The best alternative

It's winter in Wisconsin. We don't have snow now, but it's coldish. The best alternative I know to being out in the cold is spending time in the sewing room. Our temperatures have been a bit above normal the last month, so I get outside on good days for a hike. Now that hunting season is over Mark and I have started to work in the woods again, thinning the understory and stacking brush and wood from fallen trees. It's great to work in the woods when there is no snow and the leaves are off the trees. You can easily see all the trees that came down that you want to clean up. We don't aim to pick it all up cause really leaving it is good for the woods, but with much more forecasted to fall down, it'll be a real jungle in there if we don't clean it up some while we are able. And if feels good to work of those Christmas goodies.

In December I was able to finish my 1930's quilt I call my
porch quilt cause I think that's where it would look best, On someone's enclosed porch in summertime. Maybe with white wicker furniture. Sorry the photo is so pale.

On New Years Eve I finally put the borders on the Delectable Mountain Quilt that I made several years ago. I never took a good picture of it cause the border was never on it. I'm just showing you a quarter of the quilt here - my evidence that it's done.  It's big so I'll get it on the bed for a shot and I will get it on the flannel wall too, but that will wait till Mark moves some of His Christmas stuff in the way.

I told myself that I wasn't going to start anything new till I get the borders on 3 quilts. Then I found a 4th, then I made a 5th. Then I bordered 2. I still have to get a border for the 16 patch I did last month and I found the fabric for one other. I'm still using the excuse Mark's stuff is in my way. That should tell you that I started something new. 4 quilts actually. I just dove into my scraps and started cutting. Not without making some plans first. So I cut and kitted up a few more new quilts.That is always so much fun. Some plans aren't final. I didn't do any counting. I didn't even draw up any plans. For 2 of them I had a picture I put with the pieces.

The other 2 are mysteries. That means I don't even know what I am doing with them. There are 2 different sets of triangles. One set is 3" finished Civil War triangles, both light and dark. Do I sew them together for HST units. No, I don't think so. I went to EQ and tossed around a few ideas and quickly made a decision. But I need to cut more background and squares before I proceed. The box of scraps for that is at Studio 3. I'll pick those up tomorrow.

The other set I didn't cut just now, they have been accumulating for probably a few years. When I cleaned out the closet a few months ago, I noticed the box of 2" finished pieces was quite full and then I saw Nann  at WithStringsAttached had the same issue so made a quilt with her surplus triangles so I figured I ought to do the same since I was taking a break from quilting downstairs. What else is a quilter to do? I had a few ideas of what to do with them. First this block came to mind. Nope.

Then I decided I would make a block with the triangles arranged around a light center square like the first block in this picture. But where do I want to go from there? I tell you, it's a mystery. I'm still not sure. Look at the options. And there are more I am not showing. Nope, not going to EQ with this one. Well, I have been having a good time. I hope you have been busy quilting too.

Checking my List

My quilting to-do list is getting shorter, but I haven't even started the Christmas to-do list. It's short, so that's ok. On my quilitng list is the Ben Franklin mystery.  I wanted to wait until I got the next step of directions so I could do it right away.  Without even trying, I was able to put off working on it all month and tomorrow I get the next and final step.  My odd 9-patches are done and next I am supposed to divide the block and add a contrast strip in each direction. So my timing was good.  Maybe I will finish up with them before tomorrow and then the next sewing session I can set them together.

Looking back at my list , I am pleased to see that I have most of it done as intended so far.

1. Lemoyne star - diamonds cut, muslin and background picked out.
2. Flying Geese are Birds in the Air - top done
3. Ladies in Waiting. - No retreat scheduled.
4. Dresden Plates - half distributed to church ladies
5. Scrap cut, sorted and filed away.
6. Flower blocks - need to replace one block
7. Bindings - Of the 7 quilts waiting for binding, I got 5 done and finished quilting another top, so I have                 3 more to bind. That is high on the list this week.
8. Smokey Mountain Star - waiting for border - but I did find the fabric I want to use. I hope there's enough.
9. Mystery - reported above.

 Then maybe I will clean up the house and decorate a bit.
Note - this list is subject to change.

Call for Quilts

 Machine Quilting Today is looking for quilts for their competition and show this August in Milwaukee.  Entries need to be in by July 1st  I think. Sounds like something I gotta do.  I am not much of a show off, but I want the show there to be a success so I guess that means entering the show. If you like, you can enter a quilt too and we can show off our quilts together. It'll be fun.  A link to the Milwaukee Machine Show is in the sidebar to the right, you can find entry forms there.

I thought I'd put a few kits together, but my scraps keep calling me and beg to be used.  I didn't plan an actual quilt with them, but I started sewing anyway. I guess that means I am doing a mystery with Gayle Bong. I had half-square triangles in two sizes. The 3" I just paired light to dark in matching sets of 4.  I did the same with the 2", but those I joined into Birds-in-the-Air units.   It'll be an on-going project. As I acquire more triangles, I'll make more units then I will turn it into a fabulous quilt. Right? Well,that's the plan anyway.

I also started cutting triangles from my 1800's reproduction prints for a 1000 Pyramids quilt. That pattern is typically a charm quilt where by definition, every patch in the quilt (all 1,000)  is cut from a different print fabric. Can't wait to see how many I have already. Since I started cutting this, I bought two more charm packs of 40 different reproduction prints. It all started cause I counted a little stack of  fabric and was surprised when  my guess was off by half. If there were as many as 60 in that little pile, I must have 100's in that one drawer... I might need to trade for the last 100 or so.

