Virtual Design Wall Monday

Yep that's right to go with all the virtual sewing I did this weekend :)

Cyber quilters (yahoo group) are having a blooming nine patch QAL.  I've had this set of 1 yard cuts Quiltcon fabrics that have just been waiting to for the right moment, and I think this is there time.

Here's the top 3 runners although the last one really isn't in the running as I'd have to get more fabric and I'm just not in the mood for that.  Uh oh did I say that out loud???? Help something must be wrong if I'm not in the mood to buy fabric.

#1 choice, I think I might move it a bit more off center

I really like the white patches added to some, gives it a more dimensional look

This one I really like but I don't have enough fabric.

Linking up with Judy, Connie and Fabric Tuesday, stop by and see what everyone else is working on, lots of inspiration over there. 

DWM 4/22 - a finish and a flimsy

I have a finish.  This one is going to be either a QOV quilt or a Happy Chemo quilt for H2H.  Hmm, is it a happy enough quilt to go Happy Chemo?  Not sure on that one, guy quilts are so hard.  See the back, that was part of my find at the estate sale that I found over the weekend, Still feel like a won the lottery with that one!  I had enough of that blue for the back of the quilt, the binding and I still have about 1.75 yards left of it!!  Here's Plaid Obesession #1,

Plaid Obession

and the back, I used this pantograph on 3 quilts in the week :)

Plaid Obsession Back

And I manage to get a flimsy together for Hands 2 Help - it's not too late to join in the fun. Check out the button on the side.  I'm calling this one Twinkle.  It's borderless I tried 2 shops and couldn't find anything close.  I had this layer cake around forever and just didn't know what to do with it. Then suddenly it came together.  That layer cake is so done!! I've also added the EQ7 file if you're interested - can be found here

Twinkly - H2H

And there's a free trial of Art n Stitch software for those that like to make their own quiliting patterns.  I'm going to give it a try - take a look at what Carla did at Feathered Fibers with this SW Has anyone else used it?  Given the price not likely to be in my future, but I do like a free trial :)

Linking up with

Scrap Block Challenge

Oh I barely made this one.  Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict is having a scrap block challenge.  I posted about it a couple of weeks ago but if you need the link again, here is it:  scrap block challenge 

I am suppose to be marking a quilt right now, shhhhhh don't tell anyone.  I just need to have a tiny bit of fun. Then I"ll mark the quilt.

My block is called Kitty Corner.  This is made with all 3.5 inch squares.    I call it Kitty Corner due to the adorable fabric with little kitties on it.  I only had enough for this one block and actually had to supplement with dogs, but they're super cute too.  Ok, now it doesn't look like much as a single block does it? But take a look at a quilt made out of these block.  Now it makes a little more sense huh?  And the border, 3.5 inch squares too.  A 16 block quilt with borders is 69x69, a 9 block quilt with borders is 54x54 - still a respectable size.  9 block loses a little of the circular motion there. And if you put full square in the corner you get something that looks like this. 

The HSTs I stack sometime up to 6 squares, line my ruler up with the 1/4 in line on the corners and cut.  This gives me a few extra bonus triangles which I just love!!  Look at those puppies, so cute!  The 3.5 inch HST - an added bonus does not have any dog ears when cut this way, I just love that.  Of course the bonus triangle have to be trimmed. 

I do use the Tri Rex Rulers for the blocks with the point in them.

Really, look how cute those kitties are peaking through the ruler :)

If you haven't used these, I do recommend them  It's a two ruler combo. One for the center piece and then the other for the outsides.  If you have fabric that has a right and wrong side, you need to take care and cut correctly for both sides.  Easy Peasy.

I posted the EQ7 file in the "Tutorial and EQ7" tab for any that are interested.  Ok, now I have a quilt to mark. The marking fairies did not visit while I was playing with fabrics :)

Design Basket and Design computer

How long has it been since I've had a DWM without mention of Orca Bay?  8 weeks I think :)  But it's done and the last post was Saturday.  Ah, it's that odd feeling after you finish a Bonnie mystery and think, well what's next??  How can you beat a Bonnie mystery?

