I'm half way thru December's blocks already. I'll be sure to share pictures of those later this month along with my final kite block and a couple more triangles.
Wishing you all a Happy & Productive December!
every quilt tells a story...
Here is the last block of my Calendar Girls redwork quilt. I'm looking forward to getting the pieced borders added to her next week.
I will begin the assembly process of the quilt top after the New Year when I have time to devote to this project again.
Although I enjoyed this Redwork stitchery project - my new evening project for 2013 will be hand applique'.
Wishing you all a December filled with Peace & Joy!
Well here she is ... Miss November!
I wasn't sure I was going to get her borders done in time, but somehow I did!
The border design is my own version of "Tail Feathers" made with a series of elongated Four X blocks.
It's hard to believe that tomorrow begins the month of December.
Hopefully, I will complete December's block in a more timely fashion. It is the last block of this series and I'm anxious to have it completed.
evey quilt tells a story...
I sent my quilt top off to be longarm quilted a few weeks ago. I knew I'd never have it finished in time for the holidays if I quilted it myself!
I wanted a simple all over design. (referred to as edge to edge quilting)
I didn't want a Holiday pattern because I may choose to display this quilt in my home thru the winter months.
The edge to edge design is called "Windy" and it's just large gentle swirls and curls.
Now it's ready for binding.
Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
I wanted this piece to look like something a quilter from the late 1790's to early 1800's would have pieced.
Each of the tiny half-square triangle blocks sewn into the inside and outside borders measure at just 1/4" square.
Taryn over at ReproQuiltLover is hostessing a wonderful blog link show on miniature quilts so I've decided to join in the fun. Please check out all the wonderful small quilts up for view at this online event!
Tomorrow, I will share one more of my favorite little quilts.
every quilt tells a story...
Here is a picture of my November Calendar girl. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 2-1/2 weeks away!
I have a LOT to be thankful for this year. My family (including my nephew, neices and their families) will be over for dinner this year and I am ever so grateful for us all to be together once again.
Sandy was much kinder to us here in VA - we were very lucky. My thoughts and prayers to all the families in those northern states. I pray for power and shelter as well as kindness and welcoming arms to those in need.
Wishing you all a Thankful November!
My Modern Dear Jane is moving along nicely. I still have some completed square and triangle blocks to upload pictures of and I'll have a dozen more blocks to add to my virtual wall by next week.
That will leave me with just 39 square blocks, 29 triangles and 2 Kites left to finish. I'm starting to feel more confident that I'll make it to the finish line! (grin)
Of course -NO rest for long, as I still have to complete my Civil War Jane too!
every quilt tells a story....
Boy, 6 months have really flewn by! October is our final month of the Vintage Rouge sew-along. I've had a wonderful time posting the monthly tutorials to the Flickr group set up for those that participated in the BOM program.
There are 4 pieced and applique'd blocks in Month 6 - in addition to piecing the quilt top together and adding the fussy cut borders. Here is a picture of 2 of my 4 blocks for the month:
The very first picture shown above is a picture of my finished quilt top. It's hanging off a flannel wall (a bit smaller than the quilt top) I'm excited that it's ready to send off to a longarm quilter for completion. Looking forward to having this quilt on display this very holiday season.
THANK YOU to all who participated in this Sew-Along!
I really enjoyed making 2 of these blocks each month. (one for myself and one for my dear friend SUE) I had a ton of things going on the past few weeks and just never got around to completing the applique' border around little Miss September. At the end of this month I will be sure to share the finishes for my September and October blocks.
I DO have another small Fall finish to share today. Here is a picture of the little 26" square Table Topper that I made.
Last Thursday was the start of Central Virginia's Tour de Quilt shop hop. I was asked to create/design a "small" bonus project using the featured line of Tour de Quilt fabrics. It was the free pattern hand-out at Quilter's Corner - for those that participated in the Shop Hop.
The shop owner decided to sell "kits" of this project during Tour and I was pleased to learn that the kits flew off the shelf every day and on day 3 they ran out of fabric to make more of them. (she immediately ordered more fabric) lol
I was also honored to have been asked to play "Hostess" for 2 days on a tour bus filled with Quilters that participated in the Shop Hop. They were all truly the nicest, most LOVELY women. My friend Gretchen assumed the role of Bus Monitor and we all had a wonderful time!
every quilt tells a story.... 
