Quilts

Sewing, Tasking, Listening, Remembering

September 11, 2015July 2, 2024 Elizabeth E.12 Comments

Sewing This: Sometimes you just need a new direction when you are sick of your own sewing. ~~The free tutorial for this block, from Sew Kylie, is found *here.* My bee-mate chose it for her month, and it was a lovely change. UPDATE 10/18: The pattern in three sizes is now found on Craftsy.~~

UPDATE June 2019: The pattern is no longer found on BluPrint/Craftsy, however it is now found on PayHip. This is her newest version, which includes three different sizes.

Here are four blocks together. The photo is from her previous blog.

Tasking This: Mostly I just sit around and stare at my Get To Work Book calendar (realizing that most pages have one entry on each: “nap”), but occasionally I can produce. Above are a few recent successes (a label from my Mini House Swap that my partner received–made in June–and yes, she loved it!), two Dumpling Pouches (which take all of 45 minutes each) and a re-working of a quilt square (made in 2006–I simply backed it, quilted it simply and bound it) into a flat pillow to cushion the pulling of the seat belt when I drive. Doesn’t that all look so productive?

Listening to This: Louise Penny’s tenth Inspector Gamache book. Number 11 (The Nature of the Beast) was released this fall, so I still have another to savor. Here’s the order of the books (better to read them in order):

Remembering This:

Quilts

Clutch Purse and Bee Block–Feb 2015

February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

For February’s Mid-Century Modern Bee Block, Carla asked us to make the paper-pieced birthday cake found on the Ellison Lane blog. If you decide to make this, note that the default printer settings are quite a bit smaller, so make sure your scaling is set to 100% when you go to print it out. It went together really easily. Carla’s going to have a whole quilt of layer cakes.

The Good Heart Quilters gathered together for our monthly get-together; it was held at Charlotte’s house (upper right) and we felt well feted by her hospitality. Lisa (above left) wore her quilty socks, and finished up Diane’s Date Night Clutch. We had others there, too, and we were all sewing on the Date Night Clutch, however, I got to hold Caitlin’s newborn baby so she could sew. A good choice!

This is the version I made from Dianne’s pattern. I had a box way up in the closet labeled “Japanese Fabrics,” and it held cloth purchased when I went to Japan and Shanghai China about fifteen years ago, a month after 9/11. I had put up the fabric and pretty much forgotten about it, so when I decided to see what was in there, it was a lovely surprise.

Why did I only buy a half-yard of this amazing red/white cotton?

Diane has two different versions of her clutch and this one includes the inner pocket on one side, the insert that will hold credit cards and bills, and a small zipper pocket for small items (or change?)

I’m all ready for QuiltCon now, as I have a small useful clutch to tuck in the bigger tote bags we all carry around.

And. . . I survived the grading of their first essay. I could tell you stories, but I don’t want to upset you if you are eating. I have one student that I’ve picked out as the One I Teach To. He spent a year at Cornell University before decided that it wasn’t for him (he didn’t elaborate). He’s always prepared for class, got an A on the essay, doesn’t fall asleep, and looks interested. . . like he values his education. See why he’s the one I’m teaching to? I generally like all my students, although Video Zombie Boy is getting on my nerves–turning in two paragraphs four days late and telling me it was his essay. (Right.) I’m leaving them all behind for a couple of days while I head to QuiltCon next week. I remind myself of the student I was working with in conference about re-writes, and after we’d finished, she blurted out “I’m going to see Wicked next week and I can hardly sleep I’m so excited!”

Yep. That’s me!

Quilts

Queen Bee for Mid-Century Modern, 2015

December 31, 2014November 29, 2014 Elizabeth E.9 Comments

I’m Queen Bee again in my Mid-Century Modern Bee, and I know you are all surprised to see me again so soon. We had a reshuffling of months and I moved from November to this spot. Welcome to our newest members; I know you’ll enjoy the ladies in this bee.

Carlas Quilt-smaller

from *here*

Carla, of Grace and Favour, had us all make a block in 2013 so she could make her own version of a Mid-Century Modern Sampler. I loved her quilt, so I’m asking you all to make a block for me so I can have a quilt like hers. As you can see she has both pieced blocks and appliquéd blocks–both are fun to have. The blocks should be in increments of 6″ or 9″ or 12″ (if you do a 6″ block, maybe you could do two?), and would like them with either a text, or a light background. Just pick your favorite block, in similar colors to the above, and have fun. I do have some fillers in the works, just like Carla. Here’s some color ideas (I couldn’t just pick one):

Roundup of preferred colors: clear tones of yellows, oranges, pinks, blues, aqua, bright greens.
Roundup of colors that aren’t my favorites for this quilt: gray, muddy tones. Darker tones for accents (stems, etc.) are okay.

Bascially I’d prefer the palate of Carla’s quilt with light/brights and clear tones all on a text background, but no blocks that feature grey or “muddy” tones predominantly. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me, or refer to our Flickr page where there is more information. Thank you all very much.

I look forward to Mid-Century Modern 2015!

Quilts

Happy to Be Home

July 10, 2014 Elizabeth E.15 Comments

Well, the laundry is done, but I’m still walking into walls, as the jet lag recovery seems fiercer this time, perhaps complicated by the arrival of my son and his family 24 hours after we arrived home, but who can say no to seeing the grandchildren? The trip, above, was delightful, with the appropriate number of highs and lows. If you want to see some of my photographs, there is a pretty extensive collection of them on my Instagram feed (button to the right), and once I start posting about the trip, many more will be on my travel blog. One of the positive things is that I now know where Croatia is. And Slovenia. And know that Hungary has this massive lake in the middle of it that stretches for miles and miles, or at least it felt that way, as our train from Zagreb (Slovenia) to Budapest (Hungary) stopped at every single station along that lake. And I also know that I need to figure out how to make gulyas (goulash) the Hungarian way. It was amazing. I was able to read all your comments while I was gone, and hoped you enjoyed the continuing posts. Thanks for the messages you left.

I pretty much did nothing for the first few days home, but then eased back into sewing with our Mid-Century Modern’s Bee block for this month.

Susan, of PatchworknPlay liked this quilt, so asked us all to make a 12″ star with a black background to begin her collection. Beginning with one that I liked from my Jolly Old St. Nicholas quilt (post *here* with lots of 12 blocks with templates), I subdivided and added, so it would be more snazzy, with more colors. You can download a PDF file of the templates by clicking on this link: Snazzy Star. Enjoy! It’s my welcome home gift to you, making up into a 12″ block.

I used my QuiltPro program to do this–it’s a simpler, older version of an electronic quilt program, but it works great for me. So, cross two things of my list: a Bee Block for July, and Getting Back Into Sewing!

I picked up lots of ideas for the Circles blocks–a richly decorated church in Slovenia had them painted everywhere–so right now I’m working on the EPP Circles block #3 (named “Ljubljana”) and will post that the first part of August.

I am also working on our Contrasts challenge for our Four-In-Art reveal August 1st, so keep your fingers crossed that I’ll make my deadline (I’m starting earlier this time, as my jet lagged brain is still fogged in). In keeping with the laundry-list theme of this post, I’m also the Queen Bee for the Always Bee Learning Bee in August, and in this bee, fabric is mailed out along with the block, so that’s in the works as well. And I’ve just got to get to the beach this summer, don’t you think?