Borders a couple of ideas

  You may remember the post from earlier about the size of my borders and other thoughts on it.  Borders frame the quilt, increase the size, and brings all the work together. Make it plain, include patchwork, add some applique.....it all depends on you.     By the time I get to the border, I am usually ready to move on to something new.  So I am very guilty of doing the quick thing instead of making it all come together.

   I have been removing pages from old magazines.  I sorted the pages into topics and filled two of these spiral bound notebooks.  They have pockets and 4 pages plus the cover pockets.....lots of ideas stored here.

One pocket is just for border ideas.  Simple border ideas...let's not go overboard and change who I am!

  This first idea comes from the quilt showing here......the oval shape that forms the lattice.  I spotted it used as a border applique on another quilt---but I can't find the tear out now.  I thought it would be interesting to experiment with that idea......scrap quilt with ovals in different prints in the border.

  I tend to use some reminders on pages as to why I pulled it out....so ignore my scribbles.  There are multiple borders added to this one.  What caught my eye was the triangles that were in the center one.  Simple HST units are joined to look like a flying geese.  Then the geese are flipped and alternate direction.   I like that this treatment keeps the border light/open  and not too busy.   From Quiltmaker Jan 2014.

  I loved this little one!  The embroidery could be enlarged for applique in the center. But the alternating border strips is so cute.  It accents the center work, but again keeps the border light and not too dark.
   This idea could translate easily to a scrap quilt with alternating color bars---rather than piano keys layout.  From American Patchwork and Quilting Oct 2014.

  Back to the sewing room for a little more therapy....some sewn, some to press, some to pair up for stitching.

Happy stitching.

After a few days......

This may be long.  It has taken me a few days to get my thoughts straight to make sense out of this.

  In a post in January,  I mentioned that I was changing my focus on this blog to put forth the design process in my content.  I was committing to sharing my thought process, the trial and error things that happen in the piecing and quilting.  I wanted to share and freely give instructions on techniques and methods that I used.   A finished quilt is great/wonderful/exciting.......but the journey to get there presents more opportunities for inspiration to others. That is what I wanted.

  Within a couple of weeks, I began the Friday Finds posts.  It was intended to share interesting projects, tutorials, ideas of others, and fun things too.I love putting the spotlight on others and the things they do.  I admitted to snitching photos from Jasmine at Quilt Kisses, and Sharon at Vroomans Quilts.  Both were forgiving and gave approval to share some of their ideas and projects.
Wanda at Exuberant Color has always been gracious and inspirational  when I borrowed her ideas and explored the world of color and value.  Connie at Freemotion by the river    has also been a big source of patterns and techniques.  I have shared techniques from various manufacture's website  from their huge store of free patterns and layouts.   I have directed you to Quiltville,  and Patsy Thompson  Designs.     Both were wonderful about letting me  share their designs......and I gladly linked to them.

   It was after the event of last week that I questioned the wisdom of pursuing the Friday Finds.  Was I setting myself up for another crisis?   Was I going to destroy my blog and  loose that safe place I enjoy so much?    Would it be worth it?  Would anyone notice?     By the comments and emails, I see that Friday Finds is worth the effort and it is inspiring to many.   I will pick it up again and proceed with care to share a lot of  good things.

     Pinterest is loaded with all sorts of information and inspiration.   You could follow my boards or not....and find a wonderland of boards that interest you, and reflect your style.   I encouraged everyone to follow the links, and to pin projects from the original source....not from me.

   So what led to this......while we were visiting Sir Old Man's cousins in the mountains, I had an over whelming urge to check my email.  But I did not.  The feeling persisted, getting stronger, and yet I waited until we returned home to check.  Sure enough an email was there that made me want to arm for battle.  I wanted to put on full quilter battle gear.....pull out the scissors, change the rotary blade,  and find my sharp stiletto.  Fortunately, I am blessed with a calming influence.  Sir Old Man sat quietly by letting me rant, and listening to my discourse.  Then he was supportive in whatever I decided to do.

   The email was over a tutorial and post from 2011 claiming copyright violation.  Up front, I will say I did not use any photos or instructions from the pattern in question.  My own words, my photos, my hand drawn pattern, my sizing, my small project......were used in the posts and tutorial.
   The technique has been around  and can be found in older publications, even on youtube.    I could not link or refer anyone to this person's blog or website because  I could not find one.  Yet rather than place my blog in jeopardy,  I  acquiesced and complied with the request to remove the  tutorial and post.

