Drunkard's Path Quilt (#75)

I enjoy sewing Drunkard's Path quilts and how they chomp through lots of fabric.

All quilt blocks benefit from a final trim after assembly. Every article written on half square triangles discusses at length how to square up blocks - so why is trimming Drunkard's Path blocks not emphasized more?  In the past I have struggled to match evenly the Drunkard's Path pieces from one edge to the other: it rarely happened.  

Good news is that you can end up with a pro looking Drunkard's Path if you: 

1)  Starch and iron all fabric.

2)  Use small stitches and slow speed on your machine

3) Pie shape on top, use pins if you like, or my favorite method which is to tug fabric with tweezers ... BUT bottom line - you have to trim and square up your final block.  

On your template ruler, line up the same measurement on the top and bottom of the curve. I use the 6.5" mark.  Even though the block above is supposed to be 7.5" unfinished - I trimmed them to 7" due to wonky sewing.

When you trim like this, every block will match up on the curve when you do your layout and be of similar size - it's that simple! 

Fabric is Colette by Brenda Walton, bought from one of my go to on-line stores Hawthorne Threads. Not only do they have a great assortment of FQ's but a huge selection of Aurifil which is my go to thread.  

Quilted with simple straight lines on either side of the seams and through the center of the blocks - the overcast 'fire' weather here in So. California just doesn't do justice to the pretty mint greens and periwinkle blues.

Materials:

Colette / Brenda Walton / Blend Fabrics

Flannel / garage sale 

Aurifil 50wt. #5007 (grey blue) & #1158 (medium grey)

Warm & White batting
Accuquilt large drunkard's path die

Thanks to Jeanette Bruce from Gone Aussie Quilting and her picture tutorial that perfectly explains how to trim and enjoy sewing these curves.

Size: 65" x 71.5"

April 2017

Accuquilt Tumbler Quilt (#74)

Tumbler quilts are fun to make & use up a ton of focus fabric.  Best of all, if you pick a harmonizing collection like this one from Hawthorne Threads, your quilt just blends into itself when you snuggle.

A favorite tumbler quilt that I have kept is Sweet As Honey by Bonnie Christine.  I wanted to make my friend in Australia something similar but in blue tones. Norwegian Wood was the perfect choice. 

Here is a little info on Hawthorne Threads and their digital printing process.  The tight weave did require a #10 needle and I pre-washed & starched before cutting the tumbler shapes on the Accuquilt die.

While I usually quilt with a #14 needle through batting and minky, that size made too big a hole through the tight fabric - so it was slow and steady with a #10 needle in a wavy line 4.0 stitch. 

Backed with vanillia minky from Fabric.com and quilted with Aurifil 50wt. #5007 Grey Blue on top and #2000 Light Sand on the bottom.  This super soft quilt is right on time for winter Down Under!

Materials:
Norwegian Wood from Hawthorne Threads
Vanilla minky / Fabric.com
Aurifil 50wt. #5007 / #2000
Warm & White batting
Accuquilt tumbler die (large)
Size: 59.5" x 78"
March 2017

Day of the Dead Slide Show Quilt (#73)

"Folklorico Baile de Calavaeras" by Alexander Henry is my favorite Day of the Dead fabric yet.  Like all novelty fabrics it is a challenge to capture all the images in large irregular repeats.

After many Google searches of 'large pattern quilts' - I found "Slide Show" by Atkinson Designs. This pattern is available by snail mail from Etsy and different vendors - or from Atkinson Designs (sadly not digital).

What I love about this pattern:  it's simple ... cuts are in whole numbers (not a 7/8" here or 3/16" there) ... it's fast and it showcases a nice chunk of novelty fabric - perfect! 

Important notes:  always use a scant 1/4" and make a small test strip of the smaller blocks to make sure your seams are not too large - there is no trimming.  Also, make a copy of the pattern before you start writing notes on it!

I used for the first time Shot Cottons from Kaffe Fassett - called Wovens in Blue Jean (from Hawthorne Threads). A word of caution - it is lovely and soft but very thin. Some say its because there is no paint or dye sitting on top of the fabric. I just know some seams made with my usual 1.5 stitch length looked more 'fragile' than with a robust Kona or Essex linen. I did pre-wash and starch all fabrics before cutting and assembly.

This quilt is for someone is loves color and it was super fun to add the bright orange border and go out of my comfort zone and use Aurifil 50wt. #1104 ... Neon Orange!  I love how the bright thread shows up on the blue ... can't wait to experiment with more bold thread colors.  I tend to use Aurifil colors that blend since my quilting is so simple, but no more ... color it is!

