I am joining blocks for 3+ tops all at once with my Letterbox being the chief focus and the others in the way of leader enders. The Letterbox was slightly delayed as I had to do an unpick and substitution and a spot of swapping round but now the layout is as good as it gets and I'm joining rows. Two are pressed and on the living room floor.
In the evening I am paper piecing Quilt of the Crosses blocks. I am thinking the one I finished last night is the next to last.
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| Squares cut in half at an angle and strips cut 1" wide |
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| Strips added to one half |
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| Pressed ready to join |
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| Pieced square sliced again and another strip inserted to make the cross. |
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| Trimming the blocks to the same size |
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| Mine ended up at 9.75" square |
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| Nine blocks sewn together. I will do the next stage at the Oast Sewing Day on Sunday. |
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| I wanted my crosses to line up and not to waste fabric so to join accurately I made sure the quarter inch line lay where the fabric pieces met. |
Yesterday six of us set off to the Little Shop of Fabrics which turned out to be very large and very well stocked in a modern barn and on two floors with a very spacious workroom and two long arm machines for hire. I bought two lots of low volume backgrounds and black Grunge to use as required.
Of course this was followed by a very reasonable ladies who lunch lunch at the Flying Horse pub then home to admire our purchases.
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| Paying for purchases |
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| This just a small proportion |
Yesterday I took part in a "Disappearing Crosses" day with Maria Spiller. The workshop piece finished around 24" square but needless to say I want to do something more body sized so while some participants finished I am still making crosses. I hope to make further progress when Maria teaches for Oast next week.
Maria offered three different options for the block using layer cake squares or a single background or multi coloured. I chose the second, using three different but related half yards.
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| One insert |
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| Two inserts |
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| So far so good |
I did finish my leader enders and can't wait to lay them out.
Now my crosses will be leader enders while I sew my letterbox blocks together.
After that I really must finish the two fabric fusion quilts I have on the go. Then it is time to get down to quilting some of my UFO's.
Always busy!
I finished my plaidish blocks today - I think I will call this a Letterbox Quilt. Between each four patch I sewed "leader enders" (in this case the green crosses blocks), Bonnie Humter's word and idea.
to the Hospice who have asked for replacements for those worn out by repeated washing and use. I sorted these out knowing which ones Isabel and Sophie wanted.
The top right one though has a different destination.
Every day I am trying to make sure something leaves my house never to return. Today it was a lot of redundant paperwork into recycling.
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| To Isabel for £150, not a market price but I don't charge for the enjoyment of making. |
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| This one for Sophie for £45 which was the price still on it from the Arts and Crafts Show. It has been around for quite a time with no takers. |
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| And this one which was made as an example of Log Cabin for Quay students. I'd forgotton it had such a nice layout. it went to Isabel for £125. |
At Quay Quilters this week Vanessa brought in this quilt she was quilting but as she didn't particularly like it wished to pass it on. She had been sent the vintage blocks by her sister and made them up very successfully.
The quilt found a new home, not with me as I have enough!!
I should really be tackling one of my many UFOs but I have long been on the look out for a suitable project for Laura Ashley scrap bag fabrics, many offcuts from garment manufacture plus other brushed cottons and stripes and checks. There is some viyella added too. Most date from 70s/80s.
I am using Sandy Bonsib's method from her 2005 "Tried and True" book now I guess out of print but available secondhand. She made 6" blocks while mine will finish at 7 1/2", the largest I could get with the size of the scraps.
To make two blocks I cut two 3.5" squares from a contrast fabric, mostly floral scraps and added the same size main fabric squares on either side and finished off with 9.5" strips top and bottom. There was no need to be super accurate with the latter as blocks will be trimmed.
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| 1. Here are the two starter blocks side by side. |
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| 2. Now right sides UP on top of each other. |
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| 3. Slice in to at a slight angle but more or less centrally. |
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| 4. Put one of the cut pieces underneath so that two different sections are on top |
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| 5. Join the top two and then the bottom two sections matching centre seams as far as possible |
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| 6. Trim the block to it's unfinished size using a ruler or square and wonky angle. The left one is complete. |
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| 7. The final pair of blocks; they come together very quickly. |
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Five of us met to enjoy time sewing and chatting in the delightful Chartham Hatch Village Hall within memory a two classroomed primary school.
I was able to carry my machine, a Pfaff Passport bought from a deceased friend's estate and cut and sewed the square in a square blocks I'd completed the night before. On the table they have been divided into three piles divided roughly by value, the completed blocks in the foreground.
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| My source |
