Noah's Ark Crib Quilt

Judy's modified Noah's Ark crib quilt pattern by Little Quilt's

Little Quilts patterns have consistently offered fun, simple, striking designs especially suitable for scrap piecing.  This vibrant medallion style quilt caught my eye about ten years ago.  I pieced the checkerboard borders a few years ago when I was working with my black and white fabric scraps.  Last Friday I got serious about completing the top within a week.

Here's a photo of the original pattern on the cover of the booklet.  Although it isn't a great photo, hopefully you can see what changes I made to simplify the look.  I stayed fairly close to the original design but I used a sunflower fabric to replace the four pieced star blocks at the corners of the vines.  Another substitution I gleefully incorporated was replacing the time consuming appliqued berries? with red buttons.  I had exactly the right number in my excessive button collection!  And instead of appliqueing the fabric leaves flat to the tan border, I sewed them as 3-dimensional leaves, securing them to the tan border fabric by machine stitching the leaf veins only, thereby allowing the leaf edges to be free.  I'm not sure I saved any time or effort with the leaf modification, but I like the look immensely.

During my internet search to locate the above photo, I discovered Connie (of Connie's Quilt Creations) who also posted a photo of her version of the Little Quilts pattern of Noah's Ark.  She didn't modify the pattern which enables you to view a closeup of the original idea... particularly the pieced star corner blocks, which I believe are meant to signify flowers.  Connie's photo shows basting thread in preparation for hand quilting.  Mine will be machine quilted.

For the sake of the photo, the buttons are pinned in place but won't be sewn on until after the quilting is completed.  I'm not sure when that will be?  But at least I can enjoy knowing the top was completed in four days while making good use of my scraps.  Another UFO in a drawer bites the dust!

Rocky Road To Kansas Lap Quilt

 Here's yet another recycling quilt using larger pieces of blues and creams from my scrap bins, and piecing  leftover batting scraps for the filler.  Even the binding was an old remnant from my first quilt made in 1988.

I emptied another box from my studio, and if that wasn't enough, I used a pre-printed continuous line backing that was better suited for a commercial sewing machine.  Live and learn!

I'm very pleased with the look of the quilt top but equally unhappy with my machine quilting.  My thread choice was horrible (it kept breaking and garbling up), and due to the high color contrast, it shows.  I was able to persevere through the imperfections when I reminded myself this project was strictly for utilitarian use and would eventually wear out without me feeling bad about using it.

The lap size was too difficult for me to manage on my home sized machine.  I WILL NOT DO THIS AGAIN.  Hence forth, anything exceeding small wall art sized pieces shall be passed to local long-arm quilters... so my smile will remain in place. : )

I wanted to learn more about this patterns origins.  History grants us the ability to time travel, (aka 'mind travel'), because we can imagine the past and how some things came to be presently understood.  Many quilt block patterns were designed with specific references to their makers surroundings and experiences.  How they were executed was often determined by their current resources and social influences.  In that regard, not much has changed from generation to generation.

The Rocky Road to Kansas quilt block specifically refers to its early settlement period when it was first thought to have appeared in 1889, over ten years after the Santa Fe Trail was last used.  "Rocky" refers more to the difficult traveling conditions by wagon during the state's early settlement period, than by the actual nature of the road surfaces.

The original pattern is a string ~ or crazy-pieced design developed, some believe, to use up long narrow strips or strings of fabric from other sewing projects.  Variations of this pattern exist by other names as well.

For those wishing to draw from their multi-colored scrap bags, here is the string pieced quilt pattern for the Rocky Road To Kansas.  Several photos of RRTK quilts vary greatly in looks based on fabrics and construction choices. Be sure to click on the photos for larger views.  Scroll to the bottom of this  link to view a photo of a RRTK quilt using strips for the star and the background templates.

The same two templates are used whether you piece strings or not.  My version eliminates the middle seam of the background piece but it does create an inset seam that some beginners may find difficult to piece.  Either version looks nice.

