A Gift of Comfort

 One of the Sunday Sew and Sews is dealing with breast cancer, again, after having beaten it twenty years ago. We wanted to make a quilt for her, to wrap her in love and comfort. We knew it could NOT be pink--she told us a few years back that pink was her least favorite color because it reminded her she had had breast cancer. 

So, what about red white and blue? I remembered she owned a couple antique family log cabin quilts that were red, white and blue. And that color combination always works, so that was the plan. 

The finished quilt: 

The top: 

Simple diagonal line quilting: 

When making a group quilt, it is best to use an easy block and a design that does not have blocks set side-by-side. This block is perfect--it FLOATS, meaning the star points are well inside the block edges, and perfection is not required. 

I have written about this block several times. Use the Search box in the upper left for Tiny Stars. Here is the post with the instructions: Tiny Stars Block Swap

This block can be made in just about any size, these stars are 4.5" Finished. Fifteen of us made the blocks. I had each person make 10 Tiny Stars AND assemble them in rows, alternating a Star/Blue Square/Star/Red Square, etc. All I had to do was open a seam or two to create the diagonal set. Much faster for me than if I had had to sew all the stars/squares together myself. I also asked each person to sign one of their stars, adding a message if they wished. 

The back and binding fabrics were donated by one of our group--it was fabric she had gotten from Janet, our Sunday Sew and Sew who passed away last year. So even Janet was able to contribute to this gift.

These quilters are all great piecers who have successfully completed some challenging quilts since we began this group in January 2017. Still, there are some tips I can share about piecing that might help improve all our piecing skills. I am NOT picking on anyone here--we ALL can improve, myself included. 

1. Use a fairly small stitch for piecing, especially small blocks. I recommend no larger than 2.0. If your machine default is 2.5, and many are, lower it before you begin. Here's why;

Discovered while quilting--this is tough to fix on a basted quilt--it is a star on the outside edge of the quilt. I had to hand-sew it closed with white thread: 

2. If seam allowances are important for construction, indicate which way to press them. Because the stars don't touch other pieced blocks, I told the group they could press the seams on the stars however they preferred. The seams joining stars to fabric squares, need to be pressed toward the squares--not everyone did that. It was a simple matter to repress those rows before assembling the quilt:

3. Double check your piecing. I do this all the time, and regret it if I skip this step. As you join a star to a fabric square, check to be sure your seam allowance is accurate. Two 4.5" finished blocks should be 9.5" when sewn together, including seam allowances. Two pair should be 18.5" when sewn together, with seam allowances. It is very easy when chain piecing a lot of blocks to get off just a little. And a "little" off, can add up. When joining the rows I occasionally found the intersections didn't always align--this is simply due to the seam allowance being off just a bit. 

Off just a tiny bit: 

Spot-on, 9" finished for two blocks: 

4. BE SURE THE BACK IS BIG ENOUGH: this last tip is for ME. I pieced the back from Janet's fabric, and knew it would be "close" to big enough. After spray basting the back, adding the batt and then adding the spray basted top, I was irritated at myself to see the back was about 1" too narrow. What a mess! To try to sew additional fabric on the spray basted back would have been really messy. 

My plan was to just cut off half the stars on both sides, not a great solution, just the easiest one. Once I started the quilting, I determined I didn't want to cut the stars off so I added more back fabric to both sides, sewing through all 3 layers. Now there is a visible seam on the top, very close to the edge. But, when completely done, those lines are not really visible unless you look for them. No picture to show you. All in all, it worked out.

The label is the last, important step for finishing any quilt. I named this "Stuff Happens", because it does, in life and in quilting. It tells the who, what, why, when and where of the quilt. Read more about labels here: Quilt Labels  For speed, this one was hand written with a permanent pen, on a folded triangle of white fabric, then included in the binding seam.  The only part of the label that needed hand stitching was the long diagonal folded edge.

After washing and drying the quilt, it was ready to be presented to our friend. She seemed pleased with it.  Speed was of the essence here, treatment is ongoing. I received the blocks September 5 and presented the quilt September 17.  

We hope it will help our friend feel the warmth of our love and concern for her during this trying time. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Recently, I taught a class for this fun quilt that used paper pieced house blocks I had swapped with two friends, and floating star blocks I had swapped with 14 guild members.

