December Projects

Here are a few things in the garage (aka my sewing room) for December.

Three minky blankets ready to quilt and rolled up on swim noodles.  The spray baste washes out even if you leave it a few weeks - and the vacuum clean up is sometimes nicer to do all at once.  I have lots of pixs and explanations to share as each quilt is finished.

I bought some flannel buffalo plaid and black Kona cotton and made holiday coasters for myself and friends.  The tutorial on how to make these is here. 

Went to IKEA and bought a $20 grey fleece blanket - cut it in half - and put some of the plaid flannel on the top.  Very rustic (which might mean sloppy) but oh so comfy. I ran out of plaid - but no worries - got some more to put on the remaining grey fleece.

Will take pixs and show process when I sew this one up.

Lastly - I got some 20" x 20" IKEA pillow inserts for $3 each.  They did squish down to a finished 17.5" square and for a first time effort, I am pretty pleased.  Will share that process too when I get the next two done.  

You might be wondering why I am obsessed with plaid. It started with these reindeer in the display area in the freezer section at my local market.  They were reduced and I couldn't resist.  We opted to keep things simple this year and just scatter a few live trees from Trader Joe's along with my mini herd of 3 reindeer. It has turned into an explosion of plaid and learning two new projects: envelope pillows & 'rustic' fleece throws.  

I hope you are having as much fun as I am messing around with little projects no matter what they be.  

Materials:
Buffalo flannel plaid
IKEA fleece blanket / pillow inserts
Minky from Hawthorne Supply Co. (White, Blush & Stone)
Date: December 2019

Baby Quilts Aren't Just for Babies

Today is a departure from the details of assembly and instead, share how I am convinced that  "Baby Quilts aren't just for Babies ... they're for everyone!"

Short story is I messed up my neck and back nerves 8 months ago.  I am still in the rehab stage and sewing was off limits for months. This has really shown me how traditional sized quilts may not be in everyone's future, or mine for a while. 

When I could sew for a few minutes a day, I began with the Guinevere Quilt Kit from the Fat Quarter Shop.  The fabric is Enchanted by Gingiber. Lovely big pieces and an easy to follow pattern from It's Sew Emma (Guinevere). 

Next came a scrappy Kaleidoscope with pieces cut using an Accuquilt die.  (Go to the sidebar and click on Kaleidoscope for more details).

Lastly, a simple 4 patch made with a Lecien jelly roll and some hand cut 2.5" strips of white Kona.

What used to takes weeks - now took months of slow and go sewing.  I started to see the positive aspects of making smaller quilts, and this will be my trend for the immediate future.  Smaller blankets tick all the boxes for that mental kick of creativity.  Less space is needed for layout, less to clean up, easier to finish and manipulate in the sewing machine.  A perfect way to try out different patterns and techniques even at a slower pace.

Good sizes start at 41" to no more than 45" square.  A nice size to drape over a chair or couch and not end up on the floor.  Big enough to snuggle up with and cover your legs - or chest - obviously they are not going to cover everything unless you are a baby :)  

And ... if you want to experiment using minky as a backing - this is the perfect time. Minky is sold at 60" wide - so 1.5 yards of the soft stuff will cover your project perfectly!

Here are some older smaller quilts that fit into this size category.  I must have been making "Baby Quilts for everyone" and didn't realize it! So, if you don't know a baby -  pick out a favorite adult fabric, find a simple new block and enjoy making yourself a 'Baby Quilt!"

Materials:
Enchanted by Gingiber (Geinevere pattern by It's Sew Emma)
Lecien Retro 30's Child Smile jelly roll
Novelty cottons
White Kona
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky: vanilla & midnight blue from Fabric.com
Hawthorne Supply Co. minky: Quartz
Sizes: 41" to 45" square
Date: August 2019

Disappearing 9 Patch ... Diagonal Cut Tutorial (or split cut 9 patch)

Ever wonder what to do with a fat eighth?  Here is one great simple block - it's a disappearing 9 patch - cut on the diagonal and reassembled.

