Doodling Around

by Dawn Posted on May 15, 2016

Remember this block?

Mini Rings block 800 11.5 in

It’s the test block I made back in January using the mini Quick Curve Ruler — known as the QCR Mini — and Mini Rings pattern designed by those Sew Kind of Wonderful sisters. I’ve been wanting to make a Mini Rings quilt since the ruler and pattern were introduced last fall. I’m using the fabrics you see above in another quilt so that one block was as far as I got.

Time to try another one. For my second test block, I did something different. Instead of making the rings from four fabrics in a strip set, as the pattern instructs, I used one large print, a wonderful black and white and yellow floral I found last summer at a quilt shop in Central Oregon. Having bought the fabric for its possibilities in a kaleidoscope quilt, I was reluctant to cut a chunk out of it just to test my theory that it might look good in something else.

So I didn’t cut into it. Not at first. I placed the fabric on my printer screen and took a color photo of it:

fabric Studio 8 for Quilting Treasures-001

Then I cut the paper into rings, just as if it were fabric, using the QCR Mini:

Mini Rings test paper

I liked what I saw so I went ahead and cut enough fabric to make one block. Here it is:

Mini Rings test block yellow

I liked the block . . . but not quite enough to make an entire quilt out of it.

I tried again, this time using a fabric from the Doodle collection designed by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures:

Mini Rings test block green

I liked this block. A lot. Enough to make an entire quilt out of it?

Mini Rings fabric cuts

Why, yes!

 

 

 

Posted in QCR Mini, Quick Curve Ruler, update | 9 Comments

A River Runs Through It

by Dawn Posted on May 10, 2016

In this case, the river is running through the backing for a baby quilt:

back of Stefan's quilt (3)
Quilt Back, 56″ Square

My starting point was a length of fabric from Patty Sloniger’s Into the Deep line for Michael Miller Fabrics.  I needed to piece the backing to make it wider, and somehow a straight strip of fabric just wasn’t going to cut it. I blame it on those undulating jellyfish. The backing clearly needed something that emulated the motion of their tentacles. I needed to go with the flow, so to speak.

My batik stash yielded a watery print that picked up the blues and greens in the jellyfish fabric. I cut some gentle free motion curves through both layers and then sewed them together. It was easier than I thought, although I did have to pin the concave and convex curves.

Here’s a close-up of those two fabrics:

stefan's quilt fabrics
Catching the Waves

Don’t they look good together? I suppose that batik is a bit more fern-y than watery, but it still gives the effect I was looking for.

I used several other pieces from “Into the Deep” on the front of the quilt, which you may remember seeing in this post a few weeks ago:

baby quilt final choice
Quilt Front, 48″ Square

This is the third of five baby quilts on my to-do list this year. Baby Stefan won’t have to wait too much longer for his quilt, and I’ve already started Number 4. Now that’s progress!

 

 

 

Posted in baby quilt, family, update | 8 Comments

Presenting: Deborah’s Junior Billie Bag

by Dawn Posted on May 5, 2016

The Junior Billie Bag I made for my friend Deborah is finished. Today’s late afternoon sun and shade seemed just right for a mini photo shoot on my back deck.

Here’s one side of the bag, with the longer of two sets of handles draped over a 24″ tall ruler, conveniently tucked into one of the side pockets:

Deborah's JBB one side
Here’s the other side, showing the shorter set of handles:

Debeorah's JBB other side
Just look at all these pockets, waiting to be filled!

Deborah's JBB pockets
In case you didn’t notice, the side panels on the outside of the bag have pockets, too.

You can read earlier posts about the making of Deborah’s Junior Billie Bag here:

April 21: Pockets A-Plenty: Deborah’s Junior Billie Bag
March 28: In the Works: A New Junior Billie Bag

The Junior Billie Bag, measuring 14″ x 17″ x 7½”, is a downsized version of the quilter’s tote designed several years ago by Billie Mahorney, a popular local quilt teacher and designer. (I made one for myself a few months ago, which you can see here.)

Billie never wrote a pattern for her bag but taught classes for many years at the Pine Needle in Lake Oswego and elsewhere in Oregon. She is now retired from teaching and has passed the mantle on to me to teach her wonderful design.

Earlier this week I finished teaching the second of two classes on the Junior Billie Bag and will most likely be teaching more classes in the fall. Two of my students have already completed their bags, with three more close behind. When all 10 bags are finished, we’ll have a virtual Junior Billie Bag parade. You’re invited!

Linking up with Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation on NTT (Needle and Thread Thursday).

