Tuesday Tool -- the Coolest!

Really. The coolest tool I've ever bought. Custom-made just for me by the husband of friend and fellow Jelly Roll quilter, Vickey.

It's so pretty, and it fits just perfectly.

I love it so much that the next giveaway just might have to be one of these.

Have I teased you long enough? Want to see what it is?  OK:

No, no, it's not that huge square ruler. Nor the "tile lifter" that I use for a handle on my 8.5" X 24" ruler (my favorite, by the way).

It's a new ruler rack, made to fit perfectly on the shelf of my cutting table! And it holds all my big rulers, with one slot to spare!

It was custom-made to fit on that shelf. But it would work really well for all my Margaret Miller "Angle Play" templates.

 It will even hold my entire collection of Marti Michell templates!

Yes, the DH knows how many I have. He admitted that he probably has that many running shirts, so he can't object. The right tool for the job, right?

Before Vickey persuaded Chris to make this large ruler rack, I bought a smaller one from him that lives on my cutting table with my most-often used smaller rulers:

I admit, I've bought other wooden ruler racks. But they just don't hold enough rulers, or they aren't large enough to balance the larger rulers. This one is perfect! 

Want one for yourself? Contact Chris at Chris dot Anderson774 at gmail dot com -- I promise not to tell him he's not charging enough until after you buy yours!

From the desk of your

Sunday is for Baby Scraps

Today's "Sunday is for Scraps" quilt is really two -- baby quilts. I saw a great You-Tube video from Missouri Star Quilting Company and was inspired to quick! make some baby quilts!

Jenny calls it the "Falling Charms" quilt. I used scraps cut into 5" squares and Kona Cotton Snow for the background.  I didn't really plan how many blocks to makes, just sewed until I lost interest and made them into blocks. It turned out I made 70 blocks, enough for two baby-sized quilts. I thought about shopping for a border print, but I think they will turn out the right size without a border.  Plus, saving money for the trip to Japan, you know!

Click here for the link to Jenny's tutorial video. I'm sorry my BFF Holly is leaving Ohio, because I won't have a reason to visit the Missouri Star Quilt Co. when I drive to see her -- she'll be in Texas now!

One quilt will go to an IBMer who is having a baby in September, one is for the daughter of a Sailor on the USS George Washington.

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

Don't you just love to make baby quilts? They are so fast, and so fun!


From the desk of your

TGIFF Two for Friday

Two finishes this week -- pieced, quilted and bound!

First is the Brick Road SAL from Monday's design wall:

Had to include my quilt-hanger's chartreuse running shoes. They just match the flange on the binding!

I quilted this modern quilt in straight lines. For some reason, Meggie (my long arm Mega-Quilter) didn't like the thread I started with. It was Superior Thread's "Omni," and I've used it many times before, but not for straight-line quilting. I tried two different spools of the same thread, and three different bobbin threads. When I finally tried King Tut on the top and Omni on the bobbin, it worked fine.

Next, I finished this Charm School wall hanging. The pattern is "Tea for Three" by Sandy Gervais for Pieces from my Heart. The fabric I used is a charm pack of "simple marks" by Malka Dubrawsky for Moda.

I had to finish it to go with the cute "coffee" sign friends Kathy and Becky sent me from Idaho. Doesn't it make a charming little vignette? I just need to add one of my Starbucks mugs from China. Or Ohio. Or Ireland!

Here is a detail of the quilted "steam" rising from the mug. Thanks, Beck and Kathy!

Linking up to TGIFF at Amy's Crafty Shenanigans.

Tomorrow is Front Range Modern Quilt Guild. I'll be sewing the October Jelly Roll Party Sample! Can you believe it's  only two weeks until the "unofficial" end of Summer, Labor Day?

From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: BOM Rehab

Remember how I confessed that I have ten (that would be 10!) blocks of the month going?  And how I was going to do my summer "block a day" by sewing one BOM block each day?

If I count the easy blocks I made for Monday's "Design Wall Monday" and the blocks I made for today's Mystery Block Party at Ruth's Stitchery, I am right up to date -- it's the 55th day of summer, and I've made 61 blocks..  However, I haven't made 61 BOM blocks.

I'm up to date with "Ryokan."

Like that one with the door on the right-hand side? I think I may leave it like that, just to see if anyone notices!

