Sunday, September 30, 2018

Tweet tweet!

So I laid out all my finished birdie blocks, and found that I was missing the colors red and teal.  So?  I made these blocks today.  I have included all the colors of the rainbow, but I would like the quilt to be at lap sized quilt, so  I guess I will continue to make a few more.


Have a super day, each of you!!


Julie

Dearest Boy update

This is the latest block for the quilt Dearest Boy, the wonderful quilt along quilt, that the below quilters are working on.  Here is my latest block. 

Challenges for this block include...well...everything, LOL!  The pattern pieces in the pattern were not a perfect size to obtain the required block, at least for me, in my pattern...so after a couple of attempts,  I drafted my own pattern and pieced it.  It is far from perfect, and I may redo it...maybe not, though.  I learned a lot making it...drafting this pattern was not so easy, as I got out my protractor and compass and cut out pieces and sewed them together the best I possibly could.    I kind of like the block's wonky humility.  Next time, I will make all the spikes the same color, instead of yellow and red, though.  I had a vision, just for a tiny moment, of a whole quilt of these blocks...then I shook that off, LOL!!

I know Cathy and also Karen appliqued their blocks, instead of piecing, and the original block looks to be applique as well.  



Please see the blogs below to admire their blocks!!!








Cathy:  Big Lake Quilter
Julie:  Juliekquilts (me)

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Time is marching on


I love this quilt.  I made it a long, long time ago, from a pattern by Shar Jorgensen.  I made a small quilt, hoping to save the pattern for a time when I could make a big quilt, because at that time,  I did not have the fabric to make a big one.


The day is here!  I cut up a ton of scraps, to make a bed sized quilt, from this idea.  I cut a bunch of pieces out yesterday, and find it amusing to see the difference of what is in my stash now, compared to back then. Most of the above scraps are reproductions.  Most of the scraps I have now are brighter. So the quilt will look quite different!!




I am feeling some time pressure in my life.  One thing is to get my home DE cluttered and cleaned out.    Maybe it is just my age, but I am feeling a very strong push to get quilts cut out, and prepared for the day when I cannot stand and cut pieces out anymore.  Also, to use up every scrap!!! I am not sure about why I am feeling such pressure...but I am going with it!!  Do any of you feel this way??






Have a super day!!


Julie 





Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Whoopsie!

 Whoops!  I forgot the picture of this week's Log Cabin Loonie's gift.  It is this jelly roll, by Sandy Gervais.  It is so pretty to me!  Unfortunately, I just admired it, and looked at it, and looked at it...
 and it is time for someone to use it!!!  So this is the gift for this week.
 I cut a few more flowers from the garden, for the kitchen table.  The sun was shining right on them, and I thought it to be a lovely image...so here you go!!




********************Watch out below...not for the faint of heart...a little sad!*************************





This little guy was in among the leaves on the porch, that I was sweeping.  He was already gone, but I just hated to sweep him up and discard him...he is so beautiful!  To everything there is a season, but I thought he deserved a little more than being dumped in a leaf bag...so here is to you, sweet butterfly...we love and admire you!

*************************************************************




And  now...I wrote a tutorial.  A little one...please bear with me!

I made one block.  I should have used a greater contrast in the print/plain fabrics for more clarity, but here we go! This makes an 8 inch finished block, so 8 1/2 inch unfinished block. I thought I could use my nursing uniforms...you know, those cute prints that we can no longer wear, since we can only wear blue at the hospital. 
Cut: 


Cut:
Background: 8 2 1/2 inch squares
2 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch rectangles
print: 4 2 1/2 inch squares
2 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch rectangles
plain fabric: 4 2 1/2 inch squares
2 2 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch rectangles.
I used the connector corner method of construction, so I have bonus leftover triangles! So just go by the pictures, and sew the block together. Hope this is helpful.
The last picture is what I like to do with leftover 1/2 square triangle. I made a ton of pinwheels, but now I am making chevrons of them.
Be careful with your placement of the pieces...they are opposites, as you see, in the center of the block.
Julie




Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Log Cabin Loonies!!

I

Hi Everyone!!

I am having so much fun playing with the log cabin blocks, as you might have guessed from my post last week, LOL!  I am working on my tiny blocks, made from 1 inch strips, but also found a whole cache of 1.5 inch strip sized blocks, also.  So I have been cutting, and sorting and just generally have a great time with my scraps!!  Above are Helen's blocks...aren't they so pretty?  She has about a zillion blocks done already, and they are so pretty, each one!    I think it may be a generalized belief among quilters that other people's scraps are prettier and more interesting than your scraps, LOL...it is just fun to look at all the fabrics...as above!!


