Nearly Insane Quilt - March 2013

Nearly Insane Quilt, Progress March 2013

Since February 2013 when I started on the Nearly Insane Quilt journey, I have been drip feeding you progress on my work, so as an Easter treat I thought I would share with you an update of the overall progress.
All the tacking stitches and paper templates are still in place, which makes the overall look at the moment a bit strange, but I know when I finally sew all the components together, it will transform the work I have done so far.  I am always tempted in the back of my mind to sew a few together, or remove the papers, but ultimately I see it as the incentive for completing the first stage of making the blocks.  It is also fun playing with the bits and pieces, like I have done here, to get a taste of what the overall quilt will look like in the future. 
You will know from my Random Draws, that this is not the final layout of the blocks, the actual layout can be seen in a very small format on my sidebar.
The completion statistics so far:

10 Blocks

3 Side blocks

7 Cornerstones

25 Sashes

 

Thanks to everyone who takes time to stop and comment.
Joining up with Patchwork TImes.

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 11

Block 11 - Nearly Insane Quilt

Another block has been completed towards the Nearly Insane Quilt. This is basically a log cabin block, and perhaps easier to do if using foundation piecing, but I thought I would give it a go using English Paper Piecing. I know that there are some very similar blocks to come. On this occasion, I think, yes, it would be easier foundation pieced, as I had to squeeze the block together to make sure it finished up at 6 inches.  Also, the red spotty fabric on the very edge is only 1/4 inch wide, so with the two 1/4 inch seams it is already 3 layers thick.  Hopefully I will have forgotton this by the time I decide to quilt it!  In the centre I have used up some strips from some Moda Candy Bars, the Bliss Collection by Bonnie and Camille, using up some more of my red / cream odds and ends.  When I started this quilt, I was thinking I wanted it to look controlled and use just a fixed set of fabrics, but the more blocks I do the more fabrics I want to include, mixing in a wider range of reds. Scrappy is this weeks theme.


Sparky the Cat helping with fabric choices

When I was cutting out Block 11, I had the company of Sparky in the sewing room.  He was happy just to sit and watch. Being older and wiser than Suzi, Sparky knows to keep his tail close to himself when the Rotary Cutter is out.  By managing to fit in a picture of one of the cats, I think we deserve a link with Feline Friday.

Another set of blocks done for Draw 3, time to reach for my Lucky Dip Bowl for Draw 4!  You can see my progress on the right sidebar.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 24
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Rectangle 1/4" (6mm) x 5 1/2" (139mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Square 1" (25mm) X 1" (25mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Roc-Lon Unbleached Muslin
Designer Beads (Red) Freespirit for Westminster Fibers
Check The Bias Apple Red #5495-11 Mama Said Sew by Sweetwater for Moda
Red Dot on Cream - unidentified
Hearts on Red (567-R5) Makower
Bliss by Bonnie and Camille for Moda

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 12

Block 12 - Nearly Insane Quilt

Introducing Block 12. I like this one.  I will confess that I have slightly altered this block, by reducing the number of pieces in the edge strips, to make the pattern the same on each side. Like Block 92, it was the symmetry issue.   If anyone is following this Nearly Insane Quilt journey for an 'exact' representation, they need to be aware that I like to make my own mark - and I am finding that the urge is growing! 

Initially, I was struggling with the fabric choice with Block 12 until I made the pattern alterations, and then decided to mix it up a bit by using the different red and white charm squares for the centre of the block - the ones which I pulled out from my fabric stash in my original fabric selection.


Red and White Charm Squares - Nearly Insane Quilt

They are only 1 1/2" squares, and I wasn't sure how I was going to incorporate them when I started the project, but I think Block 12 in the Nearly Insane Quilt is perfect place for them.  They were a neat fit over the bits of paper for the English Paper Piecing, and add a scrappy look to the block.  Against the French General fabric, I think they look really cute. 

3/4 " Red Charm Squares, with French General Fabric, Moda

I have recently been quilting my red and white pinwheel quilt, and although I like the quilt a lot, looking at just the plain red and the plain white has been a touch boring. It has really made me realise that my heart is with scrappy quilts. In fact, as I laid out these squares, which are only 3/4" square, my mind did wander to the idea of doing a whole patchwork quilt in this layout, in a similar vein to my Single Irish Chain Charm Quilt, but with just 3/4" squares.  It would be a simple quilt, but wouldn't it be lovely, especially in the red and white colourway?

