Starting To Pirouette

I'm working on my Little Blocks 4.5 sampler; with three blocks released every Friday, it makes a great weekend project.  Deciding I need a concurrent project for weekdays, I started Pirouette.  

Pirouette is one of the excellent designs in A Scrapbook of Quilts, by Joanna Figueroa and Carrie Nelson.  When I got the book last year, I knew immediately that I wanted to make this one, it was just a matter of identifying the best fabric to use.  

It occurred to me that I had a lot of 30's reproduction prints stored in a bin and they could work nicely in this design.  Moreover, I have a gift recipient in mind (but better not mention it here).  The fabric is left from making two quilts for Miss Main Street's "big bed" when she moved from the crib.  Miss Main Street is 26 so this fabric practically qualifies as vintage.  It was all in good shape though, especially after a good starch 'n press.

The first step is to make eleventy gazillion HSTs.  I'm using Triangles on a Roll paper, which helps with both accuracy and speed as most of the fabric is partial fat quarters and fat eighths.  When I get down to smaller pieces, I'll use the traditional method.  

I've made a good start.  Tearing off  the backing paper is the most boring task, made better by doing it while watching a Winter Olympics broadcast.  Here is a block laid out on one of my design boards, not yet sewn together.  

Here's a glimpse of some quilts I made long ago using 30's repros.  The windmill block quilt on the upper left was one of the first bed size quilts I ever made; I probably made it in 1998.  It alternated on Miss Main Street's bed along with the one next to it.  The two underneath quilts on the lower rod are also in 30's repros.  

And for this one, Shasta Daisy, I used 30's repros for the foundation of each block.  

I'm enjoying working with these fabrics again.  There is something cheerful about them, and

cheerful is what I need now. 

Bachelor Button Quilt Pillow

I just finished a UFO and am so happy with the way it turned out!

On impulse, I bought a kit from Sweet Treasures Quilts in December 2020, to make a block called Bachelor Button designed by White Barn Quilts that could be turned into a pillow.  The fabrics in the kit are from the Holliberry line for Moda by Cory Yoder.  I knew I wouldn't get it done for Christmas 2020 and I ended up piecing the block in February 2021, then put it aside to finish later.  

I didn't finish it for Christmas 2021, so officially an UFO!  But it is ready for Christmas 2022 now.

I had the finished block but it needed to be quilted and then turned into a pillow.  I quilted the block in a grid pattern using the walking foot for my Bernina machine.  Someone with more free motion skill could do some quilting that would better enhance the design, but I managed to keep the lines straight and am happy with how it came out.

The kit included fabric for the pillow back and the binding.  Binding provides an effect similar to piping the edge of a pillow.  I like the look in this case and that's how I wanted to finish it  but it meant I could not do my usual thing of inserting an invisible zipper in the bottom seam.  

The directions were for an envelope back but I bought a zipper and did a lapped zipper closure on the pillow back.  It is fairly unobtrusive with this patterned fabric.  

If you would like to try a zipper like this, there is a good tutorial here and Sherri from A Quilting Life has a YouTube video how-to here.  

I filled the pillow with a Fjadrar pillow insert from Ikea; they are filled with feathers and I find them more firm and comfortable than the poly inserts.  But they do come in only two sizes:  20" square and 26" square.  I actually prefer to buy my pillow inserts a little bigger than the pillow case so they fill more firmly but I think the 26" would be too big; this pillow is 20" square.

So, a UFO taken care of and a finish ready for Christmas.  

New Project for 2022 - Little Blocks 4.5 Sampler Quilt

Last year, I participated in a sampler quilt block program called Little Blocks 365, receiving block patterns by email each week to make seven foundation paper pieced blocks.  I used solid fabrics in rainbow colors and gradually, my collection of blocks grew...

...until I had enough for a quilt.

I didn't make all 365 blocks because I did not need them all for my chosen layout and wall hanging size quilt.  I enjoyed the process so when Sentimental Stitches offered a new program for 2022, offering "not quite so many" and "not quite so little" blocks, I joined.  This program is called Little Blocks 4.5 because the blocks finish at 4.5 inches square.  This program includes 156 blocks, delivered three per week.  I have three possible layouts in mind, none of which require all the blocks, so I can pick and choose or I can finish early.  

I'm using Christmas fabrics from my stash for this project, including fabric leftover from Jingle All The Way.  So far, so good!

Jingle All The Way - A Finished Quilt

I've got a finished quilt to show off.  I'm calling it Jingle All The Way, after the fabric line I used to make it.

I started this quilt back in late 2020, knowing I would not finish it in time for Christmas.  Well, I put the last stitch in the binding yesterday so it's done plenty early for Christmas 2022!

I used a pattern that was in an issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.  It was designed by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life and she sells the pattern as Coastal on her Etsy site.  The fabric is a collection called Jingle All The Way by Nancy Halvorsen.  I've had it in my stash for ages, though you can still find some online.

Having the right fabric for the plain alternating blocks is crucial for this pattern in my opinion.  It requires something that works with the prints used for the stars but still lets the stars take center stage.  I chose an open, swirly pantograph pattern for the quilting, done by Olde City Quilts.

