The Q and the U - Quilting Blog

Teaser Tuesday: What I'm Working On ...

2012-02-28T07:45:00.001-04:00

At the far end of the table you see my laptop and two notebooks. That's what I'm mostly working on, slowly plodding away on the new novel. But I have a feeling that what is on the rest of the table is more interesting to my quilty friends. Those are the "Selvage Countdown" blocks I started last year. I now have 80 finished 3.5 inch blocks ...

...and I have started sewing them into a mini quilt.

Happy Tuesday. I'm linking up with Fabric Tuesday. Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

I Spy Quilt Top Finished

2012-02-23T09:26:00.000-04:00

This quilt top was fast and fun to put together! It is a layout I have used before here and I must say that I like how it works combining I-Spy busyness with some sense of organisation. I think the rows work as good clues when actually playing I Spy.

Some stats should you wish to make a quilt like this: It uses 132 I Spy squares. They are 4 inches each.

The sashing strips are 2.5 inches wide. The outer border is 6 inches.

The sashing fabric is called "Sassy Plaid" by Michael Miller. It may be an older line, I'm not sure. It was in my stash.

I am going to make one more of these quilts for another nephew. I still have a few more I Spy squares from a swap, plus enough variety in my scraps to add squares of my own.

Thanks for stopping by!

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

New I Spy Quilt in Progress

2012-02-20T08:49:00.001-04:00

I've started a new I Spy Quilt. This one is for my five-year-old nephew.

It uses 132 I Spy squares. All different. Four inches each. I got most of the squares in an I Spy swap last year and only had to cut about 25 of my own.

You can see in this pic that I used painters tape to number the rows. I love painters tape. I often use it to tape quilt tops to the wall for photos. I also use it to put all the kids' artwork up. We can stick the pictures right to the wall anywhere in the house and even if they are up for a month or more, the paint on the wall isn't hurt when we finally take them down.

The rows of squares are all sewn together.

It shouldn't take too long to finish at all!
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I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday and The Needle and Thread Network.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Wordless Wednesday: Fun Fabric Ant Farm Quilt Complete

2012-02-15T14:09:00.000-04:00

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Selvage Heart Pillow for Valentine's Day

2012-02-09T08:58:00.001-04:00

This was a quick evening project. I started it before my daughter went to sleep and I told her it would be in bed beside her when she woke up in the morning. And it was.

The main reason it was so quick to do was because the selvage heart was already made. It was a reject block from the Love-Serendipity-Family quilt I made last year. So I just added some borders, quilted it simply and sewed it up.

This is the back. It is a Jennifer Paganelli fabric I believe. It is a simple envelope back. I like to make a nice deep pocket.

Here it is in the rapidly growing pillow collection on her bed.

I haven't taken any flying pillow photos for a while, so here's one ...

... and another.

Happy Sewing. Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

I Think This is One of Those Love It or Hate It Quilts ...

2012-02-05T18:48:00.001-04:00

So, okay, surprise, I finished this quilt top today. I had been stacking up the blocks for a while, but I didn't get around to taking or posting any progress photos. Oh well.

I am pretty sure this is a love it or hate it quilt, with no inbetweens. I love it, but anyone who has read the blog for a while knows my taste is questionable.

You may recognise the green and white check fabric as some I showed earlier in the year. I had bought it as backing fabric. Yes, for BACKING. Then, well, you know, see Exhibit A above.

I had wanted to make another somewhat simple selvage quilt (that is not a mummy or snowman or the like) and the thought of HSTs seemed pretty straightforward ...

...but too straightforward is boring, so enter some selvages, a checkerboardy/ginghamy fabric (in not just one colour but two) and mix together ...

If I may say so, I think the white in the gingham does something calming? to make the whole look tolerable ...

... or you may disagree.

Here's the back. Yes, my seams are pressed open. Although I got lots of nice comments and messages last time trying to pull me over to the dark side of simply pressing them all in one direction, I am stuck on my current method. I really find for quilting myself, since I typically quilt close to the seam, that pressing open makes it all lie flatter.

