Category Archives: Quilts

What’s on my Design Wall

May 22, 2011 11:30 pm ⋅ Pam

We interrupt this quilting marathon ( Complete 10 quilts between March 16th – June 22nd) for a new quilt top – Candy Sunflower Seeds (I’m using the pattern The Chain Event by Dorothy Young).

Say what?!!

After the disaster I created quilting this quilt a few weeks ago, I had to back up and punt.

Thanks to S for ripping the quilting out. Anyway, I decided I needed to use a template on my curves and quilting in the setting squares and triangles. Since I hadn’t done that, I figured a “test” quilt was in order. Thus the new quilt top.

Of course, now I don’t think I need a test quilt. Yesterday I quilted the Neutral Strip Twist and I did half way decent considering I hadn’t done any template/ruler work previously.

Since I’m reporting, here’s the status of the marathon quilts.

1 – Dragonflies — Completed 3/29

2 – Miniature Ohio Star – Completed 4/19

3 – Crossword Puzzle – Still piecing – need at least the top 6/3

4 – BQ2 – Needs label, otherwise finished 5/14

5 – Summertime – 8 inches of binding left to stitch down, label attached

6 – Neutral Strip Twist – needs border quilted, etc

7 – The Chain Event – needs quilting (appt on 6/5)

8 – Victoria’s Rose – needs border quilted, etc

9 – Kansas Spirit – needs quilting (will do on DSM)

10 – Ribbon Candy – binding attached

There’s still a lot to do, but I’m confident that with the three-day weekend coming up I’ll be able to get it all done by my deadline.

Follow the links over at Patchwork Times – I’m sure you’ll find great inspiration and quilters who aren’t as crazy as me.

Posted in: Candy Sunflower Seeds, Challenges, designwall

What’s On My Design Wall

May 16, 2011 12:09 am ⋅ Pam

I’m bouncing all over the place this week. This is nearly half of the blocks I’ll use as the background for the crossword puzzle quilt. I still need to piece the rest of the blocks I’ve got cut out, and I think due to a miscalculation on my part, I need to make another 8 blocks. Over the weekend I picked up 5 more FQs. I’ve said it before, but at this point, this is it. If I don’t have enough fabric, the quilt will simply be smaller. The good news is I have final confirmation of the last name I need to include in the quilt. Isabelle, my sister’s granddaughter to be was born last night. So, once I get the rest of the blocks pieced I’ll figure out the final block arrangement.

But, since at this time I’m only aiming for a quilt top by the end of may and I have time booked to use the long arm next week, I’ve got to get at least one more quilt top done.

These are the strips sewn into pairs for a Strip Twist quilt. Since this picture was taken Sunday afternoon, they’ve been pressed open and matched up to sewn into sets of 4. Tonight is the Guild meeting, but I hope to get the strip sets sewn afterwards.

Finally my Peacock BQ2 quilt is finished! OK, it still needs a label, but that’s the least of my worries. This is quilt # 3 in my 10 by June.

I made this quilt top in May 2009 – but then had no idea how to quilt it. Honestly, I still didn’t know what I was going to do until my husband suggested loopy flowers. I had my doubts, but it works. Sure, feathers would have been cool, but since I’m giving this quilt to my aunt, I wanted to make sure it looked good – or at least not embarrassing.

Hop over to Patchwork Times for links to other design walls.

Posted in: BQ2, Challenges, crossword

Wednesday’s Progress

May 11, 2011 11:05 pm ⋅ Pam

If my math is correct, this is 1/4 of the Drunkard’s Path blocks. 120 more to go!

Posted in: crossword

This Just Might Work

May 11, 2011 7:09 am ⋅ Pam

Posted in: crossword

Tuesday’s Progress

May 10, 2011 5:30 pm ⋅ Pam

Wow! With the Go! Cutter I was able to cut all of my strip sets in about an hour. Now I’m ready to sew!

Posted in: crossword

Monday’s Progress

May 10, 2011 12:05 am ⋅ Pam

It doesn’t look like much, but I spent all evening sewing the red strips into strip sets. Next they’ll get run through the Go! I don’t know if I’ll get it done tomorrow or not. My niece’s band concert is tomorrow evening.