Updated Vintage Applique

A friend passed portions of an old applique project onto me some time ago.  Hand me down projects often share mysterious aspects ~ who started what when? How many hands did the project pass through before getting to its final destination.  Is the completed project remotely akin to the original concept?  In this case I can't positively answer any of those questions but I do know the majority of the applique pieces were cut and ready to applique when I received it but I did have to add flower centers, choose the background fabric and plan the layouts.  A quilt magazine with both patterns was included in the bag.  I attempted to update both 1930's era patterns (Pansy and Flower Basket) by pairing newer fabrics with the appliques.

The 15" blue-green botanic fabric squares helped define the pastel shapes.  By choosing to machine applique with a clear mono-filament thread, I minimized my time investment yet stayed true to the original design.  I could have combined the set of 4 basket blocks into one wall hanging (see photo) but I chose to finish them individually as donations to the Providence Spiritual Care Center for the dying. The pansy wreath is the first of my Guild Auction donations for 2011.

Working on UFO's (Unfinished objects) ahead of my monthly schedule will grant me a buffer when garden season kicks in and studio time diminishes.  All repetitive steps on these five small quilts were done in an assembly line progression.  It saves time, motion and effort to do all the measuring, cutting, ironing, fusing, applique, piecing, layering, quilting and binding in stages for multiple projects.  The payoff is when the last step is completed for all quilts simultaneously!  The photo below shows the quilt work ~ machine stitched in clear monofilament thread.

 

The quilt on the left was titled by the Guild's Silent Auction Committee.  It is now known as "Dancing Bouquet".

Miniature Reverse Applique

Projects are well under way in my studio.  I've publicly committed to completing a minimum of one Unfinished Object (aka UFO) per month in 2011.  Here is the back story on January's first item on my list...

 (Pepper Cory Stencil 12"W x 14"H)

Years ago, I'm thinking mid-90's or thereabout, I attended a couple Pepper Cory classes through the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters Guild.  This was back when classes were held at the local dog pound!  I'm so glad we don't meet there anymore because it broke my heart to see the homeless animals and I always entertained thoughts of adopting more pets.  Anyway, if I recall correctly, this particular class was on quilt stitching designs.  While Pepper was lecturing I got busy pencil marking my mauve fabric with one of her  9" X 11" cut stencils.  At the time, mauve and blue were popular interior colors and my home was no exception, but since then, mauve is not my thing and doesn't really fit in with my color scheme.  In part that is why this marked fabric moved around my studio as long as it did before progressing to the next phase.

Originally I'd planned to hand quilt the penciled line design but then thought my effort might not show up well enough so I diverted to Reverse Applique.  For the uninitiated, Reverse Applique requires that  two layers of contrasting fabric are layered right sides up, basted together, cutting through the top layer and tucking the inside cut edges under, then stitching down by hand or machine.  Needle Turn Applique means an applique shape is 'applied' to a base fabric, turning the outside cut edges under and stitching them to the background fabric.

After my scissors cut the fabric there was no turning back.  Little did I realize how intricate and tedious sewing reverse applique on such a small scale would be.  I confess, without glue stick I would never have managed security and precision in my cutting and sewing.  To further elaborate, each tiny leaf in the border is half the size of my little fingernail.  Each of the six sampler motifs measure less than three inches squares.  I know ~ I was nuts!   I decided 2010 would be the last year this project would be shuffled around my studio so after the applique was finished I completed the hand quilting in approximately 10-12 hrs.  Last Friday it was bound and labeled.  Voila!  UFO #1 is Done.

As I stated, mauve doesn't fit my current decor but knowing I will NEVER repeat a mini like this one again in this lifetime ~ I'm hanging onto it for posterity unless someone recognizes its monumental value and offers me substantial compensation for it.  : )

Molly's Jelly Roll Quilt Top

My biggest Christmas surprise was receiving this gorgeous Batik quilt top from my friend Molly in Maine.  Last November we both got busy sewing up a Jelly Roll using a quick piecing method I'd found online.  Her fabric is from an earth colored Bali Pop. I was stunned to find this in the box she mailed and we thought was lost.  No wonder she was frantic - I had no clue.  Isn't it warm and luscious looking?  What a beautiful lap quilt for my living room this gift will make.  I'm so honored Molly parted with it because she loves Batiks as much as I do, but most of all, this piece ends the 6 yr. quilt drought Molly has been in since relocating to Maine.  She says this quilt wouldn't have materialized without me spurring her on so it is a win win for both of us.  So few friends give me anything they make because they think I can just make my own quilt related items.  True, but how I love knowing that every time I look at or use a handmade gift, it brings that person lovingly to the forefront of my mind.  Thanks Molly!

