Artful Homemade Quilts Have A Way

[freedombecki]

And the cure is seeing more red quilts, of course! Don't worry! It's a positive addiction. For every 1,000 quilts I see, I make one!

Tim Russell Quilts

This one was found at Big Rig Quilts blogspot and was used to show a vendor's specialty fabrics, and oh, it makes me want some:

So lighthearted and fun!

Also, Mr. Russell has some very unique pictures he took of last year's Infinite red and white quilt show I've seen a lot of people's pictures and you tubes of this show, but I don't remember anything that makes you feel so there as at the link! It captures the details and beauty of some of the quilts. When you see the stitches, it's like OMG, Americans have truly done some beautiful things in their homes by firelight, lamplight, early Edison, and by the front window from morning to dusk...

Red is a totally wonderful color in my book. OK. I've been under-achieving my head off lately, I'll go get my first row half-done and dutifully put it on the scanner for the next post. *sigh* One of these days, that darn postage stamp quilt is gonna be done! and I'll be free, free, FREE!!!

 

[freedombecki]

The first two scans show corner edges of the unfinished round, and the third scan shows one of two finished corners on the contained Red postage stamp quilt. I've seen others online, but none like this one. there was a red one, but it was crazy because they used velvets and a gold lame whereas this one is all quilt-weight cottons, except for one piece that was a sheer fabric, so I backed it with white cotton batiste I found on a sale table somewhere.

I really ought to take this little 30x40" (guessing) piece back to the sewing room and do the 4th side and put on the next row of white on white scattered triangles quilt cotton fabric on. the next row will be the white containment fabric cut into 1.75" squares alternated with red. Wish me luck! and then another white strip, which will result in a kind of ladder look when the outside print in red is put around that. It should be lots of fun.

Today little barn swallows came and watched me at the computer window, where I was playing hooky all day instead of sitting in front of the sewing machine. They had bright gold chests and chins and dark tops. The orange trumpet vine grew back up to the second floor again, and I can't wait till it blossoms and the little hummingbirds are back. Oh, they are so precious, but the barn swallows were amazing, and just looking in the window intermittently with flying out over the lake. I was wondering if they were fishing or eating dragonflies or something over there. More than a dozen flew away from the window, but only 2 or 3 of them peered in from the 2 dead vines. I just wondered how such large birds (5-6") could light and stay on 1/8" dead vines which died when workmen accidentally cut them off at the base a couple of weeks ago.

Here are the red scans:

 

[koshergrl]

Ok I'm not doing courthouse steps this time around...I've already cut the center squares, and the courthouse goes together at first as strips...so I shall move ahead with the log cabin plan and courthouse steps can be next.

I needed more light color fabric, and I picked up some...I dunno, muslin or linen like stuff at St. Vinnie's...for $1. And there's a lot. So I grabbed it. It will be a little different cloth but in keeping with true scrap quilts, I feel okay about it. It's a tan color.

And I have a LOT of white...possibly enough to back the quilt, we'll see.

I hope to be able to start the blocks tomorrow...and probably cut strips tonight.

 

[freedombecki]

Nifty red quilt found through Bing! at Nifty Quilts blogspot dot com:

This one knocked my socks off--not all red and white, but oh, so red and mixed with a touch of color here and there in such a nice way.

 

[freedombecki]

Ok I'm not doing courthouse steps this time around...I've already cut the center squares, and the courthouse goes together at first as strips...so I shall move ahead with the log cabin plan and courthouse steps can be next.

I needed more light color fabric, and I picked up some...I dunno, muslin or linen like stuff at St. Vinnie's...for $1. And there's a lot. So I grabbed it. It will be a little different cloth but in keeping with true scrap quilts, I feel okay about it. It's a tan color.

And I have a LOT of white...possibly enough to back the quilt, we'll see.

I hope to be able to start the blocks tomorrow...and probably cut strips tonight.

You go, girl! Log cabins are a lot of fun, and you have the right stuff to cut strips and measure lengths that will help you get started. If you have a guide, they work with PRECISE 1/4" selvages. Also, I'm glad you're doing larger strips on your first log cabin.

