Becky's Nine Patch 07

Here are some alternative centre treatments using bias as well as straight cuts and stripes cut parallel or at right angles to the selvage. I've also paid attention to the patterned batik trying to fussy cut the different parts of the pattern. The yellow triangles here are placed differently from the the coloured triangles in the other sets. As a traditional quilter I find this playing around with received elements makes the making process interesting and a form of creativity.


Use of straight and bias





4 blocks ready to join

 I should have included this photo of four blocks about to be joined into a set in my last post.

Becky's Nine Patch 06



Here are four blocks set together and a pleasing centre pattern emerges.  I pressed the joining seams clockwise pulling apart some of the stitches in the seam allowance at the centre to enable me to do so. This ensures the sets can be joined easily. Here the half square triangles form a  square in a square but you can also choose to do pinwheels or broken dishes or simply substitute a square; two different fabric squares will result in a centre four patch as you'll see in the next quilt I'll show you.

A "set"

         

                                                                                                                          

Notice the manipulation of striped fabrics here:
in two of the blocks the stripes are PARALLEL to the corner square and in the other two they are at RIGHT ANGLES to the corner square. Then the blocks are set alternately.

If you look at  these pictures of different sets you can see the same check fabric. In one it is cut on the straight grain and in the other on the cross. This is another way of creating variety and visual interest.

Becky's Nine Patch 05

The last two steps are adding the cut 2 by 6.5" strip to the bottom of the pieced unit, still keeping the corner square top left for all blocks. Press toward the strip. Finally add the large cut 3.5 by 9.5" inch piece as shown. Press towards this large oblong.

Becky's Nine Patch 04

Continue the piecing sequence.
Now add the framing oblong cut 2" by 3.5" and press towards the oblong.

Then add a larger cut 3.5" by 5" oblong to the corner unit and press towards the corner unit.

Next sew the two pieced units together taking care to keep the alignment constant through all the blocks, here with the corner unit top left. Press away from the corner unit.

Becky's Nine Patch 03

Here are the pieces laid out. For this setting make four identical blocks per set and lay out all blocks for the quilt the same way with the corner either top right OR top left but always the SAME way.

First sew the corner HST (half square triangle) and add the framing square. Press towards the HST corner square.
I am using the batik shirting for both pieces but to make the join look deliberate rather than untidy I used a different part of the print for the oblong and the square. Other sets in this quilt display different solutions to this design problem.

Also join a 3.5" cut square to a 5 "by 3.5" oblong as shown here and press as desired.

Becky's Nine Patch 02

In 2006 the Pick 'n'Mix retreat group was asked to mount a little exhibit at the Hever Show and the theme was black and white. Some of the members have won national and international competitions and all were very expert so I didn't even try to compete but after rattling my brain came across a b/w batik type print  shirt in a charity shop and snapped it up though I don't usually buy shirts with short sleeves for quilting. I added various other shirt fabrics from my collection and made this quilt which I am very fond of and hasten to point out its little quirks of fabric arrangement.
You can imagine how flattered I was when Lesley, a fellow member who was at that time an assistant magazine editor, said it would be a good suitable begniners' project for the magazine. I realise that statement might sound ironical but I WAS flattered!
The blocks were drafted to an odd size because the challenge quilts had to measure less than 50" but for clarity's sale I assume here a single block finishes at 9" though any measurement suitable for a nine patch can used:  6", , 7.5",  12" etc


Finished patch measurements



Becky's Nine Patch 01

This is my bedroom in days of yore (1996??) with a quilt made for my neice Becky on the bed. She was at university at that time. I chose the block because of the appropriate name. My source was Beth Gutcheon's "Perfect Patchwork Primer" published by Penguin and now long out of print. It's very readable (she wrote a novel as well) and I love the black and white block drawings leaving the user free to impose their own style. If you're a traditional quilter and a lover of blocks I suggest you lay hold of a copy if you happen to come across one.

The block is partly a ninepatch and partly a corner log cabin. As you see here I chose to set my blocks corner to corner in sets of four which created a pleasing secondary pattern and I have followed this arrangement in later versions exploring the various possibilities and I still have some more in mind.

The day's work

These are blocks for a group quilt: we are making seven each. This is my third post today but tomorrow on the 1st I want to start blogging about a group of projects which has been occupying me on and off for a long period of time. The last two finishes on my list for the year are listed on the sidebar as Oast BNPatches 1 and 2. An article by me appeared in British Patchwork and Quilting earlier this year and it's not until this piece was over and done with did I feel free to start posting.

