Mayday UFO Parade

Did you ever make flower baskets and hang them on the neighbor's doors on May day? The little boys and I used to do that -- as Gretchen Rubin says, "The days are long, but the years are short."

First things first, the UFO number for May is:

#12

I'm writing today's post on an Apple computer, so if things look a bit different, blame that!

We have a special guest  "finisher" this month. It's my courtesy niece, Faith. I'm having so much fun sewing and painting our nails together!

Faith made this quilt for her teacher using a V Christensen "Color Theory" charm pack and a Villa Rosa Designs pattern, "La France."  Cute and super easy!

Sandi finished "Checkered Past," a free pattern from Barbara Brackman. She calls it "Kuriosity," of course -- must have a "K" name! Details and a link to the pattern are on Sandi's blog, KwiltnKats, here.

Debra B. made some cutie-patooty baby quilts this month! (Panels from Cozy Quilts in El Cajon, CA, in case you want some!).

And a last-minute finish with a funny story from Debra:

Walled Garden by Sheila Sinclair Snyder was done Patriotic-style - at least an attempt was made. I thought I had all of the diagramming done correctly and from the looks of it - that wasn't the case. I am a little disappointed, but I learned one thing in making this quilt - a designer I am not.

I still like it, Debra!

Kerry's April finish is from Bonnie Hunter's "Adventures With Leaders and Enders." It's "Sister's Nine Patch," and you can read all about it on Kerry's Quilting blog, here.

Heather has two finishes this month. First up is "Ye Olde Schoolhouse," a Prairie Women Sewing Circle project by Pam Buda:

Her second finish is "Lozenges," Bonnie Hunter's 2014-15 leader/ender project. BTW, Bonnie's new "Leaders and Enders" project will be announced next month!

More details on Heather's quilts are at her blog, Peachy Pages, here.

Nancy's blog post is titled "Work Gets in the Way." Which is why she has the blocks finished for her Vintage Modern quilt, but they aren't sewn together. That's OK, Nancy, finishing the blocks was your goal and you reached it!

Here's Donna's UFO for this month. She writes, "Someone (I can't remember who) gave me a fat quarter of the yellow print and I fell in love with it. I have looked everywhere and can't find any more so I used most of it in as large a block as I could so that it would definitely be noticed. It is such a cute print!"

I have to agree, Donna!

Mary says the UFO Parade was just the "little push" she needed to finish this Fairies quilt she has had "for years." So cute, Mary!

I hope I haven't missed anyone's UFO this month. I'm away from home and using a friend's computer, so I'm never sure I'm getting everything right! Please let me know if I missed you, and I'll edit the post!

Texas quilt/yarn shop report next Sunday, May 10!

From the desk of your

Tuesday Tutorial: HST Stripes

It can be so frustrating using striped fabrics to make half square triangles (HSTs) or flying geese.

Cathy showed us a neat trick to ensure the strips are going the same direction on both sides of your HST or flying geese.

Basically, the trick is to cut one HST top-left to bottom-right and the other the reverse.

Here I am using the "draw a diagonal line, sew 1/4" in each side and cut" method of making HSTs.

I've marked one square left to right, and the other right to left:

If I use the bottom half of each square:

I can make a flying geese with the stripes going the same direction on each side:

The top half of each square results in a flying geese with the stripes going side to side:

 If you are making an Ohio Star or similar block, where you want the stripes to go the same direction all the way around the block,the HST method won't work. Unless you want to make twice as many HSTs as you need, and waste half of them.

It's possible to make all the HSTs with the stripes going the same way by using the EZ Angle tool.

Cut a strip of striped and a strip of background fabric the size you want the HST raw-edge to raw-edge. In this case, I'm using 2.5" strips. layered right sides together.

Normally, you would cut one HST, then flip the tool and cut the next one.

But look what happens! You get two identical HSTs.

When arranged for flying geese (or star points), the stripes are perpendicular.

In order to make flying geese or HTSs with the stripes parallel, cut the striped fabric and the background separately.

