Design Wall

 Oh the possibilities......set the blocks straight without sashing, with sashing, border  fabrics......in the end I sashed it with as much of the background fabric as I has then found a short fat quarter very close to the same tan and value. I sashed the outside blocks with a dark brown and more cornerstones. Another flimsy ready to be layered and quilted. linking to Judy's DWM.--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 I love it when quilt parts fall out of the closet so I don't have to decide what to work on next. Leftovers from click.  I had enough 30 degree triangles of pinks and reds for 12 blocks so I cut a few more of the greens leftover from click which by the way still isn't finished because I'm hand quilting. My first thought was to set the blocks on point but for the number of blocks I have I would have a long skinny quilt, this  4 x 5 blocks arrangement works better I can still add sashing and cornerstones if I want to make it a little bigger, it could be a doll quilt or a baby quilt. check out Design Wall Monday at Judy's. Happy stitching --Ann--

Off the Wall Free Motion Quilting

 The Hummingbird in Green quilts are finished!!

 I cut so many pieces I made a second smaller quilt which I listed on etsy. I just free motioned a squiggly line through the hummingbirds and swung arcs from point to point of the triangles and sashing. I stitched across and up the borders like a ladder and followed the miter.

Sewing the block "how to" here and click on hummingbird in the labels section for all the hummingbird quilts made with Darlene Zimmerman's 30 degree tool. While I was working on these quilts I tried no line trifocals which gave me a headache so I didn't wear them much then I tried trifocals with lines which were better but I felt like a chicken bobbing my head around trying to figure out where to look anyway I had the center of the quilt pinned to my design wall and was considering which way to put the stripes in the border and was looking at the vertical stripes on the bottom of the quilt and horizontal stripes on the sides. The vertical stripes were clear and sharp but the horizontal stripes were a mess. I walked right up to the quilt and looked at it to see if the fabric was flawed nope so I went back across the room still a mess so I got my glasses and put them on everything was sharp now I know what it really means to have a mild astigmatism.
P.S. I traded the trifocals for bifocals and am much happier but still use the cheap reading glasses in my sewing room unless I am working with stripes.--Ann--check out Free Motion Friday at Leah's  and Nina Marie's on and off the wall.

Design Wall

I had parts left from the first quilt (click) I must have been thinking I would make the first one 5 across and 6 down rather than 4 x 5 and this one is 3 x 4 blocks it will be a nice child size quilt. "How to" for sewing 30 degree triangles (click) Darlene Zimmerman makes it so easy. I just have to add the 1.5 inch border then the green stripe border then practice machine quilting on this one first. Lots of wonderful quilts at Judy's PatchworkTimes  I just had a flash from the past.... the green reminds me of a dress I wore in our high school play My Fair Lady.  I watched the movie on tv last night after the football game. As I watched I was remembering who played the many characters and the costumes. I was in a street scene, the ascot race scene and the ballroom scene. For the ascot the girls were all in bright bright blue and white satin dresses no two were alike. We must have worn hats but I can't remember. My dress for the ballroom was chartreuse green with a chiffon overlay it was very simple and elegant then the costume crew added sashing and sequins and then be-dazzeled me with some really gaudy gems. (I watched The Game Plan the other night too). I think the skirt was almost a full circle so lots of flow for the ballroom dance but there were so many couples on stage no one got the full effect of my dress. Its just as well I wasn't a very good dancer.--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

The borders on the the quilt ready to be layered. I tried so hard not to have the same two fabrics side by side but in sewing the blocks together I turned a couple around and there are 2 pairs side by side. One is obvious the second pair I noticed when I was taking the picture but is not so easy to spot in the photo because it is a different section of the same stripe. click how to 30 degree angle What's on your design wall? Have a look see at  Judy's  PatchworkTimes. --Ann--

30 degree tool

 I love this tool it makes the tippee canoe block so easy. Darlene Zimmerman, inventor of the tool calls it Hummingbird. How do you get that kite shape between two triangles without fussy piecing?!? Three 30 degree triangles equals 90. such simple math.












Cut 6 inch strips for the kite shape and 5 inch strips for the background you need 2 background for each quarter block. Flip her ruler back and forth to cut the triangles.

Match the narrow ends and sew 1/4 inch seams.
















Open it up and finger press














Sew the second background piece to the center triangle match the point.
Open it up and press the seams to the left.

Trim the block to a square. I trimmed them to 4 1/2inches which extends over the point of the square. The instructions oversized all the blocks and trim to 4 inches, I did not like throwing all the excess away so I cut them as large as possible. There is still enough for the quarter inch seam.

Pair up and ooohh and aahh your fabric choices.

Flip right over left, match up seams and sew.















First seam, do not cut between the two parts, flip over and sew the second seam. The seams will butt up and match.