NUMBER OF PIECES: 36
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 3/4" (17mm) x 3/4" (17mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Rectangle 1 1/2" (37.5mm) x 1 1/4" (32.5mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
Mix - White on Red Charm Squares
White dot on Cream (purchased from The Shuttle)
White Floral on Red (purchased from The Shuttle)
French General Favourites - Pearl  for Moda #13526 14

Joining up with Finish it Up Friday!

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 92

As I mentioned before, Block 92 is meant to be one of the four corner blocks.  Now ... I looked at it for quite a while.  Basically, the block is not symmetrical when divided into four, so when it sits on the corner, any fabric combinations look uneven.  For me, this will NOT do - I don't think Sparky was sleeping easy either.

Sparky  the Cat with Block 92 (revised)

So, I have made an executive decision, usurping both Salinda Rupp and Liz Lois, the creators of the Nearly Insane Quilt, to make Block 92 a half edge block, and will use Block 87 as the corner block (... please remind me of this when it gets drawn).  I think Block 92 looks much nicer as a half block. 

Block 92 - Nearly Insane Quilt

There were two very tiny pieces in this block, and many of you have raised concern about the problems these little paper piecing bits may be causing me.  What I have found is that once I have secured the little piece to another, it soon becomes a bigger piece, so it is no longer a problem.  With such small sides this process takes a matter of seconds, and the problem is soon resolved.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 24
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Triangle, 1/2" (13mm) x 1/2" (13mm) x 3/4" (19mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Square 1 1/4" (32mm) x 1 1/4" (32mm)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS:
Roc-Lon Unbleached Muslin
Quilter's Memory, Stof Quilter's Basics #4517-11
Hearts on Red (567-R5) Makower
Apple Line Red Swirl by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures  #c5710

 

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 89

Block 89, Nearly Insane Quilt

This block was so simple, I can't even recall making it!  It just seemed to happen during the week in my snatched moments.  It was only 13 pieces, so it took no time at all.  I am using a calico for the sashing, so I am making an effort to include some calico in the blocks as well.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 13
DIFFICULTY: 1/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 1" (25mm) x 1 11/16" (17mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Rectangle 1" (25mm) x 1 11/16" (17mm) x 1 11/16" (17mm)TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: 
Roc-Lon Unbleached MuslinMama Said Sew Tangled Threads in Apple Red, Sweetwater for Moda
Red with Whit Dots, Makower

Single Irish Chain Charm Quilt

As I am at the beginning of my Nearly Insane Quilt journey, I thought I would share another of my completed hand pieced, hand quilted marathons with you.  This is my Irish Chain Charm Quilt. It is hand pieced, using the English Paper Piecing method, and hand quilted.



Single Irish Chain Quilt

The start of my patchwork and quilting journey started when I inherited a fabric stash from a friend.  Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of fabric and thread in my life, just not the 100% cottons used for patchwork and quilting.  Some of the little gems in the collection were bags of  small charm squares, which were less than 2" square. 

Fabric Charm Squares, 1" - 2" square

I believe they were from the era before the internet and online fabric databases, when mail order shops would send out small samples for customers to select their quilt colours from.  These little pieces intrigued me, and quietly laid down the gauntlet 'find a project to use us in'.  An Irish Chain quilt was the solution.  Also, we were expecting the arrival of a camper van, so I decided to make a quilt for use in the van.



Single Irish Chain Patchwork Quilt

Obviously the size of the charm squares put a limit on the size of my shapes, so each small square was 1" big.  I made up the English paper piecing templates using the Table function in MS Word, where I could set the size of the cells to be 1" x 1", print them off and cut them out.  From the charm packs I selected the deep and warm toned charm squares, which have a jewel like effect, and sought out a light background fabric that would add a subtle texture.  I had already started to cover these little squares with the charm fabrics on the train to work, before I found a suitable background fabric.  In the end I chose a little tan, tone on tone sprig print, "Bound to the Prairie" #9195 by Kansas Troubles for Moda (some of you may be familiar with it - it was the neutral in my 2012 Easy Street Mystery Quilt).  It also matched the woodwork in the camper van perfectly.

