Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

This quilted Valentines Day card was a gift to my husband in 2014.  It was the year of our twentieth (gulp) anniversary.

The card is 5"x7" and is sewn and quilted by hand.

I originally wrote about this little quilt on www.farmerinthevale.com.

Blocks 9 and 10

Block 9 is another exercise in randomness.  I chose the size of the blocks and the fabric placement using a random number generator.

I don't love this block as a stand alone but next to the other blocks it works well.  It adds a little dash of asymmetry to an area of the quilt heavy with highly structured blocks.

Block 10 is a square-in-a-square.

I made a lot of these blocks in 2015 including my square in a square baby quilt and many UFOs.  It was a relief to only have to sew one this time around!

Fabrics used:
Doily Web in Mustard (Spellbound by Cotton + Steel)
Pasture Lines in Pickle (Carkai by Carolyn Friedlander)
Kona Solid in Corn Yellow (by Robert Kaufman)
Collar Ends in Bronze (Artisan by AGF)
Four Corners - Weave in Gold (Riley Blake Designs)

I'm linked up with:
My Quilt Infatuation
Fort Worth Fabrics
Blossom Heart Quilts

Blocks 7 and 8

After last week's arrow block and curved piecing I decided to take it easy.  Big blocks and straight seams only this week!

Block 7 is simple strips.  It took less than an hour to design and sew.  Yay!

Block 8 is little bit of fun with half square triangles.  Matching up all those corners is not my strength but this one came out OK.

I was really struggling to photograph this set of yellow-green fabrics.  It's so much prettier than what was showing up in the photo.  Luckily a discovered a trick to get my photos to come out nicely.

Fabrics used:
Henna in Aqua (Eden by Tula Pink)
Kona Solid in Cabbage (by Robert Kaufman)
Chelsea in Leaf (Highline by Free Spirit Fabrics)
Doily Web in Mustard (Spellbound by Cotton + Steel)
Pasture Lines in Pickle (Carkai by Carolyn Friedlander)
Drawn Stripe in Leaf (Carkai by Carolyn Friedlander)
Pure Elements Solid in Light Grey (by AGF)

I'm linked up with:
Freshly Pieced
My Quilt Infatuation
Fort Worth Fabric Studio
Crazy Mom Quilts
Sew Can She
Confessions of a Fabric Addict

How to Sew Improv X and O Blocks

Blocks 4 and 6 of my modern sampler quilt are improv X and O blocks.  I learned the technique for sewing improv curves at the last BAMQG retreat.  The quilt I made with those squares is currently sitting in my UFO pile.

The nice thing about sewing improv curves is that its very forgiving.  Even so, I suggest trying a test block first to get the hang of cutting the curves.

My finished blocks are 8.5"x8.5" and my instructions will make 2 blocks.

Start by cutting a total of eight 6" squares of at least 3 different fabrics.  Stack them right sides up in groups of two.  By that I mean put the right side of one square together with the wrong side of the other square.  Each stack of two should contain two different fabrics.

If you want to make a finished block that's a different size you can easily adjust the size of your starting block.  Simply divide the size of your finished block (minus seam allowance) in half and add 2 inches.  So for a 12" finished block, your starting blocks would be 8".

Now for the fun/scary part!  From each stack cut a quarter circle (see photo) starting about 2" from the corners.

Don't make your curves too sharp (or square) or it will be difficult to sew.  See an example at the end of this post.

The final blocks look best if there in variation in the way you cut each curve.

Next is the trick bit - pinning and sewing the curves.  For each stack of two, pair up the inner piece of one color with the outer piece of the other color.  With right sides together pin at the mid point.  Then pin the remaining bits of the edges together.

As you can see from the photo, I put the "inner" piece on the bottom and the "outer" piece on the top. I found that sewing that way results in a much smoother curve.  See a not so sucessful example at the end of this post.

As you sew, you may find that the pins are "off."  That is that the edges no longer match up well.  Don't worry, just remove your pins and keep sewing, lining up your edges as you go.  This will keep your seam flat.  Since you will trim off a fair amount of fabric at the end it's OK if the pieces move around a bit.

Press your square flat turning the seam allowance toward the outer piece (it will naturally want to go that way).  Using a little steam can help massage your curves flat.

Now pair up your squares again.  Mix them up a bit - don't pair the same two squares up with each other.  Again stack them right sides up.  The curves should line up too.  Cut another curve inside the previous curve.  See the photo for an example.