Ta da! (Those are 6 inch squares BTW. 80 of them)

So, in other news, let me see, it's winter. I'm inside most of the time. I'm writing my new novel! It is going well, knock on wood. I have been having fun using Twitter (@RielNason) I like how tweets are so short and sweet. I have been sewing a bit, but most of my creative energy is going into the book, so the quilting is getting done just a wee bit at a time. As per one of my quilty goals for the year, I filled out an entry for the CQA national juried show. I will mail it tomorrow. I am entering the Selvage Mummy. I have NO IDEA if he will or won't get it. I followed all the entry instructions carefully and IMHO it's a cool quilt and I did a good job, but all I can say is we'll see. I have never been to a big quilt show, only local shows. I don't know if he would fit the scene or not. But, it is all about trying. Right? You never know unless you try. I'll let you know yes or no when I find out.

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Now, finally, I'm linking up over at The Needle and Thread Network
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Cheers! Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Pink Scraps String Blocks

2012-01-31T09:37:00.000-04:00

I have very few unfinished projects stashed away, but these string squares are one of them.

I made these very early on in my quilting and blogging days. I probably had only about ten blog visitors a day whenever I first showed them. And I will say now, looking at them, that I have since slightly finessed my fabric choices. I still like brights, but I think I have stepped away from the gaudy which is a good thing. (Case in point, look at that yellow (!) and the purple hexies (!) )

I have 48 squares which each finish at 12 inches. So, a whole quilt top just waiting ... they only need to be arranged. As above?

Or maybe this? We'll see. But it will be finished (and hopefully sooner rather than later).

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Eek Monsters Baby Quilt

2012-01-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

I made this little quilt for a friend who will soon be having a baby boy.

It is made from a fabric line called "Eek Monsters" by Studio E. My friend is a quilter too and I knew from fabric shopping with her that she liked this line. (In fact I may have even sneakily bought the fabric when out with her. *wink* I believe it went something like, oh, I forgot something, you go ahead, I've got to go back for a second.)

For the front I bought three charm packs and then took out all the squares with black, dark stripes and purple and set them aside. (They will be perfect in a future Halloween quilt) The backing is below.

So cute and colourful.

The binding is a black and white herringbone which I think adds just the right amount of interest. I quilted it with simple wavy lines along the seams.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Just One Little Pillow

2012-01-23T06:42:00.000-04:00

This is a little pillow I made for Tess for Christmas. I used a leftover block which I had made a while back when trying to figure out how to make her Vitali-T quilt. So the pillow went together really quickly.

I quilted it with an all-over angular stipple, which I may just have to declare is my go-to signature stipple. It is easy to do and I like how it looks.

I used a Jennifer Paganelli fabric for the back.

This is what happens to pillows which I make with a deep pocket on the back -- dolly sleeping bags. :-)

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Fun Fabric Ant Farm Quilt Top Done

2012-01-17T06:51:00.004-04:00

So, the quilt top is all done ...

... there's not a lot to say, except notice the outer border?

I saw those big bugs at Marden's while shopping over the Christmas holidays and I knew they would be the perfect finishing touch for this quilt. (Sorry, I don't know the manufacturing info for that fabric. Only numbers were on the selvage)

Can something be cosy and creepy crawly all at the same time?

This is a large twin-size quilt and is just a smidgen too big for me to quilt myself, so I'm sending it out. I also really like getting a nice overall stipple on the kids' quilts. They are washed a lot and I find the density of the stipple quilting makes them more durable.

Hope you have a great week! I'm joining in with Fabric Tuesday. Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Recent Fabric Fun

2012-01-13T06:45:00.002-04:00

Of course I had to go to Marden's in Calais over the holidays. I know you all understand. I was good and only bought a bit of fabric. The pieces above are for backings. They were all on clearance. At $1.99/yard who could resist? Three of the fabrics above are Prints Charming. I loooove the soft seemingly brushed cotton feeling of those ones.

