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Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Summer of Sewing Smaller Stuff?
I've made three quilts lately which were queen-sized or larger, so I think I am going to declare the next couple of months The Summer of Sewing Smaller Stuff ... smaller as in smaller quilts, like lap-size maybe, perhaps a pillow, perhaps (gasp!) a wall hanging ... we'll see. I thought I'd show some of the things that are on my list of sewing to-dos.
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Above are my selvage countdown squares. As you can see I have a big pile. My original idea for these now seems a little boring, so new possibilities are brewing ...
And I do have another selvage idea that doesn't involve the squares above but goes in a different direction entirely ... I'm so excited about this one!!! And I am definitely telling myself that it doesn't have to be something life-sized like the Selvage Snowman. Smaller is good. Repeat after me. Smaller is good. Smaller is good.
Then of course there are my I-Spy hexies, which are my travelling project.
And my vintage sheet obsession continues with this new quilt I just started ...
Speaking of vintage, check out this vintage pillowcase I found the other day! Cutest ever!!! So these bears will quickly be made into something. Pillows are small right?
I Spy Planet Hexy still needs to be quilted. It is kind of more medium than small, and I can't decide if I should send it out for quilting or do it myself. I really want to do it myself, but I will have to get a walking foot. Up until now I have just used the regular foot on the machine, but I would want to be really careful with this cool quilt ...
And finally on the topic of small, my daughter is small. (Although don't tell her that, she is a BIG GIRL now, since she's four and everything). I am looking forward to a summer of T-ball for her, 3 pitch for my son, lots of fun with family, friends, the pool, parks, picnics and lots of summer travel ...
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Plus there is one more thing. Although I don't mention it here much, what I do with most of my time is write. (Here's a smidge about me, the "writer" on my literary agent's website) I am within days of finishing the first draft of my second novel. My first novel, called The Town That Drowned is coming out in September. I have lots of fun stuff falling into place for the summer and fall for book promotion. I have been getting some exciting news from my publicist about literary festivals, book tour stops and book signings. I can't wait to share more information with everyone as the novel moves closer to release.
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I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. I really appreciate everyone who takes a few minutes of their summer to stop in here and hang out with me for a bit!
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I'm linking up with W.I.P. Wednesday. Cheers, Riel
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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Hodgepodge Patchwork Tuesdays - Easy Table Runners
Using my Easy to Sew Quilt Pattern, I created these three table runners. They are all similar, yet at the same time, different. The construction method of the Easy to Sew Quilt Block assembles the blocks to give you a unique and artsy look every time, without doing any figuring.
I selected different fabrics for the borders on each table runner. I free style quilted one of the table runners with a Two Color Ribbon Quilting with a Twist. The twists are the dragonflies. I chose scraps of blues and greens and I even used some of my extra wide quilter's blenders fabrics for some of the blues. Remember the post about Extra Wide Fabric is not just for backing a quilt.
Hope you had a great Tuesday!
Marcia
I selected different fabrics for the borders on each table runner. I free style quilted one of the table runners with a Two Color Ribbon Quilting with a Twist. The twists are the dragonflies. I chose scraps of blues and greens and I even used some of my extra wide quilter's blenders fabrics for some of the blues. Remember the post about Extra Wide Fabric is not just for backing a quilt.
Marcia
Flowers and Vines {custom machine quilting}
Darcy pieced this beautiful quilt.
She requested custom machine quilting, vines and leaves in the smaller blocks and flowers in the larger blocks.
It turned out really pretty!
Thanks for letting me quilt for you again Darcy!
In other news.....
did you see this awesome sale over at Accuquilt.
Head over there today and sign up for their newsletter to receive 22 FREE patterns!
Okay, headed back to my quilting machine, 15 hours of machine quilting yesterday and I'm planning about the same today:)
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bringing home the bacon . . .
My son-in-law, Jason, really did bring home the bacon yesterday, quite literally.
Bacon Roses.
Aren't these fun?!? It was their second anniversary yesterday, and my darling daughter made these bacon rosettes and had them delivered to Jason at work. She got the idea from here, and pinned it to her "Yum Yums" board on pinterest, to save for the appropriate occasion.
Needless to say, Jason -- who's fond of saying, "Everything's better with bacon," -- has now added anniversaries to the list of things that are, indeed, better with bacon (which is evidently a sentiment shared by many men). And he was the envy of his baconless co-workers.
Modern romance -- gotta love it!
:)
Needless to say, Jason -- who's fond of saying, "Everything's better with bacon," -- has now added anniversaries to the list of things that are, indeed, better with bacon (which is evidently a sentiment shared by many men). And he was the envy of his baconless co-workers.
Modern romance -- gotta love it!
:)
Simple shapes: jelly roll quilts and other confections
We have to confess that we aren't always interested in making complex quilts. Sometimes we yearn for simple shapes - and simple piecing. Of course we want to have our cake and eat it too: we still want our "quick" quilts to look fabulous. Lori Allison of Minnesota starts with patterns that often use traditional blocks – like the trip around the world block – but she makes it bigger, and applies modern cutting and piecing techniques to make it fast and easy.
Blooming patchwork (queen size), by Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs
This one is new ! "Blooming patchwork" is a strip pieced, queen-sized quilt. Thanks to a few fussy-cut blocks, applique is not required !
Funky Stripes, 3 sizes, by Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs
This is a great way to show off large prints like these from Kaffe Fassett. Also check out a mod chartreuse-and-teal version, which was made by Susie Smidt at Dakota County Star Quilters (at their 2010 quilt show page you can also see "Color my World", pieced by Jackie Grinde.)
Cinnamon and Ginger, 57 x 71" or 71 x 86", by Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs
Lori says, "Who knew this would be a top pattern seller? I certainly didn't because after I designed it, I let it sit in my computer for six months. Finally, two weeks before fall market, I didn't have anything so I looked through my files to see if there was anything at all worth resurrecting." (!) The fussy cut centers create an interesting geometric effect. The fully illustrated color instructions and easy assembly are typical of Allison Quilt Designs.
For a few more bestselling patterns designed for precuts - like jelly rolls and layer cakes - check out Lori's "Jelly Roll World", "Fruit Cake" and "Candy Queen" patterns.
Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Lori Allison. You can view her patterns at Allison Quilt Designs, quilt shops (see links) and the Quilters Warehouse.
Blooming patchwork (queen size), by Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs
Funky Stripes, 3 sizes, by Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs
This is a great way to show off large prints like these from Kaffe Fassett. Also check out a mod chartreuse-and-teal version, which was made by Susie Smidt at Dakota County Star Quilters (at their 2010 quilt show page you can also see "Color my World", pieced by Jackie Grinde.)
Cinnamon and Ginger, 57 x 71" or 71 x 86", by Lori Allison, at Allison Quilt Designs
Lori says, "Who knew this would be a top pattern seller? I certainly didn't because after I designed it, I let it sit in my computer for six months. Finally, two weeks before fall market, I didn't have anything so I looked through my files to see if there was anything at all worth resurrecting." (!) The fussy cut centers create an interesting geometric effect. The fully illustrated color instructions and easy assembly are typical of Allison Quilt Designs.
For a few more bestselling patterns designed for precuts - like jelly rolls and layer cakes - check out Lori's "Jelly Roll World", "Fruit Cake" and "Candy Queen" patterns.
Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Lori Allison. You can view her patterns at Allison Quilt Designs, quilt shops (see links) and the Quilters Warehouse.