On Cyberquilters yahoo group they have curved piecing as the bucket project for Jan.  I secretly LOVE curved seams.  I don't do them very often, but when I do, I LOVE them.  So while surfing the web, trying to get inspiration for quilting Labyrinth (please send me suggestions :) I came across the Montana Cartwheel.    I was in heaven, curves and stars, can it get any better???  Nope.  Well I quickly went to EQ and drew up the block. That was the easy part.  Then kept looking at that crazy pattern to figure out how it all goes together, I couldn't do it.  I ordered the pattern.  But while I was waiting for it to arrive, EQ was calling my name and here's what we came up with.  I call this one Center of my Universe. I need to work on the borders.  But you get the idea.  It took me three tries to get the block right but I think I have it.   Looks like one is missing huh?  I just didn't get that far, but you get the idea.  We'll see if this ever gets done or I just do 4 blocks and make it a trivet for the table.  It's fun. That's my design computer.  If you are interested in the EQ7 file it can be found here

I also started a new quilt that is called Beach Glass from  Quilts made Modern  They had a lovely stash of solids, me not so much.  But I did have a stash of beach glassish fabrics right here.  This is my design basket.  Filled with strings that will turn into strips like these on with gray in between.  I'm in love with gray right now.  I expect you'll be seeing a lot more of it for a while on my blog.  These colors really fit fairly well with the Jan Color Palette Challenge

Oh and one other thing, I am taking my first ever quilt class.  Yep that's right, I'm going back to school.  I'm taking The Quilt Whisperer - QW101!  Having a great time with it.  One more week and I should have some amazing ideas for the kaleidoscope quilt.

Linking up with Judy to see what's all the other design baskets, on the design walls and design computers.  On Tuesday linking up with Quilt Story - Fabric Tuesday.  On Wed there's WIP at Freshly Pieced
All the buttons are on the side bar, you'll be so inspired after visiting all those lovely blogs.

Fun with EQ7

The FMQ challenge has created a monster.  I just can't stop.  I have all my projects for FMQ done, and really felt the need to get another one to practice more.  I had the blocks from a leaders and enders project ready to go, so now I just need to get the back done.  This is boxes in boxes with the left over scraps from my Irish Stars quilt.

I had the block in EQ and tried the Kaleidescope feature and just loved the what came out!!  

I did the same thing with the H2H quilt.  Here's the original and then three of clip and flip version - what fun!!  One block and the wonderful changes that can be done so quickly!!

not sewing but having fun with EQ7

I was so inspired by Jamie's scrappy HST quilt that the minute I saw it, I knew I had to make one.   I love the way she boxes in the stars.   So I put it in EQ7 and just been having a blast with the different options.    Here's what I have so far, which one do you think is best?  I've played with different color options as well, but these are the fabrics I have so this is the color option I have.  One of these days, I'll have to stop playing around and just sew something


This is option 1, I just like the clean lines.

This is Option 2, different corner stars and different center. Hmmm, what is the center???  

Here's option 3, I think I can call the center a star on this one, Well maybe it's a stretch, but I do like it.  And I think I'm really liking the corner stars.

Option 4 is the same as Option 3, but with the blue forming more complete squares between the stars.  I like the clean lines, but the sides now look a bit cut off.

Option 5, The lines are quite as clean, but I don't think it looks cut off.


So, which option do you think is best?????

  Here's the fabrics.  I think there's enough variety to make it scrappy looking.


Don't forget to stop by Sarah's to see what everyone else has done during the week.  

It's done - completely done!

Here's a look at the quilting.  I think I found a good balance on the quilting and didn't go over board.  Mostly it is SITD quilting.  The only place where I didn't SITD was on the blue.  And even then I kept it simple (so unlike me).  I tried to bring the pattern of the radiant beauties to the blue of the log cabins.   I'm pretty happy with it.

Someone asked for the pattern, I have the EQ7 project, if you're interested send me an email and I'll get it off to you.  I also tried to put instructions together for someone who didn't have EQ7, those are available if you are interested as well, the patterns are paper pieced.  Now the standard disclaimer is that I have never done this before and I did it after the fact...I gave it a good try and think for the most part I remembered everything :)  Again if you're interested send me an email I will send you what I have.  Or if you know how to add PDFs to a blog, let me know and I'll just add it to the blog. Thanks to all for the encouragement, it really helped to get it finished!!

I replaced the EQ7 print with the actual quilt in the banner, that felt pretty good.   Another one added to the quilts completed in 2011.  It's done and my husband loves it.  I put a nice flannel on the back which will be oh so cozy for him.  He really was an active participant in the making of this quilt.  I'll make a quilter out of him yet!!

My waiting to be quilted list is still pretty large though, need to get working on that and get those out of the way.

Now on to something very very simply, squares, straight lines, maybe a string block or two...

Sharon at Vroomans Quilts posted a boxes in boxes quilt that I just fell in love with and had to make one.  Her's is bright and cheery.  As you' ve seen from my quilts, I tend to like darker colors, so mine is a little, hmmm, ok a lot darker.  I've been doing this one as a leader and ender project since early Feb.  Finally got all the blocks done and added sashing today.  Oh nice straight easy lines, it was wonderful!!    I hope to move something off the waiting to be quilted list before this one gets added.  I'm hooked on leaders and enders now.  I'm going to do Fair and Square from Bonnie Hunter's new book.  I have a set of 30 of the ugliest fat quarters anyone has every seen.  It was a grab bag and something I'll never do again, but they are lighter colors!  And the squares will be cut up really little. That and string blocks - isn't that what you do with ugly fabric, make string blocks and cut it up really small?