And I'm only two months behind on my Marti Michell BOMs:

These are two different patchwork parties -- one is from 2010, one is new this year. But some of the blocks are the same, so I am doing them two-at-a-time.

{Coming back online to link up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!}

Good thing I'm on "retreat" this week! I should have Monday's "Brick Road" quilt finished by Friday, hope you come back to see!

From the desk of your

Design Wall On-the-Road

I know, I know, I swore I wasn't going to take any more trips until my "big" trip in February. But when one's  BFF asks one to spend the week sewing at her "cabin" in the mountains, one does not quibble. One packs!

Here is what I am taking to sew on this week (one of several, of course!):

 

It's the "Brick Road SAL" from SunFlower Seeds. I started it with the sew along back in April, then got caught up in quilt retreat and quilt camp and magazine sewing and test-sewing bags, and well . . . you know how it goes!


The fabrics are the gorgeous Free Spirit Designer Solids from Amy's 2013 Sugar Block Club. I'm sewing my blocks from Bonnie & Camille's "Vintage Modern," because I don't want mine to look just like Amy's! So I have these lovelies to use for my Brick Road. The background will be the ubiquitous Kona Cotton in Ash. Or maybe charcoal. But not black!

I have blog posts written and scheduled for the rest of the week, so you won't even notice I'm gone. Except I won't be answering comments until the weekend -- no internet in the mountains! Wheee!




From the desk of your

Sunday is for (Disappearing) Scraps

When I was procrastinating on my Scrap Squad quilt, I spent an afternoon re-organizing the fabric collection. I came across this packet of 6.5" squares from Great American Quilts:

I'm not sure what I had in mind when I bought them, but somehow this morning "Disappearing Nine Patch" popped into my head. This is one of the easiest scraps quilts ever!

The technique I used requires one solid (in this case, white) square and eight print squares. Arrange in a nine patch with the white square in the center.  Sew squares together and press. I pressed away from the white square.
 

Cut across the center vertically, then horizontally.  Because I used 6.5" squares, I lined up the 3" line on my 24" ruler to cut. This is a time when it's handy to be able to get to both sides of your cutting table -- I just moved myself around the corner to make the horizontal cut:

Et voila! four 9" blocks:

Now the fun part -- experimenting with layouts! I made three nine patches, so I have 12 blocks to play with. An excellent size for a baby quilt.

First, white square in upper left corner of every block:

I would have to add a sashing strip to the right side for this layout, or it would bother me that there are no white squares on the right-hand side.

Maybe one row with the white square on the upper right, then one row with the white square in the upper left?

 This would be a pain because of all the matching corners -- and this is supposed to be an easy quilt!


How about upper-right/lower-left/upper-right? Then reverse for the next row: At least it isn't off-center.

 

 I was trying to make a zig-zag design when I lost interest!

There are dozens of Disappearing Nine Patch variations on Pinterest. Here is a link to my Pinterest page for scrappy quilts with a few of my favorites.

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

Yesterday, we broke our record of 13 days in a row with rain -- so I'm trying to mow the lawn before it rains again! 

In between mowing sessions, I have been whipping out BOM Rehab blocks. Come back tomorrow to see what's on the design wall!

From the desk of your

We have a Winner!

OK, I didn't stay up until midnight to see who won the giveaway. But it's the first thing I did this morning -- it was only 6:10 am Mountain Daylight Time when I fired up the Random Number Generator to choose the winner.  Up for grabs was a PDF copy of "Tea Party" by Cluck Cluck Sew. Not the same copy I used, that one has notes and reminders all over it for when I teach the December Jelly Roll Class at Ruth's Stitchery!

 

 
I love PDF patterns -- no waiting for the postal carrier!

Have I teased you enough? Here it is, the winning number:

Which happens to be Suze, who said:

I was so touched when I read Suze's comment, I thought, "I hope she wins." The forces of the Universe were at work, because 'poof'' number 78 came up on the RNG! Suze is a retired IT type, and Grandma ("Ga") who lives in Oklahoma. Since she's in the states, I'm going to ask for her postal address so I can add some fabric to her prize. She blogs at Ga's House, and I  hope you'll all go to Suze's blog and tell her "congratulations!"

Congratulations, Suze! I hope when you get the quilt made, you'll send me a photo so I can share it with other followers of 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks.

I made 17 blocks for my Mystery Block Party yesterday, so I'm up-to-speed with my BOM Rehab Block-a-Day Challenge! Photos on Monday!


From the desk of your