Great I-Spy clocks and a bit of Jennifer Paganelli.

These FQs were in my Christmas stocking. :-)

And I even bought some fleece, just to cut a couple of quick scarves and make hats.

Oh, and I learned to knit over the holidays(!!!) Hee, hee, but that is a post for another time.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Christmas Strip Quilt

2012-01-10T06:47:00.001-04:00

This is my last finished quilt of 2011. It is Eli's Christmas Strip Quilt.

It was finished in time for him to have it before Christmas. (Just barely)

It was fun and fast to make and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I quilted it with green/red/white variegated thread. I alternated between straight and wavy lines across each strip right near the seam. The wavy line is a stitch on my machine, so it is not me manually keeping it evenly spaced. I just have to be careful with the speed. I don't have a walking foot and just use my regular machine foot.

The back is pieced with several large pieces of fabric. The binding is a candy cane stripe.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Fun Fabric Ant Farm Quilt in Progress

2012-01-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more pics of the quilt-in-progress I showed the other day. Eli and I decided together that we would call it the Fun Fabric Ant Farm Quilt.

The fabric in the sashing is a Timeless Treasures fabric. I had looked for it for a long time after I got a single square of it in an I-Spy charm swap. I finally found some this fall in Dartmouth, NS at Atlantic Fabrics. I bought what was left on the bolt, 1 3/4 metres. I had the idea of using it as sashing in mind and I think I have pretty much exactly enough to complete this twin-sized quilt.

The scrap sections are 4 inches wide (3.5 inch sewn) and the sashing is 2.5 inches (2 inch sewn). As you can see in the pic above, I randomly put some of the ant fabric in the scrap sections, so it was like a little pathway from one sashing section to another. Now the whole thing is like a giant maze. The ants can crawl around the whole quilt on their little paths. I thought that would be a fun feature. I have also told Eli that if he ever can't sleep he can count the ants (!!!)

It has been a bit time consuming to make. I chain-pieced most of the little scrap bits -- first in twos, then fours, etc, but as you can see I like to press every seam open to keep things flat, which takes a while.

I built this quilt very much like a single large block, from the inside out, adding border after border.

Just a couple more borders to go ...

See you sometime next week.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Just One Little Pillow

2012-01-04T09:31:00.000-04:00

I did get several things sewn in the time I was signed-off the blog for the holidays. This little pillow is for my son Eli and was a Christmas gift. It is a travel or crib-size pillow. We have several pillows like this at the house and they are a real nice size as an extra cuddle pillow.

The 'E' was from a block I had made as a trial when I made his Eli's Log Castle quilt. Having that already done meant that the whole pillow went together super quick. The bright yellow fabric matches the walls in his room. The pillow has a quilted front -- a very simple pointy stipple in the middle section and then some straight lines near the seams.

I used this jazzy Dr. Seuss fabric for the back. (The way it's sitting makes it look like a poor fit, but it is actually finished nice and straight) I made a pillow for my daughter too that I will post once I can get a pic of it.

Happy Quilting! Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Hello 2012 ...

2012-01-01T10:26:00.001-04:00

... I have a good feeling about you.

So, here we go again. It is kind of the usual thing that a New Year's Day blog post looks forward to the year ahead. I guess I'll try a little, just by saying: Expect more of the same. Expect 10-15 quilts, all my own designs, some will have selvages in them, some will have orange fabric in them, and at least one will likely be a Halloween quilt. Quilting is my hobby. It is my creative outlet. I quilt with no obligation. My main goal is to amuse myself and make things for my kids.

That said, I do have a couple of things I am going to try this year, that I can mention, to make this post sound more official ...

