Design Wall Monday - November 27, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

Well, I succeeded is getting the “Splendid Sampler” blocks sewn together, and it is now off the design wall!  Yeah!   But….

The new development with this quilt is that it looked very small when sewn together.  It needed to be bigger.  Luckily, there was more of the green alternate blocks fabric in my stash.  So more green hst blocks were made and I intend to add a few rows/columns to the outside.  Here is a picture of it as it is right now:

So now it is too big for the design wall, and I have it laid out on the family room floor until the extra blocks get sewn to it.  I am happier with the size now, and it will soon be a top to be sent to a long arm quilter.  Yeah!  Sometimes quilts take many turns before they get finished, and this one sure did.

The next project is a civil war era fabrics hourglass and hst quilt, and I made a start on it this week.  Plus I’ve made some additional hourglass blocks.  

And a small start of sewing the blocks together (2 inch finished size).  This is a 12 x 12 inch start.

I mentioned last week that I have 1,200 two inch finished size hsts in my stash, and several of you asked how that happened.  It is kinda amazing, isn’t it?  Well, I used to be part of a group of quilters in Virginia that has now disbanded.  For quite a few of our semi-annual meetings, we exchanged groups of hsts with each other.  I have kept them together for such a time as this,  They are a great memory of my time in that group, and I am looking forward to using them in the upcoming quilt.

Just as soon as I get the Splendid Sampler sewn together and off the floor.  

What is on your design wall this morning?  Or what is on your design floor?  Thank you for joining in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and letting us know.   I appreciate all of you who faithfully join in each week.  You are special.

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Design Wall Monday - November 20, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

At my recent retreat, several people (me included) were smitten by a vintage quilt, and I talked about it last Monday.  I have decided to make a modified version of it.  Several of you have asked for more details, so I am providing my plans here.  If you would like to make a copy of the original quilt, or make my modified version, please join me in making lots of hourglass blocks.  Here are two pictures, the whole quilt and a close-up:

The quilt has 39 blocks across and 43 blocks down,  all two inch finished quarter-square triangles (also called hourglass blocks).  So the total size is 78 x 86 inches.

There are many ways that you can make the hourglass block, and I googled “hourglass block instructions” to find many good instructions and videos on the internet, if anyone needs help making them.

My version of the quilt is this:  I plan to make the majority of my quilt with two inch finished hsts (half-square triangles) because I happen to have 1,200 of them in my stash that need to be in a quilt. 

My plan is to make a center medallion and also a  border midway into the body of the quilt - both out of newly made hourglass blocks, and then make the majority of the quilt with the hsts that I already have in my stash.  I am making some hourglass blocks this week and forming my quilt plans in my mind.

Also, my design wall will be helpful in planning this new project, so I am sewing the blocks together of the quilt that is on the design wall right now.  This new project provides me incentive to get the old project sewn together and off the design wall.  A win win. Here’s the project on the design wall right now (blocks from The Splendid Sampler of a few years ago) with most of the rows sewn into strips:

  

It will be fun to see this new project come together, and good to use some of the1,200 hsts from my stash.  What are you starting this week, or working on, or finishing?

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Design Wall Monday - November 13, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

It was a wonderful, peaceful week at the retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana.  So many wonderful ladies gathered in one room, all talking and laughing together.  I loved it.

 While there I finished the binding on the May Day Basket Quilt, and made some more bird blocks for Cousins Walk.  Here are a few pictures from the retreat:

First, a picture of me with my progress on Cousins Walk:

Next, a picture of all the ladies who came with their bird blocks of our uncompleted Cousins Walk Quilts. 

Note:  Several of us wear aprons while we sew in the work room, and I am wearing one of my mother’s aprons.  It looks like a skirt, but is pleated cotton, and was one of her “company coming” aprons, not an everyday one.

For the “Show and Tell” Friday night, I brought my large and small May Day Baskets quilts.  I had showed these two quilts before as just tops, but brought them again to show the quilting, and that they are now finished.  Yeah!

Here are pictures from that night:

At the end of “Show and Tell”, an antique quilt was shown to our group by Rebecca Haarer, an antique shop owner in Shipshewana.  I love old quilts, and she always brings a lovely one for us to see.

The hourglass blocks measure only 2 inches finished size!  Several of us want to make our own version of it.  Even though I vowed to finish all my UFOs before I start any others, I do start new projects.  Last April at this retreat, I started Cousins Walk, so it may happen.

Close-up of the quilt:

What have you started this week……or what have you finished?  Thanks for participating in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party each week.  Even if you don’t have a design wall, link up your blog post and we can read about you and the fun you are havng.  Don’t forget to provide a link back to this post within your blog, and mention Design Wall Mondays to your readers.  Thanks!

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Design Wall Monday November 6, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

I am leaving for a week long quilt retreat soon, and am packing up projects and supplies today.  There is not much progress here at home, as this week has been a thinking and packing time.  However, I do have an interesting picture of fabrics to show you.

Close friends are in Togo, Africa, right now, and sent this picture from a visit to a market.   I think the local fabric is cotton, made with wax relief, but I’m not sure.  It is very colorful, and bright, so happy looking.

My stash is mostly civil war repros, and I have promised myself that I won’t buy any more fabric for the next 20 years.   But if I had been with my friends in Togo, I would have been tempted.

I have three projects to take to the retreat, and am thinking of adding another one before I leave.  I would hate to run out of projects while there!  haha. I always bring too much.

What are you working on this week?  Please join in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and tell us all about it.  

 

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