Posted in: crossword

What’s on my Design Wall

May 2, 2011 12:15 pm ⋅ Pam

This week I have my Turning Twenty Again that I’m calling “Summertime”. Several years ago during a FQ sale at my LQS I picked up a bundle of Venetian Glass. At the time, I thought “What was she thinking, some of these are ugly.” I LOVE how they all work together. I guess it’s true you need some “uglies” in your quilt to make it sparkle.

I finished the quilting on this Sunday afternoon.

I’m not sure how well you can see the quilting. It’s pretty basic quilting — wavy diagonal lines. I was having the worst time finding something to mark the quilt that I could see. Then I decided to use painter’s tape.

I put several lengths on my cutting mat, then cut both sides using my wavy ruler. Then I put it on my quilt top and quilted around it. Worked like a charm — and no marks to wash out!

Now I’m working on the binding. I normally machine stitch my bindings down, but this one simply wasn’t working — so at the moment I’m stitching it by hand. No telling when I will finish it, except it will be before June 18th. This is one of my 7 10 by June quilts.

So, up next is the quilt is the crossword puzzle quilt.

I bought a few more reds at the quilt show yesterday. Since it was right before closing, they let me pick the FQ from two different bundles. This is what I have so far:

Not all of those fabrics are FQs — some are just barely F8s. I think that piece on the far left of the bottom row is going to have to go. Other than collecting the reds, I’m at a standstill on this one. My friend V is letting me borrow her Go! and I’ve ordered the 7″ Drunkard’s Path Go! die, but it hasn’t gotten here. I don’t want to start cutting the fabric until I have an understanding of the die. I’ve got a great visual in my head of this quilt, so we’ll see how it translates to fabric.

Don’t forget to check out the other great design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Challenges, crossword, designwall, Summertime

Quilting The Chain Event

April 26, 2011 5:15 pm ⋅ Pam

Pattern - The Chain Event

This is one of my ~~7 by June~~ 10 by June quilts. I found the backing fabric last month and now that I’ve met the 2nd deadline with the Mini Ohio Star quilt, it’s on to the next one.

My original intent was to do a bit of grid work on my machine here at home, but yesterday I pulled it out and hung it on the shelves for my subconscious to work on it. Which worked — to a point. I’m going to take this quilt down to Rocking Chair Quilts and quilt it on the longarm. I’ve figured out the quilting for the blocks and setting squares/triangles, but I have no clue what I’m going to do in the peach and green borders.

This is my goal for the pieced blocks. I can’t remember if the machine can handle a 12″ block on point or not. So, I’ve figured out how to do this in two passes — I fact, I like it better in two passes than just one!

The setting squares and triangles will get a large fan/plume, for lack of a better description. I’m really glad this print is so busy — it won’t be possible to see my quilting! I’m going to use a camel thread, so I suppose it won’t be completely invisible.

This is roughly how I’m envisioning the quilting. But what to do in the peach and green borders? The peach border is 2″ and the green 6″ wide. Maybe my subconscious will think of something.

Posted in: The Chain Event

Twin Mystery Top Finished

April 15, 2011 8:51 pm ⋅ Pam

I really should have re-hung the quilt and waited for better light, but I’ve got a mini Ohio Stars quilt to make this weekend.

Posted in: 2011 Mystery Quilt, mystery quilts

Mystery Quilt Revealed

April 12, 2011 8:55 am ⋅ Pam

This past weekend I attended the 10th Anniversary Kaye-Woods-Quilting-Friends (Yahoo! Group) retreat at Camp Beth Eden in Conway, Missouri. This was my 7th year. I had a great time, but I’m exhausted! One of the activities which you can participate in is a mystery quilt.

A mystery quilt is where you are told how much fabric you need, then are given the cutting and sewing instructions, but not told how what you are making. Hopefully the instructions are written clear enough that there are no frustrations and in the end you have a finished quilt top which looks like the original when it is revealed.

I wrote this years mystery quilt. My friend Mary over at Quiltn’ Gramdma’s Blog tested the pattern for me. After the pattern was tweaked, Terri who wasn’t able to make it to the retreat offered to post the patterns to the list for anyone who wanted to participate, but couldn’t make the trip either. She also tested the pattern for me. This is her quilt.