    Why do this?  This person felt my tutorial/post was depriving them of possible income.  While I gain no monetary benefit from my blog, it is very important to me, and preserving it was my foremost concern.    The result is a few "dead links" from pins on Pinterest.  For that I apologize.

  All this leads to the copyright issue.....a can of worms I detest with a passion.  Like Bonnie Hunter said in one post....and I paraphrase her example......a nine patch on point is still a nine patch, and it is universal.   Our society has allowed the world view to over take common sense.   Yes, you need to protect your intellectual property but we can't claim ownership of universal things.   Most quilters in blogland seem to get this.   I hope to end this topic here, please. As my daughter says.....the horse is dead.  Quit beating it.

   Photos.....those belong to me if I took them.  I strongly urge bloggers to mark their photos, especially of their quilts, with their blog name at least.  If it is a photo of someone else's quilt, I try to add their name, like I do for the doll quilts now.  It's a good thing to do....but each one can do as they like.   If my photo pops up on someone else's blog at least  I will know it and so will everyone else.  Actually,  a link back to me is fine.

  And finally, "no-reply" commenters......please link your email or include your email addy when you ask a question.  If you comment on a post older than 2 weeks, it usually just gets deleted.    I am always glad to answer serious questions, so if you want to comment on them, send an email instead with your questions.

  A favorite quote sums up how I try to live and give....
  Thomas Jefferson said "He who receives an idea from me, receives it without lessening me, as he who lights his candle at mine receives light without diminishing me."   That sounds exactly  like what I want to do.  Thanks for sticking with me.   Happy stitching.  

A Mrs. Claus quilt show

Ho! Ho! Ho!  Mrs. Claus has been busy.  Let's show those elves our stuff!





From Mrs. Claus of Washington, aka crazy'boutquilts on Our Circle of Friends.  She explored new horizons with some out of this world fabric in the bottom quilt.
The upper quilt is so cute....lots of decorative stitches for the quilting and the three appliques are layered with more decorative machine stitching.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Washington, for these 2 beauties.



















    Mrs. Claus of Kansas, aka wildcatmom on the Our Circle of Friends forum sent two also.  The puzzle quilt is such a playful delight.  A simple design that reminds us of the fun a child has putting together those puzzle pieces.

Her second quilt is just beautiful.  Wonderful pastel fabrics make this little postage stamp quilt so sweet.....and the zing comes from the purple and turquoise accents.  A random arrangement is unexpected and I love it for inspiration.

   Nicki is Mrs. Claus from Texas.  She is also the fearless, and supportive leader of the Mrs. Claus project on the Our Circle of Friends forum.

Both of these quilts are flannel....so very soft and colorful.  She used left over fabrics from make burp pads and baby quilts.  One has a backing of minky fabric.  Mrs. Claus says she learned not to iron this fabric or you have flat dots.  A good tip to remember!

    Two more from Mrs. Claus of Texas.....an adorable cat applique with a purr-fect kitty print for the backing.   She says the pattern is from Fat Cat Patterns.  I love the flippy tail wrapped around the heart!


 She used leftovers from another quilt for the blue pinwheels.  She thought they were a little wonky, but I think they are delightful in this one of a kind setting.
  Thank you, Mrs. Claus.....each one is great!

  Will Quilt for Chocolate is Mrs. Claus from Texas, too.  She is also a member of Our Circle of Friends.   This little quilt may fool your eye.....it is all raw edge appliqued.
    Mrs. Claus used a zig-zag stitch around each piece, as well as the outer edge.  A quick finish in place of binding.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus!

    From Mrs. Claus of Arizona, aka Wiley at Our Circle of Friends comes a pinwheel quilt.  These tessellating pinwheels always amaze me.  I love the color arrangement that she used.
  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Arizona.

    Mrs. Claus of Pennsylvania, aka 3grandkids on Our Circle of Friends has been busy too.  She used leftover/orphan quilt blocks to make 2 similar quilts.....note the variations of the sizes and the borders.   A good lesson in design here.   By the way, her applique stitching is beautiful!

This special beauty is also from Mrs. Claus of  Pennsylvania.   It reminds me of a NC lily block.....but a little different.  It still is beautiful.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus.

 

   And a little extra surprise from a friend of Mrs. Claus.  Her friend wanted to participate and chose to make a red and green patchwork doll quilt.  Of course, we must so name her  Mrs. Claus of Pennsylvania II.  Thank you for helping.

