What's on the Design Wall in December?

I saw this cool looking quilt somewhere.  It was a simple design of crosses in squares.  I decided I wanted to make one, especially since I have so many lovely fabrics to mix and match with.  I tried to use a nice combination of small prints, large prints, and solids.  It has been a lot of fun messing around with all these colors.

This is the entire bunch of blocks on the design wall.  They have not been sewed together.  I want them to look random and scrappy, so I think I will just stick with this layout.  My eye is happy.   I like them this way so much, I almost don't want to square them up to a bit smaller size, but I have my trusty square ruler already to trim them down to size.  After I trim them down, I will sew them together in rows, then sew the rows to each other.  I am not going to put a border on this one.  It will be perfect without borders.  This is Kirsten, showing you my latest work in progress.

Astrid's Kawandi Quilt

Astrid has been extremely busy these last couple of months.  Astrid really like's making quilts that represent different cultures.  She recently went to a retreat where she met another quilter who had an amazing quilt.  She said it was a Kawandi quilt.  Astrid had taken her big box of scraps, to the retreat, so this quilt was easy to make while she was at the retreat.  

Of course, Jane was over for a visit, and she put on the new outfit that Astrid made for her.  Wow! Those rose-colored overalls and striped shirt fit her perfectly.  Jane love's her new outfit.  Jane was really impressed with Astrid's Kawandi quilt, too.  Astrid said there are lots of websites and blogs about Kawandi quilts, if you are interested.  Apparently, Kawandi is an India quilt style that was brought to India by Africans, who call their style of quilting Siddi.   If you need to write a research paper, this is a great topic, and a great way to learn about another style of quilting!

Now, Jane has a dilemma.  She cannot decide which quilting style to teach in her upcoming January tutorial; Hachi or Kawandi.

Marsha's Coin Quilt

Something we quilters come to realize, sooner or later, is every time we make a quilt, we also make scraps.  Marsha has been trying to get all our scraps under control, but it seems like a futile activity.  She used some scraps to make a lovely coin quilt.  

Astrid helped Marsha hold up the quilt for a photo.  It is lovely and very scrappy.  Marsha said she is going to do another scrappy quilt with chunks of fabric scraps, the way Karen Brown shows in one of her videos about how to make an ugly quilt.  The funny thing is if you use the right scraps, they turn into lovely quilts, instead.  That is just one more thing we have learned about the magic of quilt making.

Tomato Tree Orchard Quilt

Since I sold my wonky house quilt, that I put in The Fair, I had to make a new wonky house quilt.  I decided to make the trees with this lovely tomato fabric that I only have a little bit of.  I don't know where I got it.  I also made two wonky houses: one with a family of chickens, and the other with a family of bunny rabbits.  I just completed it last night.

I think I can make up a story about them.  Two families that live in a little place called Tomato Tree Orchard. 

Adventurers' Return

Kirsten and I have been off camping with C and P (and Ebony, the kitty) in their amazing RV.  We went up to Lafferty Campground for a couple of days of relaxation.  Then we left there and drove over to Brownlee Reservoir, where we stayed at Woodhead Park.  We had so much fun hiking and picking sun flowers.

We enjoyed climbing on the rocks at the reservoir's edge; they were exposed when the water level went down.  The beach there is very rocky.  We had grilled hot dogs and chili and other yummy camp stuff.

In this photo you can see the RV on the hill behind us.

It is major alright to have a nice RV to collapse in after a busy day outside at the reservoir.

Sewing While Kirsten and Jane are Off Camping Somewhere

Greetings!  Astrid here.  Jane and Kirsten have gone camping with friends C & P.  While they are gone, I am making a pair of overalls for Jane.  I already made a pair for Kirsten, and she said they were perfect for camping.  I have altered my overalls pattern a little bit, so the Jane overalls will look a little different from Kirsten's.  I am using the same mauve denim on both pairs, just different linings and accents.  

This is how Jane's overalls look so far.  I hand-sewed the heart on the front.  To make a heart, you just cut two identical heart shapes, then sew them together with right sides facing.  Then pull the front and back apart with your fingers and snip, with your scissors, a little slit, on the side you do not want facing out.  Then, you pull the heart right-side-out, through the slit and press.  Oh yeah, clip those curves before you turn the shape right-side-out.  You have a heart.  I decided not to machine sew it on, as it would look tacky, so I hand sewed it.  This pair is fully lined, so I cut two sets of every piece, one set from the mauve, and another set from the plaid lining.   I don't know if I will have them done, by the time Jane and Kirsten return.  I think they will be cute!  

