mark twain block update

I've been chugging along on my EPP (English Paper Pieced) Mark Twain blocks. As you may recall, I started this project at the beginning of the year. Here it is, October, (already!) and I'm pleased to report that I've been able to keep up with my goal of making 5 blocks per month. It turns out that is a perfect pace for me, consistently. I have found that having the personal goal keeps me on track, which is a very good thing. You and I both know that there are PLENTY of distractions when it comes to new quilting projects and such. (Isn't that the understatement of the year????)

I took some time today to lay out the blocks and see how the colors are playing together. So far, I'm very pleased!!! Looking at this photo, I see that I need to add a lot more green. The background joining pieces will be red-orange, just like the centers of each block, although I really like how they look on the cream background in this photo. My goal is to make 110 blocks, so if my math is correct, I'm nearly 41% done. Not too bad!

The antique quilt that inspired this project can be seen here.

Happy Monday to you!

15 mark twain blocks

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I have now completed 15 of these blocks, which means that I'm keeping up with my goal of completing 5 blocks a month. Hurray! The blocks are English Paper Pieced, so they are completely stitched by hand. Each block takes awhile, but I enjoy the process so much!

I have not been deliberate about the colors I choose for the overall quilt, rather I'm selecting fabrics one block at a time. This is the first time that I laid them all out together and I'm relieved that they are cohesive, as a group. (I'm using 30's reproduction prints, which all tend to go together, so it wasn't a HUGE risk, really.) I added the scissors in the photo for scale. These blocks are pretty large! That's good news, because that means I need fewer of them for a decent sized quilt.

The sew it goes tote that I made awhile back (pattern available for purchase here) is so helpful for containing all the pieces as I work and it makes the project very portable. Plus, it's really cute!!! As you can see, I'm well on my way to completing my next block. I'm hoping that I have plenty of time to hand stitch this weekend.

That's it for me today! Now, it's your turn to link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend! Happy Easter!

small projects

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I made my first pincushion of the year! It's about time, no? I had 5 of the 6 sections pieced for months and then it got set aside. Yesterday I finally pieced the final section and finished it up. I got hung up on fabric placement, (and then distracted by 100 other things!) which is why it took me so long to finish it. Seems silly now, because I love how it turned out! It's scrap project #198. (Pattern can be found in Plenty of Pincushions, Volume 2.)

This week I finished my 10th block for my Mark Twain quilt. It's pretty exciting to see the pile growing! I have a low-key goal to make 5 blocks a month, so I'm about a week ahead of schedule. (I'm rarely ahead of schedule on ANYTHING, so I'll celebrate that miniscule victory. Ha!) I have been enjoying hand stitching so much!

I decided that this project needed a brand new WIP bag. (Pattern can be found here.) This version is extra large...it measures about 18" x 20"! I was happy to discover that it was very easy to upsize the pattern. (I have a post about sewing with vinyl and shortening zippers here, that you might find helpful.)

It's really hard to convey the size of the bag, so I took a photo of it on my 18" x 24" cutting mat for scale. It's HUGE! I look forward to filling it up with finished blocks!

If you have the Work In Progress Bag pattern and would like to make an 18" x 20" bag, here are the measurements you will need:
Use a 16" zipper.
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 2 1/2" x 18"
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 17" x 18".
Cut 1 piece of vinyl 18" x 20".
Cut 2 pieces of fabric 2" x 18" for the zipper casings
Cut 2 (or 3?) strips of fabric 2 1/4" x WOF for the binding
Zipper with tabs should measure 17 3/4".
Assemble the bag according to the pattern directions.

Alright! I think that's it for me today! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday! Have a great weekend!

mark twain quilt progress

Life seems to be going at break-neck speed these days, but I am still managing to find time to do some hand-stitching amid all the activities. That's a very good thing! Having a portable stitching project at the ready is key.

I've done a lot of stitching at church (before service starts) and some in the doctor's office while waiting for my daughter's strep test. (It invited a LOT of questions, let me tell you!) Some blocks were stitched the weekend of my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party while we hung out with family (lots more questions) and some stitching was done while I attended a workshop with my son all about college readiness. (Yikes!) I haven't done any stitching in line at the grocery store. Not yet, anyway! Hahaha!

I'm replicating an antique quilt (you can read more about it here, if you care to) and this block is a nod to the original quilt. I didn't have enough dark navy fabric for all 16 hexies for the outer later, so I substituted in a similar-ish fabric for the last 4 hexies. It adds SO much character and interest! For those of you who like things symmetrical, I'm sure that it makes you very uncomfortable, but I really like it! Eventually these blocks will be connected/bordered with the red-orange solid hexies.

