Modern Log Cabin WIP update

Detail of blocks. They aren't sewn together yet.

My Modern Improv Pieced Log Cabin quilt is coming along.  I've decided I like it busy, without any white sashing between the blocks.

All the blocks so far

I started out systematically writing down the sizes of the strips and how I was sewing the pieces together.  I initially thought I would make 2 different log cabin blocks and alternate them.  Not exactly improv…

But by the time I got to my 3rd block I was having so much fun that the blocks really turned totally improv.  I'm working from a design roll of 2.5 inch strips so the pieces are square rather than irregular. Each of the Log Cabin blocks is unique. However each block intentionally includes one 2.5 x 2.5 inch yellow square.  It's a nod to the tradition of using a red central block which some folks say is representative of the hearth in the home.

It really does feel liberating to just sew strips together without a specific plan.  I do audition each new piece to make sure it goes with the other strips in the block, but with this collection of happy colors, it's almost impossible to make a mistake.

14 more Log Cabin blocks to go!

Modern Log Cabin WIP

I picked up 2 yards of Michael Miller's Happy Town fabric this weekend.   I love all the bright colors.  The design reminds me of the building blocks we loved to play with when we were children.

Happy Time by Michael Miller Fabrics

I have a Kona Cotton New Bright design roll that I used part of for my Jumbled Spools Quilt.  The colors of the design roll are a great match for the "Happy Time" fabric.

I want to see the "Happy Town" design in the quilt so I cut 10.5 x 10.5 inch squares for half the blocks in the quilt.  The alternating blocks will be improv pieced Modern Log Cabin blocks.   I want to echo the striped elements in the fabric so I'm making strips of stripes which I plan to incorporate into the Log Cabin blocks.

This quilt is so busy that I think it might be a good idea to add some white.  It could be sashing strips intersperced randomly between some of the blocks or maybe just incorporated into the Log Cabin blocks.

Here 4 blocks laid out 2 different ways:
                                                                                 

Auditioning white sashing--I don't think this works.                                              

 

Without the white sashing strips. 

I think I need to make some more blocks and then will decide what looks best.  Suggestions are welcome…please leave a comment if you have an idea. 

Modern Hexagon Quilt finished!

Modern Hexagon Quilt

My Modern Hexagon Quilt is done!  It was so much fun to make.  The challenge of this quilt was working with all the negative space in this 48.5 x 59 inch quilt.

Originally thought I would quilt concentric hexagons around the two single hexagons in the quilt.  I was going to let the hexagon relax into a circle as it got further away from the index hexagon, like waves in a pond.

Beginning to quilt around a hexagon

But I found that it was fairly easy to continue quilting in a hexagon pattern when I marked the quilt with dress-maker's chalk and I wasn't sure how it would look if it morphed into a circle.  (You can see the markings in the photo above). 

Using the bar on my walking foot to keep the quilting lines the same width

I ended up quilting from the lower single hexagon all the way across the entire quilt.  The hexagon shape decayed a bit the further I got from the starting hexagon but I was able to maintain reasonably well across the whole quilt.

I couldn't wait to start quilting around the 2nd hexagon in the upper part of the quilt to see how the lines intersected.   I put in about 7 rows of quilting and it quickly became clear that it just wan't going to work.  The quilting lines were running off-kitler to each other and not crossing the way I hoped they would.  It looked really awful.   I ripped it all out without taking a photo.   Sorry--it would have been interesting to share what it looked like.

However, I did leave in a single row of quilting around the second hexagon.  I think that works. 

Here's a close-up of the quilting.  I went around each of the hexagons, rather than quilting over them.  That was a challenge in itself because I had to pick up the parallel quilting line on the far side of the hexagon after I had detoured around it.  Some are better than others, but mostly it worked.

Finally, here is the back with the Lotus Drop flowers.

Modern Hexagon Quilt Back

I'm still intrigued by the idea of intersecting lines of concentric quilting.   I think it might work if I quilt in circles and make sure to start quilting each circle separately, moving outward until the lines start to intersect.   A project for another week!

Hue--Let's talk blue

As I mentioned in my post the other day, I finally understand what "hue" means after reading Kari Vojtechovsky's workshop "Principles of Color: a design workshop" in the new book,  Essential Guide to Modern Quilt Making.

I've understood hue to mean a color.  But what does that mean?  I always used the word as "that's a nice hue" related to the gradation of a color. That's the first definition in the dictionary.

 Kari defines hue in technical terms as "the location of a color in the color spectrum"  of visible light.  That's the second definition in the dictionary.

Brilliant.  Green is the green in the rainbow.  Red is the red in the rainbow. Violet is the violet in the rainbow.  That is really clear.  She goes on the say that even with all the possible variants of a color, the color's hue is always its pure form as seen in the light spectrum (rainbow).

Kari states she likes to use the light-based color wheel of cyan, yellow and magenta.  But my stash worked out better using a color in the pigment-based color wheel (red, blue, yellow).

So, let's think about blue.
Of all the fabrics in my stash, I felt that this blue was the truest of the blues. So this blue is my Blue Hue.

Hue: Blue

Kari goes on to discuss how the saturation, the "degree of purity," of a color can be changed.

Add black to the hue and you get a "shade".  Believe it or not, the color to the far right is the same blue fabric shown above.  The middle and right fabrics are darker.  It's clear in the fabric on the right that black was added to make that very dark blue, but harder to see in this photo with the middle fabric.
(All these photos were taken outdoors, a couple minutes apart).

The Hue Blue on the far left, with 2 shades of blue

Add white to the hue and you get a "tint".

The Hue Blue on the far left, with 2 tints of blue

Add grey to the hue and you get a "tone."  That was a new concept for me.  I always thought about adding either black or white to a color to get gradation. I never considered adding a mix of black and white…although I know I did it when I was a child and mixing paints.  If black made my paint color too dark, I added white.  It's the same idea.

The fabric colors in the photo below look much brighter than they really are. You can tell the far right color has grey added to the hue but it's not as apparent with the two middle colors.  In actuality, all three of the colors to the right look greyish.

It's interesting that the Blue Hue fabric looks much darker and richer next to the fabrics where the hue has had grey added to it.