Once they are complete, I will post instructions.  I have to muddle my way through and get the lining part correct, before I go posting instructions.  Smile!

Astrid Completes Her Hachi Quilt

Astrid worked very hard on her Hachi quilt.  She used mostly Japanese fabrics and her favorite fabric from South Korea (the big flower print with green background).  

She included unexpected visitors, and she did not back-stitch on her stitch-in-the-ditch, but left long threads at the beginnings and ends, so she could tie knots in each thread and pull it inside the quilt.  She said, "it took forever!"  She really wants it to be perfect.  

She also read about the tailor's clapper, and how to make the Japanese binding, which is called "end-cap facings."  That is why it appears to have no binding.  The joining of the front and back is on the exact edge of the quilt.  She did not have a clapper, so she used the handle of one of our hardwood cooking spatulas.  Astrid thinks that did the job, but when she gets her clapper, in the mail, she is going to press the edges again.

Kirsten Enjoys "The Fair"

Greetings!  We just got back from The Fair.  It was so exciting!  I won a first-place ribbon on my "Escape to the Country" quilt.

I posed, while C took my photograph.  Then we looked at all the other quilts and sat and talked with a lady that was spinning wool into yarn.  

This quilt by Ms. Griffin, is one of my favorites.

This is another of my favorites. It is by Ms. Mosley and has hand-quilting and a beaver-rabbit!

Just chillin' in the Home Arts Department, on a Thursday night.

Kuna Days Parade 2023

This is the third time we have been in the Kuna Days Parade.  We get invited by the Piecemakers of Idaho to join them, when they do the parade.  It is so much fun waving at everyone.  We were between Idaho Central Credit Union and the Challenger Chicks, this year.  

The theme, this year, is "Out of This World", so there were lots of space aliens about today.  We just had out-of-this-world quilts!

It was so much fun to see all the people involved in the parade and how they decorated, and to see all the people who came to watch the parade.  Everybody had a fun time.  What a great way to spend a Saturday morning in August.

Using My Japanese Fabrics

Hi! Astrid here.  Jane invited me over to see her amazing Hachi quilt.  I love it!  So, I have borrowed her book, and I am in the process of making my own.  I dragged out all my Japanese fabrics and picked the pink sushi-panda fabric, a large floral, and the Mt Fuji with polar bears fabric.  C gave me some fabric to use as the unexpected visitor.  I am still messing about with the layout, on my design wall.  It needs tweaking, before I sew my blocks to one another.

The final version will have 30 blocks in it.  At this point, I am not liking how the pink is put up here.  Too much pink?  Not spread around enough?  I will play with it some more, then move on to making the backing and the quilt sandwich.  I love sandwiches!

Hachi Quilting Is a Japanese Form of Design and Creativity

Astrid and I have been reading about Hachi quilts.  We are each making one.  Of course, Astrid has this big collection of Japanese and Korean fabrics.  I shopped in her stash, and I picked out a Japanese fabric with parasols in maroon, green, and gold.  Astrid also contributed my background fabric, which is not a solid, but is white with light green paisley, which acts like a solid in my composition.

I really enjoyed making this quilt.  I quilted it myself, using the stitch-in-the-ditch method.  The book we used for guidance is called East-Meets-West Quilts, by Patricia Belyea.  I have decided my next Jane's January Tutorial is going to be about Hachi quilts.  Of course, you do not have to use Japanese fabrics.  You can use any large print fabric and pair it with a solid.  Our friend, C, has bold garish fabrics that look amazing in Hachi quilts.  I think pairing them up with solids, is what really makes these quilts pop.  

Escape to the Country!

Kirsten here.  I have been enjoying my spring, and I have found some lively colors to put into a quilt with country houses and trees.  The house on the upper left has a fox as a landlord, and he rents out the upstairs to a family of seven cats.  The fox house has a thatched roof.  A family of chickens live in the lower right house, which is quite roomy and has excellent views of the scenic countryside.  In the field next door is a herd of cows, who have a wonderful purple flowering tree to rest under.  

I wanted to use the solid dark-pink-punch colored fabric for the binding, but did not have enough.  I alternated it with the fox house fabric to make a more interesting, fun, binding.  Shortages spark creativity!  I like having all those flowers in the blue sky.

