Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Missing Quilts!

Insights From SewCalGal: Missing Quilt Alert: CT Publishing Alert on missing quilts from Spring Quilt Market 2011

So, keep your eyes open, I guess. The more people that know these quilts are missing, the better chance there is of finding them.

I also hope C&T (who was responsible for keeping track of these) has taken a hard look at its theft-prevention and/or organization processes, because 4 quilts going missing from one show really indicates that something isn't working.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along - Week 7

FWQAL Week 7


Hi! My name is Jennifer, and I'm a Farmer's Wife-aholic! I've done 22 blocks in 8 days (not counting the last one, which I'm going to redo), so I'm caught up & then some. Maybe it's time to ease up a bit and get back to my myriad other projects, but this is such a fun project! Anyway, here's the skinny on this week's blocks.

#7 - Birds in the Air


FWQAL 007 - Birds in Air


Paper-pieced the first quadrant (top left), then I thought I'd give the next a try using templates (bottom right). It came out OK, but a little wonky, so I did the final 2 paper-pieced as well.

FWQAL 081 - Snowball


Rotary cut, with help from Marti Mitchell's templates. The top & bottom rows are one rectangle with corners cut off (rather than 2 HSTs plus a square) to keep from chopping up the fabric pattern too much.

#8 - Bouquet


FWQAL 008 - Bouquet


Used the templates for this, and it went together quite easily. I'm also happy with the fabric combo on this one.

#11 - Broken Dishes


FWQAL 011 - Broken Dishes


I made the HSTs using Jean Korte's free HST PDF paper pattern, then just sewed them into rows. Worked quite nicely, and definitely quicker than templates or even making 8 individual squares' worth of HSTs. The only problem was that the colors had me craving raspberry-lime sherbet.

#12 - Broken Sugar Bowl


FWQAL 012 - Broken Sugar Bowl


Rotary cut, with HSTs speed-pieced. This was kind of a PITA, and I'm not sure why. I seemed to just keep making mistakes all the way through the process. In fact, the center square is 90° off, but I only noticed it when I was done, and I just didn't have the will to take it apart & fix it. The block still looks OK, I think.

#20 - Churn Dash


FWQAL 020 - Churn Dash


I needed something quick & easy after the previous block, so I chose this one. Rotary cut, speed-pieced HSTs. Phew!

#69 - Practical Orchard


FWQAL 069 - Practical Orchard


Rotary cut, speed-pieced QST. I love making QSTs this way, seems like a miracle every time one comes together. The lighter yellow is actually the reverse side of the fabric, which preserved almost all of the pattern's detail, while toning the color down a couple of notches, which made for better contrast with the other yellow.

#13 - Buckwheat


FWQAL 013 - Buckwheat


Paper-pieced, with a pattern drafted by me using Anita Grossman Solomon's technique. I wasn't sure if the 3 colors had enough value difference to make the block work, but I'm happy with the finished block.

#41 - Friendship Star


FWQAL 041 - Friendship Star


Again, I wanted something I could whip off quickly. Rotary cut, speed-pieced HSTs.

#21 - Contrary Wife


FWQAL 021 - Contrary Wife


Another quickie (I'm terribly afraid that I'm going to run out of easy blocks to do, and be left with only the hard ones.) You know the drill: rotary cut, speed-pieced HSTs.

#14 - Butterfly at the Crossroads


FWQAL 014 - Butterfly at the Crossroads


I actually used the templates on this one, and it came out OK, but for other blocks like this, I think I'm going to paper-piece.

#68 - Postage Stamp


FWQAL 068 - Postage Stamp


I've been saving up 1½" square scraps from my other blocks. I had been thinking about paper-piecing it using Terrie Sandelin's miniature technique, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and just sewed the pieces up into the block. It probably would have been more accurate if I'd paper-pieced it, but this way was definitely quicker.

#15 - Buzzard's Roost


FWQAL 015 - Buzzard's Roost


I used the "no-waste flying geese" method for most of this block. Not 100% happy with it -- I think the points could have been better. I probably would have done just as well just going with the templates.

#17 - Cats & Mice (1st try)


FWQAL 017 - Cats & Mice (1st try)


I'm including this one for, I don't know, journalistic accuracy? I paper-pieced this, but I didn't draft the pattern correctly, and the points don't match well enough. Definitely going to be redoing this one. The color combo's nice, at least.

Whew!


The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt Quilt-Along

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along - Week 6*

So, I didn't have nearly enough WIPs/UFOs, so I took a running start and jumped on the Farmer's Wife bandwagon. I got the book on sale at Connecting Threads, it arrived literally minutes before I left for the holiday weekend, took it with me, and commenced making blocks the minute I got home.

My fabric/theme is 30's reproductions, which I'm just crazy about. Right now I'm working with the remains of a fat eighth bundle, again from Connecting Threads, but that won't make it the whole way, so I'll be forced to buy some more fabric. Tragic, really.

#1 - Attic Windows


FWQAL 001 - Attic Windows


I did this one mostly using Marti Mitchell templates (the A set), and I'm happy with how it sewed up, but I'm a little iffy on the colors. I'll probably make another one more in keeping with the overall theme.

#2 - Autumn Tints


FWQAL 002 - Autumn Tints


This one may be my favorite -- I really like how the colors work. No templates here, just rotary cut the large squares, and strip-pieced the smaller 4 patches. (Made a little big, then trimmed after sewing).

#3 - Basket


FWQAL 003 - Basket


The was the first time I used my machine's buttonhole stitch for applique, and it was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Pieces were cut from templates for this one.

#4 - Basket Weave


FWQAL 004 - Basket Weave


I did originally sew this in the same arrangement as the book, but even in the Easter egg colors, it still looked a little too much like a swastika for my taste, so I re-did the bottom half in the Roman Stripes arrangement. Strip-pieced.

#6 - Big Dipper


FWQAL 006 - Big Dipper


I've had this yellow solid fabric FOREVER, so it's nice to be using up some of it. By itself, it's a nice plain yellow, but oddly, when it's next to the green, it starts looking like a light green. Used the "sew squares together, cut on the diagonal" method for making the QSTs. (Is there a shorter name for that?)

#10 - Bowtie


FWQAL 010 - Bowtie


I was a little worried that the red would totally overpower the block, but I think the blue holds it own. Made using the "small square in the corner of the big square" technique. (Again, is there a better name?)

#6 - Bat Wing


FWQAL 005 - Bat Wing


D'oh! Almost forgot this one! Put it together last night, using shiny new templates.

#9 - Box


FWQAL 009 - Box


Just whipped this one up this morning. I didn't want to chop up the plaid background too much, so I made this with 4 Flying Geese blocks around the central square.

#16 - Calico Puzzle


FWQAL 016 - Calico Puzzle


Also did this one this morning, and I'm not entirely pleased with it. The colors are kind of jarring to me -- maybe it should have been just two patterned fabrics and one solid, or even white? Also, for whatever reason, I kept making mistakes putting it together -- I had to rotate the HSTs a couple of times.

* Although it's my first week, it's Week 6 of the QAL.

The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt Quilt-Along