ludlow quilt and sew

Ticker Tape Quilts

2012-03-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love a quilt design where there are no rules! I hadn't come across ticker tape quilts until recently and I can't believe what fun they are to make. They are a great way to use up small strips of fabric from your stash and I'm sure that they were orginally intended for strips only - hence the ticker tape name. But in fact they have now become a great way to use up all scraps of any size or shape.

The ticker tape quilt block is intended for quilt as you go methods, so the starting point is a layer of backing fabric with right side down, batting and then white fabric on top with right side up. I chose a 12.1/2" block to give 12" finished size. Pin the three layers.

When placing the patches I tend to start in a corner and work across and down, but there really aren't any rules to this quilt design! Decide on the first patch, lay it where you want to start and sew it down. There are obviously alternative methods of sewing it down. I prefer to zigzag around the patch with a fairly close zigzag - about 1 for stitch length and about 3 for stitch width. I've seen ticker tape quilts where the patches are sewn with straight stitch just inside the edge so that there will be a frayed effect after the quilt has been washed and other quilts where the patches are cut using pinking shears to prevent fraying. I just find that zigzag stitching works for me.

Keep adding patches, sewing each one in place before you move on. Leave a good 1/2" or so around the edge for sewing the blocks together. The patches don't have to be squares or rectangles. Leave enough white fabric showing between the patches, somewhere around 1/4" but that can vary. The main focus of these ticker tape quilts is keeping it irregular, so it's good to vary the amount of white showing and try not to have rows and columns - just varied sizes.

As you can see, the quilting is all done as you go, with plenty of varied shapes of zigzag. I found that as the shapes were so small I could use my normal sewing foot without having to worry about the fabric puckering.

I tried something completely different for the next ticker tape quilt block. I began with a circle in the middle, sewn on in the same way, and used the same fabric for four spokes along the diagonals. Then I filled in the areas between the spokes with random patches and ended up with quite a striking quilt block.

To sew the blocks together I placed them with right sides together and sewed the top fabrics together, then trimmed the batting to lie flat between the blocks, turned under a small hem in one of the backing fabric edges and sewed it down over the other backing fabric.

I stopped after just the two ticker tape quilt blocks and added quilt binding once I had sewn the blocks together. I'm not sure now where I'll put it, but I really love how bright and cheerful it looks.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

I hope to see you again soon.

Rose

Alaska Quilt Block Pattern

2012-03-06T02:16:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a pretty quilt block pattern? Over a period of time I am developing a list of quilt block patterns that are named for the states of the USA and I think this Alaska quilt block is one that I will definitely be including in a quilt some time soon. I think that I can see lots of secondary designs emerging when several of these are put together.

The quilt block is symmetrical in all directions so I made two identical halves and sewed them together. This is classified as a four patch quilt block pattern and for simplicity I have made it using eight rows of eight patches. As with many quilt block patterns, it could be constructed in several different ways, for example with one large square in each corner rather than four small ones.

The fabric requirements are:
white fabric: eight 2.1/2" squares, twelve 2.7/8" squares
pale blue fabric: twenty four 2.1/2" squares, eight 2.7/8" squares
royal blue fabric: twelve 2.7/8" squares.

The 2.7/8" squares are all used to make half square triangle units in the following combinations: eight royal blue/pale blue, eight pale blue/white and sixteen royal blue/white units.

Once the half square triangle units have been made it's just a case of sewing the patchwork pieces together in pairs, joining the pairs together across each row and then sewing the rows together.

Make another panel the same and then sew the two panels together to make a really attractive quilt block. I'll show you the results when I make enough of them to put together to make a quilt.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Applique Flowers In Vase

2012-02-28T00:48:00.000-08:00

I always feel that it's a good idea to build up a good selection of quilt block patterns to choose from when you're planning your next quilt. Some of them can be patterns for the quilt blocks in the main body of the quilt and some of them can be ideas for quilt borders or cornerstones.

I think this applique flower quilt block would fit into either of those categories. I first designed it as a quilt cornerstone but I can see it working just as well as one block in a floral quilt.

I began with a 6.1/2" square of background fabric and drew a couple of flowers on it with fabric marker. This was just to help me get the size right so that the flowers would fit in the middle of the block. Then I drew two flowers the same size on some pink fabric squares which were backed with fusible interfacing.

After I had cut the flowers out I laid them in place on the background fabric and sewed all round the edge with a zigzag stitch. This was easier than I had expected - as long as you take it slowly it's quite easy to follow the curves of the petals. You can see the back of the quilt block on the right.

For the flower stems I changed the thread colour but continued with the zigzag stitch. I had used a fairly small stitch width for edging the petals, but I increased the stitch width for the stems and sewed the length of each stem twice: starting at the bottom and sewing up to the flower and back down again.