 I started loading another quilt on the frame last night but couldn't continue when I discovered the batting was 20" narrower than the package stated.  It was too late to call the customer so it was put on hold till tomorrow probably. You'll be the first to know.

The next step

I haven’t been able to sew much this week as I’ve spent a lot of time at the hospital with my elderly neighbor.  She’s home now and I hope things get back to normal soon. So I’ll get right to the next step in our Thirtysomething mystery.

Before we do any more sewing, we need to finish cutting our 2 ½ inch medium and dark strips.  Keep the strips folded or paired wrong sides together.  Sub cut the strips into  4 1/4" rectangles then cut the pairs of rectangles in half diagonally just like you cut the C triangles.  Keeping the fabric wrong sides together when the rectangles are cut diagonally will automatically produce triangles and mirror image triangles.  Separate them into stacks with 60 of each.

To help mix up the scraps take about half of the triangles off the top of one pile and move it to the bottom of that same pile.

Using the triangles from the right side of the pile shown in the photo and the light rectangles that we trimmed last week, sew together one of each as shown.  To align the pieces for sewing, offset the half triangle so that it’s 60̊ corner creates a quarter inch wide triangle extending past the light background piece.  Press the seam allowance towards the dark triangle.  Repeat with all 24 light background pieces.




Take a triangle from the other pile and sew it to the opposite side of the light background rectangle.  Offset the half-triangle in the same way so that the 60̊ corner is sticking out 1/4".   I’m showing a pair of these flipped over because you want to sew them with the 60̊ corner going into the machine 1st.  So this is how they will look to you.
Repeat with all 24 light background pieces.  Again press the seam allowances toward the dark triangle.

After pressing, each of these units need to be trimmed to 3.5" x 6.5".  I usually just measure the width, because they were already cut 6 ½" and it was the width that was altered when the triangles were added.  You can measure and trim one unit at a time if you like or stack them up like I do.  I stack about 4 on top of each other lining up the long edge of the rectangle and offsetting them each perhaps by an inch.  Then I measure over 3 ½ inches from the long edge of the rectangle and trim the excess from the small triangles.

I hope you found that easy.  I guess that’s all until next week.  I have to start thinking about getting my taxes done.

The mystery begins

I'll get to the mystery in a minute, but first I will catch you up on the last weeks quilting activities. I got the Whig Rose wallhanging quilted and bound; and I love it. There was quilting at church.  We missed last month due to snow so there was lots of show and tell. This comfort quilt was one turned in.  Most of the blocks are actually leftover from one of the raffle quilts we did for church. Most of the other show and tell was just tops.

 Only 5 of us this time and we never set up a machine or got the iron hot. Some cutting and organizing of the next raffle quilt and layering and basting. Still, it was good to get together again and we got stuff done.
I'm planning to get back to work on the next book soon.  I have mentioned this one before. I am calling it the Thirtysomething block book.  I was organizing my Electric Quilt files yesterday and today.  All 75 of them!. Cleaned out some duplicates, renamed some etc. Still have a ways to go.  I have about 150 blocks I intend to narrow down to no more than 100.  Don't ask me how. Tell me instead.  Please. I've had a hard time deciding how I want to do this book. I've not done a block book before.  It'll be great for anyone that loves to do samplers.

My mind is always racing with quilts I want to do. I have probably 9 piles of fabric for 9 different quilts just sitting around this room waiting for me. I will pack away all but 2 or 3 now so I can focus on the next book. I  am also doing a new class at Spring Festival in Cincinnati in April that I have to prepare for. So putting those things away will mean less distraction.  But Maybe I can kinda kit up those piles first. Sound good?

Now for the Mystery.
At this point I intend to post one clue a week.  Normally that would  be agonizingly slow for me, but as I just mentioned, I will have plenty to do. I don't intend to delete these directions either, so at anytime, even after the mystery has been solved, anyone will be free to get them for free and make this quilt.  If you would like to print the directions, I would suggest that you simply highlight what you want to print then just "print selection".

Today, we will just cut some of the light background fabric.  The medium and dark fabrics needed are the triangles and strips listed last week. I showed you the fabric I planned to work with, but before I cut any fabric for a scrap quilt,  I go through my scrap boxes and find any that will work. I found a bunch of triangles.

So from the 1 3/4 yards light background fabric, cut:

2 strips, 4 3/4" x 42".  Crosscut just 13 squares, 4 3/4".  Trim the remainder of the last strip to
3 ½ inches and cut 4 squares, 3 ½" x 3 ½".

2 strips, 3 7/8" x 42".  Crosscut 12 squares, 3 7/8" x 3 7/8".  Cut each square in half diagonally to make 24 half-square triangles.

10 strips, 3.5" x 42". We will cut  pieces from these later.

I hope nobody needed a picture for that. Happy cutting.

Still a Mystery

I have gotten some more sewing done on the red and purple mystery quilt, this is the setting that I want to use. Except all of the pinwheels will use the purple segments, and all the corners will be red, but I need to make another decision. I'm thinking I might use some of the units for a pieced border rather than making more blocks with them, but we'll see, one step at a time. Sometimes I wish I could just follow a pattern. Instead of always coming up with something on my own. I think that's what slows me down.


I have several comfort quilts here that I want to finish up soon. I want them out of the way so that after I take the quilting classes at the machine quilt show in Milwaukee I will be ready to practice what I've learned. I am pretty excited about this show; I never have been to a show that focuses on machine quilting.

I'm going to post a few more quilts and/or tops for sale on the other page on this blog and then I think I'm going to go quilt. thanks for stopping by. Sew long,