Usual Suspects Annual Christmas Lunch

It was time to get together for our Christmas meal with exchange of cards and gifts and always a highlight meeting up with long distance member, Mel, and seeing what she and her group have been up to. All the pictures are of Mellony's distinctive work, some with an origami theme.

Progress on Two Fronts

I am adding some strips to make a border for the log cabin top. I could have used the green pillar print seen on the bed which would have been easier but it looked a bit dull and predictable so I'm using the pale maze fabrics instead.  In the evening I finished handquilting another block for the 2012-13 U3A quilt which I'll be joining to others quilt as you go.

Hand quilted block

Classic Log Cabin Step by Step more or less

Strip piecing method

It's important to be consistent going round clockwise or anti-clockwise. Although strip piecing seems the best way to go I found I preferred to cut the pieces to the right length plus a smidgen and chain piece, quicker and no tedious trimming after each piece.


Shows the strips added one by one though
I stopped before the end.

The End

More log cabins

Standard log cabin, large, and a possible arrangement of 6" blocks.

Before putting my old samples away for another couple of years I took pictures. The fabrics date from my earliest years of quiltmaking and the black flowery print predates my 36 year old son!

 

Side by side arrangement





Barnraising with lights in the centre

Not sure what this is called -
White House Steps? - but I like it!
 

Courthouse Steps, large and small versions

Straight furrows arrangement

Yet more from the retreat

Here are some pictures of the lovely work being done on our retreat, all shown here with permission.


I think this was Kathy's

Isabel surveys batik/commercial fabric umbrellas
started at Paducah with Edyta Sitar.

Mandy'd brights.

Log Cabins

The evening I demonstrated log cabins to the beginners' group I asked members to bring in their own examples and they came up trumps.
here are a few:

Jane's hand sewn hanging.

I think this is also Jane's though Avril is a possibilty too -
sorry.



Ann with a small but
pefectly formed piece.

Ruby's


 



Bid with chicken door stop,
still log cabin.
 

Went to Chartwell today, Winston Churchill's home, where we had
lunch, walked round the wintry garden, viewed pictures in his
studio and a small exhibition. The house is closed for the winter
and is obviously undergoing some renovation.

Carried away

Every two years when QuayQuilters hold our show some attendees express an interest in learning patchwork and we run beginners' classes for them in the next two terms. It falls to me to do the rotary cutting/log cabin segment. When I got home I decided I needed to refresh my samples and show more stages. Well I got carried away and having out some old uglies from my stash I started not only making samples of the successive steps but piecing blocks with the aim of assembling a four block by five barnraising display top. It is a wonder of our craft that we can take a very unprepossessing set of fabrics, some of which don't seem to "go" only to find that in combination they amount to more than the sum of their parts. So it was when I laid out my finished blocks. 4 by 5 is not symmetrical and I plan to add another row to even up the pattern. Now I'm wondering whether to add a border.

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Sewing Block 3b for the U3A

1. Sew pairs of triangles together along a short edge.
Note: feed though the the machine identically aligned.

Add the sewn triangle units to the large half square
triangle.



Sew the units into rows and press towards the plain squares.



Completed block.

Another 3b in the making: note that this one "turns"
the other way to the previous one because the
QST triangles have been aligned the other way.

Cutting Block 3b for the U3A

Block 3b

This time we are using the rotary cutter for all the shapes.
To cut squares to make half square triangles you need to add 7/8" to the finished size of the unit, that is 4 7/8" for a 4" finished unit. Cut once from corner to corner.
To cut squares to make quarter square triangles you need to add 1 1/4 " to the finished size of the unit, that is 5 1/4" for a 4" finished unit. Cut twice from corner to corner.
For squares add 1/2" that is 4 1/2" for a 4" finished unit.

To make a block like this you need  a 4 1/2" centre square, four 4 1/2"  corner squares, two 4 7/8" squares for the half square triangles and one 5 1/4" square of each of two fabrics for the quarter square triangles.

Cutting the squares; the QST squares
are layered right sides together ready
to sew.

Arrange like this.

End of term

It was the last of the U3A sessions  until the new year and we went over previous blocks and proceeded to Block 3b entirely rotary cut. There have been some very good Show & Tells from members too. I am so delighted and surprised by the beginners' block show & tell. They are really able to think for themselves and express themselves in their work. Great fun and joy!

Janet with a dark backgound and a different spin
on colour placement.

Rosemary whose choices give a
different emphasis

Diana daring to be different and using geometrics
to good effect

Christine, solid colours for maximum contrast
 

Sue's beautifully pieced and
tasteful fabrics

Jane - don't you just love
those supersize dots.

Christine's Japanese Folded little quilt,
so soft and tactile.

Block 3a for U3A Quilters

Completed block

Block 3a is the basis for an Ocean Waves quilt, 54/40 or Fight, Tennessee Waves and any number of quilts using straight lines to create the illusion of curves. The triangle units in the side squares were christened Peaky and Spike by the late Doreen Speckman, Peaky being the larger mountain shaped isosceles triangle and Spike (like a tent peg)  the two half versions of this needed to complete the square. I haven't worked out how to rotary cut this unit using normal straight rulers though no doubt it's possible so templates are a natural if not the only way to go.
Whichever method is used you have to remember that the Spike units are REVERSED so you have to turn your your template over or cut two units at once with fabrics reversed, right or wrong sides together.
When cutting the Peaky units the short side is on the straight grain and care needs to be taken with the slightly bias longer sides.

A mathematical friend told me isosceles is Greek for long legged.
The squares are rotary cut from 4.5 inch strips.

Draft

Peaky & Spike units







Spike units need to be cut "reversed" like these pairs which
 will frame two Peaky's

Units laid out ready for assembly

Units sewn into rows ready
for assembly.