So with the flower complete I just wanted to add a vase. This is what sets this flower applique quilt block apart from other applique quilt blocks and I think it's a really neat idea. I cut a tumbler shape from some see through organza fabric and placed it over the lower part of the flower stems. Then I changed the thread (again!) to a colour that would match the background fabric and zigzagged round the sides of the vase to hold it in place. I think next time I'll use a slightly darker organza for the vase to make it stand out better, but I'm really pleased with the overall effect.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Creating Depth In Quilt Blocks

2012-02-20T04:08:00.001-08:00

Quilt block patterns come in all shapes and sizes. Some quilt blocks are constructed using several smaller quilt blocks together, some are simple four patch or nine patch blocks, some create secondary designs when several of them are added together - and some have an amazing three dimensional look just on their own.

This raised block quilt block is a prime example of creating depth. It is broadly the courthouse steps quilt block with a few alterations and I love the way that it looks so three dimensional.

The quilt block begins with standard courthouse steps piecing: a 2.1/2" white square in the middle with a cream 2.1/2" square above and below and a cream 6.1/2" strip on either side. This is then surrounded with a frame of light brown made using two 6.1/2" strips and two 10.1/2" strips.

The next round of strips is where the quilt block pattern changes from a standard courthouse steps. Cut a pink and a dark brown 10.1/2" strip and place a black 2.1/2" square on the right hand end of the pink strip and on the left hand end of the dark brown strip. Sew these black squares along the diagonal and snip off the excess triangles. You can then fold the black triangle over the diagonal seam to complete the rectangle again. You also need a 2.1/2" half square triangle made with one pink and one brown triangle.

Sew the brown strip to the top of the quilt block. Sew the half square triangle to the top of the pink strip and then sew the whole strip to the right hand side of the quilt block.

Finish with a round of black strips on every edge: two at 12.1/2" long for the top and bottom and two at 16.1/2" long for the sides.

It's the combination of the colour placement and those extra black triangles that make this block look so much like a raised block. I think it's a delightful example of optical illusions with fabric.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.

Best Wishes
Rose

Reversible Sewing Machine Cover Tutorial

2012-02-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

What a productive weekend I had. The workshop that I was going to was cancelled on Saturday because the roads were so slippy so I decided to make the sewing machine cover that I've been promising myself for ages.

When I looked around for ideas I found that most sewing machine covers are for dust protection only so they are made from a single fabric. I wanted something a little more substantial that would also protect against accidental knocks so I decided to make a sewing machine cover with three layers including batting. Then I decided to rag the seams so that the sewing machine cover would be reversible, and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

The first thing I had to do was measure my sewing machine. Mine is 16" wide (from side to side), 12" high (from the work surface to the highest point of the machine and 8" deep (from front to back at its widest point).

The sewing machine cover that I have designed has a panel at each side of the sewing machine and one panel going up the front, across the top and down the back of the machine.

For this I needed two rectangles of each fabric 9" by 13" and one rectangle of each fabric 33" by 17". For the batting I needed two rectangles 8" by 12" and one rectangle 32" by 16". The batting is smaller than the fabric to allow for ragging the seams.

For each rectangle, lay one fabric with right side down, then the batting and then the second fabric with right side up. Quilt the layers together.
Lay one of the small rectangles in line with one corner of the large rectangle and pin along the 13" edge. Manipulate the fabric of the large triangle to create a corner so that you can continue pinning the next edge of the small triangle along the same edge. Continue until three sides of the small rectangle are pinned all along one edge of the large rectangle, as shown in the right hand photo.

Sew the seams that you have just pinned using a 1/2" seam. Snip into the seam towards the stitching with a sharp pair of small scissors, taking care not to cut the stitches. I snipped at roughly 1/8" intervals. This gives a fringe which with time (and washing) will become quite silky.

Add quilt binding as for a normal quilt and you have a sturdy sewing machine cover that can be turned whichever way you want, depending on which fabric you want to see.

It's often easier to follow on video:

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Hourglass Scrap Quilt Block

2012-02-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

I can't think where this week has gone. I began the week trying to organise my fabric stash before it grows and has so many babies that it takes over the house altogether. The trouble was that I kept getting sidetracked with ideas for ways to use the stash: there are so many quilt block patterns out there that are ideal for scrap fabrics.

This one is called Hourglass and it just screams out for lots of lovely different fabrics. I used a light background and chose red for the hourglass part of the quilt block and then just used lots of different fabrics for the rest of the block.

The entire block is made using half square triangle units only. If you have enough fabric you can make several half square triangle units in different fabrics and then spread them around the blocks. The photo shows the basic patchwork squares that are used in every block.

Once those squares have been laid out you can use any fabrics to fill in the other parts of the block and create a real rainbow of colours. It's a lovely block and I can't wait to keep going and make enough of them for a quilt.