Last weeks winner is Pam!!  Please send me your snail mail address, Pam, and I will send you your gift.



So...please add your link below so everyone can see what you have been up to, Loonies...in the best kind of way...Log Cabin Loonies!!






Julie

Monday, September 24, 2018

The leftovers

 You know those little leftover 1/2 SQUARE triangles that we have leftover after using the connector/flippy corner method of piecing?  I try to use those, and have made a zillion pinwheels out of them...see below.  But...what if I took those same four 1/2 square triangles and made chevrons?  WHOOP!!!


Now I know this is not my idea, but it just came to me...and I am going with it, LOL!!!  What a fun border this will be, for some quilt in the future!!
I get excited about the silliest things, don't I?


Have an amazing day, each of you!!!  Happy Monday!

Julie

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Nine patch/churn dash...the last four blocks are done

I finished these blocks, the alternate blocks for the log cabin quilt I pictured last post.  I, once upon a time, made a whole quilt of these blocks, and I think my son and DIL have that one. These are super fun and fast blocks.  They are an odd size...7 inch finished, so will not go with anything else except those log cabin blocks that were also an odd size!!!  I try to make blocks an even size, so they will fit together better in the future...but this just seemed to be right for these.


Hope you are having a great weekend!!


Julie

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Log Cabin

I am just playing here, but what if I alternate other pieced blocks with my log cabin blocks?  I need four more to go.  Or...maybe some applique in there, somewhere?  




I hope you are having as much fun playing with these blocks as I am!!!!


Julie

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Amy's blogger's quilt festival

 I am posting this, so I can show this quilt in Amy's blogger's quilt festival.  I know my friends have seen it...but I love it, so it is my entry for this year.  If you are new to my blog, I am mostly a scrap quilter, but love to dabble in applique and quilt-alongs!!
We have had some fairly rough times this year, with bad news on the national newscasts, so this was my quilt to show what is important to me!  Faith, hope...and the greatest of these is LOVE!!!




Please see Amy's website, to enjoy all the fantastic quilts displayed...it is worthy of your time, for sure!


https://www.amyscreativeside.com/2018/09/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2018-edition/






Julie

Log Cabin Loonies are AWESOME!!!

 What is your favorite way to set log cabin blocks?  Please share!!  I am having a blast, going through my strings, cutting all sizes of strips for log cabin blocks!!  I...wait for it...may be a little LOONIE!!  In the best way!! Want to join us?  The Log Cabin Loonies are making blocks of all kinds...including really tiny ones!  Each Tuesday, I am blogging about my log cabin efforts...efforts to use up some of my precious strings...making log cabin blocks!!
Here is the prize for this week...plus whatever else I can find to put in the envelope, LOL!!  These are cute Halloween fabrics.  Just link up below, and next week I will randomly draw a winner for these.




Hey, congratulations to Cathy, at Sane, Crazy, Crumbly quilting!  She won the layer cake from last week.  Please send me your snail mail address, Cathy!!









Have a super day, each of you!!


Julie

Monday, September 17, 2018

Sweet Land of Liberty


 Here is my progress on the Sweet Land of Liberty quilt.
It is in three sections, here.  I still have lots of hand work to do, so I am leaving it in pieces until I finish that, and then the bottom pieced block border is yet to be accomplished.  Making tracks on it, though!!!



Whew!  Days off are lovely, aren't they?  I have laundered and cleaned and changed sheets and cooked...and on it goes...but it is on my pace, and I love it!!!



Julie

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Dearest Boy!!

Well...I have made several variations of this block.  The original had a braided double basket handle, and embroidery.  All the baskets in the original appeared to be a different size...anyhow, I came up with this, and I am still working on this one, as you can see.


Please see below for pattern information!!  See that braided basket block, second row from the top?




We are all working on this quilt, together!!  It is super fun to see each other's blocks and encourage one another on the way...please take a moment to see what these quilter's are up to!

















Cathy:  Big Lake Quilter

























  Julie






Friday, September 14, 2018

Working on it!!

 I have been working on the last quarter of the quilt along with Lori of Humble Quilts, "Sweet Land of Liberty".  I did my own thing, as usual, and it is just so much fun to create a one of a kind quilt!!  No two of these quilts will be alike, that is for certain!
I had a chance to do some hand binding and quilting.  Here is what I accomplished on a recent road trip.  Therapy for the soul, here!!



