Centerpiece

The centerpiece of my version of Follow The Leader, from the April issue of American Patchwork & Quilting, is done. 

I like the way the dark brown sashing sets off the colors in the blocks.  You can't tell in the photo but I used eight different neutrals for the setting triangles, so it is truly scrappy.  And remember, "free" - all fabric from my stash! 

I'm still mulling over names.  Vicky suggested Frequent Flyer, and that's my leading contender so far. 

Next up:  the pieced border.

Block Boards

A couple of months ago, LaVieEnRosie had a post about making block boards.  They looked useful and easy to make, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I am now the owner of six block boards. 

Leftover pieces of batting glued to pieces of foam core, cut to 15 inches square.  Using them, I can lay out the pieces for several blocks, then carry them to the machine to sew.  The fabric pieces "stick" to the batting, and seeing the layout while sewing means the seam ripper should come into play less often. 

If you'd like some of your own, the link here or above will take you to Carrie's how-to for making them.  Very easy, you really can't go wrong.

We Return Now To Our Regularly Scheduled Project

Before Paris, I was working on this project from American Patchwork & Quilting magazine; it is called Follow The Leader. 

I resumed work this past weekend and have made quite a bit more progress.  This is not a difficult pattern (so far, at least), but it is rather labor-intensive because of the pieced border.

I started putting together the "columns."  The uneven 9-patch blocks are joined with setting triangles in long strips, then the strips are joined using a thin strip of dark lattice between each pieced strip. 

I have five of the seven columns pieced.  I numbered each with a pinned on label as an aid to getting them in the right order when I sew them all together with the lattice strips.  This is something I learned from experience, the kind of experience you don't want to have, when it all goes wrong!  But now I know to label!



The name Follow The Leader probably came from the flying geese border.  I'm looking for a name for my version, am thinking something to do with traveling.  Maybe Flying South?  Or Traveling Light?

New and Improved

The last time I was at my LQS, Pennington Quilt Works, I invested in a new rotary cutting ruler.  The ruler I had been using was my original, the one I bought 19 years ago when I made the switch from cardboard templates-scissors-hand piecing quilting to rotary cutting-machine piecing quilting.  It had served me well but I noticed something new and improved in the store.

This Creative Grids ruler is 6.5" wide and 24.5" long.  That extra half inch tells me it was invented by a quilter, frustrated from using a ruler too narrow to cut 6.5 inch strips.  My original ruler was ony 5 inches wide.  Five inches is sufficient most of the time, but what a pain at those times when you need to cut something slightly wider!  I frequently had to press my 9" square into service and it just wasn't designed to be used for width of fabric cutting. 

I think this new ruler is going to be the next best thing to pre-cut fabric!

My First Completely Finished Quilt of 2011

My first completely finished quilt (quilted, bound, and labeled) of 2011 is quilt I made for the school auction.  It finished at 56" by 71" and I'm calling it Shining Star.

You may be wondering about the name, saying to yourself, "Where are the stars?"

Well, the stars are in the quilting.  My longarm quilter, Karen Thompson, used gold thread in a pantograph design of meandering stars. 

The background fabric has a slightly mottled look, like denim.  I think it makes a nice throw or lap quilt, perfect for a dorm room.  We'll see what others think when it gets auctioned on April 30.

LQS Parisian-Style - A Visit to Le Rouvray

I try to take in a quilt shop or two on every vacation and our Paris trip was no exception.  I had heard of Le Rouvray and given its easy to reach location near Notre Dame, Ile St. Louis, and the Latin Quarter, we stopped in for a visit. 

We had a little difficulty finding the store because they had recently moved from the address given on their website (website not updated yet as of today), but the new premises are only a block away on another little side street.

The new premises are very small and they have a very limited inventory.  The store hours are also quite limited (Tuesday-Saturday, afternoons only), leading me to think it is a sort of hobby business.  Having previous experience with the price of fabric in Europe, I was not expecting to buy anything (we may moan about quilting fabric reaching $10 a yard in the US but in Europe it costs much more).  Le Rouvray had a limited though carefully curated selection of mostly 19th century repros with a "French-y" look.  Most were from what I think of as British companies like Westminister.  They stock some FQ-like packs but I did not see much in the way of patterns or books.  We came away only with a couple of postcards, but it was worth the visit.

Our other sewing-related adventure was trip to the Puces de Vanves, the flea market held at Porte de Vanves.  This is on the outskirts of Paris but was easy to get to on the Metro and a tram-like bus.  It is held on Saturday and Sunday mornings on the sidewalk of a few blocks of two streets in what appears to be a middle class residential area.

Miss Main Street and I spent an enjoyable few hours browsing.  Miss bought a vintage ring and a small army-issue satchel she intends to use as a purse (military is "in" she tells me); I bought some vintage sewing items and a vintage bed cover with eyelet lace trim. 

I came across two different vendors with vintage sewing "stuff."  From the first, I bought two boxes of vintage ribbon embroidered with my initials, CM.  However, she did not have LM for Miss Main Street or initials of anyone else I could think of on the spur of the moment.  Those wooden things are bobbins used for lace making.  I thought they'd look interesting in a little bowl.  They can be used to hold embroidery floss, should I ever take up embroidery (you never know!).

Another vendor had all sorts of other sewing things.  I bought the card with buttons, card with linen thread, little pieces of lace, and floral card, with thought of putting them in some sort of framed collage for my sewing room. 

This is the bed cover.  It is too small to use on any bed we have (smaller even than a twin bed, making me think it was for a crib or child's bed) and it in thin in places and has some stains here and there but not on the lace.   It is embroidered with the initials ER in red cross stitch.



The lace edge runs across the top and bottom.  I am thinking or recycling it into pillow shams somehow.  Must think this out carefully before I cut...

The Practical Bag came in very handy for carrying our purchases. 

At the Eiffel Tower, I bought this tin, which will hold pins after I've eaten the candy it contains. 

Home From Paris

Bonjour!  Miss Main Street and I are home from our trip to Paris.  We had a fabulous time!  I'll be back with a real post after some rest (and laundry), but in the meantime, here are some photos I took during our trip. 

The florists have beautiful displays on the sidewalk

Hot chocolate and macrons at Angelina's - a real caloric indulgence!

Smart cars and other tiny models are all over Paris, probably because of lack of parking space and cost of gas.  A large American SUV would look like a tank amongst Parisian cars.

Bouquinistes (second-hand book sellers, also sell prints and some other items), along the Seine

Arc de Triomphe

Underneath the Eiffel Tower

Miss Main Street in front of the Louvre.  The stone building in the background is the original; the glass pyramid is the I. M. Pei-designed addition, which lets in lots of light to the basement area.

One of Monet's water lily paintings at the Orangerie Museum. 

A bientot!