postage stamp, quilt completed

The postage stamp is completed!
I loved every minute of making this quilt.
No strip piecing involved--each block has 32 pieces of a constant solid and 32 different scraps.
The scraps include some of my mother and both grandmothers.
You can read more about how it came together by clicking on the label postage stamp below.

Measures 72 by 72 inches.
Beautifully quilted with an all over floral pattern by Sue DiVarco. She worked very hard to keep it square.
Bound with Kona Celery.

The back is a lovely print from Jane Sassaman's first collection for Free Spirit. Hancock Fabrics was down the street, and when they had her fabric I would buy the whole bolt. I was talking to a friend this week about doing this and she said, "I never saw they carried her fabric." I said that was because I got there ahead of her every time.
This was the last of my bolts. There are scraps of all of them remaining in my fabrics.

...and all ships at sea--quilt completed

I love this quilt.
Thank you to Claire at Cspoonquilt for posting the block and the Barbara Brackman reference to an antique quilt.
http://cspoonquilt.blogspot.com/2015/06/june-bom-accurate-piecing-continuing.html

This is the quilt that got me started on a series of blocks pieced using solids with wild prints.
Quilted in an all over wind pattern by Sue DiVarco.
Measures 70 by 80 inches.

I used up some wonderful florals for the back.

tip # 32--weigh down small blocks

Very small blocks tend to curl after pressing.
I press a small stack, then place a ruler on top of them until they cool. They stay flat!

These tiny 3 inch finished blocks are from the Temecula Quilt Co. Circa 2016 sew-a-long.

tip #31--maximizing fabric use when cutting out flying geese

I am cutting out a lot of flying geese shapes for some pinwheel blocks.
I use the Companion Angle for the geese but I start and end the strip with the EZ angle to get a usable patch at the beginning and at the end of my Companion angle cuts. I don't need the half-square triangle for this project, but they are saved and ready to go for another down the road.

pinwheels

My making quilts with blocks of a solid figure and a wild print background continues!
It started a year ago with the ships block inspired by Cspoonquilt's post:
http://cspoonquilt.blogspot.com/2015/06/june-bom-accurate-piecing-continuing.html

Then, my neighbor gave me wild print scraps from her friend who sews for home decorating.
I added these to my fabrics and made the churn dash, the shoofly, and, now, pinwheels!
My method of cleaning up after projects (none) helps move on to each quilt as the fabric is all over the place already.
The simple blocks for these quilts go together quickly. I love the static solids holding the wild cacophony of the prints in check. Like thumbtacks.
I need 105 blocks for my planned set.

Thinking ahead, a framed nine-patch may come next.

The pinwheel is a 8 inch finished block. All cut from 2 1/2 inch strips.
Solid--four flying geese cut using Companion Angle ruler
Print--four rectangles cut 2 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches, 8 triangles cut with EZ Angle ruler

basket medallion sew-a-long first border, pinwheels (childhood)

The Gwen Marston style medallion sew-a-long continues!

Lori at:
http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/
started the medallion sew-a-long with the theme basket for the center.

Cynthia at:
http://wabisabiquilts.blogspot.com/
chose the first border theme--childhood.

Hence, pinwheels!
I have a few more to make to finish the round.

Cathy at:
http://wwwbiglakequilter.blogspot.com/
chose log cabins for the next round. Hmm.

I am using clearer colors than I usually work with and am loving the light look it gives.

Check out others linking up at:
http://wabisabiquilts.blogspot.com/2016/07/childhood-border-link-up-gwennie.html

plus quilt, completed

It was so much fun making another tessellated cross quilt. I made one about 20 years ago, and with the current plus quilt phenomena, I was happy to make another.
You can read about my construction of the top here:
http://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/2015/06/in-my-small-group-we-choose-fabric-type.html

Fabrics include scraps from my mother and grandmothers sewing scraps along with new purchases, so 70+ years worth of sewing!

The pink dot was used for a dress I made for 4-H. The grey poodles were from a childhood dress.

I used some large floral pieces on the back.

wedding quilt, bricks and stepping stones completed

My niece Emilee asked me to collect signatures at her wedding and make a quilt.
I used Bonnie Hunter's Bricks and Stepping Stones pattern found here:
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/bricks-stepping-stones.html
The signature pieces were cut 3 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches.
Guests wrote sentiments and wishes.
(I did throw away one vulgar block--yeah, I am that aunt...)
You can read more about how I made the quilt here:
http://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/2015/07/wedding-quilt.html

Finished the binding this weekend. It is ready to send off to Emilee and her Andy.

