Giveaway Winner and April Block of the Month

Yaaay! Using the Random Number Generator at Random.org I've picked the winner for the free Julie Herman pattern giveaway! First here's the (lucky or unlucky, however you look at it) number:

And counting down 13 on my blog comments, I come to Jennifer! She blogs over at Hoodies and Flipflops
if you wanted to go say hi. Congrats, Jennifer! If you'll send me your address, I'll pass it on to get the pattern to you.

I've also been working on the block of the month for my quilt guild. It's all online, if any of you wanted to follow along, or even if you just want to try a block or two. Not quite as . . . vivid . . . as it appears in this picture, let me introduce Block two of the Sweet Sixteen series:

And a graphic for what it looked like when I drew it up in EQ. Here's the website page with the instructions and fabric cutting directions for the April 2011 block of the month. Enjoy! And if you decide to try this block, I'd love to see a picture of the finished project.

Scrap Squad Teaser and Block of the Month

Still can't show you the Quiltmaker magazine pattern I'm working on, but just to tease you, here's some MORE of the fabrics I'm using.

These past two nights, I've also been working on the website for my guild. I put up a block almost every month, and the next series of blocks is starting TODAY. Here's block one. First the EQ drawing of what I designed:

And then here's the actual block, made out of fabric:

If you want to play around with us, it's all free, online at the Uncommon Threads guild website, just scroll down to see the block of the month links. The January page has some sample layouts and color options, and the March page starts you with cutting directions and instructions on the first block. Wouldn't you like to join us?

Scrap Squad, Snow, and BOM

As I mentioned at the end of the last post, I've been selected as one of Quiltmaker Magazine's Scrap Squad. It's nice to make a little money with my quilting and not have to sell the quilt! We can't reveal the quilt designs we're given to make until after the issue of the magazine comes out, but we CAN give you a sneak preview teaser. Here's Toby to present it:

Toby agrees with keeping things quiet. Or maybe he just wants ME to be quiet so he can sleep on the nice, freshly ironed block segments. I'm doing this first quilt for Scrap Squad with leftover flannel bits from my Christmas flannel rag quilts, with the addition of some blue FQ's I won at a retreat auction.

And we had SNOW! In Memphis, that's amazing. Can you see the glowing red stop sign? It was pretty falling, but I'm glad it's all melted now:

The 3 inches we got were more than I wanted to drive to work through the next morning. But did the library close? No. It made for some slick and slushy travelling.

And speaking of travelling, my quilt-guild friend is touring Turkey this winter with her husband, and they're posting some fantastic pictures and a little Turkish history on the blog. Such vibrant blue skies! Such intricate tile work on the ceilings, floors, walls. For some real quilt inspiration, check this out:

Jeanie Goes Cold Turkey

I also finally got the new block of the month up for my quilt guild. We're doing twelve 16 inch blocks, and they'll all be tied together with a diagonal line of ... well, go see. Here's the address for the 2011 Sweet Sixteen Intro.

It's not just for my guild members, so feel free to join us if you want. :) Really, don't you have enough fabric where you could join something like this and not have to buy a thing? I sure do.

The work part for me was not drawing the quilt in EQ, or designing twelve blocks, but in taking last year's block of the month selection off of the website index page, making teeny thumbnails of the pix, and re-linking all the pages from within the BOM archives section. So I'll leave you with a couple of nail clippings from last year:

Inside Medallion

I was trying to tie it all together for a spring theme, and I think that'll do. ;)


I did the grass and stems using liberated quilting, Tonya Style, just like the letters and wonky houses I've made using her technique. I sewed green triangles to white triangles, then cut the resulting rectangles into wonky wedges. Then I sewed those wedges together, trying not to put any two blades of similar height grass close to each other, and alternating pale green with medium green. I trimmed the bottom and top flat and parallel, then machine appliqued the pinwheels onto the stems.

I ended up removing some of the background fabric on the pinwheels because the bottom fabric was white, and made the pinwheels look as if they were floating above the stems, not the effect I wanted. I also wanted them far enough away from the star blocks where they didn't touch.

This is currently 24 x 24, a nice small size for a wall hanging. Should I border it or leave it borderless? I have enough of the white background left where I could put a 1 inch white border on, then maybe bind it in scrappy strips?

Design debates

Here's my latest block of the month arrangement:



I'm not sure how I wlll put these three little pinwheels in the center yet. I could cut a 12½ square of background fabric and turn the edges under and applique them down, adding stems and some spikey leaves at the base... or I could cut some background triangles for the upper right and left corners, and try to piece them in, separating the pinwheels with little one-inch strips. Then I'd piece some blades for the bottom... I can't decide. Any advice?

3 inch Pinwheels

There's the link for the pdf pattern to paper piece the little pinwheels,if anyone wants any three inch blocks - wouldn't they make cute ornaments if you did them in green or red?

Finally a Post

*blushing* Yes, I've been a bad blogger.

