A Couple of Small Finishes.....

A finish is a finish - regardless of size.....right?

The first scrappy Double Wedding Ring - using 'made' fabrics and the Westalee DWR templates.......

Giving the traditional block 'Churn Dash' a little Japanese flavour...

Preparing my blocks for the QAYG (quilt as you go) block of the month challenge for RedBerry Quilters.....

This is where my numbered pins come into their own...

Finished blocks

Double wedding ring hotpads.......

This post has been hanging around half finished for ages. It's time it was finished, too.
Apologies in advance for any errors......I'm getting used to new technology.
Sue xxxx

Good Ideas

Sometime good ideas take a while to make an appearance. They percolate around and around and finally pop out like a Jack-in-the-box and stop you in your tracks.

As I looked at the next two DWRs on the design wall I noted the number of pieces and how many trips I would have to make from design wall to machine and back and design wall and iron and back so that I didn't mix everything up.

As I wondered how much effort it would take (and if I could be bothered) to make a small, portable design board it dawned on me that I could use my new cutting mat as all the pieceswere already cut out.....and it would accommodate a 15" block - which the new DWRs are.

 That way I could sew  pieces together without disturbing the layout.

........... Also keeping the pattern visible but out of the way by putting it under the extension table for the machine........

Then moving the whole lot over to the iron to press and prepare for the next sewing stage.

So simple when I thought about it!!!

Sue xxxx

Learning to 'Cut it Up'

(To quote VFW)

Let's begin with this. This was not supposed to to be 'cut up'. As I was about to sew this melon unit together I discovered this! I struggled to work out how it could have happened until I started to cut out a replacement arc.....Note to self - be careful with template placement - double check before cutting and make sure hands are steady.

 

Out came my faithful little friend and the melon is in the queue to be resewn.....

Now to the 'cut it up' session........

After returning from the RedBerry Quilt Show (my group) and a lovely warm reunion and catch up with people I hadn't seen in quite a while I came home ready for action. So, after some quiet time and finding I had the house to myself for  couple of hours I put some music on, turned it up and picked up where I had left off 'making' fabric for a couple of small projects to test DWR templates.

The dotty pieces are for melons, the remainder for backgound pieces.....

Some possible arc choices overlaid - any suggestions welcome as these are not grabbing my attention yet........

 I also realised I needed a bit more fabric than my scrap bin could provide so it was zip, zip - easy to slice off a few strips without feeling guilty or stopping to think what I should be saving this fabric for as I would normally do......after all, what am I saving it for - it is all left over from other projects anyway.

Mind you, my still frugal nature only allowed me to cut off some strips, not randomly cut into a folded piece of  fabric as I have seen done in videos.......that did make my spine shiver......

As I was struggling to get to sleep that night I had another bit of pottering in my sewing room before bed - probably not a wise move at midnight or thereabouts.....

This is the scene that greeted me the next morning! The space had clearly been invaded by a whirling Dervish or a mad woman - or both.......

From the doorway - was there even a track to get in? There must be because I managed to get out the night before.......

Bits and pieces queued up waiting to be sewn - and possibly almost as many scraps as I started with? At least enough to make some more fabric if I need it......

I used to try and teach my kids that a space always looks tidier when drawers and cupboards are closed. I wonder why they didn't always pick up on that lesson? 

There are some scraps and trimmings too small to keep - but it might help if they actually went in the bin!

At this point I decided that I would make a double unit of the abstract DWR, so ironed the fabrics ready to cut out the next pieces in daylight........

It also seemed a good time to prepare some pages for notes for my DWR folder.......

.....and hunt for some fabric to make arcs......(you didn't want to sit down, did you?) I also decided my stash needs more red and a variety of solids!

So while it may look like extreme chaos, and it may be a day or two before I can do anything about it, I can actually see the underlying plans and they still make sense - in some ways it's as good as a list. I just need to work my way through it when circumstances allow. Otherwise, don't look and turn up the music......

Sue xxxx

Wedding Ring Obsession

It seems the obsession with double wedding rings continues unabated and there are lots of experiments with sizes and layouts underway......(So much so that I've even started a folder to document progress......that in itself suggests it's a serious affliction......One friend says it's 'the teacher' in me.....and no, I don't miss working.....)

Part of the fun continues to be making fabric from scraps, in this case scraps of chintz sewn together to go with denim from a pair of old jeans......(part of the challenge of using old clothes and whatever srcaps are on hand......)

Layout on design wall to decide on corner squares.......

Units coming together......

This one was made from a pattern traced from a pattern sheet. It came together well and quite quickly.

Finished size about 20" - once quilted it will a table topper for a small vintage table......

Next, some templates arrived in the mail. (Funny how that can happen so easily.... a couple of clicks and things appear on the doorstep as if by magic.....)

These ones are Australian and made by Westalee Rulers. The construction method is quite different to the standard and has some pros and cons. The pieces make small units so there are more seams than I would like as a general rule (unless I was making it all from 'made fabric') but the size is what I need for my planned quilt  - working title 'The General's Orphans' (see previous post).

It is possible to negate some of this by placing the sewing line of the template on the fold of the fabric and cutting out to produce a single piece at the correct size (see some of the arcs and melons above), then using a traditional piecing method.  On the plus side it offers lots of possibilities for fun and creative piecing (like the centre of the block) and by adding corners can be made into a 15" square block which also offers lots of possibilities..... 

For this little experiment I created a cut out template from a pattern on a pattern sheet - the block starts with a background square  then the sides are cut out to create the spaces for the arcs and melon units.

As part of my birthday present my family bought me another template set - which has a finished size of 18".......

