A Little Knot

  I had 6 blocks that did not get put into my large Garlic Knot top.  I thought they would be a good table topper.....A Little Knot.

   Before binding, I was just a little disappointed at how plain it seemed.  I debated on applique in the border or even adding additional borders.  I went ahead an quilted it up and then had the light bulb moment for the binding. 











 A cute flange binding would give this one a pop of extra color and hopefully improve it after all.  So the blue fabric became the flange and a floral print is the outer binding.







   A Little Knot is 18'' by 24''.


Now I am more motivated to get the large Garlic knot pinned and quilted.  I need to piece up some backing.....that always slows me down for some reason. 

  The water color wreath wall hanging is under the needle already.  I have the center section quilted and just need to do up the border. 
Then on to bigger things.

Happy stitching. 

Project progress

  Everything in the sewing room seemed to be so long term.  And this week I needed, absolutely required, a quicker project that could be finished. 




   And nothing soothes me like working with floral fabrics.   I decided on  a couple of place mats as a quick project. 
   I worked these up using 10  2'' squares across and 8 squares down.   This would be excellent practice or a first project for anyone wanting to work with values.   I enjoyed playing with squares again that I made 2 more smaller ones for the kitchen island.

  Quilting was simple straight lines---easy and fast.











  I had questions this week about the mixed bindings that I carry on about using on my quilts and projects. 
Maybe this photo will give an idea of what I used on the mats.  I used two floral prints that were mainly blue.  Just joined and stitched down.....they just seem to blend and work well together. 
  On a larger project or quilt I will often have 5 or 6 different prints in the binding.  I will sew them together based either on color or value.   For example, I might begin with a light strip, then on to medium value, and then a darker strip.  Other times I could just mix the whole shebang together and let it rip.  I am not going for a prize but enjoying and using what I have. 

  Other questions came about the quilt rack Sir Old Man made for me about 7 years ago.  Unfortunately, the question was from a no-reply blogger.....so no return comment from me.  Please, if you want questions answered, we have to have an email to respond to.   Link your email to your account, or ask questions directly via email.  And yes, I can direct you to the plans for the quilt rack, but I have no way to tell you that. 

  Much nicer weather this weekend....sun is out.  We still have snowy patches, but that we can live with.   Like most everyone else I am looking for spring already :)  Happy stitching.

Plume crazy!

A simple setting of scrap pieces got a little dressing with a lot of plume shapes and turned in to Plume Crazy!  

A few weeks ago I shared the progress on this leader/ender project as it became a Let's Book It project.....here.     I knew this needed a border but was quite undecided as to what to do.  So I added a darker frame to anchor the center and ended with a very wide off white border.  It was almost boring at this point.


That is when I added a few plumes to the border and  asked "Is this working"  in this post.    

I received  many comments and ideas, which were greatly appreciated.  Just having another/many sets of eyes on the design pulled it together.

  For the quilting, I used a large meander thru the center....on Dana's  of Stormy Days  suggestion.    The plumes were outlined and some stacked teardrops added to the border before I got to some feathers.

Binding.....I followed the instructions and tutorial from Missouri Star to make a scrappy flange/faux piped binding.    It worked great....I only had a problem in one corner.  It just gave me fits for some reason, but I finally made it behave properly.  The flange is very narrow, but just enough to stitch down on the front of the quilt and give a piped look to the edge.

  The plume shapes.....each one was fused, and stitched down with a zig-zag stitch.  Over 100 of these things....I was plume crazy for sure.  But I love the whimsical effect that they made along the border.

  They may have made me crazy, but I have a feeling I will use this idea again!













 
And I am glad I got good input from Jasmine at Quilt Kisses and Janet  at Rogue Quilter about the layout.  Thanks!  The asymmetrical  layout was just what I wanted.  Placing plume vines in the opposite corners was much better than all the way around.  That would have been too much.

  Note the "new bench".....Sir Old Man worked his magic on a broken down and worn out park bench that was in pieces. New paint for the ends and supports brought it back to life.  He used cypress for the seat slats with an oil stain.  Each slat had to be "shaved and shaped" for its position.  A beautiful work of restoration, wouldn't you say?

  Plume Crazy just needs a quick wash and fluff before being given to a friend who is facing surgery.  She made sure we were fed when I broke my shoulder, and I want her wrapped in comfort  for the next few months.

