On the Road Again!

Getting packed to go to my niece's wedding in Cocoa, FL this weekend.  This is also the annual Cocoa Village Arts and Crafts Festival!  I am hoping to be able to take in part of this event, in addition to the wedding on Saturday afternoon.

I am planning a short "shop hop" on Saturday morning in Merritt Island and Cocoa.  Should be a fun weekend.

When I get home from Cocoa on Sunday, I will repack for an extended stay with my daughter, Dawne, and her family in Council Bluffs, Iowa (in the Omaha, Nebraska area).  I am taking my sewing machine, fabrics and all the supplies I can think of, but I am sure I will have to buy something while I'm there.  Iowa is THE quilting state, you know.  

I am also planning to get in a visit to the Quilt Museum at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  I have always wanted to go, planned the trip many times, but just never did make it.  Maybe this time!  

I hope to still be able to post while in Iowa, so be on the lookout for lots of good photos.

Happy quilting!

Gwen
  

Quilting Tip of the Day

Who says that "quilt in the ditch" and grid design stitches have to be plain?  Get inspired by all those neat decorative stitches on your machine.  Use one (or more!) of these fancy stitches with your walking foot or even feed foot.

Practice first on a quilt sandwich using the same fabric and thread as the actual quilt.  Be sure the width of the stitch is not wider than the needle opening of your presser foot.   

Not all stitches will look the same when stitched with an even feed foot.  Make samples, adjusting the width and length, until you get the desired stitch.  

You can use specialty embroidery thread or metallic thread to spice up your next quilt project.  This technique looks especially nice on a crazy quilt using your scraps left over from other projects. 

Happy quilting!

Gwen
http://etsy.com/shop/gwensquiltbarn

Why I Make Quilts

This is why I make quilts!

This is Meadow, a friend's granddaughter.  She loves her child's version of Modern Cathedral Window Quilt.  In the windows are mermaids (or Bubble Guppies), ducks, kitty cats, and Sponge Bob!

Why do you quilt?

Happy quilting!

Gwen

Embroidered Crazy Quilt

Have a sewing/embroidery machine?  I  have a small format Husquvarna with the 4x4 inch hoop.  Not very large, compared to the newer machines on the market today.  Great for embellishing ready to wear and craft projects.  I collect nursery rhyme designs and have worked a dozen or so onto white muslin squares.  And, there they sat, on the shelf in my quilting barn, waiting for inspiration.  That inspiration came with the birth of yet another little grandson.  

I loved the idea of incorporating the nursery rhyme designs into a baby quilt for the new arrival, but was concerned that it would look too "girly."   Looking through my fabric stash, I came across several fat quarters and 5" squares of reproduction 1930's juvenile prints.

I wanted to get the quilt finished before the baby started kindergarten and decided to use the "flip and sew/quilt as you go" method block construction in a crazy quilt design around the embroidered squares. I made scrappy binding using leftover bits of the reproduction fabrics.  I machine stitched the binding. 

The result was a bright and cheerful quilt that will be enjoyed for many years.

I hope this quilt inspires you to make your own Embroidered Crazy Quilt.

Happy quilting!

Gwen

Quilting Tip of the Day

I purchased some "glow tape" for marking the cutting line on my ruler.  I had been using this on top of the ruler and still had trouble getting the correct placement on the fabric when cutting.  Tip:  Put the glow tape on the bottom of the ruler next to the fabric.  Putting two or three layers of tape creates a "bump" that fits snugly up against the cut edge of the fabric.  Viola!  Correct ruler positioning!

These "stacks" of tape can be peeled off, repositioned and used again and again.

Happy quilting!

Gwen

Quilting Tip of the Day

Taking a photo of block arrangement helps find mistakes in block placement.  Also, step away from the blocks and come back later.  It is amazing how many times I have realized that one or two blocks  were turned the wrong way.  This is especially helpful with log cabin patterns.

The hidden wells blocks below have errors.  Can you see them?  The top corner triangles should be the mirror images of each other, as should the bottom corners. Hint:  The bottom corner triangles on the left block are wrong; the top corner triangles on the right block are wrong.  

Happy quilting!

Gwen

Tip of the Day

Use the same ruler when cutting all fabrics for a project.  Each ruler can be a shade different in size and can make a big difference in accuracy when sewing pieces and blocks together.