The Hue Blue on the far left with 3 tones of blue

So, that's hue in a nutshell.  If the color is found in a real rainbow, that's a hue, in this case, blue.  If you add light or dark to a color, the hue is still blue but the saturation has been altered.

The Hue Blue is upper middle, the two tints are lower middle. The greyed tones are the far left and the black shades are far right.

Kari has so much great information about color in her workshop.  It's a lot of fun and really worth reading.

Book Review: Lucky Spool's Essential Guild to Modern Quilt Making

Yesterday the UPS deliveryman dropped a gem of a book on my front porch!  Lucky Spool's Essential Guild to Modern Quilt Making complied by Susanne Woods a great reading and a great resource for anyone making Modern Quilts.

Each of the chapters in this book is a "workshop" in Modern Quilting.  The teachers are active, and well known, in the Modern quilting world. The workshops are based the class each of these master quilters is asked to teach most often. 

The first workshop is "The Principles of Color" written by Kari Vojyechovsky.  It is an excellent discussion of the use of color in quilts.  I finally understand what  "hue" is. (I'll discuss hue in a post later this week).  Subsequent chapters include workshops on "Working with Solids" by Alissa Haight Carlton and "Working with Prints" by Dan Rose.

Jacquie Gering has a workshop on "The Alternative Grid".   Of particular interest for readers in Massachusetts/New England:  Among the quilts she has included in her lesson is a bold quilt that is difficult to look at.  Jacquie crated this quilt, named "Aftermath", following the Marathon Bombings in Boston.

Much to my delight, Cheryl Arkison has a workshop on "Circles and Curves".   I took her class on Craftsy which is excellent.  I am so happy to now have the instructions for making her Reverse Circles in a book!   I used her technique to create the inset circle in my "Diamond in the Woods" quilt. 

Penny Layman has a great workshop on "Paper Piecing".  On this hot summer day, I was tickled to see her snow cone pattern.  And I know her stiletto shoe design is going to be a bit hit with readers!  (The templates for her designs are included at the back of the book).

There is an interesting workshop on "Large-Scale Piecing" by Heather Jones.  Learn to make a full size quilt with just a single block or a few large blocks.

Angela Walters has a workshop on "Modern Quilting"--how to do the quilting on modern quilts. She has instructions for some quilting designs which are very do-able and will give great results. 

Finally Heather Grant's workshop is a "Study of Modern Quilts".  It is a "show" of 50 Modern Quilts.  Each quilt has a comment from the quilter.  You'll feel like you've been to see an exhibit at a museum after you've read this chapter. 

I am so excited about this book.  Run to your local shop or on-line store and get yourself a copy.  You'll be glad you did!

"Sending Greetings" Quilt Design: building quilting skills

I've been thinking about a quilt design which could be used in a class to build skills for intermediate quilters.  I expect this class will have students who have made a simple quilt or two but still don't have a lot of experience.  I'm still thinking about the definition of an "intermediate" quilter so this is a work in process.

Thinking about "next step" piecing skills I decided sewing seams on the bias and working with triangles seemed to fit the bill.  I sat down at my computer using EQ7 (Electric Quilt 7) and started experimenting with some of the blocks from the program's block library.

I wanted the quilt to be in the Modern Quilt genre and amenable to using a variety bold, bright modern prints and/or solids.

Here's what I came up with.

I like the negative space and the bold asymmetric diamond in this design. I think it might be fun to use some text fabrics with this pattern, either inside the envelope flap or as the background of the quilt. I think the background would also be beautiful using a quilting linen.

This pattern uses half square triangles, flying geese, fold over triangles on the large flying bird block which EQ7 calls Flying Goose and corner setting triangles in the "envelope" flap around the series of small flying geese. In addition to working on piecing skills, the students will have to think about color and contrast to make this design shine.

It can be quilted with a simple grid but there is also lots of negative space to which could be used to practice free motion quilting.

If you have thoughts about this pattern or suggestions for "intermediate" skills for quilters please send me a comment.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Matching the design when piecing fabrics for quilt backs

2 Sections of the Lotus Drop fabric have been sewn together to make a strip long enough for a quilt back.

My Lotus Pond fabrics made by Cloud 9 Fabrics arrived in the mail yesterday.  They are so beautiful.  I immediately stopped the project I was doing and starting working on the quilt back for my Modern Hexagon quilt. One thing led to another and by the end of the day, I had made backs for 3 quilts.

Detail of hexagon quilt top with the 3 backing fabrics

Completed backing

I found I needed to match the designs in the fabrics for all three of the quilt backs so thought I would share with you how I did that.

Step One:  To attach two strips together to make a longer piece, make a fold in the piece of fabric that will be added the first section of the fabric.  Use the fold line to exactly match the designs on both pieces of the fabric.

Fabric to be added is folded and placed on top of the 1st section, exactly matching the design

Step 2:   Lay your ruler on the fold so that the 1/4 line of the ruler is along the fold line and the ruler extends beyond the fold 1/4 inch.  Hold the ruler in this position and use it as the line to cut the first section of fabric.

Ruler with 1/4 mark over the fold of the piece being added and the ruler extending 1/4 inch over the first section of fabric.

Step 3:  Take the 2nd piece of fabric that you folded in Step 1 and turn it with the wrong side of the fabric facing up.  Open up the fold and mark it with chalk or soluble marker if you have difficulty seeing the fold line.  Place the 1/4 inch inch line of the ruler on the fold line.  (I drew blue chalk line on the fold so you can see it in the photograph).  The edge of the ruler extends 1/4 inch above the fold on the side closest to the raw edge of the fabric.  Cut along this line.

Cut 1/4 inch above the fold line on the side closer to the raw edge of the fabric

Step 4:  Place the two pieces of fabric, right sides together and sew them together with a 1/4 inch seam. Press the seam.  You may find you get a better match if you press the seam in one direction and a less good match if pressed the other direction. Press the seam in the direction that gives the result!

Here is the result:

Here is the same trio of poppies on an uncut section of the original fabric:

It takes a bit of practice to get a great result.  But it so rewarding when the design matches perfectly! 

I recommend that you practice matching designs with a couple pieces of scrap fabric once or twice before you cut into the fabrics for your quilt.  I find I still check and recheck to make sure I have it right before I cut!  

Modern Half Square Triangle Quilt--Diamond in the Forest

Here's my Modern Half Square Triangle, "Diamond in the Forest."   My plan was to make a Random Half Square Triangle (HST) quilt.  It turns out that I am too much of a control freak to go random!

The loss of randomness started with the initial piecing.

• I couldn't bring myself to put the pieces in a paper bag which would have insured the HSTs were really random.   Instead I intentionally picked fabrics which complemented each other for the HSTs.

When I put the HSTs on the design wall any attempt at randomness ended.

•  As I put the blocks on the design wall, I made sure that the fabrics in adjacent blocks weren't the same.
•  Then my eye caught the beginning of a pattern in the blocks…and I went for it.  Good-bye Random HST quilt!  Can you see the diamond shape slightly left of middle in the lower half of the blocks on the design wall?   Just one block on the right side needs to be turned to close the diamond.  This photo is fuzzy… it was a quick snap in case a dog ran by and the blocks flew off the design wall. Yes… it has happened. Not good!

Here's a detail of that focus diamond in the finished top.

The inspiration for this project came from a quilt made by Kali Zirkle which was posted on the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Facebook page on Happy Huesday.  Kali's quilt was made with Kona Cotton solid fabrics and her quilt is a Random HST quilt.

The actual planning for this quilt started when I found the "Sweet as Honey" fabric with the cut tree stumps.  It is an Art Gallery Fabric and was designed by Bonnie Christine.  I found in the shop at J.P. Knit & Stitch.   I collected yellow, brown, tan and grey fabrics to complement it.  My intention was to make the quilt with just those 4 colors.

Art Gallery Fabrics "Sweet as Honey"

However, one afternoon I had a DYI home improvement show on in the background while I was sewing.  I wasn't really paying attention to it so I don't know what the show was nor the cable channel airing it. I looked up to see one of the finished rooms. The walls were painted a soft orange yellow with turquoise and white throw pillows on the two setting areas on either side of the fireplace.

The proverbial lightbulb over my head flashed on.  This quilt would be so much more interesting with a couple of accent colors.  I added a bit of turquoise, yellow green and bright green.  That was just what this quilt needed.

I put the block with the reverse circle in the quilt to echo round tree stumps in the "Sweet as Honey" fabric.  The background fabric of that block is Kona Cotton Cheddar yellow!  For those of you who have been following my blog for a while…yes, cheddar yellow fabric has finally made it into one of my quilts!

This quilt which started out in one direction morphed into something different in the process of sewing it.  Could that be called Random Designing?

Random Half Square Triangle Modern Quilt WIP

Half Square Triangles trimmed and ready for the Design Wall

I've been busy working on my almost Random Half Square Triangle Modern quilt.  Almost random because I just couldn't resist pairing up fabrics which highlighted each other.

I decided to make the HSTs (abbreviation for half square triangle) by sewing two squares together with the 1/4 inch sewing lines marked on the square of fabric which is the lighter color of the pair.

Omnigrid rulers and Fons & Porter have teamed up to create a great tool to mark the 1/4 seam line on HST blocks.  It saves a step by eliminating the need to draw the center diagonal line through the middle of each block.

Omigrid Fons & Porter 1/4 inch marking ruler

In the left photo the ruler is positioned on block for drawing the 1/4 inch sewing lines.  (The photo was taken after the fact. If you look closely you'll note the lines have already been sewn).   The pointed ends of the ruler can be lined up with the corner of the block. I just make sure the middle line on the ruler intersects each of the corners.

On the right is a block with both lines sewn, ready to be cut apart.  The block is cut down the middle, right between the sewing lines. Once opened, you'll have two completed HST blocks.

                            

The photo below shows the opened block ready to be trimmed square.  Note the 45 degree line on the ruler is lined up with the center seam of the block.

I used quite a few modern fabrics in these blocks.  Several of them cost over $10 a yard so I wanted to squeeze as much as possible out of the fat quarters I had purchased.  The fat quarters were 21 inches wide after I trimmed off the selvage so it worked out best if I cut the squares at  6 7/8 x 6 7/8 inches.

Traditionally HST blocks cut at 6 7/8 inches are trimmed to 6 inches square.
I found I was able to trim the blocks at 6 1/4 inches.  This creates a quirky 5 3/4 inch finished block.  Since I'm not working from a pattern, that is fine.  I'm delighted to be able to use every possible bit of these beautiful fabrics.

Here are the trimmings from the 90 HST blocks in this project.   The look like they might make some sort of a nice monster stuffed toy!  (Actually I save them and they go to a cotton recycling program).

I'm off to the Design Wall to see how these blocks look best together.  I'm thinking about adding a surprise block to the quilt.  We will see if that happens or not!

Fourth of July Fireworks over the Zakim Bridge Quilt Block

The City of Boston is being proactive and has moved it's annual outdoor Fourth of July Concert and Fireworks at the Hatch Shell up day due to Hurricane Arthur which is coming up the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.  The celebration is going to be tonight, July 3rd, instead of tomorrow on the actual holiday.  So it seems appropriate to start the party for the Fourth here on the blog a day early too!

In honor of the Fourth of July Holiday, I want to share Amy Friend's  quilt block of the Zakim Bridge here in Boston.  She designed the pattern for the {Big} City Girl Quilt Along which she hosted with Aylin of Aylin-nilya.blogspot.com  on Flickr last summer.  Each of the blocks in this Quilt Along represented cities around the world.  Amy designed her block to represent Boston, Massachusetts.  Isn't it a beauty?

Boston's Zakim Bridge, design by Amy Friend, DuringQuietTime.com

I had fabric with the fireworks design in my stash.  When I was rummaging through my bins looking for fabric to make the block I knew it was the perfect choice.  I didn't think about how many hours it was going to take me (and how much un-sewing!) to get the fireworks to match up on this paper pieced pattern!
I wasn't as much of a perfectionist with my sewing as my Mom would have wished when I was a teenager. (Hurry up and get done already…looks OK to me)!   She would have been so proud if she could have seen this block!

I like the Zakim Bridge block so much that I had mugs made up with an on-line photography processing company.  It's a great way to enjoy your quilt blocks on a daily basis!

Here is my post about the completed {Big}CityGirls project from earlier this year.