When you showed that beautiful courthouse steps in neutrals, those were one inch finished strips, which takes either precutting your strips exactly, sewing and trimming after each log is sewn on, or settling for a whopsy-flopsy conglomerate that sets your teeth on edge, and may or may not measure a couple of inches or more on ends than in the middle. When I was professionally quilting, a young lady brought in her first complex quilt to quilt. Holy cow, it was 7" longer on one side than the other. I called her and said she would hate the result, and that it couldn't look worse when the quilting on the back looked like a terror plot scribbled in thread. She said go ahead and do it. I refused, so she picked up, but bless her heart, she brought it back a few weeks later, and it was only 2" off, so I told her yes, I could make up that quilt, but it still wouldn't be perfect. When I was done, the quilting was okay, but it was 2 inches longer on the right than on the left side.

It really didn't matter. Her color choices were so excellent, the quilt was stunning. Some first-timers on complex quilts have their heart in the right place, but technique takes another dimension to master.

I did learn something from her that day. though. I learned I was right to tell people the first four laws of quilting are similar. they are: (1) measure, (2) measure, (3) measure, and (4) measure! It couldn't be a truer axiom.

Just sayin'

 

[koshergrl]

I have the directions committed to memory, and when I realized that the courthouse steps would require a completely different strategy, uh, no, we'll just stick with the original. When we get through this one, then we'll move on....

 

[freedombecki]

I have the directions committed to memory, and when I realized that the courthouse steps would require a completely different strategy, uh, no, we'll just stick with the original. When we get through this one, then we'll move on....

When you do the courthouse steps, step 1 has a shortcut. Cut three 1.5"x42" strips of white, center brown, pale tan. Sew them together with the brown in the center. Cut the now- 3.5" strip of 3 strips at 90-degree cross cuts of exactly 1.5" to make the first 3 rows of each of your 28 blocks. Make 2 such blocks if you need more centers (42 would make a nice quilt) or if you miscut a couple. for rows 4 and 5, cut 3.5" browns/tans and sew them to the 3.5" row of 3 squares. Then on the 2 ends, which now measure 3.5" sew light tans/white strips at both ends which are rows 6 and 7. Cut two 5.5" browns for each square to make rows 8 and 9 and two lights (rows 10 and 11), ecru, whites, or pale tans Keep going until the square looks like your picture, adding 2" each time you change the alternating light and dark rows. That's courthouse steps--much easier than log cabin, which can get confusing at first.

You're smart to start with a simple log cabin. Then you can appreciate the rapidity with which you can make courthouse steps, and you'll feel like you've got wings on your feet. However, if you want the priceless designs you can do with log cabins, you'll truly put up with the confusion until you have the technique down pat. Maybe it was just me that was confused, but my first 10 log cabins annoyed the pie out of me as I did everything one could possibly do wrong to get one done. And No, I didn't learn from my mistakes until I was sick of looking at ugly corners. That was the cure. I learned to cut strips accurately and first. Then, just stack 'em up and sew them in a long chain until a row was done. You can play beat the clock if you use all the same colors when they're all the same size. If the first quilt takes an hour a block because things got sewn on backward or upside down, wrong side out, etc. I'm here to tell you while you're ripping, no, you're not the first person to do the same mistake twice (Like me). You might also get a corkboard for when you do fussy cut squares or strips. Nothing like a little scotty dog running upside down on one of the strips adjacent to children sitting under a 30s tree reading a book, if you're into 30s or character fabrics for kids.

 

[freedombecki]

Oh, I owe everybody reps tonight, and it's past my bedtime. Well, as Miss Scarlett said in Gone with the Wind, "Tomorrow is another day."

Sweet dreams, everyone!

And don't let the bedbugs bite!

 

[freedombecki]

Well, I was going to make one more try to find a contained postage stamp quilt (and found 100 I love) but found a pillow to match my quilt, although I love the lights this quilt artist brought to her lovely work:

Plus hers has some nice quilting on it. I'm so jealous.

Her lovely blog is at : Busy Hands quilts​

 

[freedombecki]

Boston commons "postage stamp" Well, they're a little large...

This is really an amazing quilt:

A Work of art postage stamp quilt!

Inspiration postage stamp quilt:

 

[Sunshine]

OK Beckums, my LAST block of that quilt is in the hoop for completion of the border. I believe I will run out of thread, but not going to town until Tuesday. So, it will likely be Tuesday or later before it is done!

Can't wait to start the table cloth.

 

[freedombecki]

Good luck, sunshine. That's going to be the most wonderful quilt. I hope you register it through the local quilt/embroiderers' association of American quilts. You put some serious time under difficult circumstances, and people ought to know about it so they will be inspired when their chips are down.