For this quilt I used all Cotton + Steel fat eighths.  A fat eighth is 9" x 21" - but not all fabric cuts are totally accurate.  Some of my pieces were just shy of 9" deep, so I cut my squares for this 9-patch:  4 1/4" x 4 1/4". 

Pull out 9 squares that make a variety in both color and dark/light.  Sew into a 9 patch, 3 across by 3 down.

Now cut this whole unit from corner to corner on the diagonal.  You will end up with 4 pieces.  Put these into a pile and start the whole process over again.    

Now comes the fun part.  Take two random triangles and position them so that the two large, uncut squares are opposite each other.

Don't try and be all matchy matchy or overthink this.  There is so much pattern that trying to 'figure out what looks best' is not really possible.  

Put your pairs all together and have fun sewing them together.  Now its TIME TO TRIM!

My blocks were a little shy of an 8"x 8" -  so I just grabbed my 7.5" square ruler and trimmed everything to 7.5" x 7.5". 

Yes, a little waste with the trimming but I really didn't want to chase after an extra half inch or so and following the template made perfect blocks and kept this project relaxing and fun. 

Now the important part - layout is key.  There are two whole squares in the middle of your block, and above them are two small triangles (dark pink and stripped in the pix above).

The goal is to have the 'little triangles' meet whenever you can during the layout phase.  Why do it this way?   I think it's easier to find the little triangles as a repeating pattern on an already busy looking block.  The pix above shows how easy it is to find the four little triangles to match up. 

Not every side of your blocks will have little triangles to match.  But if you do it this way -  lots of secondary diamond shapes appear throughout your quilt ... all created by the various sized triangles lining up.  

To layout on point - here is a video from the Fat Quarter Shop for visual instruction.  There is also a link for a downloadable cutting & measurement chart. I would recommend using Kimberly's suggested cutting sizes and even going a half inch larger for the corner triangles - this will allow lots of wiggle room for squaring up.

Notes:  one 9-patch made with 4.25" squares yields 4 'triangles' (or 2 blocks).  Each block is trimmed to 7.5" x 7.5"   This quilt has 25 Cotton + Steel blocks.  Following the Fat Quarter downloadable chart, the rest is Kona white with a 3" border on every side. 

The back is a rainbow of left over minkys and here is my post on how to do that.  

I press my seams open so quilting was done with a walking foot on either side of the seams - and through the larger squares that didn't have seams.  Because of the minky back I did a generous 3.30 straight stitch length and used Aurifil 50wt. #2000.  

Two links to earlier quilts made with this block, not on point but a little easier Row by Row: here and here.  I hope that this variation of the disappearing 9 patch becomes as fun for you as it is for me.  

Materials:
Cotton + Steel - Fat 8's
Kona white
Warm & White batting
Scrap minky
Aurifil 50wt. #2000
Size: 45.5" X 45.5"
May 2019

Simple Square Quilt in Feather Flock

The third and final quilt made with the prettiest novelty fabric called Feather Flock by Tina Givens. Feather Flock came out in 2015 but some pieces are still available on Etsy.  How can a little quilt this cute really be called a scrap quilt?

Quilting is straight lines on either side of the seam with a generous 3.4 stitch length and then down the middle with Aurifil 50wt. #2425 (light pink) and #2311 (muslin) on the back.  

I sewed two left over minky pieces together as well as scrap batting for the interior.  You can see here how the quilt lines from the front create those little pockets of minky puffiness that make this type of blanket so fun.  I am still a big fan of dimple dot minky and an added bonus is how many colors are now available.   Quilting with minky is always done with a walking foot, going slow and steady.

A little purple and some Kona white made a small border and binding is in hot pink.  Perfect for it's new owner who just turned 9.  

Novelty fabric does not always translate into cute quilts. But here you can see how simple quilt patterns like the 'snowball' and 'granny square' can work with bright, bold designs - especially when paired with a crisp Kona white.  