I am going to enter a quilt in the Canadian Quilters Association National Juried Show because this year the show is being held just 4 hours away from me in Halifax, NS. Do I expect to actually have the quilt accepted? Maybe. I believe in thinking positive. But I won't be disappointed when it isn't. I think it is more about putting yourself out there and trying.

I want to make a charity quilt top for Victoria's Quilts. Our guild has a wonderful committee that quilts them, so I just need to make a top. I also want to make a few neonatal quilts to donate to the local hospital, same as last year.

So. That's it for the quilty stuff. Oh yes, except the pictures? It is a scrap quilt in progress for my son. The sashing cracks me up.

As to other things, I may blog a little less frequently. I am working on my new novel as of a week from now when everyone is out of the house and back at preschool, school, work. I am on Twitter now @RielNason, if anyone is interested in following along. My tweets won't be quilting related though, but bookish stuff, and random thoughts I suppose. Also, on the topic of books, the fabulous Erin at My Patchwork Life is giving away a copy of The Town That Drowned. It is her own copy, just because she is a nice person who wanted to share it. Thank you Erin!

Okay then, bye for now. Happy 2012 !!!

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Giveaway Winner and See You in 2012 !

2011-12-12T08:46:00.001-04:00

Firstly, the giveaway winner of my novel The Town That Drowned is ...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-12-11 23:21:42 UTC

Commenter # 3 Liniecat !

And now, I'm off for a Christmas break from blogging. It has been a fabulous year and thank you all for being a part of my blogging fun! See you in 2012.

Christmas Strip Quilt Top Done

2011-12-11T10:01:00.000-04:00

This one is for my son Eli.

I am going to pin baste it today ...

... and hopefully get it quilted soon. I'm going to do all straight lines.

I have a red/green/white candy cane variegated thread to use.

Thanks for stopping by.

My giveaway is still open until 7:00 pm AST tonight. If you are interested in entering, just scroll down to the giveaway post.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

And Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Colour Scheme ...

2011-12-08T09:45:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhh, that's more like it. After the bleh of the selvage angel (In the previous post and THANKS for all the honest comments and suggestions), here is something much more "me." This is my daughter's Christmas quilt. LOVE it.

It is a generous double size and hangs down nicely on her bed.

I alternated between plain 8.5 inch squares and those with a single frame. The borders are maybe 3.5 inches wide? The last one may be 4.5 inches? Anyway, I love the simplicity of the design as it really lets the colour and fabrics show off.

The fabrics are a mix of about three partial Christmas lines by different manufacturers and several non-seasonal fabrics that I thought worked well. My favourite fabric is the turquoise with the red fawns shown above. That is a Michael Miller fabric called Yule Critters.

It was too big to quilt myself, so I sent it out. (Thanks Tina!)

I used a green polka dot for the binding. And half the backing is the green shown above.

The rest of the backing is the red and white diagonal check.

My giveaway is still going on. Scroll down a few posts to enter if you'd like.

Thanks for stopping by. Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Selvage Angel Progress: Meh.

2011-12-06T09:09:00.001-04:00

So here's the Selvage Angel in progress. She's pretty bleh. It's probably a good thing I'm almost done quilting for 2011 (big Christmas quilting and blogging break coming up soon) because I think I'm losing my touch. And this is in no way an attempt to solicit positive comments, I just want to give an honest presentation of my process here.

I could say that I don't like the angel because I purposefully used colours I didn't like this time (more muted tones) but I think it is more than that. I won't go on and on, but I think the design is just too simple without any smaller detail in it to jazz it up.

Here's her hair. More is needed and all raw edges will be tucked under and sewn down. She also still needs her halo.

I used selvages for her face too.

I thought that sewing the selvages at an angle in the wing and piecing it in two parts would make it interesting enough, but ... maybe some quilting detail will help?

I'll add a couple of simple borders and finish it off. That fabric at the top is just a possibility. I have others to choose from too.

Thanks for stopping by. Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

And my giveaway is still going on. Just scroll to the previous post to enter if you'd like.
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And, lastly, I'm joining in some linky fun at the The Needle and Thread Network

Giveaway !