Materials:
Folklorico Baile de Calaveras / Alexander Henry
Stripe-C #8233 / Timeless Treasures
Mixmasters Dot to Dot #7585 / Robert Kaufman
Wovens in Blue Jean / Kaffe Fassett
Aurifil 50wt. #1104 Neon Orange, #1158 Medium Grey
Dimple dot minky Navy / Hawthorne Threads
Warm & White batting
Slide Show pattern by Atkinson Designs
Size: 60" x 71.5"
March 2017

Gypsy Caravan Half Square Triangle Quilt (#72)

Amy Butler's Gypsy Caravan was just being re-printed in 2012 when I started to quilt - how lucky am I.  No matter what quilt block I have used - this eclectic collection never disappoints. 
                Here is how I made the blocks:  

Starch and iron fabric - and cut with the Accuquilt 4.5" finished Half Square Triangle die. For each block you need:  12 HST in white and color - and 4 HST in all color.

Layout your block as shown above.  It helps to have one handy on a wall for reference. To complete the quilt I just made more half square triangles to fill in the edges.

Aurifil 50wt. Muslin (#2311) on the front and variegated French Lilac (#3840) on the back were my secret weapons for quilting - along with lovely Kona white.

I have had quite the hoard of Gypsy Caravan over the years - and grabbed up enough Turkish Paisley in anticipation of having it for a quilt back one day.  

Why it is easier to start a new project than finish old ones - this quilt top was made in 2014.  For no real reason it just sat there while I sewed a ton of other quilts!  I forgot how big I trimmed the squares, how many triangles to cut ... so many details.  

I look forward to the day when my orphan projects are finished and white knuckle it to do only one at a time ... here's hoping anyway :)  

Materials:
Gypsy Caravan by Amy Butler
White Kona
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2311 and 3840
Accuquilt 4.5" finished HST die
Size: 62.5" x 81"
February 2017

Diagonal 9 Patch Quilt in Good Fortune (#71)

Even on a cloudy day Good Fortune by Kate Spain is bright and brilliant. A simple pattern that works every time with all types of fabrics.

Here is how you make the blocks:

 Sew together 9 squares - mine were 5".  Cut on the diagonal from corner to corner. Mix up your 'triangles' so you have a variety of colors and then pick two.  Put them together with the large squares across from each other - (image 4.) Sew together and trim all the same size. 

If you like a particular fabric - place it where it will NOT be cut on the diagonal -   Image 3 above shows this the best. Each 'triangle' will always have a 'focus' square - use your prettiest fabric there.

Here are 4 blocks.  By being mindful when you do the layout - you can make a little diamond in the middle and larger diamonds (see BIG arrows!)

  

White dimple dot minky with Aurifil 50wt. thread Muslin (#2311) on the front and white (#2024) on the back. Quilted on the seams with a wavy stitch and new #14 needle.

For more about Kate Spain and her 2012 collection Good Fortune - here is a Designer Tidbits courtesy of the Fat Quarter Shop.

Materials:

Good Fortune by Kate Spain / Moda

Binding:  Terrain by Kate Spain / Moda

Warm & White batting

Kona White

Dimple Dot minky - white 

Aurifil 50wt. thread

Size: 59" x 73"

February 2017

Thicket Baby Quilts (#69 & #70)

Total creative credit (and any other credit you can think of) for these two baby quilts goes to Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter.  When I saw her Thicket quilt, it was obvious that she nailed how to use these beautiful black & white modern fabrics. 

Yes, I did the cutting and sewing, but Amy was generous in her post to explain how she made her quilt. Judging by all the enthusiastic comments - I am not the only one who wanted to make one (or two) just like hers.

The squares are 2.5" and cut from pre-washed & starched fat quarters.  I was worried about any black bleeding so with a few Shout Catchers and a pre-wash I felt better.  No bleeding after assembly and final washing.

I sewed the squares first that framed the critters and then cut the panels to that size - my modus operandi because my seams are never mathematically correct and I always need to trim to fit. Amy's quilt was made with a jelly roll - and her method is here.

 White minky on the back and quilting on the seams with a wavy stitch in Aurifil 50wt. Muslin (#2311) on top and White (#2024) on the bottom. A new #14 needle and it was fun, fun, fun to make blankets so small.

These quilts represent all that is good in the internet world of quilting.  I started teaching myself to quilt in 2012 with no real experience - just a semester of sewing in 7th grade back in the Dark Ages.  One of the first blogs I found was Diary of a Quilter and it was love at first read. It is quilters like Amy Smart that in real life & on line, teach, share, inspire and support sewers like myself ... giving us the benefit of their expertise and the tools so we can make quilts ... just like theirs.

