Valerie Root | Evening in the Garden Quilts

May 7, 2020
by Valerie 3 Comments

Star Wars Finish

I found myself working away on this quilt on May the Fourth, so I guess the Force is strong with this one!

Pro Tip: Make sure you’re using you 1/4″ foot while you are piecing. I made all these geese using my open-toe #20 foot, left on from binding the last quilt. Apparently it sews a 3/8 or 5/16″ seam… Made them too small. Thank goodness the whole top wasn’t full of piecing!

I’m much happier with the quilting on this one. It’s rays extending in different directions, and it seems to be enough.

You’ll find this quilt in my Etsy Shop.

May 2, 2020
by Valerie

Rainbow Finish

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This one-block quilt is a new direction for me, and I like the result. I would tweek some things for another one, making the rainbow taller and thinner. I was just happy when I figured out how to make a rainbow without resorting to giant applique or curved piecing.

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I decided to make this baby quilt (36″ x 42″) after seeing examples of earth-tone rainbows for nurseries on Pinterest and Etsy.

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Also, I was looking for a use for a couple of fabrics from the “When Skies are Gray” line, like these umbrellas.

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I intended to narrow strips of more fabrics to make the stripes, but I found the perfect colors in my 2.5 strip container.

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The quilting is sort of a clamshell. I hope it suggests clouds. I like the look, but I think this quilt could have used a little more quilting. The good news is that I got my stitch regulator working, so that made life easier.

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Find this baby quilt in my Etsy shop.

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March 22, 2020
by Valerie 3 Comments

Beach Quilt #6, and Stash

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It’s chilly here, but bright, so I snapped some pictures of the new Beach Quilt.

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You can’t tell here, but the basket weave batik on the back is washed with a bit of aqua.

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This ~~will be~~ SOLD in my Etsy Shop.

So that used 6.5 yards of fabric, some that was long in the stash, and I didn’t buy any this week. We’ll see how long that lasts!

This week: + 0 yards, – 6.5 yards

This year: + 30.75 yards, – 41 yards

Total destashed / ~~added~~ in 2020: 10.25 yards

Take care, everyone, and enjoy your sewing time.

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March 18, 2020
by Valerie 5 Comments

Spring Flowers Quilt

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Here we are! I love this quilt! It really says spring to me.

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It started with a panel from FabricUtopia on Etsy. At 25 by 44″, it seemed too large for a wall hanging, so I made it into a throw quilt. I don’t know the name of the flower block. I didn’t use a tutorial, just inprovised it from some photos on line.

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The back is a different green, but I couldn’t resist the birds and roses print.

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It’s quilted front and back with white Bottom Line from Superior. The flowers and butterfly are quilted with Rainbows.

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This ~~will be~~ SOLD in my Etsy shop!

February 1, 2020
by Valerie 8 Comments

Final Finish for January (Sloths #2)

This baby quilt will brighten your cloudy day! My sloth panel contained four images, facing in opposite directions because they were for making stuffed sloths. While I used all my restraint to keep Sloths #1 very low volume, I didn’t even try here!

The tree fabric is the same as the first one, and I love it. It’s a paisley batik left over from a quilt back (strangely, I can’t remember which one).

The plain background was perfect for quilted leaf shapes. The variegated Fantastico from Superior is subtle, but adds a nice sheen.

My favorite part is the vibrant backing. It’s been in my stash since 2014, and I finally found its destiny. I love large prints, but they don’t fit everywhere.

These little quilts turned out to be 33″ x 40″. You’ll find them in my Etsy shop soon.

And that’s all the sloths! Back to squares and triangles.

January 27, 2020
by Valerie 5 Comments

Hanging Around

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Last week I finished this sleepy little baby quilt. I bought the sloths printed on a panel, and put them on my own (stash) background with a couple of branches from which they could hang.

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I didn’t want to use Steam a Seam under these very large pieces of applique. Instead, I starched them heavily, and then used spray adhesive (baste) to hold them in place when they were dry. It worked fine. I did use Steam a Seam under the leaves, and they were harder to quilt through. I think this is the first time I used my Leaves Galore ruler set to actually cut leaves! Usually I’m just using it to trace curves or leaves for quilting.

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If the background looks very textured, it’s true. The gray print is super busy, so I quilted lots of wavy horizontal lines on it. It’s not exactly drapey, but it’s soft enough and feels great.

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Find this in my shop soon.

And, I have extra sloths, so look for another version soon!

January 26, 2020
by Valerie 1 Comment

Sunday Stash Report

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Here’s 1.75 yards of new fabric to counter the winter weather.

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This week I finished the two pillow covers that match the Chartreuse and White quilt, using 1.5 yards of fabric.

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And I have finished this sloth quilt, using 2.75 yards. Look for photos soon!

This week: + 1.75 yards, – 4.25 yards

This year: + 15.25 yards, – 17.25 yards

Total destashed / ~~added~~ in 2020: 2 yards

Using the stash, a little at a time! Enjoy your sewing!

January 17, 2020
by Valerie 6 Comments

Chartreuse and White Quilt

2020-01-17 16.24.21 When I designed this, I thought I had invented a Hugs and Kisses quilt. A quick internet search showed that I was way late on that, even though most of them are made differently from mine. I was going to change to Xs and Os (like Elle King), but that’s been used for quilts, too. So. Any ideas?

2020-01-17 16.24.42 I still like it, and I like the diagonal quilting, which changes directions a couple of times.

2020-01-17 16.24.59 This is entirely from stash. It’s 48″ x 72″. It’s pieced and quilted with white Bottom Line thread from Superior. Look for this in my Etsy shop soon.

2020-01-17 16.25.32 Of course, I’ve had it inspected. It passed.

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Good luck on your finishes!

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We’re linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

November 22, 2019
by Valerie 5 Comments

Christmas Cardinal Finish

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It never rains but it pours, so I managed to get two quilt commissions in the same week. This throw is the smaller, and it needed time to travel, so I pushed and got it made before we travel for Thanksgiving. It’s now winging its way to Germany. It was a dull day yesterday when I took these photos, so it doesn’t really sparkle like it should.

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This is a requested second rendition of this quilt, which I made late last year, and which sold last month. The cardinals, backing, and binding are the same, and I came pretty close on the gold snowflakes and the poinsettias. In fact, I think I like the snowflake border better, though it lacks some of the ~~busy-ness~~ energy of the first fabric.

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This is quilted with Glitter, New Brites, Rainbows, and Bottom Line from Superior Threads.

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I used Pellon 50/50 batting for the first time. It was easy to work with, but I don’t think it gave the quilting much definition. I guess I should have read my own post to see what I used last time.

Now it’s back to the Louisville Cardinal quilt, and some holiday baking. Good luck with your finishes.

October 19, 2019
by Valerie 13 Comments

String Ornament Finish

My quilt full of String Ornaments is finished, and I love it! It feels clean and modern, but still very Christmasy and cozy.

2019-10-18 151166066350927415059..jpg The top was inspired by this ornament fabric I’ve had for awhile and wanted to use for the backing. I love the contrast between the Victorian ornaments and the modern ones.

2019-10-18 153341309616076094866..jpg 2019-10-18 153757255540887197421..jpg The red and green fabrics are all from my Christmas scraps, I didn’t cut into any yardage for them. It was fun to remember all the projects and it really did clean up my scrap bin. I pieced them on seed catalog and phone book pages, which came away very easily. Usually I remove the paper as soon as I’m finished piecing, but this time I left it on until I had added the white corners. That made the blocks stable enough to sew together without the paper.