Of course once I had started playing with quilt block patterns I couldn't stop. This one is called cake stand although it looks pretty much like all the basket quilt blocks, so I couldn't resist putting some floral fabric in to make a flower basket.

I did manage to make quite an inroad on my stash as well as playing with quilt blocks, so it wasn't totally a wasted week. I now have designated boxes for 2.1/2", 2.7/8" and so on - I suspect that it won't take me too long to fill them.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Coffee Cup Coaster

2012-02-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

There are some quilt blocks that are meant to depict something in particular like a cat or a barn ... or a coffee cup. Some of them are highly stylised and it's a bit difficult to work out what they are. Some of them look too complicated, so I decided to design my own coffee cup quilt block to be used in a coffee cup coaster. I considered applique but then decided to piece the whole block.

I began with the cup itself and used a 3.1/2" brown square with two 1" blue squares placed in the bottom corners. Sew a line along the diagonal and then the top triangle of the square can be folded down to give some shape to the cup.

The handle was a bit fiddly but not difficult. Sew together 1.1/2" strips of brown, blue, brown and cut a 1" strip from this panel to make the first part of the cup handle. Sew a 1" by 3" strip of brown down the right hand edge of the brown, blue, brown strip and you can see the shape of the handle now.

Cut two 1.1/2" by 1.1/4" blue rectangles to go above and below the handle. Place these two rectangles so that the 1.1/2" is horizontal and the 1.1/4" vertical. As you can probably see, I wasn't as careful as I could have been and the handle doesn't lie completely straight. Oh well, I'll know for next time! On the left hand side of the cup, sew a blue strip 3.1/2" by 1.1/4".

Making the saucer is an absolute breeze after coping with that handle! Cut a brown rectangle 5.1/2" by 1.1/2" and lay a 1.1/2" blue square on each end. Sew the diagonal and fold the top triangles down as for the base of the cup and sew the saucer to the cup.

In order to frame the coffee cup, choose any suitable fabric and cut two 5" by 2.1/2" strips for the top and the bottom. Cut two 7.1/2" by 2.1/2" strips in the same fabric for the sides. That's the top of the coffee cup coast complete. It measures about 8" by 7.1/2" at this stage. Cut the wadding and backing fabric to suit and layer: wadding, backing with right side up and patchwork with right side down.

Sew round three and a half edges, leaving a gap to turn the coaster right side out. After you've pushed the coaster through the gap, gently push out the corners and then turn under a small hem across the gap and top stitch all the way round the coaster.

It's relatively easy to make the coffee cup quilt block and I think it makes a really distinctive coaster - great for gifts.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Patchwork Place Mats

2012-01-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

Patchwork place mats are so simple to make but they really brighten up the dining table. I've made these place mats 16.1/2" by 12.1/2" and they haven't taken up much time or much fabric. I can't decide now whether to make a set for myself or for a gift!

Each placemat is made using eight half square triangle units. I used 2.7/8" squares for these and made them by placing two squares right sides together and sewing either side of the diagonal. The rest of the placemat is made using strips of fabric 2.1/2" by 8.1/2".

I made two blocks and placed the second one upside down beside the first one. That was all that I had planned for the patchwork placemat, but it looked out of proportion so I added a strip of white fabric to the top and the bottom. After pressing it was just a case of layering the backing fabric, batting and patchwork top. I did a tiny bit of stitch in the ditch quilting - not much required on something as small as this - and then sewed on the binding as for a quilt.

I've started working on a coffee cup bag which I was asked for ages ago. I've done what I thought would be the difficult bit - designing a coffe cup block - but I seem to be struggling to get the proportions right for the bag itself. Oh well, I'll show you when I've finished it.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.
Best Wishes
Rose

Valentine Gift Lavender Cushion

2012-01-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

Stuck for Valentine gift ideas? This lavender cushion with a ruffle edging takes no time at all to make and doesn't use much fabric either.

All that's required is two 8" squares of red fabric and a 5" strip of pink fabric cut across the width of fabric. Oh and a generous dollop of dried lavender and toy stuffing and two 5" squares of fusible interfacing.

Cut two 5" squares of pink fabric from the ends of the 5" strip. Back them with the interfacing and draw a heart shape on them. Cut round the heart shape and place one on each red square with right side up. Zigzag round the edge to secure the heart and then satin stitch all round the edge.

Cut the remaining pink fabric in half along the length to make two 2.1/2" strips and sew these together at both ends to make a loop. With your sewing machine set at its longest length sew along one edge of the loop leaving a small gap between where the stitching starts and finishes. With a pin mark the half way mark along each half of the loop.

