Celebrating the 4th!

Independence Day! Hope all your celebrations are fun and festive.

Because the biggest part of our home is in upheaval with this master bedroom remodel, the only decorating I’ve bothered with is this table topper on our kitchen table. I made it awhile ago from a free pattern I found on a blog. Here’s a link to when I made it as well as a miniature of the same pattern.

The pitcher contains a bouquet from Sunday when we celebrated our 45th anniversary. 

Here's a link to last year's July 4th post; it contains much more patriotic decor.  

I’ve just finished stitching the binding on Temecula Baskets, so I’ll have a proper reveal on it this weekend. Additionally, I’ve been mentally figuring the number of 1.5” squares needed for the first border on Tiny 9-Patches. Yes, I’m going for it. I’ve done it right this far; it makes no sense to stop here. Prepare to hear more about that, as well.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Showing My Patriotism!

In less time than it took me to write yesterday's post listing unearthed UFOs and PHDs, I finished this patriotic mini-quilt. I mean, good grief, what on earth do I think when I let things go for so long??

We'd originally planned to have a little date last night, but we talked ourselves out of it. That left me with a wide-open evening, so I decided that I ought to just get going on an easy item from the aforementioned list.

I had the smaller of the two hanging in my quilting room, so I found a piece of scrap batting, a piece of scrap fabric for backing and even a piece of scrap binding, and went to work.

This mini is 16" square; consequently, the effort to finish was minimal. I did the simplest, most basic machine quilting on it, and got 'er done in no time! The quilting shows up pretty good from the back.

So now I actually DO have a pretty little patriotic table topper for use as we celebrate over the July 4th weekend.

Celebrating big-time over here! Both our country's independence AND my checking an item off my UFO and PHD list!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Finished Market Day Quilts

Well, the Market Day tops are finished. I will have to schedule some time for quilting them in the near future. Just to get to this point, finally, is reason to celebrate, however, so please indulge me while I happy dance awhile. *grin*

The large version finishes at around 28 inches.

The small version finishes at around 15 inches.

A closer look at the border fabrics.

The pair of little quilts was fun to work on, and I've been continuing work on my niece's bridal quilt, too. Next  up for me is to work on something with nice big pieces and few triangles. That seems to feel right.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Market Day - Encountering Trouble

One thing that rather annoys me is the overwhelming urge to point out mistakes when we show our quilts to others. We ought to let the beautiful work speak for itself; a finished quilt is an impressive accomplishment. But, it seems to be our tendency to show everyone the mistakes. Yes, even veteran seamstresses and quilters find themselves picking out stitches, correcting mistakes, and erasing evidence of miscues. "Get the ripper!"

I was just zipping along with the units to make my two little Market Basket quilts. I finished them and felt so proud. Then I saw the mistakes. Below is the smaller of the two quilts, but the large one had similar errors.

I've overlayed some arrows so that I can make referencing easier to manage. It is interesting to note that all the errors in both quilts involve HST units. Those darn things are so easy to get turned around or mixed up.

The pink arrow is pointing out the most obvious error. I turned the HST the wrong direction. This was immediately evident, and believe it or not, I made the exact same mistake in the larger version.

The mistakes involving the blue and yellow arrows are not as evident, and actually, I considered leaving them alone. The two blocks at the yellow arrows are made with a darker neutral; the two blocks at the blue arrows are made with a lighter neutral. These need to be switched around. All the light neutrals are supposed to be surrounding the center star. Would anyone really have noticed it? Probably not. But I would have noticed, and after looking at it for about a day, I decided I might as well get it right.

I picked out the mistakes while watching TV last evening; below are the very sorry looking quilt tops.

Large version

Small version

Just now I have finished the fixes. At last, the big reveal. Borders coming soon.

Center of large version; 21 inches square

Center of small version; 11 inches square

I asked DH help me figure the number of pieces in the quilts; can you believe 246? Whoa. That many pieces in an 11-inch block and in a 21-inch block; I'm glad we didn't figure that out beforehand. I may never have started them!

So now to borders. I have them selected for the small one, but have yet to find exactly the right thing for the large one. (Shopping the stash, you know.)

