Every Last Piece - Off the Chart

Off the Chart is another quilt from my book, Every Last Piece.

This design was inspired by colorwork knitting charts. I love this design idea because there are so many different ways to interpret it. Here, the different size circles represent different colors of yarn that would be used when knitting from the chart.

The the pattern is made of three kinds of blocks; blank, small circles, and large circles.

The scraps used in this quilt are all "light" fabrics. The background is a rich teal print from Carolyn Friedlander's botanics line.

It is quilted in a design that mimics the look of the knit stitch at a size equal to the applique "stitches".

Finished Size 58'' by 81''. 

In addition to being published in the book, this quilt was in the QuiltCon 2015 show.

The pattern and directions for Off the Chart can be found in chapter three of my book.

You can purchase an autographed copy of the Every Last Piece from me here.

Wordless Wednesday

Barn Quilt

I've been wanting to share this quilt with you but I needed some helpers to hold it for photographing. D was eager to help as long as he got to climb out on the roof of the barn. Hm. This is a BIG quilt.

I made this king size quilt for B's parents back in 1999.  B's dad had told me that he always wanted a handmade quilt on his bed but had never had one. I let him look through some of my quilt books and he chose this Dahlia pattern, Dahlia Delight, from Quick and Easy Scrap Quilts by Leisure Arts.

The hand applique blocks made a nice travel project.

I hand quilted this one on a big frame in our living room and had a couple of friends who came over to helped quilt it. The boys also each put in a few stitches. They weren't very old then!

It is nice to have this one at our house now. M has been sleeping under it while he's been home for Thanksgiving break. It has a flannel sheet for the batting and is quite warm.

Three Kitchen Fairies

We have had some lovely weather this week in Michigan. I've been taking advantage of the cooler drier air by spending time outside reading and even doing a little hand stitching. It's been like a vacation without the hassle of packing and driving.

Paloma, of Three Kitchen Fairies, sent me some of her hexie papers to try and I finally got around to making a project with them. These are one inch on each side. The paper is thinner than the papers I had been using and I love that you can get a thin crisp turned edge with these papers. They are also easier to pop out after stitching. The papers in the photo have been used and are in great condition for using again. If you want to try them yourself you can get the papers here in Paloma's etsy shop. She also has some sweet instant download embroidery patterns. I especially like this one.

A few scraps, aurifil 50 wt thread, and hexie papers are the perfect ingredients for relaxing afternoon and a pretty transformation for a tea towel.

Now, I think I need to get some more of these bright tea towels to decorate.

Medallion!

Last week I attended Gwen Marston's 2012 quilt retreat. The theme this year was medallion quilts. I love the look of medallion quilts but I was a bit intimidated by making my own. It is not a style that I'm very comfortable working in.I was floored by the number of medallion quilts that Gwen had to show in her presentation, given that the quilts in her book, Liberated Medallion Quilts, are currently in a traveling show.  She shared many different styles and fabric palettes. She is an amazing quilter and I am grateful that I have been able to attend her retreats.

When packing, I went through my pile of unfinished projects looking for something that I could use for the center of the quilt. I found several applique pieces that I had done about 10-15 years ago. Not knowing really what I was going to do or what might inspire me when I saw Gwen's presentation, I chose three applique pieces and fabrics to go with each of them.

In the end, this purple batik block was the one I worked with while at the retreat. The center applique design was from Elly Sienkiewicz's Baltimore Beauties and Beyond: Studies in Classic Album Quilt Applique, Vol. 1.

I started with the applique and thinking that saw teeth look good on pretty much anything, I added those first. Then I made the star blocks. The size of the finished star blocks dictated the size of the greenish border that came between the saw teeth and the stars. A narrow purple border with green corner stones came next.

At this stage, I decided to set it on point - which doubled the area of the quilt. I added strips of half square triangles and then let the large scale of the the fabric do the work in the rest of the corner. The last round in the medallion is border of the same purple fabric used earlier. I love the way it made the little green corner squares appear to float.

I am thrilled with the results of the medallion building workshop. Maybe some day I'll make medallion quilts from those other long forgotten applique pieces. I am inspired to try different techniques and border styles. As always after retreat, my head is spinning with ideas.It was lovely to spend a few days relaxing and sewing at the retreat.

White Birch Lodge, Elk Rapids, MI.

Wordless Wednesday

The Flower Pot Quilt

Last night I finished a quilt that I started many years ago. I don't know exactly when I started it but I do know that I only had two children then.

I started this in an applique workshop with Gwen Marston.  The flowers were cut directly from folded fabric without a pattern.

I have always wanted to try a sawtooth border and finally did it on this quilt.

I really like how that bit turned out.

The quilt is all hand applique and hand quilted. The center portion is quilted with a cross hatch design and the border has a miniature version of the bishop's fan.

It is a happy looking quilt.

The quilt measures 39.5 inches wide by 44 inches high.

Applique!

I finished the February blocks for the Bee FF group. Tia wanted applique.

For this block I started with a ring of bias. I cut a one inch wide bias cut strip, folded it in thirds and basted through all three layers. Then I basted that to the background fabric using a plate as a guide.

I added a bird over the join of the bias and a couple of leaves and flowers. I wanted a sort of minimal look but it still needed something else so I added an embroidered vine.

Here's the other block.

I do love hand applique.