The quilt is 69" square, great for a throw quilt to use on the couch while watching TV.  It will be especially cozy because I backed it with flannel.  I happened upon this flannel sheet while leafing through a catalog sent by Garnet Hill; the red and green polka dots coordinate so well with the colors on the front of the quilt.  I ordered a flat sheet (I think it was queen bed size).  I washed it and dried in on "high" to get any shrinkage out of the way before I took it be quilted as I was concerned that the flannel might shrink quite a bit more than quilting cotton.  I'm really pleased with how it came out and the back is so soft!  This is also a fairly cost effective way to back a quilt as the queen size sheet is only $49.

I'm tempted to make this quilt again and am sure I will once I came across the right fabric collection.

In the meantime, I'm putting the leftover fabric to use in my first project of 2022, but that's a story for another day.

What I've Been Up To - Part 2

And just like that, I went on another trip!

A vacation to European Christmas markets has long been on my travel bucket list.  I've been following a small travel company called A Girls' Guide to Paris and Beyond on social media so when I received a promotional email in the late summer about their upcoming trips, I visited the website to see what was up.  One of the Christmas market trips got my attention so after thinking it over, I signed up.  This was not a destination that interests Mr. Main Street (too much shopping for him) and he was supportive about me going on my own.  But with A Girls' Guide to Paris trips, you are not on your own; rather, you have an experienced guide and the company of others on a small, women only trip.  

I landed in Paris on Thanksgiving Day and spent a few days there on my own, visiting museums, shopping, and walking, walking, walking (setting new personal records on my Fitbit with as much as 11 miles a day!).  And I ate really well.  

Christmas lights on the Chanel store on Rue St. Honore, near my hotel.

Ferris wheel in the Tuileries Gardens

Notre Dame, undergoing reconstruction after the fire damage

On Nov. 30, I took the train to Strasbourg where I joined the travel group.  We visited the Christmas markets in Strasbourg, Obernai, Mulhouse, Eguishem, and Colmar, with walking tours of Strasbourg and Colmar, cathedrals, a castle, an outdoor museum, wine tastings, and a cooking class.  Lots of Christmas shopping and great food to eat!

The group of ladies I traveled with in Mulhouse (that's me on the far left)

Strasbourg Cathedral rose window

Christmas market 

Colmar

I had a fabulous time and would do this kind of trip again.  If you'd like to know more about the Christmas markets in Strasbourg, watch this video from YouTube.

APQ Quiltalong Square Dance Quilt Finished

Last March, I joined a quilt along led by American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, making the quilt Square Dance, designed by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life.  The blocks didn't take long to make but I dawdled over finishing.  Finally, the quilt is finished.

Dillie, one of our corgis, saw the camera and immediately began posing.  My fabric choices were inspired by the print on the left, from Laundry Basket Quilts for Andover Fabrics.  I pulled the fabrics for the blocks from a fat eighth bundle of assorted Laundry Basket Quilts fabrics and intended to use the floral print for the borders.  

But once I had the blocks finished and sewn together, in rainbow-ish order, I found the large floral too busy for the borders.  I ended up using a simple tone-on-tone print in light navy (from another Laundry Basket line called Olive Branch) and though you can't really see it, I used a kiwi green tone-on-tone for the binding.  The background is Kona Cream, with a simple beige floral for the sashing posts.

The quilting is a large, curvy floral pantograph.  

This quilt is easy enough for a beginner and the blocks go together quickly.  The blocks are 9" square so it is easy to make the quilt larger or smaller to suit your needs.

This is my last post before Christmas.  We're having a small family celebration at home and I am looking forward to a few days of relaxation.  I hope your celebration is a merry one!

What I've Been Up To

Wow, I last posted on Sept. 8.  All good here but quilting was taking a back seat to other activities for a time.  

First, #finallyavacation!  Mr. Main Street and I were scheduled to go on a Mediterranean cruise to various Greek ports in April 2020 but of course, it was cancelled when travel shut down at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The cruise was rescheduled several times until finally, in late September, we were able to go.  We flew to Athens where we stayed a few days prior to joining our cruise ship.  It felt as safe as possible as all on the ship were vaccinated, we had a test just prior to embarking, then a couple of tests along the way.  We never experienced any problems and had a very good time.  My favorite parts of the trip were Athens, the port of Katakolon where we toured the site of the ancient Olympic Games, and hiking just above Amalfi, Italy.  

The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens

Our ship, Azamara Quest, seen from Santorini

Site of the ancient Olympic Games

View of Amalfi, Italy, (and our ship), taken while hiking.

We enjoyed this cruise so much that we are already signed up for another one next fall!

Once back home, I got back to work on Flowers for Emma, a quilt project with hexie flowers I had been working on for a couple of years as my portable project.  (Pattern by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life.)  My flowers were finished a while back but I had more applique work to do then sewing the blocks together with the sashing.  

I enlarged the quilt to 48 blocks, which is generous throw size (quilt holder husband is stretching to hold it up).  I marked the edges for a scalloped border, just need to get it quilted.

The hexie flowers are appliqued to four-patch blocks made up of low volume, mostly white fabrics.  Fabrics for the hexies are all from various Fig Tree Quilts lines for Moda, mostly from a fat quarter bundle of Chantilly that I won as a door prize at my LQS, Pennington Quilt Works.

I'm continuing to focus on unfinished and near-UFO projects cluttering up my sewing space.  I have another near finish so I will be back here soon.