One thing that I've noticed is that making the block centers takes very little time...

...but adding the hexies to the outside takes considerably longer! I am enjoying the process, though, and that's what matters, right?

My friend Nancy commented that it looks like something grandma would have made. Perfect!

the start of my mark twain quilt

Last spring my family and I went on a spring break trip and I picked up this antique quilt for a song in Hannibal, Missouri. (I wrote a blog post about the quilt here, if you care to read more about it.) On that same trip, I bought a bunch of solid red orange fabric (Michael Miller cotton couture) that was an end of bolt sale. I didn't realize it at the time, but it's nearly the exact shade of the red orange fabric that was used in the quilt. So interesting!!!

I decided that I'm going to repair this quilt, but that wouldn't be enough, now, would it??? Nope! I decided that I want to make a replica of this quilt as well. I actually started making the hexagons for the connector blocks a few months ago, but this morning I finished my first block.

I'm using 30's reproduction fabrics and I'm taking my design queues from the vintage quilt. I will admit, I think this block is fairly ugly, (funky at best!) but I know that in the big scheme of things, it's going to be great! The hexagons in the original quilt measure 3/4" on each side, but I'm using 1" hexagons. I am English Paper Piecing it. (EPP for short.) 

One thing that I noticed in the old quilt is that the maker chose to turn the striped or directional fabric every which way. It adds a lot of interest and movement that the quilt wouldn't have otherwise. So, when I made my block, I followed suit. Normally, I would have laid out the pieces in the pink layer like this:

Since the original quilt has the prints going it all directions, I mixed them up. I like them every which way much better! It is so fun to study the details of the old quilt.

As far as the name of the quilt goes, it was also inspired by our trip to Hannibal. We were visiting for a few days and the town offers everything "Mark Twain" that you can imagine. (Books, book marks, pens, matchbooks, root beer, fried chicken...you name it, they had it! I even got a Mark Twain cut out while I was at the quilt shop. Hahaha!) We joked about "Mark Twain everything" the entire time we were there, so it is only fitting that I make a Mark Twain quilt to go along with it. Right?

It's going to be a long journey, but I'm excited about making this quilt!

 

a sew together bag for Emily

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

I'm happy to share another finish with you today! I made this sew together bag (pattern here) for my friend Emily as part of a Christmas swap between some good friends.

Emily likes gray, aqua and hexagons, so I combined all of those things in this little bag. I have to admit that this took a lot longer to make than I was anticipating, but she loves it, so it was totally worth it. The hexagons were English Paper Pieced, which means they were basted and then stitched together...all by hand. I did enjoy making the EPP panel and then using it for a bag exterior. I did not enjoy cutting through the hand stitches when I had to trim the panel down. That was nerve wracking! Thankfully I measured right the first time.

This is the second time that I finished the binding by hand on a sew together bag and I'm sold on the neat and tidy results.

If you are attempting to sew this bag, I would highly recommend adding zipper tabs (see this post) as a modification to the pattern. It makes sewing up the sides so much easier. As you can see, I enjoyed selecting a lot of different fabrics for the interior. I have plenty of aqua in the stash to choose from. Hurray!

This is my 7th sew together bag that I've made to date! I have one more to make before I put this pattern on hold again for awhile. They sure do make great gifts!

As a little extra for the swap package, I made Emily this little coffee ornament. You can find the free pattern here. I used coffee beans for a filling, so it has a wonderful coffee aroma. I thought that was pretty fun.

 

Well, that's it for me today! Do you have a finish to share? If so, please link up. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

WIP Wednesday--moody and focus

I've been recovering from quilt market by spending some couch time hand stitching on my focus blocks. (Templates are available here.) It's been gloomy and cold here, too, so that's about all I want to do! Thank goodness for cute fabric and time to recharge (at least a little bit!) before the kids are done with school for the year. Only 1 more school day left!

I decided to pin up all the focus blocks that I have finished on the design wall. I needed to see what fabrics I have already used and what colors I need to make more of. I love this block arrangement, with the triangles separating the hexagons. Can I tell you how much I love this quilt??? (Kind of a lot!)

I stitched up as many blocks as I could for my moody quilt. I ran out of background fabric, so I'm at a temporary stand-still until I can purchase more background fabric. This quilt needs to be at least lap size, because I am loving it so far! (More details on this quilt can be found in this post.) I had to laugh at the colorful log cabin blocks peeking out from the top of the photo. Such contrast to this quilt, but I like them both.

