Category: Creating

Creating

Lollypop Tree Block Three

Elizabeth E.2 Comments

Yep–I made it to Friday!  Here’s Lollypop Tree Block Three, on a yellow check.  I’m discovering that the more I do these, and am familiar with the different swoops and swirls of the fabric stash I have, the easier it is.  I learned on this block the importance of contrast–light against dark–as well as the idea of balancing geometric/angular designs against the curvilinear/floral designs.  I was kind of worried about that upper middle flower petal.  Although I like the rosebud is intriguing, it does look washed out in the above photo.  It’s a little less so in the real-life version, however.  It cracks me up how many circles I’ve had to make.

Block One has 4 ovals and 27 circles.
Block Two has 2 ovals and 33 circles.
This block has only (!) 2 ovals and 15 circles.  This was faster to lay out and faster to sew.

Total Circle Count: 75 thus far.

I have to say, I really like the softer yellows and the hot pinks.  Making these blocks gives me a chance to explore the world of color in a new way.

And P.S. My husband calls this the Avatar quilt, after all the strange vegetation shown in that movie.  (A botanist at our local university was the consultant, so we feel we have a home-grown tie to all those wild looking plants.)

Creating · Something to Think About

Sun, Falling Into Sea

Elizabeth E.3 Comments

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I happened on a book of Chinese Window Screen Designs. A fan of anything repetitive or gridded, I was hooked. But I wanted to make it into a quilt. A Chinese window lattice, turned into a quilt? Sun, Falling Into Sea is the result. I drew the block in my Quilt Program, then played and played and tweaked and worked the darks, lights and lines into something I could cut out of fabric, piece and stitch.

I had forgotten about Sun, Falling Into Sea, made for a guild challenge (“Patches of Blue Water” hosted by the Orange County Quilt Guild), finding it again when I decided to try and photograph all my quilts. And that was prompted by a desire to have a written record of all my quilts, which was prompted by a set of art journals that my father has made to chronicle his path from the time he first picked up paintbrushes until this day. He has four of these journals, and I was completely taken by their existence. I mean, I know they existed, but I’ve come to understand the work and history and their significance only lately. Since they have been promised to another one of my siblings, I decided that I should try and capture a little of his books by making onof my own.e

First thing to do was to sit down and make a list of the art output of my own. Certainly it wouldn’t be how many floors I’ve scrubbed or loads of dishes into the dishwasher, but something more tangible, something I could photograph. I have done some tole painting, some crafting (remember that I am a child of the 1970s and, yes, I’ve even done macrame) but it was quilting that came to mind. I made a list. Even considering the ones I have given away, I have made 75 quilts, as of this counting.

Somewhere in the early 1970s, I started quilting, and the quilt above, a whole cloth quilt with the little Holly Hobby girls outlined by thread, was where I began. I didn’t know even how to start or stop the stitching, so in some places, I simply did a few back stitches in place, the nub of thread hidden in the heel of one of the girls. I finished the edges with frilly eyelet lace. I would call it pathetic, but it’s kind of endearing in its naivete. My latest big effort was a quilt made of dotted fabrics with hundreds of pieces, chronicled on my quilty blog.

In the last two days I’ve put close to 50 quilts up on the wall, flipped them over, taken them down. Rinse, repeat. Dave helped me for the huge ones, as I had to borrow a quilt stand to get the full view. A few of the early ones I have never photographed, nor seen stretched up before me in all their glory. It was enlightening, and rewarding to regard a life’s work in cloth and thread. I’ve sent them all to Costco to be printed, and will be taking the borrowed quilt stand to Arizona when I travel to see two of my children, to photograph the quilts I’ve made and given to them.

I don’t quite know how to describe what I feel tonight, after this experience (besides tired). It’s not often that I take time to review my accomplishments, and to enjoy them. Rewarding? Humbling? Satisfying? Maybe. But all of this was prompted by my father’s books, of his journal built page by page, painting by painting, a few artful scrawls of information in his deft handwriting. I look forward to building m

Creating · Quilts · Sewing

Red & White Challenge

Elizabeth E.9 Comments

Yesterday I wrote about Temecula Quilt Co and how the owner has a Red and White Challenge going on. {Details are •here•}  Bring your Red and White Quilt into the shop by September 15th, or if you are too far away, send a photo.  Head to her page for more info.

BUT I WANT TO PLAY!

Do you? While I was there I purchased six fat quarters of red and six of Kona Snow white from her (she graciously wrapped them up for me in cute little papers).  I’d like to share with you, so we can get started on a quilt to show in October.  Sheryl has more red and white available on her website, but if you live far away–or already have your own stash–any of the deep reds will work for this exchange.  And yes, I prewashed all the reds for you.

