Category Archives: hand piecing

More Spring Circles

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The first quadrant has now grown to 20 blocks.  When 36 blocks are done, I’ll start on the second quadrant.  Watching a new group of circles appear has me fascinated every time I add a new row.  I’ve got the blocks for the next row started and am approaching this with a view to finishing a row every week, including adding it to the other rows.  It is still going to take quite some time to finish it, as each quadrant is going to take at least 2 months to make although I am finding them faster and faster to stitch.

We were lucky to get the shot out on the roof garden Monday afternoon.  By Monday evening it had become quite windy.  The wind continued on through the night.

We got some other nice pictures of the roof garden on Monday.  This is one of my favourites, looking from the west side of the roof garden over to the east.

This is the building in which we live.  While it’s very high, we live down quite close to the roof garden — in fact, only a couple of floors above it which means we get all the benefits of having a tree in front of the window and seeing lots of greenery.  The sky was wonderfully blue on Monday with just wispy clouds floating by.

Lester was sitting on my lap, staring up at the ceiling when Mr. Q.O. got this shot.  Usually, I completely fall for it and look up to see what he’s staring at.  This time I didn’t.

Smudge curled up with a teddy bear.

One Klosjes …

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… block was all I got done last week.  I’m thinking now that I will finish making the ones I’ve got prepped, then assess and decide whether to make a wall hanging from those or if I’ll keep making them.

The back:

The weekend was productive as I got the next 4 Alabama Beauty blocks stitched into a row, and that row joined to the first 4 rows.  I’ll post a picture as soon as we can get one out on the roof garden on a dry, non-windy day.  Sunday  night I selected the fabrics for the next row of the blocks..

Exciting news to me is that there’s going to be an Inklingo Pickle Dish collection.  One of my quilting goals is to have a red and white quilt and I’m playing with the idea of making a red and white Pickle Dish.   More wonderful curved piecing.  I can’t wait!  Linda announced it here, on her blog, on Sunday.

We were playing with the macro setting on the camera and took this shot of the condensation bubbles on a coffee cup.  For some reason, this shot just fascinates me.

It was a rainy overcast weekend.  Sunday afternoon two robins were sitting on the tree branch right in front of the living room window.  I knew we had some robins out on the roof garden as I’ve heard them, but hadn’t seen them until Sunday.  I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo of them.

The cats got in some serious relaxation time.  Smudge in one of his endless upside down poses.

While Lester was a bit more alert, but only momentarily.

Farmer’s Delight Blocks

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These blocks have been languishing since I got started on Spring Circles, but are about to get worked on again.  I had planned to make 12 of these blocks and have the fabrics for the remaining 6 blocks cut and ready to print.  So this weekend, the shapes shall be printed and then I will start working on these again as well as focusing on the Spring Circles.  I’m playing with the idea of a pieced sashing for these, but will make that decision when I get the remaining 6 blocks completed.

While we were out on the roof garden taking pictures of quilt blocks, we got this shot of the two condominium towers going up across the street.  There are so many condominium high-rise towers in this area that sometimes it feels like we live in an absolute concrete jungle.  That’s one of the reasons I’m so grateful for the roof garden and that we face on to it with a tree in front of our living room window.  Once the leaves on the tree have come out we barely notice all the concrete that surrounds us.

It was a gloriously sunny day on Thursday, although somewhat cool in the morning.  Lester was in his usual spot by the window.

While Smudge was posing for the camera, as usual.

One Flower Wednesday … on Thursday

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These little flowers are so fast to put together that I couldn’t resist making 4 of them.  My idea for a quilt using these is changing quite a bit though.  I may be putting these in a quilt of their own rather than with the blossoms seen here.

The backs:

Do you want to see more hexagon flowers being done for One Flower Wednesday?  Karen, the hostess of One Flower Wednesday, is making them as seen here.  Danielle,  Ann,  Sandra and Valentina are all adding flowers to their gardens as well.

Tuesday night I spent some time looking through this book before I fell asleep and, of course, woke up Wednesday morning with all sorts of ideas.  Although the instructions are written in Japanese, it really doesn’t matter as there are tons of illustrations.

There are a number of super hexagon quilts in the book. This is one of my favourites:

Although this picture doesn’t quite show it, at one point Wednesday afternoon the sky got quite stormy looking.  I thought we might have had our first thunderstorm of the season, but we had only a brief downpour of rain.  I just realized we didn’t even have thunder snow last winter so it has been ages since we’ve had a storm.  As evident from the picture, the leaves on the tree are just starting to open.

Lester was at his normal post for this time of year — on the windowsill.

While Smudge seemingly decided it was a great day to laze about.  He always makes me laugh when he stretches out like this.

Spring Circles Update

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It was calm enough Tuesday to get a shot of the Spring Circles/Alabama Beauty blocks out on the roof garden.  There are now 16 blocks put together and 9 circles have appeared in their entirety.   At this point it’s 36″ square.  If I make it as large as I’m anticipating, it will be 108″ by 108″.  That’s going to require many, many more blocks — 128 more, to be exact.  Rather daunting if I look at it that way.  I think I’ll focus on getting each quadrant done and not look too far down the road with this one. There’s something about this block that fascinates me.

There were a number of good ideas for the floral print I showed yesterday.  This weekend I think I’ll try it against some other fabrics and see if I can find the perfect combination for it.  Later today I’ll be working on my One Flower Wednesday hexagon block.

Lester, showing why I think of him as our house lion.

Smudge is usually rather afraid of the window washers and will spend hours under the bed until he’s sure they’re gone.  This time?  This time he seemed to be quite laid-back about the whole thing.  No hiding under the bed.

