Fractured

Blue and red barn

Here's the finished quilt, Fractured, from the previous post. The blocks are string pieced 5'' finished squares.

The "liberated" straight lines in the blocks were achieved by making straight line spirals over four blocks at a time.

I've made a few other quilts from Oakshott cottons and I am smitten.

I've saved all the scraps and will be doing some tiny piecing with the leftovers. The fabric is thin enough that I think it will behave really well in tiny piecing. 

This quilt uses the Lakes collection, the Ruby Reds collection and the two greys in the Scandinavian collection.

The back of the quilt is also Oakshott; I love it so much that I now want to make a whole cloth quilt with it, or maybe a simple Welsh Bars quilt. I want to hand quilt it and lose myself in the glow of the fabric. I want the quilting and the iridescence of the fabric to take center stage. 

I really do wish you could see it in person. 

Finished size 51'' x 51''.

Liberated Log Cabin Blues

I have been plugging along on my projects here between our family summer activities. This binding on this little quilt is almost finished and I've started quilting the liberated log cabin that I made a couple of weeks ago. I'm approaching the quilting in an improvisational manner making it up as I go. The quilting on both of these little quilts has been done while my husband reads chapters of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to us. It has been heavenly. My boys were just the right age when the books first came out and had to wait for each book until it was released. We read each of them as a family one chapter a day and savored that time. I thought we were teaching some good life lessons there. You only get to read them for the first time once. Two years ago we started the series with miss P. one book each summer starting on Harry's birthday. It is a slow pace for some but just right for us and faster than the boys made it through them. I think enough time may have passed that it isn't on everyone's mind and so far she hasn't heard spoilers from her friends. So far so good.

Yesterday I was a bit under the weather and spent the afternoon on our back porch couch with this quilt. I love the quilt but being feverish I really wanted to snuggle under it and thought it needed to be about eight inches longer. So, today, I started another log cabin that I hope will end up a little bigger than the postage stamp quilt I used yesterday.

I'm working with my blue scraps with a touch of gold. I like it so far but dang, these pieces are big! I'm hoping for a quickish finish so I'm pushing through. 

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.

Heirloom Coverlet

I love old quilts and especially love this coverlet my grandmother gave me when I was in high school.It was started by her mother and lacked several blocks from being complete. She shared it with me and asked if I would like her to finish it for me.Of course I wanted her to finish it for me!It's a simple block but just look at those fabrics!I love this old searsucker print, isn't it interesting?Can you tell which blocks my grandmother added?Those 1970s fabrics have quite a different look.

Scrap Management

As soon as P started back to school, it seems that my brain had some space for sewing ideas. This week I designed a bunch of quilts and started cutting up scraps. I cut a whole stack of triangles for half square triangle units that would finish at one inch. When I started sewing them I realized how small that actually was. Hmmm. I put that project in a bag and scaled up my plan. I cut an even LARGER stack of triangles that will finish at one and a quarter inches. Yeah, because that's SO much bigger.Fun times, I tell you. I may be finished with the summer blahs and be moving into full fall sewing madness!It's a good thing I have have at least FIVE quilts started and on my project table right now. I'll be able to alternate between them. When I get the crazies from tiny triangles, I can switch to tiny squares!!! Bwahahahahahahaha!!!

Lucky Girl Progress

I'm almost finished with my next Lucky Girl quilt forJennifer. I just completed the quilting and took it off the frame. I hope to get the binding on and share it with you soon.For now, I'll share my progress successes with you.Check it out!! I can stitch in the ditch now! I love learning new skills. I still need some practice on curves but look at that straight stitching there. I'm pretty thrilled with it.And look how close I was to running out of thread on the last prewound bobbin.I am a LUCKY GIRL; the stars must be aligned in my favor this week!

Welcome to a New Member of the My Sewing Machine Family

Look! I have a new friend in the sewing room. It's a Gammill!!!!The lovely Tammy from TK Quilting and Designs brought it to my house yesterday. After putting it together she taught me the basics on loading, oiling, threading and getting started with the quilting. She even stitched out a few feathers for me to stitch over, and over, and over.  I'm stitching it without thread for practice. It really does help build the muscle memory for making smooth curves and flowing feathers.We had fun taking turns last night. Look, it's so easy a child can do it! Actually, Miss P was pretty good. She stitched out an awesome swirly border and a mermaid!D tried the pantograph set up.We filled up our practice quilt but didn't want to stop to load more fabric so we just kept stitching.I want to quilt all the things!I think it might be time to load something new. I'll have to make a quick top... unless someone else has a quilt I can play on. Anyone?

