Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Tag Archives: Valerie Root


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Pinwheel Finish

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I finished the Disappearing Pinwheel quilt this weekend.  This was a quilt-along we did on Twitter, during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Sew-In, using a tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I think A.J. talked us into it.  Not sure.  See other Twilters’ versions here.  I made it entirely from stash, so for that reason alone it was a good project.  Those aren’t wrinkles, they are shadows from bare tree branches.

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If the last project was Cotton Candy, then this is Orange Sherbet.  I used six (I think)  different large floral prints and a light orange blender fabric.  Also, I transposed the center pinwheels, though I hadn’t planned to originally, so they don’t contrast much.  With all the bias, it was a bit wonky and wavy and puffy, so I quilted it all over with feathers.  There are feather circles in every circular area, hearts and designs in the diamonds created by the corner triangles, and continuously around the border.

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I marked a little for the hearts, but that was it.  This quilt was a bit large and heavy to drag around under the machine, so my feathers aren’t perfect, but it was good practice, and it really tamed the top.  I’m amazed at how flat and square it turned out.

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One of my favorite parts is the backing.  It’s an amazing dragonfly batik, thick and soft, and dyed like rainbow sherbet.  The orange Bottom Line thread I used in the top and bottom blended nicely in some places and showed more in other spots.

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I don’t think I would make this pattern again, but it did come together pretty quickly.  It was fun seeing how the blocks were turning out as we were working together.

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See lots of other finishes at Whoop Whoop Friday, and TGIFF, which is at Quilt Matters today.


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Scrapitude is Finished!

Last fall, Sandy‘s friend, Charlotte, started a mystery quilt named Scrapitude with their guild.  Sandy asked to post the steps on her blog, and the rest is history.  Her readers and many of us on Twitter (#Twilters)  grabbed our scraps and got started cutting.  This was my first mystery quilt, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew that Charlotte does beautiful work with scraps.  I had trouble letting go of control of colors, and I didn’t completely, but this is the scrappiest thing I’ve made.  And it turned out pretty well.

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I started with these.

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They looked like this all cut up.  I decided to use several shell pinks for the background pieces.

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From those pieces we made these blocks.

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And now I have this quilt (80″ square).  Yes, it’s very pink.  I think the colors work really well together, but I hadn’t realized it would be quite so …pink.  It is cheery and fun to look at, with all the different fabrics.  It will live in my guest room, so people will get it in small doses.

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I stitched the stars in the ditch, with an orange peel in the centers, using an “old rose” colored Bottom Line thread.  I quilted the whole pink background with an unmarked orange peel motif in pale pink.  I had a lot of fun with that part, and I really like the texture.

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The back is shell pink and olive batik.

It was lots of fun to sew these with everyone else, but the best part is seeing how differently they are all turning out.  Keep checking this Flickr group to see the progress.

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I’m linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

 


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Progress on the Disappearing Pinwheel

WIP Wed

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Yesterday I sewed together all the Disappearing Pinwheel blocks for the center of the quilt.  There were lots of points to match, and I found myself forced to use pins.  There was also a lot of wonkiness due to all the bias.  It will be fine, but if I ever made another I would make my own pinwheels first, in an evenly divisible size, rather than use the technique shown here.  But I like the fabrics together.

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I also sewed 88 scrappy HSTs for the outer border.  This is already pretty large, and I ran out of orange fabric, so it’s not getting much of a border.

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I am going to use all this peachy tone-on-tone space for some feathers.  I was studying up last night from these three books, including my Christmas gift, Fabulous Feathers and Fillers by Sue Nichols.  This book has useful information on designing and drafting feathers, but isn’t exactly what I thought it would be.  She makes beautiful feathers, on a home machine, but they are very tight and regular, and she marks them all first.  I’m looking for something more organic and freehand.  Karen McTavish’s are like that, although she’s using a long arm, as does Judy Woodworth.  I seem to make mine in a different direction than they do.  I don’t know if that’s important, but I’m going to think about it.

I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 3/2/14

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Good morning from snowy Ohio!  It is beautiful watching the falling snow and the cardinals, etc., at the feeder.  Probably won’t be going anywhere for a day or so, but that’s more sewing time, right?

Good numbers this week!  I finished the Scrapitude quilt (pictures later. I hurried and took some before Snowpocalypse decended again!)  I especially like this finish because the top is made entirely from scraps and oddball background fabric out of the stash.  I did buy the backing, some weeks ago.

This week:  +0 yards,  -10.5 yards
YTD:  +30.25 yards,  -53 yards
Net stash used 2014:  -22.75

Hoping you are staying warm, sewing a lot, and using your stash.

