Another Snail Trail

This has been done and hanging on my stair rail for a couple weeks.I free motion quilted it much more densely than I usually machine quilt but I do like the way the feathers fit in  each snail.--Ann--

Snail Trail

 A sunny calm day and a good day for photos. This has been complete for a couple weeks.--Ann--

design wall Monday

 Sometimes I pin quilts that I am ready to quilt to my design wall and draw imaginary lines in my head on the quilt until I figure out how to quilt it. I did the same scroll as in this click starting in the corner square then into the center of the snail block and out with a simple feather. This turned out to be baby steps to more fru fru on the next snail trail quilt. and this one just called for more fru fru.

 I went into each snail with a long curve then did feathers on the way out then an echo line to get to the next starting point. I could stitch half of each row of blocks in a continuous line then back again. Finish the binding next then dig out fabric for the next quilt. check out everyone's current project at Patchwork Times.--Ann--

Snail Trail finish

 I have been stewing over how to quilt the snail trail quilts and have pages of graph paper with quilting scribbles. My approach had been sketching on each square block when I shifted my attention to the intersection of the four blocks with the four out stretched arms as the starting point the scroll emerged with lines of quilting reaching into the center of each snail block. It also worked out to be a continuous line of quilting. So much easier than lots of starts and stops. I am very pleased with the end result. Now the stewing continues as I figure out how to quilt the two other snail trail quilts with a continuous line. What is the challenge if I do them all the same!?!! ~~ Ann~~

Design Wall Monday

The third Snail Trail (click to see more Snail Trail) blocks went together so easy. Some of the 12 inch blocks were cut from fat quarters, some were cut from longer yardage, I used the fat quarter leftovers for the piano key borders. Next the part I like least about making a quilt--piecing the backing. Linking to Judy's design wall Monday. Has anyone else been having trouble with comments on their blog? I leave comments or respond to comments via email and I almost always get the delivery failure message, or I have to go into my contacts in email and try to find the email that matches the blogger and even then I frequently get the delivery failure message. any suggestions --Ann--

Design Wall Monday

Another snail trail quilt, this time with the folk art look and using just the 12 inch square and no particular rhyme or reason as to the placement of color, pattern or plaids except that I tried not to have the same print or plaid touching. I have arranged and rearranged to the point where moving a block from one place to another only creates another problem with another pair of fabrics too close together. click for previous snail trail quilts.  It will be a nice throw size quilt. Happy quilting--Ann--  linking to PatchworkTimes Design Wall Monday

Snail trail

My second snail trail quilt top is sewn together, it is 45" by 58" so will be a nice baby quilt size. I cut additional half square triangles from 7 1/2 inch squares to make each snail block 13 inches.

 I thought a square in a square block could also be made by cutting  click tutorial the corners off a square and sewing it back together but to get the seams to meet the corner points I had to trim each round of triangles and in the final round I would be trimming 3/4 of an inch from each side of the block. I thought that wasted a lot of fabric so if I ever sew a square in a square quit I will be cutting the appropriate size squares into half square triangles.  What started as a 12 inch square will become a 7 1/2 inch finished block with sharp corner points just inside the next square. --Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 It has been a dark and stormy morning with the day getting darker instead of lighter and a couple crashes of thunder have made me jump off my chair. Now it is just raining hard, soon it will move to the east and the sun will come out and it will be a beautiful day, only it will be humid since we had rain then the mosquitoes will be out and they are always blood thirsty so I will stay inside and sew.

I sewed the center 4 patch with a 3/8 inch seam, that was easier and quicker than trimming the 4 patch smaller. I matched the point of the triangle to the seam to center it on the 4 patch and look how perfectly they fit around the 4 patch, no cut off corners!! I centered the next round of triangles in the square and sewed. I forgot to add the triangles going counter clockwise on the second round but I remembered on the 3rd and 4th. It did make a smoother transition to the next triangle. I also used the partial seam method, (click for the tutorial) meaning the first triangle was sewn short so that the 4th triangle would end behind the first seam when I completed that seam. Scroll down or click for cutting how to.

 The final arrangement of blocks, I off set the outside snails so the eye moves around the quilt instead of jumping back and forth. I'm going to sash the center with the green and the outside with the yellow print. I don't have enough of the green to go all the way around the quilt. That's what happens when you go through a phase of buying fat quarters and half yard cuts. The challenge of bringing it all together and that is one of the reasons I enjoy making scrap quilts, making due with what you have.--Ann-- linking to Patchworktimes DWM and Stitch by Stitch AGM

Snail Trail cutting

Super simple cutting for the snail trail block.......first cut a stack of fat quarters into 12 inch squares then take the top square and press in half cross wise, lengthwise and twice diagonally. You will find out for sure if your square is square or if over years of use you have shaved the sides so your cutting square isn't square anymore.  Might be time for a new ruler.