Pin and sew the same way as before.  Press.  Trim each block to 4.5" square and sew four squares together to make an 8.5" finished square.  I created Xs and O with my blocks, but you can arrange your 4.5" square in whatever pattern you like.

I made a few mistakes along the way with these blocks.  I found that cutting the curves too sharply (squarish) made them harder to sew.  In the photo below, the curve on the left is flatter and easier to sew than the curve on the right.

I mentioned that it's easier to sew the curve when the "inner" piece is on the bottom and the "outer" curve is on the top.  This allows you to see what's going on with the outer fabric and move things around to keep the seam flat.  Otherwise I found that the outer fabric will tend to pucker as you see in the photo below.

I used green fabrics in the blocks for my sampler quilt.  This time I made the inner curves a little rounder and the outer curves a little flatter than I did in the tutorial blocks.

I hope you try this technique!  It's a fun and easy way to sew curves.

I'm linked up with:
Late Night Quilter

Bear Paw - Finally!

I've held on to this UFO for a long time.  I made the top over 10 years ago.  Two years ago I made the back.  Luckily I saved the left over fabric!  Last year I quilted it.  This year I finally put on a binding and finished it.

I quilted a square spiral. (Is that a thing?)  I started with a small square in the middle and worked my way out with random spacing in between the lines.  The end result it a bit wavy.  I'm not sure if that's due to the quilting or the fact that the top was not quite flat or square.

The bear belonging to all those paws can be found on the back.

I like the colors and the design, but the workmanship is not great and the fabrics are cheap.

Since the bear looks like he's tucked into a sleeping bag I think this is destined to be a camping quilt!

This week I'm linked up with:

Crazy Mom Quilts
The Crafty Quilter
Blossom Heart Quilts

Blocks 5 and 6 - Modern Sampler

Yikes, what did I get myself into this week?  I make these itty bitty (it seems) arrows using traditional piecing.  In retrospect I probably should have tried paper piecing.

I included an arrow block in my sampler since arrows have been so popular lately.  It's safe to say that I got arrows out of my system and won't be tempted to sew them again.  The arrows are block 5.

My test block provides an alternate color way.

Block 6 is a companion to block 4.  I sewed 8 similar squares and pieced them together differently to create my 2 final squares.

Again I created a test block in an alternate color way.

Whew!  I made it through January on schedule.  Yay me!

Fabrics used (on all but the test blocks):
Starlight in Nightfall (Rhoda Ruth by Elizabeth Hartman)
Geometric XOXO in Indigo (Simply Colorful 2 by Moda Fabrics)
Kona Solid in Slate (by Robert Kaufman)
Kona Solid in Bluegrass (by Robert Kaufman)
Atomic Flux in Alloy (Utopia by AGF)
Henna in Aqua (Eden by Tula Pink)
Mini Pearl Bracelets in Rocket (by Lizzy House)

As usual, the test blocks use my stash/scraps and I've lost track of what they are.

This week I'm linked up with:
Freshly Pieced
Crazy Mom Quilts
Quilt Story

Blocks 3 and 4 - Modern Sampler 2016

Wow, it's mid January and I'm still on track with my modern sampler.  Most of my New Year's resolutions don't last this long :)

Block 3 is 8"x4".  Working with thin little strips is a pain, but I wanted to include the year somewhere in this quilt.  Now I have no choice but to finish in 2016!

Block 4 is an 8" square and is cut freehand (without a ruler).  This is my favorite set of fabrics among all that I'm using for this quilt.

I learned the technique for freehand curves at the 2014 BAMQG retreat.  I like freehand cutting because you don't need to be precise.

My test block provides an alternate color way for block 4.

Now I need to decide what to do with my test blocks...

Fabrics use (all except the test block):
Kona Solid in Bluegrass (by Robert Kaufman)
Atomic Flux in Alloy (Utopia by AGF)
Henna in Aqua (Eden by Tula Pink)
Kona Solid in Cabbage (by Robert Kaufman)
Mini Pearl Bracelets in Rocket (by Lizzy House)
Chelsea in Leaf (Highline by Free Spirit Fabrics)

The fabrics in the test block are from my stash.  I lost track of their origin long ago :)

I'm linked up with:
Freshly Pieced

Crazy Mom Quilts