Followers

Showing posts with label Pyramid quilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pyramid quilt. Show all posts

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Changes....

Please, humor me if I am a bit wordy in this post.....I feel the need to explain {through the tears} a bit of the struggle of late.

I don't like change.  I know this about me.  I lived all my wonderful, happy childhood in the same house....until the age of 24.  During my college years, I tried for almost a year to live at school, but even though I was only 15 minutes away....I wanted to go home.  Every Saturday night, I looked forward to watching old musicals on TV and studying.

I lived at home with my mom and dad...older sister and brother....my little brother....and my grandfather { who was dying}.  I loved every minute of it.  I am old skool.....I went from my parent's house to married life and my own home....I have lived here for 26 years.

My sister, who is 6 years older, has always been my best friend.  I wanted to be her as a little girl....I wanted to be with her everywhere she went.  She married when I was in High School and traveled all over the country with her Air Force husband.  I missed her every single day.  

I don't like change.

My life changed about 2 months ago.  My mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had surgery.  I was with her in the hospital every single day.  My sister and I took her home and lived with her for 3 weeks.  
She died last week.  And now I am forced to live with the change.

There is so much to say about the struggle of the last 2 months, but I will never regret taking her home and living with her. 

I know this is a quilting blog {and I have some of that for you} but I have to thank every one of my bloggy friends for all your emails and prayers.  Even though I have not been good about replying to comments...please know I have appreciated each and every one.

Most of you know that I have 3 wonderful girls.  They were all born within a 4 year span.  My girls have been best friends to each other.  And fantastic daughters to Mike and me.
Well, my sweet Molly has moved to her own apartment. 
Change.
I am so happy for her ...and it has been sweet to see the excitement of setting up your own place mixed in with the grief of all that has been happening.  Life goes on as it should.


my finished pyramid quilt....just the binding to go....my mom's old skyway luggage :)

I began this quilt a while ago.  At this point I don't even remember when.  It was inspired by an Anthropologie quilt. 


I only have the binding to complete. This one is hand quilted with wool Aurifil thread....Essex linen on the back....


I began the Point Me quilt while at my mom's house.  This is one of Denyse Schmidt's new patterns. 

I don't know if it was me and the lack of sleep or the pattern, but I had a very difficult time getting this arrow of triangles pieced together with pointy points and clean edges....



So I decided to piece it in a different way.  Rather that piecing horizontal rows, I chose to piece the next one on the diagonal.....
Since I had already cut all those little triangles...I pieced a patterned triangle to a white triangle along the long straight of grain edge...creating a half square triangle.


Then I pieced my squares together.....adding a single patterned triangle as the last piece in each row.  

  

Each row is one half square triangle smaller than the row before it.  Then I simply pieced the rows together on the diagonal -  matching the seams.  


For me, this was a much easier way to piece the 'arrow' and get more pointy points where they should be....
A change I can embrace....hee hee!
hugs,
mary

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Cleaning, Thinking and a little Pyramid Building....

That about sums it up...my house needed a thorough dusting!  I love when I get in the cleaning mode and tear through a few rooms in one morning.

I cleaned and I hung more plates on my Wall O' Plates!!!
I have been collecting some fun, colorful plates and I am determined to mix these plates with some of my husband's grandfathers paintings {from the early 1900's}and fill my entire wall with plates and paintings.  

   
I have such a difficult time with art.  What I really like I can't afford and the rest I just can't get excited about.  But I love plates on the wall!!!  They are beautiful...the shape....the colors....the design.  And I like the mix of old and new. 


Last summer I bought a chair at a garage sale and before Thanksgiving I painted it and re-covered the seat cushion.  It had to move to the basement while we had the tree up, but the chair is now back and I really love it...especially since it was only $5!!!

  
Hee hee!!!  I know, great picture, right?  I like the color of the chair but I REALLY like the cushion....and of course my sweet Rose and Star is waiting to take her rightful place :)

Which leads me to my thinking today....
Thinking about what fabric to use for the Rose and Star Block Party.
I know my quilt will be built upon this fabric....

  
I LOVE this fabric! 


From Melody Miller....

I must have slept well last night because I still had energy to work on the Pyramid Quilt a bit...


It is growing!!!


We even had a smattering of snow today....it was a good day to stay indoors...
right, Flanders???


Happy Tuesday!
mary

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Pyramid Quilt....trimming up the sides

I have finally gotten back to my Pyramid Quilt {Anthropologie knock-off}...I have added a second background color and straightened up the sides of my rows.



I have pieced together the number of triangles needed for a row, in my quilt I am piecing 20 triangle units so I have enough to trim up the sides.  I will be left with 18 whole triangle units and a half unit on each end. To trim the ends so they are straight and not angled, I simply place my strip of triangle units on my mat.  The bottom edge should run along a horizontal line and the end being trimmed should be lined up along a vertical line so that when cut - the cut will split a triangle in half.

  
Pretty simple!!!


Another little tip for {hopefully} getting those tippy tips of the triangles to meet....
If you match up the tips of two units {right sides together} and try to stitch through the point where the two lines of stitching intersect....


I don't usually use many pins but for this I want to make sure all these pyramids meet at the right point...so pins are helpful.


I like how this quilt is coming together.  It may be a difficult one to giveaway :)


Happy Wednesday!
mary