2021: Week 36 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

I really like using my blog to document my thought process of a quilt, to see why I start the quilts I start and how they wind up the way they are finished as compared to what I was envisioning when I started.

I got the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine (Issue 172) in the mail a couple / few weeks ago and have been admiring the Golden Glow quilt. I loved the beautiful cheddar, and the simplicity of the quilt. It looks like something that would be fast and easy to make.

When I looked at the pattern, it looks like they make blocks to put together the quilt. I got the bright idea that it would be easier to strip piece it more like a Trip Around the World, although not exactly since I still wanted to use rectangles in the quilt. Looking at the pattern again now, it is a clever piecing method and they did strip piece, so probably either way would be just as fast. Since I am making the postage stamp blocks, I just don't want to make blocks this time.

Although I bought a bunch of white and cream fabric the last time I purchased fabric, I am hoarding  them since I had been out for a while and they were precious. I decided that I could use the black. With these big blocks, I thought a lap quilt would be better than a smaller quilt, and I needed to find fabric that had enough yardage for a lap quilt. Most of my stash is fat quarter or quarter yards since that is what I buy when I don't have a plan for the fabric and I like variety, but my recent purchases which were bought online or for pick up have more yardages.

 

So this quilt morphed into a nice simple two color quilt to a more complicated color scheme.  As I sewed the strips together, I started to doubt whether they would work together, but after I sub-cut them and laid them out, I can see that I will like the quilt.

I can see that I cut the floral fabric too small, but that will work just fine for a smaller lap quilt - it will provide more room for more diagonal rows going across it.

This color scheme makes me think of a tuxedo with a bright floral vest, even though there is more orange than black in the quilt. I will call it Tuxedo Vest for now since I have to name the quilt for the blog label.

And because starting just one quilt is not enough, I have started yet another one. This is using the pieces that are leftover from the postage stamp quilt. I have to cut two strips of the constant fabric and don't need the entire length of the second strip so I can use it here. Also some scraps are wide enough for the postage stamp quilt but don't have the one and a half inch length I need for the stamp so I am adding them here. I am sewing them together as I go so I don't try to use them in the postage stamp quilt.

I haven't decided exactly how to use these, but I am thinking I will just sew them together to make (maybe different widths of ) blocks and sew the blocks together with all the fabric going in the same direction. 

I will call this Dots and Dashes since the pieces are either very big or very small. This will be a long term project. I've made other quilts this way. Well, they are unfinished so I should say I have made other quilt blocks this way.

2021:  Week 36 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

I spent a lot of time sewing this week, I have been cutting postage stamps and sewing them together.I started two new quilts.

I also sewed down the binding to the Quote quilt. I will hand stitch it to the back after I add a label and hanging sleeve.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 226 out of 248 days

Success rate  = 91%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

 

Photography Challenge

 

The theme for this week's photography challenge was "over-exposed." As usual, I didn't think about it at all, so I went through my August folder. I was sure I would be able to find at least one photo that was over-exposed in there, even though I do try to delete the rejects as I go along. 

I figured I could help a photo along by over-exposing it on the photo editing program, but I am presenting the photo to you as I had taken it.

 

Here it is, edited to the max.

Next week's theme is "Something That Makes You Happy." That will make it easy to find the pictures, since that's pretty much all my pictures, but will make it hard to choose one.

Postage Stamp Continued

 

 

 

I can't picture what this quilt will look like with an even number of rows, but I had a bright idea. I hopped out of bed and tried pinning the centers to see what the center of four joined blocks would look like.Maybe it will look like diagonals from the center four patch, like Wanda said.I can't tell if that is better or worse than the checkerboard using an uneven number of rows. It's just hard to tell with everything the same color.

 

I made another block. I still can't see what the overall effect will be. It does look different, which gives it a half a point in its direction. It doesn't look worse, so I will continue.

