Awhile ago, I decided I wanted to make Julie a really special gift for her birthday. I decided on a journal similar to my Red Journal as a gift. The date slid as my November and Decembers were pretty busy and it ended up as a Christmas gift.
She is a purple person, so I decided to make the cover from some of my purple scrap. I had quite a few from the Purple quilt, so it wasn’t difficult. However, I got really busy and distracted right before her birthday, so I didn’t finish it. Then December was really busy and I didn’t finish it in time to give it to her for Christmas. I told her about it and promised her it would be done.
I did work on it over the holidays, but in the course of being distracted, I somehow got off track and started making her a new cover out of the fabric I used for the Stepping Stones quilt.
Huh? I know. Not sure what was happening in my mind, but there you have it.
Purple Journal Signature 1
Finally, I stopped working on the cover and turned my attention to the pages. The point is to make signatures (groups of pages). I was going for 12 pages in 2 signatures, which, when folded in half, would give 48 pages total to write or on which to journal.
I have a small stash of random, scrap paper, which I got out and started sewing together. This process ruins the needle for fabric, so I worked on all the pages I needed. As I worked through this process I decided to make two more journals for other gifts and made the pages for those, too.
Purple Journal Signature 2
Since my needle was ruined for fabric anyway, why not? I’ll talk more about those journals later.
You can use any kind of paper, but you shouldn’t use ALL really thick paper. You need to use different weights otherwise it is too hard to bind at the end.
I sewed the various pieces together to make 8.5″x11″ sheets, which I, then, folded in half. Julie will have to use different pens to write on the different papers as some of the papers are shiny and won’t work with roller ball type pens. It will be interesting to see what she does with it.
Purple Journal Back
I have been struggling with what it means to be an art quiltmaker lately (for awhile, actually) and whether I am or not. I think this project puts me firmly in the camp of art quiltmaker.
I always feel a bit abashed that I have a smartphone, but every day I seem to find a cool use for it, especially the camera.
On my lunch hour the other day, I went to buy some sympathy cards and saw this calendar. For those of you following along on the Artquiltmaker/Quilting for the Rest of Us Design Series, I thought this might be a good way to keep design on your mind every day. It isn’t too late to get a calendar!
In addition to the group of gifts I already received, Julie and I had our annual parking lot exchange of Christmas gifts after CQFA last weekend. I gave her the partially done Purple Journal, which seems a bit pathetic after I saw what she gave me!) and she gave me this plethora of quilty goodness.
I want to use the Mary Engelbreit panels to make journal covers. A little Mary Engelbreit in the morning is always a good way to start the day, in my opinion. She also bought me a desk needle threader. Yes, it is getting harder for me to thread my needles. I blame it on poor lighting in my living and work rooms. I am constantly breaking the wire hand held ones, so this will come in handy. The ruler allows the quiltmaker to make wonky 9 patches. Julie and I have started to cut patches for each other. She cut Eye Spy patches for me. I cut Eye Spy patches for her. Now we are cutting Windmill patches for each other.
The final cool thing is a little package of Timtex. Who doesn’t need Timtex? I want to try making a journal using Timtex instead of a manilla folder. We’ll see if it works.
Half Moon Street from TFQ
I am a lucky girl to have a friend who gives me gift certificates for fabric.I think we should all have a friend like that. 😉 I bought this bundle using the Intrepid Thread gift certificate from TFQ. I love receiving gift certificates for fabric. I don’t feel guilty about buying it when I use the gift certificate.
I feel very fortunate to have such nice friends. Still, I can’t help, but look forward to my birthday. 😉
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
CQFA was last Saturday. It was an All Quiltmaking All the Time kind of day, because BAMQG was on the same day. Good, but a bit exhausting.
In December, the Steering Committee got into high gear after the November meeting and decided to change things up a bit for CQFA.
First, we changed our meeting location and met at FabMo. We want to make a sewing mess and the church frowned upon threads and pins. Also, the church cleaners came during the meeting and we were often overcome by fumes created by their strong cleaning products. The gardeners were also there during our morning meetings with their blowers drowning out our discussions. Finally, we wanted to support the great organization that FabMo is. The room was smaller than we are used to, but I think it had good energy.