And just for fun I started a bargello quilt. Daughter number 3 wants me to make one for her guy.  We really like her guy, so I'm gonna do it, but wanted to make a small one as practice first.  I didn't have the colors that were supposed to be used and didn't want to buy fabric, so I used what I had.  Here' s the picture of the work in progress and what the pattern looks like.    There was only so much I could do on this one, cuz I really needed easy for a little while.

Well, that was quite a week!!  Don't think this week will have as much sewing in it, but I made up for that this week!  Stop over a Judy's to see what others have on their design wall.

Direction to my Heart top is done - Yippee

Oh that's right the top is completed and it has a name!!  Direction to my Heart, my husband came up with it and I thought it was good.  There were a couple of suggestions that I did really like.

I was going to put the blue as the last border but I consulted my local quilting expert (my husband - who was with all of you on putting the border the way it is now) and he thought the yellow looked better.  I think it looks great.  I can't believe I got the top done!!

And that's not all, I also made my very first quilt label, yep that's right.  So excited.  Well, I have the design done, just need to get to the machine and get that completed, but really it's machine embroidery and will take no time at all.    I did put the date of April 2011 so I really need to get this one quilted and done completely!

Stop by Sarah's to see what every one is whooping about.  And I'm also linking up today at Lynne's "Fresh Sewing Day",   check out what every one has been working on in March.

Design Wall Monday - so close to having the top done!!

Oh I was so close to finishing the top  for my husband's quilt and then, I ran out of green.  All I needed was 13 1.5 x 8.25 inch logs to get that baby done!!  But fell short and the quilt store was closed.  So  what did I do with the rest of my day?  It was certainly too cold here to go out and work in the yard.  You know the days are getting longer which is nice, but it's just not warming up here in the Midwest.  We need some Spring....Since it was so cold and I just needed some easy sewing, I cut the panels for a beautiful Bargello quilt. Ahhh, nice long straight lines.  And when the easy stuff was done I stopped.  I thought I had a pretty good sewing week.

Thanks to all who had suggestions for the border, most of you were with my husband.  He liked option 1and that's what I went with. He loved the comment about being majestic, he now wants me to refer to him as "his highness".  He's wonderful but that's not gonna happen!!

This is the first quilt that I actually want to name and label.  But I have no idea how to name it, and I really need to call it something besides "my husband's quilt".   I want something in the name to be about the compass because he is the greatest influence in the direction of my life and makes it so wonderful.   But then I draw a blank - my whole brain goes white.  Help!!!  Any suggestions for names??

Stop by Judy's  to see what everyone else has on their design wall.

Borders - which one do you think is best?

Option 1

I'm to the last border and once I got it on the design wall, I really wasn't very pleased.  I'm going with the the log cabins, at this point it's really not an option to change, not enough material for a different border.   So what do you think Option 1, 2, 3 or something entirely different (utilizing the log cabin blocks of course).    In the house we are pretty much divided.   I think I know which way I'm going but just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions.  The quilt is very angular and curvy until you get to the log cabins, then it's right angles   and they some how seem out of place to me.  Hmmm going to have to think about this one for a while.

Option 2 

Option 3

Ok, it's started!!! Updated Again

Oh I'm so excited.  I started on my husbands' quilt.  Ok I started working on those little tiny 2 inch diamond in a square blocks and made a little design change.  I think I like the new version better.

It's getting bigger.  Next are the radiant beauties, that may take a while for me!

UPDATE:  Ok so I made my first radiant beauty ever.  Which wasn't all that bad for a first try.  But I may have another design change.  It's a 5.5 inch finished block and that little red curved  seam down in the corner is a bit more that I can handle.  I tried, and I may try it a couple more times.  But I'm thinking if it stays it's a good candidate for applique.   I think I can handle the other curves, but that little tiny one....I'll give it two more tries and then may have to re-think that one.  If anyone has any suggestions for small curved seams I would LOVE to hear them!

One last update before I start a new post - I finished half of the radiant beauties.  The little red curved seams were just too much for me.  I tried applique but then when sewing them together, matching the red semi circle, the orange semi circle and the blue at the top became too much.  I could everything to match except the red semi circle.  So I improvised and added a .25 inch strip of bias strip.  Nothing a little bias strip can't fix!  I swear its like duct tape, fixes everything!  It's not perfect, but I'm not a perfectionist and good enough is ok with me.  And hey I have half of them so I think that deserves a partial Whoop! So what do you think? Does the bias strip look too funny?

Head over to Sarah's to see what everyone is whooping about http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2011/03/can-i-get-whoop-whoop-when-life-hands.html