I also wanted to let you know that I will be traveling to Indiana (near Fort Wayne) next month, June 15-17, 2017 to give a trunk show on my new book. I will also be teaching on Friday and Saturday. The class I'm teaching is called "Spin Class-Make Your Quilts Your Own" and it's based on my book No Scrap Left Behind. Each student will be able to work on a project of their choice from the book, with hands on guidance from the teacher. (That's me.:)) The Friday class is full, but there is still room in the Saturday class. To sign up for the trunk show OR the Saturday class, email Teri for more info: ISEtrunkshow@gmail.com

That's it for me today! I hope you are having a great week!

focusing

I've been working on my focus blocks as much as I can lately. It's been quite enjoyable to settle into another hand piecing project! Fussy cutting the centers is a great starting point for each block.

This narwhal block is a favorite! I've been digging deep into my stash to find just the right fabric combinations. I'm using even my most precious fabrics for this quilt... trying to work against my fabric hoarding tendencies a little bit at a time. :)

My finished block count is up to 28! Eeep!

This is by no means the final layout, I felt the need to lay them out to see how it was progressing. I think they are going to work just fine together. Hurray!

 

The templates are available here, and there is a post about EPP here, that may be helpful to you. 

EPP methodology

Thank you so much for the great response to my focus quilt! Apparently I won't be making this quilt alone, which is super fun! I will be anxiously waiting to see other versions of it popping up. Thanks to all of you who purchased the templates!

I thought it would be a good time to share some of my methodology when it comes to EPP (English paper piecing). Please remember that this is simply one way of doing things, not the end all, be all. I hope you pick up some tips that will be helpful to you.

Printing and Cutting the Templates: 

I have been printing the trapezoid pages only (page 2 of the PDF) on card stock on my home printer. I print a few sheets at a time, as needed, then use a rotary cutter specifically for paper to cut them into strips. This is a great way to use blades that are too dull to cut fabric!

You will notice that this rotary cutter is clearly marked for paper. All of the inhabitants of this house have been instructed and coached about the usage of this and other cutting tools. (Read: my husband!) Ha!

Once the strips are cut, I like to use a paper scissors to cut the shapes apart. I find that it's more efficient to use a scissors for these short cuts. It's quicker than lining up everything with the ruler and rotary cutter. (This is just personal preference!)

I keep all the templates in this cute little box to help keep them organized, otherwise they would be floating all over the place. It's just the right size!

If your home printer doesn't like to print on card stock, you could always take the files to a copy center, like Kinkos or Office Max, and have them print the sheets for you.

I have been using my paper punch (by Fiskars) that I bought at JoAnn's to punch the hexagons. It's so quick and efficient! (And lots of fun, too!) The hexagons measure 1" on each side.

Cutting the fabric:

I have been using a 2 1/2" square (or so) for the center blocks. Fussy cut, of course!

 

I cut the strips for the trapezoids 2 5/8" wide x 20" or so. I like to cut these from fat quarters. If you cut the FQ the long way, it's just the right amount of fabric for the outside pieces of one block. (I love that it worked out that way!) 

 

I started by cutting my strips 2 1/2" wide, but after a few blocks, I determined that I really like having the extra 1/8" in the width of the strip. There is a little more fabric to wrap around the back side of the paper pieces, which makes it easier to work with. Small difference, big results!

 

Basting:

In this photo you can see how much fabric wraps around the back side of the papers. You may also notice that I trim the edges of the fabric on the hexagon to mimic the shape of the paper. I am a little bit particular and I like to have the back nice and tidy, too. I LOVE my Clover wonder clips for holding the fabric in place while basting. They are wonderful!

I like to thread baste the fabric around the shapes using Aurifil thread. I don't sew through the paper (I never understood that, but to each his own!), I just sew through the fabric. Once the fabric is basted in place, I trim the tails on the trapezoids down to about 1/4". Again, keeping things tidy is helpful!

Sewing the pieces together:

When it comes time to sew the pieces together, I've been using my collection of bobbin threads shown above. (The top one is available here.) It's a great assortment of colors and the thread is nice and thin, but strong. It doesn't tangle easily, either. If I am unable to find something that matches with my fabric from my selections above, I fall back on my trusty Aurifil thread in the color 2600, which blends with almost anything!

The block measures 6" across, and about 5 1/4" tall.

And here's a peek at the back. I could remove the center paper now, if I wanted to, since it is fully enclosed by other pieces, but I decided that I will leave the papers in for awhile yet. I can't wait to have a giant stack of these completed. I'm having SO MUCH fun with this project!