Single Irish Chain Quilt - Ideal for a Camper Van!

I remember pouring the squares out onto the shop counter to match up this co-ordinating fabric as the assistant looked at me in disbelief, commenting ,"You do know there is an easier way of doing this, don't you?" Yes, there might have been, but at the time carrying a sewing machine on the train each day was not an option! This portable hand piecing project went with me everywhere, and often or not, a stray square would turn up in the boot of the car, down the side of the sofa - I often wonder how many got left on the train...


Irish Chain Patchwork Quilt

The Single Irish Chain pattern is made up from a 9-patch, alternating the background fabric and the main fabric.  In this case, the 1" squares made up a 9-patch 3" x 3", and that was the same size as the alternating 3" x 3" background fabric square.

Detail of hand pieced 9 patch block, Irish Chain Quilt

The quilt is hand quilted, firstly by quilting around the coloured squares, and then by adding a further cross-hatch pattern in the centre.  The border is also cross-hatched.  On this particular quilt, I think this simple quilting pattern works well with the Irish Chain quilt.


Scrappy Border - Irish Chain Quilt

To add to the scrappy nature of the quilt I decided to make up the binding from further scraps, which are also 3" long.  The background fabric was also part of the Kansas Trouble, 'Back to the Prairie' range.  Up close it is a very pretty print, and although it disguises the quilting stitches on the back nicely, from a distance the colours tend to blend into a muddy colour.  I used a small piece to make a quilt label using my Husqvarna Designer 1 Embroidery Machine, using Isacord embroidery thread.  I didn't use a strong contrasting thread, as I prefer a more subtle label, but it does the trick.


Quilt Label - Single Irish Chain Quilt

This quilt tends to live in the camper van, getting used regularly if we head off on a trip during the winter months.  I love spotting all the different fabrics as I am cosied up in bed!

There are still plenty of these charm squares in my fabric collection, any ideas for the next project?

Joining up with Crazy Mom Quilts.

Statistics
Dimensions: 150cm x 178cm (approx 5ft x 6ft)
Blocks: 3” x 3”
Piecing Method: English Paper Piecing. Hand Pieced
Quilting Method: Hand Quilted
Dates: Autumn 2006(?) – March 2009

Competition Entries:
2009 Traditional Quilts, Quilts UK , Malvern

Nearly Insane Quilt - Block 55

My quilting progress has been limited this week, but I do have a finish to share.  Using my travel time on the train I have been working on Block 55 of my Nearly Insane quilt. It's amazing how much you can get done on just a short journey, but with these little pieces, one false move and they could be travelling the length of the country!

English Paper Piecing on the train

Its a quirky little block, and I quite like it, and I have learnt a few techniques and ideas which will be useful for future blocks. 

Block 55 Nearly Insane Quilt

Overall this block was not too difficult. Extra care was needed to make sure all the right pieces were in the right place. The striped pieces are asymmetrical, so you need to make sure you have got them the correct way around (I know because I had to unpick one!). Also, remembering that the blocks will be on point, I need to take extra care when cutting any directional fabric, to make sure everything is pointing in the right direction - my hearts seem to be all a flutter on this one.

Block 55 Nearly Insane - English Paper Piecing

I know that some future blocks are going to have over three times as many pieces as this block, but I think Block 55 is fairly unique in that the majority of the 46 pieces are all slightly different sizes.  To manage this, I numbered all the papers AND all the pieces of fabric, and for further control I used my Clover Wonder Clips to keep certain groups together.  BTW, I also noticed this week on the Keepsake Quilting website, that Clover are now making these clips in JUMBO SIZE.


Clover Wonder Clips

So that block marks the completion of the ones chosen in my first draw. Having done this first set, I have had time to think about how to combine my fabrics on forthcoming blocks.  I have also put some thought to the border, sashing and cornerstones. On the side bar there is a thumbnail of the quilt, created in Electric Quilt 5 software, which shows my progress so far.

