Chain Piecing

    Chain Piecing! 

If you already chain piece, you already know,
Piecing in chains is the way to go.
Just line up those pieces that need to be seamed,
Stitch them and watch them amass in a stream.

In no time at all, your units are flowing
   in colorful rope banners, worthy of showing. 
And even at that, the newly seamed stash
      can run through the line in another chain dash.
I'm telling you now, if you do not chain yet,
      try it. You'll like it. I nearly would bet! 

As pieces come flying all strung in a row, their colors parading ... Oh! What a show!

And even chain pressing , before units you sever,
makes pressing easy and speedy as ever!

What's more, getting done with a project on task!
Your deadline is met; what more could you ask?

I would write an ode, but how silly a thing? So, instead: of chain piecing, I joyfully sing!

Special Delivery for a Special Delivery

Pulled these for a changing pad tote for my
sister's eldest's son's wife ( and her expected
daughter). Went girly paisley and polka dots
with s metallic highlighted floral and a deep
red tone on tone.
Chose a gold braided clasp for a little class.

Remembered to add the little "signature" label this time. Sewn into the binding at the bottom inside right. Since it is a loop, it can also serve as a hanging loop for air drying the pad.

To assist mom in retrieval of pad from church nursery, or other place where multiple diaper bags are briefly gathered, I  added her family name to the outside, but to be hidden when folded. 

I went with the last name since the colors of this were chosen for the mom, and this is her first child ( a girl) , but who knows if they will have more later on? My daughter's changing pad had served three kiddos in fairly short order. 

Finished, folded and ready for shipping.

This was the first (and, thus far, only) handmade item I've trusted to the postal service. Happily, though, it made the trip just fine, and was well received.

Bloomin' Baskets

The daughter of a dear friend had become bride elect of a fine fellow, and in looking over the couple's registries their love for color became evident. After selecting a brightly colored sauce dish from among their picks, I kept thinking how nice it would be to present them with a colorful little table topper, as well. When I came across Edyta Sitar's Bloomin' Baskets in the March/April 2013 edition of Quiltmaker magazine on page 38, I knew this was the one. The same pattern sans applique is on her website as a free download called "Candy Dish". And I just NOW found this tutorial on the whole project! Click here and watch Edyta go through the table topper project step by step.

Some things about this project were different from any I had done before. It was important that I read the instructions. For instance, backing and binding (and quilting, for that matter) were all done ahead of applying the applique. Also, this was my first time to do semi-raw edge applique. I say "semi" because I had affixed the pieces with Heat Bond Lite, so they were fairly stable, and may even make it through the wash once without having that frayed edges look.

This all went together surprisingly quickly, and relatively easily. One of the hardest things was choosing fabrics from my stash to use for the 2.5 inch squares that make up the baskets' bodies. Some pre-cut jelly rolls and a few charms cut to size came to the rescue.  

If you are interested in making this, but waver due to concerns of difficulty...I say go for it. Watch the run through by the designer herself and enjoy this colorful, fun, and domestic machine throat friendly project. 

Epilogue: It was well-received by the bride elect and her groom to be. 

Choo Choo Choosing by Auditioning Fabrics

There comes a time in just about all of my projects when "the best laid plans" get derailed by design, or otherwise go off track. Sometimes it is because my original vision for an aspect of the project just doesn't work. Sometimes it may be that the stash on hand doesn't quite stretch into enough yardage...occasionally by inches...to complete the job.This can be where an inch is as good as a mile. Anyway, when I am faced with those challenges, it's an excellent time to set up the stage for some old fashioned impromptu auditioning.

The first picture shows my originally planned engine base. Second photo auditioned, but seemed too dark. As soon as I saw the yellow, I knew we would soon be full speed ahead!

It has been a while since this project was on docket, so I actually don't remember how it was that I had to audition strips for the border, as well. I think it happened for one of the following reasons: 

• I did not want an all yellow border since the yellow was soooo bright.
• Maybe my yellow stash was depleted when it became the chosen fabric in the above featured audition. (?)
• Or...maybe ...and this is quite likely, I wanted more blue in the quilt. This was for my local grandson's 2nd birthday. Also, I really, really liked the blue (engine cab) fabric, and wanted to use what I had of it in this quilt.
  