Next, the schedule was rearranged. Workshops and demos were getting short shrift, because they were last on the agenda. During this meeting the workshop was first, so that people who spent a lot of time preparing a presentation would have a full house. I think it worked beautifully, because when I got there there was a full house of humming sewing machines.
The schedule change was good for me, especially this time, because I had a hard week at work, the drive to CQFA is long and I was tired. I decided not to participate in the workshop this time, so I stayed in bed a little longer and went to the meeting a little later. It worked out fine.
The group was partway through a round robin in a day challenge when I arrived. Maureen was organizing and she was timing people. I think the intervals were about 15 minutes. People came up with great pieces.
Round Robin in a Day pieceRound Robin in a Day piece - detail
I don’t know who belongs to the piece above, but I really liked how someone did stitching using the programmed stitches on their machine. What an effective idea!
Sewing Round Robin in a Day pieces
One of the issues/challenges of this work is that the participants had very little time to add borders or other fabric. As a result, they were very creative in their efforts. I saw Nancy doing hand stitching on one piece and I saw someone else add birds to the birdcages that were already printed on the fabric.
Chris' Round Robin in a Day piece
One of the things I like about CQFA is how creative and fearless people are in their work. Why not? The photo far above is an excellent example. The use of the machine stitching in the turquoise, black and white piece is subtle, yet effective. Above the birds really add a lot to the birdcage piece.
LIz Berg Journal Pages
As you know, I have been working on some journals similar to the Red Journal, so I was very pleased to see Liz Berg‘s work. She had Gessoed and painted the pages and was doing handstitching on them at the meeting. She was using something like Perl Cotton. While I have been in a hand work desert, I have been getting some good ideas for projects to do on the couch.
Dolores
Dolores is cracking the whip on show and tell. No more 20 minutes per person. We had to do this now that the group is growing. I wonder if we will need to start taking applications for membership?
I knew this would happen, so I only brought Kissy Fish. Lots of great work and Caroline brought a wonderful book on using thread. I love Caroline, because she actually reads the books and does what they tell her. She did a bunch of samples of stitches on her machine.
Dolores bought a midarm and has been testing on unquilted pieces in her closet. Lots of friendly jealousy in the room.I wonder if she’ll loan it out? 😉
Was glad to see everyone and get back int he quilty groove. Now I just have to get my worklife settled so I can participate in the workshops!
Just so you know: I borrowed the image from the FunQuilts/Modern Quilt Studio site. All the pertinent details about the magazine are here.
When I first heard about the magazine, I thought it was a great idea. I love Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle’s work and thought that more of them more frequently would be awesome. Then I saw the price (retail price $14 or they will mail you an issue for $15) and that no pattern magazine would be worth the price.
TFQ bought the issue and kindly loaned it to me to peruse. Now I am on the fence rather than being completely negative just because of the price.
First, there is no advertising. I sometimes enjoy seeing ads, but going through ad after ad to find a snippet of content gets old.
As in their books, the patterns aren’t just patterns. Bill and Weeks give alternate color options, which I think encourages people to think outside the color box. They also offer kits, but tell what exact fabrics they used (with manufacturer and stock number) so you can assemble the fabrics yourself. The blurb about each quilt points out areas to which the maker should pay attention such as “Regardless of the colors you choose, maintaining contrast between the field fabric and the ‘stacks’ is essential. Be sure to make a sample block if you’re unsure if there’s enough contrast.” (pg.4)
The patterns are also interesting to read if a person has no plans to make the quilt. The layout is fun as well.
Palette Chasing is an interesting feature. In it they take a photo and create a palette of fabrics from it. In the inaugural issue, they used a photo from the Library of Congress and used solids. I have seen this activity on blogs and on Pinterest and think it would be a good exercise for anyone who wants to learn about choosing fabrics for a quilt.