   I felt the deadline to get this one finished, but I am almost sorry to see it end.  The creative design  process was motivating and gave me a boost.  Taking the basic pattern and adding elements I love was very satisfying.  It lifted me up even if I went a little crazy with those plumes.  Taking a chance made all the difference in this one for me.

Time for some slicing and dicing....cutting up fabric that is.  A new project or two taking shape because there are more people to cover.  Happy stitching.

Mixed bindings for a finish

This quilt began in February...see the post here.   In this post, I referred to it as the 2+4 patch rail fence variation.   In July, I got it assembled and hunted for a border solution....in this post. 

    Last month I got it quilted.  I used swirls for the center and the stylized leaf and vine for the border.  This is a nice loose design that can fill a space without becoming too dense. Adding those extra curls helped to keep the design open and to turn the corners.

  I guess you want to see the front too.  I debated on quilting down the reddish inner border, but left it untouched.  I liked the way it just popped with color.

  Then it was time to bind......I pulled out the bindings box of odds and ends and began to join pieces.  Continued to sew the small bits together until I had enough.    I often do this for a scrap quilt, but usually I work in a colorway, like blues, and greens, etc.   This time it was whatever was on top of the heap.   Using up those small pieces is a good thing!

 This rail fence variation is named
Twist and Shout.....because it reminds me of a spontaneous party.
It's just for fun and will make a good donation quilt.
Size is about 60'' by 50''.

  Or maybe, we should just curl up with a good book on the porch this fall.  Either way, the mixed bindings worked and I can call it done.


  I sewed up a dozen or so triangle units that need to be trimmed before pressing.  We are taking a day trip to visit Sir Old Man's cousins in the mountains.  I heard there are a couple of quilt shops nearby.   Don't tell, but I think I might need to take some $$ with me.
Happy stitching.

Picking binding

   I had a question about how I chose fabrics to bind a quilt from Linda. And what was I going to use on the latest scrappy quilt.   A flood of things came to mind.  Along the way I have  learned a few things....mainly to follow my instinct at the end.     I know some quilters plan ahead and cut binding strips as they cut pieces and borders.  I don't always think about binding fabrics until I get to that stage.   It is just a matter of preference and what effect you want.

   So I will share my thought process and let you find your own way and inspiration.  Please remember, my quilts are for use....on the walls, on the sofa or bed....not for big exhibition quilt show.  If I was looking to win a big show, of course,  I would need to change some of my ways. Judges look for things like hand stitched bindings, and bindings cut on the bias.  Needless to say, mine usually are not.  I'm not doing tutorials or "how tos".....there are plenty of those elsewhere.  Just check Pinterest.



  I see the binding as the final frame.   Think of a picture frame  and how it finishes off the print or painting.
   So for a quilt.....It might look best to blend with the border fabric.  Most of my small wall hangings have a binding that blends with the outer border.  I want the center to be the focus.  In this case, I used the same fabric.  If I am short on fabric, I would just look for a very similar fabric to use.

  Small watercolor quilts that have a solid border also get a binding that matches.  There is so much going on in the center that a contrasting binding would be a distraction.  If the border is a print or batik, I would also match as close as possible to it.











    Other times,  a contrasting binding accents the colors or fabrics in the center piecing.  It might tend to lead the eye back to the center.  For this baby quilt, the Mom wanted pink and green colors......so I made sure there was a bight pink binding for the finish.  It's unexpected and fun in this case.  And I got to use up a lot of that bright pink.

   Another contrast binding to accent the color and pull all the blue/purple out to the edge.  There was quite of bit of blue and purple in the body of the quilt and the border strip and binding just made it all pop.







  Yet my favorite binding is mixed.....whatever strip is leftover from the center gets added to the binding.  I simply string them all together until I have enough length to go around.  You might note that I am guilty here of joining some fabrics bluntly rather than a diagonal join.  I probably was short on fabric and needed every inch.

  The diagonal join is the best method to use to distribute the bulk.   Here's a good tutorial on joining binding strips.  It is the technique I use.

     One more.......This quilt had a very busy border, so it was easy to use up any leftover floral strip for binding.  It was mixed floral strips  and yet blended into the border without distracting from it.

  The  question about the latest scrappy rail quilt.....its binding will be  an assortment of whatever leftovers I find.  It is just that kind of quilt.
  Maybe a few of my ideas will spark your creativity to experiment with your binding choice.  Match it, mix it up, or find a bold contrast.  As long as you like it, it is good.
Happy stitching.