Thank you to Bonnie Hunter for sharing this great pattern.

circa 2016 progressing

Temecula Quilt Co. is having a sew-a-long.
http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.com/search/label/Circa%202016

Once the center medallion was completed, she has been assigning a 3 inch finished block every Friday. We are to make two versions of it. I have been making four each time as I intend to make a larger quilt. There are 76 of those little blocks finished.
I have caught up on my blocks missed while traveling. I am loving this! I could do with fewer 3/4 inch finished pieces...

orange! 25 patch/framed nine patch quilt, completed

I participated in a faculty exchange with a Dutch nursing professor. She was with me in October and I was with her in May.

It was a very rewarding experience to be with students in a different system. Angela and I enjoyed working with each other's students and colleagues, and living with each other's families.

I gave her this quilt in appreciation.

25 patch/framed 9 patch

Made with 2 1/2 inch cut squares (finish 2 inches) and frames cut 2 1/2 by 10 1/2 and 2 1/2 by 6 1/2.

I continued with the 25 patches for a border.

I love this quilt!

I had bought the fabulous orange online for another project. The color was not what I was expecting, so I decided to use it for the back and binding of this quilt--a very appropriate color for a quilt that will live in the Netherlands.

graduation! paint box quilt completed

We have another high school graduate! Lane Tech graduated close to 800 students.  Seth met up with us at a gas station, an odd but efficient place for pictures!
I finished my Paint Box quilt for his gift.
Details of making this quilt are at this post:
http://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/search?q=paint+box
The blocks finish 4 1/2 inches.

basket medallion sew-a-long, center appliquéd block

After a spring of way too much travel (Andy to China and me to the Netherlands for work-more about that soon!) and family weddings in Connecticut and Iowa, and Seth's graduation from high school, I hope to have some serious sewing time before I start preparing for fall classes.

Lori over at Humble Quilts is doing another sew-a-long. It is a free formed medallion with a basket theme, inspired by Gwen Marston's style.

I free-cut some shapes with graph paper, then used Pellon middle weight 40 sew-in stabilizer to make faced shapes, cutting an X in the back and turning them right side out. I made some bias stems.
It is machine appliquéd with a straight stitch.

At this point it measures 18 1/2 inches. The next step theme is childhood--I'm thinking pinwheels!

You can see the other basket blocks at:
http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/2016/06/gwennie-inspired-medallion-qal.html

dead women's notions

I stopped by an estate sale a few neighborhoods away from ours after class this noon. My friend Sharon Sikes refers to the sewing supplies we find at estate sales and thrift shops as "dead women's notions".
I find myself at these estate sales tidying up their sewing areas. Today I had the workers move the cams boxes from one machine to the correct one. I made sure the right bobbins were with each.

Mrs. Kahler was a woman who loved her neighbors--she had a Altoids tin filled with clippings of estate sales, real estate listings, and death notices of her neighbors. A Sucrets tin held her labels for projects beyond what she completed.
There were lots of spools and buttons and an iron I was interested in but when plugged, didn't work.

So I came away with just this beautiful little Wiss scissors.
Violet, I will take good care of them and use them well.

circa 2016 sew-a-long--center completed

FINALLY, a chance to do a bit of sewing. Only knitting and some bindings have been worked on since February.
I stole away the morning to finish the center of the Temecula Quilts sew-a-long.
These blocks finish 2 1/4 inches. Instead of the instructed setting pieces, I cut the side triangles from 6 inch squares cut both ways diagonally, and the corner triangles from 4 1/4 inches squares cut diagonally once--but I should have cut those squares closer to 5 inches as they just barely fit. Then I squared it up to 14 inches and added the hourglass blocks.
I look forward to catching up on the 3 inch blocks.

Tulips are blooming and I'm wearing my new hand-knit socks.
Thanks, Janna for the bulbs, Seth for planting them, and Marcia for the socks!

Up in the roof--259 East Erie

Looking southeast.
Another in a series of rooftop views, this time from Green River restaurant.

hand knit orange socks!

Over the past few weeks I did some wound dressing care for a friend and in gratitude she knit me some socks!

up on the roof--255 South Franklin

Looking northwest.
Another in a series of roof top parking garage views.

visiting my quilts--confirmed

Today I visited my friend Marcia who was our oldest son's confirmation teacher. I made this and a duplicate quilt for the students to give the teachers.
So nice to see it in a place of honor in their dining room.
Made 2002.

up on the roof--5145 N California

Looking southeast

Another in a series of parking garage roof views

childhood dresser

When I was 10 years old, my mother bought this oak dresser at an auction and refinished it. I have used it ever since and love the familiar sound the handles make when they are released.

The bottom drawer needed to be lifted to close as the runners were broken.
Every time I closed it a bit of me would wonder why mom never got around to fixing that.
Until it dawned on me recently--this dresser was in her house for about 11 years.
I moved it with me to my first apartment at age 21.
Which means I have had possession of it for 36 years.
It long ago should have become why did I not fix it.

So, off this week to Time Treasures furniture restoration.
They repaired the runner and several drawer bottoms that needed work.

Mom's refinishing work is still in great shape so nothing to do there.

And, now it is off to Eve's apartment!