Sew easy. All the outside edges are on the bias so handle as little as possible.
Because I cut my blocks larger than the instructions I also need to cut the sashing longer to 8 1/2 inches. Cut a 8 1/2 inch strip of fabric then cut 1 1/2 inch strips. The sashing is on the lengthwise straight grain which eliminates stretching when sewing.The setting triangles and squares also need to be cut larger. The cornerstone is still the same, 1 1/2 inches sew to a 1 1/2inch  x 4 inch strip sew that to a 4 x 5 inch rectangle. The setting triangles are cut from a 4 inch wide strip using the easy angle.

Happy sewing! --Ann-- P.S. I found the booklet at a quilt shop in Minnesota but no ruler so darling daughter found it on the internet for me for Christmas in 2011.

Design wall Monday

Its always nice to start the new year quilting with bright cheerful colors. This will be a graduation gift.  I need to decide which way the stripes should go in the setting triangles and border. Vertical and horizontal as shown, horizontal (crosswise) then vertical (lengthwise) or all crosswise or all lengthwise and maybe a little spacer of dark purple or black? The green in the setting squares is the backside of the fabric the right side was a bit brassy.Check back later in the week for a tutorial on the 30 degree tool I used for this quilt.  Do you ever intentionally use the back of your fabrics? --Ann-- linking to Judy at PatchworkTimes for lot of inspiration

Design Wall

Happy New Year I feel like celebrating now after a week of having a cold, runny nose and lots of sneezing. Now that the Christmas tree is out of the house the sneezing stopped or maybe it was having son's dog so much in December or maybe it was the homemade chicken noodle soup last night that improved how I was feeling.  Ok it wasn't homemade but I did put the water in the pan to boil then dumped the package of ingredients and a can of chicken. I did get this much done on a quilt for a graduation gift. She asked for purple and green, lime green. I am using Darlene Zimmerman's 30  degree ruler, there will be sashing and cornerstones between the blocks. I would have the top done if I hadn't been napping everyday for the last week. I'm feeling better and have big plans for 2013 and lots of inspiration from Nina's creative side.  --Ann--

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

listed on etsy

The colors of this quilt make me think of a rich decadent dessert with chocolate and raspberries. I used Darlene Zimmerman's 30 degree angle triangle to cut these blocks traditionally called Tippee canoe or hummingbird. Darlene's ruler makes it so easy.
the inspirations click color  click   click pattern  the beginning click DWM    By turning the sharp points out with every other pair it created the twister shape in the negative space. I free motion machine quilted it by swing an arc from point to point using a pink and brown thread.
00 calorie Enjoy!! --Ann--

Quilt Frame

Reposted with updated photos.
I have read so many blogs by quilters who are still crawling on the floor to layer and baste or pin their quilts. It is time to rise up off the floor and get yourself a quilt frame! I watched Footloose the other night Whether you find one at an estate sale or go to the lumber yard and buy boards to make one, a serious quilter needs a quilt frame.

 I have 2 quilting frames, this one was my Gramma's, the boards are 3/4 inch x 4 inches wide and are 86 and 101 inches long. It will frame up to a full size quilt. It has holes drilled every 4 inches, pieced strips of denim are nailed to each board for pinning the backing. The holes are for dropping large nails through to square the frame. Then she used C clamps to keep it tight.  Gramma used the frame to hand quilt. She would sit on one side and quilt as far as she could reach then remove pins and 2 nails and roll the quilt onto the board and then drop the nails through the holes again  and clamp with C clamps to keep the frame in place and the quilt taught on the frame. She had short stanchions with holes for the corner nails so the quilt was at a comfortable height for quilting.
The other quilt frame that I have belonged to the Grandmother of one of my dearest friends and if she ever starts quilting I will return it to her. It is made of 1 inch x 2 inch boards that are 96 inches and 120 inches long.

I set it on my dining chairs, a good height for pinning, its a little higher than kitchen counter tops. I put the nails in the holes then measure across and lengthwise at the corners and diagonally to be sure it is square.

Then I pin or staple the backing to the frame. Stapling is quicker to put on the frame but pinning in much quicker to take off and there is no scarring the fabric with pins.

Lay the batting on and smooth it out.

Lay quilt top on and smooth it out

I pin with straight pins if I plan to machine quilt it. I baste if I am going to hand quilt with my lap frame.

Buy boards that are knot free you don't want it oozing sap on your quilt.  And  don't let the guy at the lumber yard sell you warped or crooked boards that contractors have rejected. Straight boards are a must. Clamp or tape the boards together in pairs so you are drilling holes through both boards. Measure and mark every 4 inches. Then take your hubby's cordless drill and drill holes big enough to accommodate the 4 great big nails you bought with the boards.  Mine are mismatched 3 1/2 and 4 inch nails. If you are a pinner sew long strips of denim and fold in half then tack or staple to boards. If you prefer to staple quilts to the frame skip that step. Use a light weight staple gun  with 1/4 inch staples  you want them to come out easily. I tilt the staple gun slightly so the staple does not go in all the way and leaves a space to pry it out with a flat edge screw driver.

Save your knees! Save your back! Get a quilt frame! Sweet talk your hubby into one for Valentines Day or get him a cordless drill.

