Design Wall Monday - July 29, 2024

Good Morning Quilters!

I’m still working on Bowtie blocks, and am making good progress.  Here is a  progress picture:  

The time it takes me to sew these blocks is greater than I anticipated.  The good news is that whenever I finish a block, I look at it while I’m pressing it, and say, “Well, aren’t you cute!”  So they are still amusing me.

The Paris Olympics has just started, and I am looking forward to watching some of the competitions.  I like to watch all sports.  I like the ones I know a lot about so I can watch my favotite players…., and the ones I know nothing about because I always learn something new.  Are you watching any special olympic sport as you quilt?

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Design Wall Monday - July 22, 2024

 Good Morning Quilters!

I am making progress  on my bowtie blocks UFOs.  Here is the design wall with my yellow skirt fabric and the solid red bows.  It will finish at 45 inches square.

The method of construction I used is the old fashioned method of five pieces of fabric in a block.   I sewed the middle square to the long inside part of two background fabrics.  Then I sewed the other two sides of the middle bow piece to the long inside edge of two red outside bow pieces.  What was next was sewing the four short seams to connect the red bow pieces to their corresponding background pieces.  I am not good at Y seams, needle down and swiveling way, and this method was easier for me than doing that.  Hope this makes sense to you.

The next set of  bowtie block pieces in this UFO box, (that I asked you for background advice about) have been waiting for their turn.  I have decided to use solid color off white (muslin color) as I have lots of it in my stash.  Thanks for all of your advice.  It helped.  

These guys are next and they will also finish at 5 inches square:

What is on your design wall this week?  It is always a treat to read your blogs and see your project pictures.  Remember, you don’t technically need a design wall to participate.  Just show us what you are working on.  Thanks for participating!

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Design Wall Monday - July 15, 2024

Good Morning Quilters!

A sad time in America..  Violence is never the answer in political differences.   I want to vote for my favorite candidates and also respect my friends who disagree with me, and vote for their favorite candidates.  

Here in our quilting world though, all is at peace……or at least it is on my design wall.  Remember last week I said there were 3 different bowtie projects in the UFO box I got out?  Last week I talked about the 1st one - skirt material and solid red 5 inch bowties.  This is the rest of the story of what was also in the UFO box.  

There were some thirties print fabric bowtie blocks with thirties print backgrounds behind the bowties.  In other words, there was a lot going on, and no place for the eye to rest. I think someone gave them to me a long time ago.  I cut them all apart, (not seam ripping) and made each part a smaller size.  And I used a more neutral background, and they are now the start of a little doll quilt, plus some more that didn’t want to be in the doll quilt, so I made them into groups of four blocks.  I am unsure of what I will make with the sets of four…….maybe hot pads or to decorate the end of dish towels….what do you suggest?

Here is the doll quilt, with the proposed pink binding near it.  Blocks are 3” square, and doll quilt will be about 17” square.

And the extra 3 sets of four blocks:   (and three individual lone blocks). These blocks below are mostly from the original “background” fabric, so you can see just how busy the Blocks were originally.  

The 3rd bowtie project was fabric cut for bowties and no background fabrics,  Here is a picture of the cut bowtie pieces:

They will finish at 5 inches square.  What do you suggest for a background color?  I am leaning toward just plain white, but could be persuaded to use a solid color.  What do you think?  There are 92 on them.

What peaceful (pieceful) project is on your design wall?

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Design Wall Monday - July 8, 2024

 Good Morning Quilters!

My enthusiasm for quilting was high this week.  I finished sewing together all the hourglass blocks for the final border of the quilt that has been on the design wall for weeks.  The quilt top measures 80” x 80”, with blocks that are 2” finished size.  Here it is, and I will use the dark navy from the quilt as a binding, to repeat the color again at the edge:

Next, I pulled out a UFO box and looked at what was in it.  All of my UFO’s have sentimental stories it seems, and this one does.  The box was filled with three bowtie blocks projects and some of the fabric to complete the same.  The first one involved a bright gold/red leaf print that used to be a skirt that my Mother made for me in Junior High.  I picked out the fabric before it was made.  And my memory of it includes a fabulous mending job that my Mom did to fix it after I tore a big gash in the skirt.  (I was a tomboy and was busy trying to do all that my older brother did). I was very impressed with her mending skills.  Here is the fabric, very typical of the mid 1950s:

When first starting quilting, I cut the skirt fabric into bowtie block pieces, but my sewing skills were not there, and I stopped working on it.   There were 14 completed blocks and lots of pieces cut for more.  Here are those 14 on my design wall:

There were some other blocks made where the gold/red leaf fabric was paired with another print.  I decided this week that these were too busy for my taste now, and took them apart.  My plan is to complete all of the blocks with the solid red alternating fabric, for a bright quilt.  I have fabric for about 50 more blocks.  It was fun going down memory lane about my skirt, and I like the plan of completing this UFO.  

The other 2 bowtie projects in the box are another story, and I will save that for another day.  What are you working on this week?  I hope your enthusiasm is high this week too.  I really appreciate your participation in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party, and I hope you will join in again this week.  

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Design Wall Monday - July 1, 2024

 Good Morning Quilters!

This Monday marks the start of the second half of 2024.  What is going to be on your design wall in the next six months?  My plan this week is to look at all the UFOs in my studio, and really examine whether or not they will get finished by me.  The last time I did an inventory, I liked them all, and didn’t want to eliminate any of them.  I am also going to divide the lot of them into two piles:  small or doll quilts vs. bed quilts.

The finish this week is a small quilt, 20” by 20”, and was not even on the UFO list!  But that is the way it goes sometimes.  Here is my small quilt version of “Two Step” a Barbara Brackman pattern:

Here is a picture of the blocks laid out before sewing them together:

And next, the finished quilt, next to it’s king sized version:

Here is another picture.  It is so cute, and so little.  I do like little quilts.

So, that is what I did this last week.  What about you?  I am looking forward to reading your blogs and looking at your pictures.  Thanks so much for participating in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  Happy July 4th celebration for all in the USA.  I will post some patriotic quilts next week.

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