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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Threadheads Bee Block & Instructions

I chose a block I found in this awesome book full of ideas Block Party.

If you have the book I am looking at page 54, Sliding By, for my inspiration.  I like to look at the pictures, I'm not big on reading directions in these things.  So I ran into a couple of snags.  

These are the fabrics I am working with.  Most of these come from the Joel Dewberry line Aviary 2.  Very pretty.

This is what you'll get, a triangle and some strips of different widths, enough for 2 blocks.

This is the first strip attached to the long edge of the triangle.  The strips can go on in any order, and though the book has these strips some going wonky, I would like to keep them straight.  The different widths will be enough of a wonk for me on this one.   The first strip had to be pretty long.  I will send a few long so you can chose.

Now here comes the tricky part - I only half assed read the directions in the book.  I'm sassy like that.  There was something about freezer paper in there.  So I went out and bought freezer paper.  Do you know that not every store carries this, and sometimes the box isn't wide enough to use for a 12.5" block?  I actually used my 12.5" square ruler, but I supposed not everyone has 2 of those and here comes the freezer paper part.  I am sending you a 12.5" square of this stuff with a line down the diagonal.  You can line this up with the center sew line and then line up your next piece to be attached.  I tried to skip this step with my first block, and I discovered I added way too long of strips if I didn't line up with the square or the freezer paper.  So this step will save some fabric and some of you your sanity.  

Also, yeah, pin the next piece, because you'll remove the freezer paper and then the next strip just won't look like it's in the right place.  Please, learn from my errors.  I make them for you. 

I'm in a 'seams open' phase.  Please press your seams open, and if you would shorten your stitch length to 2.0 or so.  Thank you.  I was taught that, I don't use it much, buy my Mother may read this.  

Ok, all the strips are attached, and cut off the excess.  This is where a square will come in real handy, you can use the freezer paper as a template to carefully trim, if you can figure out how.  

Now somehow, I will figure out how the Sparrows fabric fits into this, I will just have to, you know, have more blocks to see how it looks on the wall.  Thanks peeps, you rock.  Or sew, whatever.  

Monday, June 27, 2011

Circle Quilts

Once again, I'm returning to my gigantic, really, actually just disgusting amount of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  Choose your color palette, I'm sure I have it.  I could go on a Kaffe Fassett hoarders show.  Soon there will be new lines in the Kaffe Fassett eye candy line, so I must use up this stash, (there is no way I can use it all up over the summer).  Plus, I REALLY loved this blue.  It's a Kona, not sure anymore what and too lazy to go look at the color card right now, and you'll see why  later.  But it was what I started with, and an idea about the circles.  
 Cut out all these circles from the Kaffe selections.  I did another circle quilt a few months ago, and it was structured, I wanted to have something a little more improv.  And this was what I was coming up with in my mind.

The hardest part about putting this top together was picking a border.  Because in my mind it all came together so effortlessly.  I tried all different fabrics from the palette, these borders were the cut outs form the circles, but this wasn't working for me.  And now I have a bunch of these squares with holes in them.  

 Finally, I decided, it was the background color which wasn't working.  The blue was what I started with, and I had to change it to make anything for this top work.  I was forcing the blue, and all the Kaffe's co-ordinated with the blue, and I loved the blue,  and I promise I will use you in something else blue!  but I felt this Kona grey worked better.  (Also too lazy to go look up color, but if you want it, I can find it.)

Next was getting all these circles attached.  I didn't want them to all be fused, but I used a little strip of fusing to try to keep them down in one spot.  This was more difficult than it sounds.  I dropped several circles off in the move from design board to iron, until I finally realized I could pin the circles in place until I tacked them down.  Oh.  Something someone who has been piecing for a number of years should have picked up on right away.  

I would stitch down a top circle, then move to the larger background circle.  In hindsight I should have used stabilizer, the circles would have stayed in place better.  I swear I have sewn before!  And on quilts!  My brain wasn't moving too fast on this one.  I will see after quilting how wonky this top turns out.  

Working on the background.  I had a lot of squares left over that were going to be then cut into circles, but weren't, so I used these for the pieced back.  I used up  lot of these Kaffe Fassett prints that are in the circles.  So the pile of this color palette is much smaller, it might even need replacements!  Sigh.  


The inner border is a Kona Navy (maybe), something dark blue and it is a Kona.  

The pieced back, I almost like it more than the top.  I have the quilt pinned, it laid on the floor, already pinned for a week.   I had much graduation parties going on last week.   It's the only quilt pinned, so I guess she will be quilted next.  

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Who can't wait for curling?

And the theme for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia - Patchwork Quilting!!   I've always wanted to be a part of the Olympics!  

Monday, June 6, 2011

Boom. Done. Got. That Done.

Yes, Finally.  I got that binding on.  I't's been sitting, prepared for at least 2 months.  I just sat down, Saturday and got that baby on.  Felt. So. Good.
PInk Rows Finished
My patient husband, finished with the patience.  Thanks honey! 

Oh, my word.  Had many Bee blocks to do!  Aqua and 'Orange' Bee - she wanted Red instead, and I love the red, sweetie!

Arrghh!  Waverunner.  No, really it was simple, here is a tutorial we used!

My very special Christmas Tree block for a Christmas Fabrics Bee.  This Bee has the most talented quilters.  

There, been a busy Bee'r and ticking things off the list.