Hold one of the threads and gently ease the fabric along so that it gathers. Gather from both ends until the ruffle strip measures roughly 8" in each quarter. Pin to the red square with the gathered edge lined up with the edge of the square. Use the marker pins to check that you pin a quarter of the strip to each edge.

Lay the other square on top with right side down, pin carefully and sew on three and a half sides, leaving a few inches gap to turn the cushion right side out. Pull the cushion through the gap to turn it right side out, fill with a mixture of lavender and stuffing and topstitch across the gap.

It really takes no time at all and makes a change from the usual lavender bag.

The video gives a little more detail of how it all comes together:

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.

Rose

Quilt Binding

2012-01-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

About a year ago I started a beginner quilt and used it as a basis for a series of articles on beginner quilting. I beavered away happily until I had quilted it and then I came to a stop. It remained unbound for months and months and then this week I suddenly decided to finish it. You can see the results on
quilt binding and I am so glad that I can finally move that quilt from the UFO pile! I daren't count to see how many more quilts are still in that pile.

I've been asked several times whether I make dvd patterns and I've always felt that the technology was beyond me. Earlier this week I started to look into it and I was convinced fairly early on that I had been right and the technology was way beyond me. However as the week went by I decided not to be such a wimp and I think I am beginning to work out how to do it. I'll keep you informed.

I finished my necktie quilt which came out really well. It will actually be a quilted wall hanging because of its size, but I used three different quilt blocks to show different ways of using neckties in quilts. I cut the first tie without any interfacing and that was a mistake - the silk was very difficult to work with - so I used fusible interfacing for the remaining ties and that made the work quite simple.

Here's the video tutorial if you would like to see it:

That seems to have been quite a hectic week and I certainly put a few late evenings in, but it definitely made the week fly by. It certainly hasn't stopped me itching to get started on a new project!

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.
Best Wishes
Rose

Patchwork Pin Cushion

2012-01-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

With the amount of sewing that I do you'd think that I would have made a patchwork pin cushion a long time ago. But somehow there was always something more pressing to make and you know what they say about the cobbler's children going barefoot ......

Anyway in one of my videos I had to fumble for my pins from a plastic box which I overturned and spread pins everywhere so several quilters suggested that I should use a pin cushion. I looked around for ideas but I didn't want one that was so small that I wouldn't be able to put enough pins in it, so I decided to go for one based on a nine patch square. It measures 5.1/2" across the diameter and about 1.1/2" high.

I used nine 2.1/2" squares each in a light fabric and a dark fabric. I put them together as shown to make two nine patch squares with the colours reversed. These nine patch units are 6.1/2" square which is just the right size for one of my side plates. I drew round the plate and cut the squares (placed right sides together) into circles.

Sew round the edge of the circle leaving a gap about 5" long for turning the pin cushion right side out. Backstitch at each end of the seam and turn the pin cushion right side out.

Push stuffing in through the gap. You need the pin cushion to be quite firm to make it more easy to push the pins in. I used ordinary kapok stuffing. When you feel that you have filled the pin cushion, pin the gap and slipstitch it closed.

Sewing a button in the middle of both sides makes the pin cushion more stable and looks better. Select two fairly large buttons. This is the most difficult part of making the pin cushion: use double thickness thread and a long needle. Begin with a couple of stitches to secure the thread and then push the needle through the hole on the first button. Push the needle down through the pin cushion to come out through one of the holes of the second button.

The difficult bit is obviously trying to line up where the needle comes out so that it's in the right place to go through the button. Continue stitching the buttons together (about half a dozen stitches should do), pulling the thread very tight each time. That way you pull the buttons down so that they depress the middle of the pin cushion. When you think the buttons are secure, finish off with a couple of stitches underneath the spread of one of the buttons.

I think that now I might need to buy some new pins to grace my new pin cushion!

Thanks for visiting my blog.
I hope to see you again soon.

Bright Colours

2012-01-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Oh but I have had fun this week. I was asked (some time ago) for a necktie quilt and I have really got stuck in on it this week. I've done a dresden plate with some parts of the ties and also two other different blocks. Now I just have to decide which way to put them all together. I'll post my ideas when it's all done.
Then yesterday I gave a sewing lesson to a delightful lady who had never used a sewing machine. It was quite fun to go right back to basics and she seemed really pleased with the cushion cover that she made.

I've also been looking at ideas for bright fabrics. Sometimes I buy them because they just seem so fresh and cheerful, but then I feel that I can't put them in a traditional quilt because they would dominate the other fabrics. I think that one solution is to use the bright colours only but tone them down with loads of white fabric. I quite like this quilt block because the bright patchwork pieces seem to float in the white.

It's really simple to make: start with a four patch unit of two green and two white 2.1/2" squares. Add a yellow square and a white square above and below the four patch unit. Make two 8.1/2" by 2.1/2" strips by sewing together a 4.1/2" by 2.1/2" strip each of yellow and white and sew these to either side of the squares.