Amy's pattern for this block is no longer available*. But she has a great collection of paper-pieced blocks  for sale at her DuringQuietTime shop on Etsy and on Craftsy.com.

*Addendum 7/3/2014: Amy commented to this post and said the pattern for the Zakim Bridge block IS still available.  It's free and you can find it at the link below:
DuringQuietTime Pattern Store at Craftsy.com.  Thanks for the correction Amy!

Both the {Big} City Girl hosts are busy with Quilt Alongs with their children this summer.

Amy and her eight year old daughter, Lily, are currently hosting a Little House on the Prairie Quilt Along on her DuringQuietTime blog.  They just posted the third block today so you can still easily catch up if you want to join the fun.

Aylin's 12 year old daughter is in the Tula Pink City Sampler: 100 Modern Blocks German Quilt Along.  Her Mom said she could use any of the fabrics in her stash!  Very generous!  The blocks Aylin's daughter has making are beautiful! Check them out on Aylin's blog.

Whether (or weather!) you are celebrating July 4th today or tomorrow I hope you all have a 

Happy Independence Day!  

Modern Hexagon Quilt Top

Here's my Modern hexagon Quilt top.  All of the hexagons are appliquéd onto the blocks with top-stitching.  Three of the hexagons have expressed their individuality!  Two are on point and the third jumped up out of line!

Modern Hexagon Quilt top

Here is a detail of the appliqué.

I plan to do close quilting, with the lines of stitching approximately 1/2 inch apart.  I want to see if I can capture a ripple effect with the quilting, having the lines crossing over each other like wavelets in a pond.

In fact, my working title for this quilt is "Skipping Stones in the Lily Pond".
My starting points for the ripples are going to be the two light yellow hexagons which are set on point.
I left 3 negative space blocks around each of the blocks with the single on-point hexagon so that the ripple quilting will be clearly visible.  I'll see how it goes...but will have to wait for this July heat wave to break before I start quilting!

Working on the Blog and Modern Hexagon Quilt Blocks

I'm trying some new layouts for my blog.  If you have been a regular reader, yes, it is still my blog!
And to new readers, the posts may look different tomorrow because I'm still trying new options.

My goal is to make it easier to leave comments.  I want to know what you are thinking about my posts.
So bear with me for a few days!

I really like this dynamic platform.  It has a great comment section but I am sorry that my new Instagram button won't load on it.  I want it all!

Modern Hexagon Blocks

I spent some time today working on my Modern Hexagon quilt.  I thought about appliquéing the hexagons onto the background by hand.  But Modern Quilting to me = machine sewing.  As long as it looks good, faster is better in my book!

1 inch hexagons ready to sew

I sewed 6 blocks today. I am pleased with how it is coming together.  My teal background blocks are 10.5 inch square.

To keep the hexagons in a straight row, I folded over the top edge of the block 3 inches and put in a finger press.

Background block turned down 3 inches to mark the sewing line for the top of the hexagon block

Here are 3 blocks lined up and ready for sewing:

I am using a straight stitch at the very edge of the hexagon's margin.  I thought it might be hard to so that close to the edge of the block, but it wasn't a problem.

Sewing along the margin of the hexagon

One hexagon sewn onto the background.  Lot's more to go!

The first sewn onto a background block. Chester, my cat, is doing quality control. Can you see his toes?

Two blocks close up:

Detail of sewing on hexagon

This is a fun project!  Can't wait to get it on the design wall!

Social Media Workshop at J.P. Knit & Stitch

Last night I attended a workshop on Social Medial for Sewers, Crafters and Makers at J.P. Knit & Stitch in Jamaica Plain, MA, given by Meighan O'Toole who is a social media and digital strategy consultant meighanotoole.com/blog and Abby Glassenberg who sews and and designs patterns for stuffed toys and soft sculptures. She blogs at While She Naps and has an Etsy Shop.

I have to admit, that I have been a bit wary of social media.  Not so much about what social media is, but concerns that it will overtake my day and I won't get any designing or quilting done.  If I'm not being actively creative, my blog isn't going to thrive. The blog is my social media priority at the moment.

Meighan talked a lot about using social media to build a business that is financially successful.  Twitter is particularly useful when building a business.   Both women talked about how they have used social media to build a community of like-minded folks.
They also both are advocates of newsletters which they write on a regular basis.

Both Meighan and Abby talked about how important it is to respond to everyone who takes the time to comment on a post on your blog or other social media. It engages folks and helps to build your following.

Abby had some great tips and advice about use of social media in the midst of a busy life.  She has 3 young children.  She actually went through her day and told us where in the day she she fits in time to check a variety social media.  She is very organized and clearly can set limits for herself!

Here are some tips from the workshop that I plan to integrate into my quilting and blogging life.  These are from Abby's part of the workshop.

1. Pick 2 social media platforms that are a good fit and commit to using them regularly.   
2. Blog on a regular basis.  Plan to post on the same days each week... and do it!  Abby posts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
3. Let folks know what's going on in your life that makes it possible to be creative.  Abby said she posts her income, expenses etc so folks can see what it costs to run a business based on sewing. Now that's transparency!
4. Share things that other folks are doing that you have found helpful or appreciate.
5. Share your skills.

Here are some thoughts about how I plan to incorporate Abby's tips into my use of social media:

1.  Using 2 social media platforms: I came right home last night and signed up on Instagram.  Check out the new button on the right side bar!  Find me @sleepingdogquilts.  Quilting is such a visual activity that using a social media that is based on photographs makes so much sense.  
2.  Not yet sure what blogging on a regular basis means for me.  I post several times a week, but I post when I have a project in progress which I want to share.  I do see the wisdom of posting on specific days--followers will know you are going to post and can look forward to the next post.  I know I'd like that as a reader.  I'm thinking about how to make the blog better too.
3. Backstory.  I try to do that when I talk about the process designing quilts.  I'll have to give some thought to other possible things to share.
4. Sharing.  Book reports!  Using Pinterest to post other folk's work would another way to do this. 
5. Skills.  Writing tutorials is an option Abby suggested. I enjoy writing tutorials so will continue to do that.

I'm really glad I attended this workshop.  I got a lot of great ideas and I loved what the women had to say about building an on-line community which can truly be world-wide.

