Trying Something New

When Weeks Ringle spoke to the KC Modern Quilt Guild last month, I was quite taken with the quilts she showed us.....the few that I photographed that evening (below) were just a handful of the ones we saw.  Beautiful!

Weeks even passed the quilts around so we could touch them and see them up close.  She talked about her quilting background and process and technique--all fascinating.  Binding the quilts was one of the things that caught my attention--it is a one-step machine sewn binding--and it turns out there are directions for this method in the latest book out by Weeks and her husband Bill Kerr, Transparency Quilts.  It also turns out that I recently purchased their book when I learned that Weeks was coming.

Now, in the past, I haven't had much luck with bindings sewn down by machine.  Granted, I haven't practiced much, which is probably one reason it ended up looking so sloppy--especially the back since you're stitching it down from the front.  But this method made sense to me, more than others had, and I wanted to try it.

I decided to whip up something small and quick, a mug rug (8.5" x 7"), then started on the binding.  You use a bias tape maker (although the fabric strip doesn't have to be cut on the bias), fold it in half and iron it,

slip it over the edge of the quilt, pin and stitch.

It felt a little fiddly at first, especially around the corners, but the directions are clear and easy to follow. I think it looks pretty good on the front...

...and on the back.

By the way, have you tried these Wonder Clips? I preferred the straight pins for this project, but I use the clips on my binding when I'm hand stitching it to the back and I love them!

Marilyn

Seriously?!!

I can hardly believe I won these...

A full fat quarter bundle of Zen Chic's "Juggling Summer" and "OHO" quilt pattern--an absolutely lovely surprise from a giveaway on bon bon atelier's blog!!  Bon Bon has a beautiful shop right here in Kansas City......and to them I say, THANKS SO MUCH!!!

 

Marilyn

phwoooh!!

That's me blowing the dust off my little blog:) Time flies, doesn't it? And life goes on! But enough of that...I'm on summer break! Liam's mommy is off work until August 1st, so I am too.

My first summer project is actually one I started on winter break. I finished my string blocks yesterday,


one hundred of them, and I laid them out on the floor this morning.



I really like it, but I really like scrappy quilts! I think it will end up measuring about 65" x 65" and could be a good picnic quilt. Sooo, off to the sewing room for me--I only have eight weeks to catch up on some projects, lol!!

Marilyn

No Prints Allowed Challenge

At the KC Modern Quilt Guild meeting last week, I showed the quilt top I made for our No Prints Allowed Challenge...


The challenge started in December with Kona Solids charm packs...one hundred of them, one for each member, generously donated by Robert Kaufman. We got to choose from classic colors, brights, pastels, darks and, my choice, dusty.


We could use our approximately 44 - 5" squares to make any patchwork project, any size, but at least part of every charm in the pack needed to be in it somewhere. I used all of the fabric to initially make a series of 'flying geese'...


They stayed on the coffee table and I continued to move them around for about two weeks until I was safisfied with my design.


We were allowed to use additional fabric as long as it was a solid. I added a medium gray and a dark gray.


The sun from our living room window was making it difficult to photograph the quilt top. But while I was waiting for it shine elsewhere, I noticed this view from the back--kind of a stained glass look;)


You can see more KCMQG challenge quilts in the flickr group, and several from the LA Modern Quilt Guild also...enjoy!

Marilyn

More Scrapbusting

In my move towards using up fabric scraps this year, my Scrapbusters Challenge 2011 is coming along nicely and feels really good each time I crank out another block!

So now, I've decided to add a second project that uses scraps and joined up with sarah and molly's free piecing study. There were a few other things I needed to complete before starting, but I'm all caught up...

January Mondo Bird block:

January Log Cabin House block:

and only one block for February, a Heart:

The study goes through October and we'll then have 15 completed blocks for a quilt. All of the blocks are 10.5 inches square, but I've been thinking I may add a white border to each one to make them 12 inches, finished.

