Friday, March 30, 2012

Finish it up Friday -- Meggie!

Such excitement!  I finally got my Mega Quilter all set up and a practice piece loaded.  Perfect stitches first  time, and I was using ancient serger thread!  I practiced Denyse Schmidt's signature loops for about an hour.  I think that will be my "Modern Quilts" quilting design.





I do need to have Elder Son lower the table, though.  He set it up at the highest position, and, hello -- short Mama!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Festival of Half Square Triangles

Oh fun!  Canoe Ridge Creations is hosting a festival of good things made from half-square triangles.




 

Remember when I blogged about the Block Loc?  This is what it was made for!  There are endless quilts to make with half-square triangles -- my head is swimming.

Or maybe that's the headache from all the dust blowing in the air today.



Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday is for Scraps

While my bathroom was being re-tiled (it looks gorgeous!), I put together these old "Nickel Quilt" blocks.  I do not remember making these blocks, but I know they can't be older than 10 years, because the book is copyrighted 2002.   I think Pat Speth might have been a speaker at the Colorado Springs Quilt Guild back then.  I don't remember much about those years, because not only did I have two elementary school boys and a husband who traveled every week, I was working on my PhD at University of Denver (90 minute commute each way).


(Image from www.patspeth.com)

This book is the  reference for 5" squares.  Pat has several other books dedicated to 5" squares, or "nickel squares," each of which is worth a look.  The block I made is "All That Glitters."  Each block requires only two light and two dark 5" squares -- can you believe that? 

The layout I used is from a 2010 book by Anne Wiens, "The Thrifty Quilter:  Make (Nearly) Free Quilts from Leftover Fabric."  Anne has a blog at http://www.sweetgrassdesigns.blogspot.com/, but the most recent post is 2010.  I bought the book from the publisher, QuiltWoman.com.  This is an excellent reference book, as Anne lists a series of "base" blocks and settings.  I decided on the "Scramble Setting" using Kona cotton "Snow," because there was no dominant color in my blocks.  Some of the fabrics came from my mother's scrap bag, some from clothes I made in the 1980s, and one or two from little boys' clothes.

So I'm calling this quilt "Scrambled Stars."  I will add a 4 1/2" border, so it will finish at 54" X 72".


Quilt #22 for 2012!