Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat

Version 7

A place mat made using six 6"x 6" Nine Patch blocks is easy enough to make but not all that exciting.








I've  been experimenting with quilting designs to see what can be done to spice it up a bit.



At first it was a chore but I'm starting to enjoy it.

Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat

Version 6

I decided to try a geometric design on this place mat. No leaves or flowers; just geometric patterns.

These are the three elements that make up the design. The first one starts in one corner and after traveling back and forth ends in the opposite corner. The other two more or less end where they start.

Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat

Version 5

This place mat is the result of sewing 6 Nine Patch blocks together.










Add a little quilting and it looks totally different.





This design uses only two elements.

Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat

Version 4

I've been playing with quilting for a place mat made from six 6"x 6" Nine Patch blocks.

As Sophie pointed out in her comment the other day, place mats are great for practicing free-motion quilting and experimenting with quilting designs.

There are two place mats on the left because I decided to play with color as well to see how that affects a quilting design.

I used two elements to make today's design.

Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat

Version 3

Yesterday's place mat used a simple loop for the quilting.








Today's place mat uses a simple loop once again.

However, the loop is used two different ways. Sometimes it follows the side of a square. Sometimes it follows the diagonal.




The quilting proceeds in the following manner:

Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat 

Version 2

Yesterday I designed this quilting for a place mat made using six Nine Patch blocks.







Today I designed this quilting.

In both versions the quilting is meant to be done using thread that contrasts with the background.

Yesterday the design used a flattened semicircle that was repeated over and over. Today I simply replaced the semicircle with a simple loop.

The quilting proceeds as follows:

Quilting

Nine Patch Place Mat

Version 1

Six 6"x 6" Nine Patch blocks make a 12"x 18" place mat.

This definitely needs some quilting to make it interesting.



Way back when I  came up with this design using semicircles.

Getting the semicircles to meet nicely at the centers of the white squares might be difficult.



If I flatten the semicircle, then I don't have to worry about the centers. And the design still works

So can I quilt this design?

Yes I can. And here's how:

Pumphouse Pinwheels

As you've seen in the last few posts, I used my Pumphouse alphabet to make pinwheels for a quilt.

There are 4 ways to make a pinwheel from a letter. This is demonstrated on the left using Z.

I decided to explore some of the possibilities.

Lettering

Pumphouse Alphabet

Part 5

I've been showing you my Pumphouse alphabet. The final six letters are today.

Lettering

Pumphouse Alphabet

Part 4

The border fabric includes all the primary colors. If you've ever mixed paints, you know that when you mix all the primary colors together you get mud. To keep the border lively I've alternated strips of the border fabric with strips of white.

Lettering

Pumphouse Alphabet

Part 3

I mentioned earlier that the letters of my Pumphouse alphabet remind me of actors or comic book super heroes because of their flamboyance. In other words, they are very child-like. For that reason I picked
primary colors for this quilt.

Lettering

Pumphouse Alphabet

Part 2

The letters in my Pumphouse quilt read left to right, then right to left, then left to right, etc. I did this so I wouldn't have to think about  the color sequence.

Lettering

Pumphouse Alphabet 

Part 1

Pumphouse is a serif alphabet with large exaggerated triangular serifs.

The result of this exaggeration is an alphabet that is flamboyant, dramatic and theatrical. So I decided to name it after the Pumphouse Theatre in Calgary.

Connaught

Look What Leanne Did

This is from the back of a quilt Leanne made for her husband Bill.
She used my Connaught alphabet.
I think she did a great job of piecing it.

The quilt also has a front.

The fabrics are Star Trek fabrics.

Weyburn Revisited

Look What Bonnie Did

She made this quilt for her brother Jerry using my Weyburn block.
She made the name Jerry to go on the back using my Connaught alphabet.
I think she did an excellent job of both.

I designed the block for the quilters in Weyburn Saskatchewan when I did a trunk show there.

It's made from three pieced strips.

 You might want to try making a Weyburn quilt of your own.

Color Play

Snail's Trail

Part 4

In my last three posts I've been exploring fabric color choices to see how they affect a Snail's Trail block.

Today is no different.

Color Play

Snail's Trail

Part 3

Today's post is a continuation of my last two posts. I want to see what different fabric color choices do to a Snail's Trail block.

Color Play

Snail's Trail 

Part 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a continuation of my last post. I'm coloring a Snail's Trail block various ways to see what happens.

Color Play

Snail's Trail

This is the Snail's Trail block the way it is usually seen. It's a very different block and an interesting one. But there is only so much you can do with it.



Unless....

Pieced Pillow

Signature Pillow

 

I made this signature pillow for my mother's and step-father's 40th anniversary which will happen very shortly.

It is sewn from 1" x 5" strips of fabric. Each of which is a box in which a guest can sign an make a comment.

The pillow is 20" x 20"

Applique Lettering

 

I used my Cranston alphabet on the back to mark the occasion.

The capital letters are 1 1/2" tall. The lower case letters are 1" tall. They are in a 7" x 10" box.

Ninepatch Pinwheel Quilt #8

Look What Susan Did

She made this bed quilt using a variation of my Patricia/Ribbons quilt design. This is for a single bed. The piano keys along the border drape down the sides. The Patricia /Ribbons part is the rectangle in the very center.

Half and Half Block

Look What Terry Lynn Did

Terry Lynn made this quilt using my Foam Lake block. The variety of reds and greys adds life to the quilt. The border she used provides an interesting frame to the quilt.

An Applique Alphabet

In my last post I showed you the lower case Cranston alphabet. This time you get to see the upper case.

An Applique Alphabet

In my last post I showed you Chaparral, an alphabet I designed that combined piecing and stitching. I also pointed out that it had some issues that needed to be worked out.

I have decided that if I change it to an alphabet that combines applique and stitching, all those problems disappear. In addition raw-edge applique allows me to make the letters even smaller. And that means I can use these letters on quilts that are not huge.

A Pieced Alphabet

Chaparral is a lower case alphabet I recently designed. It is made by combining piecing and stitching.

Postcard

HUGS

This is a postcard I designed and sewed. It is 4"x6" and it's on its way to Sisters Oregon.

An Old Design Revisited

Look What Linda Did

Rectangular Block

Look What Linda Did

Linda took one of the quilt tops I designed using my Pinawa block and made it her own.

Place Mat

Because place mats are small they are quick to make. This means even blocks that require a few extra pieces aren't that much of a chore.

Placemat

Making place mats is a great way try out new ideas and techniques. It lets you develop design and sewing skills without a large investment of time or materials.

Place mat

Something Simple

It's been a while since I designed a place mat I'd almost forgotten there was such a thing.

I decided I'd see what I could do with this simple 6" block.

Numbers for a Pieced Alphabet

I designed my Foothills alphabet using a combination of piecing and stitching. This allows it to be very small.

Today I'm showing you the numbers that go with the alphabet.

Alphabet Update

I'm going to let you in on a secret that only a few of my closest friends know. I sometimes make mistakes. No, really, it's true.

Today I want to correct one of them. Well... two of them.

Numbers For A Pieced Alphabet

My Heritage alphabet is my take on a style of pieced lettering that you may have seen before. I like to think that I improved the alphabet. To see my entire Heritage alphabet go here.

What you won't find in that earlier post are numbers to go with the alphabet. I thought I'd show you those today.

Rectangular Block

Ashern

Today I'm trying another 8" x10" block on a 4x5 grid. This one is named for Ashern Manitoba.

Rectangular Block

Stonewall

Rectangular blocks come in all sorts of different sizes. Today I thought I'd try an 8" x 10" block designed on a 4 x 5 grid.