NUMBER OF PIECES: 46
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
SMALLEST PIECE: Square, 1/2" (7.5mm) x 1/2" (7.5mm)
LARGEST PIECE: Triangle, 1.5" (42mm) x 1.5" (42mm) x 2 5/16" (59m)
TECHNIQUE: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
FABRICS: Apple Red Text on Cream (#5490) "Mama Said Sew" Collection by Sweetwater for Moda
Songbird (C2863) by Carina Gardner for Riley Blake Designs
Hearts on Red (567-R5) Makower
Red Dots on White Fabric (Unidentified)
Scattered Red Stars on White (Unidentified)
Red and White Stripe (unidentified)

Celebrating this finish at Crazy Mom Quilts

Broken Dishes Quilt - Cat Mat

Finding useful opportunities for expressing your quilting creativity is sometimes a challenge.  I love making full size quilts, but the backlog of quilt tops that need quilting in my cupboard is a reminder that large projects are not always the most appropriate project to launch into.  A Mug Rug is fun, but to the other extreme, as they can be small and fiddly.  The alternative - the Cat Mat.


Sparky the Cat on Broken Dishes Cat Mat

This is Sparky the cat modelling my most recent Cat Mat using the Broken Dishes quilt block pattern.  I enjoy making this size project as I find that the size of a Cat Mat offers more scope to test out new quilting patterns, and to practice some different machine quilting techniques.  Best of all they actually get used, all day, every day, by the cats, as they are placed in strategic places around the house.  Also, they can be thrown into the washer easily.
This particular project used 5" batik charm squares in a mix of yellow, orange, red, pink and purple. The mat finishes up 18" square, with the finished quarter square triangles being 3.5". To create the contrast that builds up the Broken Dishes pattern, I made up some quarter square triangles, pairing up light and dark squares, front sides together.  I then marked a diagonal cross on the lighter fabric, as a guide for sewing.  The dashed lines on the diagram show where I machine stitched the two squares together with a 1/4 " seam allowance, the solid line shows where I cut them, once stitched on the machine.

Quarter Square Triangle Unit

Once sewn and cut, you have sets of light / dark triangles, which then need to be paired up into the squares, which can be seen on the far right of this picture.


Quarter Square Triangles - half way through!

With the squares complete, plan the layout, making sure the lights and darks are next to each other throughout.  I find that taking a picture on my iPhone or iPad at this stage is a useful reminder of the layout, as once I start lifting up the pieces for sewing on the machine the blocks easily get mixed up!

Broken Dishes Quilt Pattern Layout 

For this mat, I backed it with a red fabric, which I cut larger than the final size, so that the backing fabric could be brought forward onto the front for the binding, which I machined in place, after I had quilted the mat. As I said before, these mats are ideal for improving your free machine quilting techniques, and on this one I filled the darker triangles up with a smooth zig-zag pattern, which followed the graduating shape of the triangle.  


Broken Dishes Quilt - Backing and Binding

I love the Broken Dishes pattern.  I think it is especially great for using up scrap fabrics, the pattern is quite dynamic, and I particularly like quilts which have the same repetitive pattern throughout.  I don't profess to be ther greatest machine quilter, and I have had no complaints about the quilting so far, but then Sparky's eyesight is not too great ...

 

Joining up with Feline Friday at Sarah Did It, Crazy Mom Quilts, and Sew Many Ways today

Nearly Insane Quilt - First Draw

The first blocks for the Nearly Insane Quilt have been drawn.  They are blocks

21 - 41 - 55 - 91

I have now printed off the blocks from the Electric Quilt 5 software and made up little portable packs with the cut up paper pieces, the fabric, and the instructions, for these particular blocks.  The drive behind this patchwork project is for when I am travelling, or I am out and about, and I need a small portable sewing project with me.  When I am at home I am MEANT to be catching up on my hand quilting backlog...

Nearly Insane Block Home Made Portable Project Packs

As I mentioned before, the fabric for the sashing and cornerstones have not been finalised, but I am realising that I should be doing these as part of my batch system, so that when the time comes to put the quilt together everything is ready to go.  Actually, I should also be doing some of the zig zag border too .... but I haven't chosen the fabric for that yet either.
What I have noticed is, that besides their number, these Nearly Insane blocks don't have names, so if you recognise any as we are going along, then please shout out any suggestions.