This is the most fun quilt I have made in a while.  I want to make another!

Marsha Reports

Greetings!  Marsha here.  Let's talk about construction!  As I was out and about today, I swung by the new location of JK Quilts in Meridian.  Their new building is under construction and due to be completed by the end of July.  They plan on moving to the new location in August. 

Look at this!  The roof is on and the outside walls up.  I was so impressed, I had to stop by their current location and buy some Lori Holt fabrics, which happen to be on sale.  What an exciting day in Meridian! Time to construct some quilts!

Tumblers Quilt

Astrid completed her wedge quilt, which may be called a tumblers quilt.  We don't know.  They look like wedges to me.  Kirstin's cousin said they looked like lava lamps.  With the multitude of fabrics she used, it looks pretty awesome, no matter what it is called.  If you know your multiplications, then you can multiply the number of blocks across by the number of blocks down and determine how many blocks are in Astrid's quilt.  

Although Astrid cut a lot of those blocks out quickly, she slowed down in the process to get everything just right.  She is looking to put it in a quilt show this coming fall.  She carefully stitched-in-the-ditch, using her walking foot, so her stitching is more straight than not, and trying to avoid starts and stops in the body of the quilt.  She did have a few problems with not keeping it in the ditch, so she had to leave long threads on and rip out the bad part, then tied a knot in the thread, then thread it on a needle, so she could pull it all under the top fabric (make it not be seen).  What a pain!  It is so much more fun to just do it without thinking about it being perfect for a show.  This is Marsha signing off!

Wedge Quilt Under Way

No sooner had Astrid and I finished up that last quilt, Astrid has a whole other one up on the design wall.  When exactly did she cut all those wedges, anyway?  She won an acrylic wedge-shaped ruler at a quilting retreat last year, and now she is giving it the work out.

She sewed them together in sets of two then arranged them on our amazing black design wall.  I think the bottom couple of rows are actually sewed to each other, but the top mass is not.  She is still deciding if each row needs two more wedge shapes.  I guess I will just make a strip quilt, so I won't need the design wall.  Over and out, Marsha.

Ta-da! Astrid and I Completed a Quilt!

Our collaboration quilt is completed!  Marsha here.  It looks great and we are happy with it.  If you compare the finished quilt with the photos in the previous post you may notice, or not, that one strip of fabric in the center block has been changed.  We ripped it out and replaced it with a strip not as blue/green as all the other ones surrounding it.  Astrid may be a little bit anal.  

We have no idea what this pattern is called.  We think it is a modified courthouse steps quilt.  We hope you like it as much as we do.

If you have not tried sewing different pieces of fabrics together to see how they look, you should try it.  It could be a pillow cover or a placemat.  It does not have to be a quilt.  See you next time!

We Lost Something . . . Where Did It Go?

How did that happen?  We lost the month of February of 2023!!  We will never see it again.  Things are just happening, then the next thing we know it is March, and we had not managed to post anything in February!  I guess after helping Jane with her amazing tutorial, we all just got back to our own stuff.  We all apologize.  Marsha and I (Astrid) are actually doing some collaborative quilting (that means working together).  Below are photos of it in the design stage, which is where we are today.

These blocks are rectangular. They start out like courthouse steps, then the final round is sewn in the off-set frames fashion.  We have been thinking we are making the blocks too big, but too late now.  

They are on our design wall, which we made out of foam core board that we covered in black flannel.  The blocks really pop on that black.  We have four more blocks to sew together, then we can sew the blocks to each other, etc.  Our goal is to get it all completed by the end of March.  I am telling Marsha, we should probably make another one of these with wonky blocks and some solid black backgroundishness.

Jane's January Tutorial

It is January again!  I am Jane, and I am going to show you how to make a "Quilt-As-You-Go" quilt using strips of fabric.  It is a quick and easy quilt.  As I piece the strips together, I will be quilting the quilt at the very same time.  I think this really saves on thread!

The first step in making a quilt, is to decide on numerous things.  You have to stop and think about what fabrics you have, and which ones you want to put into your creation.  I thought I knew which ones I wanted, but after I sewed the first three strips on, I changed my mind and had to do a little more auditioning before I could continue.  Enough about that now.

