Shopping!

Ok, well, first I have to say, I have really good pictures to share but I'm being LAZY! I finished my Autumn Cabins blocks and they just need to be sewn together...I've actually had them done for a few days! But you know it's been acting all spring-like outside and I've got plants on the brain. So I've begun winter-sowing seeds and am filling up the front and back porch with seed filled jugs and flats. Can't wait to garden! I've got the fever! C'mon spring, hurry it up already!!!

Anyhow, since I'm too pooped to get out my quilt, I thought I'd show off a little. Mom & I went to the quilt show today and of course the quilts were delicious as always, but oh the shopping was EVEN BETTER! I could not believe what wonderful shops were there this year...I didn't bring nearly enough money! Lol* Here's a few shots of what I bought...

For some reason I couldn't get a good picture of all of my loot together, so I broke them up a little so you could see how gosh darn gorgeous they are! Lol*** I've seen the wooly sheep around blogland and when I saw a few vendors offering them it was a good excuse to finally try playing with wool. Also picked up some pink-ish fq's for a spring quilt, and some folk art style 1/2 yards. I cannot wait to get sewing....darn quilts keep distracting me from my seeds! Lol*

Autumn Cabins: Leaf Block

12 " Finished Block

**Instructions are for ONE block, you will need FOUR of these to complete the quilt. This will allow you to test the block, then go back and cut for the remaining three.

From Green:

- cut 1 square 4 1/2 x 4 1/2

From Creams/Background:

- cut 1 square 4 1/2 x 4 1/2

- cut 2 squares 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 *Cut in half diagonally by drawing a line from corner to corner, to make 4 half square triangles.

- cut 2 squares 3 3/4 x 3 3/4

From Red/Orange:

- cut 3 squares 4 1/2 x 4 1/2

- cut 2 squares 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 *Cut in half diagonally by drawing a line from corner to corner, to make 4 half square triangles.

(**To make this quilt you will need TWO red leaf blocks, and TWO orange leaf blocks**)

Making the Block:

First, draw a line corner to corner on both cream/background squares measuring 3 3/4". Layer right sides together, one square on one corner of the green 4 1/2" square (as if to make a snowball block). Sew down the line drawn on the cream square. Press, trim seam to 1/4".

Tip: If you draw a line and sew 1/2" away from this seam line, you can get a bonus square of 1/2 square triangles from these.

Repeat this step on the opposite side of the green square, to make the stem of your leaf.

Next, sew 1 red/orange half square triangle to 1 cream/background half square triangle. Repeat for the remaining half square triangles to make a total of 3 half square triangle squares.

Use the following picture for placement of block parts, and sew together to make your autumn leaf block.

The number one reason...

...that it is a good idea to remove pins as you sew...

While babysitting yesterday, I discovered two of these, buried in a quilt that had been made for the 2 month old baby boy. Guess how I discovered the first? Little one yelled with a huge cry, and then I got poked too - oh break my heart! Whoever made the quilt obviously did it with a lot of love in her heart, and the very best of intentions, and I'm sure she would feel terrible to know that she'd left a few pins in the quilt. I was sure to tell Mommy about the pins, and I felt throughout the blanket only to discover a second one buried deep in the batting...folding the quilt just the right way it poked right into my finger. Ouch! No fun for me, and definitely no fun for poor little baby! So if you like to live dangerously and sew over pins, you may want to at least try using ones with a bright colored head so that you'll be less likely to accidently leave it in!

Been sewing up a storm but my progress isn't very much to look at yet...although I did manage to finally get the cabins done for my EQ quilt. I never get sick of making these.

Harvest Pinwheels: Borders

For this quilt I used a 3" wide green inner border, and a 5" wide outer purple border.

After sewing your blocks together into a top, iron your top nice and flat, and measure through the center of the quilt (as opposed to placing the ruler on an outside edge to measure - sometimes the outside edges stretch and cause you to add a little more than you need), the width and length of the top.

Your top at this point should measure 48.5" x 60.5". You will need to cut 2 border strips measuring 3.5" x 60.5". In my case, for both sides, I cut two strips of 40" wide fabric, from selvege to selvege, then pieced them together to make one long 3.5" x 80" strip. Then I cut it down to 60.5", and put leftover green in my scrap bin. Sew a border to the longest sides of your top.

Your top should now measure, with the two longest sides bordered, 54.5" x 60.5".

Next, you'll want to cut 2 borders 3.5" x 54.5". If you are cutting your borders from a fabric piece going selvege to selvege, you may again have to piece together a piece to 54.5".

Now, your top should measure, 54.5" x 66.5".

Using the same method as you did for the green border, you'll now want to add the 5" wide purple border. Cut 2 strips, piece if necessary, to 5.5" x 66.5". Sew one strip to each long side of your top.

To finish the top, cut 2 strips, piece if necessary, to 5.5" x 64.5". Sew one strip to each shorter side of your top.

The finished size of your top should be 64.5" x 76.5", before quilting or binding.

Harvest Pinwheels Top Progress

Got my blocks together and sewn for my Harvest Pinwheels top. Just need borders - but my house needs a cleaning first. Lol* I love this quilt so far. Really quick and easy.

Harvest Pinwheels: Whirlwind Pinwheel Block

12" Finished Block

*** These cutting instructions are for ONE block. You will need 10 of these blocks to make this quilt. This will allow you to test one block, then go back and cut for the remaining nine blocks needed to complete the quilt.

From Orange:

- cut 1 square measuring 7 1/4 x 7 1/4

- matching corner to corner, cut this square into quarters, leaving you with 4 quarter square patches.

From Cream/Background:

- cut 1 square measuring 7 1/4 x 7 1/4

- matching corner to corner, just as you did with the orange square, cut this square into quarters, leaving you with 4 quarter square patches.

From Purple:

- cut 2 measuring 6 7/8 x 6 7/8

- matching corner to corner, cut each square into halves, leaving you with 4 half square triangles.





Block Assembly:

Use the picture below to place your pieces for assembly. Sew the orange triangles to the cream triangles first. Then sew the cream/orange units to the purple triangles. This will leave you with 4 cream/orange/purple units. Sew them together to make the whirlwind pinwheel block.

4-Patch Posey Finished!

Yay! My second finish for 2009! Yay! It's a small one, but still, it counts, right? :)

Here's the front...

Here's the back...

A little closeup...I'm awful proud of that stippling. It helped that this is small - but check it out, not too many over-sized stitches! Most of them are consistently of a reasonable size. Woohoo, go me! :)

One more for posterity...

I used all Debbie Mum fabric from Jo-Ann's for the top, back, and binding, except, the brown in the cornerstones are from a fat quarter I had laying around. I'm a little disappointed because those adorable little cornerstones came out a bit wonkey. I didn't realize until I had nearly all of them sewn that my needle was over a notch and so I wasn't using a true 1/4 of an inch. Poop. I'm not a ripping type of gal unless I really have to. Mistakes add character, right? That's my excuse anyhow, and I'm sticking to it. Lol*

This is going to my Mom. She and my Dad are still waiting for quilts they can actually snuggle with, but I'm working on that! Until then, they'll have this to look at. Lol*

One last picture I thought was awful cute. Here's my girls holding up their quilts, don't they have the cutest little tootsies? Lol* :)