I'm trying not to overthink the blocks, which isn't so easy for me at times and another good reason for taking on this project!

Marilyn

I'm not calling it a New Year's Resolution...

...but it could be. The invitation behind Scrapbusters Challenge 2011 is to use up fabric scraps...for me, it's those pieces that accumulate after sewing projects and are tossed into a basket where they mysteriously multiply and take up precious craft room floor space.

When, in fact, those scraps can be turned into patchwork pieces like these:



These blocks were inspired by a post in the flickr group linking to this beauty. And it's really quite relaxing--I just grab strips of fabric to sew together without much thought at all, trim the block to size and move on to the next one.

There are photos in the flickr group of projects other members have completed using fabric scraps. It's quite amazing, really.

Marilyn

Merry Christmas to You;)

Sending Happy Holiday wishes with a photo of my recently completed (as in yesterday-recent) bitty blocks mini quilt---made using adorable 3.5" blocks I received in the Traditional Christmas Bitty Block swap!

May hope, peace, joy and love surround you this season and always.

Marilyn xo

Seussisized.....

Liam loves books...

Liam really loves Dr. Seuss books...

Liam turned ONE last weekend...and the theme for his party? Dr. Seuss, of course;)

Oooohhhh, I said to his mother, I've seen some new Dr. Seuss fabrics recently that are colorful and fun--surely we can think of something to do with them!!


We decided on a cover for the gift table, and that worked out beautifully, but after the party, it could transform into a quilt for the Seuss lovin' boy.

Liam and his book nook...

Seussisized!!

Marilyn

Another Doll Quilt Swap 9 Post-----

This time to show you what I sent to Anita. The front...


It was really fun "stalking" Anita for ideas as I was planning the doll quilt I wanted to make for her. We have a lot of the same likes, which includes the color red and that is where I started.

This is the back...


I loved that little girl fabric but had a hard time making a lot of it work on the front--how nice that quilt backs have moved away from plain muslin only!

I shared with Anita that I was initially a little nervous when I learned that I'd be making her DQS9 quilt. She is a very talented and accomplished quilter, you see. But I decided to trust the process and follow my intuition and that seemed to work. Anita was very pleased with it;)

Another mini quilt completed with 3.5 inch blocks. The Bitty Block Committee swap theme this time was "Red, Yellow and Blue".


Some darling little blocks, don't you think?
This one is mine...


These bitty block swaps have become so addictive, and FUN!

Marilyn

Doll Quilt Swap 9 Received!!

I planned for my next blog post (this one) to be about Hoop Up! Round 2 and the embroidered blocks I've stitched so far.....but I received my Doll Quilt Swap 9 package Thursday evening and I couldn't wait to share it with you!!!

All the way from Vancouver, BC, Canada, Janet created "Birds of a Feather", a gorgeous masterpiece of a doll quilt, for me! I am so in love with it and it is perfect in every way! Can you believe the incredible quilting she did on it?!


I swear she is the best "stalker" ever! Doll Quilt Swap is a secret swap--we don't know who is sending to us until the little quilty arrives. To learn about our partner and their likes/dislikes, swappers can secretly check out/"stalk" the partner's flickr photostream and blog (if they have one). Janet definitely got it right when she chose colors and design based on what she learned about me! Amazing!


She also sent a quilt pattern that I love and can't wait to make and a bundle of beautiful fabrics. And a mug rug, the greatest mug rug, so pretty it makes my morning coffee taste better than ever!


When Janet completed my quilt, she blogged about the process here. It's really fun to see her photos all together in one post.

Janet, I cannot thank you enough...here I am, two days later, still gushing, lol! Although, really, who wouldn't be?!

Marilyn

Happy Quilts...

Actually, as I think about it, I've yet to meet a quilt that isn't happy--it's kind of the nature of a quilt. That said, look at this little piece of happiness.


