Using Those Empty Spools

Quilters use a lot of thread so we wind up with a lot of empty spools.  What do you do with your empty spools?

Polly of Make Mine Beautiful turned empty spools into Christmas tree ornaments. 

Most of my thread is Coats Dual Duty Plus so the spools are plastic but I think they could work for this project if I added a round piece of scrapbook paper to the top and bottom.  Check out Polly's tutorial for how to make her spool ornaments.

Ohio Star Variation - Test Block

What did we do for inspiration before the internet?  I am sure I have grown as a quilter largely due to the inspiring example of other quilters I've encountered on the internet, in blogs, flickr, websites. 

My next project was inspired by something Lynn is making. When I saw one of Lynn's earlier posts on this project, the first glimpse of the sashing reminded me that I have been meaning to use that nine-patch sashing/setting in a quilt for quite some time.  I used a variation of it in my Saturday Sampler quilt. 

It dawned on me that it would make a good setting for a star block I saw at a quilt show, a variation on the Ohio Star block that I had been meaning to try.  And I could make the whole thing in reds and greens, for a controlled scrappy Christmas quilt. 

Here is my test block.  Each block has 49 pieces but goes together fairly quickly (and I'm sure I'll get even faster with practice).  The finished size is 10" square.  It will be combined with pieced sashing that is 3" wide.  I am thinking of a 20-block quilt, 4 by 5, with sashing and an outer border.  But I could keep going and make it bed size; not sure yet.

I bought the background fabric, a subtle white snowflake on an off-white ground, but the rest of the fabrics came from stash.  The greens are in the lime family, while the reds are true-red and bluish reds, to better work with the decor in our living room.  After pulling fabric from my stash for this project, I realized I have enough for four or five quilts.  But I won't be making them all right away!

Time to go make more blocks, and maybe think through a tutorial on this block.

Misty Pine Finished

I finished Misty Pine.  It is a small wallhanging at 7.5" by 22" and perfect for a long, narrow spot that needs a little something.

After paper piecing the center tree, I appliqued the top and bottom panels using fusible web.  

I used a very narrow zig zag stitch on my machine along the edges of the red swoosh.  The curves were not difficult to handle but the tiny, pointy pieces were tricky. 

After sewing the panels to the top and bottom, I layered the top on a piece of batting, with a layer of heavier weight interfacing underneath.  Then I sewed the side strips on and trimmed the batting/interfacing to be 1/4 inch smaller than the top.  I put the backing face down on the top, sewed around the four sides, leaving an opeing of about five inches for turning, turned, pressed, and hand stitched the opening closed. 

The addition of the interfacing (not called for in the pattern) gives it some added weight and stiffness that I think will help keep the edges from curling and keep it hanging straight on the wall.  It is still very light in weight so I hung it up using a strip of doubled masking tape on the back.  I think poster putty would work also.  Another way to hang something like this is a decorative wire hanger, like those from Ackfeld Wire.  This option would require loops for hanging added in the upper edge seam. 

That's my first Christmas project finished.  Tomorrow, I'll show you the start of Project 2.

Paper Piecing Misty Pine

My first project for Christmas in July is a small paper-pieced wallhanging from a pattern called Misty Pine.  The pattern is from a designer/pattern company called Jeri Kelly.  Jeri has a video tutorial on her site on foundation paper piecing, which tells you what you need to know if you have not done this before.  The instructions in the pattern are probably not enough for someone who is not experienced in this technique.  I use the Carol Doak method when I foundation paper piece; while Carol Doak is pretty much the queen of foundation paper piecing, I can't find a free tutorial from her.  This tutorial at Connecting Threads is pretty good though. 

The pattern includes a full size paper foundation for the tree as well as a separate piece for the top and bottom of the wall hanging.  I made photocopies to preserve the original, just in case I flubbed up. 

These are the tools I use for this technique:  rotary cutter, small add-a-quarter ruler, and a postcard.  Any piece of thin card will work but this postcard for an upcoming quilt show seemed perfect!

I cut out my fabrics per the directions.  While I had a kit, you can see that this could easily be made from scraps, along with a fat quarter or so for the background.  Between the numbering on the paper foundation and the color photo on the cover of the pattern, it was very easy to follow and do each step in order.  Here's the tree, not quite half finished.

And here is the finished tree, with the block trimmed to size.  The tree forms the central part of the wallhanging and is 6" by 10".

It took me only about 90 minutes to get this far.  On to the top and bottom panels!

Christmas in July - Day 1

I've had a tough week and have so been looking forward to this four-day weekend!  It is July 1, the start of Christmas in July Quilt Along. 

Alice and Lynn have decided to join me in this month-long focus on quilting for Christmas.  They are listed over there to the right in my sidebar.   Check out what they are up to; you are sure to be inspired!  If you would like to join us, leave a comment here and I will add you to the list. 

I'm going to start off with something small and fast.  My LQS, Pennington Quilt Works, hosts an annual Holiday Open House where they showcase ten to twelve Christmas and winter-themed projects.  The women who work in the store select the projects, make up samples, then kit them up for sale.  It is always a source of ideas for me.  A couple of years ago (I think in 2009), I bought the kit for Misty Pine after seeing the sample in the store.

Misty Pine is a small wallhanging, perfect for one of those small spaces in a bathroom or hallway that is just crying out for decoration. 

For some reason, I did not even start the project in 2009 and by 2010, the kit had become buried in the quilt supply closet.  I found it last winter during a big clean-out and reorganization and put it with my priority PIGS*.  Its time has come!

These are the fabrics that came in the kit.  Time to get started.  Come back tomorrow to check my progress.

*PIGS - Projects In Grocery Sacks (though I keep mine in sweater bags from the dry cleaner), a term I user for supplies purchased with a specific use in mind, but not yet started. 

I Got Mail

I am winding up a consulting job this week and next week so not much of a quilting nature going on here.  I did receive a package in the mail today, though, from the Fat Quarter Shop.  It contained a few items I ordered in preparation for my Christmas projects. 

First, a few fabrics to augment some that I have in my stash.  These are mostly from Nancy Halvorsen's new Christmas line called Jingle All The Way.  The cream fabric will be the background and is from a line called Jolly Snowmen.

I bought the Jingle All The Way book too, even though I am not lacking in ideas for Christmas projects.

Last year, I made some kitchen towels using an applique design from Nancy Halvorsen's book Tidings.  They are a nice decorating touch for the kitchen and make good gifts too.

Star Blocks Finished

I finished the teeny tiny star blocks over the weekend - yahoo!  I made 18 blocks after I decided on a diagonal setting.  Each block finishes at 10" square.  That leaves me with a few leftover stars; they may appear on the quilt back.

I'm putting the blocks aside, along with the fabric for the sashing, setting triangles, backing, and binding, until August.  I have a fews odds and ends to do this week, like backs for tops that need to be quilted.  Our weekend plans won't leave time for sewing, then it will be time for Christmas in July!  I can resume work on this one in August.