Flannel Finish

Gee it's been forever since I've felt like I had time to post something.  I really admire those bloggers who are so proficient at keeping their blog up to date!  I have to admit I've not been doing a lot of quilting lately so there really wasn't much to say.  Now that the weather has changed here in New England and the humidity is gone I'm getting the quilting bug again.

Before I start writing about my latest project I need to catch up on one or two of my previously finished projects.  Let's start with this flannel one.  This is a project that was actually finished and delivered back in May.  I have a very dear friend that lives on a lake and I'd wanted to make a quilt for her and her husband.  So it had to be pretty but masculine at the same time.  As I poked around my stash I came up with this fun flannel fish fabric!

The fish are different types of salmon (my friend loves salmon!).  And then I found these flannel fat quarters in fall colors, plaids, and little flowers.  Seemed like just the right mix!

Deciding on a block was easy; the disappearing 9-patch is a quick fun block I’ve used it several times and loved the end results each time.  Deciding on a layout took a bit longer but after several tries I decided that what was missing from the block was the fish!  So I checked my yardage and had enough for the backing and the blocks.  Here’s what the final block looked like after it was cut and the pieces rotated.  If you have a novelty print that has a specific orientation then rotating the blocks can be tricky. For some of my previous quilts with this block I tested them first. 

 

In this case, I wanted to make sure that the fish were swimming upright but they could have been rotated any which way and still been fine.  Once the layout and rotation was determined I simply strip pieced the blocks together.

Before bringing the finished top off to the long arm quilter I had to piece the back.  Now most of the time I don’t pick a fabric that has such a distinct pattern so piecing the back just means doing the math, cutting, and sewing the pieces together.  But for this backing I just felt the fish would look weird if they were cut in half and a head swimming into a body!  Kind of ghoulish don’t you think? 

So I took the time to match the pattern and I had whole fish swimming happily around when it was pieced together. Phew!  Funny how I was hearing my mother’s voice as I lined up the pattern (not literally, they lock you up for that!).  She would have been saying “if you’re not going to do it right then don’t do it at all, it only takes a couple extra minutes to get it right!”  How true, and I’m so glad I did it.  Mom would be proud.  :o) 

I love picking out just the right quilting pattern.  This one looks like ripples on the water.  Having a long arm quilter that works with you is one of the best things.  Lori Wurtzler of Seventh Heaven Quilting here in NH has been doing a great job for me.  I always feel like she’s as excited about how the finished quilt will look as I am.  I didn’t get a very good picture of the quilting but if you look closely at the gold and cream squares you can see it.

For the binding I used the same cream fabric that was in the block.  I didn't want to distract from the scrappy nature of the layout so I didn't include any borders or sashing.

And what quilt would one of my quilts be without the “Guppy Quality Check”?

 

Once it passed the Guppy test the label was all that was left.  As I’ve often said I really don’t like to have a huge white block on the back of the quilt.  I always fine it distracting.  Sometimes you have to do that but I try to at least incorporate some type of fabric from the front to tie it all together.  For this one I just wanted to put my name and the date on it because I loved how the fish looked swimming around in the water.

 

 

The finished quilt came out beautiful and my friend loved it.

 

 

 

 

I hope you'll give that disappearing 9 patch block a try I think it will become one of your favorites too!

 

 



 

A Different Direction

I had all the best of intentions when I said I would finish the labels for Audrey and Doris' quilts, I really did!  Only one problem, I don't have the quilts here!

A while back I was having some insecurities about the quality of the pictures I was taking for my blog.  I had asked a friend of mine, who is an artist, if he would photograph some of my finished quilts in a little more artistic fashion.  So now the quilts are at his house and I was completely stumped when it came to making the labels.

So I went in a different direction.  I didn't want to waste a whole weekend so I started a new project.  Or should I say I picked up one that's been waiting patiently in the wings for many months.  I know, I know, I was supposed to finish those darn labels before moving on to something new but . . .  we were waiting out hurricane Irene so I couldn't go get them and I'm a very tactile person so I really needed to have them here to make the labels and  . . . well, OK, so maybe I gave up too quickly and maybe I was feeling just a little guilty and maybe that's why the next project didn't go so well.  Here's what happened after I gave up on the labels.

I've been so excited to get this quilt started, I've had the main fabric for months.  It's Debby Mumm's "Java".  I fussy cut the blocks like this:

I thought I had just the right mix of darks, lights, solids, and prints to go with the "Coffee" theme fabric.

I hemmed and hawed over the pattern for the past few weeks and still haven't fully settled on one. I've narrowed it down to three, here's why.