 Yes, I see that I "say" I ran out of yellow, but I still think it may have been that third reason...wanting to use my (already strip cut) blue. 

Oh! A bonus  was using the same applique for his birthday tee! That dusky blue became the smoke puffs on the white tee. 

And these days the boy, now 3 years old, is using his quilt for cover. (He received it on his 2nd birthday, but wasn't into bed covers, yet, then.)

Do you find yourself auditioning fabrics "after the fact" of having chosen project colors, etc.?

Block Swap the Hard Way

This was a block swap of another kind than the ones where quilters make blocks to exchange. That would be fun. No. No. This was a poor-planning-on-my-part block swap. 

In photo #1 you see the block layout I had initially chosen for my "Roman Road" sampler quilt. I knew I did not much like the gold and green block, but at that point, the thought of making another block just wearied me. So, I forged ahead and pieced the whole top with the "iffy" block in place. 

Then...and not until then...I saw how that one block threw the whole quilt off balance due to the "weight" of the gold fabric in it, since that was the same fabric in the focal center block, as well as the outer border pieces. 

I just could not let it go. So much work had gone into the quilt, and it seemed I should be able to like it at the end of the process. So, the weeks rocked on, and finally I decided to work up a replacement block. First candidate was the disappearing nine patch blue in picture 2. Didn't like it. Had expected to. Was really miffed and somewhat discouraged. 

Days passed. Nights, too. What to do...what to do. I liked the "economy block", but could not figure out how to make it the nine and a half unfinished size I needed, and wanted it to finish with the center square on point. Finally, I just drew a design and foundation pieced what became the replacement block (photo #3). 

This (replacing a block that has already been pieced and sashed into a quilt top) is not recommended. Not at all. I was fortunate the piece went in fairly smoothly. Don't get in a rush when placing your blocks. The decisions you make then, need to be ones with which you can live (and sleep.)

One would think after all this that I would have sandwiched and finished the quilt by now. Well, it is sandwiched and awaiting my nerve to build up to quilting. It will be the largest quilt I've quilted on my small-throat machine. I'll let you know. 

Ingenuous Flattery

                One quote about imitation says, “Imitation is disingenuous flattery.” That would mean the flattery is insincere; so, I’ve named this little quilt “Ingenuous Flattery”.  Feel free to call it “IF” for short.

The name starts and ends here, as the Linus quilt will be donated without that kind of fanfare. I did, however, add my own little signature label alongside the official Linus one this time. Something from school days, I guess: “Always sign and date your work,” even in this case, if it is only an initials-only representative "signature".

For the design I chose to closely imitate a design of Kaye England seen in Quilt Almanac 2011 magazine, page 9. Kaye’s pattern called “Jelly Stars” had stars of varied fabrics, so the end look is different, but I really liked how the roses in this donation quilt played together. If Kaye ever sees this post, I hope she agrees.

There was just enough of the border fabric to make the mitered border, but because of a “measure twice/ cut once” error, I ended up having to piece one edge of it… my bad. Fortunately, it is not too noticeable. It is of note only because it is one of the lessons I re-learned in constructing this one. Wouldn’t it be great if I would learn to exercise the lessons I’ve already “learned”?

Quilting an "echo" around each star
worked well. 

If you ever decide to use a two-color binding, may I suggest you think and rethink which color you want on which side before you cut and join your colors? Only after having cut the strips for the front (smaller strip) and the back (larger strip), did I do my rethink. So, rather than reconstruct, I just attached the binding to the back and pulled to the front, finishing out by hand rather than machine stitching the final fold. 

This one finished at 42" square, if you were wondering.

"Beauty Treatment for Quilts" or "No Job for Olay"

This storage folding tip has been shared by various sources, but not always with the rationale included. Because of the straight of grain, some quilts accept and hold a crease over time, even to the point of breaking down some of the fibers and causing permanent creases. Face creams are not going to be any help with this! The "how to" of folding remedy turns to folding on the bias, where the fibers are more stretchy and forgiving. So, your quilt looks younger longer.