The class sample:

The students learned the basics of paper piecing with the 5" houses in the morning:

After lunch, they took on the cute tiny stars, 4" finished. Their work was fun and all of them learned something:

The instructions for the Tiny Stars are in this Tiny Stars blog post. They are great blocks for a swap since they are somewhat forgiving--the star points do not go all the way to the edge of the block.

The houses and trees I designed in EQ8. This makes a great all-day class. I keep changing the name of the class: "The Village",  "Quilters' Scrap Houses",  "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"  Which do you prefer?

Let's quilt.

Barbara

The Village

In 2018 I was involved in two swap projects, one was 5" paper-pieced houses and one was 4.5" stars. I wrote about the Quilters Scrap Houses here and the Tiny Star Blocks here.

Recently, when I should have been sleeping, I wondered what I could do with thirty 4.5" tiny stars. And then wondered what I could do with thirty-six 5" little houses. Two  more quilts to make. Wait a minute...

What If: they were combined into ONE quilt, stars and houses. I ran the numbers in my head--what do you know? Ten 4.5" stars = 45" of stars, 3 rows of 10 stars each could be made.  AND nine 5" houses = 45" of houses, 4 rows of 9 houses could also be made. No extra blocks had to be made--I had just enough--that never happens!  It was meant to be, here is "THE VILLAGE":

A much better photo will be achieved when this is quilted and bound--in the not too distant future. I was just so eager to see it up on the wall. Good to have another top finished for 2019.

After I made the rows of stars and the rows of houses, I thought the neighborhood looked a little sterile--it needed some greenery. So each row of houses got one paper-pieced tree on either end of the "street"--much better. When I write the directions, the trees will be added to each "street" before the rows are sewn together, so much easier. If only I had thought about the trees earlier.

This will make a great 3 hour class for guilds--in 3 hours you can learn to paper-piece the house and one tree AND learn the adorable Tiny Star--and how to convert that simple star into other easy-to-make sizes. They are so good for swapping because the points "float" and don't have to match, always good in a swap project.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

A Simple Gift Quilt

Sometimes you need to make a quilt as a gift and you need to make it quickly. If it's a "Group Project", you need a block everyone can be successful with--no Mariner's Compasses or Feathered Stars.

Recently, the Sunday Sew and Sews (a group of quilters who meet monthly) decided to make a quilt for one of our members who is dealing with cancer treatment. In just a few minutes of brainstorming, a plan was hatched and here is the result:

We used the super simple little floating star I wrote about in October: Tiny Star Block Tutorial. With the instructions already available to everyone on that blog, it was decided all 12 of us would make 6 blocks, using blue and white--turns out, blue is our friend's favorite color.

When I worked on the layout, I determined there should be 80 blocks so I made extras. Then a few others made extras and the quilt was 10 rows of 9 blocks, each block finishing at 4.5". The inner border is 3" finished and the outer border 5.5" finished.

This block is great for groups because the star points do not go to the outside edge, very forgiving. Each person just had to make their blocks 5" unfinished. I joined the stars into rows, added two borders, then basted, quilted and bound it.

Each person was asked to sign one of their blocks and I centered the signature blocks in the middle so we can all hold our friend close as she uses the quilt. I used one block as a label and placed it in the center--telling her the quilt was made just for her with love from the Sunday Sew and Sews and the date.

The quilting was fun. I used white thread to stitch loop-de-loops all around each block. I started with Microquilter thread, a 100 wt. polyester thread from Superior. About half way through it was breaking  frequently so I changed to Glide, a 40 wt. polyester. That worked very well and I was able to zip along with those fun loops:

In the light print inner border I used the white Glide thread for wishbone quilting, another free motion quilting design I really like and am getting better at--remember, practice makes perfect.

The outer border was also fun--blue Glide thread with swirls, leaves, a few hearts and flowers, and more loop-de-loops to fill in  the areas that needed more stitching:

In the center of each star I used the blue Glide thread to quilt a heart:

My favorite batting is Quilter's Dream Cotton, Request weight. When the quilt was finished I washed it--the binding was a dark blue batik and those can bleed. The Color Catcher was only slightly gray after washing so that was good. The quilt measured 57" x 61" before washing and 54" x 58" after washing and drying. It had that nice, cuddly, soft. slightly wrinkly, old-timey feeling. She loved it--perfect for a nap.

Gift quilts don't have to be elaborate or take months to make to be a special gift to a special person.  Three years ago I wrote about another quick quilt made for a relative: Snuggly Cuddly Strippy Quilt--a really fast quilt to make.

