soybeans June 2013

tip #27 consider using larger prints in bindings

The binding is the last place you get to do something wonderful for your quilt. Usually I select smaller prints so that the binding is strictly a statement of color. But, at times, a larger print adds to the quilt and makes a beautiful edge. This large print pine cones and boughs made a great binding edge for this quilt.

 

 Here are a few other larger print bindings I've used. 

Father's Day

Christmas 1966

little quilts

 

Temecula Quilt Co. had a delightful series for Christmas 2011.
I have wanted to make this quilt since, and finally did.
Times four.
Because I couldn't help myself.

  The blocks finish at 3 inches.

Finnish Pancake

In a blender, mix:
4 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a 9 by 13 inch pan.  I do this by putting the pan with the butter in it into the oven as it preheats.
Pour in the batter (will be very thin).
Bake for 20 minutes.
It will puff up  but will collapse as it cools.
Great with fresh fruit or jam or syrup.

buzz-saw----- Happy Birthday Meta Rose!

Finished this morning for my grand-niece Meta Rose.

sisters

My nieces Faith, Emilee, Hannah

sisters

Happy Birthday, Janna!

School year 1966-1967
Beth, Kindergarten
Lynn, grade 3
Janna, grade 6

sisters

My mother Henrietta and her sister Betty.
Mothers Day 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom making root beer, about 1973.

Mom would make several batches root beer every summer.
We first would let it ferment in the attic, until several batches exploded and it took too much to clean up the syrupy mess in such a small space.
After that, and realizing in our non-air conditioned Iowa farm house it was 90 degrees throughout, we would let it ferment in the living room under a blanket--the blanket to contain the bottles that still would explode.

In this picture, Mom is giving a demonstration on the process at our town's centennial.

(We really liked the idea of drinking root beer out of beer bottles. We were not the best behaved of children.)

Dr. Beth Dykstra VanMeeteren

B is for Beth

My sister, Beth, is awarded her doctorate this spring from the University of Northern Iowa. Her dissertation is Designing Engineering Education from the Perspective of the Child.
This quilt is made for her. I followed along on the Quilts by Cheri tutorials last summer. I used about 10 of her letter directions--the remainder are my own.
The letters and sashing squares are made from shirt parts.
I used at least 7 different red solids in the quilt which give a dappled look to the piece.
The children represent my brother and sisters and me. They are made from scraps of clothing our mother made for us.
Wonderfully quilted by Suzette Fisher.

16 patch, finished

Inspired by the quilt pictured in the frontispiece of Elise Schebler Roberts' The Quilt: A History and Celebration of an American Art Form, 2007.

Andy and Lynn

At Cafe Brauer for the Lincoln Park Community Shelter benefit.
The house quilt brought $900!

eventually, part two

A good reason to keep a blog is I can search back to just when I made something.
This top was put together in 2008 from blocks made long before that.
I finished the binding this morning.

eventually

In doing the quilt sort and stacking, I ran across several "all but..." quilts--missing bindings, labels, final stitching of sleeves.
On several, I left the corner bindings unsewn so that I could get the label in. So, this has been my spring project. I have been working on about 7 labels.
I am using a package of solids from my mother's stash to make the labels. Made from squares anywhere from 6 1/2 to 8 inches, folded in half on the diagonal. This way there is only one straight applique edge. The other two sides are incorporated into the binding.
Note, I have not written anything on the labels, but they are there.
Another project for another day.

advice from 1908--no sewing while pregnant

Days of the treadle.

spools--top completed

672 spools.
At least 100 of them made with scraps from my mother's stash.
There are a couple of duplicates, but most fabrics used only once.
Set 24 by 28. I made them into blocks of 4, with one of each four made with pink fabric.
I used Kona Cotton Rich Red for the constant.
No borders. I love it!
Made with 3 inch finished blocks, as part of a year long challenge by Bonnie Hunter.

tip #26 putting the blocks backwards on the design wall

Sometimes I am really persnickety about not twisting seam allowances.
Not very often--I am usually quite laissez faire about it, to the point of calling the flipped seams "twisted sisters".
But, on the occasion it does matter to me, I put my blocks up backwards on my design wall. This way I can watch the seam allowances and make sure I am putting the sections together in a way that keeps the seams from twisting.

As this picture shows, the spools are all getting put together!

quilting circle

The quilt is nearly completed.
Sewn by members of St Pauls United Church of Christ and made with fabrics donated by the congregation. (We smile when we get to blocks made with fabric from the boxer shorts of one member!)
It will be donated to the Lincoln Park Community Shelter auction.
We used the Happy Scrappy Houses pattern of Bonnie Hunter.