Sew together 4.1/2" by 2.1/2" strips of blue and white and add these to the top and bottom of the block. Finish off with 6.1/2" by 2.1/2" strips of blue and white down the sides of the block.

The block comes together really quickly and I think having plenty of white gives it a fresh and cheerful feel. I thought at first that it was a child's quilt, but I think I would quite like such a cheerful quilt as a throw for myself.

As ever, there are loads of options if you rotate the quilt blocks, but I prefer the one shown on the right.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.
Best Wishes
Rose

Partial Quilt Seams

2012-01-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

At first sight I always think that this Bright Hopes quilt block looks like some sort of log cabin variation. It's only when I look again that I realise that it can't be made in the traditional way because there's an overlap all the way round - a log cabin quilt block would have squares above and below the central square whereas this block has rectangles all the way round. That, of course, is where the partial seams come in.

The starting point for the Bright Hopes quilt block is one 2.1/2" square in a light colour and four 4.1/2" by 2.1/2" rectangles getting increasingly darker.

Place the square on top of the lightest of the rectangles with right sides together. Mark a point half way down the square on the right hand edge and sew from the top to that marked point. The square and rectangle are now partially attached to each other.

Place the darkest rectangle across the top of the white square and grey rectangle with right sides together and sew the seam across the top.

Next to go on is the second darkest rectangle. Lay this across the black rectangle and white square and sew in place down the right hand side.

The last patchwork piece to complete the Bright Hopes quilt block is the brown rectangle across the bottom. Sew this to the red rectangle and white square. The last seam to be sewn is the continuation of the partial seam that was first sewn. By continuing the seam partially sewn between the white square and grey rectangle down to sew the grey and brown rectangles together, the quilt block is completed.

These quilt blocks can be rotated and sewn together in quite a variety of ways, giving several great options for quilt design. They give a weave effect which I really like.

It feels strange to be back to normal now after what felt like quite a long Christmas break. I've been trying to plan my year out but so far I haven't been too successful. Ah well, there's always next week for planning ...

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Spiral Quilts

2011-12-30T23:51:00.000-08:00

Spiral quilts can be very intricate and involve complicated templates cutting segments from a circle - or they can be dead simple and just involve half square triangle units.

The sample spiral quilt in the photo was made just to show how simple the design can be - yes, I know the colours are a little stark. You can imagine how it could look with a spiral of a variety of light fabrics and another spiral of a variety of dark fabrics.

I had expected to need plain squares as well as half square triangle units, but in fact the whole design uses half square triangles only. The initial placement of four half square triangles as shown marks the beginning of the spiral.

From then on it was easy enough to keep adding half square triangle units to continue the spiral. The section shown was made from just one 4.7/8" strip of each fabric cut across the width of fabric, so it wouldn't take many strips to make a decent sized quilt.

I sewed the patchwork squares together in pairs, then rows and then sewed the rows together. If I was making a full bed sized quilt I think it would save time to draw the design first so that I could lay the squares out in rows rather than starting from the middle.

The main reason for today's post is of course to wish all of you a Happy New Year.
May 2012 be the year when all your dreams come true.

Best Wishes

Rose

Snap Bag Pattern

2011-12-27T01:36:00.000-08:00

Compliments of the season to everyone. I hope everyone has had a great time over the Christmas period. I've had all three children home and it's been a wonderful time.

Earlier in the year I made a snap bag and I realise now that although I had intended to share the idea with you, I didn't actually get round to it. The snap bag is made using an old piece of metal measuring tape for the fastening. I didn't think it would work, but it does and it makes a great novelty bag, giving a very satisfying snapping sound when it closes.

I made a fairly normal square bag and I used fabric plaited handles to add a little interest to it. The important point that makes this bag different from others is that I added an open ended tube of contrasting fabric - one tube for the back of the bag and one for the front.

Cut two lengths of an old metal measuring tape about 1" shorter than the width of the bag. Try and round the edges of the tape and bind with something to cover the ends of the tape - these can be quite sharp so this step is important.

With right sides together sew one of the side seams of the bag. This gives you a closed end of the two fabric tubes so that you can slide the tape measure lengths in to the tube and then sew the final side seam. The right side of the tape must be facing the top fabric (the outside of the bag) in order to get the snapping effect when closing the bag. Check that you have got the tape pieces facing the right way before you sew that final seam.

The video makes it a bit more clear:

Over Christmas - while I had to have my sewing machine put away - I began a paper pieced hexagon quilt. I'll show you more of that when I have done enough to warrant taking a photo. It's going together fairly slowly, but I'm finding it very relaxing.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again soon.

