Simply Stitching

Quiet day for the sewing machine.....so I thought I would share some of Molly's stitches.

 

Mary

Free Range Quilting

I was explaining to my sister the idea of creating quilts with a relaxed attitude...such as the wonky block, liberated quilting, modern quilt making / Denyse Schmidt style.  Add some chunky stitches with perle cotton and what could be better?  So she says to me, " You mean like Free Range Quilting?"  I love it!  How clever and perfect to call this style - Free Range - thanks Shawn!

So I have been working on a few Free Range blocks....searching through my Electric Quilt program - finding traditional blocks to switch up.
Shoo-Fly....

Eight- Pointed Stars....

Baskets......too cute!

Friendship Star....

Pinwheel....

 

I think my fun is done for today....off to Drs. appointments. 

Mary

A Tutorial - Spike Border

A little tutorial....I have been so inspired by Gwen Marston of Liberated Quiltmaking.  She has taken traditional quilt making and relaxed the rules so quilting becomes a very creative process.  When I began quilting - some 20 yrs. ago - making a sawtooth border required careful measurements and seaming so all the points were pointy and everything fit together perfectly.  Now I can create a Spikey Border and not fuss over measurements.

Begin with a square or rectangle of your border background fabric (foundation fabric)...you choose the size, but remember one side (measurement) will need to be consistent, so that when you sew the border pieces together you have a consistent border width....with little trimming after.  For example you could cut the foundation pieces 2.5inches X 4.5 inches,  3.5 X 4.5 inches, etc.

 

Take a piece of scrap fabric for the spike...it just needs to be large enough that you can sew it on to the corner of the foundation and fold it back to completely cover the corner of the foundation piece.

 

Place the scrap diagonally across the foundation fabric (right sides facing).  I usually try to cover the base of the foundation piece with the scrap and the length or spikeyness (new word) of the spike depends on how far up the adjacent side you take the scrap fabric.  Some of my spikes are tall and thin and some are short and fat!

   

As you can see the spike will lay on the background fabric from the base to the right side about 2/3rds of the way up the side.

Now sew a 1/4 inch seam using the scrap as your raw edge.

Fold the scrap back over so the right side is facing you.  Finger press and then press with an iron.  Flip the whole block over so you are looking at the back of the foundation and the scrap piece.  Use the foundation fabric as a guide to cut away the excess scrap fabric. You can trim the foundation fabric away at the 1/4 inch seam.  

      

Continue making spikey blocks until you have enough to piece together and cover the sides of your quilt top.

In this picture I have made the long pieced border a little heavy at the base.  I would probably just trim the base before adding to the quilt.  

Hopefully, this makes sense....just leave a comment if you need clarification!  I love to hear from you!

**shout out Chris**

Mary  

This and That.....

It is so bloomin' hot in Ohio....way too hot to spend time outside, unless you are out early in the morning.  My poor much neglected garden needs some attention, but it is just going to have to wait.  I will stay in the AC and work on projects while Flanders keeps me company.....

Flanders appreciates the AC, too - can you tell?

I am pretty much committed to doing Zig-Zag quilts with the Far, Far Away fabric....quilts intended for the yet-to-be-born twins.  As I mentioned in the previous post...I am using half square triangles.  To include Rapunzel or the Owl and the Pussycat in the zig and zag right side up....I have been flipping my diagonal line for half of the squares.  That way I can choose squares that feature the characters right side up.

  

That probably seems fairly clear to most, but sometimes the simplest things are the most perplexing!

I have also spent some time straight line machine quilting.  My shoulder feels every stitch!

 

That's about it for today....time to figure out dinner and act like I am earning my keep around here!

Mary 

Eye Candy

Less than a week ago we had our final Coin Quilt class of this session.  I had such a great time (as always) with these women and I am so happy to be able to share their quilts!  I think you will find them amazing!
Enjoy......

Sam's quilt....she was working on the pick-stitching so her pic includes a quilt hoop :)

Next we have Michelle.....love the black and the guitar fabric!

Here is Gretchen's (Michelle's mom).....fresh white background...so pretty!

 

And last, but not least, Sara's quilt is in the stack....the bottom quilt and it is fabulous...with the fun bicycle print!

   

I just love these quilts and they are a terrific group of women!  ***Pat on the back for each***

Mary

PS - check out Sew To Speak for wonderful classes! 

Half Square Triangles

The back is finished for the Coin Quilt and now ready for basting.  That has to be my very least favorite part of quilting.  I have to take everything down to the basement - with all the spiders - or potential spiders.  I really do not like crawly things....silly I know...I am so much bigger than they are, what could they possibly do to me?  Luckily, I have a dance floor which is large enough to accommodate almost any quilt.  So I don't have to lay my quilt out on the concrete - but still basting is just a chore.  I will probably put it off till tomorrow as we have G-MA coming for her 81st. birthday dinner celebration!  YAY!!!

Today I started working on the quilts for the twins using the new line of Far, Far Away fabrics - from my very favorite little fabric shoppe - Sew To Speak.  I am adding some of the roses and linens in natural and yellow.  Usually, when sewing half square triangles (which I am using for these quilts) I cut strips 7/8 inch larger than my finished size and lay the strips - right sides together - sew a 1/4 inch on both sides of the diagonal line which cuts the subsectioned squares.  But for these fabrics I wanted to be sure I had the Owl and Pussycat in the triangle so I cut 6 inch squares and stitched on both sides of the diagonal.

Here is a little sneak peek.......

I love the texture of the linen and the subtle muted tones of this fabric - very different from my usual brights!

Molly has been stitching....she is working on a dresser scarf for G-MA!  She made a terrific dish towel for me :)

  

Can't you just picture this in Anthropologie?  Thanks Again, Molly!

Mary

      

Busy, busy

It has been a week of projects here!  It seems to be a very busy time....teaching classes, making quilts for gifts and shopppe samples, college orientation....whew! 

Molly has been working on a very cute new project.

I love her process.  She sketches out her design before transferring it to fabric and then makes choices regarding fillers, colors, etc. while stitching.  

I feel so fortunate that she still has time to sit at the kitchen table with me.  We spend a lot of time talking and stitching.  Times I will always cherish.  Here is a sneak peek of her project. 

I have finished the top for this quilt - a gift for my niece and her husband-to-be.  Hopefully, this week I will be basting (ugh), quilting and pick-stitching.

 

And then I have two quilts for twin newborn girls.  I plan on using the new Far, Far Away 2 fabric by Heather Ross...I love the texture and muted tones in this line.  Very calming for new baby girls!

 

I need to decide how I will cut this up to use in a quilt.  I want to choose a design that will show off the adorable illustrations.  Something to think about.....

Mary