Have a super day, and hope you can find time to do some quilting therapy, too!!



Julie

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Log Cabin Loonies!!

Midnight Sky



























This is one way of putting your blocks together!!  Isn't this a neat pattern?  I am glad to share this pattern, a little advertisement for Jackie Robinson, the creator of this pattern.  Just another idea of how to set your beautiful log cabin blocks together!!!





This is the gift for this week!  It is a layer cake, that I just purchased at our local quilt shop.  Very pretty fabrics in here!!!!

The winner of our last weeks gift is Annie O!!  Please send me your snail mail address, Annie!!

So just link up and show your log cabin progress!!!







Julie

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Called off today.


I am working on this block, from Linda Brannock's Flowers quilt.  It is kind of quirky, which means I like it, LOL!  I am thinking of adding something to the vase, maybe.  I am finding that I just love the quiet glide of tiny applique stitches through the fabric, and find it very relaxing; kind of a reward for the doing the prep, which is not so much fun to me!!




Image may contain: indoor


I found this table runner picture online...it is so cute for fall!  I have some very dark blue checkered fabric like this, and wonder if it would be the same enough to be a cute substitute!!!
  It was posted by Sheila Mae Chabot, and I am not sure if she made it or not.  I love it, though, and thank you for the inspiration!








I am on call for the hospital...we have very few patients, so I am just sitting here ready to go when they need, or if they do at all...



Have a super day, each of you!!


Julie

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

This one is on the list!

I know many of you know the Moda Blockheads quilt from 2017.  I started out with a mighty fire....a green and purple flame.  This is how far I got!  I have decided to make a patient quilt and call it done.  This will be perfect for a hospital bed or drag around to chemo sized quilt.  I need a purple border and I will get it quilted and on to some patient who needs a little extra love.  So...did you know that Moda is sponsoring the Blockheads 2 quilt, this year?  

I know they have a facebook group, and also, here is a link to find the block patterns!!







Now I got a little down last night, because I did not have one piece of the limey green that I wanted to make the sashing from.  Nothing was big enough...boohoo!  Then I thought to myself...you silly child!  Are you a scrap quilter, or are you NOT?  

So I rummaged around and found enough of these greens to make a scrappy sashing.  SO THERE!  HA!  I like that better, anyway...







I have all the original blockheads patterns saved, and I love each one!



Julie

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

It's Tuesday! Time for Log Cabin Loonies!!!









Timeless Traditions





























I cannot get that picture out of the middle of the quilt picture for anything...have no idea what I did, but you get the idea of the quilt!!!




I find quilting inspiration everywhere, but a big source is Pinterest.  I find this photo credited to Timeless Traditions, but think maybe she just took the picture?  This is a label on the quilt, and looks like it was hanging at a quilt show.  I, alas, cannot read it...but I salute you, you fabulous quilter you!!  What a gorgeous log cabin variation quilt you made!!!!

Just a little inspiration for us Loonies!!








I am a tiny bit sad...I cut out one zillion!  (slight exaggeration) pieces for the next step on my own log cabin journey, and I cannot find them ANYWHERE!!!  I think they got put in the trash...that is the only place they could possible be.  But I am cutting again, and making good progress.  

Throwing my pieces away is not what I mean about using my stash, LOL!!!!!!!













Here is my pile of centers, plus one piece sewed on...400 blocks.  ONward!!!!




See this knife?  I think it is copper?  Or something...anyway, I sliced my thumb very well today, using it to cut apples into slices.  It bled like anything!!  I seriously had to apply pressure to it!!  Anyway...it makes me think maybe I need to wear a cutting glove while using the rotary cutter.  Do any of you use one??



This is my gift for a lucky Log Cabin Loonie, for this week.  I just found this book...it is a SIGNED copy of Yoko Saito's Traditional block patterns. If you don't know this quilt artist, she is famous for her neutral, lovely soft toned quilts.



These pretty blocks are by Els!  I was delighted when she sent me her picture...these are HAND pieced!!!  How cool, huh?  Thank you, Els!!!



So link up below, and there will be a random drawing for a winner, this week!!





Julie

Hexies, rainbow quilts and plaids!

Good morning to all!!!  Above is a hexagon, for English paper piecing.  My kitten Lucky has discovered them, and decided that they are great...