2011-12-04T19:49:00.001-04:00

I have a signed copy of my novel The Town That Drowned to give away. I've mentioned it plenty of times here before so I won't say anything else other than THANK YOU for all the wonderful messages and comments from everyone who has bought and enjoyed the book.
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To enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite storybook(s) as a child. Mine were Miss Suzy (about a squirrel) and Where the Wild Things Are. The giveaway is open worldwide. Just please, please be sure that your email is either attached to your blog profile or you leave your email address in the comment. I have to be able to contact the winner. Good luck. (And I'll add a little fabric surprise to the package too)

The giveaway is open until 7:00 pm AST on Sunday Dec. 11.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U
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Giveaway is now closed. Winner will be posted on the blog on Monday, Dec. 12.

Christmas Table Runner

2011-12-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

I made this little Christmas table runner yesterday. It was fast to do because I actually took the bottom row off this quilt in progress to make it. I knew I wouldn't finish the quilt as it was small and uninspired, but I love these fabrics so much that I wanted to use them as a table runner.

The squares are a Sherri Berry Christmas fabric line called 12 Joys of Christmas. I love the retro images and colours. The dots and tiles are Denyse Schmidt fabrics from Jo-Anns.

The squares are 6 inches. The sashing is maybe 1 3/4 inches? And the outer border is 2.5 inches.

I will try to keep this on our dining room table ... t minus zero until the first spill ...

I quilted it with a red, green and white variegated thread.

Here's the binding and backing.

I've started to take out a few Christmas decorations and put them up. These Santas made an appearance. And the outdoor lights are going up today.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back tomorrow for a Giveaway!

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Just One Little Christmas Pillowcase

2011-12-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

This pillowcase is for Eli. The main fabric is "Letters to Santa" which is an Alexander Henry fabric from a few years ago. I put a bit of piping trim on this which I don't always do. I had some dotted binding left over from Tess's Christmas quilt (which I started to sew on last night) so I trimmed that binding back to a 1/2 inch wide and used it.

Happy Weekend! Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Christmas Strip Quilt Progress

2011-12-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

I've been sewing away on the Christmas strip quilt I'm making. I must say I love how cheerful it looks. It is made of fabrics which are predominantly shades of green or red. A lot of the fabrics also have white in them which really brightens the quilt up. I used Christmas fabrics as well as non-seasonal ones that I thought mixed in well.

When sewing all the little pieces together I alternated between red and green fabrics. I sewed one long, long giant strip together, then cut it up every 63 inches. I then arranged those strips to make the quilt. My only rule was that no two pieces which were exactly the same fabric touch each other in the quilt. Some areas are more green, some more red, but I think it is looking great overall. I don't have too many strips left to sew in place.

Thanks for stopping by!

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Up Next: Christmas Strip Quilt

2011-11-28T08:51:00.001-04:00

2.5 inch strips of random lengths.

Half red.

Half green.

Method: Grab one red, then one green, sew. One more red, one more green. Sew. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat ... until I have about a five mile long fabric strip. Then I'll cut that strip up into 48 patchwork strips of 62 inches long each. Sew again. :-) This will be a twin-sized quilt for Eli's bed.

Progress photos soon. I'm linking with Fabric Tuesday.

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Selvage Angel: Winging It

2011-11-27T14:15:00.000-04:00

Today I thought I'd show a few process photos of the making of the selvage angel. I started the wings. Like the Tinkerbell wrapping paper I drew my template shape on? :-)

I decided to make each wing out of two sections to add a bit more interest. It allowed me to angle the selvages in each part.

Because I am using brown tones and more muted colours than in my usual selvage creations, I am using just selvages with words of the same muted colour tones.

The pair.

Next up, the face. (And of course, everything needs tweaking and shaping. It will not be so blocky looking in the end ... or I hope not anyway.)

Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U