Watermelon Picnic

Our guild has an annual show the third weekend of May so April is usually focused heavily on finishing everything. For this reason the end of May always feels a bit like the start of a new school year. One of my favorite parts of the quilt show (besides all the beautiful quilts) is the rummage sale. I found a set of templates for doing a block that I'm calling a double drunkards path. The first workshop I ever took was for the drunkards path, and I've loved the block since that moment. (Remember the Penguins on Parade quilt?) 

The templates reminded me of watermelon slices, and I happened to have a watermelon table runner kit in my stash. I love those impulse purchases that leave you questioning what you were thinking after you get home. Thankfully it was perfect for trying out this new template.

I've been working on improving my FMQ skills so I decided to work on my stippling for this quilt. However it's still my quilt so there needs to be some whimsy which I accomplished with this little ant tucked in among the watermelon slices. 

Bloomin' Onion

Recently on facebook on of my friends asked how frequently we listen to our inner quilter voices. I replied that I my inner quilter voice is loudest at 4a.m. Usually I can ignore it for a couple of hours and then write down my ideas when I'm ready to be awake. This quilt was different. After months of struggling with different ideas for the paint chip quilt I woke up one morning with a full design in my head. I love the drunkard's path blocks and the 7" size go together really fast so a few hours later I had this stack ready to go.

This idea wouldn't let me sleep so I found myself sewing a couple of hours before work each day and was finished with the top on Wednesday. Friday afternoon I found a great backing fabric and variegated pink thread and was back to work on this quilt the next morning. After basting the quilt I traced a spool of thread in the center to give me a circle to follow. I used my darning foot for the first few rounds and then switched to my walking foot. I did pick out my first attempt. The second attempt isn't as perfect as I want, but its pretty good for my first time doing circular quilting.

March in Iowa is very brown and muddy so I didn't want to lay this quilt on the ground. Spring (at least green grass) usually shows up over the course of a week and I was hoping for that to happen. I held out until yesterday afternoon when we were struck by a blizzard. Another quilter on facebook encouraged me not to let the forecast cancel my plans so after work I headed out with the quilt. I don't think she meant I was supposed to take pictures during the blizzard, but I kind of like all of the snow on the quilt.

My husband and I went out last weekend for my first attempt at photographing this quilt. There wasn't any snow, but the wind proved to be a challenge. Thankfully I was able to get one shot that showed the whole quilt (and is snow free!)

When I got inside from the blizzard photo shoot I hung the quilt in our hall to dry. I love how quilts will naturally drape themselves into beautiful arrangements. You can see the red onion fabric I used for the backing and binding and understand why this quilt has been named, "Bloomin' Onion."

Bloomin' Onion

original pattern

Kona Solids

56"x56"

Think Pink

I can't remember if I've mentioned my quilt guild's challenge this year or not. This year (at least as far as the challenge goes) is all about color. I was so excited when it came time to sign up for committees and I got to be on the challenge committee. Even more exciting was no one signed up at first so I didn't have to argue convince anyone that the paint chip challenge was the way to go. (One of the other members has joined the committee which will be really nice when it comes to setting up the quilts at the show, but she loved the paint chip challenge so I still got to go ahead with it.) 

My goal with this challenge was to let everyone have fun so there aren't a lot of rules. I think it confused some people at first because they'd ask questions and my answer was usually to shrug and say do what they want. In September everyone got to pick a paint chip to use as a color pallet for a quilt. (I debated putting the paint chips in an envelop, but I knew I wanted to pick mine and it didn't seem fair not to let everyone else choose their colors too.) The rules are to use at least three colors from our paint chips and we have the option of adding a neutral like white, black or grey. We can use prints provide all of the colors in our print follow our paint chip's color scheme. We have the option of designing our own quilt or using an existing pattern.  We're showing the completed quilts at our meeting in April so time is really running out on my quilt. This is the paint chip I chose.

I'm ordered some solids from Fat Quarter and discovered that my monitor isn't very accurate when it displays colors. The colors work together pretty well, but I'm worried about the two darker pinks not matching the paint chip very well. I do know where the paint chips came from so I could go find one with more pinks, or I might just let it be. It's somewhat hard to tell, but the lightest color is a very pale pink (surprisingly that one is an accurate match to my paint chip.) I've debated a few blocks, but I finally decided to keep it simple. Last winter I took a workshop on the drunkard's path block and fell in love. These blocks finish at 7" so it's going together pretty quickly. Next weekend I'm going on an overnight retreat with some ladies from my guild and I hope to finish up this quilt.

In honor of today's pink theme I decided I'd also share a picture of the tulips that are on my kitchen table. We still have a fair bit of snow outside so I've really loved seeing this promise of spring every morning when I wake up.

Penguins on Parade

This post has been a very long time coming. Last winter I took a workshop on piecing the drunkard's path. Not being satisfied with any of the patterns I found I chose to create my own. After a great deal of encouragement and support from the women in my guild and the readers of my blog I have finally published my penguin quilt pattern! 