 Happy Quilting,

 Ann

Design Wall Monday

The palate for this quilt was inspired by the Sphinx moth or as I saw it referred to as an exoskeleton hummingbird. After the fabrics were selected from my stash and all the pinks were leftover from this spool quilt; the obvious pattern choice was Hummingbird by Darlene Zimmerman using her 30 degree triangle ruler. I arranged the blocks in a different way. Her arrangement just called for sashing and cornerstones, I didn't have enough brown for sashing and none of my other browns were the right brown so this is how my quilt will be. The colors make me think of a chocolate raspberry torte or truffle.........something rich and decadent to have for my birthday today. I am the same age as the year I was born minus one thousand nine hundred.  Take a peek at Judy's Patchworktimes to see what else is on the design wall.  --Ann--

Change and Relearning

I wish I could say I have been on creative sabbatical for the past 2 weeks but my computer hard disc drive failed at least that is what the computer screen said it really crashed and I lost everything, everything, photos, documents, photos, all the fishing sites that my husband frequents. photos, vacation photos, family photos, blog photos, quilt photos, bookkeeping on Quicken, everything. On the bright side I did do a lot of sewing while I waited for a new hard drive which was installed in short order but then all stuff the computer has to do to get itself ready for use and install this and that and calls to computer wizards in India and calls that lasted over 140 minutes each.  and if hubby dear were taking care of it I would be sweeping bits of computer off the patio.  And now blogger changes how to do things!!!! I do not like change that is forced on me, not one little bit! and things are still not right but I am muddling through.  I finished machine quilting and binding Hummingbird II, another quilt made with fabrics from the early part of this century. doesn't that sound pretentious? I like my old technology that was all purchased last century. My Elna has  never given me any grief and once I taped the paper clip to the machine for a thread guide my Bernina has been on her best behavior.

Relearning again is that an oxymoron?!?  Ann

brighter days

The colors of this quilt sing spring.  Our days are noticeably longer but spring flowers are well over a month away. The sky is frequently gray as is the shrinking snow which is interspersed with patches of  bare ground. The pattern is Hummingbird by Darlene Zimmerman, I used her 30 degree tool to cut the kite shapes and side triangles. It is sashed with cornerstones.  Most of the fabrics are from the Cabbage Rose collection from the late 1990's. I like my fabric well aged just like wine and good cheese.


The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.  ~Bern Williams

Cheers,
Ann

Three Broken Needles

The needle broke 3 times when I was  machine quilt yesterday. It was too nice a day to quilt. Son called and said his dog wanted to spend the afternoon in the sun in my backyard. Remmi had a black nose before hunting season started.  Nose to the ground and off she goes! Coffee on the patio on January 10, 2012, no bugs, no birds, no gophers, little wind, just the distant sound of a hammer pounding on a new roof. A perfect day. If  son had brought her collar and leash we would have gone for a long walk. We just walked through the trees north of the house.  A few underdeveloped acorns left on the trees, a wee beastie bore a hole in each acorn. A perfectly round hole and all the same size.

Later I watched the moon rise through the clouds. The broken needle count was 5 by the time I went to bed.

Today there is snow and wind. A perfect day for quilting.

Seize the day,

Ann

Quilt Basting Day

I had a quilt basting day last week. I always wait until I have four or five quilt tops sewn then I set up my Grandma's quilting frame. It is rickety and I have thought about making a new one with markings in the center of each board and carefully measuring and drilling holes from the center so it is absolutely square but it is a very tangible connection to my grandparents. It must be 80 years old because she made quilts in the 1930's. She tacked strips of Grandpa's worn out overalls to the boards to pin the quilt. So I set it up, drop the nails through the holes and measure across at the corners and diagonally and sometimes drill new holes to make it square.


These quilts started as I assembled a round robin quilt from several years ago. A group of quilting friends each passed around a project and each of us added a block to her project. Some made blocks from the Nancy Odem patterns I included in my project others deviated from the patterns but kept with the theme.








The colors were so cheerful and my stash so plentiful of Cabbage Rose fabrics that it lead to the Hummingbird pattern by Darlene Zimmerman using her 30 degree angle. Works great!!

so I made another

Then cut more strips for Puddle Ducks which is a combination of the goose track block also called ducks foot and the duck and ducklings block also called hen and chicks block. However they were sewn together as a Jacob's Ladder block sometimes called a jewel box with sashing and corner stones to make the ducks foot and duck and duckling blocks. I had to plan the layout so the ducks foot and the duck and duckling block intersected with the cornerstones.

Red and Butter a pattern by Barbara Brandenburg. I just love red and yellow together and I just happened to have some in my stash. Sometimes I just have to sew something easy to get back in the swing of quilting. This quilt has a bamboo and cotton blend batting. I had to try it because I have some bamboo fiber socks that are instantly warm to wear with slacks and dress shoes. Ladies you all know what I mean we wear thin socks with dress shoes and our feet are cold and clammy.  I'll let you know how warm it is when I get to the binding.

my Bernina awaits

Happy quilting,
Ann