I also learned something from the section on Plush Fleece backings. I think that I wouldn’t shy away from trying such a backing.
There are definitely aspects of the magazine that would be worthwhile keeping around for future reference.
I have picked up the issue repeatedly to look through a section again, which is a good sign. I am still on the fence, but we will see when issue 2 comes out.
In an isosceles triangle, two sides are equal in length.[2][3] An isosceles triangle also has two angles of the same measure; namely, the angles opposite to the two sides of the same length; this fact is the content of the Isosceles triangle theorem. Some mathematicians define an isosceles triangle to have exactly two equal sides, whereas others define an isosceles triangle as one with at least two equal sides.[3] The latter definition would make all equilateral triangles isosceles triangles. The 45-45-90 Right Triangle, which appears in the Tetrakis square tiling, is isosceles.
In a scalene triangle, all sides are unequal.[4] The three angles are also all different in measure. Some (but not all) scalene triangles are also right triangles.
half square triangle
quarter square triangle
Flying Geese
pinwheel
Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.
The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.
Look for Sandy‘s podcast, which was posted on 1/12/2012. This post is a companion to the podcast and we discuss many examples and I provide a lot of explanations about the information below.
The Design Definition we are using in this series is: Design is a problem solving activity within all the arts, placing or creating subject matter so it is of visual significance and interesting to the artist. (from The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed)
Unity/Harmony are Principles of Design. Unity and Harmony are often combined as one principle. Harmony is used here as another word for Unity.
Definition:
the presentation of an integrated image (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.20)
a design in which “congruity or agreement exists among the elements in a design; they look as though they belong together” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.20)
some visual connection beyond mere chance has caused elements to come together. (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.20)
According to Adventures in Design by Joen Wolfrom, “the backbone of any design is unity,” because it provides stability and control in a design as well as visual comfort. It also clarifies the design (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.97)
“The strength of the composition is that the parts are not there by chance, but that they appear to belong together… The parts don’t have to be the same or have to touch each other; rather, they must make sense together.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.13)
Unity cannot exist without other closely related elements and principles (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.97), which means that this is probably the principle where we will discuss the most other elements and principles.
“Unity of design is achieved by the arrangement of the lines, shapes, colors, values textures and patterns that are used.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.13)
Methods of creating Unity are below:
The Grid
a checkerboard pattern using only black and white fabrics has complete unity. There is a “constant repetition of shape and obvious continuation of lined-up edges.” This design, however, can be a bit boring. (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.34)
Many, many quilts have an underlying checkerboard pattern (blocks)
a checkerboard pattern using black, white and two kinds of grey adds in some variety to the basic checkerboard theme
a checkerboard pattern using black, white and two kinds of grey where rectangles are added to,” OR replace some of, “the squares creates even more variety while still using a basic grid. There is an “obvious, underlying feeling of unity, yet variations enliven the pattern.” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.34)
“shapes may repeat, but perhaps in different sizes; colors may repeat, but perhaps in different values.” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.34)
Unity through Repetition
“Repetition is another way to create unity in a quilt design. The repetition of an element in a composition can tie the whole together, creating a relationship among the elements.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15)
“…repetition of an element creates visual rhythm.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15) Static rhythm, alternating rhythm and progressive rhythm have an effect on unity through repetition, but we will cover that when we cover the Principle of Rhythm.
Variety is achieved by position (straight set or on point), size and difference in proportion (e.g. all star blocks, but not the same size star blocks) of the features. (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.36)
“Variation or contrast with unity creates a stronger design than unity alone.” (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.99)
“Variety creates increased interest in a design.” (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.99)
porch posts or stair rails are another example. Certain standard measurements repeat while a variety of carving vary the sections of each column. (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.36)
“Repetition in design is simply repeating one or more elements. Every element does not need to be repeated. If too many elements are repeated, predictability, visual monotony, and disinterest can result.” (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.97)
“When elements of a design have a similar shape, we automatically create a visual relationship among them.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.14)
“Variation is added through the shifting of motif shapes;” “our eyes are most interested in the place where the pattern is interrupted.” (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.99)
“To say a design must contain both the ordered quality of unity and the lively quality of variety does not limit or inhibit the artist. The principle can encompass a wide variety of extremely different visual images and can even be contradicted for expressive purposes.” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.38)
Subtle repetition can enhance the unity of composition. By using subtle repetition, the artist draws the viewer in to look more carefully for differences. (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.38)
consider identical twins. When looking at a photo of identical twins, the eye seeks out the differences. The same can be said for a one block quilt. If the quiltmaker chooses subtle variations in color, the viewer will seek out the differences even if the block is the same.