Materials:
Design & instructions: Amy Smart / Diary of a Quilter
Thicket by Gingiber for Moda 
Aurifil 50wt. Muslin / White
Warm & White batting
Wintergreen Aged Solids Ebony / binding
Sizes: 38" x 44"
February 2017

Modern Low Volume Triangle Quilt (#68)

I wanted a quilt that emulated the classic look of natural linen.  Triangles looked fun and modern so I used the Accuquilt Equilateral Triangle die and a variety of hand picked fabrics.  Some had no selvage but 7 are listed below out of the 10 used.  All were pre-washed, ironed and starched before going through the cutter.

Be prepared for lots of ironing during triangle assembly and row connecting. I do my layouts on two portable banquet tables and the sheer volume of pieces for this quilt was 630 triangles (30 triangles across and 21 rows down) ... they exceeded my table space! 

Here was my simple hack for layout since I have no design wall and it had to be random but balanced at the same time. When Rows 1-6 were sewn & looked pretty good, I started to repeat the sequence of triangles. Row 7 is almost a copy of Row 1... and so forth. Truthfully though, by Row 21 everything was getting a little jumbled -but since I couldn't see any glaring mistakes - it was all good!

Quilting was done with Aurifil 50wt. #2000, following all the sides of the triangles along the seams.  The wavy line stitch length is 3.5 and it created a nice puffy effect after washing. The  50wt. thread also melded into the various tones of beige & light fabrics and the minky back - perfect.

Final thoughts: The monochromatic nature of this quilt demanded that the fabrics be hand picked and matched in person - no internet shopping here.  Also, to keep track of fabric in row by row quilt tops - just number your pins with a Sharpie - works great and is cheap too. I always put my numbered pin (the correct way up) on the left side of any piece.  That way I always know what is top to bottom and left to right when sewing or cutting. (Just be careful when you iron - the plastic flower heads melt ... ask me how I know!)

Materials:
Rhoda Ruth / Elizabeth Hartman
Mini Pearl Bracelets / Andover
Cotton  + Steel / Mochi Folklore Moon Rabbit and XOXO
La Vie En Rouge  Paisley / Ivory / Timeless Treasures
Ambleside Linen white / Moda
Modern Background Essentials / Zen Chic / Moda
Kona white
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky / beige
Aurifil 50wt. #2000 Light Sand
Size: 60" x 74.5"
February 2017 

Grand Canal Granny Square Quilt (#67)

Kate Spain's latest collection called Grand Canal is so beautiful that it was a no brainer to make a quilt out of these 35 fabulous fabrics.

Having made my first Granny Square quilt a month ago I knew that the larger 3.5" squares would highlight the sweet gondola images, Venetian flowers and mosaic motifs.

After starching & cutting fat eighths, I put all the squares in piles with only one goal in mind: make the prettiest granny square I could, one by one.  Although I only needed 20 blocks, I made a total of 25 - that gave me some wiggle room when it came to color balancing the final layout.

Kona white sashing, the ever versatile vanilla minky on the back from Fabric.com, Aurifil 50wt. Muslin (#2311) on the top and Light Sand (#2000) on the bottom - a new #14 needle - well, it's always a perfect fit!

An earlier post HERE gives more instruction & pictures on how you can make this Granny Square quilt

This is my second quilt (and certainly not my last) to be auctioned off at the Immaculate Heart Mother/Daughter Luncheon - my alma mater and soon to be my daughter's in June.  So, from the class of '75 and 2017 - this beautiful Kate Spain patchwork is just for you.

Materials:
Grand Canal by Kate Spain
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky - vanilla
Aurifil 50wt. #2311 & #2000
Kona white
Size: 59" x 76.5"
February 2017

Princess Rose Charm Pack Quilt (#66)

So soft, so sweet and so pretty is this charm pack quilt made with Princess Rose 2015 by Lecien. (and so hard to capture the delicate pastel colors on camera)

Offsetting the squares and laying out each row so not too many similar colors touch - this is one simple way to use up a layer cake or 5" charm squares.

 By following the seams to quilt - you can create this really nice wavy box pattern that is easy to follow.  Minky and batting is thicker and doesn't glide through the sewing machine throat.  You have to pull the left side of your quilt as you sew - and if you drift a little when you get to the middle sections - the wavy line is very forgiving. I always use Aurifil 50wt. on the top and bottom with a #14 needle and stitch length at 3.5

I try to match the thread color to harmonize and 'sink' into the quilt since I don't do free motion or complicated designs. I love the Aurifil 50wt. Muslin as a great color to meld into vintage like and pastel fabric collections.  

Materials:

Princess Rose 2015 by Lecien

Warm & White batting

Dimple dot minky - white

Aurifil 50wt. white #2024 and Muslin #2311

Size: 60" x 76"

January 2017