I have a finish!

This is the log cabin quilt I started as a leader/ender project in June 2011.  It worked well as a leader/ender project until the last few rounds.  It’s been a top since mid-January and I finally quilted it earlier this month.  Over the weekend I cleared the table at the end of the sewing table so I could bind it.

Now that it is washed the quilt measures 80 x 94.  I used Warm and Natural batting, King Tut #920 Sands of Time on top and Bottom Line Pre-wound bobbins — probably #603 Red.  I quilted slightly wonky free-hand Baptist Fans.

I found a length of red Prismaglass by Paula Nadelstern to use for the binding.   Now to decide on pillow cases.

Stop by Judy’s to see what others have been up to.

Sew We Quilt and Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts have joined forces to create a Red, White and Blue Blog Hop. Each day 5 or 6 blogs will have a red, white & blue block to share. There may be giveaways. Today is my day!  And there is a giveaway! The complete schedule can be found at Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts.

I might have mentioned previously, that I enjoy playing in EQ7 to design new quilts.  When I realized my first attempt could be improved, I returned to EQ for inspiration.

I started by searching for blocks by keywords: patriotic, 4th of July, fireworks, freedom, independence, Washington (I really like the Martha Washington block), revolution and America.

This block popped up:

It is block # 3023 in Block Base and is called Star Pattern. I found it because it was originally published in American Needlework in 1923.

I re-colored it red, white and blue, then dropped it into a on-point setting.

I really liked how it looked, so I went looking for a second block. I found Nine Patch Star.

In addition to changing the color, I changed a few seam lines for easier piecing and ended up with this:

But, the designing still wasn’t over. The first block works better at 12″, this block works best at 10″.  So I added a 1″ frame using the background fabric to bring it up to 12″ and then dropped it into my quilt.

To me there just seemed to be too much white space, so I added a few more seams to get this:

Which turns out to be a variation on 9-Patch Star Variation.

So, with the corners now colored in (and the 1″ white framing), the quilt looks like this:

Not too much white space and a really nice looking quilt that I would like to make.

Here’s how to make my variation of 9-Patch Star Variation using the Tri-Rec rulers.

Supplies:

2 1/2″ x 21″ strip of blue

2 1/2″ x 21″ strip and a 2 1/2″ x 18″ strip of white

2 1/2″ x 19″ strip of red

Cut 8 – 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares from both the blue and longer white strips.  Cut 1 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ square from the red strip.

Cut 8 red triangles using the Tri Tool.

Cut 8 pairs of triangles using the Recs Tool.  I cut two layers at once with my fabric right sides together so I ended up with triangles going both directions.

I sewed the white and blue squares into 4-patches and did NOT swirl the center seam.

I made sure all my seams pressed the same way, which allowed me to nest all my seams when I assembled the block.

For the red triangles in a white square, I pressed half of my units “wrong”.

Normally, the units are pressed as shown on the left, but I was looking to nest seams, so on 4 of the units, I pressed the seams the opposite way. Once these were made, I squared them up to 2 1/2″.

Then taking two units, one pressed each way, I sewed them together to form 4 diamond rectangles.

The center seam was pressed to the “correctly” pressed triangle.

The next step is to layout all of the units.

Make sure your blue squares are aligned correctly and keep playing with pieces until the seams all nest.

Here’s the back of my block showing my pressing.

Once, pressed, I squared the block up to 10 1/2″.

Now for the give-away.

Leave me a comment telling me if you have ever changed seam lines in a block to make it easier to piece. Be sure to provide a way for me to reach you. I’ll close the comments at 11:30 PM Central on Monday, July 16th and use a random number generator to pick two winners.

Oh, what will you win?  Red, white & blue F8s, plus a red & blue stiletto.

Once you have left a comment, be sure to check out today’s other participants:
Nancy R
North Hills Quilter
Michelle N
Sunshine Girl
Grammie Q

P.S.  WordPress requires moderation the first time you comment on my blog.  I’ll check for comments on my breaks today to make sure they all get released.  I love hearing from people.

First is the ongoing Red, White & Blue Blog Hop.  A complete scheduled can be found HERE.  My day is tomorrow.  Stop back to see what I’ve come up with and a give-away.

Next is the Tetris Quilt-a-long.  It starts next Tuesday. You can read about it HERE.  I have my fabrics selected and boxed together.   Melissa has lined up some great sponsors for give-a-ways.  Now if I can just find my box.