The view from here

This was the view from my house when I got up this morning and it's still snowing but I am warmly tucked up inside catching up with various jobs. My quilt group tomorrow evening is cancelled as we English tend to retreat in the face of snow.







And the view from here:

What I think of as my Advent quilt has just gone on the bed. Unusually for me it uses coordinating fabrics and has that Moda look comfortable but definitely no leap of the heart. I am however quite fond of it because of it's wool/cotton wadding purchased in Australia, the wonderful viyella backing bought in a sale, handquilting to look at and feel under my hand and the way I persuaded the diagonal border stripes to meet up at both ends of each side.



I've handquilted
along each stripe!




Lovely warm backing fabric



Hand quilting

Beautiful cupboards

After the famous French writer, Colette, died her husband said "Her cupboards were beautiful" which struck me as praise indeed. I can't lay claim to beautiful cupboards but having folded my yardage 14" x 8" to fit the shelves of my new linen chests I'm as near as I'll ever get. The largest pieces I did 13.5" long to allow for the extra bulk. It's amazing how this regular folding seems to magically create more space.

Specially for children's quilts

Today

Janome Club day

Our Janome Club led by Cathy met today. I wanted to make a book  with her as I had made one in a workshop she did in 2007 but couldn't remember the nitty gritty of how she got it to fit so closely. I did the preparation first painting the sticky rough side of Bondaweb, letting it dry and then ironing onto calico painted-sticky side down.
Then the backing paper is peeled away and sheer organza laid on top and pressed to adhere again. The piece is glue basted to felt then machine quilted, then backed (glue basting again) onto another lining fabric.

The edges are sewn one at a time to make a really snug fit.
On another note Margaret F. demonstrated the embellisher and Cathy set out some Christmas ideas though  I didn't take the photo before some were packed away. I was sitting next to Margaret W. who made her book cover fabric by stitching down strips onto a background (which became the "sky") to create a landscape effect. She cleverly used the trimming to make a matching bookmark. It was lovely.



Margaret W.'s book cover



Sewing Room Makeover

Well not quite. Last week my adjustable height table arrived. To get it into the room I had to singlehandedly move this large (very) solid bookcase out of the way. Having taken off all the books etc I took the opportunity to have a huge weed of books I have read and old knitting books.
This gave me space to range all my quilt books in alphabetical author order. I've always had a printed list but finding a title was always difficult. Now my shelves no longer look like this:

but like this:

Usual Suspects Day

Last Monday was Usual Suspects Day. We met at Judi's for lunch and enjoyable chat. Judy showed us her just lovely Carpenter's Wheel quilt with feathery quilting by Smart Frog

and Valerie  who has turned to handwork brought her Dresden Plate block.

I haven't posted till now because I left my camera behind. I've also been busy busy with new sewing room matters.

Bound and ready

to go. Some time ago I sandwiched three quilts for Project Linus started in an Oast workshop but put off quilting and binding while I got to grips with my BOM so today I added the binding to a small joint Linus quilt made by Judi and myself. She's done some lovely machine quilting on it and I'll hand sew the binding down at our Usual Suspects meeting on Monday. When done I'll post a picture but for now here is the orange and blue Twisted Sisters from blocks made by Oast Quilters. The backing has been turned the front and machine sewn down which makes it a bit wavy but very strong and practical.

Months 10, 11 and 12

Bom 12

At last I have finished my quota and then some. I still have various  segments cut out and will make a for sale/charity quilt to use up these extra pieces.

Month10

Month 11

Month 9

And today I finished the September blocks.The work rate per month is increasing. To begin with we made a couple or so large blocks but the smaller ones have just as many pieces and as much sewing time so when I see nine as the task I quail a bit.

Quilting Retreat 03

I can't say my achievements equalled those of my fellow retreaters but I did get to grips with the Quilt Show BOM finishing months 7 and 8. The way I've elected to do these makes them a bit tedious. I'm being extra careful because of the swapping.

I made a table runner top but it's for a Christmas challenge and not finished yet so I won't show it.

I also made a rather naff bag really to use up the strips of Janome stitch samples I did at the Janome Club meeting.





And I finished the first half of the Katharine Guerrier blocks.

Quilting Retreat 02

Here are some more photos of attendees' work: