Design Wall Monday - October 29, 2018

My trip to Virginia was wonderful, and here is a picture of my design wall, with the blocks that I received from the others in the Churn Dasher's group.  I put some subtly striped pink yardage behind the blocks to audition it as a possible sashing/background squares:

They will be on my design wall for a while as I want to admire them.   I love the fabrics the others chose for me.

When I got back, I started working on binding the scalloped edging for a quilt that I recently received back from my longarm quilter.  The quilt is "Hearts and Apron Strings", and I blogged about it (HERE)

The binding is cut on the bias, and I made it 2 inches wide, double fold,  so it shows only a narrow touch of light green:

My friend Joan Brink was visiting Thursday night, and taught me that there should be a little "crease" in the middle of the narrow part between the scallops, and that I should tack that crease shut on the front and the back:

I am practicing on this quilt, as my Jane Stickle quilt that is waiting in the queue to be finished also has scallops at the edges.  Some of these scallops have a nice crease in the narrow part.....and some do not.  But I am getting better at it.

Fall is so beautiful this year in Michigan.  Here is a picture of two maple trees in our front yard:

Aren't they beautiful?  I feel so blessed to see them every day. 

What is on your design wall?  I am sorry I wasn't able to read every linkup post last week, but this week I will be reading and commenting.  Tell us what you are working on, and show us a picture!  We want to see!  All I ask is that you refer back to this particular blog post somewhere within your blog post.  Thanks so much.

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - October 22, 2018

My design wall today has a new doll quilt made as a replica of an old one in the Metro Museum of Art.  I am writing this post Sunday afternoon, because on Monday morning, I will be flying to Virginia to meet with the Churn Dashers.

Here is a new doll quilt top, which now measures 21 by 21 inches, before quilting and binding:

The blocks finish at 5 inches square, and the measurements to make the block are as follows:

The larger block, which I talked about last week, finishes at 10 inches square and is explained (Here).  I took those measurements and modified them to make a 5 inch block.  The outside three triangles on each side of the block and the four corner triangles are where I wanted a little "wiggle" room in case my seams weren't exactly 1/4 inch, so those pieces are cut a little bit bigger, and hopefully, there will be no problems when trimming it to 5.5 inches at the end.

Colored fabric for the ten chimney "bricks"  
Two pieces 1 3/8 by 3 1/8 inches
Six pieces   1 3/8 by 2 1/4 inches
Two pieces 1 3/8 by 1 3/8 inches

Background Kona Snow pieces:
One piece 1 3/8 by 3 1/8 inches 
Two pieces 1 3/8 by 1 3/8 inches
The above three pieces form the center "cross".
Background Kona Snow edge pieces:
To create the twelve side triangles:
Cut three squares 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 and then cut them from corner to corner twice, giving you twelve triangles with the straight of grain on the outside longer edge.
Corners:
Cut two squares 1 3/4 by 1 3/4 and cut them from one corner to another, yielding four triangles with the straight of grain on the two shorter sides of the triangle.

Assemble the block as per the pictures at the link above, and trim it to 5.5 by 5.5 inches.

The inspiration doll quilt that is in the Metro Museum of Art was made in 1852 by Ella Mygatt Whittlesey.   It is completely hand stitched and quilted.  Also, Ella was seven years old when she made it, just a few years younger than this 75 year old blogger!  Her quilt measures 26 x 24 3/4 inches.

Here's also a closeup of one of my five inch squares.  I used the stripe in the opposite direction as I did on the ten inch block of the same fabric (see last week's blog post pictures).   As you can see, my outer corners of the colored parts are getting cut off a little bit in the seams, so I hope the addition of "wiggle" room in the measurements I give you above will eliminate that.  If you make nine blocks, and they all trim to the same size, it doesn't matter if they are 5.5 by 5.5 or some other measurement close to that.  After all, it's just a doll quilt.   So easy a seven year old can make it!

Well, what's on your design wall this morning?  It has been so noice seeing all of your design walls.  What's "noice"?  A new word this week spoken to me by a grandson.  It means "Beyond the boundaries and exceeding the limits of nice.  Spoken with emphasis when describing something particularly awesome."   That fits your links to my blog.

If you'd like to linkup, please mention this particular blog post somewhere within your blog post.  Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - October 15, 2018

This week I have something on my Design Wall!  Yeah for me!  I'm getting ready to exchange Chimney Sweep blocks (also called Album Blocks) with my fellow Churn Dashers in Virginia.  I am making four blocks each for eight different individuals, so 32 blocks were made this week.  I love this block!  It went together beautifully.

Here is a picture of the 32 blocks on my design wall.  They are 10.5 by 10.5 unfinished size (except for the little one at the top, which I will talk about later).

Closeup of two of the blocks:

It's a great block to show off stripes and beautiful civil war repros, and I can't wait to see the blocks I will get in the exchange next week.  Patience is not one of my virtues.

If you would like to make this block, the directions are on the internet in several places.  This block finishes at 10 inches, and I used the tutorial/directions found (Here)  For our block exchange, we are using Kona Snow for the white parts.

Did you notice the little block at the top of my design wall?  I had to try a small block, that finishes at 5 inches.   I made that one because I needed a break from all of these big 10 inch blocks.  I am so used to making small blocks, and it was fun to make this one.

To make a block  1/2 the size of the directions, all you have to do is follow these three steps:

(1) subtract 1/4 inch from every side of the big block directions for each piece that is in the block.

(2) divide the resulting measurement in half.

(3) add back 1/4 inch to every side of the new smaller directions.

Next week,  I will give you the directions for the smaller size, if anyone is interested, as I've already done the math......and some quilters don't like math.

What's on your design wall this Monday?

Please link back to this particular blog post somewhere within your blog post today.  Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Desgn Wall Monday - October 8, 2018

This was a good week for quilting.  I  started on some chimney sweep blocks that I'm making for an exchange with the Churn Dasher group in Virginia.  Here is the first completed block:

This block will finish at 10 inches square, and it's important to cut the outside triangle pieces so that straight of grain is on the outside edges of the whole block.  Otherwise, it would have a tendency to stretch out of square.

I made this sample block to be sure of my cutting and sewing measurements for the block.  After this one turned out just fine, I have cut the white parts for the remaining blocks.  Today I will have fun "shopping" in my stash for the dark and medium fabrics to make the rest of the blocks.

Here is the way I assembled it:  First I laid it out on a mat, in the way it would be sewn.  I sewed each row, returning the completed rows to the mat, to keep the block in order on the mat.  I left the corners for later:

Then I sewed row to row to row.  The four corners were the last parts to add to the assembled block:

It is now trimmed to 10.5 by 10.5, and I am working this week on the rest of the blocks.  I should have them all on my design wall next Monday to show to you.

It's fresh apple time here in Michigan and today I made an easy apple crisp.  It is cooked in the microwave, for 6-7 minutes, so is very easy to make.  Recipe is on the internet:  (microwave apple crisp recipe)  I don't cover it with wax paper, but the rest of the instructions are very similar to my old recipe.

Yummy!  Well, that's what's going on here......what's going on at your house?  What is on your design wall this Monday?  I can't wait to see all the pictures.

You know the drill, please refer back to this particular blog post somewhere within your blog post.  Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - October 1, 2018

It was so good to be back to quilting, and I made hanging sleeves and quilt labels for seven doll quilts that will be in a quilt show in Virginia next spring.  I am going to Virginia later this month, and want to leave them with the Churn Dasher's Group when I meet with them.

Two of the quilts are from Lori Dejarnett's blog quilt-a-longs.  Her blog (Humblequilts.blogspot.com) is having another doll quilt group project coming up this week.  I think the first part of the instructions come out this Wednesday.  I am planning to participate, it's always fun.

This one below was a quilt she called "Mid-Winter Blues".  I renamed it "Raggedy Ann's Doll Quilt", as it looks great with my Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls.  It's 20.5 inches by 20.5 inches square.

The next one is also from her blog, and she named it "Abundance".  I also kept that name for it.  It is 10.5 inches by 10.5 inches.

Last week started off Monday evening with Miss Penny going to the emergency room, but the issue was resolved quickly.  It was a bad ear infection and possibly also an allergic reaction to something, but she's all better now.  The only sign that she had some trauma is the two shaved patches on her ears (her ears were swollen up, and they had to be drained).  She is as good as new now, though.  She's on benadryl for a little while longer, and ear drops for the ear infection.  Nothing phases a labrador!  She is 47 pounds now, and still growing.

But back to quilts:   Here are three pictures showing all seven quilts on my coffee table (my design wall today):

The hanging sleeves are four inches deep, and must be the width of the quilt.  The labels are made on my computer printer.  I first cut fabric and freezer paper to the size of a piece of computer paper (8.5 by 11).  I then iron them together, and sew a line of stitching near the top of the 8.5 end.  The line of stitching keeps the two pieces together while they are feeding through the printer.  I only feed one through the printer at a time, to keep from having printer problems.

I use Microsoft Word software and prepare the label info, choosing a font that I like.  These were printed two per 8.5 by 11 sheet, and after coming out of the printer, I iron them again.  I cut off the line of stitching that is holding the freezer paper to the fabric, and then pull the freezer paper off.  The fabric labels are then cut to size and stitched to the back of the doll quilts, easy peasy.

Here are two of the labels shown up close:

What are you working on this week?  Please show us what's on your Design Wall.  The only request I have is that you refer back to this particular blog post somewhere within your blog post.  Thanks for joining in!

An InLinkz Link-up