Rose

Crossword Puzzle Quilt Block

2011-12-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

I've had several requests recently for fat quarter quilt ideas. I know that my sewing machine has to go away while everyone's home for Christmas, but I thought that I would risk one more project before I tidy all my sewing gear away. The crossword puzzle quilt block is one of those enormous blocks that are great to make because you only need a few to make a decent sized quilt. It also fits the bill for a fat quarter quilt as it can be made from three fat quarters with a little left over that can be used in the binding.

The block can be sewn in three sections. The top five and bottom five rows are the same as each other. They each have a 4.1/2" white square at each end of the first row and a 6.1/2" white square in the middle of the first row. Everywhere else are 2.1/2" squares. The photo on the left shows the whole top section and the photo on the right shows half of the top section so that you can get a closer look at the placement of the squares. It's one of those quilt blocks where it's quite easy to misplace the squares if you're not concentrating. Make two of these panels.

The middle section is made using a 4.1/2" by 6.1/2" rectangle at each end and 2.1/2" squares everywhere else. As you can see, it's possible to use either 6.1/2" by 2.1/2" white rectangles or three 2.1/2" white squares above and below that white/red/white strip in the middle. The photo on the left shows half of the panel and the photo on the right shows the full panel.

When the three panels are complete, just sew them together as shown. It's a really eyecatching design and very simple to make - not a triangle in sight! I think that to continue the fat quarter theme I'll probably use different colours for a few more blocks, perhaps just keeping the white to give some continuity throughout the quilt. Each block is 26" square so you could make a 52" by 78" quilt with only six blocks.

And now I really must tidy the sewing machine and general sewing clutter out the way.

I hope that you all have a marvellous Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Look forward to seeing you again.

Rose

Borders For Quilt Squares

2011-12-21T03:33:00.000-08:00

It goes without saying that I love going to quilt shows and exhibitions. It's wonderful to see how talented and creative other quilters are, and in addition it's such a good opportunity to pick up tips: a quilt cornerstone with a design that you hadn't thought of, a new way of sewing a butterfly ..... I've picked up some lovely ideas at quilt shows over the years.

Last week's snow reminded me of a lovely idea that I saw a few years ago at a show. The lines around the squares in the photo are made using a paper napkin. You could use a white napkin to surround squares with winter themes in them, a green napkin to surround floral or jungle scenes. The squares could be embroidered, applique or just different fabric squares.

For this example I have used an 11"" square of fabric, although you could sew together much smaller squares to make your quilted wall hanging. I placed a paper napkin on the right side of the fabric and marked a grid of 3" squares using pencil. Then I reduced the stitch length to 1.1/2 and sewed along all the lines of the grid. Don't forget, as I did, to change the stitch length back to normal when you have finished!

Using a wet sponge, I gently rubbed all over the fabric square. The paper napkin disintegrates except where it is held in place by the stitching, leaving a slightly fuzzy border around the squares. I have left a fairly chunky border here but you can also sponge more of the napkin away and leave quite a thin border attached to the stitching. So simple, and yet really quite effective. Great for a quilted wall hanging which won't be washed, but obviously not much good for a quilt.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again soon.
Rose

Tote Bags As Gifts

2011-12-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

Do you know what I love about being able to sew: it's being able to personalise gifts. I've made this bag for my sister in law who, like my brother and me, lived in Africa for a long time. The actual bag is a very simple design but the choice of fabric makes it personal to my sister in law.

I was lucky enough to have some of this rather gorgeous fabric from Zimbabwe so I cut two panels out on point. The sides of the panels were around 10" and I cut four black 9" squares for each panel and folded them in half along the diagonal. With a bit of fiddling I pinned the folded diagonal of the black squares to the edges of the right side of the blue panel so that there was a 3/4" overlap. Then I sewed it all in place using a 1/2" seam. By rolling the black overlap down with my thumb I could hand sew the overlap down to make a curved edge to the panel - a bit like a cathedral windows seam. By doing this I felt that I was rounding the edges so that it didn't look too geometric.

For the lining and the straps I used a cloud fabric that made me think of Africa even though it didn't particularly match the fabric panels. That's what I mean about being able to personalise things that you make!

I sewed 2.1/2" strips of black and cloud fabric together with right sides together and then turned the tube right side.

After pinning the straps in place I could add the lining, sew round the top and give my sister in law a great present that she'll know was made specifically for her. (And I enjoyed making it!)

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Continuous Bias Binding

2011-12-14T03:15:00.000-08:00

Usually I try and avoid using bias binding because it takes longer to make than normal folded straight grain binding, But there is a way of making continuous bias binding for quilts which is terribly easy once you've got your head around the instructions. I used a 21" by 12" rectangle because I had one hanging around to show you, but it could be any size. One small seam and I ended up with around 70" of 2" bias binding.

