Progress on Strip Blocks

Blogs have a been a big source of quilting inspiration for me and I got the idea for my current project after seeing strip-pieced blocks and finished tops around blogland. I am using paper foundations, 8.5" square, with a strip of solid white (Kona Cotton in white) for the center of each block.

I use a glue stick to hold the white strip in place in the center then begin sewing strips to each side of the center strip.

Even very small scraps are useful for the corners. This is what a block looks like after all the strips are attached.

Then I use my 8.5" Creative Grids ruler to trim to size. Having a ruler the exact size of the block is handy. That's one reason I chose to use a 8.5" square. I had the ruler from another proejct and my inner frugal gal likes that the cost is now being amortized over another project!

Here's what it looks like when the blocks are put together.


11 blocks down, 133 to go!

If you would like a more detailed tutorial, you will find one here at FilmInTheFridge.

Friday Find - Towels for Embellishing

I made a stop at HomeGoods on the way home from a client's office. They sometimes stock my china pattern (Portmeirion's Botanic Garden) so it can be worth a look. I didn't find any china but stumbled across a treasure trove of cute towels, crying out to be further embellished with fabric from stash. Oh no, this could become an obsession!

Sometime in November, these will be transformed into one-of-a-kind hostesss and teacher gifts.

Lots of Goodies in the Mail

A few quilting goodies arrived in the mail last week.

First, three yards of white Kona Cotton for my strip project. The white is the only purchase I need to make for this quilt; the rest is scraps and stash! Since I was placing the order and paying for the postage, I threw the little Schnibbles pattern Madeline into my cart. I saw this made up by designer Carrie Nelson on LaVieEnRosie and love it but not sure when I'll get around to making it.




This month's Australian Homespun arrived (actually, the September issue - there is a bit of a delay in getting them all the way from Oz). I'm saving it for later for this week. Then from Amazon.com, the newest from Kaffe Fassett, Quilt Romance.






I love, love, love the quilt on the cover! Quiltsalott, a blogger in Australia, is making this quilt and has some advice on the curved piecing here. I plan to attempt it, once I get a few other projects out of the queue.

Everything's Coming Up Roses - Finished!

I picked up Everything's Coming Up Roses from longarm quilter Karen on Thursday and finished sewing on the binding last evening. I used a pale pink and white stripe for the binding. I'm pleased with the way the quilt turned out. Karen used a swirly feather for the quilting; you can see it better in these close-ups below.

It is a small quilt, 64" by 54" - a good size for a lap quilt when reading!

Friday Find - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

If you like mysteries, you've got to read this book. It had a major negative impact on my productivity last week but it was worth it! It is a modern-day mystery, set in Sweden, with two investigators, neither of whom are police detectives. It concerns, simultaneously, the disappearance of a teen girl back in the 60's and a present day financial swindle. Now, I have to get my hands on the sequel!


I liked this so much, I added it to my Amazon.com widget to the right.

One Christmas Gift Finished

These towels will be a gift for my mother. I used kitchen towels I found at Target and embellished them with scraps of fabric and rick rack. The fabric was left over from making this quilt, called Dutch Treat.

I made the quilt as a gift for my mother last year. While on vacation, she bought the reddish tone-on-tone fabric at Den Haan & Wagenmakers, a store in Amsterdam that reproduces vintage chintz designs. The prints are from a Moda line (I think it was called Kashmir). Mom uses the quilt on the couch in her family room, which is visible from the kitchen, so I thought some coordinating towels would be a nice touch.

The towels were a fast and easy project. I might make more using holiday fabrics and give them as hostess gifts.

I Knew They Would Come In Handy Some Day!

I hoard save shopping bags. I just know they will come in handy sometime. Finally, I've got a use for four small bags. I'm cutting strips for the next quilt project and using these bags to keep them sorted by width. More on this project as I make progress.