I also really appreciate the workshops that J.P. Knit & Stitch has offered.  This is the second one I've been to this year. The speakers have all been committed to their crafts, so open and thoughtful about what they are doing and so generous about creativity of other people in the sewing/quilting/crafting community.  This is brilliant booking!  Kudos to the store's owners!

Jumbled Spools Quilt, with pattern for Quilt Along

Jumbled Spoon Quilt,   54 x 60 inches

My Jumbled Spools Quilt is done!  I had so much fun designing this quilt, sewing it and doing the quilting.  There were some bumps in the process but that's just part of designing.

I used Robert Kaufman's solid Kona Cotton 

New Bright Palette

 for the "thread" on the spools.

There are only 41 colors in this collection. I added a yellow from my stash to make the 42nd spool.    This would also be fun to make using 2.5 inch x 4 inch scraps from your stash.

Here is the inspiration for my design!

I inherited my mother's sewing table a number of years ago.  It's a lovely piece of mid-century Modern Danish teak furniture.  It has a drawer for notions and a pull-out basket to store clothing that needs to be mended.  I love having it, but it doesn't really function well as a sewing table for my needs so I've never cleaned it out and claimed it for my own.  I raid it for buttons, needles and the occasional notion but it's essentially the just way it was when it arrived at my house.  Well, actually it has gotten a bit messier!  My niece was visiting recently.  She pulled open the drawer of the sewing table.  I was working in the kitchen but I could see what she was doing.  I heard her say "Oops!" and quickly shut the drawer.  I cracked up!  What a great reaction!  Well deserved too, I might add!

I searched for spool quilt patterns and found lots of them on-line and in quilting books.  The spools are usually all lined up in neat rows.  I wanted something more true to (my) real life!   So that's why I designed my quilt with the spools all jumbled!

Jumbled Spools Quilt showing the backing. 

The quilting continues the jumbled theme.  I did free motion random loops for the body of the quilt which creates a "bad thread day" feel.

Some of the spools have tight parallel rows of quilting but the majority of them them have a zig-zag pattern on the body of each spool.  The two quilting patterns on the spools represent the two ways that spools of thread are wound during manufacturing.

In the border on the right side of the quilt I did straight linear quilting 1/2 inches apart using my walking foot.

 I made this quilt with rotary cut pieces.  Some of the spools tops and bottoms don't match up the the body of the spool as neatly as I thought they would.  I rather like them that way--it looks like some of the thread on the spools has been used.

There is a pattern which you can use to make your own Jumbled Spools in the next post.

Jumbled Spools Quilt Pattern

Jumbled Spools Quilt

   54 x 60 inches

Materials:

Quilt top:

4 yards of a solid color cotton fabric. I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona White.  This is a generous estimate of what you will need.  You’ll probably be fine if you only have 3.5 yards.

1 charm pack of varied colors (you will need 42  5 inch squares, if the pack has fewer than 42 charms, repeat one or more colors or add something from your stash), or 42  2.5 x 4” scraps from your stash

½ yard of fabric to make the tops and bottoms of the spools (I used a variety of grey

fabrics)

1/8 yard of extra fabric(s) to make the border “stitching”

Backing:

 3 1/3 yards of fabric using a horizontal seam OR 3 ¾ yards using a vertical seam.  If you need the backing to extend more than 4” beyond your quilt top, add another ¼ yard.

Binding:

1/2 yard of coordinating or contrasting fabric

Batting:

60 x 68 inch piece of batting

Cutting instructions for rotary cut pieces:

Note:

 WOF means “width of fabric.” Quilting cotton usually is 40-42 inches wide.

Colored body of spools:  Cut 42 pieces of you colored fabrics:  2.5 x 4 inch rectangles

Background of block adjacent to colored body of spool

1. Cut 9 strips of your background fabric:  WOF x 1.25 inches wide

2.  Cut these strips into 84:  1.25 x 4 inch rectangles

Tops and bottoms of spools:

Cut 9 strips of you spool fabric:  WOF x 1.5 inches wide.

Cut these strips into 84 pieces: 1.5 x 4 inch rectangles

To make the angles on the tops and bottoms of the spools:

Cut 7 strips of background fabric:  WOF x 1.5 inches wide.

Cut these strips into 168 squares: 1.5 x 1.5 inch squares

Background of each block:

1.  Cut 12 strips of background fabric:  WOF x 3.5 inches wide

Then cut these strips into 84 pieces:  3.5 x 5.5 inch rectangles

2.  Cut 21 strips  background fabric: WOF x 2.75 inches wide

Then cut these strips into 84 pieces:  2.75 x 10 inch rectangles

For “Stitching border”

1.

Cut 21 pieces (one color or several):  1 x 2.5 inch rectangles

2.

Cut 20 pieces of  background fabric:  1 x 1.5 inches

Outer background border:  

Cut this border after your quilt top is done

Cut one strip of background fabric:  2.5 x 61 inches (or the length of your finished top)

Sewing Instructions for Rotary Cutting piecing:

Make the tops and bottoms of your spools first.  

1.

Draw a line diagonally across the WRONG side of each of the 168 1.5 x 1.5 inch squares of your background fabric.

2.

Match right side of the white square with one short edge of the right side of a 1.5 x 4 inch rectangle which will be the top of the spool.  

3.

Move your needle  position on your sewing machine one to two to notches to the RIGHT on your machine. You want to be sewing just on the INSIDE of the line you drew on the wrong side of the white square.  Sew the square to the rectangle.

4.

Fold the square over the diagonal line you just stitched.  The edges of the folded square should match up to the corner of the rectangle.

5.

Press, trim the excess under the triangle you just created to ¼ inch.

6.

Repeat on the other side of the rectangle.  

7.

Continue until you have made all 84 spools tops and bottoms.

Assembling the Spools:

1.

Sew a 1.25 x 4 inch rectangle of background fabric to the side of each 2.5 x 4 inch colored spool body.  Press.

2.

Now attach a top and bottom piece to each end of the spool.  Press toward the spool ends.

Add the background to the spool blocks

1.

Sew a 3.5 x 5.5 inch background rectangle to each side of the spool from the last step. Press.

2.

Sew a 2.75 x 10 inch background rectangle to the top and bottom of the spool block.  Press.

3.

