Finally--Some Photos!

I am bad about putting off the photography of my quilts--and a blog post without pictures is a bit boring. I finally got some taken today--yay me!

Here is my version of Frolic--the Bonnie Hunter Mystery.

Frolic 88" x 88"

Frolic (detail)--I wanted to add Kermit the Frog because of a funny segment on Sesame Street that ended, "Everybody Frolic!"

Frolic (detail)--What's a busy scrap quilt without a Waldo to Find?

Frolic (border and backing detail)--Excuse the chalk lines; they will wash out.

Frolic (detail)--Cats, elephants, funny faces, and the Eiffel Tower

Frolic (detail)--Mary Poppins, more funny faces, and gooseneck desk lamps--there is a fabric for everything!

Next is a quilt made from some scraps from a friend. It is a Churn Dash/Greek Cross combination. I did this combo before (though not on-point)--you can see it HERE.

Dash/Cross 80" x 80"

Dash/Cross (border and binding detail)

Dash/Cross (block detail)

Finally, I have a couple of random pictures. First, some petunias.

These are red and yellow-gold, a combination I hadn't seen before. The yellow/gold shows up best when it is cloudy; the sun seems to change it to a whiter shade.

Second, a puzzle I finally finished--1000 pieces, and the words are tiny!

I've got several more quilts in progress; I'll share them when finished. Happy quilting!

Jekyll and Hyde

This quilt can't decide who it is--calm, sedate Dr. Jekyll (churn dash blocks) or wild, crazy Mr. Hyde (string blocks). 

Jekyll and Hyde 64" x 86"

Jekyll and Hyde (detail)

Jekyll and Hyde (detail)

Jekyll and Hyde (pieced backing)

 


Quilting it was also a Jekyll and Hyde experience--smooth, problem-free quilting, until I would run into a fabric that shredded my thread! As befits the name, I'm of two minds about it--I can't decide if I like it or not!

I'm linking with Fiber Tuesday 70 at The Quilting Room with Mel and Jo's Country Junction UFO Challenge.

Dashing

The layout for this quilt was inspired by Bonnie Hunter's "Random Ohio Stars." When I was making that quilt, I loved the layout and thought it would work well with other blocks. The chosen block would need to be easily done in two sizes (one half the size of the other), and it would need to rely heavily on contrast for effect. Churn Dash was my first choice.


Here is my "Dashing" experiment.

Dashing--75' x 88"

Two borders--a blue and a floral

A few more blocks--there is a bend in the quilt; I promise the blocks aren't wonky!

Tye-dye type backing

The backing leads me to a lesson I learned from this quilt--never assume WoF! The tye-dye was much narrower than I expected, and at the last minute, I had to add a strip to the bottom to make it long enough. Whew!



I'd like to try this with other blocks--there is something about this asymmetrical layout that really appeals to me.



I'm linking with Jo's Country Junction UFO Challenge and  Fiber Tuesday 66 at The Quilting Room with Mel.

But They Are So Cute!

I have two quilts that need the binding hand stitched. I have two quilts that need layering and basting to be quilted. I'm working on a mystery quilt project. So what am I doing today?



Making Churn Dash blocks!

Just playing with scraps today.

  

Churn Dash and Greek Cross Blocks

I just finished a quilt using two very traditional blocks; the Churn Dash and the Greek Cross:

The two blocks, though they look quite different, complement each other well. One of the reasons for this may be because they are the very same block!



To make this block in the size I did, you will need two 5" squares in a light print, and two 5" squares in a dark print for the half square triangles (HSTs) [If you make them as I did here]:  Half Square Triangles

You will need one 2.5" x 18" strip (a little longer than 18"to be on the safe side) of the darker fabric and the same of the lighter fabric.

Your center will be a 4.5" square.




Make 4 HSTs with the 5" squares.

Sew your 18" strips together along the long side. Press the seam toward the darker fabric, then subcut your strip into 4.5" pieces.

Cut your 4.5" square.

Here are the components of your block:

Because of the way I stacked these, it is hard to see that the center group of squares are made up of two rectangles. Look at the picture below to see them more clearly.

The color placement of these components will determine whether you are making a Churn Dash block or a Greek Cross block.

The Churn Dash:

The Greek Cross:

Note that the the only difference between these two blocks is the color placement of the HSTs.



Sew your squares together in rows: top, middle, bottom. A bit hard to see, but press your top and bottom row seams towards the center block and your center row seams away from the center, so your seams will nest and will meet neatly when you sew the rows together into your block.

Sew the rows together to make a nine patch block.



Here are the two blocks side by side: the red/cream is the Churn Dash and the blue/cream is the Greek Cross.

Two blocks that look very different, but they are made of exactly the same components!