Now, if only I could find the bias of my face and sleep that way every night!

Sort of off topic, but fun: While practicing the bias folding technique for a square quilt, I discovered some nifty designs emerging. It was like having a kaleidoscope in fabric form!  

Piece Out, Linus!

 Sometimes, some seasons of my quilting experience, all I want to do is piece. Don't ask me to cut, or sandwich, or actually quilt! That is one extremely cool thing about quilting for the Linus Project. Our local group, at least, lets you do what you want. If you never get to that sweet spot of wanting to quilt, you can hand in the pieced top for someone else, someone who likes to sandwich and quilt, someone who may even have a longarm machine at the ready, to complete your pieced top. How cool is that? So, I can piece and send it out the door to Linus, no worries. 

Piece out, Linus, indeed!

The above design is from an "EASY" (!?!) quilt pattern I ran across in the March/April 2013 magazine Quilt It Today. The one featured on page 22 was called "Paisley Paradise" and was cool and seaside summery in tone. The no-name quilt top I made was pieced with a thirteen or fourteen year old boy in mind. Linus often lags in quilt offerings that seem just right for boys in their 'tweens'. Happenly, this was also M&M's candy's 75th anniversary! 

That reminds me. One problem I ran into with this one was that my final border was just a smidge wider than the WOF. I really didn't want to cut one of the M&M's off in order to get the extra width needed. What to do? Well, what I did was make some tri/rec pieces to put at the center points of each border. Problem solved.

Free Motion Practice Projects

Free motion takes practice, practice, practice, as you try to find a workable rhythm among the foot pedal, the needle, the movement of your hands and the fabric. Why not practice on small projects?  Here's a changing pad sectioned off for my dabbling in varied designs. (Video quality is poor, but you get the idea.) 

I've also done this with sandwiched rounds, slit and used for scratch-free stacking of my stainless steel pots. I've read of others who practice on sandwich circles that they cut to fit between their china plates. No more rattling of the dishes in the china cabinet.

Points Turned Revisited or Ten Minute Block Variation Untimed

Back in 2014 I posted about a block method I saw online, but I had no instructions of how to do it. Here I will try to give a visual of how I think it went together. Though, now I'm doing this from the photos, and not a tutorial.

Step 1: cut out 4.5 inch squares. Fold the part you want in the middle in half. Crosscut the fabric you want as background, for four triangles. I think the center white fabric was cut at 2.5".

Step 2: Sandwich folded square in the triangles, right sides facing, as shown.

Step 3: Sew with scant 1/4 inch seam along either side.

Step 4: Open out and press the triangle "wings" out from the folded center fabric.

Step 5: Good luck with this step. Pin the edges of the triangles together, sandwiching and getting that center folded piece centered such that it will be caught in the stitching, as well. 

Step 6: Stitch the pinned edges together, pulling pins and adjusting fabric as you go.

Step 7: When seam is finished and the pins all pulled, you should have a puffy center. Flatten the background and center to make a square. The edges of the center will be about a quarter inch beyond the seams. Press and flat, then toward center. This is when you could check my measurement for the center white piece, because you'll need a piece to lay in the square up against the seam.

Step 8: Lay the smaller square piece in center and then fold the center square's flaps over its edges, forming a curve. Stitch the flaps down, trapping the smaller square under the flaps.

Casual Breakfast to Deluxe Dinner - All Within Bounds

My kitchen peninsula is quite narrow; most standard store-bought place mats are usually too deep for the small expanse. The sewing project was added to the ever-expanding "To Do" list. 

The original plan was to use these as great practice for some free motion quilting. However, I pretty much stayed with a simple corner curve for them once it came time to quilt. The right binding for these diverse fabrics posed a problem until I remembered what one quilter told me: "brown goes with just about everything." So, the binding is a brown/beige cut from yardage found at Hobby Lobby. I was in too big a rush in getting the photos and neglected putting out utensils/napkins, etc. But you get the general idea, I'm sure.