finally, the sun has come out and the temperatures are 'seasonal.'  Here's the April installment of the woods along Kellogg Ravine.
Virginia bluebells (mertensia virginica)

Scilla--beautfiful, but non-native and aggressive

 
Trillium

  
 

Skunk cabbage in leaf (see last month's photo)


Bloodroot
  This oak tree fell about 10:00 a.m. today, according to Lee, whose house is on the edge of the ravine. (He came out as I walked by.)  He was drinking coffee on the porch and saw it happen!  Fortunately it fell to the ravine side and not on the house.

There's an alligator in the woods!


Happy birthday in advance

The Block Swappers are exchanging birthday blocks again this year.  Each person specifies the block she wants: size, style, color.  Ideally the blocks are mailed to arrive by the actual birthday.  I've sent two already (one for March and one for early May). This week I thought I'd get a head start on the second May block. I finished it and took a look at the rest of the list.....and by yesterday afternoon I had finished them all, for birthdays from May through next February!

It was great fun to rootle through my stash to find fabrics per the instructions.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Design Wall Monday, again

(I write this late Sunday evening. If the design wall does not look like this on Monday, then some gremlins have visited my studio overnight.)

Once I opened that box of 1.5" squares I kept on piecing.  I've reached a stopping place! These strips are about 54" long and about 4.5" wide.  The sashing will be 2" finished.  I don't know if I'll add a border.

My question: what color should the sashing be?  There are four possibilities shown in the photo.

Thanks for the advice!

Baskets (Birthday) and Jacket (Easter)


Border, setting, and sashing close up
After I put the basket blocks on the design wall for last week's photo I figured I ought to do something with them.  I had chosen the fabric for the sashing and the setting triangles.   I changed my mind about the setting fabric when half the sashes were sewn on. I found a blue-green check that would work much better.  I hadn't considered the dark red floral,  but there it was on the shelf, and there was more than enough for the border.  The flimsy is 80 x 64.
There were two basket blocks from the swap that didn't work with the design I had in mind. I will incorporate them on the back of the quilt.



 Easter means many things to me -- including a new, springtime outfit!  Here is this year's version: a jacket and coordinating skirt.  I used the jacket from the Park Bench "Central Park" pattern (which I've had for years but hadn't ever made). 

The jacket has three layers, with plain muslin as the interlining.  I didn't have enough of the Asian key design to line the sleeves so I used a very contrast-y stripe.  The closeup photo shows the meander quilting that holds the layers together. 

I had all the fabric for the jacket on hand, but had to buy 1-1/4 yards of solid green (linen/rayon/poly blend) for the skirt.

meander quilting holds the layers together

Monday, April 11, 2011

Design Wall Monday

Am I on a roll?  This is the second Monday in a row that I've had something to post on Judy L's Design Wall Monday

tags on the blocks indicate the makers
The Block Swappers have a birthday block exchange. In 2010 I asked for "10" basket blocks."  I made three more so the setting would work.   I have a couple of fabrics in mind for the sashing and the setting triangles/border.  I think this quilt will be contributed to the 2012 UMW Mother's Day raffle. (This year they're getting 30's Stars )

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Loose Change

I used the leftover strips from the Bears quilt to make "Loose Change." (The name is a play on the quilt design "Chinese coins.")  This flimsy is 34 x 46.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

HV-MY: together at last!

We are the first merged chapter in Illinois! 


Bears and Packers!

May 20 update: the Bears quilt sold for $1100 and the Packers quilt sold for $350 at the golf outing!

"Let's capitalize on the Bears/Packers rivalry," said Gary, the chairman of our Rotary Club Golf Outing. We were talking about ways to maximize the proceeds from the auction at the banquet that concludes the event.  "Nann, could you make a Bears and Packers quilt?" After more discussion--Mike B. said, "I wouldn't have any Packers stuff in my house!"--I said I'd make two quilts.
I have been on a strict no-buy diet since November.  I knew I would have to acquire Bears and Packers prints.  What to do?  I swapped fabric with another quiltmaker and got two yards of Bears fabric.  Alas, no one offered to trade for Packers fabric so I had to go to Joann's and, gasp, buy fabric.  (On that trip I got 7-3/8 yards: Packers, plus a yard each of gold, green, orange, and blue.)  Fortunately that one trip did not break my will and I went right back to no-buy.  Whew.
Here are the results:  quilted and bound.  The golf outing is May 20 -- so I am 7 weeks ahead of the due date! 

The Bears quilt is made from this pattern:   Saddle Tramp   It's 63 x 72.
The Packers quilt is my own design -- 12" Ohio stars.   It's 64 x 76. 
Bears block closeup.  9" stars.


Packers block closeup. 12" stars.