A Tiny Quilt for Summer

June 21, 2017November 1, 2017 Elizabeth E.26 Comments

Tiny Sailboat Quilt_front on frame I made this for an exchange at my Guild Night, but then my daughter and her family came into town and I didn’t go, so now I have my own little quilt. Tiny Sailboat Quilt_on frame

It has its own stand, and it’s easy-peasy to make.

Acrylic Frame

First, buy one of these. They used to be more durable, but this is cheap-cheap-cheap and it works.

Tiny Sailboat Quilt_1

Make yourself a sailboat. I pieced the sail on the left first before sewing it into the mini-mini-quilt. Here’s the templates in a PDF file (be sure to set your printer to 100% before printing): Tiny Sailboat And if you like to foundation paper-piece, here it is again: Tiny Sailboat PaperPiece Pattern

Tiny Sailboat Paper Piece

If you are using the foundation paper-piece, cut the pattern into three pieces, as shown by the red lines, being sure to mark it somehow with seam allowances. (I use a colored pencil and draw it along the line before cutting it apart to remind me it is NOT a cutting line, but a seam line.)

The little sailboat finishes at 6 1/2″ by 8″ which isn’t big enough for the frame. I added the sunshiney fabric on three sides, seaming a bit of “ocean” fabric on the sides to keep the horizon line. I also added ocean fabric to the bottom, so now my little boat is afloat.

Tiny Sailboat Quilt_cut to size

Quilt as desired (curvy waves in the ocean, straight lines outlining the sailboat and sails, and stippling in the sunshine), then trim to the above size: 8-3/4″ by 10-1/2.”

Tiny Sailboat Quilt_back

Make the sleeve: Hem one short edge of a piece of fabric cut to 8-3/4″ by 9-1/2″ and place it wrong-sides-down on the back of your mini-mini quilt. Pin in a couple of places.

Cut strips of binding 1 1/4″ wide, seaming if necessary to get the desired length. Stitch the binding from the front, right-sides-together, then turn the back, tucking under the raw edge. Hand-stitch closed.

Tiny Sailboat Quilt_front on frame

Our guild does these a couple of times a year, creating a changeable scene for your home. I’ve previously hung minis on a wall, but I’m really liking this quilt-on-a-stand idea.

Quilts

Summer Report

August 9, 2014August 8, 2014 Elizabeth E.10 Comments

What I Did This Summer
(And can it already be over??)

1. Went to Utah and ate a Crab Sandwich at a Kneaders Sandwich Shop

2. Went to the beach with my grandkids and two of my kids

3. Entertained grandchildren with puzzles

4. Entertained grandchildren with forts made out of quilts (luckily I have a few)

5. Put the lighter summer look in the guest bedroom, loving how it makes Kaleidoscope shine
(on the end of the bed is my friendship quilt, which includes signatures from all my granddaughters)

6. Made a starry block for Susan for the Mid-Century Modern Bee in July

7. Made my August Mid-Century Bee block for Mary

8. Been arranging the blocks that come in from my turn at the Always Bee Learning Bee. Everyone must be on vacation, because they are dribbling in, little by little. But I love to see them all together!

9. Went to Zagreb (and Ljubljana and Dubrovnik–all in Slovenia and Croatia). . .

. . . and Budapest, Hungary.

10. Hosted a giveaway!

I did the Random Number Generator thing and got #3, but Susan said she already had that book so not to consider her.

So I did it again, and Carly was the winner. I’ll be in touch by email.

But I can’t let this go by without telling you all how thoughtful and interesting your comments were. I like how you read each other’s and answered each other; I love seeing community in our quilty world. It made me remember that I’m also inspired by quotes and sayings, as well as nature and other quilters. I love how Harlan said that when the creative juices are clicking, “something new and needed is created.” I appreciated Anne’s parsing out the difference between flat-out copying vs. being inspired by someone’s work. All of you brought excellent ideas to the conversation and I wish I could give you all a prize. You are all the best. Hope you also had a good summer!

Quilts

Temporarily Out of Service

June 19, 2013 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

This is what I put up on Instagram, in between woozy episodes of a drug-induced haze. Gotta’ love those drugs, however. I did stay up late the night before my surgery putting a binding on an quilt, hoping to hand-stitch it while ~~lounging around~~ recuperating in bed, but given the effects of the painkiller, I’m foregoing hand-stitching for sleeping.

But rather than leave you empty-handed, I’m including a few photos from my time last month walking around New York’s Fashion District. Some of these are significant, and others are just sewing “eye-candy.”

Even the little church has quilt patterns on their facade.

It’s easy to forget that a lot of clothing has passed through the doors in this section of town, like this “Garment Wear Arcade.”

Fabrics & Fabrics! Yay!

I had to work fast to get this one–a guy moving a dress form from one location to another. It would be soooo much better if I lived closer, as there were too many treasures to try and fit into my suitcase. I googled Nadelstern Fashion District, and found a PDF document (some years old) that listed a lot of places to go see. Some were inaccurate, so make sure you use your Google Maps (Apple maps was almost completely worthless in NYC) to locate the stores precisely.

And if you go. . . head there with a project or two in mind. I found myself looking at so much stuff, but having no idea what to do with it, so I didn’t buy much this trip.

Yes, I’ll be temporarily Out of Service, but hopefully not for too long–a couple of weeks–and then I’ve got two new bee blocks to get sewn up before the end of the month. Luckily the surgery was on my LEFT foot, so I can work the presser foot after I get up out of bed!

So, what are you doing for summer vacation?