Happy New Year! Got one more quilt done in 2020!

 I hope everyone had a happy Christmas, and I wish everyone a happy New Year.  

We got a lot accomplished in 2020.  It was a good year to stay home and quilt.  We also invented novel ways of enjoying each others' company while social distancing.  Before last March, social distancing was not even a thing.  We are all looking forward to 2021, and soon, Jane will be posting her annual "Jane's January Tutorial".  Jane and I are hanging out this New Year's Eve.  She finally completed the quilt she started in 2019 "Jane's January Tutorial", Session 1, Part A and B, January 12 and 20 consecutively.  Boy, that was a mouthful.  She quilted it last week and has since been hand-sewing the binding on.  

She sure milked getting this one done. It is a sixteen-patch, on-point, design.  Remember, you can click on the photo to make it larger, so you can see the details.   Also, to see how to make this quilt, see the Archive to the left?  Click on 2019 and find the January posts, where Jane is really knocking out the tutorials.  The best to all of you in 2021, from Kirsten, Jane, Marsha, Astrid, and Willow.

Quadruple Sixteen Patch Quilt

This is Astrid, posting.  My friend C finally finished a quilt that began, for her, as a quilt top she purchased at an antique sale.  She paid $20.00 for the quilt top that had blocks that were hand-pieced, which were then sewed to each other on a sewing machine.  It has bandana fabrics surrounding sixteen-patch blocks.  She purchased some bandana yardage to use to complete the quilt.  She did get it finished, and I like the scrappy yet sharp look of it.  Then, last week, guess what came in the mail?  I got some samples of a new line from Benartex fabrics.  I whacked them into 2 1/2 " strips and sewed them together, then cut them in half, then switched them around and sewed them back together to get some cute four-patch blocks.  Then, I put the four-patches together in groups of sixteen, to make my own sixteen patch blocks, not unsimilar from the ones in C's bandana quilt. 

I did sew the borders around each patch in the equal-length frames fashion.  I used four 10" strips to make the borders (or sashing) around my blocks.  I left a bit unsewed on the end of the first strip.  Then I worked around my block, sewing on the other 10" strips, until all I had to do was finish sewing down the first strip, so the last strip butted up against the first strip.  This makes a pleasing balanced finish to each block.  It is not as noticeable with a small, all-over print or solids, but it is with fabrics that have a row design or stripes.  

I went over to Jane's for a visit and she helped me hang my finished quilt on her design wall, and she took this nice photo. 

Session 1, Part B, of Jane's January Tutorials

Jane here!  We got the labor intensive bit done last session.  Here is the fun part! 

See how there are four empty square spaces in the middle of this layout?  Measure your finished blocks and cut four blocks, of that same size, to go in between these blocks.

Then cut a strip of fabric from the same background fabric, but make it one inch bigger than the width of the four blocks you just cut.  [For example, if the blocks on your design wall are 4 1/2 inches X 4 1/2 inches, then the strip of background you cut, needs to be 5 1/2 inches wide.  Cut six 5 1/2 X 5 1/1 inch blocks from that.]

Then you need to cut that strip into six blocks, that you will then cut from corner to corner, diagonally, to make the twelve triangles you need for the rest of the quilt top. 

Look at this photo and think about the quilt being sewed in rows, just like any other quilt, except you have to tilt your head to see the rows.  Tilt your head to the left.

You can place all the background blocks on your design wall, to see how it looks.  Then you better get those rows sews into rows!

In this photo you can see I divided the quilt top into rows.  I started at the upper left row and sewed the triangles on both sides of the sixteen patch block, then I pressed the seams away from the sixteen patch.  If you press all the seams "away" from the sixteen patch, then they will line up and snuggle in when you sew the rows to one another.  You only have five rows to get sewed into rows. 

When you get to the part where you want to sew the top left, and bottom right triangles on, lay the triangle with the outer tip face down and centered on the seam in the center of the sixteen patch block, and the edge on the edge of the row.  Now it is centered and you can sew it to the outer corner bit of the quilt top.  One you have all the rows sewed to each other and the two remaining corners sewed on, you can square up the quilt top. 

This looks great! Now all I have to do is add  border.  I think it needs one!  I want one of the reds that is in this quilt top, as a border.  I think I will put the background fabric as corner stones in the border to give it a little more detail . . . . let's have a look . . .

This is the completed quilt top! Tada!

Check back in about a week, and we will begin on the second quilt top.  We will be using the left over sections of sewed-together strips (those sections of four) to make a rail fence quilt top. 

Jane's Sixteen Patch Quilt is Complete

Jane has finished her sixteen patch quilt.  If you look back to the October 11 post, you will see she was trying to determine what color of fabric to use for the sashing/background.  Marsha found some red and white fabric in her stash that she gave to Jane. Jane decided to go with the red, instead of one of the three she auditioned in October.  This is busy and bright, yet fabulous. 

I think everyone, except Astrid, has jumped on the knock-your-eyes out colors for their quilts.  I (Kirsten) am working on a churn dash quilt top that again has bright colors.  The four of us enjoy getting together and quilting.  We will keep you posted on our quilting adventures.

Sixteen Patch Quilt In Progress

No kidding.  Jane has a sixteen patch quilt in progress.  She is currently auditioning fabrics for the sashing between the blocks.  Here is what she has so far.  If anyone wants to weigh-in on which they think looks the best, please do so.  I am having a wee taddy bit of trouble with the blog program not allowing me to make comments or reply to comments posted.  I hope someday they get that fixed.
Here are the choices:

Yellow with cherries sashing

Blue and white plaid

Gray with tiny red flowers

  I am partial to the gray with red, but Jane likes the blue and white plaid. I say it is too much r, w, & b.  Astrid likes both, and Marsha is leaning toward the yellow.  What this means is we need some help.  Jane does not want to go to buy more fabric at the fabric shop.  She is trying to use what she already has on hand.  I get that, but sometimes, you just have to get what looks right, and you may not have it on hand.  But that is just me, Kirsten.