So, I’m organizing my own little way for you and I to play together, no matter where we live.  What I propose:
• leave a comment in order to get a free fat quarter of red and a free fat quarter of white.  By signing up, you agree to finish your block and get it back to me by August 1st.  Pinkie Swear you will do this–please don’t sign up if you won’t complete it by the first of August.
• make an 9″ block (should measure 9 1/2″ so as to include the seam allowances) using only red/white fabrics; you may select your block pattern from the blocks below.  I’ll include the pattern when I send it to you.
• make another block for yourself (if you want)
• send me my block by AUGUST 1ST!!
• And as a thank you, I will send you a block in return.  So you get two free blocks for making one–and for taking the red and white challenge with me.  This should get you started, so you can participate in the Quilt Challenge. I only bought six, so don’t waste time!

About the blocks: I looked through a lot of quilts that were hanging up in New York City, and chose a few.  I drafted them using my software (I use QuiltPro), and have printed them out, paper templates included.  Choose the block you want to make and it will be in your little package of fun that will be coming your way.  Be honest with yourself.  If you are just a beginning quilter, choose one of the easier blocks.  I don’t mind if we have duplicates.  If you want something fun (you only have to make two), try one of the more complex blocks.

I will be making a 9-patch based block for you–a surprise!–but it will coordinate with yours.  If I have no takers by June 20th (because you are all traveling, or having a baby, or don’t feel like a red and white, or just want to relax this summer), I’ll withdraw the challenge.

I’ve already had some replies:
First participant: Rhonda, making Jacob’s Ladder
Second participant: Sara, making Churn Dash
Third participant: Leisa, who hasn’t said yet which block she wants (Flying Geese Nines?)
Fourth quilter is Lisa G, who wants to make Swirling Star
Fifth quilter is Sue, who has her eye on Double-X
Sixth quilt is Katie H, who wants to make Shoofly.
Thanks all–looking forward to seeing your blocks in a couple of months.  I’ve got my design all planned out, and hope to start slicing into the red/white fabrics tomorrow.

I took the Swirling Star block from this quilt.  It looks amazing all made up and put together, doesn’t it?
P.S.  I’m sure most of these have other names; I looked them up in Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

Creating · Quilts

Cross and X Quilt Block

Elizabeth E.9 Comments

In my last post I talked about Zombie Quilt Night.  Well, at least that’s how I felt.

So, in exploring my really overwhelming list of blogs in my Google Reader, I began to see this block appear:

and

These two are made by a quilter in London, and these photos are from her blog.  I found the Flikr pool if you want to see some more.  I like these blocks because it’s obvious you can use scraps and whatever, so long as you use a bland background and differentiate the cross fabrics from the X fabrics.  The blocks together look like this:

and

These are from Stawberrylicious’ photo stream, but couldn’t locate her blog (I admit to being dumb untutored about Flikr, yessirree). It’s nice to feel some enthusiasm for a new idea–that always gets my hands into the fabric.  There’s lots of potential for novelty fabrics and word fabrics, and cool prints.

(Update: I found her blog.  You have to be invited to view it.)

This interest in an old block by Nancy Cabot was apparently generated by Setsuko Inagawa’s quilt:

Somebody with a blog named Badskirt has developed a tutorial for this, and although the pictures are spot on, I am doing some wondering about the measurements. See below.

I kept looking at the blocks on Flikr and noticed that the angled wedge didn’t always line up properly into the cross in the middle.  I drew it up on my quilt program:

I realized part of the trouble many of the blocks I found on the web seemed to be a 7″ block.  But this is a five-segmented block, so the measurements are more true if they are done in units of five: 5″ block, 7.5,” 10″ block etc.   So, I checked her measurements–they are fine–so what I saw constructed may have been others not being careful, or using incorrect measurements.


For a 10″ block, the templates (with seam allowances included) look like this, with that long center strip 2.5″ x 6.5″, the square measuring 4.5″ and the other small blocks 2.5.”  My program prints out the snowball blocks as two triangles, which I cut out and tape together to get the measurement.  Or–just just cut squares 2.5.”  I’ll probably stick with the 7 1/2-inch blocks because I like the repetition of the small blocks.

I wonder if anyone else is like me–that even when you’re working on a project, you need a spark now and again to keep interest.  I heard an interview with Andrew Zuckerman on Swiss Miss’ Creative Mornings series and he said “I hate every project three months in.  I’m exhausted.  I’m questioning whether it’s any good.  I’m unhappy.  [But] that’s just the process.  You have to get through that.  You have to commit. . . there’s no pulling out–it has to work.  And then it works out, because of the commitment.  There’s always failure when you don’t see it through fully.”

Just knowing I have Cross and X block possibilities in the back of my mind, will help me get through the Lollypop Trees process.  I hope.