I’m linking up to Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times


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Progress on Scrapitude

WIP Wed

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Here is a portion of the finished Scrapitude quilt top.  It’s about 80″ square, so it’s hard to get a picture of all of it.  I’m happy with results.  The background is several shell pink fabrics, which give it a warm look.  See more results from various quiltmakers at the Flickr page.

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I have about 3/4 of the quilting finished, and I like it a lot.  I’m especially enjoying the orange peel/overlapping circle motif I’m doing in the background.  It’s very relaxing to do.

I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

 

 

 


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A Pair of Finishes

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This week I finished this pair of special order quilts.  Both are made with the same fabrics and Kona Snow.  They will head off in the mail today to brighten a pair of loveseats in the customer’s living room.  Currently there are antique quilts there, and these will be a fresher and more washable alterative.

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These quilts are great small sizes (40″ x 60″, 40″ x 65″), so they were quick and fun to put together and to quilt.  Well, this triangle one cost me a day, but that was due to my own math challenges.  Yes, to make HST blocks, you add 7/8″  to the finished size of your desired block.  I will remember that now!  I’m happy with the straight line quilting, especially now that it’s washed and crinkly.  I quilted in all the ditches, and then 1/2″ away on both sides with the walking foot and white Bottom Line thread.

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The string quilt wasn’t really strings, but 1 1/2″ strips cut from yardage.  I quilted it in the ditches with Bottom Line, and then added huge leaves with white Sulkey rayon thread.  I didn’t count, but I think there about 32 leaves all over the quilt.

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All and all, a fun project to brighten this oppressive winter.

Can’t wait to see what you’ve finished.

I’m linking up to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.


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Putting It All Together (Scrapitude)

WIP Wed

 

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This week I finished the two commissions (pics on Friday!), and started putting the Scrapitude top together.  I was a little intimidated by it, but it’s going together pretty well.  I don’t set blocks on point very often, and I tend to get confused about it, but so far, so good.  There isn’t room to lay it all out.  I have more than half the blocks together, and just need to join these rows, and make the last three.  We’ve been discussing borders, but I think I’m just going to bind it the way it is.  It’s for my guest room, and I don’t want it too big.

Hope you’re making progress on your projects.
I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 2/16/14

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Nothing in, nothing out this week. 

This week: +0 yards, -0 yards

This year: +27.5 yards, -32 yards

Net stash used this years: -4.5 yards

I thought there would be finishes, but I hit a snag.  When I went to sandwich the finished tops, I found that the triangle one was way too large.  Not only would it not have fit the customer’s furniture (I had measured), but it didn’t fit on the backing fabric, and I didn’t want a pieced backing for this.  As I took all the blocks apart, trimmed each one, and sewed them back together, I realized what I had done.  I made my HSTs using the diagonal line method, and I added 7/8″ to the raw size I wanted the blocks (5 1/2″), not the finished size (5″) that I should have.  I think I’ll remember that in the future… 

Anyway, it’s all quilted now, and it’s companion is partially quilted.  I expect to finish both this weekend as I sew along with the #Twilters at the President’s Day Sew-In, #PDSI , which, of course we’re making last all weekend, because we’re like that.  Please join us.

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I’m linkingvup to Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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String Top Assembled

WIP Wed

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Yesterday I got the string blocks sashed and assembled.  I’m really liking the small size of these quilts (40″ x 60″) for quick, fun construction.  I said I might use a few pins, but I didn’t use one!  The sashing was Kona Snow, cut to size, with cornerstones, and it stuck to the blocks like velcro.  I had no problems getting this together.

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The result was termed, “Bright and cheerful”, which is exactly the look this customer requested, so I’m on track.  Today I’ll sandwich both quilts and get started on the quilting.

Hope you’re making good progress.

I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

 


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String Blocks

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Yesterday I finished the forty little (7″) paper-pieced string blocks for the second commission top.  I pulled the paper off during the Men’s Downhill and team Figure Skating last night.

 

A question was raised about me pulling the paper off before they were sewn together, and without stay-stitching them around the edges.  I usually do string and log cabin blocks this way, unless I have a lot of bias or some other reason to think there will be a problem.  Stitching around all the edges is probably a good step for newer quilters, but it really adds a lot of time to the process, and I am far too impatient.  Again, sewing the blocks together with the paper still on is another option for fool-proof results, but I have real sensory issues with all that crinkliness, and then there’s paper in the seams to pick out.  I find that I can get good, accurate results by handling the blocks gently and using the occasional pin (radical, I know!  Not really a pinner, either).  I use thin paper (this was phone book pages) or sometimes no paper at all, if I’m doing vertical strips.  I press them well all along the way, trim carefully, and remove the paper gently, and I don’t have any trouble.  How do you deal with these kind of blocks?

 

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Here they are with the coordinating quilt top.  There will be Snow sashing between all these string blocks, so the result will be much lighter and will match the first quilt better.

 

I’m linking up with Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.