Vintage Grandmother's Flower Garden Blocks

I have been working on the Vintage Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks.  My friend, Jane King Folds, gave them to me several years ago.  Jane's mother made the colorful blocks many decades ago.  Looking at the fabrics, I would say mid-1970's.  Not all the fabrics are cotton. Some of the blocks are hand stitched, some machine stitched.  Sometimes both in the same block.  I never had the opportunity to meet Mrs. King, but I think we would have been great quilting buddies.  "Use what you have!"

I decided to put the blocks on unbleached muslin squares using the raw edge machine applique method.  I have a nice "bite to the left" applique stitch on my Brother PC420 machine.  I shortened the stitch length and made it a little wider.  I used black thread on top and beige in the bobbin.  

I starched the vintage blocks liberally until they were quite stiff and pinned every outside hexagon to the background muslin square.  I was a little apprehensive about the hand stitches coming apart, so I appliqued around every round of hexagons.  I will machine quilt in an all-over pattern.  

Happy quilting!

Gwen
http://etsy.com/shop/gwensquiltbarn

It's Who? Doctor Who!!!

For anyone who thinks all I do is make quilts.  Here is a little project I have been working on this week, along with the Modern Cathedral Window blocks:

The jacket and bow tie before pressing.

And after pressing and top stitching.  It is a nice warm brown in true light, as show in the top photo.

T

Modern Cathedral Window Progress Update

The blocks are all done!  All 300+ of the little boogers!  
Now to arrange them in a pleasingly random order and get the top sewn together.

Happy quilting!

Gwen

Visit my Etsy shop at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gwenthequilter

Here is a link to my Etsy shop.  Take a look at some of my quilts.  I would greatly appreciate you passing the shop link along to your friends.  Thanks!

Quilting From the Heart Etsy Shop

Happy Quilting!

Gwen

Modern Cathedral Window Block Tutorial

Photos and tips for making the "Modern" Cathedral Window block.  I hope this helps!

Each block consists of one 6 1/2" background fabric square, four 3 1/2" background fabric squares and one 3 1/2" colored fabric for the "stained glass."

I cut mine using my June Tailor Short Cut strip cutting mat, then subcut into squares.

Fold the large square in half with the fold at the bottom.  Sandwich two small squares on each end of the folded square, matching raw edges and stitch down each end through all thicknesses.  The folded square will be a little shorter than the 3 1/2 inch squares.  This is your seam allowance.  I used a shorter stitch length and a scant 1/4" seam allowance.

Open the folded large square and bring raw edges together, matching seams. Finger press the seams in opposing directions so they will "snug up." 

I use several pins to hold the raw edges together until stitched.

 Press the seam open to decrease bulk in the block.  Turn over and press the top folded diamond.

Center the colored fabric square in the diamond.  Fold the center sides of the folded diamond over the raw edges of the colored fabric and pin each side.  I pin all four sides then lap the left point over the right and pin the first corner to be sewn. I start topstiching in this corner and sew clockwise around the center square, pinning the other three corners as I reach them.  Note the directional placement of my pins, with the heads toward me.  It is easier to remove the pins as I reach them in this direction.   Use a longer stitch for topstitching. 

Viola!  The completed Modern Cathedral Window block!  

Thought for Today

Regroup and back to Modern Cathedral Window quilt

I prepared the binding for the Hidden Wells quilt and have that put away until I can get back into my barn to get the quilt sandwich put together.

Soooo, back to the Modern Cathedral Window quilt.  The background fabric has arrived and I think I have enough squares cut out to make the 120 or so blocks I still need to complete. 

I am also working on designing updated cutting and piecing methods to make old fashioned quilt blocks.  I want them to finish at 12 inches and use charm squares, jelly rolls and fat quarters.  When I get a few more worked out, I will post them as a "Block of the Month" quilt.  

And, in my "spare" time, I am practicing free motion quilting on my home machine.  I mostly do echo quilting or quilt-in-the-ditch with my walking foot, so this will be a real adventure!

I joined the Ft. White Quilt Guild on Yahoo Groups yesterday and am looking forward to meeting some new quilting friends.  I am pretty busy for the next couple of months, but 2013 is a whole new year!

Happy quilting!

Gwen

Here is a photo of a few of the Modern Cathedral Window blocks.

Hidden Wells Quilt

The top is finished!  I had to scappy piece the border since I made the quilt from my stash and quantity of each fabric was limited.  Here it is:

I am well pleased with the result.  I learned a lot and gained some insight on how I will do my next Hidden Wells quilt.  

Experience:  What you need right before you get it.

Happy Quilting!

Gwen