You will now have an UNFINISHED block 10 inches square

            Spool Blocks before trimming to skew them

Creating the wonky block

1. Trim down the blocks to an UNFINISHED 9.0 inches square.  Make the first cut at the top of the block.  The cut should only be a slight angle. MAKE CERTAIN THAT you have at least 9.0 inches on all 4 sides of the block.   I recommend that you use a large square ruler to trim these blocks. (See illustrations of the trimming).

First cuts to skew the block. Note that the ruler is tilted to be higher on the LEFT side than on the right side of the block.  Trim off the fabric on the top and right side that extends beyond the ruler.

Now trim the block square to an 9.0 inch square.

This measurement is the UNFINISHED block size.

 Squaring up the block to 9 inches.  Note that the ruler is squared to the first two

cuts you made.  Trim off the fabric extending beyond the ruler.  

2. On the next block tilt your ruler the OPPOSITE direction so your spools don’t all tilt in the same direction.   Then trim the block to 9 inch square.

Note that in the first cut on this block, the ruler is tilted to be higher on the RIGHT side.

Continue trimming the blocks, making sure to cut the blocks so that HALF are skewed toward the left and half toward the right side.

Two blocks trimmed to tilt in opposite directions.

Making the Border of “Stitches”

Sew the  1 x 2.5 inch colored rectangles short sides end to end, alternating each colored block with one 1 x 1.5 inch rectangle of the background fabric. This will make a long narrow strip a bit longer than 60 inches.

Set this aside for now.

Assemble the Quilt top

1. Lay out your blocks on a design wall with one block having the spool upright and the block next to with the spool horizontal.  Make sure that each new row starts with a spool positioned the opposite way from the first block in the row above it.

2. When you are happy with the  color distribution and layout of your quilt, sew the blocks together in horizontal rows.

3. Then sew the horizontal rows together.

4. Attach the border of “stitches” made in the last step to the left side of the quilt.  Find the center of this line of “stitches”. Position the center point of the strip of “stitches” at the center point on the left side of your quilt.  The top and bottom stitch will be cut off as this strip is a bit longer than the finished quilt top.

5. Finally add the outer border 2.5 inch x length of your quilt to the outside left edge of your quilt

Quilt backing:

Cut the fabric you purchased for the backing in half.   Sew the 2 halves together either horizontally or vertically, depending on the amount of fabric you purchased and/or the design of the backing fabric.

The finished backing should extend 4 inches beyond the edges of the quilt top if you plan to quilt it on a sewing machine.  It will need to extend 6+ inches if you plan to quilt it with a long-arm machine.

Quilting:

If you are quilting on your sewing machine, assemble your sandwich, top, batting and backing.  Baste the layers with pins or thread.

           Quilt as desired.

If the quilt is to be quilted by a long-arm machine, follow the directions given to you by the long-arm quilter if you are sending it out.  

For those of you doing your own long-arm quilting you know what to do!  Have fun quilting!!

Binding:

Make your binding per your favorite method.  Attach the binding to your quilt.

Label:

Make a label for your handiwork!  

Congratulations!  Enjoy your Jumbled Spools Quilt!

Design and pattern created by Judith Tucker, 2014.  SleepingDogQuilts.blogspot.com

This pattern is for individual use only. You may sell your finished quilt(s) if you wish.  This pattern is not for commercial  or large volume use.

Project Updates

I've been spending a lot of time in the past couple weeks finishing up projects.   And I've received several reports back on some quilts and sewing projects that have gone off to friends and new places.

First off,  the 40 inch square baby quilt made from Tula Pink's Fox Field fabric is done.  I put the binding on it this afternoon.  I like how the binding echoes the inner border.

40 inch square baby quilt

Here's a photo showing the back fabric.  I used the same fabric on the queen size Tula Pink Fox Tails quilt I made and have posted about several times in the past.  The backing came from the discount fabric store.  It's not Tula Pink but I think it is in character!

My niece loves the pink and grey cat quilt I made for the baby who is due any day. She tells me the quilt is on the rocker so now all they need is the baby!

Detail of the pink and grey cat baby quilt

I also heard that Zoe, the Golden-doodle, loves her Flat Bear.  The bear is already missing a chunk but I'll take that as a sign that the dog loves her new toy!

And speaking of dogs, a member of New England English Springer Spaniel Rescue  NEESSR, Inc. is thinking about using my Dog Training Apron pattern to make some to sell at the English Springer Spaniel Agility Trials in the fall.  They are a great group.  I've adopted all my Springers from their Rescue.

Taffy and Tipper--The Sleeping Dogs!

I finished the Jumbled Spool Quilt today too.  I still need to test my foundation pattern and write up up the pattern instructions.  I hope to get that all posted later this week.

Number of quilt tops still sitting in the UFO pile:  Two.  The batting is cut, the backs are made.  I just need to get them sandwiched.  Both are queen size quilts.  That might just have something to do with why they haven't gotten quilted yet!   One of these days…but maybe not until the Fall when the cool weather returns.

Apron for Dog Training: Pattern

Make your own dog training apron with pockets for treats, clicker or other equipment, bags and a hidden pocket for your cell phone.

The finished size is 18 inches long, 8 inches wide.

Dog Training Apron with hidden cell phone pocket

(Photos were taken from 2 aprons I made--one blue ticking with green polka dots and the other grey home dec fabric with grey quilting fabric. I've used the photos interchangeably).

Supply list:
1/3 yard of mid-weight home dec material or bottom weight fabric
1/4 yard of quilting weight cotton
1 fat quarter or scraps to make the small patch pocket
1.5 inches of sew-on hook and loop closure
1/4 inch elastic, 8 inches long

Cutting instructions:
Body of apron:
   From mid-weight fabric:
Cut 2 rectangles, 8.5 inches wide x 19 inches long
   From quilting cotton:
Cut 2 rectangles, 8.5 inches wide x 19 inches long

Take one of the mid-weight rectangles and one of the quilting cotton rectangles.   Cut both ends of each of the rectangles on a diagonal approximately somewhere between a 60 and 45 degree angle. You can get this slant by placing your ruler at the 2 inch mark at the top edge of the rectangle and line up the edge of the ruler with the bottom corner.  I recommend that you cut both pieces, wrong sides together, at the same time so that the angles are identical on each piece.