Jelly Roll Batik Lap Quilt

Thanks to a link posted in the November issue of the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters, Inc. newsletter, I located this Super Fast Jelly-Roll Quilt Pattern.  It just so happens I had a roll of batik strips just waiting for the right project to inspire action.  Mindless piecing projects like this one help facilitate my ability to enjoy what I call 'mind traveling' during simple sewing procedures.  For me, this is meditative productivity at its best!  The only thing that would make it more enjoyable is sharing it with a friend.

Since my dear and longtime friend Molly, whom I met through ALCQ  20 years ago, now lives in Maine with a four hour time zone between us, we rely mostly on the internet to keep us reasonably connected.  I knew she had a Jelly-roll or two in her fabric stash and with her new sewing room just begging for activity, I thought it would be fun to work on this project simultaneously.  Think of it as a long distance Quilt Retreat.  When I proposed the idea, Molly said let's do it, send me the steps one at a time and treat it like a Mystery quilting class.  Yay ~ sewing with a friend is always fun.

Well...  I woke up this morning to two emails Molly had sent telling me she was well underway on her piecing! Gee whiz, I hadn't even made coffee yet.  Thus the 4 hr. time difference I made reference to earlier.  I was stunned and thrilled Molly was going great guns and having fun sewing - once she found the power cord and got reacquainted with her machine.  I had some serious catching up to do!

I'm posting the beginning steps of my Jelly-roll quilt as well as the completed top.  Hopefully Molly will send me a photo of her finished quilt top to share with readers also.

This particular Jelly Roll fabric I purchased from JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon. The entire quilt top cost $7.50 to make.  There are other fabrics and colorways available at JoAnn's I may have to try.  I chose not to put a border on this top.  Molly used a batik Bali Pop.  I don't know if she will sew up more tops like these but I plan to try it using different colors and themes such as Aunt Grace or Oriental fabrics.  So many possibilities and so little time required to make them!  This one took about 5 hrs. start to finish. 

Spin Cycle - wall quilt

Spin Cycle  (43" X 60")

                         

 Work began on this original design approximately 15 years ago.  Several leftover pieced Dresden Plate circles from a previous project were just begging to be used.  The Dresden Plate is a 'wheel' pattern, also called Aster or The China Aster.  This one in particular has 16 points or petals, each a different fabric.  Most of the print fabrics are Aunt Grace 1930's replica fabrics, which were popular at the time.

Some times I make use of graph paper to design a quilt, which is the case here.  I focused on a floral theme so I chose a white on white fabric with flowers and watering cans on it.  Construction began with hand appliqueing the 17 circles onto background squares then adding the centers.  Typically the plate centers would be flat, but I stitched circles into yo-yo's using solid colored hand dyed fabric to create a 3-D center for my flowers.  The same dyed fabric is also used for the border triangles.

Once all the flowers were in place I positioned the entire layout on my design wall before I started machine piecing the white and solid colored fabrics into one background unit.  For all you non-quilters, piecing a block is a step by step approach, sewing small units into bigger units until the block is completed.  Piecing a quilt top is the same approach on a larger scale - block units to block units until the top is complete.  Of course this is an over simplified explanation, but as with most construction regardless of materials used, it is one step at a time, in a logical order, building (expanding) as you progress.  Click on the photo detail to see if you can identify the seam connections.

