double four-patch, top completed

I wanted to finish this top here at the house as it is on-point, making it hard to put together without lots of room to spread out.
I do like how the chains of solids stand out and melt in with the various contrasts.

Block finishes 8 inches
Print: two 4 1/2 inch squares, four 2 1/2 inch squares
Solid: four 2 1/2 inch squares

98 blocks set 7 by 8, measures about 65 by 75 inches

12 half blocks (I cut the triangles with grain to edge of quilt)
4 corners
14 setting triangles

Gerald's quilts

Our cousin Gerald spoke for our family at my father's funeral five years ago.
After the funeral, my mother and sisters and I decided we wanted to give him this pair of quilts that I had made in the late 1990s for my father and my father-in-law. They were made using a Judy Martin design called Fathers' Day.
One quilt was at my house and one went with mom for several moves over the five years. We kept referring to them as "Gerald's quilts" and it was time they got to him.
This spring it finally happened. They look great in their new home!

tipping the scales?

When does a series of quilts tip into a "crazy cat lady" obsession?
The solids and prints quilts have been a wonderful way for me to revisit deep stash as we have prepared for our move.
I like them as they give me a focus. I figure out what block to work with, and, with repetitive cutting and sewing, a new quilt results.
I do look forward to something else taking my interest soon. Until then, this continues.

Completed so far: (not all photographed and posted yet as some have been packed up already)
ships
churn dash
shoo-fly
pinwheel
geese in flight
framed nine-patch
zip

Tops awaiting quilting:
times
woven
positive

Cut and kitted for sewing while on the move:
double four-patch
party line
unit blocks peter/paul

Sample blocks made:
keyhole peter/paul
window

Contemplating:
Portuguese tile

window

Window.
Looks like the ones being installed at our new place!

Block finishes 7 inches

Solid: one 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch rectangle
Print: one 7 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangle, one 7 1/2 by 1 1/2 inch rectangle, one 2 1/2 by 1 1/2 inch rectangle, one 2 1/2 inch square

A simple block and goes together fast.
My design. Use at your pleasure.

keyhole

My friend Donna made a lovely quilt with Cherrywoood solids using a larger version of this block. I shamelessly ran with the idea, drafting down the block a bit, and am adding it to the solids on prints quilt ideas pile.
I love any block with the robbing-peter-to-pay-paul fabric placement and like how it is similar to the unit blocks one, but with a rectangle finish.

Block finishes 6 by 12 inches

Solid: one 6 1/2 by 2 1/2 rectangle, three 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 rectangles
Print: one 6 1/2 by 2 1/2 rectangle, three 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 rectangles
Sew the sets of three 4 1/2 inch rectangles and press to the solids, then sew together
Sew on the end 6 1/2 inch rectangles
Press whole block to the side with the solid rectangle

We are a few weeks away from moving and I have been kitting up projects for the transition time between homes.

monday mini--Temecula Quilt Co. sew-a-long

There is a 12-week sew-a-long on Temecula Quilt Company's blog.
I'm working in solids.
The bordered blocks now measure 4 inches, will finish to 3 1/2 inches. The tiny center blocks finish 1 1/2 inches.
This is way too much work.
And way too much fun.

visiting my quilts: party like it's 1999...

I had a quick visit with mom this week. She asked we hang this quilt.
I made it in 1999 using scraps from mom's and from her mother's sewing.
The pattern was in an early Fons and Porter magazine.
Beth uses waste triangles to make a legend of the origin of each fabric.

circa 2016 Temecula Quilt Co., top completed

I decided to keep it very simple. I tried a triangle border but this seems to be where this quilt wants to stop.
The blocks were made with a 2016 sew-a-long on Temecula Quilt Co.'s blog. I made double the blocks assigned each week and deviated from the directions by setting the blocks straight rather than on point. I finished with a 3 inches cut plain border.
It is rather somber in photographs, a bit more lively in person.
The medallion blocks finish 2 1/2 inches. The main blocks finish 3 inches.
57 by 69 inches.
Thanks, Temecula Quilts, for the very enjoyable sew-a-long! Each week was a gift.

unit blocks

This is not an auspicious setting of tatami mats, but it is not made with tatami mats, so I do not anticipate bad fortune.
It is made with unit blocks, twice as long as wide, the proportion of kindergarten wooden building blocks (and tatami mats).
I used this same block (smaller scale, finished block was 4 inches) in a quilt in 2013 with a more random scrap placement.

This time it is in a robbing-peter-to-pay-paul fabric placement.
I have seen a similar block online several places, usually made with several sizes of pieces.
It is all made with unit blocks, cut 2 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches, to finish 2 by 4 inches.
Four solids and four prints.
A 2 1/2 inch strip exactly 18 inches of fabric yields the pieces for one block. More fabric is needed if you are dealing with directional prints.
Block finishes 8 inches.

Construction works best when piecing two blocks.
Pressing:
Sew the center column and press all towards the solid end rectangle.
Sew the side pieces pressed to the print.
Block A press to center column.
Block B press away from center column.
Then, sew the two blocks together nesting the seams.
Sew into rows and the whole quilt should nest.
(I've only made the four blocks above, so we will see...)

Our time between homes will involve a wandering existence for a while, so I am cutting this and a few other projects that I can work on wherever I set up my machine.

I do have a commission due the end of the month that will take most of my creative energy and sewing time.
Note to self: no more commissions.
Ever.

positive, top completed

After the on-point version with 6 inch blocks (making it a times symbol) I decided to make a straight-set positive quilt.
I needed to have a positive mindset and fit the piecing in while in the final preparation time for putting the house on the market. During the showing weeks, when we had to keep the house tidy and not being a tidy sewer, I could do little sewing but did sneak in constructing a few blocks here and there.