There’s not much on my design wall — just the red, white and blue block that I need to take down and put with my other RWB blocks.  Between the heat and the yard, I simply couldn’t stay focused.  I pulled out my Scrappy Irish Chain and pieced a few pieces.  I sewed strips together for a binding and I de-constructed my plaid shirts. ( I still have a stack of stripped shirts to go).  Finally I cut the batiks for my class on Wednesday.

To see what others worked on last week, check out the links over at Patchwork Times.

Given the heat, I think we should have been inside this past week.  At least if we had done this when it was cooler, I don’t think it would have taken as long.  I think we started working on the evening of July 3rd, as we spent the day July 4th working on the patio table.  It’s been painted.   I think we got a pretty good match to the original paint on the chairs.

Also done this week:

• the new lawnmower was put together
• the grass was cut
• the patio was pressured washed
• the bushes in the back were beat back
• new seat cushions were purchased for the chairs

And there’s been a break in the heat (not that we had anything to do with that).  Tonight, I’m grilling and we’ll sit outside for dinner.  It may be 84 degrees outside but that’s at least 21 degrees cooler than it has been (my husband saw a sign yesterday that said 116 !!, but the official # was 105).

Not much used this past week.  It’s simply been to hot to quilt.  It took me 2 or 3 days to trim the log cabin quilt and get it ready for binding.  I finally got the binding made — well it still needs pressing — last night.  Maybe I’ll get it attached today.

Fabric Added Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  71.685 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: .694 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 46.62 yards

Net Used for the year -25.065 yards

I’ll add the link to Judy’s blog later.

Here’s the LINK to the stash reports.

…that after a slow spell, all of a sudden there are hundreds of quilts that have to be made RIGHT NOW?

Generally, when I buy a book it has to have several patterns in it that I really want to make.  This particular book I bought because I saw a red, white & blue quilt top that really appealed to me.  I broke my rule and bought it just for the one quilt — then discovered there are at least 5 quilts I’d like to make.  I’m always finding something new.

Last night, while I was watching television (had to get my The Big Bang Theory fix), I flipped through this book and found a new quilt to make.

I’ve got the muslin — in fact I recently washed two lengths a few weeks ago for a now forgotten reason.  I’ve been collecting shirts for a couple of years, so all I’d need is the inner and outer border.  I even have the backing – the 60″ wide window pane backing that I used on the Double Wedding Ring.

It was all I could do to keep from leaping up and digging through my shirts to find a dozen which would go well together.

Then this morning, on Facebook, there was a picture in the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting feed of Marianne and Mary working on blocks for Northport Crossing which reminds me of Mountain Top — which I would really like to make.

Never mind that I’m still cutting fabric for the Stained Glass Quilt I’m making on Wednesday evening, that I really need to get a move on Eeyore and I’ve got a great scrappy quilt in the making — Bonnie Hunter’s Happily Scrappily Irish which I’m doing as a leader/ender.

Could this by why my UFO/WIP list is long?

Well, it’s more a case of I only need 13 and I have 14.  I have to decide which one ‘does not belong’.

I can’t decide between pulling the red (5th from the left) or the green 2nd from the right.

The red leaps out as not belonging (although I suppose the same could be said about the gold.  But on the other hand those 3 green fabrics on the right nearly blend together.

I’m making a ‘stained glass’ quilt — bricks and blocks surrounded by black ‘leading’.

Well, I just pulled my cutting instructions.

It appears that the same # of pieces will be cut from 12 of the FQs, but only two smaller pieces will be cut from the 13th FQ.

So I think I’ll let the gold be my ‘unexpected pop of color’ and then pick one of the greens to cut the two smaller pieces.  This translates to I’m pulling the red.

It’s amazing how decisions are much easier to make when you sit down with all the information and work through it with a clear head.

Thanks for listening.

Now if I can just get the fabric cut between now and the class next Wednesday.

Sew We Quilt and Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts have joined forces to create a Red, White and Blue Blog Hop.  Each day 5 or 6 blogs will have a red, white & blue block to share.  There may be giveaways.  My day is July 11th.  The complete schedule can be found at Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts.

I started working on my block almost immediately when I signed up for the hop.  I use EQ7 to design blocks and quilts.  If you don’t have EQ, check out their website: http://www.electricquilt.com/.

EQ let me play with lots of different blocks and I ultimately came up with two blocks and this quilt:

It uses these two 10″ blocks set on point:

I would love to make this quilt.  But look at all those seams in the middle of the first block.  I couldn’t get them to match when I made my sample block.  So, I went back to the drawing board.

You’ll have to come back on July 11th to see what I came up with.  I think it’s as good, if not better than this quilt — and there’s no paper piecing involved!

While you are waiting, check out today’s blogs:

July 3rd