It's made with the 3.5" blocks I received from The Bitty Block Committee swap. The theme was "picnic/bbq". Everyone's blocks turned out so cute that I couldn't wait to get them put together. 3.5 inches...amazing, right?

And how about the fabulous quilty Cindy sent to me for the "Landscapes" swap?!


She titled it "The Hour of Bird Song", that hour right before dawn when you can still see stars in the sky but all the birds have started singing.

Hand quilted. Beads.


Beautiful batiks. Strips of chenille (that Cindy created herself).


And generosity...threads and fabric for my stash and chenille pieces for me to try out.


It was a such a good.....no, great, mail day! And this is the landscape quilt I made and sent to Cindy...


I named it "Lavender Fields", inspired by a friend's vacation photo--one of her sitting on a lovely deck with a glass of wine and mounds of lavender in the background. I would call that a fine vacation moment!

I also want to share with you the name of an incredible textile artist. Kim Eichler-Messmer spoke at the KC Modern Quilt Guild meeting last week. She is fun and innovative and her work is gorgeous! She talked about how she came to work with textiles and how she is inspired. It was fascinating. You can see her work on her website and her blog.

Marilyn

English Paper Piecing: Hexagons

I think everyone is making hexagons. {Handsome} Hexies, a flickr group, shows us that at least 470 have taken up this addictive pastime!


Twice this summer I've made a short three day visit someplace. One might think that three days away from crafting and/or sewing is no big deal. So I'm not sure what it says about me that, even for that short amount of time, I felt it necessary to take handwork with me and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try these hexagons.

I found a tutorial from The Sometimes Crafter and discovered a wonderful way to pass the time while riding in the car.

And I haven't stopped since, can't stop! Like I said, it's addictive!

I'm making 2" hexies...


and 1" hexies...


And I'm not alone. Or rather, I like to think I'm in good company. Britt has posted tips on joining hexagons left in comments from her readers. She asked to use one of my photos for her blog post---she's moving and all of her hexagons are packed up---and in her email to me she happened to mention that it's driving her crazy not having something to do with my hands! Sounds familiar:)

This is how I store and travel with everything I need. I bought this inexpensive storage container. I like it because the sections come apart and it's easy for me to work directly out of them.





When I want to take my hexagons with me someplace, the sections stack up and snap together securely...and the container fits perfectly in my KC Modern Quilt Guild tote--cool, huh?


Are you looking for a reason to give hexagons a try? Or a reason to make more?!

Sign ups have just started for a Modern Holiday 2 1/2 inch square swap. This is the size used for the 1" hexagons in The Sometimes Crafter's tutorial. Send 50 of the same fabric squares and receive back 50 different fabric squares for making something really wonderful for the holidays. ETA 8-11-10: Swap cancelled...perhaps to be offered at a later date.

Marilyn

Quilt Blocks In - Quilt Blocks Out

It seems I've been making a few quilt blocks recently...

For the Modern Siggy Swap, I sewed up one hundred and one 4.5" squares and signed them with my name, city and state.

In return, I received these!


All made with modern fabrics and all different -- from all over the US, Canada and Australia. I can't wait to start playing with them!!

Two of my virtual quilting bees finished up last month but there is still lots of fun going on in Bee Obsessed! Sara requested orange and pink asterisks for July -- 9.5, 6.5 or 3.5 inch blocks. I got so caught up in them that I ended up making all three sizes. I think I enjoyed the two smaller sizes the most.


KC Modern Quilt Guild started a project last month making baby quilts for the NICU at St. Luke's of KC. The goal is to complete 15-20 quilts by mid-October.

We could sign up for blocks in any of four color schemes:

blue/red/green/yellow
blue/orange
pink/green
purple/lavender/brown/white

I chose to make 3 blocks each in pink/green.....




and purple/lavender/brown/white.....




It was fun to work with girly colors and patterns...I've been limited to colors and patterns geared to boys lately;) But don't you worry, sweet grandbabies, that's no complaint;))))

Marilyn