Butterfly Basting

I made enough progress on some other projects that I decided to pull out an old WIP. It is pressed and ready for pin basting.I am eager to have this quilt on my bed! It is so bright and colorful, AND it will actually be big enough to cover the sides of our super thick mattress.I plan to quilt in in a pretty brown/tan thread with something that looks breezy. I'm not sure what that is yet, though.Do you have any thoughts on breezy looking quilting designs?Previous posts on this project:Spring Butterflies - Miss P paired the fabrics for the blocksColor Play - arranging the blocksMore Color Play - a different lookButterfly Migration - the quilt that inspired this one.

Confessions of a Free Motion Quilter

I am a sucker for upbeat music and choreographed dance moves. There, I said it. I love a good classic movie musical.I am on a musical movie kick this week and it has really gotten me out of my recent mental paralysis. I had too many ideas and couldn't make progress on any of them. While watching musicals I have quilted the Paris quilt and am getting going on a couple of other projects. I love when that happens. I'm just glad that no one is here to see me wearing a pair of big dj headphones while singing along and sewing. Fun times.Yesterday I watched Grease; it had been years since I had seen that one. Today- High School Musical. I had never seen that one before. I liked it.I'll be requesting some more classic musicals from the library. I'm sure there are a bunch I haven't seen. Do you have a favorite musical that I can add to my list?Do you have a secret to help you get in the creative groove? I'd love to hear about it. 

International Quilt Market in Kansas City

Whew. I'm home from my trip to Quilt Market in Kansas City with Brenda, Anna, and Debbie. It was exhausting but lots of fun. I learned a lot and have many ideas in my head that I need to process and write out before I forget. Right now things are swimming around in my head in a blur.We took classes, attended school house presentations, experienced the madness that is sample spree, went to the  Moda customer appreciation dinner, visited ALL of the booths, and went to the Modern Quilt guild meet up. (line for sample spree - This is the front of the line. We were in the way back where you can hardly see. The line went on and on after us too. Crazy.(Alex at the aurifil table. A table piled high with Aurifil. Heaven.)I loved meeting lots of people I know from the web. The Fat Quarterly team was just as fun in person as I had expected. Here Brenda and I are with Katy and Tacha.And here's Tia. I wish Tia were my neighbor. I think we would have lots of fun sewing together. It was a great few days - everyone was really nice and I learned tons. I hope I can go again! Next time I'll have to take an extra suitcase for the return trip. I brought home twice the amount of what I took on this trip. Crazy.

Meet Nancy

I'd like you to meet Nancy. (named by M)D helped me with the photo shoot yesterday while M was fixing dinner. Since M will be living in an apartment next year he wants to learn how to make his favorite meals. One of his summer projects will be to copy the recipies and practice making them. I also told him that if he helps in the garden and with canning that he can take some of our yeild to stock his pantry next year. Yay for tall people being home. I can get double help!!I just can't say enough how much I love scrap quilts. Really. They make my heart sing.So many memories stitched into this quilt. In the photo above I see a bit of P's backpack, and some pink pajama fabric, bug fabric that I used for a baby sunhat for D....I also LOVE the backing fabric. That is such a pretty color of brown with the pink flowers. I also love the way it looks with the green. It has a sort of electrical "does it really go?" vibe going on.I've had some questions about the quilting on this so I'll tell you how I approached that.1. I stitched in the ditch on all of the vertical block seams.2. I stitched in the ditch on all of the horizontal lines.3. I stitched in the ditch on the diagonal half square triangle lines.4. I stitched a serpentine line across the diagonals in the string pieced areas.5. I stitched the feathers in diagonal passes in the green triangles.I used aurifil 50 wt. for the green feathers, ditch stitching, and all of the bobbin thread. I used a vareigated King Tut thread in the string pieced areas.Nancy is 64.5 inches by 87.5 inches.Here are other posts about the making of Nancy:quiltingchartreuse as a neutralauditioning fabrics for the groundhalf square triangles