As promised earlier in the week - here is my finished quick & easy Autumn quilt. My son was sweet enough to hold it up on the front porch for me today so that I could take a picture of it. (we've been dodging raindrops off & on due to late summer storms)
This quilt was made using an autumn themed Jelly roll and 2.5" strips of a background fabric. The pattern is created using just 1 triangle cut repeated over and again. I'm teaching this class at Quilter's Corner on October 26th.
The finished quilt measures 55" x 66" rather than 49" x 60" as the pattern calls for - because I chose to make my outer border wider. Here are the fabrics I chose for my inner & outer borders:
And a close up of some of the center blocks:
What I loved about making this quilt is that it only took about 6 hours to make AND I have enough fabric left over from my strip sets to make either a smaller lap quilt or a large table runner. For those who may be interested, I found the pattern in a great book called Strip Smart Quilts.
I'm hopeful to have 2 more Autumn quilts to share here in October!
every quilt tells a story....
I'm excited to begin the first week of Autumn! Hubby bought me a beautiful jelly roll last month called Give Thanks by Deb Strain for Moda.
In addition - I've purchased 3 yds of a background fabric and cut that into 2-1/2" strips. Now I'm ready to make a super quick & clever Strip Quilt. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished top this week!
every quilt tells a story...
Here is my block for Month #5 of the Vintage Rouge BOM sew-along. It is the center block of the quilt.
I can't believe that 5 months have come and gone already! Next month is the very last part of this BOM program for our group and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's finished quilts. I really loved working on this project!
every quilt tells a story....
I love this time of year! The weather is much more comfortable and those non-stop weekend activities seem to slow down a bit. (at least it does in our house)
One of my favorite memories of September as a child was going to the Orchard and picking enough Apples to fill a basket. This is a tradition that I continued with my own son and now I'm looking forward to my grandson's very first trip to the Orchard later this month.
In addition to making Apple Pies - I LOVE to make my own fresh Apple Cider! YUMMM...!
Wishing you all a Happy & Productive September!
every quilt tells a story...
I decided to design a Storm at Sea border around my August Calendar Girl. With Hurricane Isaac pounding our southern shores - this was definately an appropriate pattern choice.
Although not at all pleased about the hurricane - I think that August's block is my very favorite to date.
every quilt tells a story....
Quite often I am asked how to mirror image a pattern. When paper piecing quilt blocks or working with certain freezer paper or fusible applique' techniques it is often necessary to Mirror Image the block. So here is a guidline/tutorial on When and How to Mirror Image a pattern.
When do you need to Mirror Image? If a block is perfectly symmetric there is NO need to Mirror Image. Here are 2 ways to check - #1 draw an imaginary line down the center of the pattern. Does it look identical on both sides? If the shapes and placement of pieces are not equal then you will need to mirror image. #2 look at the block and then hold it up to a mirror. If the image has changed in any way - such as now the points face left vs right or the red patch is now on the right instead of the left..etc. then you will need to Mirror Image the pattern.
How to Mirror Image - You have several options here:
#1 If you have a graphics program such as Photoshop, Paint Shop etc. you will choose to edit and then FLIP your picture either vertical or horizontally.
#2 Many of today's inkjet printers have the capability to mirror image. If you have a digital read out screen on yours then either find your manual or click onto Properties or Settings in the control panel and begin searching thru your options. You'll be looking for wording such as "mirror output, or flip horizontally".
#3 Here is the easiest remedy - Print your patterns onto Vellum paper or "other" very thin sheer paper. Flip the paper over to the reverse side. Now your image is reversed. Be sure to mark this side as mirror imaged.
I don't have a large printer screen. If I'm working on an applique' piece that is larger than 8.5" and I need to reverse or Mirror Image it - I will either flip the pattern over and trace the reversed images onto freezer paper or I will take the pattern to my local Office Supply store and have them copy it for me.
I hope you find this information helpful!
every quilt tells a story...
I've never been a "Christmas in July" quilter. Something I've often regretted during the holiday season. But I've ALWAYS been an "Autumn in August" quilter. Fall is my very favorite season and I typically make several small Fall projects in August. This year will be no exception. So imagine how excited I was yesterday to receive my very first block kit (shown above)for this amazing quilt:
The pattern is called Baltimore Autumn designed by Pearl Pereira. I will be working on one block a month, along with fellow members of my sit-n-sew group.
I'll be sure to share updates on my block progress later this month - as well as a few small Fall finishes.
every quilt tells a story...
