Thank You to Veterans

     My Sunday afternoon sewing was appropriate for the Memorial Day weekend.  I pieced this easy half-step bargello top in red, white and blue USA prints.

    I used Eleanor Burns method for half-step which does shorten the length; however, it eliminates any matching seams.  After sewing the strip sets and sub-cutting into strips, instead of picking out the seam to open the run for the bargello, you cut off the seam allowance of one strip.  For the next, you fold it and cut in the middle of the next fabric in the series.

I plan to add a simple border to frame it.

Have a safe Memorial Day and enjoy some sewing or quilting as you remember the service of military members.

Improv at Quilt Retreat and More

     The past week was busy and fun.  I joined sister Irene in the NC mountains for a quilt retreat. 

We did not see much of the mountains because of dense fog for a couple of days but we enjoyed sewing.

We had agreed to work on Score 1 ( “floating squares”) from the Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri L. Wood. You can find out more on her website here.

This is my piece thus far. I plan to add more and also try other scores from the book.

Here is my sister’s. Sorry the photo is a little blurry. Irene did all free-cutting with scissors (no ruler or rotary cutter).

The morning after arriving home, I headed to GA and Lily’s ballet demonstration.  Here the girls are showing off some ballet moves in new dresses I made them.

I am looking forward to spending more time with them this summer.  

Have fun sewing and quilting!

Preparing Leader/Ender Sewing

     I have pieced 10 blocks I’m calling “4 and 4 patch” and ran out of the block kits I had put together.  Next week I am going with my sister on a quilting retreat in the mountains and want to have more kits ready for leader/ender sewing so I spent time today putting together 20 more block kits. 

If you are not familiar with Bonnie Hunter’s Leader/Ender technique, please check out her post.  Chain piecing is wonderful but sometimes you will not have anything from the current project to go under the needle.  That is when you grab a leader/ender kit that you have prepared.  I love how it keeps you from having loose threads and you can get so much more accomplished in the same amount of time.   

    While on the retreat my sister and I plan to try out Score One (Floating Squares) from Sherri Lynn Wood’s book, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters. You can find more info about it on Sherri’s webpage.  I started to pull from my stash the 3 fabrics I will need.

   Yesterday I sewed a dress for my older granddaughter.  She requested a fabric flower on it so that was today’s project. 

The flower is made from many layers of folded circles stitched together.

Enjoy at least a few minutes of sewing or quilting.

Weekend of Piecing

     I enjoyed a Mother's Day brunch prepared by son Will and weekend soccer games for each granddaughter.  I also found time to piece blocks for a couple of scrappy projects.  A couple of years ago I made a class sample with black, white and red.  With a few blocks left as orphans and some improvisational piecing with the scraps plus a couple of paper-pieced hearts from another class, I now have 20 blocks.  Here is the layout so far.

I may move a couple of blocks, then add a scrappy red and black border and call it complete.

   I also pieced these 7 scrappy anvil blocks (inspired by a quilt by Victoria Findlay Wolfe).  I think that gives me 20 blocks.  I am planning to use scrappy sashing.

Have some fun piecing and quilting!

Making Best Use of Time Sewing

        I am at my home away from home for a few days visiting family. I still like to have sewing projects to work on.   I finished this top for a kid’s comfort quilt.

 I pieced the blocks as a leader/ender project. I saw the design on http://thewayisewit.blogspot.com/ where she made her version of "Joy in the Morning" quilt pattern by Gayle Bong. I used my stash of 3 ½” scrap squares. I did not plan the pressing of seams and wish I had.

       Another leader/ender project is these squares.

I do not have a name for the blocks but I’ll call them “4 and 4 patches”. ! I like how the block goes together with typical 4 patch pressing for matching seams.

I also have crumbs to sew with and will play to create some more bright made-fabric squares for another project.
 Enjoy a few minutes of sewing or quilting!