I placed the fabric rectangle with wrong side up and lined up the 45 degree line of my ruler with the bottom edge of the fabric. Starting in the bottom left corner I drew lines 2" apart until I reached the top right corner.

Cut off the excess triangles to either side of the lines and put to one side. Turn the fabric so that it's right side up and fold the bottom up so that the first line of one side of the fabric matches with the second line of the other side. Pin across the line so that the bottom and top edges are lined up but with a flap at each end.

Sew across this seam then begin cutting along the line. You will find that it's a continuous line and you will end up with a long length of bias binding. I have to admit that this is one technique that is almost impossible to describe clearly so I've added the video below to clarify the instructions.

Well, I've written my Christmas cards - not posted yet, but at least I've made a start. My brother and sister in law are visiting on Friday and I know exactly what type of bag I want to make for my sister in law: I just hope that I can get my ideas onto the cutting mat in time.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope to see you again soon.

William Morris Quilt

2011-12-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

William Morris was a 19th century textile designer, artist and writer who had a great influence on the English Arts and Crafts Movement. His designs included lots of flowers and are truly beautiful. Fabric Freedom has a range of William Morris fabrics which make beautiful quilts and this quilt is my simplified version of one of the Fabric Freedom quilts.

It's a really simple design with the only quilt blocks being a star and a half square triangle unit. These are sewn together and then by placing the stars diagonally under each other you can get diagonal lines of the different colours of stars.

Altogether I used five different fabrics to give the shading effect along the diagonal rows and I was really pleased with the way it turned out. As you can see I sewed the quilt blocks together into fours using the different coloured stars and then the quilt came together really quickly.

Here's the video to show you the constructrion in more detail.

The rest of the week seems to have passed in a blur of trying to get ready for the children coming home for Christmas. My fabric stash is going to need some serious tidying in order to clear the beds in time.

I am experimenting with the idea of selling patterns in dvd form, but so far the technology seems to be beyond me. When I put a dvd in the computer and then the computer keeps asking me to put a dvd in I find myself shouting at it: 'What do you think I have just done!'. Luckily no one else in the house to hear me!

I have found a rather lovely quilt block called Georgia which I have started to make up (also in William Morris fabric) and I think it's going to have quite a striking look when I have more of them made up.
More details on free quilt patterns.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again soon.

Angel Wall Hanging

2011-12-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year - even though I no longer have small children and so can't go to the pantomime any more!

I did a tutorial on my website a few weeks back for redwork embroidery using the eagle on the right and I found it so relaxing that I made the festive redwork shown on the left.

I've used calico for the backing so that I can write on the back if I decide to give it away as a very special card. The angels are a primitive design and I love them. I think I might try some primitive applique on a quilt some time in the new year.

It's been a fairly hectic week because I wanted to send out a newsletter showing the quilt as you go fun and done technique. It's made by machine sewing the backing fabrics together and then hand sewing the backing fabric down as sashing on the front of the quilt.

If that doesn't sound too clear here's the video:

I've just realised that there are only two clear weeks now for me to get everything ready for the family coming home at Christmas. It's finding somewhere other than the children's beds for my fabric stash that is a major problem - that and deciding on a hand sewn project to begin while my sewing machine is tidied away.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again soon.

Cathedral Windows Quilted Camera Bag

2011-11-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

Are you still looking for ideas for gifts to make? I love the look of cathedral windows quilts but I don't think that I would have the patience to complete an entire quilt in cathedral windows. That's why I decided to make a camera bag - not only is it really pretty, but there are enough layers of fabric to protect my camera.

To begin with you will need ten 6" squares of a light coloured fabric. Turn under and baste a 1/4" hem all the way round. Press with the square folded along each diagonal so that you end up with two creases to help position the folds. Fold each corner in to the central point where the two creases intersect.

Then fold each corner in jto the centre again to make an even smaller square. This is the basic cathedral windows quilting unit. Repeat with all ten squares.

Take two of the squares, place them with smooth sides together and slipstitch along the edge to join them. Repeat with all the squares to make five pairs. As you can see, there is a square shape formed where two squares join. This is where you place the square of contrasting fabric which represents the glass of the cathedral window. All the books suggest a 1.3/4" square for this stage but I actually find it easier to work with a 1.1/2" square. You will need 27 of these pink squares.

Roll down the fold of light fabric along one edge of the pink square to cover the raw edge and slipstitch in place. Repeat with the other three edges so that your pink square now has a curved frame. For the triangle on either side of the square fold one of the pink squares in half along the diagonal and place with the fold along the edge of the light square. Roll the edges down on the other two edges and slipstitch in place.

Take another pair of cathedral windows squares and place with smooth sides together on the first pair of squares. Slipstitch along the edge to join them and you'll see that as well as the central square formed where two squares join there are also now a further two squares formed where the two pairs of squares join.

