A REAL Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday

I made this quilt more than two years ago, as the wedding quilt for son and daughter-in-law of my Idaho bestie, Deb. The pattern is "Flatbread" by Modern Quilt Relish.

(Photo from the Modern Quilt Relish blog)

Because it's a decidedly "modern" quilt, I wanted to do straight-line quilting on it.  But it's way too big to wrestle through my home machine, and I couldn't find a long-armer who was enthusiastic about straight-line quilting.

So time went by, and I brought home my own long-arm machine, Meggie.  I put off quilting the quilt "until I got better at long-arming."

Now Judd and Yvette have celeberated their second anniversary, and it't time to send them their quilt (especially since both his brothers already got a wedding quilt!)  I dragged it out of the "to be quilted" pile and realized the fabric I had for the backing was too small.  So off to Ruth's Stitchery to buy some 108" wide backing fabric.

I prepared the backing, and realized my usual cotton batting is too narrow!  (This would be my hint that this is a really big quilt, wouldn'tjathink?)  Luckily, Connie Potter sold me a roll of 108" wide Hobbs 80/20 a couple of years ago.

It's only at this point that I thought about how wide my machine table is vs. how long the quilt is.  I wanted the quilting to run vertically on the quilt, so it would have to be loaded on the table horizontally.

Or about 10" longer than my table is wide.

Oh.

Rats.

So I loaded it vertically and quilted "triangle meandering" on it, and it turned out very nicely, thank you!

I didn't think to take a close-up of the quilting, so you'll just have to take my word for it!  It's already in the mail to the "newlyweds!"

I hope Judd and Yvette forgive me for taking so long to get their quilt finished!




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Tuesday Tool: Another Flying Geese Method

It's no secret I don't like making Flying Geese blocks. It's also no secret that I love the Bloc Loc rulers.

Well, guess what? They also make a Flying Geese ruler!  Yippee!  They come in four sizes, and lucky for me, one size is perfect for this month's Designer Mystery BOM block.

The ruler uses the rectangle+two squares method of making the geese:

Each square is sewn onto the rectangle diagonally:

The grooves in the Flying Geese Bloc Loc fit perfectly over the seams of the "wings."

Trim all four sides, and:

Voila!  A perfect geese!

Maybe not as fast as some other methods, but certainly the most accurate.

Tomorrow is WIP Wednesday -- come back and see my new project!

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BOM-day and 100 Blocks Giveaway Winner

It's the first Monday of the month, that means it Block of the Month Day. Plus today is the day I announce the winner of my 100 Blocks vol. 7 magazine and block-made-by-me!

Blocks of the Month

I now have ten (!) BOMs in progress, plus my Block-a-Day project. It takes more than one day to make all my BOM blocks. I only managed three today.

First up, block 2 of "Toes in the Sand."  I'm making mine with Tula Pink's Salt Water, hosted by The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, Texas.  Julie Herman's "Hex and More" ruler makes these complex-looking blocks easy.

I'm on Block 11 of the 2012 Designer Mystery BOM, hosted by Fat Quarter Shop.  One more block and I'll be ready to put my quilt together -- I already have the setting blocks finished!  This block is "County Fair" designed by Julie Comstock of Cosmo Cricket. I used my new Bloc Loc "Flying Geese" ruler to make the geese for this block -- come back tomorrow to read my tutorial on this wonderful tool.

My oldie-but-goodie BOM is 2010's Patchwork Party. I'm almost halfway finished with blocks, five done:

Today's block is "Crazy Anna," designed by Marti Michell for Maywood Studio, kit by Shabby Fabrics.

I've managed to keep up with my Block-a-Day Chevron Quilt. Wednesday is the 50th day of Spring, and I have 50 blocks made as of today:

Giveaway Winner

Random number generator chose #4 as the winner of the 100 Blocks vol. 7 magazine. The winner is "Giddy99," who commented:

The Barn Swallows block was the favorite of those who commented, so I'm glad that's the one you like also Giddy! Please email me your postal address and I'll put the magazine and the block in the mail to you ASAP!

Come back tomorrow for my tutorial on the Bloc Loc Flying Geese ruler. I promise, this is the best way yet to make perfect Flying Geese!

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Scrap Basket Sunday: Jacob's Scrappy Ladder

The third bed-sized quilt I ever made was "Jacob's Ladder" for My Little Sailor, Jacob. Of course, he was only three at the time, a long way from becoming a US Navy Sailor! The blues are fading, and I bound it with a single-fold binding, which is starting to fray. But it's precious to me.

Today's Scrap Basket Sunday block is a scrappy variation on the Jacob's Ladder block.

To make each block, you will need:

(4) 5" squares white background
(4) 5" squares bright print
(6) 2.5" squares white background
(6) 2.5" squares bright print
(2) 4.5" squares bright print

Not everyone has drawers full of 2.5" squares, but if you do, this is a good way to put them to use!

Also, if you utilize Bonnie Hunter's "Leaders and Enders" method, this is a good use for the basket of four patches you've been piecing!

To make the half-square triangles, take one white and one bright 5" square (it's OK to use larger squares, you'll be squaring them up).  I use Deb Tucker's "Quilter's Magic Wand" to mark the stitching lines diagonally across the white square:

Marking with a "Frixion" pen makes a nice dark line.  And it disappears when it is pressed with a hot iron! Be warned, though -- the marking will reappear in freezing temperatures, so do not use this pen to mark quilting lines on your finished quilt!

Stitch on each line, cut between the lines, and press toward the bright fabric.  Then square up to 4.5" using your favorite method -- mine is the Bloc Loc ruler (tutorial here).

The reason I listed four white and four bright 5" squares was so the block would have four unique HSTs. Of course, you can make your block with all four HSTs alike -- after all, you are the boss of your quilt!

Be careful to lay out the block with the four-patch pieces forming the "ladder." Add the bright 4.5" squares and stitch it all together.  The finished size should be 12.5" raw-edge-to-raw-edge.

Linking up to Scrap Basket Sunday at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure.

Wouldn't this make a great "Quilt Block a Day" project?  Be sure to come back tomorrow to see who won the 100 Blocks magazine giveaway!


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