[ame=http://youtu.be/eJJ1TwC-upE]This Little Light of Mine - YouTube[/ame]

You go girl!

 

[Sunshine]

Good luck, sunshine. That's going to be the most wonderful quilt. I hope you register it through the local quilt/embroiderers' association of American quilts. You put some serious time under difficult circumstances, and people ought to know about it so they will be inspired when their chips are down.

This Little Light of Mine - YouTube

You go girl!

Wow, I didn't know you could do that. Can you register an old one like the one my grandmother made? What about a damaged one like my little red schoolhouse quit? I mean, my kids are getting ready to inherit a butt load of stuff, I want them to come out on top with it all.

 

[Surfer]

Some of those quilts are very beautiful.

 

[freedombecki]

Good luck, sunshine. That's going to be the most wonderful quilt. I hope you register it through the local quilt/embroiderers' association of American quilts. You put some serious time under difficult circumstances, and people ought to know about it so they will be inspired when their chips are down.

This Little Light of Mine - YouTube

You go girl!

Wow, I didn't know you could do that. Can you register an old one like the one my grandmother made? What about a damaged one like my little red schoolhouse quit? I mean, my kids are getting ready to inherit a butt load of stuff, I want them to come out on top with it all.

Absolutely, Sunshine.

 

[freedombecki]

Some of those quilts are very beautiful.

Thank you, Surfer. Welcome!

 

[Sunshine]

Good luck, sunshine. That's going to be the most wonderful quilt. I hope you register it through the local quilt/embroiderers' association of American quilts. You put some serious time under difficult circumstances, and people ought to know about it so they will be inspired when their chips are down.

This Little Light of Mine - YouTube

You go girl!

Wow, I didn't know you could do that. Can you register an old one like the one my grandmother made? What about a damaged one like my little red schoolhouse quit? I mean, my kids are getting ready to inherit a butt load of stuff, I want them to come out on top with it all.

Absolutely, Sunshine.

What is the process? I hate to be so dense.

 

[Sunshine]

Oh, my I've searched everywhere to find a red and white little red schoolhouse quilt. Most of them are pure scraps and plaids to boot. This one came from an Australian website called "the Quilt Station Dot Com AU"

I just love it. Of course, having worked for 3 hours this morning and only getting 3/4 of the way around my little postage stamp quilt that done in all reds, seeing a white dominant red and white quilt was just a pure sight for sore eyes.

Of course, the quiltmaker may have been making a star quilt at the same time, so she cut points out and used some (above) and saved others for her next quilt like I do:



Oh, my goodness. I noticed she uses Glad bags too. They're my favorite unless of course, I find zipper lock bags on sale. Anything to keep the moisture and stuff out of the cut fabrics is a good idea. If they are stacked properly, it cuts down on repressing time.

And how different this quilt will look from the schoolhouse quilt:



I just love researching what other people are doing in quilts online. It's a worldwide quilt party going on all the time.

Wow. When I get to the room it is in, I will post the one my MIL made.

 

[Sunshine]

OK, Beckums. The last block is finished! Gotta change the cassette to my med pump and came downstairs to get a packet of supplies. Thought I would log on and let you know. I will get my friend to sew it together in the next little bit, then start looking for someone to quilt it. Not sure what the wait time is, so I'll have to check.

Last year for Christmas, my daughter wanted a quilt, but not for the bed. She had used the quilts that were in her room as a girl for throws in the den and they were about worn out. She wanted a new one that the whole family could sit under on the sofa. I bought her one from Overstock.com. There is only so much one can do with 2 weeks notice. Anyways, it is very pretty and has held up really well. It's a good quilt. I look it up and down every time I visit.

I'll likely sit out a week or so because I have to get some floss. But will be starting the table cloth soon. I hope it is as satisfying to do as the quilt was. The quilt was really a Zen kind of thing when I needed a Zen kind of thing. Worked on it the summer after law school while my house was on the market, put it down in 2007, and just picked it back up a few months ago. Not sure how many months it represents, 8 or 9, likely. I didn't keep up. I just knew when I put it away the time would come when I would pick it back up.

 

[freedombecki]

Wow! Done!

Congratulations, Sunshine! It's always such a wonderful day when that last stitch goes into making a top! Hope the resulting quilt will always be cherished by you and your children, it will be a lasting legacy like your career. All the good you did will just incorporate into people's improved lives with less pain and suffering, but your quilt will go on for generations with people knowing a woman full of patience and love for her family benefited them.