I hope that this post will help you along with your EPP!

focus quilt-the beginning

So far in my quilting journey, I've made 3 hand stitched quilts. They are really time consuming, but they are also extra special! Two of the quilts shown below are made from hand appliqued blocks, (which are then machine pieced) and the third one was English paper pieced, which means that it was all hand stitched, except for the binding. The first one is apple cake (center), the second one is oh my stars (right), and the third one, which is one of my most recent finishes, is called dot your i's (left). I love having a photo of all 3 of them together!

Why would someone want to hand stitch a quilt? Well, it's portable, for one. It's relaxing, (at least it is to me!) and it's a great way to slow down, but still have my hands occupied. Plus, it keeps me off my phone.

 

Earlier this month, I started a new long term project that I'm quite excited about! This quilt was actually my husband's idea. One day while he was at work, he texted me a photo of the bottom of this memo pad. It has a little focus logo thing (inspired by a camera lens) and he told me that he thought it needed to be a quilt! My first reaction was, "oh, my, we are in DEEP!" If my husband is seeing quilts in everyday places, we just MIGHT have a problem. Hahaha!

I held off on starting the quilt for several months, because I already had one long term quilt in progress. Even though it should have been easy, it took me several attempts to draw up the templates correctly. Then, I did some testing to see if I wanted to hand piece it or English paper piece it. After trying both, it was an easy decision to choose English paper piecing.

Here's my first block! Isn't it cute??? I decided that each block will start with a fussy cut center. It's a great way to use all those cutesy fabrics that I collect, but don't use all that often. (The only thing is, fabric selection kind of causes a fabric explosion. Ha! But it's totally worth it!)

Here are my first 6 blocks. I am already having so much fun making this quilt! Since it was my husband's idea, he has a vested interest in this quilt, so he gets to see each and every block. (He's already asked me if he gets to keep it, but I'm not sure that will be happening!)

It's way too early to determine the layout of this quilt, but it's fun to play around. I like them all nestled together like this. I don't think I will start stitching them together until I have A LOT more of them finished. Right now, it's fun to pick fabrics for a few blocks at a time and stitch them up, then repeat the entire process.

As I mentioned earlier, I tried hand stitching a block together with traditional hand piecing methods, but I was SO frustrated. It did not work AT ALL, but at least I tried. Since I didn't want to waste the fabric from my failed test block, I turned it into an itty bitty pincushion. Naturally, right!?!?!

I'm offering the templates for the focus quilt block for sale in my shop. (Available here.) The introductory price is $2.50, good for this week only. Next week the price will increase to $4.

 

This isn't a full blown pattern, but it includes 4 pages:
-one page of the quilt block assembled [2 up]
-one page of the trapezoids [16 up]
-one page of 1" hexagons [22 up]
-one page of step by step diagrams to illustrate block construction

Here are 3 more blocks that I completed over the weekend. I've already got fabric picked out for the next 3!

 

Happy Monday to you!

oh my stars! quilt complete!!!

Welcome to finish it up Friday!

 

Late last Friday night, I put the final stitches in my "oh my stars!" quilt. I still can't believe that I hand pieced an entire quilt....and I can't believe that it is actually DONE! I started the quilt back in April 2011 and it was inspired by Jess' travel quilts. (She has a video tutorial here, that I used to get started.)

This quilt was a labor of love, to say the least! I started by cutting out my own templates (2" 60 degree diamonds) from cardboard. I English paper pieced (hand pieced) the entire top with countless tiny stitches. I drafted my own side templates to fill in the gaps and to make the edges straight. I couldn't bear cutting through any hand stitching! It was worth the extra time and effort to make that happen.

After all that time invested in the top, I had to hand quilt it! I thought it would be a good winter project, but I ended up quilting most of it this spring and early summer. Funny how that happened! I basted it last fall, and I'm quite surprised that I sped through the hand quilting process that quickly.

For the fabric, I used 30's reproduction fabrics and polka dots...and I'm so glad that I made that choice early on. It definitely was the right choice! That pink star is feed sack fabric that came from my grandma's house. I love that there is some of that included in this quilt! I also LOVE that gingham bias binding!

My original plan was to back this quilt with red and white polka dots (always an obvious choice for me) but I had yards and yards of this light orange coral-ish color in my stash. It worked out very well as backing and it felt good to use something I had on hand.

The first time I pieced the back (which I machine stitched) I didn't line up the polka dots, but it felt all choppy, so I cut the pieces apart. On the second attempt, I carefully pieced the repeat so the polka dots lined up. So much better! Can you see the joining seam? I love that it's barely discernable. I guess I'm kind of geeky that way! :)

The quilt looks great draped over a chair....

...and especially pretty at the end of my bed! I'm determined that after all that work, I'm going to actually USE it! The quilt measures 62" x 82".

 

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thank you for joining me for finish it up Friday!!!