Continue sewing all five pairs of squares together and sew in the pink squares by rolling the fold of light fabric along the edges. The photo on the right shows the cathedral windows strip with right side down. This shows how the bag will be shaped - the bottom four squares will be the front of the bag, the next four squares where the camera is will be the back of the bag and the top two squares will be the flap.

Fold the bottom four squares up with wrong sides together and slipstitch along the edges to form the sides of the bag. I used double thickness thread for this part. Fold down the top two squares and with the camera inside to be sure of the fit, decide what type of fastening to use. I used a button with a loop of ribbon.

Some of the techniques of cathedral windows quilting may be easier to watch on the video:

I really enjoyed making the bag - I always find hand sewing very relaxing - and I think it would make a really special and unusual gift.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again soon.

Liberty and Silk Quilt

2011-11-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

Sometimes quilts that I see in my mind don't look the same when they are on the worktable, but this Liberty and silk quilt has turned out just as I had hoped.

I had some Shells Liberty fabric left from a visit to London last year and it's so pretty that I didn't want to cut it up too much. I decided to alternate 6.1/2" squares of the Shells with squares of silk. I've used an ivory silk and a chocolate silk together and I'm really pleased with it.

To make the silk squares I began with a 2.1/2" square in the ivory and sewed a 2.1/2" chocolate square to two opposite edges of the ivory square. Then it was simply a case of adding a 6.1/2" by 2.1/2" strip down each side.

I used 49 quilt blocks to make seven rows of seven squares, alternating the Liberty and silk squares to make a quilt that was 46" square after I had added a 2.1/2" silk border to it.

The only thing that I did find while making this quilt was that I needed to add the binding before I quilted it. Probably terribly frowned upon, but the silk frayed so much that I decided that I was going to have a very narrow border unless I bound it straight away.

Of course, now there's the dilemma: do I keep it, sell it or give it away?

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Three Baby Quilts

2011-11-20T00:48:00.000-08:00

Three baby quilts in a week and I still managed to walk the dog!

The first two baby quilts were commissioned. This one was a number quilt using Fabric Freedom's Jungle Fun fabric. One of those fabrics that's really bright and cheerful and could do for a boy or girl baby. I used the same fabric for the backing and hope that it will be a quilt that gets used a lot.

The second one was also a number quilt but this one was in Magic Cats fabric. It's definitely more blue than anything but has so many other colours in that again I hope it's one that could be for either a boy or a girl baby. I love making baby quilts because they come together so quickly. These two would have been really easy to machine quilt as they are only 30" square, but in fact I hand quilted them, outlining the numbers, because I find hand quilting so relaxing.

The third quilt was a complete change of technique. I had been asked for instructions for a jelly roll quilt that would make up small enough to be counted as a baby quilt. I decided to use one of the stripper rolls which are about half the size of jelly rolls - the one that I used contained twenty strips of fabric so I had to add one strip of fabric from my stash so that I could sew together seven panels of three strips each.

The finished size was about 43" square so still small enough to count as a baby quilt. As you can see, this one hasn't been layered and bound yet. Well there just aren't enough hours in the day!

Here are the video instructions if you would like to see how it was made:

Now I seem to have caught up with myself and I am going to indulge in a quilt that I have been wanting to make for a long time but just couldn't find the time. It's using some Liberty fabric that I bought last time I was in London. I think I want to team it with silk but I shall spend today happily playing with options to find the quilt that suits the fabric. But first I had better walk the dog ......

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Pieced Pansy Quilt Block

2011-11-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here in the UK the days are getting shorter and shorter. The gardening shops are full of winter pansies so it was no great surprise when someone asked me for a pieced pansy quilt block. When I looked around I realised that the vast majority of pansy quilt blocks are applique. Those that aren't seem to be terribly complicated, so I decided to design a simplified version.

I decided that a yellow and black quarter square triangle unit would look good in the middle, so I placed a square each of yellow and black fabric right sides together, marked a line along the diagonal and sewed a seam 1/4" either side of the marked line. Then I did the same again with the resulting two half square triangle units.

I ended up with two quarter square triangle units for the middle of the pansy quilt block, although obviously only one was required. To separate out the pansy petals I used four strips of yellow fabric 2.1/2" by 5.1/2".

For the petals I cut four 5.1/2" purple squares, one 3" green square and two 2" squares. Place these green squares in the corners of the purple square and sew along the diagonal. Cut the excess fabric off and press the green flaps flat to make green corners to three corners of the purple square.

Make four of these petal patches and place them in the corners of the pansy quilt block with the larger green square on the corner.

Sew the patchwork pieces together in three rows and then sew the rows together.

I felt that this pieced pansy quilt block was much more simple to make than any others that I found, so I do hope you like it.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again soon..