On and Off and On

Yesterday I boldly cut off the monochromatic binding which made the quilt looked bad and added a red stripy bias single fold one which looks much better. Now I'm enjoying  hand stitching.it down watching TV in the evenings.

Horrible

Off with it

Attached replacement.

Starting to sew it down =looking better.

Piece of Cake - not!

I finally added the bottom and last border to my Piece of Cake quilt. I've sewn up the joining strip on the back and after the picture was taken added a binding in the black white and grey newsprint fabric. However the binding looks disappointing to say the least and I now plan to rotary cut off the edge of the quilt. I have the leeway to do this as I allowed an extra 1.5" border depth when I squared up the quilt. So on to plan "B" and a red stripey binding. Auditioning my alternatives would have avoided all this but I was in a hurry to finish.

Quayquilters' Night

I demonstrated 54-40 or Fight which is included in our raffle quilt but beforehand there was Show and Tell:

Pauline's project from Judi Kirk's hexagon workshop last Saturdat.

Another one from Pauline

Mary I with quilt top for a soon to be born nephew

Valentine wreath made by Debbie

Fans and plates made by the beginner class.

February U3A

We were making disappearing nine patch variations this Monday but at Show and Tell we saw earlier projects: Patchwork dogs, disappearing  4-Patches and a convergence piece. We begin and end with fellow tutor Margaret's lovely work. After the session I walked along to Littlebourne church to look at the snowdrops, an annual delight.

Margaret's split 4_Patch quilt in lovely gay colours.

Val's DNP table runner

Eleanor and Jane with D4P cushion and Margaret with a student's
convergence piece.

Janet's unequal 9-Patch with applique

More Patchwork dogs

Margaret's raffle quilt in aid of hall improvements: we all bought tickets.

Disappearing Nine Patch 06: more trangle variation possibilities

Here are just another couple of arrangements:

Disappearing Nine Patch 05; triangle method again

Using two rulers to cut into quarters exactly

The 9-Patch
(I used 5" squares)

Here is
another
set of
samples
in
clearer colours.

Cut apart and left in place

Place squares (7") on top with diagonal
 lines forming a diamond or
square on point

Sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn lines. Cut along the drawn lines and you get 8 sewn units

Two possible arrangements out of many

February block

A pretty block

I am n an online charity sewing bee where each month someone sets a block and we all send her one to be combined into a quilt. I mismeasured with my first set of abrics but started again.  It's a lovely block and I love trying something new that doesn't take too long once a month. It's my turn in October.

This one was wrongly cut

Disappearing Nine Patch 04: triangle variation

Nine Patch

Cut into quarters and left in place.

Sew 1/4" on either side of the drawn line

This photo shows sewn units cut along the drawn line to give two different quarter blocks.which can be arrange

My source for this is Nancy Brenan Daniel's "Slice 'em Dice 'em Quilts"  now out of print.
Start as before sewing  a nine patch and cutting it in half vertically and horizontally.I used 5" squares as this is an economical size. Don't turn the pieces but leave in place. Each quarter section measures 7" so I took four seven inch squares which could be all the same but I used two different fabrics. Draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the wrong sides and place on the quarter sections so the drawn lines form a diamond or square on point.. Sew on either side of the drawn line and cut apart on the line. Now you have eight "quarter" four with tiny triangles

and four with corner squares, enough for two 13" blocks.

They can be arranged like any HST or log cabin blocks and I show various possibilities but further arrangements combing the different elements are also possible. Once you have made several units you could go for a medallion arrangement.

Day Out

Surveying student handiwork

I.  spent the last week recovering from flu and watching loads of TV so yesterday it was good to get out to host a Quilters' Guild workshop which involved opening up the hall and providing tea coffee and cakes Judi Kirk was teaching machine sewn hexagons and the students produced some impressive work. It's always interesting to check out the different fabric choices. Meanwhile I set myself up in a side room with a couple of convection heaters and made samples for the U3A class on Monday, my first sewing machine session or over a week. It was good to get back.to it.

My set up

Basic Disappearing Nine Patch 3: some design strategies.

Basic style with just three colours.
This quilt has now been donated to Linus

Scrappy but similar corner and side squares with consistent centres. The cut apart ubits were the rearranged in an overall
layout before being sewn into blocks and rows..

Each nine patch had a different set of side squares to create a figure of eight pattern.
The centre square was the same as the corner squares

Here the corner squares were white and the side squares red giving a different emphasis to the pattern. I presseed the
nine patches towards the red squares and the black centres.

Castle Wall blocks with the sides having the same background colour as the cormer squares
making for a less defined pattern apart from the tone one one blue centre squares.

Castle Wall blocks with warm and cool  batiks placed consistently in the ninepatch corners and different cool batiks i each one, likewise different black centres.

Basic Disappearing Nine Patch Part 2

Having  split the ninepatch, turn diagonally opposite corners around to make a Patience Corner type block. If making  blocks for a quilt always turn the same corners.
If your 9-Patch had your feature fabric in the corners, turn the top right and bottom left cut units. Press towads the turned units and the join. If you are left handed turn the alternate sections instead.
Once sewn turn over to the back and undo the stitches in the seam allowance on each side of the long seam seam. Now you can press the seams all rotating in the same way making for a flat finish and ALL your blocks can be sewn together with nesting seams. The right handed block seams will rotate clockwise on the back anti-clockwise on the front. blocks made by left handers will be vice versa and this will be a more natural pressing direction for them.

Nice flat finish: this is a left handed one!

Becacase of the black thread you can clearly see the stitches in the seam allowance where the long seam crosses
which need to be taken out. This block is for right handers.