Angle for cutting slant on large front pocket

Ties:
   From mid-weight fabric:
Cut 2 rectangles of mid-weight fabric,  5 inches wide x 21 inches

Small front pocket:
   From Fat quarter or scraps:
Cut 2 squares, 6.5 inch x 6.5 inches


Here are all your pieces cut, ready for sewing:

Pattern pieces for the apron all cut out

Directions:

1.  Place right sides together  of the two 8.5 x 19 inch rectangles.  One will be of mid-weight fabric and the other quilting weight fabric.
     Sew top and bottom of the rectangle, creating a tube.
     Turn fabric right side out. Press.
     Turn under and press about 1/4 inch of the raw edges of the sides of the tubes.
     Sew these two seams closed STARTING 2 inches below the top edge of the panel to leave an opening for the ties which will be inserted later.
     Set aside for now.

Tube that will form the back panel of the apron.

2.  Place the right sides together of the 2 trapezoid pieces of mid-weight and quilting weight fabric which will make the large front pocket.
     Sew around all 4 sides, leaving open 2 inches on the bottom (wider) edge.
     Turn right side out.
     Press.
     Sew closed the opening on the bottom edge by sewing about 1/8 inch from the edge of the pocket.
     Top stitch both the diagonal sides about 1/4 inch from edge.

Large front pocket ready to be sewn to the back apron panel

3.  Sew the soft side of the hook and loop closure at the midline of the back side of your large front pocket, about 1/2 inch below the top edge.

Soft loop closure sewn to back side of large front pocket

 
      Sew the stiff loop side of the hook and loop closure at the midline of the front side of back panel of the apron, about 1/2 inch below the top edge.  Make sure this strip will line up with the strip on the large front pocket.


4.  Place right sides together of the two 6.5 x 6.5 inch cotton squares.  Sew top edges together.
     On one side, start sewing 1.5 inches BELOW the top seam and that side, the bottom edges and the opposite side but STOP 1/2 inch from the top edge.
     Turn right side out.
     Press.
     Now sew a straight line 1/2 inch below the top edge of the small front pocket. This will make a tube with an opening on both sides.
     Run the 1/4 inch elastic through the tube, leaving 1 inch out of each side of the pocket.  Sew one side of the tube closed 1/8 inch from the edge of the pocket, leaving 1 inch of the elastic hanging out.
     Now gently pull the other end of the elastic so that approximately 1.5 inches of the elastic extend beyond the margin of the pocket.  There should be gentle gathering of the top edge of the pocket.
Sew closed the other end of the tube 1/4 inch from the margin of the pocket, securing the elastic at the same time.
    Pull the exposed pieces of elastic taut and cut right at the edge of the pocket. The ends of the elastic should disappear into the 1/4 inch seam.

5.  Sew the small front pocket onto the large front pocket, using a 1/4 inch seam on the 2 sides and bottom of the pocket.  The small pocket should be placed centrally, about 1.5 inches below the top edge of the large pocket.

6.  Sew the large front pocket to the back panel, using 1/4 inch top stitching.
     Place the large front pocket on top of the back apron panel.  The pocket will probably be about 1/4 inch narrower at the bottom than the back panel.  That's fine.  Pin in place.
     Now sew across the top edge of the large front pocket, sewing through all the layers, until you are parallel to the small pocket. STOP and backstitch a few stitches.  Restart sewing across the top on the other side of of the front pocket.  This will be the opening for the cell phone pocket.
     Then sew down the bottom of the large front pocket. Start the stitching on the diagonal,  2.5 inches from the left lower corner of the large pocket. sew down the 2.5 inches of the diagonal, sew across the bottom of the pocket and then sew up 2.5 inches of the opposite diagonal on the right side.
This will create a pocket on both sides of the apron. Sewing down the bottom 2.5 inches of the slant gives the pocket a corner to keep your things inside the pocket!

7.   Now sew 2 straight lines from the top edge of the large pocket to the bottom edge through all the layers of the apron, starting at the point where you stopped sewing in the first part of step 6. The sewing line should be at least 1/4 inch away from the sides to the small pocket. Make sure to check that your phone will have enough room in the pocket.  You can adjust these vertical sewing lines as needed.
This step creates your "hidden" cell phone pocket.  The hook and loop closures close this pocket so your phone won't fall out if you lean over.

8.  For the ties, fold the 5" x 21" rectangles in half wrong sides together and press.  Open.  Now fold BOTH  edges of the long sides of the rectangle, wrong sides together, meeting the raw edges at the center line you just pressed.
Press again.
Fold the tie in half again along the length of the tie. This will give you a sturdy 4 layer tie.
Sew the edges of the tie closed on the 3 open sides.

9.   Insert a tie in the opening of the back panel on one side---put a good inch inside the back panel.  Now sew it in place, at the edge of the back panel of the apron, closing the opening at the side time.  Sew back and forth several times. Then sew again 1/4" away from the first seam to securely attach your tie.
Repeat for the other tie.


That's it!
Enjoy training your dog(s)!

Copyright--Judith Tucker 2014.  This tutorial is for home use only.  You may make dog training aprons for yourself and may make and sell them at craft fairs or other similar small venues.  Your may NOT use this pattern commercially without permission.

Please have your friends visit the blog to print their own copy of this tutorial if they wish to make the apron.  Thanks!








   



   
   

EQ7 Jump Start Quilt Along: With Block 4, it's a Quilt!!

"Rolling Stone" block

This week we got the last  

EQ7 Jump Start Quilt Along

 lesson.  Block 4 is "Rolling Stone."  This lesson was focussed on designing a quilt.  I wasn't expecting to get a quilt out of 4 blocks, but we did!

Jenny taught us how to set up an EQ7 grid on the Quilt Worktable for a square quilt with sashings and a border with corner blocks:

A quilt set on point:

And a Modern Quilt with vertical panels which create negative space.

After seeing all these options, I decided I wanted to set the blocks in a diagonal across the quilt.  So I also explored setting up the quilt with horizontal panels.

I liked the design  but I decided I'd rather quilt the negative space when the blocks were set in with vertical panels.  So I went back to the Quilt Worktable and did the finally designing for my quilt.