 

 

 

Posted in Billie Bag, Junior Billie Bag, tote bags, update | 6 Comments

A Different Spin

by Dawn Posted on April 26, 2016
wander horizontal
Moon Garden in the Midnight Palette

Recognize this fabric? It’s called Moon Garden, from Joel Dewberry’s line Wander. I’ve used it in small amounts in the bed runner I showed you yesterday, the one I made using the pattern Spinners by Heather Peterson of Anka’s Treasures:

spinners bed runner 20.5 x 90
Bed Runner Measures 20″ x 90″

“Ho hum,” you must be thinking. “That’s old news.” Yes indeed, but since bringing that beautiful floral fabric home earlier this month I have been fixated on using it in Heather’s pattern in a different way. I hinted as much in an earlier post about this fabric.

You already know that I am, to put it mildly, fond of kaleidoscope quilts. I’ve finished at least 10 quilts containing kaleidoscope blocks. All of them were made of eight 45° triangles forming an octagon. Until today I had never made a kaleidoscope block composed of six 60° triangles forming a hexagon.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Spinners block contains six 60° triangles. Instead of meeting in the middle to form a kaleidoscopic image, however, the triangles “spin” around a center hexagon. That didn’t stop me from testing my idea that six identical triangles placed in a Spinners block would produce an interesting effect.

Before I show you my Spinners block, take a look at the kaleidoscope blocks I could have made. Because the triangles are equilateral, any of the three points can go in the center, providing three different outcomes.

Here’s the first one:

Kaleido Spinner block a

The second one:

Kaleido Spinner block b

And the third one:

Kaleido Spinner block c

I like them all but am partial to the first one. A quilt made of these blocks and more would be very striking, to be sure. The floral print lends itself beautifully to kaleidoscope blocks. But we’re headed in a different direction this time. Take a look:

Kaleido Spinner block
Block Measures 15½” x 13½” Unfinished

A new spin, both literally and figuratively. I’m calling it a “kaleido-spinner” block.

I placed the block on a piece of dark blue fabric so the block would stand out and I like the effect so well I’m going to use that fabric. I’ll make a couple more blocks before deciding whether to make a wall hanging or keep going to make a quilt.

What do you think? I’m pretty excited about it!

 

 

 

Posted in faux-kaleido quilts, hexagons, kaleidoscope quilts, table topper, update, wall hanging | 6 Comments

Cutting it Close

by Dawn Posted on April 25, 2016

The three-block table runner I made several days ago (and wrote about here) has expanded to a five-block bed runner:

spinners bed runner 20.5 x 90It now measures 20″ x 90″ — long enough for a king size bed. I was going to size it for a queen bed but I had just enough of the batik background fabric to make it longer. Someone very dear to me loves this color combo, and I have a feeling this bed runner will look wonderful on her king size bed.

When I say I had “just enough” fabric, I wasn’t kidding. This is what was left over:

spinners background fabric

I would have liked to bind the bed runner in the same batik fabric. It’s been in my stash for a while so I doubt I could find more of it now. Oh well. I’m just glad I had enough to complete the top.

Next up: I need to make a backing and get the bed runner quilted. Before it is sent to its new home, it will be used as a class sample for a retreat I’m teaching at in June.

The hexagonal block in this bed runner is called Spinners. Designed by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka’s Treasures, it appears in her book On the Run Again (Anka’s Treasures, 2014). Heather shows Spinners as a one-block table topper and a three-block table runner or wall hanging. I converted it to a bed runner and have been also playing around with some settings for quilts.

Measuring 15½” x 13½”, the Spinners block is the perfect size for a placemat. Another idea for my retreat students to consider. Or me!

 

 

 

Posted in bed runners, hexagons, table topper, update | 3 Comments

Pockets A-Plenty: Deborah’s Junior Billie Bag

by Dawn Posted on April 21, 2016

Time for a progress report on the quilter’s tote that I’m making for my friend Deborah’s birthday. Known as the Junior Billie Bag, it’s a scaled down version of the tote designed several years ago by my teacher and mentor Billie Mahorney. I’m making Deborah’s bag alongside the students in my two Junior Billie Bag classes at the Pine Needle Quilt Shop. It really helps to have the individual components on hand so I can show my students exactly how a bag goes together. It will measure 14″ x 17″ x 7½” when finished.

The pockets on the inside and outside of the bag are customized to fit a quiltermaker’s favorite rulers and tools. I’m hoping that the pocket sizes I chose for Deborah’s bag will be a good fit for her. Here’s a look at the inside pockets on the side panels . . .

JBB inside side panel pockets

and the outside pockets on the side panels:

JBB outside pockets

Both outside pockets are trimmed with the solid red French General fabric loved by so many quiltmakers.

Now have a look at the inside of the bag with the side panels pinned to one of the front/back panels:

JBB inside pockets (2)

All told, this bag has 20 pockets. That’s a lot of pockets!

When I first wrote about Deborah’s Junior Billie Bag (you can read that post here), I hadn’t yet quilted the second front/back panel. The original plan was to do some free motion quilting but I opted instead for a modified chevron that extends the lines of the star points:

JBB second panel

It’s a nice counterpoint to the serpentine stitching on the first front/back panel:

JBB front back panel 1

I’m having a lot of fun working on this bag and am happy to report that I am entering the home stretch. Deborah won’t have to wait too much longer to claim her birthday present!