“Unity without variety can evoke our worst feelings about assembly lines and institutions.” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.38)
Emphasis on Variety (difficult to explain in words, because it is easier to see a visual example!)
Star quilt where none of the star patterns are the same.
Quilt where none of the blocks are the same, but the colors unify the piece
Chaos & Control
“without some aspect of unity, an image or design becomes chaotic and quickly ‘unreadable’. (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.42)
design can also become lifeless or dull (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.42)
“neither utter confusion nor utter regularity are satisfying” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.42)
housing subdivisions often start out boringly the same, but as years pass elements of personal variations crop up (landscaping, paint color, fence style, etc) (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.42)
Bridging
Bridging is used to gently move the eye from one extreme to another. (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.103)
considered a ‘principle’ by Joen Wolfrom, but is more of an element under unity for our purposes.
Color is often used for bridging. (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.103) Color gradation often shows up in quilts (consider my Fabric of the Year series). Moving from light to dark can add great drama to a design. (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.103)
Size gradation is also compelling. Moving across your quilt from a large shape to a small shape can create variety and interest. (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.104). It kinds of looks like this series of rectangles
A quiltmaker can also change the configuration of shapes such as going from a vertical thin rectangle through a square to a thin, horizontal rectangle. (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.105)
Unity through Proximity
“One of the easiest ways to tie elements of a design together is to place them close to each other.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.13)
“Make sure the objects in your design are close enough that they have a visual bond – a visual relationship. Objects need to be in close proximity for unity” (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.105)
Different shapes can be placed in such a way that they have no unity, but shapes can also be placed in such a way that suggests a meaning. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.14)
Tidal Flat by Inge Mardal and Steen Hougs uses proximity well.
“Our eyes also organize the empty spaces in a design. The foreground or positive shapes are surrounded by the background, also called negative space.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15)
“…the artist has to be aware that the shapes in the foreground create shapes in the background that can confuse the viewer, or dominate the positive shapes. Traditional pieced quilts often use this principle to add complexity to a design.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.15)
Movement
Repeating an object’s shape across the design creates movement when the repetition gives the eye the opportunity to move across the design. (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.106)
Unity through Continuation
“…the arrangement of various elements in the composition so that their edges create a visual line. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.18)
“Quilts often employ a grid as an underlying structure that gives the blocks unity through the principle of continuation.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.18)
Achieving Unity
“One way to tie the foreground and background together is to repeat a color in both the positive and negative spaces.” (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.20)
This means that perhaps you have a batik with gold running through the predominantly black fabric. By appliqueing gold leaves to the background fabric, you have moved in the direction of creating unity. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.20)
If your quilt has large yellow areas, you can quilt with yellow Perl cotton to help achieve unity. In this example, there must be contrast as well. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.20)
The balance of positive and negative space can also work to your advantage in creating unity. (The Quilter’s Book of Design, 2d ed, pg.21-22)
Un-unified or Un-harmonious Designs
the whole design or the group elements appear separate or unrelated.
A viewer will ignore a chaotic design (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.24)
“lack of unity is one of the major reasons a design is unsuccessful. Too much variety creates visual chaos. If not repetition exists, there is nothing to hold the design together.” (Wolfrom, Adventures in Design, pg.98)
this quote brings orphan block quilts to mind. These are difficult quilts to design, because of the variety included. The artist must create something to hold the group together such as unified sashing, a color that flows throughout the piece, etc.