But only because I've been so busy! They've been sending me lots of books to copyedit lately, and I love the extra money. I used some of it to buy myself an AccuQuilt Go! cutter. I've been cutting bunches (over 200) rag quilt squares, and this weekend I'll start sewing some of them together. For those of you who don't quilt, here's what it looks like:
One of the things I've been busy with is keeping up with the block of the month for my guild. Since I'm the coordinator, I don't have much choice! I have to stay a month ahead of everyone else, so I can get take pictures, write directions, get the web page made. Here's the ten months we've done so far:


People will have the option of doing these in both 12 inch and 6 inch sizes, there's instructions for both, and in whatever colorway they choose. Visit my guild's website if you want to see some of the instructions for the blocks:

Uncommon Threads Quilt Guild

I also just had to try the Arrowhead block in the last issue of Quiltmaker - I wanted to play with it in only two colors, instead of scrappy. It's an exceptionally easy block to make, and makes a graphic statement in only two colors. Here's the first four blocks:


But will it be TOO graphic in only red/white? So many options. I could do some more blocks in green/white and make it in Christmas colors. I could do some in pink/white and do a Valentine's quilt. OR I could make some in blue/white and make a patriotic version. Opinions?

And finally, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this month.

By beoming a participant, I'm pledging to write 50,000 words in November. We can do any subject we choose, any genre. Some of the novels written during National Novel Writing Month have gone on to become best sellers . . . not that I expect my first attempt to do that! So far, I'm keeping up, and even have my word count ahead of the minimum daily amount. Wish me luck!

Blocks of the Month and Yarn balls

You wouldn't guess it from all my garden posts, but I HAVE still been quilting. You can get a lot of quilting and web page making done while you're waiting (and waiting) for a plumber to call you back... and waiting (and waiting) for a plumber to arrive ... lol

But finally, I have a new not-leaking hot water heater, and dishes and clothes are being washed, etc. Catching up, here's the web page and the six inch star block I did for April:


The web page for May is almost finished, way early, for once. I won't officially put it up until May 1. Here's a sneak preview of the block, though, a six inch Maverick Star:


I've also been finishing up the Cats and Pinwheels quilt, by adding the yarn balls on the two long border edges. I don't really get into applique, even machine applique, so I'd been procrastinating on this, even though I really thought it'd add to the design of the quilt. Here's the left side:


And a slightly different one. I know it would have been easier to use a solid piece of bias tape for the string, but when I laid it out that way, it didn't look like it connected to the ball, it was TOO solid. So I tried a solid ball, and that just looked wrong next to all the scrappiness of the quilt blocks. I went back to the patched ball, and made a patched string, and I think it'll do. Here's the right side border:

Block of the Month for 2010

Been working on several things, but I'm such a bad blogger! Here's the block of the month I'm doing for my guild, for 2010:

Start Page

It's going to be stars, this year, a different star for each month. People can choose between 6 inch or 12 inch stars, and do whatever theme they want. I've put several suggestions/hints for theme ideas on that Start Page, some suggesting they make their own design for a medallion center, and one at the end for just a sampler quilt. It's pretty neat, seeing all the different colors being used to make the blocks.

Here's an Ohio Star, for January:


And the Strip Star, for February:


And a preview of the block I'll have up in March, the Rising Star:



My web page for the Rising star isn't up on the website yet, I usually put them up around the first of each month. ;)

Personally, I'm going to do six inch stars in a pastel scrappy theme, for Spring. I'll arrange these around a white medallion center, tall and skinny like the Easter one on the Start Page link. I think I'll put a tulip or daffodil in the middle instead of the bunny shown there.

And here's one of each in brown and green and cream, of each star - in the 12 inch size:


The Ohio Star (sorry the view is wonky here - the block is straight, I promise!)


The Strip Star - I paper pieced this one too.


And the Rising Star. I paper pieced the inner and middle star, but not the outer star points.

I'm going to give people the option of using a solid 3½ square instead of the teeny little star in the middle there, I know a lot of folks don't like paper piecing fiddly bits. :)

These will be added to my kingsize 'Neverending Sampler' that I've been working on for *blushes* about 25 years. As I've gotten better at quilting, I look back at some of the early blocks and think... ewww! I can't use that!

March Update

First, the block of the month row quilt addition for April, 2009:


I'm alternating colors each star, some will have green centers, some brown.


All the stars will be the same off white muslin. Here's the link to the directions I made for my guild (and anyone else that wants to follow along.)

April's Row

I'm also working on a Heartstrings style quilt, but trying to use up all my strings and strips that are too short. Can you tell this will eventually be a tumbling blocks style quilt? Making that one side of the square from strips allows me to avoid the Y seams that are the bane of tumbling blocks. :)


I have plenty of the navy blue and plenty of the small sprigged white, for my solid diamonds, and of course I'll never run out of strings. I'm paper piecing the string triangles. This one will probably grow to be wheelchair lap sized, for donation.

It might be interesting to try this with all strips, divide them into three piles, strings mostly white, strings very dark, and strings in mediums. Of course, it'd also look neat in batiks too!

And finally, Spring has sprung in Tennessee, here's the daffodils around my mailbox - it's an especially thick clump of them. I hope I remember to separate them before next year.

