USA and German collaboration!

Yeah! I finished it. The top is pieced. The needle is still hot. Question to my husband: Should I attempt to quilt it myself or should it be done properly? It is a keeper. It's going to a longarmer!

The 9 blocks in the middle was a BOW project from the National Quilters Circle. The blocks are 16 inches finished and were available on their FaceBook site: NQC Quilt Block Challenge

This quilt was called Pleiades (something about the universe). 

The group has 43,561 members. I had to join but I enjoyed very much to see everybody else's color choices. I learned so much. The designer's quilt looks totally different.

After I had finished the 9 blocks I didn't know what to do ... make 3 more to have a rectangle? Didn't want it square. I was sure about that. Set the blocks "on point"? I put them aside for a while.

Then it was time to finish an UFO.

As you have seen on my blog I am also participating in a German BOM. Actually it is a ROM. You can look at all my 6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) postings. I am looking forward to that every month. Again, I learned so much. The patterns can be found HERE and you don't have to join.

Thanks to Nadra, Gesine, Verena, Andrea, Katharina and Dorthe.

There is also a FaceBook group Quilt-Along 6Köpfe-12Blöcke.  

So, long story short ... I used the months March (stars) and July (zigzag).

For the stars I used my new method of making a tube first and then cut the HST. What a time-saver! And so accurate. For both rows I used my method to sew corners. Another time-saver. That was a lot of fun. Both of my helpful tips you can find behind the tab on top: Quilt Tutorials/Patterns.

If you use those, please leave a comment for me. I would love some feedback. Are my explanations clear enough?

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - August - again!

Every block you make, every pattern you attempt, has so many possibilities! Somehow its a blessing and a curse. So, no surprise, I started thinking ...

Yes, Nadra's lifesaver row. You need 10 blocks. If you use the same fabric for the whole row you need 40 HST. That means you have to trim 40 to the correct size because you make them a little larger.

We all know there are several ways to make HST.
~   Make 2 at a time... (as suggested in this pattern by Nadra. Perfect if you make every block in a different color.
~   Make 4 at a time.
~   Make 8 at a time (you can find the link under my Quilt Tutorials/Patterns tab above).
With all you really should trim them afterwards.

Here is another way!

Cut two strips WOF (width of fabric) from your two colors.
To know how wide to cut these put your ruler with the line of the size you need on your cutting mat. For this pattern we want 3 1/2 inch squares. You can see that the tip goes to 2 1/2 inches. Add two seam allowances and you know you need 3 inch strips.

Btw the ruler I am using for this is Debbie Tucker's Trimmer. I am sure there are others around too but I got this one and I would not want to be without.

Right sides together sew both sides so you have a tube. Press it nice and flat.

Now you can cut your half square triangles by lining up the ruler line with the sewing line. I am right handed so I usually cut the right side first. 

When you want to cut the next HST flip the strip and cut another.

Don't be too stingy with the material. Sometimes I find I have to trim a little on the left side too. Happens probably because the width of the strip is not totally correct. If you find the tip goes straight to the other sewing line you might just gently have to nude that one stitch appart after cutting. It happened to me when I tried my method on 3 inch HST.

In this case I got 16 HST out of one strip. Only a little waste from the beginning and end.

And none need truing up. Press open. Make sure you pile them up the same way so that you sew your larger square always in the right corner. Don't you love chain sewing?

As another participant on FaceBook said: it makes sense to do all the larger squares first. Otherwise a mix-up could easily happen.

And here is another time saver!

To make corner triangles (like flying geese or this one here) I neither draw a line or iron a crease. I take an index card!!! You find the helpful hint also under that tab Quilt Tutorials/Patterns.

The four parts are sewn together. 

I have a confession to make. The white fabric was so flimsy that I left it double. I only cut the blue back away. It worked really well and looked so much nicer.

Time to do the outside corners. Same technique. Index card!

Another confession. I am not sure what I was thinking when I made the first block. Flimsy white fabric in the middle but I cut the other two layers away. I wasn't happy with it at all. I decided to appliqué a heart. My boo-boo gives it just a little bit more interest. It's ok.

I think that is all. I hope you find this useful. 

And I would be very happy if you would leave a comment.

Another tip: The 4-at-a-time method and this method will produce HST with bias edges. This is not a problem for me because I use starch (Best Press) before I iron and cut. This makes the fabric nice and stable and easier to sew. 

In Honor of the Nashville wild duck couple

In a May blog I had talked about finding an egg from a wild duck couple in Nashville.

I had blown out the egg with my good old German gadget and intended to make it what James calls a negligée. I hang several with bobbinlace and tatting on my Easter tree every year.

Yesterday I went to my monthly lacemakers meeting in Williamsburg. A new person has joined us. She recently had started to tat and wanted to know how to do split rings. I promised her that I would show her. I have not done it in a while so I was a good girl and refreshed my memory the night before ... and yes, I still could do it.

So, I quickly came up with this pattern.

There are 6 daisies in a row. And here is how.

I "loaded" two shuttles with continues thread.

First daisy:

I made 1 ring with one shuttle=  5 p 5 p 2 p 2 p 5 p 5

Make 4 more rings=  5 jp 5 p 2 p 2 p 5 p 5

Now make a split ring. 

          with the same shuttle=  5 jp 5 p 2     

          with second shuttle=  5 jp 5 p 2

          close ring with first shuttle as usual

Next daisy:

Make split ring.

          with one shuttle=  2 p 5 p 5

          with second shuttle=  2 p 5 p 5

          close with first shuttle

Now make 2 rings with one shuttle and 2 rings with the other shuttle.

Split ring with both shuttles.

( p = picot, jp = join to picot )

The band of daisies was fixed to the egg doing work with the needle.

I made similar daisies for my daughter when she got married. I made the veil and my mother sewed the daisies to the edge. 

Helen looked so beautiful. And she was very happy with what we had made. That was in 2006.

Ha, that duck egg had started a chain of memories. 

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - August

Lifesavers!
This design is from Nadra and you find it HERE!

Thank you for another cool pattern. This too would make a good border. Probably all 12 of them since they are rows. It was fun making.

I had made one and liked it. Oh oh, not enough fabric. That's the problem when you make a mystery quilt from stash. 

I had enough for 5 blue ones and then made 5 red 'lifesavers'. But then I was not sure about the arrangement.

I decided to 'audition' it with a couple of finished rows and decided on the second arrangement.

Oh well, the whole quilt will be an experiment anyway ... since I ran out of certain fabrics.

6 Heads / 12 Blocks (ROM) - July

I can't believe I forgot to blog about the July row. The designer is Gesine and this is her blog.

I love, love, love this design. It would make a perfect border for a quilt one day ... where the background fabric flows into the border.

I tried to arrange the now 7 rows. It is definitely difficult to use scraps when you don't know the overall design. There are 5 more rows/month to come and I ran out of several fabrics like the beige background with the little flowers. Gone. No more.

But so far I am very happy because I have learned a lot.