There was something about the colors, the fairies and little birds with crowns that appealed to me and I have loved every quilt I made with this collection. 

Luckily I had a left over granny square and some true scraps to make this funky block for myself ... I have no idea what to do with it for now ... but this block is staying with me!

Materials:
Feather Flock / Tina Givens
Warm & White Batting
White minky from Hawthorne Threads
Vanilla minky from Fabric.com by Shannon
Aurifil 50wt. #2425 & #2311
Kona white and scrap purple/hot pink
Size:  44" x 45.5"
April 2019

Little Ruby 4 Patch - Square in a Square

How cute is this square in a square quilt?  It may look complicated but it is very forgiving because you trim ... and then trim again. Here is what my starting pile looked like below.  

There are two names for this block - square in a square or the economy block.  Here are the sizes and techniques I did for making this quilt.  Lots of pictures to share but shown in different fabrics since I ran out of Little Ruby to demonstrate.

I cut all my scraps into 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares - or made them that size by sewing a few pieces together. (see below)

All squares were sewn together into a 4 patch with two similar patterns per block if possible. The important thing is to make sure the center points look good in the middle. The outside edges can be wonky since all 4-patch blocks will be trimmed to 4" x 4" unfinished.

3 3/4" x 3 3/4" squares are cut out of the background fabric.  Then sliced on the diagonal into triangles.  Finger press the triangles to create a little crease - wrong sides together.

Lay your triangle with the little crease, right sides together on a seam on the 4-patch. I have a little blue line marked on the wrong side that shows you where the crease is in the pix below. The crease kind of nestles into the seam and easily lines up your center point.  If you made the crease with right sides together it would create a little 'bump' and not lay flat when you sew. 

Sew two triangles on opposite sides of your 4 patch.  Don't call the quilt police because I am not sure if this is the 'right' thing to do - BUT I always flip my units over and trim off the little 'ears'.  Now press open the seams and do the whole thing all over again on the remaining sides. (pix below - the blue marks are only to show where the crease/fold lines are for this post)

You now have another lovely wonky block.  No worries.  Press seams open and trim again. How you do this final trim is up to you - whether it's with a square ruler or on your cutting mat. The final size you are aiming for is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" unfinished.

I enjoy using Deb Tucker rulers where her technique is to make over sized units and trim down.  She has two rulers that do this for a Square in a Square.  One template is for sizes 1" - 6", and then a 2-ruler set that makes sizes 1" - 12".  The link is here.

I positioned the Square in a Square ruler with the dotted lines on my 4 patch - lining it up with the number 5 on all the points. There is little waste and the 4-patch is nicely centered.  Trim to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

The rest was pretty fun - laying out the squares all in rows.  Nothing on the diagonal and all straight stitching.

The same technique and same size was done for the red 'diamonds' on the side.  The only reason it looks different is because this 4 patch is made with two red and two background squares.  

When the background fabric is used as part of the 4 patch - the dominant color creates a nice pretty diamond effect.
Quilting was done with wavy lines in Aurifil 50wt. white #2024 on the top and red #2265 in the bottom bobbin.

There was one little snag that disappointed me with this quilt. The minky was pre-washed a few times and I can't remember if the Little Ruby was way back in 2017.  But even with Shout Catchers there is a slight pink tinge to the background fabric. 

This quilt is solid proof that while I may see a 'pinkish' flaw - the sentiments and thoughts for making this quilt in the first place are what's important.  It's with great joy I gift another quilt to someone new - a lovely lady called Barbara - so she can snuggle up and enjoy  something made especially for her.

Materials:
Little Ruby / Bonnie & Camille / Moda
Modern Background Paper / Zen Chci / Pin Dot - Silver white
Red dimple dot minky
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2024 & #2265
Deb Tucker Square Squared Ruler
Size: 45.5" x 45.5"
March 2019