Home Ties

 
   Spring is here in full force. Flowers in bloom, warm temps---84 degrees today---with cool mornings.   So this quilt is just what is needed for early mornings on the porch...along with a nice cup of coffee.

   I finished up the scrappy binding yesterday, for a finish this month.  Yay!  I had debated on a border for this one, but instead I opted for just a nice snuggle size of 50" by 60".  

  Simple straight line quilting on this one.  I almost used an all over swirl, and then decided to keep it clean and simple.  I just wanted to accent the diagonal lines of the blocks rather than weight it down with too much thread.

   I began putting these blocks together last December, so this one has been hanging around for a while.  The block is Carolina Chain from Bonnie Hunter.   Originally shown in Quiltmaker 2010, here is a link to see the block.  I believe Bonnie has put this into one of her latest books.....but it is simple enough to figure out just from the photos.  Wink.....I am thinking about a floral version using 2" strips this time along with batiks.

  A simple scrappy binding.....I just dug through the bin with leftover binding pieces and sewed them together.    This is one of my favorite "waste not" techniques.   Eventually, every binding scrap finds a home.
  Home Ties is done....and looking for a home. I have somebody in mind for this one ;D
 
  I love a finish....it motivates me to move forward and think ahead.   That means I need to do some cutting.   And ponder the layout for the strings I took off the design wall.  I think I have an idea that just might satisfy me.
Happy stitching.

Wonders of Color bound.

   No shopping here.  Instead I got the binding put on the color study wall hanging made from the 2 1/2" squares.  Here is the beginning of this project.   I purchased a packet of squares from Wanda at Exuberant Color  this summer to get me started on this one.  I added lots of squares from my stash and this one finished up at 34" by 50".

  I debated on the quilting for a while.  With so many prints and patterns in the fabrics, any quilting pattern I used, like swirls or stippling, would just be lost.  In the end, I decided to use simple straight lines.  I like the texture the lines created.
   I used multiple fabrics for the binding.....making sure they were all in the darker to mid tone in value.  Since one side--the right--is a bit lighter overall in value, I began there with a mid tone value and progressed to the dark value.
   Sir Old Man likes this one a lot and has claimed it for the office.....after I get the sleeve stitched down.
   Thank you, Wanda, for sharing your knowledge and fabrics, and spreading the love of color with us.

   Don't forget the visit and enter the The Christmas Quilt Show  at Quilting Tutorials.  Some great quilts and inspiration to be seen.
Happy stitching.

Finishes

 What do you do with your ugly, oops I mean, less lovely fabric?  It is the stuff you want to get rid of, but is too big a piece to trash can, and you know it will not make it into a quilt.  How about the back of a quilt......yes, I did.  That calico print has been around for too many decades, and what looks like a tan is a tiny green and beige plaid.  I pieced them together for a backing for Scrappy Coins.  I only have small pieces of the unlovely fabric  now that can hit the trash can!  The coins quilt is bound and ready for donation next month.

   

  The strip pieced watercolor quilt, More is Better,  got finished up too.  The setting is the barn raising layout.  I used a white on white fabric for the backing.  After washing it is so soft and cuddly.  this one is a keeper, for sure.  I quilted it in my favorite overall swirl.  Old favorites are hard to let go of.....

  So while I was finishing up these two, Sir Old Man was doing a different type of finishing.  His latest venture was a beginning wood turning class at the guild.  His first project was a  simple bowl about 6 inches wide and finished with walnut oil.  I love how it brings out the different grains in the wood.  This one is done with dried wood---much harder to turn, and he has another that was turned "wet" and is in the drying stage.  

Yes, Sir Old Man was proud of this finish.  

He even "labeled" his work....guess he has been listening to me about that!  Sign your work.  

   When we went to vote on Saturday, we noticed a pile of  small logs by the parking area from a recently felled tree.  Wood on the side of the road  for a wood turner is like free fabric in a giveaway  to a quilter.  So a few logs found their way into the van.    And I am thinking I might get a turned bowl for holding leaders and enders scraps or safety pins, or thread tails, or ....you get the idea!  

  OK, now  I am ready for a new project.....time to cut into some new fabric.   I need a break from scraps.    Happy stitching.

One more time

I seem to make this over and over again....a rail fence is one of my favorite patterns for strips and donation quilts.   This one has a little bit of anything and everything in it.  As long as the strip was 6 1/2" long, I put it in.  I just make sure to have one strong dark for each medium and/or light twosome. 
  I didn't add a border to this one, just my "waste not" scrap bindings.  I used about 12 different scrap pieces to finish off the binding.  And now my binding bag only has 3 pieces left in it!  Yay!  I am making headway on the scraps.  
   