Remember, we want miror image striped triangles. So cut two layers of striped fabric, right sides together (RST).

Then cut either two background triangles RST, or cut the "goose" in a single layer.

I hope this will save some fabric from mis-cuts for you!

From the desk of your

Sunday Stash:That's Not All

I told you! Three Sunday Stashes in a row? Wow!

My idea of a really great shop is one that has fabric I can't find at my LQS. Around the Block in Cheyenne, Wyoming is a really great shop!

Here is the last of my stash enhancement from the Downton Abbey Retreat trip:

"Branching Out" from  Hoffman Fabrics. Designated for drawstring bags.

"Paw Prints" by Kathy Davis for Free Spirit. Because it looks just like Samosa!

Alexander Henry Fabric Collection, Westminster Fibers, "Sanibel" by Gina Martin for Moda. 

More drawstring bags.

"bisou dot: by De Leon Design group for Alexander Henry, "vie en rose" by Alexander Henry. 

You guessed it -- more bags!

I'm a major "Wizard of Oz" fan, and when I found out Around the Block is doing a WoO BOM, well. These darling little half-pint milk cartons each contain a block that will finish at 8" X 9" and make up onto a perfect wall hanging size quilt. They are designed by Happy Hollow Designs. And ohmigoodness, they have WoO ornaments, too!

So far, I have "Funky Monkey," "Tin Can Man," "City Folk," and "Farm Fresh Eggs."

Another really great quilt shop is Cotton Candy Sewing Shop in Loveland, Colorado. Chrystal's shop specializes in modern fabrics and fun project samples.

Since I'm no longer driving to Ohio twice a year, with a little detour to Stewartsville and the shop of Tula Pink's mama, I missed this collection completely!

Moon Shine by Tula Pink for Free Spirit

Ever since Carolyn Friedlander came to speak at the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild last month:

Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman. My new obsession.

Peter Jorjus for Blend; Bartholo-meow's Reef by timandbeck

 I know! I won the entire fat quarter collection of Valori Well's "Cocoon" when it first came out. But this print is on linen! Won't it make a wonderful drawstring bag?

"Cocoon" by Valori Wells for Westminster

I usually shop for yarn at Loopy Ewe in Ft. Collins. They have really stepped up their fabric selection since my last visit!

"Doe" by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman

If you're a "Sweetwater" fan, you may have heard of Fort Morgan, Colorado. Not only is it the home of the Sweetwater girls, it's home to Inspirations Quilt Shop. It was my first stop on my Retreat Road Trip, so I only bought two patterns. (I know! Gasp!) Good ones, though!

The staff at Inspirations has this design made up in Downton Abbey fabrics. Since I have the entire Downton Abbey FQ collection, I had to have this pattern!

Abbey Lane Quilts is the designer of the clever "Beatle Bag." Friend Mary will be teaching the class on this bag at Ruth's Stitchery later this month. "Meter Maid" is a 15 fat quarter quilt -- perfect for some of those FQ bundles I can't seem to resist!

And "just one more" low volume bundle. I so appreciate Pile O'Fabric, because they label each FQ with the fabric name, manufacturer, designer and collection. They even include the SKU, so if you need more of a specific print, it's so easy to order!

 

 "Maker" Low Volume Bundle

Guess what? They have quilt shops in Texas! 
More Sunday Stash Reports to follow!


From the desk of your

Yarn! more Yarn!

OK, so there are yarn shops in Texas. One fairly close! I promise a full report on Inskein Yarns soon.

But first, I still have some yarns to share that are already in the stash.

Loopy Ewe has the most fun "you shop here too often" program. I qualified for the "Welcome to Denver" award. A little kit for a cute phone cozy, plus a pad of "Time Out Notes." A great idea to help keep track of where I leave off on my multiple projects!

Ewe Count in Cheyenne had a sample made from this Trendsetter Yarn. "Topper" is a fluffy, ready-made pom pom that will be perfect for granddaughter hats next winter!

