October 2015 - Peace and Quiet

This low volume, classic string quilt block is the start of a most relaxing quilt!

Whip up a few blocks for the October meeting and you might win the whole shebang. Then you'll be well on your way to a new "Peace and Quiet" quilt.

Materials:

6" Square quilter's ruler

Low volume (light) fabric strips 1.5" wide

Dark fabric, 1.5" square

Fabric Recipe: Light colored fabrics, modern or retro, whatever you like. And one dark fabric.

Cutting: From your 1.5" wide strips, 

• cut three strips 9" long
• cut two strips 6" long
• cut two scraps to fit the corners, as shown below

Directions:

1. Insert the 1.5" dark square into the middle of a 9" long strip, as shown above. Press. 

2. Sew the other two 9" strips to this center strip. Press. Use the ruler to make sure the block is bigger than the ruler.

3. Next, add the two 6" long strips, as shown above. Press.

4. Add a scrap to the two corners. (If you use a 1.5" strip, you might come up short and have a chunky little seam right in the corner. Using a scrap is easier.)

5. Place the center of the square ruler in the middle of the dark center square, as shown above. 

6. Trim. Enjoy!

September 2014 - Lamps!

Take a look at your fabric stash to see what interesting lamps you might have in there. 

This is a quick and easy block. Our collection of blocks will make a fabulous quilt!

You could add a finial if you're so inclined. This lamp looks like a game board piece.

Directions:

1. Cut a white (or parchment, ivory etc.) square 10" x 10" for the foundation.
2. Cut a 6" x 3.5" rectangle for the lampshade. Fold in half. Cut a curved or straight line as shown above.
3. Cut a 5" x 5" square for the lamp base. Fold in half. Cut as shown above. Cutting so that the lamp base is skinny at the top makes the lampshade fit gracefully.
4. Using a glue stick or pins, secure the lamp base and shade to the foundation. Machine applique about 1/4" from the edges. 

The winner of all the blocks will have a very interesting lamp gallery quilt! Shown above are the blocks that I made to be sure that this block is fun to make. And I assure you that it is!

Birthday Quilt - September 2013

This signature quilt will show our names, birth dates and locations. Also included will be blocks for our quilting/sewing friends and relatives. 

Someday people might see this quilt and say: "Imagine the quilters way back in the 1900's, wielding those dangerous rotary cutters! And look at their old-fashioned cursive handwriting! You don't see that anymore!" Or who knows what they'll say? But this will be one interesting quilt!

Directions:

1. Start with a white/light 3" square. Stiffen temporarily with freezer paper to make writing easier.

2. Using a fine-point fabric marker, write your first name, birth date, and where you are from.

3. Cut a 2 1/2" wide strip of a fabric that you like, maybe one that says something about you.

4. From this strip, cut two 3 1/2" long pieces, and two 8" long pieces.

5. Sew the short pieces to the sides. Press. Sew the long pieces to the top and bottom. Press. 

6. Place a 6" square ruler on your block and trim. You might like to position the ruler it so that your white square is on a bit of an angle, as shown in the photos above.

Take a look at the photos below. They're worth a thousand words. Make multiple blocks to honor the quilters/sewists (or sewers, if you prefer) in your life. 

The more blocks you make, the more chances you have to win all the blocks at the September meeting.

The two pens (shown above and below) are good to use. 

Sharpie Laundry markers make a very thick line, so they are not good to use.

 After writing your info, peel off the freezer paper (shown below).

Sew strips to the sides, then to the top and bottom. Press.

Don't bother to trim. (See below.)

Finally, trim the block using a 6" square ruler. Fast and easy.

 My niece Amelia has already made several quilts in her 16 years. I think I'll make blocks for my grandmothers too. They didn't quilt, but they sewed.

Have fun! See you at the September meeting. :)

June Block: French Macarons!

This is a quick and easy raw-edge applique block. Start with a 6" square and a 4 3/4" diameter circle (trace a CD to get the right size circle). Use a glue stick to hold the circle in place in the center of the square.

Topstitch the circle to the square using a straight stitch, buttonhole stitch, or a zig-zag stitch, as shown below. (I used a straight stitch, so I sewed around the circle twice, about 1/4" from the edge.)

After sewing, press. Then cut the square in half, horizontally, as shown below. Turn the bottom rectangle upside-down and sew the two together so that the block looks like the one at the top of this post.

FABRIC RECIPE: Choose prints and/or solids in tasty colors. Think: pink and red fruits, lemon, grape, orange, coffee, chocolate, etc. Also lacy prints, damasks, stripes, little dots, pastels. See the colorful macarons and my quilt in-the-works below.

Enter your name in the drawing once for each block that you bring to the June meeting.

Have fun!

September: Orange Pick-Up Sticks

Update: Here is the winner Val Turer with some of her new blocks! This will be a fabulous quilt.

Congrats, Val!

How do you feel about orange? Are you loving all the new orange prints, or did you (like me) leave that color behind with the other relics of the 1960s? I even painted my bedroom orange, and I thought it was beautiful! 

If you're like me, here's a block to get you reacquainted with orange. It's fast, easy, and will make a great looking quilt for the lucky winner.

Fabrics and Cutting:

Cut one square 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" from solid white fabric. This could be white, parchment, ecru, snow, bone, tea-dye, whatever. A variety will add depth and it's easier than trying to get everyone using the same white!

Cut some orange scraps into strips: 1" wide. Length will be about 7-9." (Think: orange, peach, rust, etc...If there are little bits of other colors in there too, that's okay.)

Construction:

Using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut across your white square in any direction you like. Insert one of your orange strips. Press toward the strip (as shown below). This makes the stick puff up a little in the finished block, rather than sink down. 

Then cut your block again, any place you choose, and insert the second strip (as shown below).

If you like, add another strip.

When you've added all the strips you want, trim your block to a 6" square (below).

(In the finished quilt top the blocks will measure 5 1/2" square.)

See the 4 blocks below for an idea of how the quilt top might look.

Some of the sticks (below) look like they continue from one block to another. 

I can't wait to see all our blocks at the September meeting!

See you then!

P.S. Start collecting FOOD themed prints for the October block.