The first pile I cut I moved the ruler around the square 4 times this is quicker.....match the diagonal line on the square up ruler with a crosswise fold, the 8 1/2 inch marks on the ruler should match the lengthwise crease, check all points again and cut.

Flip the square around, match the crease and the 8 1/2inch marks again, your first 2 cuts should match the 8 1/2  inch lines on the ruler. Check all points again and cut.

Now match the diagonal line on the ruler with the diagonal crease on the fabric. The 6 inch mark should match  your creases, cut and flip ruler, match the 6 inch lines and points again and cut. Easy.
The 3rd cut will match the 4 1/4 inch marks on the ruler and the 4th cut will match the 3 inch marks. Cut the 3 inch square into 1 1/2 inch squares. Easy. Always match the diagonal line on the ruler with the crease and check all points before cutting.


Now it's time to play with your block parts and arrange and rearrange until you are happy and sew them back together again. On this batch of blocks I am sewing a 3/8 inch seam for the 4 patch in the center that gives me a little more seam allowance for the first round of triangles and I should have square corners on all the 4-patches. --Ann--

Safe spot found

 Yesterday I couldn't find the Buggy Barn book Certifiably Crazy because I put it in a safe spot. I looked in 4 safe spots before I found it. The book shelf, the cutting table, the catch all table, the other bookshelf where I have to get on my hands and knees and look under the table and hold my head at an uncomfortable angle so I can see through my reading glasses and be careful I don't hit my head, then I looked on the first book shelf again. Where was the last time I saw that book???? When I was deciding on a pattern and fabric! I pushed the whole stack of books into the fabric stash closet. The bad thing about safe spots it they move all the time. Things are never ever in the same safe spot as the last safe spot.

I found more fabric for the next quilt, this will also be a snail trail but I am going to sew it together in a different order so I don't have the sharp points intruding into the previous round of triangles. Buggy Barn calls the block Monkey Business. If you have never sewn a Buggy Barn pattern you should, they are fun, you stack up a bunch of fat quarters, iron the freezer paper with the pattern traced onto it, cut, shuffle and sew! It is the best possible way to sew a block with a five point star. Happy stitching--Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 These sewed together as quick and easy as a log cabin block especially since I didn't stress over cut off corners and overlapping points. The 12 inch cut block shrank to 10- 9 3/4 inches after sewing round and round. I trimmed everything to 9 1/2 inches.  I will be sewing this block again, I might trim the center square so I don't cut off so many corners, I may sew the triangles rotating counterclockwise with a partial seam for the first triangle of each round eliminating the overhanging points.  I did cut 2 more pairs of triangles to make the blocks larger, they now measure 13 inches so with an added border this will make a nice throw quilt.

I have to give credit to the ladies at Buggy Barn Quilts for the idea of cutting the corners off a large square and reassembling for this quilt. I put the book in my safe spot and now I can't find it. I need to make a note as to where my safe spot is in my sewing room. Hope you find lots of great inspiration at Judy's DWM. --Ann--

Design Wall Monday

 The chore of starting a new quilt especially when it is for no one in particular. I'm like a kid with too many toys in the toy box, what should I play with today??? First I pulled a lot of weeds from the garden, then I washed all my wool sweaters and folded them neatly and wrapped them in cotton because the wee beasties that like to eat wool (protein) don't like to go through vegetables (cotton) to get to the protein. I also spent a day in my hometown because a girlfriend was home for a few days, she shed a few pounds and looks fabulous I need to try harder,  we had lunch and shopped on Main Street. So sad that most of the stores are now thrift shops with the exception of two that are owned by classmates. I bought a new top. I took my oldest son out for supper so nice to have him all to myself that doesn't happen often that I get my boys all to myself. Then I pulled more weeds and fabrics and patterns.  Decision Made! I started a snail trail from pastels. The first fabrics I pulled from this stack were duplicate fat quarters imagine that, I bought duplicate FQs then lights and darks for a total of 20 fat quarters and barely put a dent in my stack. I cut 12 inch squares and cut the corners off 4 times then cut the center into 1 1/2 inch squares. It will sew back together into a 9 or 9 1/2 inch block. I might do alternating blocks or add another round of triangles. Linking to Judy's DWM. --Ann--