Celebration - A Finished 60 Degree Triangle Quilt

I squeezed in what is sure to be my last quilt finish for the year - my 60 degree triangle quilt made from stash and light-weight denim.  The original pattern is called The Ladies' Stitching Club (free pattern on the Moda website). 

This pattern was on my to-make list for about three years, ever since I saw it on Hyacinth Quilt Designs, and I'm glad I finally got to it.  I used Cindy's modified instructions to make more efficient use of my denim yardage.  I finished the binding last night and took the photos this morning.   That's Mr. Main Street (aka the quilt hanger)  along with our Corgi, Dillie, standing in the foyer with sun coming through the dining room windows.  Final size of my version is 64" by 59".

Karen Thompson of Greenbrier Designs did the quilting using a panto pattern  that is roughly triangular.  I used solid gray Kona for the binding and a large text print for the backing, navy text on a white background. I've loving text prints for backings right now, and I think this one is by Art Gallery Fabrics, but am not sure as I no longer have a selvage.  The text is very large and caused my garment construction training to kick in; as a result, I tried to match the print in the two lengths I needed for the back and was somewhat successful.   

The words on the backing inspired my choice of name for this quilt:  Celebration. 

Gift Ideas for Quilters

I celebrated my birthday three weeks ago and Mr. Main Street gave me a few quilting related birthday gifts.  He did not exactly choose these items himself but he is very directable, especially if I send him a wish list from amazon.com.  It you need a gift for a quilting friend for relative, I don't think you could go wrong with one of these items.

Charm School by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique includes directions for 18 quilts made from charm squares.  Most use two or three packs of charm squares, so this book along with a few charm packs or a layer cake or jolly bar would make a great gift.  The designs are quite original and varied, and most are beginning quilter friendly while all the designs can be made by someone with one or two quilts under her belt. 

Patches of Blue by Edyta Sitar is a tribute to the two-color quilt, featuring 17 designs all done in blue and white or cream.  Of course, you could substitute another color like red or green for blue to make them your own.  I've already put two designs on my to-be-made list, the sawtooth star quilt hanging on the cupboard door on the book cover and a super simple but striking pattern called Sleigh Trails.  The photography in the book is super, most of it done around Edyta's home.  There are also a number of antique quilts shown as inspiration.  

And here's something different, a set of mini clothes pins made by Moda. They are called For Good Measure. The ones I got each have a different letter of the alphabet and I plan to use them to keep blocks organized for sewing into the quilt top.  They don't appear to be available on Amazon any longer but some similar ones are here.  They are very cute and I think they might also work for hanging mini quilts from a curtain wire (the kind Ikea sells). 

Do you have all your Christmas shopping finished?  I have most of it done but need to pick up three items this week.  At least I know what I'm looking for so it should not be too difficult. 

Christmas and Birthday Gifts For the Quilter

I had a wonderful four-day break from work for Thanksgiving and spent some of it at my keyboard doing my Christmas shopping.  My in-box was stuffed with special discounts and sales from every website and retailer I've visited, Black Friday this and Cyber Monday that, including some of my favorite quilting supply websites.  I gave in to temptation at The Fat Quarter Shop and bought a little birthday present for myself.  I'm sharing in case it provides some inspiration for what to get the quilter in your life.

First, and barely visible in the photo below, text print quilt backing for a future quilt.  These wide backing fabrics are convenient, especially for larger quilts and when you don't have yardage to piece together for the back.  This piece is from Moda and I like the quality and silky feel.  Then a bundle of 20 fat quarters of solid fabric in a rainbow spectrum.  I'm not sure what I'm going to make with this but I've been obsessed with rainbow quilts lately and even have a Pinterest board devoted to them. 

I also got two patterns, SkyDust because it looks like it would make a good and fast baby quilt, and Hopscotch because this was the quilt that most interested me when I saw photos from the most recent Quilt Market.  Lastly, I bought the Clammy ruler to use to make the Glam Clam quilt.  The shop sent me a little bundle of fat quarters of Fig Tree fabrics in red and cream and some decorative ribbon as a free gift with my purchase.  I know I can find a use for both. 

I'll be back with Part 2 shortly, showing what other people got me for my birthday.  It was yesterday, a big, fat, round number, and my inner thirty-two year old is in shock at the thought.