I wanted the quilt to be large enough for toddler nap quilt. The 4 blocks lined up in a strip was only 36 inches long. I wanted to add another 9 inches.  So I increased the number of setting blocks on the EQ7 Quilt Worktable from 4 blocks to 5.  But that left me with a blank block at the top or bottom of the row which was not what I wanted.

I was going cut the block in half when I made the strip but knew there had to be a way to alter the row in EQ7.   We had been experimenting with various options for setting the blocks in a drop down list.

I decided to just give them all a try and see if there was an option which would work.  The second option in Strip Style and Size is "Half Drop Blocks."Just what I wanted.  This option creates a half width block at the top and bottom of the strip. So that's what I used for my quilt.

Part of this 4th lesson was about naming the quilt on "Notecard" in Sketchbook, and adding any other information we want in the "Notes" on the card.  I typically put in a date, who I was making the quilt for and any quirks about making the quilt that would be helpful if I want to make it again.

Finally the the last part of the lesson was about printing the Fabric Yardage. In this feature, the program looks at the quilt you designed and provides an estimate of the yardage for each fabric used in the quilt.  Because this is done mathematically, I usually add a bit extra to allow for the human factor (me!) in quilt making!

Here is my EQ7 Jump Start quilt!   I love the bunnies in the center of each block.  The quilting in the negative space is vertical lines--close together on the right, further apart on the left. It's going to have great texture when the quilt is washed and dried.

EQ7 Jump Start Quilt Along Finished Quilt

EQ7 Jump Start Quilt Along has been so much fun!  I learned about some features I hadn't explored before and I'm a lot more comfortable using EQ7.   Now that I've used "Strip Style and Size" and the "Border Style" on the Quilt Worktable I know I'll be working with them a lot.  I'm sure I'll also be using the blocks in the Block Library and the tools in the Block Worktable to change the Library block to make a new block design.

Thank you

Jenny

 at Electric Quilt's blog,

http://doyoueq.com/blog/

for this great Quilt Along!  Great job on the lesson content, the printable hand-outs and videos!!

I really hope Jenny and the Electric Quilt Blog will make follow up Quilt Along that builds on the skills in these four lessons.

Rabbits in the Garden Quilt: Using up the Tula Pink Fox Field 2.5 inch strips

I had a significant amount of fabric left over after I completed my Tula Pink's Craftsy Mystery Quilt to make 2 more quilts. I've already blogged about the first of those quilts:  Fox Field Reprise Baby Quilt.  I had a bit of fabric left for one more quilt.

On my way home from dropping by dogs a the training center, I stopped in at J.P. Knit & Stitch, a great little knitting and sewing store in Jamaica Plain.  I had the 16 patch block (see above) with me and was looking for a fabric to go with it.  Genevieve, the shop's owner, and I looked a several options but nothing caught my eye.  Then she went off and came back with a bolt of sea green voile which she had just received and wasn't yet on the shelf.  It was perfect!  (I just love it when that happens)!  We both agreed that a solid bone grey solid cotton quilting fabric she had would be perfect on the back of the quilt.

Arizona Triangle Tokens by April Rhodes for Art Gallery Fabrics Fabric is sea foam green with white and gold triangles

I had a design for a very modern quilt in my mind, but wasn't sure how I was going to handle the all the negative space.  

Tula Pink's Fox Field Fabric line has rabbits with large polka dots and then a collection of complex designs with hidden rabbits, foxes, horses and birds.  There are parts of horses in the 16 patch block but no rabbits anywhere.  It was the rabbits which drew me to this fabric line so I knew I had to get them into the quilting somehow.

Because this is a great size for a baby quilt I decided to hide the rabbit.  It would be visible on the back of the quilt but you would have to look hard to see it on the front side.  The obvious place to hide the rabbit was in the 16 patch block.  

The rabbit is lower middle on the left You can clearly see his back foot in the sea foam block with the star

But 3 rabbits are more fun and 1, so I partially hid a second rabbit in the 4 patch block and put the 3rd rabbit in front of the 2.5 inch single block.  

Where would 3 rabbits be?   In the vegetable garden!   With a bit of free motion quilting a garden appeared.  I loved showing the vegetables that the rabbit can see and  then what is growing under ground that he can't see.  That just nicely seemed to mirror the idea of the rabbits hidden in the blocks.

Back side of the quilt--rabbit contemplating the carrots

Front of quilt with lettuces, radishes

Back of the quilt--Rabbit looking a the beets with marigolds in the lower right corner

This was so much fun to make.  It was the first time I had quilted with a voile fabric.  It soft, thin and a bit slippery.  It has a lovely hand and the quilt is soft and light.  However, it was definitely more challenging to sew than regular quilting cotton.  Voile is not something I would use for quilting on a regular basis but it was fun working with a novel fabric.  And it was the perfect choice for this quilt.

Apron for Dog Training Pattern

A puppy class was coming into the dog training center yesterday just as I was finishing up a lesson with my dog, Hazel.

Hazel 3 year old Mystery Black Labrador Mix!

A couple of the puppy people noticed the dog training apron I was wearing.  

They really liked it. 

One of the puppy parents is a friend who sews and I realized she might want  to make one for herself.  That was the impetus I needed to get around to writing the pattern for the apron.  

The pattern is done and is posted in a tab at the top of the blog page. 

It looks like it's complicated but it goes together quickly.
Here is my post about making the Dog Training Apron.   After using it for a while I made a second apron.  I increased the slant of the large front pocket so it is a bit steeper, from a 60 degree cut to about a 50 degree cut.  That gave me two deeper more secure pockets.  They work much better now.
I wear my apron constantly because I'm actively training 3 dogs.  Two of my dogs are working on obedience and manners. The third dog competes in Canine Scent Work with the National Association of Canine Scent Work.  Scent work is so much fun!  The dog does all the work. I'm just along to make sure she covers all the search area so she doesn't miss anything.

Updates on WIPs and UFOs:

I now have a stack of unfinished quilt tops. I started doing the quilting on the first of them yesterday, a baby quilt with some of the left over blocks from the Tula Pink Craftsy Fox Tails Mystery Quilt. This quilt top is almost entirely negative space, so it is up to the quilting will make the quilt.  So far 3 rabbits have materialized and it looks like they up to no good in the vegetable patch.  I'm having a blast doing this free-motion quilting.  To be posted soon!