I can't believe how many penguins decorations I've seen this year. I love that the penguins in this quilt aren't Christmas themed so it's a quilt that can stay out all winter. The blocks for this quilt are 14" making for fast assembly. If you've never made a drunkard's path before don't panic. It's a very easy block and I walk you through how to assemble the sizes for both the penguins and the fish.

I've included a link to my pattern store on my sidebar or you can go here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/penguins-on-parade/78070?_ct=iuqhsx-kdyluhiqb-huikbj-fqjjuhd&_ctp=78070. 

Penguin Quilt

My brilliant plan of sharing Writer's Block on the blog in order to focus on it more has failed miserably. This week I've gotten distracted by efforts to get my Penguin Quilt pattern finished by the end of September. I'm debating whether I should leave the corners angled or if I should make the quilt square all the way around.

I'm also struggling to come up with a name for this pattern. I want something a little more unique than "Penguin Quilt" but the name still needs to attract attention (and hopefully sales.) The finished pattern will include directions for the 60" square throw and a table runner featuring two of the penguins. Currently I plan to publish this pattern with Craftsy, and I'm looking for other sites to publish with.

It's crazy that in the middle of a major heat wave there is still enough wind to keep me from hanging the quilt on the line. This shot doesn't really show off the quilt, but it makes the penguins look like they're flying! Too cute not to share.

SPQG 2013 Quilt Show part 2 (and some sneak peeks)

This is the second half of my pictures for the quilt show. (There were many more beautiful quilts, but if I share everything I'll be posting quilt show pictures all year.)

It's hard to tell in the picture, but lots of the accent pieces have touches of color. 

Not Quite Black and White by Natalie Brummel

Virg made this quilt when her brother retired from the Post Office. It honors his years as a mail carrier and his military service in Korea. 

(This quilt won member's choice.)

May America Always Be Free by Virg Oordt

Mary graduated with her Master of Science in Nursing this year. 

She made this quilt to hang in her exam room. 

Dragonflies in the Office by Mary De Young

This is one of the quilts from our Winter Workshop. 

Dancing Daisies by Mary Zagaeski

These are three of the challenge quilts this year. In order to encourage people to vote for the best quilt rather than their family or friend's quilt these are unlabeled aside from their voting number. 

(Out of the Box was my entry into this category.)

Finally here's a sneak peak of this summer's year's new quilts.

The first time I saw Comma I knew it would be perfect for my husband. After talking with him he came up with the name "Writer's Block" and I've come up with a pattern to match the name.

I'm joining Kathi from Design Originals by KC for her hand quilt along. This is going to be a memory quilt in honor of my puppy. I plan on machine piecing blocks from the light fabric and then hand appliqueing paw prints with the rainbow blocks.  

SPQG 2013 Quilt Show Part 1

Last weekend was the Sioux Prairie Quilt Guild's annual quilt show. I'm always in awe of what these ladies can do. I try to remember that they've been at this for longer than me and that my quilts are getting better, but there are days I feel like a fraud being in the same guild as these amazing women. They are very encouraging and remind me that before you can be an expert you have to be a beginner.

I'm very grateful that they let me take pictures to share here. (They actually laughed when I asked if it was okay, but I know some shows are more picky about those things.) I apologize for the picture heavy post, but it was extremely hard to choose which quilts to share.

First up is the finished Penguin Quilt top. Our backdrops our limited in height so the large quilts have to have their tops folded over. I think this is still one of the better pictures I'm going to get of this quilt.

Feeding Time by Kymberly Pease

Barn quilts are becoming very popular in our area. I love the idea of a quilt filled with barns with barn quilts on them.

Barn Quilt by Phyllis Van Peursem

I don't have a picture of it, but she used the extra blocks to make a cute chevron on the back.

Bright Zig Zag by Carolyn Elder

This one might look familiar. I thought I'd show everyone what Coffee Lover's Delight looks like when it isn't being blown about by wind or struggling to fit it all in the frame.

Coffee Lover's Delight by Kymberly Pease

My guild is lucky to have several hand-quilters. This quilt is by one of the women who inspires me to master this art form.  Right now the thought of hand-quilting a bed-sized quilt is daunting. Not only did she make this quilt, but she had several other large quilts in the show.

Lone Star by Mary Ellen Winter

A close up of the hand quilting.

 This quilt has 50 different shades of red in it! I can't imagine how long that search must have taken.

Red and White Pineapple by Mary Ellen Winter

Last week I shared my submission into last year's challenge to literally interpret a quilt block. This is the winning quilt.