Pinwheels and Strings

Last night I finished hand stitching the binding on this Pinwheels and Strings quilt.This scraptastic quilt is heavily quilted and finished with a half inch binding.I have started putting more quilting on quilts that will be used and washed. My early quilts didn't have nearly as much quilting on them and I have found that with wear and washing some of the quilting threads have broken. More quilting means that there is less stress on any single quilting thread.Also, I like the half inch binding better for wear too. After quilting I trim the batting and backing to 1/4 inch bigger than the top. That way I can avoid clipping any of the quilting threads and they will not be able to slip out from under the binding seam.  Straight quilting lines will have an extra quarter inch of stitching to help keep it from pulling out.The finished quilt measures 83.5 x 60 inches.And I think I can still pull a few more scraptacular quilts from the scrap bin!

Big Spool

This time I ordered a BIG spool.My thread order arrived.  I'm off to finish quilting a quilt.

Sewing

Here's a quick update from our sewing room.The string pinwheel quilt is about half quilted.I have also been helping P with a secret project.What have you been working on?

Productive Weekend

I went on a little sewing retreat with the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild this weekend. I had a lot of fun and was very productive.I made 50 tiny stars,and finished the Crazy Love top for Jennifer Paganelli. Thank you, Rossie, for suggesting the diagonal bands of color. The color bands help calm the chaos that was happening with all of these lively prints together.P is back at school today so I want to keep the productivity going. I'm off to the cutting table! 

Star Crossed

As I have been making more tiny two inch star blocks I've been thinking about my "Twinkling Stars" quilt that I started LAST September. The stars in that quilt are three inch liberated stars.Last February I quilted the main section of the quilt leaving a wide nine inch border unquilted. At the time I thought it needed a big feathered vine in it and was intimidated by the idea.I have gotten the quilt out many times and thought about what I could quilt in there. I tried plain cross hatching, and seriously considered a closely stitched bishop's fan.Still, I think it needs a big feathered vine.So, I've told myself that this needs to be the next quilt I finish. You heard me so now the pressure is on. I need to mark it and get to quilting.Really, what have I been waiting for? When I finish I can snuggle up under THIS!Here's hoping I can get it done. 

Tealorange

I had more fun mail this week! In addition to a box from Godiva Chocolates on my porch I got a package from Sarah containing these blocks.Aren't they great?I am eager to get working on these orange and teal stars. I am still awaiting a few more blocks but I hear they are in the mail! Wooo Hoo.We have pies in the oven and a turkey in the fridge. Have a great day tomorrow.

Quilted

I am grateful that I have created a job that I love, that I can set my own hours and work at home or even sometimes when I am out and about. 

37 Sketches

I'm back from my retreat up north with Gwen Marston. This year we used Gwen's 37 Sketches as inspiration for our liberated projects.Gwen's self published book, 37 Sketches is beautiful and inspirational.  Each quilt has a full page photo and a short description of the inspiration or idea for it. The text is like poetry. There are no how to's in this book just the 37 sketches. It is an elegant little book that is great for studying liberated piecing and inspiring you to try your own small sketches. Working on a small scale is a great way to try new techniques and work with different colors or fabrics. Since the book is self published there are a limited number and are only available directly from Gwen.Back to the retreat recap...Gwen had her little works of art displayed so that we could study them up close.I made these at the retreat:Sketch 1:10 x 13 inchesSketch 2:8 x 10 inchesThese little quilts were fun to do and they are even finished!!I then got side tracked by another project inspired by a quilt someone brought for show and tell.I have a weakness for little stars.These stars will finish at two inches. They are smaller and not liberated like the ones I did last year.I have no idea how I will set these. They may be a quilt of their own in a nine patch setting or maybe a border for a medallion style quilt. Right now I'm just having fun making them.Quilt retreat is very "grounding" for me. All of the ladies who come every year really make it special and help me put things in perspective.  I love coming home and feeling like I have a focus and direction.  Thanks ladies, it was a great week.

On the Grid

I've been doing a little quilting on the Lady of the Lake- stitch in the ditch.