Rather than make you scroll through twenty photos this week, I piled all the new "Hats for Sailors" yarn and took one photo. My favorite is "Copper Corgi" in the upper right -- exactly the color of My Little Sailor's corgi, Duncan!

I knew I wanted a Zauberball 6-ply yarn, but couldn't remember for what! Luckily, Ravelry came to the rescue and I had Brenda Dayne's "Neckfish" in my queue.

 

(Photo from "Welsh for Rainbow" by Brenda Dayne)

Stay tuned for the Texas Yarn Report!

From the desk of your

Sunday Stash

I shared the yarn I collected while on my trip to Cheyenne last month. And here is some of the fabric new to the stash.

All of these save the low-volume club come from Ruth's Stitchery. They are getting more and more great new "modern" fabrics in the shop!

First, some pillowcase fabric for my niece who just joined the US Navy. She is an engineer, so I think this fabric is perfect for her.

Passport by 3 Sisters for Moda

And of course, for My Little Sailor:

"Tokyo Map" Passport by 3 Sisters for Moda

I don't know how I missed these Alison Glass prints at Ruth's!

Alison Glass Sun Print "Mercury" for Hawthorne Threads

A few more low volume FQs. You know, just in case they stop printing them!

And here is my March "Low Volume Club" bundle from  Sew Lux Fabrics.

As Dr. Seuss would say, "That's not all!"  
Come back next Sunday for another Stash Report!



From the desk of your

Tuesday Tutorial: Save That Batting!

As all quilters know, the cost of cotton is rising -- a lot! So we need to save any way we can.

I certainly am more careful to use every last scrap of fabric. But have you thought about saving small pieces of batting (wadding, to my friends Down Under)? I used to toss the cut-off pieces of batting after a quilt came back from the long-arm quilter.

But no more!

I read about Marti Michell's "Marti's Choice Fusible Tape" on her website.

Marti uses it for quilting large quilts in sections, but Aunt Marti uses it to make big battings out of little pieces!

To use the fusible tape, make a clean, straight cut on one edge of each piece of batting. Place both pieces on your ironing surface (I use a Big Board) with the straight edges flush.

Preheat the iron to slightly cooler than the "cotton" setting, with steam.  Begin at one end and roll the tape over the cut, pressing as you go.

According to Marti Michell:

Marti's Choice Fusible Tape won't gum up machine needles and is soft enough to needle easily by hand. Use it to stabilize seams and bias edges, and for low-fat machined quilting in sections! It's PERFECT for low-fat machine quilting in sections -- when you divide the batting, use Marti's Choice Fusible Tape to fuse the batting together again!

It's only necessary to tape one side of the batting. Really, it won't pull apart when you quilt. The tape is flexible so that you can't tell where it is once the quilt is quilted!

The tape costs $10 for 30 yards (2" wide style). I mostly use this method for baby-size or lap-size quilts.

I easily save the cost of the tape by using the cut-off batting from two or three quilts for one lap-size quilt.

From the desk of your

Sunday Stash

I scheduled some posts to publish while I am away from home. While writing them, I found this "old" draft that had never been published. 

Good thing fabric doesn't spoil, isn't it?

I can't wait until Ruth's Stitchery gets their order of Jen Kingwell's fabrics. Because I have this pattern, "Stardust" to make with it!

One of my nieces saw a quilt similar to this on Pinterest. This one will take some concentration!

I hate it when I don't get the printed selvage on fat quarters. I don't remember where I bought these fabrics, but I think they are from Free Spirit.

I know I got these purple deco weight beauties at Fringe in Salida. They had the cutest laundry bag made with these fabrics, and I'm adding them to my "bags" stash.

A few "candies" for giveaways for the monthly UFO Parade.

Did you know April is National Poetry Month? This is my favorite poem (I'm pretty sure I've shared it before!) by Mary Oliver, The Summer Day.

Who made the world?Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

I have enough new goodies to have a "Sunday Stash" every week for the next month! So I'll close now and write another post.


From the desk of your