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Market Day - Step 6

I should say up front, especially if any readers are intending to make these little quilts, that I am arbitrarily naming these steps and they are different from the way pattern maker Pam Buda labeled hers. Her QAL had participants making some blocks in several steps, and I condensed those into one - if I need 20 HSTs, then I'm making them all together. Same with the 9-patches. You end up with the same results, but in a more direct manner.

Okay, so here is my final step before construction - those cute little pinwheels. In red! They promise to make these little quilts fun.

Both large and small version; needed 8 for each.

Now all the units are constructed and the next step is sewing them together to make the center of the top. Below are the parts needed for the large version which should finish around 21 inches.

And below are the units for the small version which should finish at around 11 inches.

Next post will be like a great reveal. Isn't that exciting!??!  I need to decide on inner border and outer border. Pattern directions say gold for inner border and red for outer. I will likely follow those directions.

Hope you all have a Fantastic Saturday!!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Market Day - Step 5

Geesh.

What is the smallest 9-patch you've ever made? I do love the 9-patch and I've devoted many a blog post to those sweet blocks, but the small version of Market Day requires 12 9-patch blocks that measure 2 inches.

Geesh.

Three of the 12 blocks needed for the small version.

To illustrate size, those 3 blocks and a rotary cutter.

Three blocks for the larger version, measuring 3.5".

The directions are divided up so that quilters do 6 at a time, but since I'm not doing this as a QAL (it was held back in 2014), I'm doing the blocks in different order. I am also doing my own thing with regard to the number of reds and backgrounds I am using, and where I'm using them. All good. It will look fine when completed.

Today, I will try to finish the remaining 9-patches; I need to make 6 more of both the large ones and the small ones. Then I get to make some happy little pinwheels.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Market Day Steps 3 and 4

Once my grandmother rather pooh-poohed my working on little quilts - anything less than a bed-size quilt was wasted effort, as far as she was concerned. Of course she came from an era in which quilts were made out of necessity. With a hard-to-heat house full of children and beds, using precious time to make a little wall hanging or table topper was simply unheard of. Quilts covered beds and kept the family warm through the long cold winters. I try to imagine the necessity of keeping everyone warm by hanging the quilts around the wood stove and then dashing upstairs to climb in bed with that warmth to wrap around them. Times certainly have changed.

Despite what Grandma (God rest her sweet soul) might think, I am making another little quilt. Well, actually two - same quilt in two sizes.

It is a bit addicting, too. The steps are so simple, and I tell myself I will go upstairs to do the next step, and I end up doing two. And then I might just go ahead a cut out yet another step, so it will be ready to sew the following day. This allows me to use my bits of time here and there and see real progress. I like that.

Here are the third and fourth steps of the Market Day quilts I am working on. Refer to yesterday's post to find links to 2 blogs that inspired this effort.

Step 3 for Large Version

Step 3 for Small Version

Step 4 for Large Version

Step 4 for Small Version

Simple units are used to create these little quilts. I can't wait to get them all finished so that I can lay the entire blocks out. They have a very patriotic quality to them, with the use of red, white and blue fabric. This makes me think I will stay busy on them so that they are done by Memorial Day and Independence Day. Additional seasonal decorations are, in the words of Martha Stewart, a good thing.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Market Day - Getting Started

About a week ago I mentioned that I had seen a really cute little quilt on a blog I read. That quilter explained that it was a super-old UFO from a free pattern by Pam Buda at her blog Heartspun Quilts. (Is that convoluted enough for you???) Well, I had to go all the way back to 2014 to find it, but there it was - free sew-along instructions for this little quilt in 2 sizes. Awesome! Click here to see pictures of the original.

After pulling the required fabrics, I cut and stitched Step 1 - a simple square-in-a-square block. The units for the larger version will measure at 3.5 inches; the units for the smaller version will measure at 2 inches.

 Since that was so easy and fast, I decided to go on ahead and do the second step which was to make quarter-square triangle blocks, aka hourglass blocks.

Four for the larger version.

Four for the smaller version.

So, as I have a bit of time, I will continue to crank out these parts for Market Day. Mostly, I need to finish Abby's quilt top and - get this - I have had 4 people contact me in the last week inquiring about commissioning quilts. It looks like I might become quite busy in the next few months.

Happy Quilting, Friends!