Black and White Quilt #1 - Part 1

I can't believe I actually numbered this post #1. That must mean there will be more black and white quilts in my collection. I hope so. After seeing all the pictures of the red and white quilts on exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC ( http://www.folkartmuseum.org/infinitevariety ) I decided to start my own collection.... in black and white.

Might as well start simple and since I love the nine patch block, I'll start there. I was working on getting my seams lined up perfectly. And I did... most of the time. This is a quilt design in progress and I tend to design as I go. So far, the nine patch blocks are made and I've started on the fleur de lis blocks. They are machine embroidery appliqued. I used Moda Bella Solids in Black, and Ivory, which is a warm off white, however the ivory looks a bit gray in the photos. Check out my website (http://www.charmpacksplus.com/) to purchase Bella Solids from Moda.

 

There will be 13 of the nine patch blocks and 12 of the fleur de lis blocks alternating in a setting of 5 x 5 blocks. Each block will be 9 x 9 inch finished. They are 9.5 x 9.5 now. I will add borders and corner blocks to this, but the exact design has not yet been decided. I need to do a little research on borders before I tackle that job. When I see it, whether it's in another quilt or in my imagination, I'll know it's the right one.

Here's a Photoshop rendering of the design so far......

Binding Clips

I think I've found my new BFF! Binding Clips. Snap! Unsnap! No more "ouchies" from the pin sticks. These binding clips make holding down the binding fast and painless. And you can clip your hair back out of your face with them as well. How cool is that!! The clips can be found at your local quilt shops, fabric stores, craft stores, or on the hair accessories aisle at the supermarket.

You only need a few, maybe 10 or 12, for any size quilt because they have to be removed as you get close with your stitches anyway, and at that point you can just move them to the next available spot. Unsnap! Snap!

Batik Quilt - Square in a Square

What is the correct name for this block.? I've seen it called "square peg" and "square in a square" but they could both be wrong. If you know of another name for it please let me know.

Anyway, I saw other quilts like this online and thought they were gorgeous. So contemporary looking! Perfect for a 30-something son of mine. Using lighter and brighter colors would make it more feminine.

The block is very simple to make and the size can easily be changed to make a larger or smaller quilt, or change the number of blocks. I used 108  blocks in 12 rows of 9. The blocks finished at 6-inches (6.5 inches before sewing together). The fabric is cotton batik. 

Here's the cutting diagram.

Pieces A and B are cut from the same fabric, and C is cut from a contrasting fabric.

Sew with 1/4 inch seams.

This is the finished quilt. Approximate size - 72 x 54 inches



A few tablerunners

In an effort to showcase some of the new Moda charm packs, I've made a few tablerunners. They are easy as pie! Just assemble the pre-cut squares as you want and sew.

The first runner was made using Grand Finale by Sandy Gervais. The second is Nature's Gift by Deb Strain.  The third was made with an assortment of batiks from my stash.  The charm packs for the first two are available on my website http://www.charmpacksplus.com/ for a limited time only, but there are lots of others to chose from should those be sold out.

Enjoy!

Dryer Lint Art

This is what the lint looked like from the little rag quilt in the previous post.

Reminds me of Jackson Pollock's Autumn Rhythm.

Bow Tucks Totes

Happy Valentine's Day!

A while back I got into making these darling totebags. I made about ten of them. When I showed them at our guild meeting during "Show and Tell" and said they were Bow Tucks Totes, some women in the audience popped out laughing. They misunderstood what I said... they heard BOTOX Totes.

The pattern is called Bow Tucks Tote by Peggy Sturges for Quilts Illustrated.

These are some of the ones I made. They are for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Grandma was a quilter

My grandmother, Bessie, made lots of quilts and although she's been gone for twenty four years, I'm lucky enough to know where a few of her quilts are.

I have this quilt made by Grandma - a Lemoyne Star block with light blue sashing, light pink background and cornerstones, and a slightly darker pink border and backing. The quilting design is the Baptist Fan which she used on most of her quilts.

Uncle Bubba, my grandmother's youngest child, has had this string quilt (below) since sometime in the 1950's. Notice the sashing and quilting are the same style as the one I have. Also notice all the plaid shirt fabrics. Bonnie Hunter (famous quilter) would be so proud of my Grandmother... or maybe it's the other way around. Bonnie has written a wonderful book called Scraps & Shirttails: Reuse, Re-purpose, Recycle! The Art of Quilting Green. Grandma Bessie reused, re-purposed and recycled everything.