So jump right in and make a gift quilt when one is needed--it will be loved more than you know. Plus, what else are you saving all that fabric for???

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Tiny Stars for Block Swap

I made it!  Thirty  5" unfinished Tiny Stars for the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville block swap:

Recently, I discovered the tutorial for this cute star on Instagram and put a swap together for my guild. Find that info here: Tiny Stars Block Swap

Fourteen people jumped on board so I know they are busy sewing right now too. I chose to only have a month for this swap--the holiday season is just around the corner and if you drag it out, the early birds are done and ready to swap and those who wait until the last minute haven't started yet. Set a short deadline, everyone agrees and the swap is over quickly.

Here is how they will turn in their blocks at our November guild meeting. all 30 in a quart-size ZipLoc bag with their name on it:

At the guild meeting, I will sort them out and return each person's bag with new blocks.

Then it will be fun to see what we got and decide how to use them. They can be cut down to 4.5" unfinished or kept at 5" unfinished. I plan to leave them at 5" so they "float" in the quilt.

Block swaps can be a challenge but this is a good one since points don't have to meet and the sizing is "forgiving".

Let's quilt.

Barbara

TINY STARS BLOCK SWAP

I have hardly looked up the last few days: A new swap, a sew-a-long completed, another sew-a-long to start, a class sample to deliver, and I started quilting a top today that has been ready for almost two years. I guess I like being busy.

The New Swap: Yesterday I saw a tutorial on Instagram that I thought would make a great swap block--over-sized and points don't have to meet. Perfect. I checked on our guild Members Facebook page to see if anyone else wanted to play.

Very quickly there were at least a dozen interested so I came up with a plan. I am a natural-born organizer, I just can't help it.

First I wrote to the designer for permission to use her tutorial and to write this blog. She graciously granted permission. Here is the wonderful Tiny Star Block Tutorial by Lindsey Weight.  If you are not on Instagram here are photos:

NOTE: HQH  MEMBERS, if you want to join in and are not on Facebook, just send me an email.

Here are the "Rules" for the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville swap, feel free to create your own rules if you put together a swap:

1.Sign up to make 10, 20, or 30. (So far, everyone wants to make 30)

2. They are due at the November guild meeting--you will get the same number of blocks you turn in, 10, 20, or 30, none of your own.  (That is one month--don't drag it out, these are fast to make)

 3. First quality fabric only.

 4. Blocks are 4.5" finished, 5" unfinished. EASY blocks to make quickly. DO NOT TRIM DOWN FROM 5"--each person can trim their own IF they want to. Mine will "float" so I will not trim. .

 5. Use light fabric for the background, contrasting print for the star. You may choose to put a different fabric in the center, one that looks like it belongs with the star points. You can make several exactly the same but this is a great way to use small scraps vs. yardage.

6. Do your best work--turn in blocks you would be happy to receive.

7. See photos for two pressing options for outer seams. First pressing of block units: middle row in to the middle, top and bottom rows, out toward the outside--do this on ALL blocks.. The two ROWS can be pressed to the outer edges OR open, your choice. 

Rows pressed toward the outside 

Rows pressed open

Today I found these blocks are perfect as leader/enders, startie/stoppies--just have them cut out and sew the units as you sew other projects:

If you like to draw pencil lines as a sewing guide, it can be time-consuming to draw diagonal lines on those 8 small print squares. Here is a trick that makes it much faster.

Cut two 3" squares. Draw a line on both diagonals, from corner to corner, with a mechanical pencil:

Carefully cut the 3" squares into four 1.5" squares:

 There you have eight 1.5" squares with the pencil lines drawn:

NOTE: I tried 3 methods--drawing pencil lines  as above, pressing the 1.5" squares in half to create a crease I could see, and just winging it from corner to corner as I sewed. All three methods worked for me so try all three and decide which you prefer. I know some people use the Angler on the bed of their machine--that is yet another option.

My guild actually used this method a few years ago for swap blocks--those were 9" finished blocks. These tiny ones are just so cute! 

Since I am in the middle of several projects and my cutting table is piled high with fabrics, it will be easy to cut a bunch of these and get them made. I'll be in Houston for two weeks before our November meeting so these will be done before I leave.

If you like this, why not ask some friends to swap with you? It is fun and just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get!

Let's Quilt!

Barbara