This one is called Natureland by Janet Houts. I thought the purple blocks would work for the large motifs and the layout has a large pinwheel effect.

 

Next possibly choice is Tranquility by Bev Getschel.  I really like the way the cream color creates a border around the center block.  Again, I thought it would be perfect for the large motif.  This quilt also has a secondary pattern when you see it laid out.  If you look just right on the bottom right you can see a star.

Pattern # 3 is Winterberries by Michele Crawford.  This one seemed good when I first saw it but I'm liking it less for this project and more for a Christmas Quilt for me ;-)

I spent considerable time on Sunday auditioning these three patterns and still didn't make a decision. However, I did get to try a new technique - tube quilting. I had seen this tutorial on Missouri Star Quilt Company.  It was amazing to see it done and a hoot when I tried it!  She did hers with two strips sewn together then combined with a third strip to get a sort of "string" pieced block. 

I just used two strips and came out with half square triangles.  It took me a couple of tries to get the measurements right but it was so fast I don't think I'll ever make them the old way again.  Or you can try it this way, using two charm squares to get 4 half square triangles.  One word of caution, the cuts are on the bias so you have to be careful when pressing.  I starched the tube when I pressed it to help keep everything stable before cutting.  Give it a try you'll love it!

I'll be giving the "Coffee" quilt another try tomorrow night.  Stay tuned.

Betty's Label

Check this one off the list!  I finished Betty's label last night and even got it sewn onto her quilt.  It didn't take long and I'm so happy its done.  

Here's where I started: on the computer.  I have a PowerPoint file that I'm using to create all the labels for the quilts I'm giving to The Girls.   

I know I've said this before but I can't stand to have a big honking white label on the backs of my quilts.  So I try to incorporate elements from the front to create a unique label that will coordinate with the quilt rather than scream at the viewer.  For this one I used a portion of the Disappearing Nine Patch block as the layout for the label. 

I printed the page and taped it to my light box.  I've found one of the stock fonts that came with the software works well for me to trace onto the fabric. The lines represent the finished seams.

I placed the fabric on top of the printed page on the light box.  In order to be able to sew the blocks together later I eyeballed a 1/4" seam allowance that is hanging over the lines.  I used scotch tape to hold the fabric in place and simply traced the letters onto the fabric. 

One thing I forgot to do was add a fabric stablizer to the back of the fabric before writing on it.  That's a trick my sister told me about that I haven't tried yet. Since I'm in the label business this weekend I'll let you know how it turns out on the next one.  

I like to use a Micron Pigma pen that has an archival safe, permanent ink which is also waterproof and fade proof.  I've been using them in my scrapbooking for years.  One of the reasons I like them is I've found that with the variying sizes of the tips I can get clear lettering even if the text is small.   I used a 05 tip for the word "Chippers" and a 01 tip for the rest of the words.

I had chosen 4 fabrics that are used on the front of the quilt to use in the label block.  It's important to pick fabrics that are light enough to show the lettering but that will also blend well with the backing.  Here's a layout of the fabrics after the writing was completed.

The orange square is one of the fabrics that is so striking on the front so I really wanted to include it in the label.  The square in the picture was too small for the next step so I used a larger strip when I sewed the squares together. 

Before sewing the block I heat set all the words with a dry iron.  Notice I said a DRY iron?  Remember the watermelon label?  That lesson is still fresh in my mind!

I sewed the squares together into a block then trimmed off the excess fabric.  I find it's easier to get the words on the fabric first, adjust the seams to get everything lined up correctly, then trim the block to the size you want.  It also gives you some wiggle room in case you mess up when you're writing.  This way you can switch out a square rather than trashing a whole block.  Again, I speak from experience ;-D

At just over 4 1/2" this block is bigger than I would have liked but it fits the scale of the blocks on the front as well as the overall size of the quilt (49" x 62") so it works.

Although I dislike labels in general, I really enjoy the hand work that comes with adding the label to my quilt.  Now that's a comment I never thought I'd make!  Up until about a year ago I was strictly a machine kind of quilter.  Then I fell in love with the Twiggy quilt and it changed my whole perspective on hand work.

Now I even enjoy basting!  So as you can see I basted the seams down and pinned the label on to back.  It's sewn safely into place and I think it looks pretty good . . . for label.

I can hardly wait to call Betty to make arrangements for a visit to give her this belated birthday gift.  If you're curious about the front of Betty's quilt you can see it here.

Today's challenge:  Labels for Audrey and Doris.  I like the look of the hand printing on my lables but I also like to try new things.  So I'm going to try printing from the computer onto fabric for one of my next labels.  Which one will it be?

Thanks for checking in.

Debby