First, I decided how large I wanted my quilt to be.  Then, I cut out the backing for my quilt.  Yep, you do this first.  Then cut your batting to be just a little bit smaller than the backing.

Place your backing fabric face-down on your work surface.  Place the batting on top of the wrong-side of the backing fabric.  Either pin or use spray basting adhesive to secure the batting to the backing fabric.  I use spray basting adhesive.  Safety pins work just fine.

I know I want to use that amazing multi-colored fabric in this quilt, so I will choose other fabrics to go with it using the colors that are in my top choice fabric. 

Since you know how wide your batting is, you can cut some strips to audition on your laid-out backing/batting.  Just lay the strips on there and rearrange them how you like.  Remember, a quarter of an inch on either side of the strips will be sewed into the seam allowance, so overlap your strips, a little, so you can kind of gauge how many you will need.

This is what I thought I liked, but then I noticed there is no yellow in my top choice fabric.  It has a gold, but no yellow.  I also decided it did not have enough pop in it, so I tried some of the hot pink that is in my top choice fabric.

Hmmmmm.

I rummaged around and found some gold tone fabric and decided some red would give it the pop, along with more strips of my top choice fabric.  Instead of only three strips, I put in five strips of my multi-colored fabric.  The bottom row strip, I decided to piece, using the cut-off ends of some of the other fabric strips.

Time for constructing this amazing creation:

Using a Sharpie marker and your long ruler draw, a line down the side of your batting.  Place it parallel to the left edge, about a half-inch from the edge.  You will line-up all your strips on this line.  If you do not draw a line, you could end up with your strips straggling back and forth, which is okay, if you want to chop a lot of your quilt sides off, when you square it up at the end.  I don't want my quilt to be any smaller than I have already decided on.  Use a Sharpie, because the Friction pen's marks disappear when you press the strips outward.  

Lay all your strips, in order, off to the side of your backing/batting part.  Chose the two strips in center of your layout, because you are starting in the center and working in one direction, then working in the other direction. Shown above are my two center strips.

Line up with the line. Place the one on top of the other, right sides together.  Pin them to secure them, along the lower edge.  Tip:  I have always pinned to make sure the fabrics do not shift as I sew them together.  Yes, I run over my pins, and it has not been a problem.  I was taught to do it that way in school.  See the next photo to see where the seam was sewn.

You sew through both fabric strips, the batting, and the backing, all at once.

Press the lower strip away from the upper strip (the colorful one away from the blue one).  Then lay your next strip on top of the colorful one and sew it down.

Continue placing strips on, sewing them down, and pressing them away from the other strips.

At this point, the last strip on this end has been sewn down and pressed.  Rotate your project around so the marked line is now on the right-hand side as you look at your project.  

This is the half-way finished mark!  Take the next strip and lay it on the one in the center and continue sewing, pressing, and pinning strips on. 

Keep going!

The last strip is sewed on.  Notice it is wider than the others?  I did that on purpose, so it will reach as far as I want it to, then I can trim the excess off.  Now, it gets pressed out, just like the rest.

The top is trimmed off straight.  Square up the other three sides of your quilt.  

I have squared up my quilt.  It has nice straight edges on all four sides.  It is sewn together and is all quilted!

Go ahead and put a seam on the edge of the top and bottom strips, to keep them from flopping about.  This will make it nicer when you put on the binding. 

This is the back of the quilt.  You can see the quilting here.  Because you press each strip over, after you sewed the seams, the quilting is not seen on the front of the quilt.  It is like magic!

Now all you have to do is make some binding strips and sew on the binding, and your quilt is finished.

Ta-Da!

                            Quilt-as-you-go Variations

I made a quilt-as-you-go quilt last July.  I placed all the strips on an angle.  I still started in the center and worked toward the bottom, then worked toward the top to complete it.  I used strips of different widths, that had more than one fabric pieced to make each strip.  I made long strips and sewed them down, then trimmed them off.

I love this quilt.  Click on the photo and it will enlarge, so you can see the details and fabrics better.

My friend, C, made this quilt-as-you-go quilt.  She cut her strips so that they left about four inches on the left and right edges.  She sewed the strips in the middle section, just like I showed you how.  Then she made long strips for each side, made from pieced half-square triangles.  She sewed the side strips on and pressed them out, just the same.  Looking at it, you would never guess it was pieced/quilted the same way.

I hope you learned a lot from this tutorial.  Please, leave me a comment!