In the Meantime . . .

I've been working on my sunflower quilt, but I'd like to show another quilt I made with the One-Block Wonder technique. This one was my first trial of the method.

Peacock OBW 49" x 69"

This was made from a panel (like the sunflower). My blending needs a little work--I would like for the edges of the panel inside to blend seamlessly with the outer blocks. Some areas were well-blended, but you can see, in other places, the straight edge of the inner panel.

Peacock OBW (detail)

Peacock OBW (detail)

Peacock OBW (detail)

My friend did the quilting for me--such lovely work!

Peacock OBW (detail)

I used some of the border I trimmed from the original panels as an inner border and for the binding.

Peacock OBW (detail)

Peacock OBW (detail)

This is a fun technique to use--it is a joy to see how the triangles come together to create the kaleidoscope effect.

Happy Quilting! 😸

Support for Ukraine

In 2022, Bonnie Hunter did a quilt-along for Hearts of Hope, a quilt of support for the Ukrainian people. Blue and yellow are the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Bonnie Hunter's pattern can be purchased at her shop:

https://quiltville.com/shop.html#!/Solidarity-Digital-Pattern-Duo/p/471380517

I'm feeling the need to pull out my blue and yellow fabrics to show my continued support for Ukraine. I plan to make a One-Block Wonder panel quilt from this panel:

Sunflowers are key component of Ukraine's economy, and they are considered a national symbol for the country.

Quiltmaking is my art and is the way I best express myself. You may express yourself in a different way than I; crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidering, etc. can have the same effect. We may not be able to effect change on a global scale, but we can find small ways to help manage our feelings about the world around us. 

If you would like to do this, pull out your blue and yellow fabrics/yarns/threads/etc., use any pattern, and pour your love and support into your work. I'd love to see what you choose to create, and I'll be glad to share your efforts on this blog.

Little Tulips

 

Little Tulips (35" x 40")

I tried another Log Cabin pattern! 🌷🌷🌷

This pattern was from a book entitled Log Cabin Flower Quilts by Nancy Brenan Daniel (ISBN: 978-0881957426). I call it "Little Tulips" not because the tulips are especially small, but because I so rarely make small quilts that the size of this one is the first thing I notice when I look at it!

 

Little Tulips (detail)

 

The tulip blocks (set on point) are 8" finished. The flowers are made of thirties reproduction fabrics. I chose these because I wanted to use a gifted panel on the back, and that panel featured the same type of print.

Little Tulips (backing detail)

I wish I could have centered the panel a bit better on the back, but I had NO wiggle room! It was almost exactly the same size as the top; thus, I did what I could. I bound it in the same yellow I used as the flowers' centers.

It is tiny but colorful. It was fun to try another way of using a Log Cabin block--there will be more experiments in the future.

Happy Quilting! 😸

Donation Quilts

 I finished a new crop of quilts for donation.

Four Donation Quilts (3@ 60' x '72" and 1 @ 60" x 78")

 

I make these using 3.5" squares as Leaders and Enders. When I get a bunch (usually a couple of times each year), I put them together, and voila!--I have quilts that I sewed between the pieces of other projects.

Here are four I put together recently. As I assembled them, it was fun to see squares from scraps of fabric I used in other quilts in the past year. The squares are arranged randomly, and I used leftover binding pieces to make scrappy bindings. I apologize for the picture quality--I took them in dappled sunshine because that's what I had! 😎

This time, I had some fabrics given to me by friends or that I had in scrap boxes to put together for the backings. It was fun to combine these things into pieces large enough to back the quilts.

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

Donation Quilt (backing detail)

I had panels, pillow panels, borders, scrap fabric, cheater cloth, even a draught excluder panel from the UK (this was actually printed on the selvage--in the US, we sometimes call them door snakes). I love jigsaw puzzles, so I had fun deciding how to fit them together, and I think the unusual backings will be a nice surprise for the recipients.

 

I donate my quilts to Abilities First--an agency that assists individuals with developmental disabilities. You can find their website HERE.

A big thanks to the friends who gave me fabrics for backing these quilts. I tried to put them to good use.

Happy Quilting! 😸

Housedresses

I like to wear housedresses.

They are comfortable, cool, and if someone comes to the door (or I need to take out the trash!), they are modest and presentable. Don't get me wrong--if the house is cold in the winter, you will usually find me in sweatpants and a flannel shirt--but, since we heat our very small house with a large woodstove, my house is rarely cold!

Recently, I got an email about a bargain on a flat-fold bundle of quilter's calico from Marshall Dry Goods. At $1.95/yard, I decided the time had come to make some housedresses. 

Most of the pieces were about six yards in length, so I knew they would be adequate for the project. They are 100% cotton, which I wanted, and are fairly busy prints. Busy prints will show stains and mends less, and since I wear them for housework, yardwork, and cooking, this was a plus. They also remind me of the dresses my grandmother and great-grandmother wore. 😀

I used this pattern:

The design is loose and comfortable. It is an easy sewing project, and at less than $14.00 per dress, it was much less expensive than buying ready-made. I could also change the design to make it fit my own needs and wants.

I made the sleeves fuller and added more width to the skirt. I sewed in-seam pockets (reinforced so they can really be of use) rather than the outside patch pockets.

I love them! They are easy to wash and dry and are very comfortable to wear.

Apparently, I'm not the only person who enjoys wearing house dresses. There is a Facebook page for a small company called thisismyhousedress. Their designs look very much like mine.

You can learn about the history of the housedress at several different sites. This one has several pictures; this one has pictures of vintage sewing patterns; and this one has links to several different sites about the subject.

Happy Sewing! 😺

Log Cabin Finishes

I finally finished up my Log Cabin quilts. They are fun to make, and I have plans for more!

First, a very traditional brown/neutral one.

Brown Log Cabin 95" x 95"

Brown Log Cabin (center detail)

Brown Log Cabin (detail)

Brown Log Cabin (detail)

Brown Log Cabin (back and binding detail)

For this quilt I used 1.5" strips (finished at 1"). The center red square is a constant fabric which I also used as binding. The back is a brown paint stroke print with a center panel of fruit and foliage (you can just see it in the backing detail picture). I quilted it with straight lines.

The second is a curved Log Cabin in red and white.

Curved Log Cabin (67" x 88")

Curved Log Cabin (detail)

Curved Log Cabin (back and binding detail)

This one was made with 2.5" red (and white on red) strips and 1.5" white (and red on white) strips. The center is a constant, and I also used it for binding. The back is a red/white check. I started the light side of these blocks with plain white strips to make sure the contrast in the center was strong. Again, I quilted it with straight lines.

I enjoyed making both of these. The red (2.5") strips seemed very wide--I may adjust them a bit if I do another curved Log Cabin block. I really love the brown one--I think the colors turned out well.

I have another Log Cabin in progress. This one is in the Courthouse Steps variation, and it is VERY scrappy. I have plans for several more as well, so you will be seeing more Cabin construction from me!

Happy Quilting! 😸

 As I mentioned last time, in all my years of quilting, I've never made a Log Cabin quilt before.

I went very traditional with color and layout, and I am basting it for quilting today. This picture only shows a part of it--it is 96" x 96"!

 

I'll post a better picture when it is completed.

Happy Quilting! 😺