These blocks are based on the Tula Pink block, but with slightly different proportions.

143 blocks set 11 by 13
82.5 by 97.5 inches
Block finishes 7 1/2 inches
Solid: one rectangle 6 by 3 inches, two rectangles 2 by 3 inches
Print: four squares 3 inches, four rectangles 1 1/2 by 3 inches

My design with a block adapted from Tula Pink.
Use at your pleasure.

up in my attic

We have a contract! Now, a few more weeks of creativity can be accomplished in my wonderful attic sewing lair until it is turned over to another family.

party line

I knew I wanted to make another version with the woven idea I did about 3 quilts ago, this time keeping it in all parallel lines and remember this block. It has one of the prints a bit narrower than the other, giving it the look of the spacing of telephone wires. Also, it is a rectangle which makes it an interesting block.

In 2014 I drafted this pattern and with 30's reproductions, made a top I named "party line" because it looked like the telephone wires before they all went underground. It is a childhood memory of riding along and watching the lines between the posts, following them up and down with my finger.
Our telephone was on a party line--at least 7 families on it at one time.
And, my mom was a switchboard operator--all the more reason to make another Party Line quilt!

Block finishes 9 by 10 1/2 inches
Prints cut: three 9 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches, one 9 1/2 by 2 inches
Solids cut: three 9 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches

The second print rectangle is the 2 inch cut one.
I wait to press until I am ready to set--I press half of the blocks to the top and the other half of the blocks to the bottom, allowing the pieces to nest.

My pattern. Use at your pleasure

Henny at the switchboard.

positive

Trying to stay positive here as we continue the big sort and prepare the house for sale.
School has been busy and the plus quilt is just a few blocks shy of being ready to put together.

Today my small group came over and went through a pile of fabrics I was ready to part with, choosing some for themselves and bagged up the remainder for the quilt guild. One took my hand quilting stand hoop.

The dining room looks great when I crop out the boxes ready for storage and donate!

St Patrick's Day is a fine day for a wedding!

Thirty-three years!

Do we resemble Marten and Oopjen?

tip #38--simplify your labels

As we do the big sort I am contemplating re-homing quilts.
The kids do not want them all and I do want to give some to friends.
A few years ago I started simplifying my labels.
It is really hard to give away a quilt that has "for my darling daughter on her 14th birthday" written on the back. The recipient may think I decided my daughter was not so darling after all.

So, now it is just my name and Chicago and the year.
No baggage of sentiment.

double four-patch

I have been wanting to use a double four-patch in the solids-on-prints but sets with this larger scale block were a bit boring. Then, on Pinterest, I saw some double four-patch quilts set on point. They are wonderful and I knew on point with them would work for this too.

Block finishes 8 inches
Print: two 4 1/2 inch squares, four 2 1/2 inch squares
Solid: four 2 1/2 inch squares

Another on-point quilt is making its way in my sewing.

woven, top completed

Woven
Blocks finish 8 inches
Solids--two rectangles cut 1 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches
Prints--three rectangles cut 2 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches

120 blocks set 10 by 12

My design. Use at your pleasure.

I like this!
I think I may make a second version with three horizontal lines using the Party Line pattern I drafted a few years ago.
Ships and Churn Dash completed. Shoo-fly and Pinwheel being bound. Geese-in-Flight, Framed Nine-Patch, and Zip at the quilter. Times and Woven need backs. Plus in progress, Double Four-Patch begun, and Party Line a possibility.

.

second olympic sew-a-long, quilt completed

Not finished with my first olympic sew-a-long quilt yet, but just completed the second quilt.
Temecula Quilt Co. had a sew-a-long during the Rio olympics last fall. I made this second version with solids.
Love how it turned out.

Quilted horizontally every one inch by Sue DiVarco.

Back uses up some random pieces of fabrics I love.

plus, playing with proportions

While deciding on the setting for the previous plus/times quilt I kept vacillating straight set or on point.
Finally I said to myself, I can make two.
More plus blocks to make!

The 6 inch finished blocks were set on point.
These finish at 7 1/2 inches and will be set straight.

I didn't want to make the exact same block again so I played with proportions of Tula Pink's block and came up with this one, very similar but slightly different. (I am not sure her original proportions but they look like what I made with the 6 inch block.)

Block finishes 7 1/2 inches.
Solid: cut one 3 by 6 inch rectangle, two 3 by 2 inch rectangles (need exactly 3 inch by 10 inch strip)
Print: cut four 3 inch squares, four 3 by 1 1/2 inch rectangles (need exactly 3 inch by 18 inch strip)

may you live in interesting times..., top completed

"may you live in interesting times..."
Yes we do.

The top is done. I had this great purple to use to set it on point. On-point settings are all a bit difficult as I don't have enough room on my design wall so I lay it out on the floor of the living room. Because I sew in the attic, this is two flights up and down and pieces get out of order very quickly.

These blocks are based on the Tula Pink Summer Days.
Blocks finish 6 inches.
200 blocks.

I over-cut the setting triangles from squares cut 10 inches then cut diagonally into quarters. The corners are over-cut from 6 1/2 inch squares cut diagonally once.

The block is designed by Tula Pink.
The set is mine--use at your pleasure.

After 30 years in our wonderful house on our terrific block with our beloved neighbors, we are packing up with plans to move this summer to a one-level condominium downtown.
I do not anticipate a great number of on-point quilts in my future, but those that come will not involve running up and down two flights of stairs.