Hanging A Quilt

Now, when I look up from my sewing machine, this is what I see:

 

My "spools" quilt is hanging on the wall across from the table where my sewing machine lives.  The quilt is hanging from a strip of wood perched on two 3M Command hooks.  This hanging technique works well for smaller quilts.  A small piece of lumber (a little wider and thicker than a yard stick) goes across the back at the top of the quilt, held in place by tabs of fabric across the corners. 

 

I hung twoCommand hooks on the wall so they would be 5" in from each side, then perched the strip of wood in the hooks. (Use a level to be sure the two hooks are lined up evenly.) This method is easy on the budget (the wood was under $2 at Lowes and the Command hooks were about $3), and the hooks don't leave any marks on the wall, should I want to take it down some day (but why would I want to?).

I've christened this quilt Keep Calm and Sew On, the name being inspired by the iconic British WWII poster.  I'm sure you've seen variations of this poster all over the internet.  I made this little quilt using the Spools pattern from Thimble Blossoms, only I reduced the size of the block so I could make the spools using charm squares instead of a jelly roll.  The finished size is 30" wide and 31" long.  The fabric is California Girl by Fig Tree Designs, with Kona white for the background and the yellow, tan, and white ticking stripe from California Girl for the binding. 

Early on, I was indoctrinated in the need to use bias binding, and only bias binding, on quilts. I don't think I've broken that "rule" until now.  I really preferred the appearance of the stripes on the straight of grain.  Plus, it is a wall hanging so the edge won't get that much wear.  But I'll go back to bias binding for my next bed quilt!

This was a fun, fast project.  If you need a something to cheer up your sewing space, I highly recommend that you make a Spools of your own. 

Using The Pineapple Rule

So, I'm making a pineapple quilt using fabric from the Rouenneries Deux line from Moda (in case you are new here or somehow missed my last two posts).  I'm using the Pineapple Rule, made by Possibilites, a tool that is supposed to make the construction of the pineapple block easier. 

You start with a center square and sew strips on all four sides.  My center squares are 2.5 inches and my strips are 1.5 inches wide.  By the way, I'm using one fabric for all of the center squares and it is from the Etchings line by 3 Sisters for Moda.  The red coordinates well with the French General reds.

 

After adding the strips, you trim.  There is a companion book to the ruler, Positively Pineapple, that has the directions for using the ruler, along with several quilt projects.  (The book seems to be out of print but there are plenty of used copies on Amazon and Ebay.)

 

After trimming the first set of strips, you have this square in a square.

 

Then you add your next set of strips and trim again. 

 

You keep going in this fashion until your block is complete.  I have quite a pile of trimmings!

 

In order to chain piece, I'm working on eight blocks at one time.  So far, I've added two rounds of each color to the center square.  The photo below shows what they look like now.  The finished blocks will have four rounds of each color, with the last round of red strips forming the corner triangles, to square up the blocks. 

I will be working on this project when I feel like piecing and working on my backlog of binding when I feel like hand sewing.  Lots to do around here!

It Wasn't Supposed To Be A Guessing Game

My last post was not supposed to be a mystery!  I thought my Pinterest link would take you to the one picture I was referring to as my current inspiration, not to my entire Pinterest file of quilty love.  (Though if you need to see some quilty love, I've found lots of it!)

You were supposed to see this quilt, called Very Berry Tarts.  It was designed by Edie McGinnis and is in her book called A Second Helping of Desserts.  When I saw this quilt on someone else's Pinterest page, the decision of what to make with my fat quarter stack of Rouenneries Deux was settled. 

 I have the book but the directions for making Very Berry Tarts use foundation paper piecing.  Not terrible but not my favorite technique.  I'd rather save it for a string-style scrap quilt.  Anyway, I wanted to do a little personal variation on the original design so I decided this posed the perfect opportunity to break out my Pineapple Rule from Possibilites.  I bought this tool several years ago but never got up the courage to tackle a pineapple quilt.  Well, today is the day!

Inspired!

I found it while browsing on Pinterest.  It's the design that calls to me, that says, "Yes, I am worth cutting into your Rouenneries Deux fat quarter stack.  I am what you have been saving it for."

So this bundle is about to go under the knife rotary cutter.  I can start by pressing the fat quarters so they are ready. Amazon.com says they will deliver the book with the pattern today. 

So I'm doing a happy dance while I wait for the iron to heat up!

Mitered Border

I got the borders on my Crossroads quilt this weekend, though not without some difficulty (aka unsewing).

I am using this holly stripe fabric for the border.  It is from an older Moda line by April Cornell called Christmas Presence.  When I saw the Crossroads pattern, I knew it would be a good use of this print.  The strips run lengthwise on the fabric, with five stripes across the width of the fabric.

I initially cut the stripes apart so that the solid red between each of the holly stripes would form the edges of each border. But when I got the first border on, I was not happy with the look. There was only about 3/8" of red next to the black inner border and it wasn't enough. After some experimentation, I found the best look could be achieved by trimming the red so it was seam allowance only and sewing on the outer line of the green holly stripes. But that meant unpicking the initial border, 73" long. Not fun, but I did it, trimmed all four borders, then started sewing again.

The effort paid off and I am very happy with how the borders look now.

Oh, and did I mention mitered corners?  Mitered corners are not my favorite part of quilting but sometimes they are necessary.  Definitely with this print, so I forged ahead.

 

And actually, they were not that difficult.  Maybe I've had enough practice now to become fairly proficient.  (I think this is the third or fourth time I've mitred the corners on a border.)  They turned out quite nicely.  Here's a close-up.

 

 

I found some fabric in my stash that might work for the back.  I just need to measure and be sure I have enough. 

 

Getting closer to another finish!

 



Binding, Binding, and More Binding

I recently got three quilts back from longarm quilters.  But I need to bind and label them before I can truly call them finished.  So I've been making binding.  And over the next few weeks, I'll be sewing it on.  And then there will be a few "show off the final quilt" posts around here on Main Street.  Stay tuned!

Quilt Shows and Tools

Quilt shows are a great place to find new tools.  Across all the vendors at a large quilt show, you tend to see a lot more goods than your local quilt shop can stock.  Additionally, there may be a tool maker or originator on hand giving demonstrations.  That's how I found some of my favorite quilting specialty rulers, like Bloc Loc (great for accurately trimming half square triangles and flying geese).  In fact, I usually come home from a quilt show with at least one new specialty ruler or tool.  But not this time.

When I went to the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XIX this past weekend, I was looking for a specific tool, the Quilt Ruler Connector.  I had heard about this gizmo from Thelma on her blog, and it sounded like something that would come in handy for cutting borders.  Though I searched the tool and ruler racks of the various vendors, I did not see it.  I'll have to order it from an online source.

But I did see the Kaleidoscope Smart Plate ruler...again. 

As soon as I saw it, I remembered buying it last year.  It was a great reminder that I want to make a kaleidoscope quilt and use this ruler in the process.  It looks like it makes the construction of the block much easier.  Squash House Quilts has a demo.

Maybe it is just as well that I was not seduced by any new tools.  I have plenty of old tools I haven't even tried out yet.