Free motion quilting-----easy, trailing and branching curls, and I think I can call this one done. 

Oops....I forgot the label and then it will be done.











I am working on the Florabunda blocks at night as we watch TV.  I have a pile of triangles and 4 patches cut and have begun sewing on them.
  Soon as I get the batiks off the design wall, I'll be able to put up a few blocks.
  I had a question about juggling so many projects at once.....I like to have multiple things to work on, so that I don't get bored.  I tend to do simple sewing at night, like the cobblestones blocks or strip piecing.  Daytime  is design time, quilting a project, or joining blocks on the design wall.  And when I need a change, I spend a few hours on a journal quilt.  Often my daytime sewing time is in small spurts.  Even 15 to 20 minutes at a time,  can be productive if I just sew a few blocks together that are on the design wall.  It's just what works for me.
Happy stitching,

Cosmos--Journal quilt challenge

It was time for some fun...so a journal quilt it is.  I decided to try the raw edge collage technique that so many use in the journal challenge.  So here is my version.
  I started with  of a sketch of a cosmos, since they are just coming into bloom.  I love the way they stand so tall on those delicate stems with fine leaves.
  I used freezer paper to create pattern templates for the petals.   I like the freezer paper as templates because it allows me to work on the right side of the fabric instead of the reverse.  Working from the back in reverse hurts my brain----so when I can avoid that, I do. 
  I applied Misty Fuse to the batting, which was cut to size--9" by 12".   I began filling in the background with green scraps, working my way down the sides.  The flower pieces were placed to just overlap the background.  Misty Fuse is slightly tacky and hold the loose pieces in place as you work on placement.  Then once the design is all filled in, you fuse it all at once. 
  Then stitch, stitch, stitch.  Since all the edges are loose, I was careful to try and cover as many of them as possible with close stitches.  I did the cosmos first covering the edges with tiny loops and circles.  Then I  added some thread painting for shading and did the center, too.  All of the flower was stitched before adding the backing.  Then the quilting on the background was done after backing.  Binding is fused 1" strips that I stitched down with a decorative loop stitch. 
  New technique, used scraps, did thread painting.....journal quilt done!

Quick and Easy end to binding

A quick and easy way to attach and end binding....tutorial style....as requested by Deborah.

 

Cut strips at 2 1/2 inches.  Join binding using a diagonal seam--see first photo.  The ends of the strips are at right angles to each other and right sides together.  Draw a line for stitching from the upper left corner to the lower right corner of the top fabric.  Stitch on the line.

Trim the seam to 1/4 inch, and press the seam open.

You should have a straight piece of binding with a nice diagonal seam.

To the beginning end of the binding, fold the end down to create a 45 degree angle.  Press a crease and then trim off the excess to leave about 1/2 inch folded over.

 

Now for the quick ending help......Cut a piece of paper backed fusible that is about 1/2 inch wide and about 2 inches long.  Fuse this over the folded end of the binding at the 45 degree fold.  I leave the paper on.  Fold the binding in half.

With the binding folded in half,  place in on the back of your quilted piece, matching the raw edges.  Look close and you can see a pin where I began stitching.....it is about 3 inches from the beginning point of the binding.  Stitch the binding on as usual.  I miter the corners.

Now the binding is attached all the way around and I stop stitching about 2 -3 inches from the beginning of the binding.  The long tail needs to be trimmed to overlap the beginning end....about 1 inch overlap.  I cut  it on a diagonal to match  the beginning binding.   Now you can remove the paper on the fusible strip.

This photo shows  the ending tail trimmed to match the diagonal and it is tucked into the fold of the beginning binding edge.   

Pin it in place and go to the ironing board.     Press the join.  You are securing the end of the binding by  fusing the end to the beginning.   Back to the machine, and stitch the rest of the seam to finish attaching the binding. 

 Almost done....... Pull the binding to the front of the quilt.  I go back to the ironing board and do a quick press on the corners and pin the fold to secure it.  You can see where the beginning and ending point is....and fused. 

Last step is to top stitch from the front along the edge of the binding.  I pivot at the corners with the needle down in the fabric and continue to stitch all the way around.  This last photo is a different small piece, but you can see the stitching better on the front because I used a variegated thread to finish it off. 

I think this is done!

Happy Stitching....Debbie