Notes:
“in the application of any art principle, wide flexibility is possible within the general framework of the guideline” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.38)
“To say a design must contain both the ordered quality of unity and the lively quality of variety does not limit or inhibit the artist. The principle can encompass a wide variety of extremely different visual images and can even be contradicted for expressive purposes.” (Pentak & Lauer, 5th ed. pg.38)
Stars for San Bruno #1
A kind of Star Sampler is my Stars for San Bruno #1 quilt.
Here we are again, talking all things quilty (but not very often geeky. Go to Hip to be a Square podcast for that 😉 ).
Did you get any time off over the holidays?
Was it just another week at the office with less help from the people (like me) out partying?
What are your quilt plans for 2012? Sandy has put herself squarely into the quilt resolutions department and you can join her in that endeavor, too.
Quilt World News
Be*mused has a lovely post about the opening of a fiber art exhibit in Cleveland, which I found to be interesting.
Sandy, of Quilting for the Rest of Us fame, also talks about her idea of the Slow Quilt Movement. Are all of your quilts fast and easy? Are you ready for something different?
Stash Books has a new bag book. Do I need it? Perhaps. I just bought Sew Serendipity Bags with a gift card I received for Christmas, so I will probably wait. The blog also have an interview with the author. Within the post is a link to a Flickr gallery with photos of the projects. I like the Vespa bag.
We do Christmas pajamas in our family, too. Each “child” in the Young Man’s generation receives a pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve. Originally, it was to get small children into pjs before putting them in the car for the long ride home. One less thing to do when arriving home late. It is fun to see the cousins (my Young Man’s generation), ages 32 down to 5, wearing new pajamas on Christmas Eve. No Big Dill made her group’s pajamas. She is a better person than I am. I have not had the heart to tackle knit and elastic for making pajamas. She has a lot of interesting sewing tutorials, too.
Rhonda participated in BDSI (a lot of the tweets are too old to see on Tweetchat and Twitter) and was one of the winners of the things I was giving away. She received the pattern and posted about it. I hadn’t had a chance to visit her blog before and was really happy to do so. She posts a lot and has a variety of things on her blog. Check out the Grateful Stitcher!
Creativity
I have been working on updating my creative prompt responses. Vacation, laziness and the Young Man’s appointment being cancelled have wrought havoc on the time I usually spend sketching. I need to get back in the saddle! I saw the Doodlemum blog (from Twitter!) and her sketches inspired me. What are you doing to inspire creativity?
Not too long ago, Frances asked, in one of her podcast episodes, about making pieced backs and whether there was a tutorial.
I didn’t look for one, but I knew I had a back to make soon (for the Stepping Stones), so I thought about taking the opportunity to make a tutorial.
As I have mentioned in the past, once the top is finished, I am done with the project and want to move on. I love piecing. The other parts, such as making the back, making the binding and label, quilting are all dull for me. However, I have found that the Finishing Fairy does not visit my house and I have to do my own finishing or finish by checkbook.
My first step was figuring out how I make the pieced back. The basic premise is easy: sew pieces of fabric together until you have a piece large enough to accommodate the quilt.
What I realized is that it isn’t quite as easy as a step 1, step 2, etc tutorial. I sew bits and pieces together as I am making the quilt that end up larger when I am ready to sew the back together. You aren’t going to have the same size pieces as I have. So, this will be more like a guide rather than a tutorial.
I am a firm believer in not buying new fabric just for the back. Yes, it would be easier, but I have a lot of fabric and I might as well use it. I try to use the largest pieces possible as well as the pieces I have sewn together while making the quilt.
The first thing I do is make a label. I make my labels using a word processing program (Google Docs would work just fine) and then I print the piece out on paper backed fabric. I have also used the stitch letters on my sewing machine to write out a label.
The label will be sewn into the back, so as soon as I peel the fabric off the paper I start sewing. Know your paper backed fabric and ink so that you know whether the ink will wash out immediately, over time, or not at all. I use fabric backed paper from Dharma Trading Company and my regular ink jet printer.
