At Home

I finished piecing the "background" for my applique block and here is the completed flimsy.  Mr. Main Street obliged by holding it up for photography.

Lynn Wilder, who designed the pattern I used for the applique block, likes to use what she calls a "flange" to set off blocks.  A flange is a narrow strip of fabric inserted into the seam so just about an 1/8" shows, something like piping but flat.  I used the raisin colored ticking stripe for the flange around the applique block.

For the pieced blocks around the applique, I departed from the pattern (The House on Edgewood Lane) because I wanted my finished quilt to be smaller.  I plan to use it as a wall hanging in my kitchen.  I used fabric from a fat quarter pack of a line from Moda called Beach House (came out several years ago).  I used Beach House for the applique block as well, augmented by a more intense red and a darker green for the vine.

The next step is quilting.  I'm giving serious thought to hand quilting this one.  I'm thinking some special quilting in the applique center to emphasis the house and vine, with something simple across the pieced background.  Not sure exactly what yet, though.

Patchwork Among Friends

I saved the best book for last:  Patchwork Among Friends, by Judy Martin. 

As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to add it to my quilting library.  I have one of Judy Martin's earlier works, called Stellar Quilts, and it is fabulous.  And it turns out, Patchwork Among Friends is similarly impressive. 

The book includes 10 quilt patterns, with directions for multiple sizes as well as diagrams showing alternative color combinations and/or block setting ideas.  It also includes recipes and ideas for get-togethers with quilting friends, such as a Reveal Party or Block Exchange.

I'm smitten with the cover quilts.  I can see the one in the upper left in the new Etchings collection from Moda while the curved log cabin in the lower right is one of those patterns that lends itself to just about any fabric choice. 

Judy's designs tend to fall into the "complicated but worth it" category.  They are not the kind of quilt you can run up in a weekend.  Most require extra attention to accuracy and may include partial seams and/or Y seams.  But the effects are spectacular.

Friends Forever may be the easiest quilt in the book.  Still, the aughor notes it "requires the full participation of your brain" because of the staggered arrangement.  The cutting directions are ingenius, making use of just about every inch of the fatquarters required. 

State Fair Star looks particularly complicated - nine feathered stars!  But I would love to make one of the star blocks and use it in a medallion setting.  One of these days...

Patchwork Among Friends seems the perfect book to share with my blogging friends.  So I'm having a giveaway.  To enter the drawing for a copy of Patchwork Among Friends, leave a comment telling me about a quilt pattern or book you are currently smitten with.  On the evening of Thursday, November 17, I'll draw a winner from among those who comment here. 

Sew The Perfect Gift - A Book Review

It was love at first sight when I saw the pincushion on the cover of this book!

Could it be any more darling!

Sew The Perfect Gift is a compilation of smaller items to make, all designed by different craftspeople, and all suitable for gift-giving.  You will recognize many of the names:  Kim Diehl, Kim Brackett, Vanessa Christenson, and other names your will know from their blogs, books, and patterns. 

In the quilting section, there is a candle mat, table topper, table runner, and a small wall hanging.  But anyone with quilting skills will be able to tackle other projects, such as the pincushion, gardener's apron, pillows, and various bags.  There are even a few Christmas themed items as well as cool things made from recycled fabric such as the wristlet made from an old sweater.  This would make a good case for holding an ipod or cell phone.

If you like to make gift items and are looking for some new ideas, check out Sew The Perfect Gift. 

I have a few sewing gifts planned but I haven't even started yet.  There are only 45 days left until Christmas so I need to get cracking!   What am I making, you ask?  Pillowcases and boxer shorts pajamas using novelty fabric. 

Quilts Using 30's Reproduction Fabric

Did you visit Amy's Creative Side for the Bloggers' Quilt Festival?  I enjoy seeing what other quilters make. Some people are so talented!

This year, it got a little expensive because as I clicked through to look at the Festival entry quilts, I had to read the whole blog so I saw lots of quilts that intrigued me and before I quite knew what was what, I had ordered four books from Amazon.com.

The books arrived already (love two-day shipping!) and I'll show you the first two today. They are both by Kay Connors and Karen Earlywine, with quilts in the style of the 30's using reproduction fabric.  I have quite a bit of this fabric in my stash so when I was attracted to some quilts that used it, I realized I could easily justify buying the books (not that I find it hard to justify buying quilting books).

In Fancy To Frugal, it was the cover quilt that initially caught my eye.  I like the Dresden Plate block made up in just about anything but this variation using both the rounded and pointed shapes as well as the unusual center is very appealing.  Below is a picture of the full quilt.  I like the unusual border/edge detail too.  The quilt is named Fancy Dish.



(Sorry for the fuzziness of some of these shots.  I was holding the camera with just one hand while holding the book open and flat with the other; in fact, you may even see my fingers.)

This quilt is called Starlight.  The yellow center of each block is a small sawtooth star.  There is a lot I like about it and while I like it in 30's repros, I can see making it in more modern fabric as well.

The second book is Link To The 30's and there are a number of quilt designs I like here, including the cover quilt. 

I bought it for this pattern, called Chain Link.  I love the design and a prairie point edge finish has long been on my quilting bucket list. 

And look at this one, called Star Flower!  Very impressive with the pieced border, but not for the timid, having both curved seams and set-in seams. 

Back soon with the remaining books!

Rail Fence Blocks

Using more of the Beach House fat quarter bundle, I'm working on the blocks that will surround the applique center piece.  These blocks will finish at 3.75" - a peculiar size I know but what I need to fit the applique center block. 

Have you visited the Blogger's Quilt Festival, hosted by Amy's Creative Side?  If not you need to get over there.  There are over 500 quilts "exhibited" in the Festival - what a source of inspiration!  Go take a look!

The Last Stitch

I put the last stitch in my house applique block.  Yes, it is finished!

my block

If you look carefully, you will see a modfication from Lynn's original.  It involves the flowers at the lower corners of the house.  I repeated the flowers from the vines, just using a darker red, instead of the second style of flower included in the pattern.

Lynn's pattern

I'm very happy with the way it turned out and truly enjoyed the process.  I need to continue to improve on rounded edges and am thinking of a design using the reel block for my next applique project.  But before I start anything else, I need to finish this project.  I've started cutting fabric for the background blocks.  They should go together fairly quickly.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Stargazing

My entry in the Festival is Stargazing, a quilt I made this year using a fat bundle of French General's Rural Jardin line from Moda and the pattern Ginger Belle from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.  It is about 86" square.

The quilt design is basically a variation on the Irish Chain, but with a pieced star in what is usually the open block.  There is a lot of piecing with this pattern, beginning with the four-patch blocks that are the basis of the larger blocks.

The process of making Stargazing was extremely satisfying because both the fabric and the pattern were lovely to work with.  I was so happy with the finished flimsy.  I sent  that to Linda of The Quilted Pineapple to longarm quilt for me.  I was blown away when I received the quilt back because Linda's quilting made a good quilt top so much better.  Well, they all improve with quilting but quilting made this quilt!   Linda quilted a wreath around each star and a simple design in the chain blocks.

It was my first time using flannel on the back of a quilt.  Wow, does it make for a snuggly quilt!

Linda has even better photos of the quilting on her blog.

You can see lots more quilts in Amy's Bloggers' Quilt Festival.