Day out

Tracy's version of Bonnie Hunter's "Scrappy Bargello"

The Usual Suspects met today for lots of Show & Tell though I haven't captured Judi's fantastic modern quilt - I was too busy looking at it, I think - but I'll catch up with it another time. The design was based on one in a new magazine called Modern Quilts Unlimited. I loved Tracy's knickers quilt with its appropriate fabrics and funny sayings and her take on a popular Bonnie Hunter pattern. Belinda has been doing lots of sewing too and I showed the Quay raffle quilt and the bag and two stack and whackery quilts I have made.

Belinda's jelly roll "Spools" started in a Carolyn Forster workshop.

Belinda'sWIP started in a workshop at Houston using a jelly roll and her own various width strips on a paper foundation.

Mellow Yellow

I've made very good progress today, finishing attaching the binding to the group raffle quilt and making a hanging sleeve for it. After lunch I added the borders to the yellow quilt and I'm pleased. Before the hand dyes stood out; now the focus fabric is the focus. I shall machine quilt it and it will probably be a donation quilt.

I completed the inner top of my latest stack'n'wackery effort last night. I don't usually machine sew in the evening but the political discussion programme I usually watch descended into puerile shouting so I got on with sewing the final sections together instead. I'll border it with more of the shrinking violet, so to speak, yellow.
I now have some duty sewing to do, adding the binding to the Quay Quilters' raffle quilt. I'm going to make a hanging sleeve as well. The meeting is on Wednesday and I have two days of activities to deduct from the time available before then. It's looking good, all hand appliqued and hand quilted. The ends of the swags will be covered as a final group task. I think our next group project will be a simpler effort!

I made this block

 

I need to clear the spare room floor before the grandchildren arrive so I have been piecing my quilt top for most of the day; now it's in manageable pieces whose placement I can recognise.

I've made a bag.

This bag was made following a pattern in Popular Patchwork magazine from October 2012. A friend made one from corduroy pieces and it was subsequently published. Now Bonnie Quilters are making bags while one of our members is on holiday and this was chosen as our first project. The others made theirs from Moda charm packs as in the pattern while I used nickel squares from a long ago fabric swap. Anything in 3D doesn't come easily to me and I needed some help but I'm pleased with myself now it's finished. It will be for one of our quilt shows. Oast Quilters are having a bag tombola.


Can you see the pockets? These lie under the bag flap.



More pockets on the inside



And on the outside

Stained Glass

Sandy's but it's a bad photo of a lovely piece.

Barbara's

Janet's with interesting fabric use for the plants.

 

 

Under Margaret's guidance the more more experienced members of the U3A class are working on "stained glass" projects and making such good progress that some are embarking on a second item. Seeing these makes me want to have a go. I have some Gail Lawther patterns  I should like to try.

 

Catch Up

Set with hand dyed quarter square triangles

Today I have been finishing sewing my yellow paisley stack and whack squares but I'm also posting a picture of the quilt that's been on my bed for the last two weeks.

It was started in a Twisted Sister class with Ami Simms.

This quilt has had a price on it at a couple of quilt shows but I've now decided I like it so it's for keeps.
It's the U3A class again tomorrow and here are student  blocks from the first two weeks, very pretty, and also Gina's Trip Around the World quilt top.

Stack and Whackery squares

Mary's fabric

Marion's fabric

Mary's blocks

I have been making sets of four identical squares since attending a wonderful workshop with Judy Johnson in Oregon. Today the Crab & Winkles got together to have a go. It was fascinating seeing the different effects from different fabrics. I learnt something too - that the dots on selvages are not necessarily an indication of repeat size. The repeat on the yellow paisley was a lot less than the 24" I had thought.

Maggie's fabric

Maggie and Marion's blocks

More of Maggie's blocks

Melaie's fabric

A couple of Melanie's blocks

My fabric

Bag Ladies



Bonny Quilters met up today to continue assembling our bags. We plan to finish them before we meet up  next time when we'll start another bag. Our main project is a medallion quilt but we are holding fire on that until our fourth member returns from the winter sun as we want to keep in step.
Meanwhile at home I've finished my "A river runs through it" stack and whackery squares quilt top in preparation for our mini Crab & Winkle workshop tomorrow. It will stay a top for some time as I want to hand quilt it in a fishnet pattern but must finish the Quay Sampler quilt first. I'm not usually a fan of the border setting where the inner border runs off to the edge but this quilt asked for it!

The inner top

Joining the quilt in offset sections - only one
edge to edge seam to sew
 



Now with borders 57.5x75.5 inches

3b Sewing the Block

Four fabric version under construction

Three fabric version under construction

When we draft blocks we start with the main grid and then subdivide the squares into units. When sewing we start with piecing the smaller units and then combine them to form larger units or rows and then into the block. A degree of care is needed when combining the quarter square triangles; they need to be joined all the same way so that the background fabrics lands on the outside edge of the block.

The basic units

Beginning blocks 3b

Crow's Nest variation

Since block 1a we have been rotary cutting squares and oblongs whether singly or from strips or from sewn strip sets. Now we are rotary cutting half square triangles (HST's) where a square is cut in half diagonally to yield two triangles with the straight grain on the shorter right angled sides. We have learned that to cater for the extra seam allowance we need to add 7/8" to the finished square measurement. We are making a 12"  nine patch block so the finished squares measure 4".

Preparing to cut 4" + 7/8" squares in half to yield 2 HST's

Two HST's from one square

To make a square from two HST's  we need to cut 4 & 7/8" squares; we get two HST's from each square and for this block we need four so we cut two 4 7/8" squares and cut them once diagonally across.

Quarter square triangles (QST's) where the square is cut twice across diagonally have the straight of grain on the long side which lies on the outer edge of the square. One square yields four QST's. To cut these we have to add 1.25" as there are more seams to accommodate. Here there are four of one colour and four of another so we cut a 5.25" square of each and cut twice diagonally across. I try to keep the square stable when doing this so I don't lose the diagonal line for the second cut.

Cutting the 5.25" square

The second cut, easy because the fabric hasn't shifted.

Four QST's

Beginning blocks 3a

3a templates with and without seam allowances; the curved corners formed by using the wheel make the units easier to join.

Diagram, a nine patch



Pieces laid out ready to sew  just  using two fabrics.. Below the pieces from a three fabric block are being sewn together.



Doreen Speckman called the isosceles triangle units here "Peaky and Spike". Peaky is the large triangle and the Spikes are the pointy units which make up the square. These are very effective in overall designs and when combined with other shapes can give the illusion of curves.



A completed block

2b variation

Four blue 2.5" sqs. with drawn diagonal lines

Squares laid out on corners ready to sew along the drawn lines.

3 squares flipped over and pressed to form triangle corners. One more to do.

As a 12" (finished) Rail Fence is rather plain I thought I would introduce a variant using a technique that will crop up later in the sequence.
I made the the strip squares using 2.5" strips sewn together and subcut into 6.5" (unfinished) squares. I also cut four 2.5"  blue squares and drew a diagonal line across and laid them on the  centre corners of the strip squares and sewed along the drawn line. Then I flipped the flap over to form a triangle corner. Although this technique is wasteful of fabric it appears in many patterns and is quick and easy to explain.