Row Quilt

Well, instead of block of the month swaps for my guild this year, I've decided to try a doing a row quilt with them instead. Everyone will get to keep their own blocks, and I'll be putting up different blocks and rows each month. They can choose from three widths, 36, 60, or 72, and they can choose their own colors/themes too, Quilt Pink, Quilt of Valor, baby quilt, holiday quilt, or one to fit with their house decor.

First, I played in EQ and drew a few row quilts in different color combos, with blocks I liked. If any of you has any ideas for blocks that work good in a row quilt, I'm still open to suggestions, I'm going to pick each row as I go.

Here's one in Red, White, and Blue:


And then one in baby colors, mostly Pink and Blue:


And one with a black background, for people whose favorite quilt word is 'pop' and who enjoy brights:


I picked a really easy spacer row for the first month, January... to sucker them in, sorta. Simple quarter-square triangles, and they could choose whatever layout they wanted:



Then I chose the basket row for February. I'd appreciate feedback on the web page if you have a chance to go look - that one got a little complicated - do you understand all the steps? Did it get too wordy? Here's my finished baskets:

Jewel Box Continued

Yes, I am still quilting - just working on this same jewel box quilt means all my photos would look the same if I posted about it. A king size seems to go on and on and on and on. Here's some of tonight's blocks and rows, which look like yesterday's blocks and rows:


Yes, I am getting tired of making little 16 patch blocks. :)

And here's my tip for keeping a quilt all straight in your head as to what block goes where, if you're doing a big quilt with a lot of different blocks. I found magnet clips (supposed to attach to the fridge, I guess) that also stick to my sewing lamp. I made a screen shot of the quilt top from eq6... but pasted it in word and enlarged it till I could only see half of the quilt. Now I move that white card up or down, depending on what row I'm working on, and voila, no more getting lost as to if I'm making a block with 2 blue squares or 4 or 8.


I'm making it scrappy. That's what's taking me so long, it's a very anal scrappy where no fabric is repeated in the blocks immediately to the right, below, left or above the one I'm making... lol. Pitiful, aren't I?

Finally, here's the September block of the month for the quilt guild. We did this one as a part of a presentation on EQ6 for the guild's program - showed all the members how you could design a block, color it with different fabrics, print it in different sizes, or as templates or paper piecing patterns... I was surprised at how many said they have the program but never design a quilt with it.


The web BOM page for it is HERE with instructions AND along with a free EQ6 file for the block for anyone that wants it. Your reward for reading to the bottom of this post. :)

New Block of the Month and Jewel Box

Well, my taxes are done, and isn't THAT a relief. I always procrastinate, but always get it done in time or slightly early. It's never as bad as I think it's going to be, so maybe next year, I'll do it sooner. :)

I also got the block of the month page for my guild done, April 2008 , and here's mine, done in fabric:


Does anyone know the name of the block? It's similar to the depression block, but the center's made out of squares, and it's not 'hollow' like the depression block. I've just been calling it 'diamond in diamond' for the way it looks when there's several of the blocks set edge to edge, like I show in the layout on the webpage.

And in other news, I've still been working on my king size jewel box quilt - I chose the center layout from the three designs I was playing with on eq. I've finally finished the almost 400 half square triangles I needed, now I'm making hundreds of 4-patch blocks, some strips are a color sewn to white, and some are a color sewn to blue:


I've got more strip sets to sew, more to cut, there on the top, and baggies full of these two-patch combinations waiting to be sewn into 4 patches. Finally did the math on how many of what I'd need for this quilt:


I haven't even started counting the 4 patches yet, but I'm nowhere near the 360 white ones I need. :) Back to work!

BOM and Pink Twist Borders

First, a couple of Halloween blocks, made for my guild's block of the month. Instructions on my guild's webpage if you're interested, either in sharing it with your guild or making some yourself! It's just a simple square in a square, but I've found out that people are much more likely to do a fast, easy block for block of the month. We draw names, and one person gets to take all of them home.

http://www.ucquilts.com/bomsept2007.htm



And here's the progress of the pink strip twist quilt, hanging up in my kitchen doorway. I've added a 1½ inch wide deep mauve border, then the strip of diamonds.



The diamond strips were a pain, they're easy to make, but so much harder to fudge the size of them to get the border to fit and end up in the same place on the corners than I thought. I had to take up some of the diagonals (and I did, losing points too) so perpendicular seams would have been easier!

Sorry you're not seeing all of the quilt, I really DO have all 4 diamond borders on. Hanging this in the kitchen doorway made the Siamese curious, and they kept ducking under it to see who and what was on the other side, so I had to crop out a kitty butt!

Next, I plan to put on 4 border strips like this one you see on the left, below, but I think I need another skinny border (that reads as a solid) to set it off first, don't you? And then maybe a final dark border, or at least a dark binding.



I have a yard of medium pink, and a yard of medium lavender, and 2 yards of the deep mauve, enough to put a skinny border on, and a final border on, OR bind it in the deep mauve, but probably not all three. Any suggestions? What would you do?