Tip #1: larger pieces make the back go together faster
When I made the back for FOTY 2010, I purposefully used really large pieces. That was the best back experience of my life, because it went together really fast. I suggest you start out this way with pieced backs so you don’t lose your mind. This is your fair warning!
Tip #2: As with blocks, sew from smallest to largest.
I start with the label and surround it with fabric until I have about 1.5′ from the right hand side of the back and about the same from the bottom.
I sew the label into the back so if a quilt is stolen, the label cannot be ripped off without ripping out the quilting.
Tip #3: Plan to leave extra fabric around the edge if you want to longarm. 4″ on all sides is usually sufficient.
Once I have one corner completed, I sew across the bottom of the quilt back until I have a piece the desired width. I make the width generous as I don’t want to go back when I think I am finished and have to sew on a strip to a long edge.
Tip #4: Coordinate your backing fabric with the fabric pieced into the front.
I use fabric that will coordinate with the front, though it isn’t necessarily the same fabric. If I have a lot of leftovers that I don’t think I will use in another quilt, such as in Stepping Stones, then I will use the leftovers for the back.
Tip #5: Leaders and enders techniques make the process of sewing the back go faster.
Where possible I will sew smaller pieces/shards (not schnibbles! I am not advocating doing something that will send you to an insane asylum) of fabric together using Bonnie Hunter’s leaders and enders technique. Now, I have not taken a class from her, so visit Quiltville, Bonnie’s blog or buy her books to learn her methods. My idea is that I put pieces/shards through the machine after the regular pieces for my top so I can get those to ironing board for pressing faster (discussed previously in this post). Also, this alleviates the need to put a scrap piece of fabric through the machine to keep your feed dogs from eating your triangle corners. Finally, it minimizes scraps added to the scrap pile.
Red Journal – Closed
As I have discussed on different occasions, I call the end result of sewing bunches of scraps together randomly mosaic quilting. I use the leaders and enders method to facilitate the mosaic quilting result. I made the entire cover of the red journal by using the leaders and enders method to get a mosaic quilting piece. I enjoy sewing like colors together to make new fabric. If I have nothing else to do or I can’t think or I am stressed out, it is a good activity.
How does this relate to pieced backs?
Mosaic Quilting for Pieced Backs
I do the same thing, but on a larger scale. When I am finished piecing the top and am definitely working on the back, I find pieces that fit together and sew them. When I am piecing the top, I sew the smaller pieces into larger pieces and then use the larger pieces for the back.
Mosaic Quilting for Pieced Backs
Tip #6: Skip sewing small pieces together if you have not done so prior to finishing the top.
I just want to finish, so if I have not sewed smaller pieces into larger chunks prior to starting the back, I skip it. It drives me crazy to have to stitch little bits together for no other reason than making a back. Why this doesn’t bother me when I am using them as leaders and enders, I don’t know.
Tip #7: Backstitch
Any seam that will be on the outside of the quilt or not crossed by another seams gets a few back stitches. All of my handling rips out those stitches and then I have to go over them before giving them to my longarmer. To alleviate the process I backstitch. I backstitch more than just the outside seams as sometimes I don’t know what will become an outside seam.
Finally, I sew chunks the same width as the first chunk (with the label) until I have a piece the same size as the top with an additional 4″ on each side. Depending how how small the pieces are, the back can take me 4-6 hours. I am slow, and get cranky when I do this.
Alternatively, you can just buy a big piece of fabric and put it on the back. 😉
Yes, squares on top. You can cut squares, I guarantee it. And, of course, more rectangles. I think rectangles are definitely underrated in Quiltlandia.
This blocks calls for 5 fabrics, but you could put the same fabric on the two outer bottom rectangles.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
The BAMQG meeting was yesterday. I was lazy and didn’t blog as much for them over the holidays as I should have. I blame the cold I had. I am having a hard time getting back into the swing.
Thanks for your Service
2011 Officers with Gift Bags
The 2011 Officers did a great job. I kind of nudged people to get some gifts together. People really ran with the idea, which was great.