I even put it against a mirror to see if that helps me "see" it. Probably surrounding a block will give me the best idea, but if I am going to make that many blocks, just running with even rows and hope for the best sounds better to me.

2021: Week 35 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

 

It's been a hot, rainy week, which means there has been lots of stitching.

2021:  Week 35 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

This week, I have been cutting postage stamps and sewing them together. I wrote a bunch of blog posts, one of which showed you a postage stamp block. I've made good progress on two additional blocks.

I also joined the binding strips and pressed them for the Quote quilt.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 219 out of 241 days

Success rate  = 91%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

Photo Challenge Photos

 I am tagging along Kate's family and taking photos that follow the prompts they are using. I'm not consistent in posting the photo challenge photos, so there are two week's worth here.

 The first one was Feet. I immediately thought of sewing machine feet, so I am glad Kate didn't go in that direction for her photo.

The next one was Optical Illusion. My mind went to the many optical illusion quilts I want to make.  I don't think I have made a successful one yet. But as I was walking Zeus, I have seen this mask several times. . So many people wear it improperly, that it is an illusion that it will protect anyone.

 

 

 

Extra photos

Postage Stamp Quilt Started

 

I have started another quilt. I've been wanting to make it since at least September 2019.  I had to do some digging on my blog to find that I called it postage stamp and not checkerboard.

I started cutting some 1 1/2" stamps, but then I got distracted with other projects. I started sewing these on Tuesday so I am starting the clock on Tuesday. 

My plan is to use a very saturated color for a constant, and use up all my scraps for the alternating block. This is based on a quilt that Lynn made.

My current plan is to use an uneven number of rows, so that the constant is in all four corners of the block. This will interrupt the checkerboard, so I will have to reevaluate this decision when the next block is made.. I may have to add another row to go back to uneven if I don't like the look.

 

 

These paper plates were leftover from Thanksgiving, and there aren't enough for a full Thanksgiving meal, so I decided to use it for these blocks.

 I was worried that there may not be balance in the whole quilt since I am cutting as I go. This quilt uses a LOT of stamps. I have three trays - one for lights, medium, and dark so that I can make sure I include all three in each block. I haven't been thinking that hard about which tray to put each charm in since there is no downside in choosing the wrong value.

I will have to decide what proportion that I will be using. I need to use enough lights to maintain the checkerboard. I really like the way the darks form confetti on Lynn's quilt so I want lots of those, and then the mediums have to be used up, so I might just go with a third of each.

Linked with:

Finished or Not Friday

DrEAMi55

 

Quilt Exhibit: Square Quilts

 

 

Hello! Welcome back to the Musee de la Grande Route. There are two types of quilts that can be called square quilts. One is quilts that finish to a size that is square. The other is quilts that are made out of squares. Our current exhibit is showcasing quilts that are made mostly out of square blocks (and a few rectangles). I have enough quilts to show you the square ones that I have omitted the ones that are made only with rectangles.

 

I believe this is my only finished quilt that is made only with squares.

 This quilt is made with squares and rectangles that are close to squares.

This quilt uses 10 inch blocks that are primarily pieced using squares of smaller sizes.

This one has pieced square blocks made mostly of squares and rectangles.

This quilt uses squares, most of which are pieced.

This quilt uses square blocks, some pieced, and some appliqued.

This quilt uses square blocks with more complicated piecing.

This one has more complicated piecing, but there are four square blocks.

 Another quilt made with square blocks with more complicated piecing.

This one doesn't start out with squares, but does result in square applique blocks.

 

This quilt has a border of squares around a panel.

 

I've made a lot of quilts with squares, and since I already have a lot on exhibit, I will refer you to this Trunk Show post from 2015 which has some more square quilts.

 You can see all of our Musee de la Grande Route exhibits or click on the links to see a specific exhibit:

Square Quilts (you are here)

Animal Quilts

People Quilts Exhibit

Holiday Quilts 

Elephant Quilts 

Scrap Quilts

Tree Quilts 

Red Quilts