A New Test Quilt - WIP Wed

Fabrics for a *new* Test Pattern Quilty Adventure!

 

Today I am starting a new project. 

I will be testing a pattern for my very good friend

 

Dorian @ Ridge Top Quilts

 

I am really excited about this pattern. 

It is fun and easy to make and very striking.  The good news is that although this is a test quilt and I cannot post too many pictures right now, it will soon be a

Free Pattern

available as for a short time from Dorian

and at our quilty home away from home at

 

The Quilt and Needle

 

More details will be posted as they become available!

Sew exciting!

  

More WIP

I have also been finishing up the swap blocks for my

 Stitchin' Sister friends ...

 

Tulip Lady Fingers

 

in orange, brown and white.

 

and

Ohio Star Block

 

in 30's repros ... sew sweet!

 

Both of these blocks are linked to the free patterns at

 

Quilter's Cache

 

Today I am linking up again with

 

WIP Wed @ Freshly Pieced

and
 

  Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story  

Have a happy quilty day!

 

:-)

 

December Swap Blocks

Box Kite Block

My Stitchin' Sister Cindy picked the Box Kite Block from Quilter's Cache for our Q&N December Swap Block.  I had looked at this block before but had never felt inspired to make it.  I am really happy to have made this block.  Since it is just squares and half-square-triangles, it is easy to make and has many layout possibilities.  Marcia Hohm has a nice quilt layout on the last page of her block instructions. I played with the blocks and found several different layouts that I liked.

As usual, I followed my own quilty muse and used my own method to piece the units.  I used my 8 HSTs at a Time Tutorial to make the HSTs for these blocks. I cut one 10" square per each color and two white background to make two blocks. This yielded 4.5 inch trimmed HST to sew with the 4.5 inch center squares to make the 12.5 unfinished blocks.

First the fabrics ... all pieces from my stash.  I did not have enough of the yellow print to make all the blocks so I made some with the light blue dot, too.  Since these only one each of these blocks is going home to one of my swap friends and we are making scrappy quilts with them, they did not all have to be alike.

Then I cut the 4.5" center squares and 10" squares to make the 4.5" HST.

Drew on two diagonals  with 1/4" seam lines on each 10" white square paired with a colored square.

Chain sewed four times through my machine.

Cut into 8 HSTs

 

Pressed to the white side. 

 

Trimmed and squared the HSTs to 4.5"

Laid out my blocks.

Chain sewed the units together into strips
 

Quilty Supervisor #1
 

Pinned and sewed strips together, removing pins as I sewed.

 

Note: when sewing the blocks together and into strips, I found there were two combinations that lay flatter by nesting the seams, so I pressed one these seams the other way on one of the HSTs.

Quilty Supervisor #2

 

Pressed and squared the blocks. These blocks worked up to perfect 12.5 inch unfinished blocks with little or no trimming.

Blocks are ready to mail!

Katniss says she can relax now and rest up for the next project.

Our next quilty project is quilting my Tumbling Blocks Table Topper.

But first ... a concert tonight!  My Girl is playing her piccolo at the local university where she is a grad student.  Always my favorite way to spend an evening.

Have a happy quilty day!

 

:-)

Annie's Choice

October Swap Block

I have joined a 6 month Block Exchange Swap with my quilty friends at the Quilt & Needle.  I am a Stitchin' Sister.  The block my friend Sherry chose for October is Annie's Choice in white and bright medium blue tone-on-tones.  These blocks are beautiful.  My hubby is wishing I would make more and they would stay here, I think.  After I get my scrappy swap blocks I may be making him a quilt.  ;)

my method

I used a different method of making the HST blocks using what I have learned here about making 4 HST at a time from That Girl ... That Quilt  As usual, I did find I personally had to cut my beginning squares a tad on the large size to get accurate 1/4" seams and the correct finished block size.  The math of this site would call for cutting 5.5" squares to make unfinished 3.5" HSTs.  I found if I cut my beginning squares are 5 and 5/8ths (5.625) and set my Janome on the 3.8 needle setting and used my standard 50/2 ply cotton thread for piecing that I would get what I call accurate 1/4 inch seam and is more commonly referred to as a Scant 1/4 inch seam.  Click on this link for a good explanation of  Scant 1/4" Seams by  A Quilting Life .  This way I would get the correct 3.5" size HSTs with only trimming off the dog-ears with my snips.

Here are my how-to photos below ...

sew 1/4" seam on all 4 sides

 

cut on diagonal

 

cut on second diagonal

yields 4 HSTs

 

 press to dark fabric

 

check sqaure for correct size and trim
 

if HSTs are correct size, just snip the dog ears
 

chain piece squares together

 

press in opposite directions

 

 check alignment of sub units

 

nest center seams / pin if needed

 sew quarter square sub units together removing pins as you go

 

 check for accurate 1/4" seams

 

press
 

 

check and square quarter units for size

 

make 4

 

nest diagonal seams when sewing square units together

 

correctly pressed back showing all seams in opposite directions

 

check finished block for size and squareness

 

6 swap blocks plus 1 charity block

 

We are exchanging blocks in groups of six and we are making one extra block to make a group charity quilt for a children in crisis center.

 

Although I found these blocks challenged my HST skills, I really loved the fabric and block choice for this month and I am looking forward to receiving my squishy in the mail with my Stichin' Sisters' beautiful blue and white blocks.

 

Time to do some painting in my new sewing room and to get ready to make next month's block!

 

Have a happy quilty day!

 

:-)