 Originally my design drawing depicted vines and leaves connecting the flowers.  After re-prioritizing my studio interests and goals, I decided to forgo the additional applique.  Last Fall I tore through my studio, pulling out all the tops that needed to graduate into finished quilts so I could enjoy them in my lifetime!  What a fabulous incentive to use up larger pieces of fabric in my stash for backings.  I even resorted to piecing batting as needed for a few quilt tops.  Here's a tip for you quilters:  a finished quilt takes up less space in your studio than an unfinished top with all the goods to "get 'r done"!  : )

Then I applied reality to the whole scenario --- all these quilt tops and so little ambition...  I better hire out some help.  I can manage the smaller projects but machine quilting the big stuff only frustrates me and tenses my shoulders and neck beyond my pain threshold.  Kathy Harte machine quilted this little gem for me before she moved to Texas last month.  I put the binding on last night.  I chose the title Spin Cycle because it reminds me of spinning plates, wheels, carousels, clothes in the washing machine.  I just thought it was a cute name.  No real meaning, but fun.  My other choice was "Kiss my Asters" but I thought that might be too offensive on the Guild Quilt Show Program.  : )

Pieces of the Past

"Pieces of the Past"  (49.5" square)

Rainy weather has provided me with garden duty relief, cooler temperatures for house cleaning and the much anticipated bonus of studio time to complete some projects on my list.  Like most of my creations, it is a sew as you go approach, which means I didn't have a clue where I was headed but let each step direct me to the next.  Several 'in progress' projects surface sporadically in my studio before their formation is complete, which is fine because rumination often leads to excellent outcomes.

This small 49.5 " square wall quilt was began several years ago and is constructed mostly from scraps.  Keepsake Quilting sells their current fabric samples in packets of small pre-cut squares.  I had two different older packets from which I sewed 16-patch blocks. 

Striped burgundy fabric triangles were cast offs from a quilting buddy's scrap bag which ended up in mine.  I lucked out with just enough fabric to add them to the blocks with the stripes running vertically and horizontally so they would appear woven visually into the overall layout.

I'd been wanting to use this very unusual greenish mustard yellow fabric and discovered it was marvelous as sashing strips for the blocks.  By machine appliqueing more scraps onto fabric squares I was able to position them as posts between sashing intersections.  The secondary diamond shapes add visual interest and reinforce the diagonal/woven look across the quilt surface.  Having a fabric stash from which to draw from saves time and energy, as is the case in locating this perfect binding fabric in my studio at a time when all I wanted was to get finished!  I no longer feel guilty for owning excess fabric.

In conclusion... My friend Kathy Harte machine quilted this and another wall quilt for me before she relocated to Texas 2 weeks ago.  She is a master machine quilter who has produced exceptionally beautiful results in her home studio sitting behind her Bernina sewing machine with almost no space around her.  Her new home will be equipped with a spacious custom studio that she well deserves in her retirement.  I'm excited for her but miss her terribly.  Her work on my quilts will forever remind me of the great fun and blessed times we shared together.  I titled this quilt Pieces of the Past not only for the scraps of fabric that remind me of various projects I've created, but remembering friendships and scraps of memories those friendships contribute in the fabric of my life to date.  Call me sentimental... I love my friends and miss them when I can't easily meet for coffee and an impromptu visit like we used to.

Crazy Pieced Quilt Blocks - 2

Here are a couple more Crazy Pieced possibilities.  I've been churning out more purple scrap blocks and still have plenty of purple leftovers.  I think I will make one more set of 'strippy' blocks and then call it quits on the purple.  You'll note that even though the blocks are different, since I am using pretty much the same fabrics, they all look similar in value.  The last of the scraps from each color family will eventually get tossed into one box which I will either use for small applique projects or create multi-colored crazy pieced blocks with.  Regardless, it will all get used eventually.

 

 Of kilter, liberated log cabin blocks

 

Here the crazy patches have been cut into circles and larger scraps were used for background blocks.

Crazy Pieced Quilt Blocks

Last night I succumbed to the siren call behind my closed studio door.  Computer time has nibbled a good portion of my creative time lately so it was quite soothing to once again man my sewing machine to produce some fun quilt blocks.

