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!