Kathleen's Gift BagSara's Gift Bag
A few people made bags and everyone else added little bibs and bobs to create nice gift bags. It was nice not to make all the bags and I enjoyed seeing the different patterns and fabrics that the bag makers used.
I made the purple bag which ended up with Kathleen. The bits and pieces were nice to look at. Rhonda had put together the parts that we solicited from other members.
Some of the things in the bags were pins, fat quarters, needle cases, the Joen Wolfrom Design ratio tool, disappearing pen, grip dots, scarves, machine sewing needles, Invisigrip and many other fun things.
Ruth and Adrianne were really busy and I wasn’t able to get photos of their gift bags. Check the BAMQG blog and perhaps I will be able to post some photos there.
A-B-C Challenge
We have five participants who brought blocks for the A-B-C Challenge this time. Angela was too busy to make her Hawaiian versions, but I am sure she will bring some next time. 😉
Some people brought both G and H, others brought G, some of us brought all of our blocks. Kathleen and I have done a number of the same blocks and it is fun to see how different they look in the different sizes and fabrics.
January A-B-C Challenge Blocks
Glacier Bay
This is my G block for the A-B-C Challenge. It is called Glacier Bay and is from Around the Block Again by Judy Hopkins (pg.68). It is also a 6″ block and I cut nearly every piece a little bigger and then trimmed. It still came out a bit wonky, but I like the general effect. I think it would make a really cool secondary pattern if I put many of them together.
I don’t remember ever seeing this block before. Lynette has the 501 Rotary Cutting Blocks version of Around the Block, which I thought had ALL the blocks from the three books, but Glacier Bay was not in it.
Hovering Hawks
I am really like this challenge as it allows me to make one block rather than a whole something every month. Kathleen wants to speed the challenge up a bit, so we will be doing two letters each month for the rest of the year. Next month are I and J.
I am resolved to make the blocks sharpish rather than waiting. I have even thought of making the rest of the alphabet all at once and being done with it. I have a sashing idea that I got from Pam. I am thinking about starting adding the sashing as I go along so that I won’t have to do all the cutting at once. We’ll see.
Question of the Month
Rhonda creates the QotM and this month it was: “What are your quilt resolutions?” Most were normal resolutions about finishing and curbing buying, but some were really interesting. I wrote them out as people said. These aren’t my resolutions, necessarily.
use more than I buy
finish one project before starting another
buy less fabric
use scraps to make scrap quilts
finish virtual swaps and bees projects
teach
quilt one per month on the longarm
take sewing machine to be serviced
end year with 5 fewer UFOs than the year started with
improvise
organize so sewing does not take over house
make something from solids
stop fearing binding
make one charity quilt
bring something to show and tell
spend more time with real people than with sewing machine
trust the experience I am feeling
don’t buy fabric I don’t like
make husband a quilt
documenting quilts (labels and such)
be liberated and wonky
use orange and yellow
start a quilt/craft blog
make mom a quilt
try curved piecing
re-sort/organize fabric
finish husband’s quilt
plan less and do more
Charity Quilts
Art Gallery Fabrics offers a bag of scraps free for people who will be using the scraps to make charity/donation quilts. Contact Pat Bravo for details. I don’t have her email address, but Art Gallery has a page on FB so, perhaps, you can inquire there.
Deborah made a version of Elizabeth Hartman’s Mod Mosaic quilt with scraps (quite large scraps, actually) from Pat Bravo. What a nice idea.
Postage stamp-type block
Two quilts were finished. A very large number of the postage stamp kits from the December meeting were turned into blocks and returned. I only took one kit last time, but took several during this meeting.
Schnibbles for Cat Beds
Sadly, Amanda has too many scraps and will hold off taking any more until she has made more cat beds. She said that her garage is being overrun. She really needs help making the actual cat beds.
Angela and I were able to spend a few minutes chatting. I spent a lot of the sewing time chatting and looking at what other people were doing. I couldn’t be bothered putting up a table to work on my own projects, an action I will regret later.