Truth be told, I have soooooooo much 'stuff' crammed floor to ceiling in my small studio space, that the walls are closing in on me.  Floor space is at a premium as usual and one area I'd like to eliminate this year is the accumulation of six large cardboard apple boxes stuffed with cotton fabric scraps currently stacked under my ironing station.  Each box stores its own predominant color family of said scraps, which are a compilation of other sewers cast offs, trades, garage sale finds and my own project left overs.

So I'm on a mission! - one that isn't Impossible but will take some dedication to succeed.  While having fun creating fabric from my scrap boxes, (this time it was the purples), I am feeling renewed energy and purpose along with the hum of my faithful Bernina. 

Crazy piecing makes splendid use of miscellaneous odd shapes and sizes.  There is no plan to follow.  I choose a finished size I'd like the blocks to measure and start sewing.  Crazy piecing scraps is a great way to combine fabric patterns that you might normally refrain from.  I use up my 'junk' thread, the odds and ends of spools and colors that are low in quantity but perfect for short seams and an anything goes approach to sewing.  Blocks don't have to be square.  I've used an acrylic triangle template to cut out the final block for previous quilts.  Geometric templates, strips or even free-form shapes suitable for machine applique would suffice equally well.

My purpose is not in creating a final product at this point.  I'm more interested in creating the basic fabric shapes from all my scraps and will worry about the end use later.  Remembering floor space is my mission, I'm sure I will succeed, but for how long before it is replaced with other supplies??? Who's to say or care.  I live with purpose.  : )

2009 Block of the Month Tops

Life is a series of learning experiences.  Each year I deliberately try something new in as many areas of my life as I can feasibly manage.

When I grocery shop I buy new foods unfamiliar to me and learn how to incorporate them into home cooking.    My garden grows each season by adding new plant species, combining edibles with flowers, or by rearranging my overall garden designs. In my artistic ventures I especially like tackling the unfamiliar because it adds to what I'll be able to do in the future.

 Socially I have a tendency to be reclusive, not necessarily by choice but because I'm quite comfortable being by myself and have multiple interests that keep me occupied.  It's not healthy to be a full time loner so I schedule social events and interaction to refrain from becoming socially inept. 

Since I'd never participated in a Block of the Month Program, I joined one at Seams Like Home Quilt Shoppe in January 2009.  http://www.akseamslikehome.com/index.php

If you are local and interested, the new colorways for  2010 have been chosen and sign up is available.

I chose two of the four color ways for the blocks shown above.  My favorite is the Elegant version because the rich gold, black and specialty fabrics would suit my living room decor and stretch my experience working with specialty fabric.  There are some beautiful silks in this offering.  I will leave this wall hanging in the shape you see it to give it the importance and impact of an art piece.  I didn't get a straight on shot of the Elegant top but you can click on the photos for close up details.

 

Batiks are a sure winner in my book regardless of the colors but in this case the turquoise and chocolate reminds me of drinking mint mocha on the beach.  I'm not completely satisfied with the final outcome on this one and may do some trapunto or applique in the white blocks, perhaps add a different batik fabric in half square triangles around the edge to make the quilt rectangular since I didn't have enough of the white even though I bought the last of the bolt.  No more time to devote to this top, but I'll get back to it probably later this year.

You can see I opt not to sew the sashing grid separating the pieced blocks.  I completely framed the pieced blocks (not chopping the corners off as seen on the pattern), and rather than adding corner pieces I cut one larger block to alternate between the pieced blocks on the diagonal setting.  Sampler blocks are not really what I gravitate toward and neither is following a pattern, so I prefer changing things around to make them my own.  The turquoise one will either be sold or given as a gift.  I'm happiest knowing I completed this new challenge without missing a single meeting all year and having my blocks done on time.  The BOM rules reinforced self-discipline and although I proved to myself I could pass with flying colors, I prefer not committing myself in the future to something like this.  I learned more about myself than the quilting aspect which makes this past years exercise valuable in ways I didn't expect.  Education comes through all life's experiences, consequently I've already signed on to participate in some new programs in 2010.  You'll see them in future blogs.