Linking up with Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation on Needle and Thread Thursday (NTT).

 

 

 

Posted in Billie Bag, Junior Billie Bag, Quisters (Quilt Sisters), tote bags, update | 6 Comments

WanderLust

by Dawn Posted on April 14, 2016

In my last post I showed you a floral from Joel Dewberry’s Wander line for Free Spirit Fabrics and mentioned I would be using it in a new project. Here is the first block from that project:

Spinners block
Isn’t that pretty? The pattern, called Spinners, is from Heather Mulder Peterson’s book On the Run Again (Anka’s Treasures, 2014), a collection of 15 runners and table toppers. (I made a table topper from this design back in June 2014 and wrote about it here.)

You may be wondering why I have embarked on a new project. After all, my list of WIPs and UFOs is long enough without adding another to the mix. I actually have a very good reason, and I’m excited about it: In June I am going to teach at a retreat for the Pine Needle Quilt Shop.

Spinners is the pattern I have chosen for the 24 students coming along with me. They signed up for the retreat before they knew what the pattern would be! The “big reveal” was held last night at a special meeting for the retreat participants, which is why I had to wait till today to share these photos.

Here is the runner I made using three blocks:

Spinners runner horizontal

The spinning hexagons include two other fabrics from the Wander line along with fabrics from other lines that work well with the floral. The batik for the sashing and setting triangles came from my stash. I extended the setting triangles so the blocks would float.

Right now the runner measures 20½” x 49½” — but I’m not done yet. I’m going to add two more blocks to make it a bed runner. It will be about 81″ or so in length, the perfect length for a queen size bed. With wider strips at the ends, it could be sized for a king size bed.

Look again at the photo above. Don’t those hexagon blocks look great on point? They would be beautiful arranged this way in a quilt, an option I have presented to my students. They can choose to make a table topper from a single block, a table runner or wall hanging from three blocks, a bed runner from five blocks, or a quilt with 12 blocks.

I have one more idea to bring to the table. (My students got a preview last night.) I will let you know very soon what that idea is. Here’s a hint: it involves using that fabulous floral print in the Spinners block in a much more prominent way.

wander horizontal
I’ll post a picture as soon as I carve out some time to make another block.

Linking up with Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation on Needle and Thread Thursday (NTT).

 

 

 

Posted in bed runners, hexagons, table topper, update | 8 Comments

Conspiracy Theory

by Dawn Posted on April 10, 2016

Fabric designers keep coming up with fabulous new designs. Fabric manufacturers keep flooding the market with tempting lines made from these designs. Quilt shops keep ordering them. And quiltmakers like me keep buying them. It’s a conspiracy!

My sewing room is already loaded with more fabric than I can ever sew through in multiple lifetimes yet I cannot resist the allure of a fresh piece of fabric. Just look at this gorgeous floral from Joel Dewberry’s new Wander line for Free Spirit Fabrics:

Joel Dewberry fabric
The floral is called “Moon Garden” from the Midnight palette, one of two colorways in the collection. I’ve paired it with a couple of prints from the same line and some additional pieces for a new project I am very excited about.

I hope you’ll check back later this week to see what I’m working on.

 

 

 

Posted in update | 9 Comments

The Joke’s On Me

by Dawn Posted on April 1, 2016

I feel a little sheepish telling this story but I thought it might make you chuckle.

A few months ago I went through my stash and pulled out several pieces of fabric I didn’t want anymore. Enough to fill a good sized grocery bag. I donated the fabrics to the Metropolitan Patchwork Society (MPS), the guild I joined last year.

Every year at its March meeting, the guild has a potluck and silent auction, selling fabrics and other quilt-related items. The proceeds go into a special account used to bring regionally and nationally known quilters and fiber artists to speak to the guild and teach workshops.

As I circled the meeting room looking at all the items for sale, I had to smile as I recognized pieces of fabric that had been in my stash just a few months ago. And then I spotted this fabric:

Jasmine fabric

Two and a half yards from the Jasmine line designed by Pamela Mostok for Clothworks. Why, I wondered, had I given this piece of fabric away? It’s green (my favorite color), it has leaves on it (one of my favorite motifs), and it’s really quite beautiful. I must have given it away because I couldn’t figure out what to do with it.

The organizers of the silent auction had very cleverly combined items to make the offerings that much more desirable. In this case, someone had added a spool of lime green Aurifil thread to the fabric:

Jasmine fabric Aurifil thread

You know what’s coming, don’t you? I outbid every one else and bought my own fabric back.

In my defense, I paid less for the fabric the second time around. The money I spent went to a good cause, and this piece of fabulous fabric is back in my stash where it belongs.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

 

 

 

Posted in update | 8 Comments