Getting to Grips with Nearly Insane Using Electric Quilt 5

Using Electric Quilt 5 for my Nearly Insane Quilt

In the dark evenings this week I have been quietly creating the blocks for the Nearly Insane quilt on the Electric Quilt 5 software.  In Liz Lois 'Nearly Insane' pattern book of the Salinda Rupp quilt they are drawn out to size for tracing, and I am hoping that all this effort on the Electric Quilt software up front will make it easier for me to keep track of what I am doing in the long run. It has been a good exercise in becoming familiar with different patterns on the 6" blocks, as well as my Electric Quilt software.  It has also helped for generally just getting my head around how I am going to approach the project. 
Some were a doddle to work out on the software, but others (Blocks 49, 75), were a test of my maths skills - and I haven't even sewn them yet!  I also think I have been lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that I have been working on them on the computer screen where they are twice the size of the actual block.  There are going to be some very tiny pieces in this quilt.
I will admit at this stage that I have adapted some of the blocks to fit in with my personal preference for order and symmetry.  There are plenty of pretty blocks, but the centre of Block 58 looked a bit of a dogs dinner, so I have re-orientated the little half square triangles.  You get the impression that the original quilt was a REAL scrap quilt, and some of the block patterns have been necessarily adapted by Salinda Rupp to accommodate her scrap stash.
I am now getting the strength up to scan my own red and white / cream fabrics I will be using.  I have never got as far as this with a quilt design on the Electric Quilt software, so wish me luck.

Addressing Fabric Stash Storage

Yesterday I had great plans to tidy up the Fabadashery workroom, knowing that I had come to the end of piecing the back and the front of my Easy Street Quilt.  I had a plan for a smaller project made up from the scraps of my scrappy Easy Street Quilt, but I needed to clear the decks properly. There were yards of fabric that had been dragged out and piled up, which had auditioned for the mystery quilt back in November.

I didn't know where to start, as my current system of storing my fabric in large plastic boxes was just not working for me.  By the end of the day all of my fabric was out of my cupboard.  It was time for a re-think on my fabric stash storage. There was not going to be any sewing today. If I am honest, I had planned to put aside the holidays to address the storage of my fabric stash, along with a load of other catch-up jobs, but the Easy Street quilt took over.  Since moving into the house in 2010, it has only been recently that I have finally had time to address my workspace. 

BEFORE - Fabric Stash Storage

A lot of stuff had ended up in here, piled up on these Billy bookcases from IKEA.  I have a workroom with a storage room attached to it. I wanted a dark room to store my fabric, so that it didn't fade. This works well as it is dark, and the light comes on and off automatically with a PIR, as I go in and out, so no risk of leaving the light on.

 

I split the fabric into Solids, Prints, Batiks, and Liberty Lovelies.  Then I sorted them into colour families.

AFTER - Fabric Stash Storage

The majority of the solid fabrics I have adopted, and didn't really have a grip on what I actually had.  I tend to avoid solids, as I find they can deaden a quilt in one easy move. However, looking at the selection, it is not bad, and there is enough to justify  a 'solid' project.  In fact, I have been even more tempted after seeing this 'solid' fabric project by Rhoda.

Halfway through sorting my fabrics I decided to pull all the batiks prints from the fabric colour collections.  Batiks are great for blending and carrying colour, and sometimes if I am looking for a particular colour, it is often only the batik fabrics that seem to do the job.  However, they do not always belong to every quilt, and I find that a whole quilt in batiks, often doesn't demand enough of me with regard to fabric colour choice, as the fabric seems to do a lot of the work for you.  I thought by keeping them separate, I would look at them in a new light.

With the little Liberty fabrics, because of their lighter lawn cotton, and multi-coloured prints (which were hard to classify within the new system!), I let them have a little pile of their own.  The same could be said for the Rowan / Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Yes, they are lovely, but I have found it hard to mix them up successfully with the rest of my stash, so I rarely buy them.
It was a great exercise in familiarising myself with my fabric again. You will also see that I have taken the opportuity to tidy up my library of quilting and embroidery books.  It is starting to look as if I mean business! 

Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Quilt - Part 8 Backing

Redundant of having to add borders to my Easy Street Quilt, I moved my attention to the backing.  It's a big quilt, and big quilts need a lot of fabric on the back, as well as the front.  There were no decent sized pieces of fabric left after Easy Street that would do the job, and I was reluctant to buy more fabric, when the project had specifically been a 'scrappy stash buster'.


Easy Street Quilt Backing

By the way, 244 quilters Linked Up with their Easy Street Mystery Quilt progress - I bet there were loads more out there working away on their masterpieces. With all the coloured fabric scraps of my Easy Street Quilt still draped around my workroom, it made sense to piece the back together from these pieces. 



Is now a good time to teach me
how to use the Rotary Cutter?

Working out the sizes for the new sized blocks took a bit of time.  The squares and rectangles were easy enough to size up, but the Flying Geese blocks and Shaded 4 patches were more of a challenge. It really made me appreciate Bonnie's straightforward instructions. I used this opportunity to use the alternate Flying Geese method, using the two different sized squares, instead of cutting strips from triangles.  In addition to this, I decided to swap the red and purple, as I thought I might have preferred on the top.  I also extended the original Block A  outwards by a set of the smaller blocks, making a larger block which can be abstracted from the original Easy Street quilt pattern.  By making the block larger by a row it meant I could use smaller pieces.  I really was at the end of my fabric scraps, and by making the block pieces smaller, it meant I had a more scrappy background.  Going  'large' for the first time has convinced me that a large square cutting ruler from Creative Grids is now a necessity.

I admit I was in two minds about using the left over scraps. Part of me wanted to hold onto them, to use in future projects, then the other part of me felt it was time to move on - the fabrics would be better used in a quilt, than lingering in my stash, going out of fashion. By using them up it would be a good excuse to buy some more.  How do you feel about using up your fabric?

There are a few downsides to this pieced backing approach. With the additional seams, hand quilting is going to be a struggle to say the least, so I guess I have now committed myself to machine quilting the Easy Street quilt . Also, with a mix of lights and darks on the back, choosing a quilting thread colour is likely to involve a lot of deliberation.  I have not even thought about what sort of wadding I will use.

So this is what I have been doing with my time. When we woke up on Saturday, Suzi the cat and I had no idea I we would be piecing another quilt.  It has taken time, but I am pleased with the result. Joining up with Design Wall Monday.

Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Quilt - Part 8 (Borders and Binding)

I think it is fair to say that Part 8 of the Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery Quilt involved quite a lot of work, so this is the second instalment of my progress so far.  The top is pieced together, and this weekend I put some time aside to choose the borders and the backing.


Easy Street Mystery Quilt

After letting the cogs in my brain do their bit, I have decided not to add further borders.  With the quilt being quite large already, I felt it was large enough, and probably heavy enough, so to finish off the edge of the quilt I have decided to add a very thin, red inset into the binding.  The red adds some intensity to the purple and although only very thin, gives a nice outline.  I have pieced up the red inset from red scraps from 20cm to 70 cm long, and it is ready to go. 


Plans for Easy Street Quilt Border and Binding

For the binding, I looked to see what I had left over in my stash, and one of the largest pieces remaining was the Sandy Gervais Moda print  'Friendly Folk'.  This looked better than the 'neutral', as the red berries and the green foliage on the print added something, and tied in the red inset strip.  I have enough of this to go around the entire quilt.  Again, it is all pieced together in a strip nearly 9 metres long.


Easy Street Quilt Binding

These decisions usually take me a very long time, but in the long run it is rarely time wasted.  It also allows the luxury of playing with your fabric stash, as you audition the colours.  With the decision not to add borders to the quilt, it slightly altered my plans for the day, as these will be added once Easy Street has been quilted - no plans for that yet.

Meanwhile, I have been able to enjoy the first of the snow for the winter.  On Friday it snowed all day, with almost 6" settling, with advice to stay off the roads and many schools and offices closed. With the temperature not rising above 0 degrees, the snow is still about, but slowly thawing.


Snow, January 2013

Taking the Lead with Easy Street

Leaders and Enders from Easy Street

As a result of all my efforts on Easy Street I have created this little pair of scraps - my leaders and enders.  They are just a drop in the ocean of curtain lining scraps which I have acquired  making all the curtains for the windows of our new house. You can see that I have even tried to add a bit of creative embroidery by adding the purple dog ears from the Easy Street Quilt ...

