I'm really excited to be sharing another quilt on the Moda Bake Shop. Be sure to stop by and download the instructions. The pattern is for a small wall quilt but could be easily made into a pillow, runner... Lots of different things. I may try some different things with it and will post as they get finished.
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August 9th is National Book Lover's Day! Many thanks to all the wonderful authors of quilting books for sharing your expertise and inspiration! I don’t remember using any quilting books when my Mom and Mom-in-law were teaching me to quilt. However, they did. In the late 60s and 70s it was “The Standard Book of Quilt Making and Collecting” by Marguerite Ickis, Ruby McKim's “101 Patchwork Patterns, and “Patchwork & Appliqué” by Exeter Books. There is a great forward in Margerite Ickis’ book. Here's a quote. “But when it comes to cuttin’ out the quilt, why you’re free to choose your own pattern. You give the same kind of pieces to two persons and one’ll make a `Nine-Patch’ and the other one’ll make a `Wild-goose-Chase’ and so there’ll be two quilts made of the same kind of pieces but jest as different as can be. That’s the way of livin’.” Aunt Jane, Kentucky Later in the 80s I learned and made quilts from books by Eleanor Burns and Georgia Bonesteel. "Irish Chain in a Day", Eleanor made it easy and motivating to make more quilts! At least for me, it's too hard to choose just one favorite book. There are so many great ones. Some of my favorites are from Kumiko Sudo, Silvia Pippin, and Elizabeth Root. Their work is inspiring and has I’m sure, influenced my Hawaiian and Asian themed patterns and quilts.
I've been working on a few quilts from the unfinished pile this summer. This quilt came about because I needed to know how many blocks could be made from one jelly roll (not including the center square). The Court House Steps block is about 21 inches square and the number of blocks turned out to be six. After finding that out, it got piled on to the rest of the unfinished and I moved on to the Steps to the Sea Quilt for the Moda Bake Shop in January.
Started in again in July. There were a lot of strip scraps left over after making the big quilt blocks so I made some flying geese blocks. Still more scraps were left from the geese blocks, very small triangles. They got sewn into half-square triangles and then into the row of pinwheels you see near the top of the quilt. Center squares and borders are a beautiful batik from my stash and finished size is about 66 x 77. Although you can't see the quilting, it's an overall lace pattern. So much fun to get one out of the pile and finished. Even more fun to give it to Andrea for her birthday. Next in the pile - finishing up a hand quilting project using vintage Yukata (summer weight kimono cotton) We'll see if it gets done or something else gets started. Here's a super easy baby quilt idea. This one sews up fast and is fun in bright tropical colors. It has a modern look but uses prints instead of solids. Download the free quilt instructions using the button at the top of the photo. You can use leftover jelly roll strips for this or cut strips from your stash; 24 strips, 2.5" x width of fabric, 32 flying geese blocks, and 2, 1/2 square triangles. This modern Hawaiian baby quilt finishes out at approx. 44" x 50" and can be quilted very simply. The quilt in the picture was donated to the Kauai Quilt Guild. A great group of quilters celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Have fun and make it bright!
Here are a few extra pictures of the Sunshine and Sea quilt to give you some more ideas. It's a great size for a twin bed. The sun in the picture below was reverse appliqued and the pointy rays were stitched using Sashiko thread. I've made a couple of these now. Fusing and appliqueing the sun for the quilt on the pattern cover worked great too and that sun shape was traced using just the pointy rays. It's fun making the waves go across the width of the quilt and I loved adding the blanket stitch by hand. Most machines have this stitch though if you don't enjoy handwork. Spray for the waves was added using a large running stitch. Kinda hard to see in this picture but looks cute on the quilt in person and adds some nice detail. One more idea for this quilt is to vary the fabric colors in the chevron waves (body of the quilt). The quilt on the pattern cover uses shades of orange and in the one below, I tried more of a rainbow effect starting with yellow at the top. Both came out really bright and happy looking! Hope you try it. You can get the pattern here using our PayPal shopping cart or ask for it at your favorite quilt shop.
It's really great to be sharing a new design over at the Moda Bake Shop. http://www.modabakeshop.com This one has a modern flavor so grab a jelly roll and give it a try. If you don't have a jelly roll, cut your own strips and or use scrap strips from your stash to make this. I used an Over the Rainbow batik jelly roll from Moda and Laundry Basket Quilts. Easy quilting too. Just stitch vertical lines in varying widths.
Congratulations to Angela! Winner of the Seascapes Jelly Roll. And many thanks again to all of you for sending in your beach comments. It was fun to read about all those great beaches.
Here is a pattern correction. You need to make a 5th border to add to the bottom of the quilt (to get to 79” in length). Your quilt will be square if this last border set is not added. Step 7, a and d should read: Step 7 – Borders Use remaining strips and letters to make 5 border sets. a. Layout strips around the edges of the quilt, auditioning for color. I chose to put white at the top, med down the left side, dark down the right side and the bottom. Pretty much like the block and adding a 5th dark set to the bottom. Place the letters of the word Sea in different places in the border to see where it reads best to you, vertical, horizontal… d. Sew the side borders to the quilt top – sewing from centers out. Press seams out and repeat for the top and bottom borders. Add the 5th dark strip set to the bottom of the quilt and press seams out. It's exciting and fun to have a new quilt pattern up on the Bake Shop. Stop by and download the tutorial. The quilt is easy and made up of a new fabric line by Deb Strain for Moda called Seascapes. Beautiful colors ranging from aquas to deep blues. This one uses a log cabin variation called Courthouse Steps, Jelly Rolls and a panel printed with shells, sea life and the word SEA.
I ended up with an extra Jelly Roll after making the quilt and the generous folks at Moda are OK with me giving it away. So please post some sort of beachy comment here in the next few days and your name will go in the hat for the drawing on Monday, the 4th of February. The winner will be announced the same day. Tell us the name of your favorite beach, beach hangout, best beach vacation... for all of us starved for sun up here in the gray and wet Pacific Northwest. |
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