......so another experiment ensued. This time a little more abstract / modern and this had multiple layout possibilities..... 

Inner arcs the same......

Reverse of number 1

Matching pairs of arcs.....

And the winner is.......

I think these single units would make good hot pads for a dinner table or centrepiece to set a bowl or vase on.

More birthday present.......

.......handy for cutting around templates.....

Meanwhile, the first two rings are ready for quilting.....

....and there is another treat for the bookshelf - probably the last one for a while as we have almost reached the end of the treatment which means my excuse to shop is fast running out - but you won't hear me complaining about that!

Sue xxxx

Playing with Scraps

By yesterday afternoon my design wall was looking like this.....

It should of course be still looking more like this.........

.......as I work towards the summer quilt intended for our bed. The sewing is not difficult and I can tackle it bit by bit when energy allows but the laying out is what takes the longest - and it had been the same (ish) view for quite a while. I had made a resolution to finish the top before I started anything new. (But I know from experience that resolutions and me don't mix.)

Alas the next shiny new thing came along and all that changed (at least temporarily). That shiny new thing largely revolves around the work of New Yorker Victoria Findlay Wolfe and her books which I first mentioned in posts here '15 Minutes of Play'  and here 'Double Wedding Ring Quilts' . I also saw two programs on Nancy Zieman's show 'Sewing with Nancy' ( see under videos 2015) and by then my appetite was well and truly whetted....... There are direct links to these programs on Victoria's website  where you will also find a link to her blog Bumble Beans Inc. (You can subscribe to her newsletter and be advised by email when there is a new post). The  other site she established and moderates is based on her 15 Minutes of Play book and ideas. If you subscribe to The Quilt Show (with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims) you will find another program there based on 15 Minutes of Play - Program Number 1404. And of course you can follow her on Instagram (search for victoriafindlaywolfe) and twitter etc if you use them......(Is this beginning to sound like stalking? I hope not - but do yourself a favour and have a peek.......)

This is now what it looks like beside my sewing machine as I construct circles from the the cutouts I saved from a drunkards path block I used in a quilt I made for my sister a couple of years ago (back tray) and as I cobble together pink fabrics for another project I have decided on as a gift for some very important people currently in my life. (The colour is probably a clue.)

I'm using (my take on) Nancy Zieman's method for making circles to applique .......

......and I have to say for this purpose it seems to work well......

Another project using the concept of play is the first of several planned dog quilts / floor mats....they may not all be made but it's a way to use up hoarded scraps and try out sewing and design techniques where I can concentrate on the process. I don't know any dogs who will complainn about mistakes in the sewing. 

This is all part of one of her challenges to use what you have on hand - scraps, old clothing etc.......

Improv blocks (yes they are meant to be wonky) using offcuts of chintz curtain fabric given to me YEARS ago in a big bag of remnants) and flannel leftovers from finished quilts.

Working out borders on the design wall....

The finished quilt top.......

A couple of new treats also arrived in the mail to add spice to the mix.....

And this one bought on the strength of the chapter on Double Wedding Ring Quilts - yes, you guessed it VFW again.......

This traditional version by Shelly Pagliai of 'Prairie Moon Quilts' is just beautiful........

However, whilst I have a newly engaged daughter it is unlikey to appeal to her, though something like this one might......

Yes, you guessed it again - Victoria Findlay Wolfe........

Inspired by this quilt below of Victoria's - A Summer's Day - from her Double Wedding Ring Quilts book (and also explained in the videos) by this stage I had to try out a test block with whatever was on hand before I burst.

(And I do mean whatever....) A little wonky but I learned a lot in the process.

At the same time I was given a bag of fabric by my quilting friend who was clearing her stash of flannels and fabrics from the French General range, (bits of projects she knew she would never finish, including this large block and quite a few improv pieced blocks as well as some larger pieces of fabric).....that set the challenge in motion.

This large block will become the centre piece of a new medallion quilt

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of it on its own but you'll get the idea.

Testing fabric for sashing strips........

Some of the blocks in the bag......(along with the charcoal piece)

Testing the piece on point. 

One of the large pieces - the birds will become the focal point of the new blocks.

The other large piece....

Pattern traced and cut out to try a single block using 'made' fabric and old jeans - another test piece......

My quilt design inspired by Victoria's...........

The first cut was the scariest.......

Keeping the pieces in order.......

Sashing strips sewn in.......

On point......

A test flower - I intend to applique one in each of the main corners - probably buds on the others....

Coming from this book which I've had for years but not yet used - I knew its moment to shine would eventually come.......

Looking something like this. The circles are made and ready to become flowers.

A bit of close 'stash interrogation' revealed fabrics from the same company squirreled away and others that might work with them if required.

Leading to this basket of stuff in preparation of starting in earnest when the template set I ordered arrives....

Some of the 'made' fabrics under construction for my gift quilt......

These will be cut to fit the shape I will applique to the quilt......

Centre piece for single large ring under constrution....

Along with several other baskets and tubs of WIPs (Works in Progress) the rocks on this landscape are ALMOST ready to be fused on and stitched.

Under my enforced grounding I have also been keeping myself amused (and educated) with online classes - mainly from Craftsy.com, including one by Aussie quilter Sarah Fielke - Big Techniques from Small Scraps - largely based on her most recent book below. (Which I have also had for some time and is now exactly what I need at this particular time.)

 

And, as Craftsy is having a sale I bought two new classes this morning. Would you believe it - one of them is about Double Wedding Ring Quilts?.......Of course you would.

Progress may not be swift but bits and pieces are happening- and it's actually less chaotic than it might sound.

Off to view Lesson 1,

Sue xxxx