Pineapple Quilt by Barb Tazelaar

Penguin and Fish eyes

I'm not sure why this step gave me so many problems. Okay that's a lie. This step gave me lots of problems because I've never done applique and for my first time doing it I decided to do pieces the size of buttons on the cuffs of dress shirts. I had originally planned to do a satin stitch around the edge of the eyes, but I discovered that of the many stitches my new sewing machine does a plain ordinary satin stitch is not one of them. Then I tried using a blanket stitch, but it didn't work with those stupid tiny pieces with my limited experience. Finally while watching Fons and Porter they did an episode with applique using a darning foot and a simple straight stitch.

After a month trying to figure out how to do the eyes it took about an hour to do the stitching on all of my eyes. I prefer working with smaller pieces so I added the eyes before assembling the blocks. It takes a little more attention when completing the blocks, but only one fish was mutated in the process.

 It is optional to do the eyes before or after assembling the blocks. The penguin beaks however are pieced and need to be added prior to sewing up the penguin blocks. I cut small squares, drew a line down the middle, and  sewed to the shallow side of the line. I struggled to get my beaks to line up when folded so I nudged the edge a bit over the side of the penguin blocks and then trimmed the excess.

I've known all along that my drunkard's path blocks would produce penguins and fish, but there's a certain level of excitement that comes from seeing the finished blocks and knowing that my plan actually worked.

Some of the ladies in my quilt guild are encouraging me to write up this pattern. I think once the quilt is finished I'll work to create a pattern for a baby quilt. It probably won't be ready in time for the May quilt show, but when I have it finished I'll be sure to share it here.

Linking up here:

Drunkard's Path Sewing Guide part 2

Last week I showed how to make the 7.5" drunkard's path blocks for my penguin quilt. This week I'm going to show you how to make the 3.5" block. (Please note that the block I showed you last week uses the same techniques you'll use for the larger blocks, but was for a separate quilt. In the penguin quilt the 7.5" blocks are penguins and the 3.5" blocks are fish.)

The technique for the smaller block is fairly similar to the ones used for the larger block, but there are a few differences. Since the block is so small there's no need to pin at the middle. The horseshoe piece goes on bottom and the pie piece goes on top. Begin by matching up the starting ends and doing a few stitches.

 Just like with the larger block, straighten out the block as you sew so that when the seam passes under the needle it's a straight line. You'll tug the top piece a little to make this happen, but be careful about tugging too much. Because the curve is cut on the bias it has a lot of stretch and your ends won't match if you tug too much.

Because of the size of these blocks getting the two pieces lined up was a challenge at the end. I found a pair of tweezers were great for finishing out the seams. (Some of the ladies at the workshop used tweezers on the bigger blocks too, but I didn't find that to be necessary.)

Alternate the direction you press so that your seams will nest. (I pressed the tail and head towards the white and the back and belly towards the blue.) This block hasn't been stitched but it gives you an idea of how the fish will look.

Since I neglected to share my penguins last week here's one of them. Four fish blocks equal one penguin.

Drunkard's Path Sewing Guide part 1

The technique for sewing the 7.5" blocks and 3.5" blocks are slightly different. At the workshop our teacher began with the larger block so I'm going to start with that one. There is a little bit of a learning curve with sewing curves, but just go slow and the method will click pretty quickly. Unfortunately I was too caught up in figuring out what I was doing to remember to take pictures. Luckily one of the guys I work for celebrated his 60th birthday over the weekend and he just happens to love fish. I decided to make him a wall hanging featuring the drunkard's path fish. 

The first step is to fold the pie piece and horse shoe piece in half and finger press a small crease at the top.

Match up the two creases and pin.

Our quilt teacher taught us that we only need the one pin in the middle that moves to the end half way through sewing. I found it easier to have both pins in place right from the start. (I've seen tutorials online that use a lot more pins than this, but it's really not necessary.)

One of the major secrets of sewing the drunkard's path block is having the horseshoe side down. (I think of it as iron horseshoes weigh more than a piece of pie so they sink to the bottom. Please note that from this point on the horse shoe is in the red fabric and the pie is blue.)

When sewing this block, pull the seam so that it's straight when it's fed through the needle. You will pull the top piece a little to make sure that they match up in the middle. Make sure that the fabric going under the needle is flat and smooth. Puckers will keep your seam from laying flat and won't look good in the finished quilt. (It's a good idea to cut a few extra pieces. This is a more challenging block and you're going to mess up the seam allowance and sew puckers. A seam ripper is good for the first mistake, but the third time ripping out the seam it's easier to just start over.) 

I found that these blocks come out much more wrinkled than when I sew squares or triangles, but ironing will fix everything.

Ironing rules are the basic quilting ones. Alternate pressing seams towards the pie or towards the horseshoe, going towards the dark when possible. Ordinarily when I iron I don't use anything special, but for this block I found best press makes a huge difference in how these blocks look.

I added half square triangles to make this wall hanging size (it finishes 20"x20".) My machine has a cool stitch that looks like waves and was perfect for quilting. On the penguin quilt I did applique eyes, but since there's only one fish and this isn't going on a bed I used a button for the eye. 

I've named this quilt "The Big One."