More Alabama Beauty Blocks

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These two blocks were completed and a third one half-finished on Thursday night, so I think there’s a good chance I’ll get the next row added to the first quadrant before the weekend is out.

They need to be pressed before being stitched into the row and added to the previous rows.  As I keep working on this, I’m finding that these blocks are almost putting themselves together.

They say we may have a thunderstorm today — that will be our first of the season.  The gardeners were busy as could be Thursday adding soil to the flowerbeds again and the window washers are getting ever closer to our windows.

This has been a busy week and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.  There are so many blogs posts to catch up on and comments to which I need reply so that’s definitely on the agenda for this weekend.  And my idea book is overflowing at the moment which probably means that I’ll be printing fabric this weekend for a variety of projects.

I love it when Lester rests his head on his paw.

Smudge on the couch.

One Flower Wednesdays

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I made half a dozen of these little flowers using half-inch hexagons.  To give an idea of the size of them, there’s a nickel in the middle of one.  I think I may alternate between these tiny ones and some made with the 1″ hexagons as I do have an idea for a small quilt using those as well.

Just to show the difference in size, this are some 1″ hexagons with the same nickel:

I really like working with .75″ hexagons as well so think I’ll print some fabrics to make a few of those.  If I’m doing One Flower Wednesdays, I may as well have a variety of sizes.

This week has turned out to be different than I anticipated.  I wasn’t expecting to be as busy as I have been.  As a result, I’m not getting around to blogs as much as usual nor have I responded to comments for a day or two.  Once today is over, then I’ll get caught up!

We had another absolutely glorious day on Wednesday.  Lots of sunshine.  Now I know it’s truly getting warm out there.  Some of the sun worshippers in the building were out on the roof garden Wednesday afternoon in their bathing suits.  That is a first — I don’t ever remember anyone being able to do that here this early.

Lester was busy on the windowsill watching as the gardener was out there adding soil to the flower beds.

Smudge looks rather pensive in this shot, I think.

Piecing an Alabama Beauty Block

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Thursday night I printed some more shapes for the nameless quilt.  I refuse to call it “The Thing” any longer.  It needs a name!  I got the fabrics picked out for the next set of 3 blocks and this block stitched.  I’m finding it easier and easier to plan these blocks.  I lay out the pieces for each block, make sure that the pieces that create the circles are in the right spot and then it’s really a quick block to stitch.

This is the back:

And this is a close-up of the centre of the back.  I had promised someone (sorry, I forget who!) that I’d show a close-up of how I press this block, so here it is:

The batiks I had ordered from Sew Sisters last weekend arrived.  I think a piece of one, if not two, of these is going to be used in the Alabama Beauty quilt.  These were definitely my lucky fabrics!  Tomorrow we’re off to Sew Sisters to pick up the frame.  I can’t wait!

Along with the batiks was this cute FQ of Easter fabric.  Wouldn’t this make a great back for a little doll’s quilt?

Thursday was another rainy, grey day.  Lester spent some time on the windowsill, but there wasn’t much for him to see.

Smudge, on the other hand, decided it was a good day to curl up with a teddy bear.

More Alabama Beauty Circles

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Now there are four complete circles showing.  This is really a fun top to put together as each row reveals another set of completed circles.  It’s like watching a bit of a mystery unfold.  Winning the quilt frame has absolutely decided it.  This will be a king-size quilt.  I was hesitating as the thought of basting it for quilting was rather daunting.  But with the quilt frame meaning no basting, once I finish adding rows and rows of blocks it will be ready to quilt immediately.   It will be solely a matter of getting the batt and a backing ready.

Mr. Q.O. keeps asking me if I’m making drapes with this one.  He’s kidding, of course, but it makes me think of a picture in the book, The Patchworks of Lucy Boston, in which a hexagon patchwork is used as a window treatment.  I’d love to find a fabric that looked something like this that could be used for drapes.

Finding a name for this quilt is already something I’m thinking about.  At the moment, it’s known in this household as “The Thing”.  Not very flattering.  It really does deserve a nice name, I think.

It poured and poured and poured rain some more on Wednesday.  But suddenly, the roof garden is looking greener and greener and the first daffodil has bloomed.  I think we’re to have nothing but rain and perhaps even a thunderstorm or two today.  Hopefully we see the sun again on Friday.

The cats know what to do on a rainy day.  Curl up and snooze.  Smudge, in one of his classic poses that always manage to make us laugh:

And Lester sound asleep.

Alabama Beauty – Second Circle

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It seems that getting that first group of blocks done so that the first circle appeared was the hardest part of making this quilt.  Now it’s almost putting itself together.  There’s a little planning to make sure each block is going to have the right fabrics on the outer edges to match up with their adjoining blocks, but once that’s done they’re amazingly fast to put together.   As I’m pressing as I go, the top truly will be done when I finish the last block.  I’m already wondering about how to quilt it.  It’s a done deal now — this is going to be king-size quilt.

Monday evening I picked out some more shabby chic prints to add to the mix, cut them to the size needed to print my templates and now I’ve got enough prepped to keep going for a few weeks.  While I was prepping them, I was thinking about favourite types of fabrics.  I always seem to fall back to shabby chic for large scrappy quilts.  Do you have a favourite type of fabric that you always seem to go back to?

Monday was another absolutely gorgeous day.  Warm as an early summer day, clear blue skies, an absolutely marvelous treat for early April.  There are more and more green shoots showing up in the roof garden flowerbeds and the vines on the trellis are starting to show green leaves as well.

Both cats spent time on the windowsill Monday.   We have finches flitting about in the trees which I think they’re finding as fascinating as I am.   In the evening, Smudge relaxed.

Lester was back in his favourite spot in the pink chair.