What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

The Breaking Boundaries online class with Bethanne Nemesh has started. She did a review of the improvisational quilting and added another project to the list.

Make a Drunkard’s Path quilt using interfacing for a quick alternative to the slow traditional process of curved sewing! Check out a couple of projects I made with it: nope, I am not making money on this post – just showing you a product that I liked working with and that can be a great way to tackle projects that are a bit more involved to make when using traditional curved piecing.

I made this quilt a few summers ago using a Moda Fabrics charm pack (5″ squares) and yardage of a light cream fabric for the background. I love ...

Still doing the curved piecing. I cannot tell you how many of those curved borders I have done by now...feels like dozens.

I know I should have blogged last week but I have an excuse – I got my booster shot and it packed a bit of a punch! I’m glad it did as that means my immune system was busily making antibodies to help fight COVID but still – I wasn’t expecting to feel like I’d been hit by a bus!

However, two more Christmas Fireworks blocks are done, both the off kilter or not centred stars. First this one, which I think may be one of my favourites – so far, that is.

And then this one:

Today I’ll ...

I actually thought that by the middle of January I’d be finished making these blocks? Ha! Not a hope. It took me most of the week to make two blocks.

This one with the star straight up and down.

And this one, also with the straight star. Now I have 16 of the 35 blocks done. If I continue at this rate of two blocks a week, it will be at least another 10 weeks, if not more, before the blocks are done which puts this into mid-February at the earliest. I think. If I don’t get distracted ...

Christmas Fireworks, that is – my take on Willyne Hammerstein’s Midnight Fireworks quilt in Millefiori Quilts. Which, of course, I’m making with the Inklingo Midnight Fireworks collection.

First up an off-centre fireworks.

Then a centred one.

And finally another off-centre one.

Now I’ve used all the red diamond pairs I had pieced so it’s time to chain piece more of them. I’ve decided to do these blocks in groups of 8 or 10 so this time I’m going to chain piece (by hand) eight pairs of red diamonds for each of 10 blocks.

I had ...

So far I’m still sticking with the Christmas Fireworks and two more blocks are done.

First one with the star pointing straight.

Then an off-centre one.

The back of the straight star after grading of the seams and pressing it. When I was taking the photos, I happened to scroll through my camera roll really quickly and it was fun to see how much movement the block that seems off-centre adds. Now I’m really glad I decided to do the blocks both ways!

I’m also very grateful that I caught on to the effect of the two ...

My Christmas Fireworks, that is, which is what I decided to call my version of Willyne Hammerstein’s Midnight Fireworks in Millefiori Quilts.

Notice anything? I realized after I had put together a few more of these blocks that I have been adding the black framing pieces two ways – one has the centre star’s central point pointing right up while the other doesn’t.

And while this picture isn’t very good at all – I laid the blocks out on top of the duvet so there were lots of hills and valleys – it shows an example of what the ...

I know, I know – last time I said I was going to blog more often. Ha! Then I vanished for ages – again. However, here I am again and hopefully will get back into a blogging routine.

Remember this clamshell block with sashing?

I finished another of the blocks.

There’s one more of those to make and then I’ll add more of the sashing – assuming I can find that black and white fabric which I had used and know is somewhere – and that will be it for that clamshell project.

BUT — there will be loads more very colourful clamshells ...

Love the design despite the colouring (I don’t like blues) but I can also see this design with the blocks in the centre diamond with added colour pieces.

Love the second design as well. Smaller, but with some added contrast amongst the quilting.

It’s 9″ by 12″ and I absolutely love how it turned out! It’s destined be a Christmas gift but I’m pretty convinced that I want to make a lap quilt using these fabrics. This was made using the 3″ Inklingo Winding Ways collection. I’m thinking if I do make the lap quilt, I may use the 4.5″ size instead — although maybe not. These little 3″ blocks were pure bliss to piece as every seam involved curved piecing and each block seemed to be done very quickly. So I’m thinking a lap quilt made up ...

Now that I have nine of these little 3″ Winding Ways variation blocks done, I’m tempted to make a lap quilt using these fabrics and blocks of this size. These blocks are destined for a mug rug but the temptation is almost impossible to resist. I may change my mind once I get these all sewn together but somehow I don’t think that will make a difference.

The back of two of the blocks, after the seams were graded and the blocks were pressed.

I’ve been jumping from project to project over the past week and rarely ...

 Hmm -- I discovered something this morning when I woke up. I've had a wee issue with some muscles in my neck, and I noticed that they were significantly less when I was at the retreat, even though I was sewing a lot. Could it be my pillow? My pillow isn't as thick and fluffy as the one at the retreat house - perhaps I need to try a new pillow. But I was off to the gym this morning! There are so few people at 5:30 AM. 

Well, yesterday was a great day! In the morning, I had ...

When I saw this variation in the 6″ Deluxe Winding Ways collection, I knew I had to try it. It’s fun to piece with all that lovely curved piecing. I think I’ll make enough of this one for a table topper or wallhanging. The variation is available in all the deluxe Inklingo Winding Ways collections.

The back after pressing and grading the seams.

I’ve made a couple more of the little 3″ blocks with the floral and green fabrics. I think I’m just going to make 12 of them and then turn them into a mug ...

The two boxes were finally full of the completed blocks late last week. When I was counting them to make sure I had enough, I was really surprised at the amount of yellow in the blocks. At least 50 per cent, if not more, of the blocks have yellow in them.

I am joining them by hand. I know it would be much faster by machine, but I’m enjoying sewing them together and can substitute blocks easily if I see that a block is too close to another block with the same fabric. And, truth be told, the disaster ...

This was one of the projects I unearthed during the relocation of my sewing area. The block was made with the Inklingo 3″ clamshells and clamshell sashing collections.

A second block was done, but it has no sashing.

A third block was done as well.

I also found two more sets of clamshells for the fourth and fifth blocks. Once they’re done along with sashing this will turn into a small table topper.

The blocks are all nicely pressed, but the seams aren’t graded – yet. I’ll do that before I start sewing blocks 4 and 5.

I ...

I know, I know. I vanished again. This time I had sort of a good excuse – a computer that was just not cooperating and needed to be replaced, which has now happened.

What have I been doing? Other than making more masks, I’ve been playing with lots of little blocks. These little 4″ blocks have been my focus for a while as I was determined to finish making them. And finally – it has been a very long time since I began this – the piecing of the 276 little blocks is done. Next they need to be sewn into rows ...

Coloring is a bit on the dull side, but I think the contrast is about right.

Both designs are very interesting!

In my library of Patchwork Jigsaws this blocks full number is 1234 1234 1234 1234 which is based on the direction the quarter circle faces in each quarter of the block. Here are two often used colorizations of the block.

And something a bit more adventurous.

Yes, exactly the same blocks, but with the colours. Even if you had not had an alcoholic drink in your life this would cause a few headaches resembling a hangover!

Much less of a headache with the one above.

And something much simpler as the last design for today.

A third post with Winding Ways quilt designs! XXX Annika Continue reading →