   From Mrs. Claus of New York....aka Vrooman's Quilts.  She sent me a box full of little delights. The first is a colorful patchwork of squares.  I love that striped binding to pick up every color she used.

  Mrs. Claus of New York is known for her stash of scraps.....squares and triangles.  She used both here.  Check out those vertical rows of triangles.....he never tires of them.  If you need an idea about storing your bits of fabric stash, be sure to visit her blog and see what she does.  Sharon's blog at Vrooman's Quilts  click here. 

    Mrs. Claus of New York loves her cats.....be sure to see the antics of Moe.  Sharon used cat themed fabric in both of these.

   But look at what she did for the quilting!  She followed the zig-zag pattern of the fabric and got a wonderful chevron design.  I so love this one!

  I got to thinking that I should check the back of her other items.....sure enough there was an animal fabric on the back of one.












     And a final surprise was included.....3 of her minis all from her stash of leftover triangles.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of New York.....you are so great in supporting this project.

  And more on the way, we hear.  Sir Old Man just checked the tracking on a missing package and finally.....the postal service figured out that the destination of SC is not on the west coast!
  This show is a wrap.....I do hope you find some love and inspiration from one of these.  I also hear the woodworking elves are in the final stages of production for the year.  Deliveries begin soon......thank you to all the Mrs. Claus who help keep this project going.  Hugs and happy stitching.  

A watercolor and something new

   Pardon my senior moment........I can't remember if I even showed this watercolor banner  in progress.  It has been on the design wall for a while waiting for the border to be cut and added.
  The inspiration was  a captured moment in the garden as a butterfly winged its way past me.  The sunlight danced on his wings as he headed to the blooming lilies dripping with nectar.    
One Moment finished at 16'' by 32''.



But I promised something new......

  At least, it is a new style for me.  I wanted to use a corner label that is attached along with the binding.   I usually write "a whole book" on my quilt labels, but on simple/small projects the corner label is a great idea.

   I spent forever trying to figure out how to position the label for printing so I could get the needed square.  My brain was not working that day.   More senior moments occurred until I realized I was making this so much harder than it was.   LOL....... I printed a regular label.

  Then scraps and strips were added to each side to make it large enough....I added a big chunk of muslin as the top piece (since it would be hidden anyway).   At last, I could cut the label  as a square on point .    The square was then folded in half on the diagonal and top stitched on the fold.  It was ready to add to the corner and bind.  
   Yep, I was exhausted after re-inventing the wheel.   It was time for a cup of coffee before I tried to learn another new trick.    Happy stitching.

Friday finds....nope!

No finds this week.......something unexpected has occurred and I am re-accessing sharing these.   I do not ever, ever want to infringe on anyone's designs or rights.  I will share more later, but not right now.  I need to process a few things first.
I am fine....just need some stitching time.  It is my therapy, you know.  

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.

Let's Book It and August ends

  My Let's Book It project was a carry over from July.   I did the quilting this month.,,,,..click here to see the feather wreath post.   For a simple runner using the Hot Dish Chain pattern, it took me long enough!










 I also have a Let's Book It project from the end of June that got set aside.   Very little progress has been made as I just could not get my motivation to work on a big project.  I have tons of squares marked.....I just need to sit and sew to make some headway.









   In the meantime.....I continued with  another project for a gift.  We can class it as another Let's Book It because it is from an older article from a magazine.  I began it as a leader/ender project....here.   Here are a few of the bands of small bricks ready to be joined with white strips.

  Those are my three....and I do have the rail fence variation quilted and ready for binding.  It will get done next month.







 Oh, wait I forgot those tool rolls....LOL.....they consumed the last few days.
 
  August was busy enough with  a couple of family visits, and a trip to Michigan to see our daughter and the Dream Cruise on Woodward. And the visit to the dentist for the cracked crown happened.

 
   That means September is arriving, and I know it was just May!   One great thing about September is the return of this...Pumpkin Spice coffee from the Fresh Market.  Yum!   I pulled out a new mug rug and my favorite cup  in anticipation of my favorite evening brew.
 



I'll be enjoying a cup as I get going on my September plans.

• Binding the rail fence variation.
• Sewing triangles for the Birds in the Air project.
• Continue with the leader/ender gift project.
• De-cluttering the magazine pile....it is way to large and needs to be reduced.  I feel the need for a project using florals/watercolor/value, so I am on the hunt for ideas.  Ripping pages out of magazines is therapeutic too!

Linking with Vroomans Quilts for the Let's Book It project.  Be sure to check it out.   Happy stitching.