As I have only just entered the world of machine pieced quilts, the leader and ender notion was a new one to me, so these are two of the few that have entered my life so far. Anyway, I soon discovered that there was a creative solution to this.



Book - Adventures with Leaders and Enders
by Bonnie K Hunter

Enter stage right -
"Adventures with Leaders and Enders - Make More Quilts in Less TIme!" by Bonnie K Hunter. 
Yes, another Christmas gift from Santa.  I can really see the value of this exercise - I just have to decide which Leader / Ender quilt I am going to work on.

I have spent the weekend putting all of my Easy Street Mystery Quilt blocks together. No border decisions yet, and probably not until next weekend, when I am at home during the daylight.  I am thinking it will need to be pieced, but with no lead from Bonnie, I am adrift, and will have to work out a plan when I have a little quiet time to myself.

 

It was a beautiful bright, sunny, fresh day here in the UK today. They are promising some snow tonight .. the first of the winter. 



Easy Street Quilt

Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Quilt - Part 8 (nearly)

As soon as I pressed 'Publish' on my last blog post, I returned to my sewing machine to continue with my Easy Street quilt, only to find it had gone on strike, and the little workhorse was not responding.  After checking the 'troubleshooting' section in the handbook, and all the online forums, I still had no luck, so yesterday it went to the Sewing Machine Doctor. I am waiting for the diagnosis ... Anyway, never fear, I pulled out my Husqvarna Designer 1 Embroidery Sewing Machine, and continued on that.  It works fine, but I had got used to the single needle plate, had sussed out my 1/4" seam allowance, and had wound a bunch of bobbins. And now I am having to work without it, I really appreciate the Pfaff IDT (duel feed).

There is nothing quite like a 'Link Up' to motivate you on a project, so knowing that everyone will be sharing their progress on the Easy Street Mystery Quilt on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Blog, here is my offering.

Easy Street Quilt - Block Layout

As you can see, all my blocks are complete, and this is the layout of the quilt.  As you may also see, at the time of writing, they have not been joined together, but probably by the time you read this, they will be!  Also, the instructions for Part 8 mention something about borders and a backing.  No plans yet, but you will all be the first to know when there are developments on that front.

Am I pleased with my colour scheme? Yes, I am.  Naturally, with hindsight and several hours on my Electric Quilt software, I might have changed a few things, but this was a mystery quilt, and I surrendered to the process, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I always find with scrap quilts that you have to keep your faith in the scraps.  Sometimes a fabric may not feel right, but when mixed in with the rest,  it ends up being the essential 'player' which prevents the quilt looking bland. This was my 'not so sure' fabric.

I wanted to include it because of its whimsical sewing motifs, but it contained a little bit of WHITE, and it's background was insipid in contrast with my other warm toned fabrics. Turns out it is the one adding the much needed depth to the background fabrics.  On the other side of the coin, the 'Sing a Song of Christmas' print by Woodrow Studio, was the one which I had to hold back on.  With its pretty glitter, I wanted it all over, but I held back, and there is just enough to catch the light as the when quilt moves.

'Sing A Song of Christmas' Woodrow Studio

Today, I am also introducing Sparky, the other cat.  Sparky is not as interested as Suzi in the actual process of patchwork and quilting, but once he can see that all the activity is close to becoming a quilt to sleep on, he starts to take a very REAL interest.  There was a time when he would rolling around, rather than sitting on the quilt - I think he is thinking the same thing ...

Sparky on Easy Street

As a reminder, this is only my second machine pieced quilt, and my very first Mystery Quilt. I have really enjoyed the Mystery Quilt process, made all the better by sharing the journey with quilters all around the world.  Knowing that most of you have been working as hard as I have to get this done has really motivated me. I return to work tomorrow, where I know it is going to be very busy, so I have been keen to get as much done on Easy Street as possible. You can see my progress for each part on the links below

Launch - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Borders - Backing

A big THANK YOU to Bonnie for taking the time to plan it and put it together. You have made a lot of people very happy.
PS: Don't forget that Bonnie's instructions will be taken down from her site in June 2013.