Giveaway Winner and Tuesday Tool

Giveaway Winner

Sorry I'm tardy in posting today's giveaway winner.  I was distracted sewing the next block for Sugar Block Club !

Trusting to good old Mr. Random, the winner is:

There were 30 comments, and the random number generator chose the 30th comment!  To further prove that random is as random does, the winner is Susan, who won one of my earliest giveaways!  

I love Susan's conversation starter.  Who would you want to talk to?  I'd like to discuss leadership with Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.  Susan, this autographed copy of Gudrun Erle's book will be on its way to you soonest!

Tuesday Tool

Today's Tuesday Tool is the Tri-Recs ruler designed by Darlene Zimmerman and Joy Hoffman.  I pulled it out for my next Scrap Squad quilt.  The pattern calls for paper pieced triangles within squares, but really, with this slick little tool I can make them faster and just as precise.

My test blocks finish at 12".  The block is based on a 9-patch, so each segment must be 4.5" raw-edge-to-raw-edge.  The square-within-a-square block is cut from strips which are 1/2" wider than the finished square. So I cut 4.5" strips of my purple fabrics, then lined up the 4.5" line of the triangle tool with the lower edge of the strip.  Cut on either side of the triangle:

Then flip the tool and line the left side up with the previous cut.  Cut on the right side and repeat across the strip:

The strip width for the "recs" triangle is the same as the center triangle.  Fold the strip in half with wrong sides together and cut both layers at once to get two mirror image "recs."

For each square, cut one triangle and two "recs."  

The beauty of Darlene's ruler is the "magic angle" on the "recs" triangle.  See how it nestles right in the corner of the triangle piece?

The pointy end of the "recs" triangle extends exactly 1/4" above the edge of the center triangle:

Stitch a quarter-inch seam along the long side of the triangles and press toward the "recs" triangle.

Repeat on the other side.

 Perfect!

Here is my test block:

My blog post for Quilty Pleasures won't be published until mid-May, so this project is going back into hiding until then!  Go to Quilty Pleasures later this week to see Nicole's version of the same quilt.


From the desk of your

Design Wall Monday and . . . Spring?

The weather app on my iPhone read 12 degrees this morning.  Must be Spring in Colorado!

Isn't it nice that we can stay inside and quilt today?  It's Design Wall Monday, here's what's on my design wall today.

First up, the Quilt Block a Day for Spring from Anna Lena Land.  I missed doing the Winter Block a Day, so I am glad to get started on the Chevron Quilt this season.

I'm going to use dots for my blocks (hey, doesn't that sound like Dr. Seuss?  Blocks of dots!)  If you'd like to play along, go here to read Karen's tutorial for the Chevron Quilt.

I'm starting my second Scrap Squad quilt.  The son and to-be-daughter-in-law of my friend Susan want a purple quilt for their wedding quilt.  So I gathered all the purples in my stash, added some provided by Shayla at Quiltmaker Magazine and started cutting.  Come back tomorrow for my Tuesday Tool tutorial on the Tri-Recs ruler.

Remember last summer when I knit 16 hats in 16 days?  Never again!  So I'm knitting one hat per month for Hats for Sailors.  Here is the description of this project from the Ravelry group, Hats for Sailors:

We are providing hand-knitted and crocheted hats for sailors in the US Navy one ship at a time. It all started with Shanti who writes the blog Adventures in Paradise and had the idea to provide a handmade hat to every sailor serving on the ship she would be commanding. Lynne, her mom, made that idea a reality with the help of knitters and crocheters from all over the world. We continue to knit and crochet hats for sailors on other ships. It is cold on the ships and they can wear the hats when they are off duty. The color and design of the hat are the choice of the knitter/crocheter, but ALL HATS MUST BE 100% WASHABLE WOOL. Both men and women serve on the ships. We have two deadlines each year - Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. If you have questions about the project or want to know where to send the hats, email us at HatsforSailors@gmail.com. You can also read our blog at Hats for Sailors.

I forgot to post a photo of my February hat, here it is:

The yarn is "Rustic" Wool Aran from Queensland collection.  The pattern is "Windy City Hat" by Jodi Haraldson of A Caffeinated Yarn.  Pattern free on Ravelry (but you have to join Ravelry to down load the pattern).

The March had is another Ravelry pattern, Berruti by Wendy Neal.  This yarn is leftover Bergere de France Irland from making Pop-Up mittens years ago, sadly it is discontinued..  I had to curtail the rib pattern because I was running out of yarn, but the hat fits a largish head perfectly!

Tomorrow is not only Tuesday Tool day, but giveaway selection day!  Go here to comment, then come back tomorrow to see who won Gudrun Erle's book.

From the desk of your