Tag Archives: curved piecing

Another New York Beauty

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Of course I couldn’t resist making a second one! These are way too addictive to stitch to stop at just one! Or two. Or a dozen. I’m already planning on making this one a 16-block little quilt. At least. Maybe more. I will try to stop after a couple more, though, and get back to the red and white quilt. Try is the operative word there.

There are so many setting options with this block. I could put them side by side, like this.

Or on point, like this.

Or beside one another like this.

Or like this. However I decide to set them, this is going to be known as my Tiffany lamp quilt. My mother loved Tiffany lamps, as do I, and these blocks definitely remind me of the Tiffany lamp we had in our kitchen when I was growing up.

Yesterday morning the ideas were just flying through my mind with so many possibilities for this block!  I already know I’ll be making more than one quilt using these shapes, probably more than a few. My ideas book has almost a page full of notes on this one. I can’t get over how easy they are to put together. Loads of opportunities for continuous stitching and some wonderful curved piecing. This block has it all!

Baxter came to help when we were starting to take photos. Mr. Q.O. dubbed this one “The Critic”.

And this was his “official” first birthday portrait.

New York Beauty Beginnings and a Birthday

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What more is there to say? New York Beauty. An absolutely fabulous quilt block. A new 6″ New York Beauty Collection was released yesterday and I absolutely could not resist making a block right away. It took no time to stitch. The curves are very gentle, the points so sharp — it just is utterly fantastic. This block will go along with seven others and is destined to be a small wall quilt, but I have plans for a larger size quilt using the block in combination with some others.

It presses like a dream and lies flat as can be. And I graded the seams the minute I was through stitching it. I’ve learned that lesson all too well now!

There are combo pages one can print. As I decided to use eight different fabrics for the small wall quilt, I used one of the combo pages and was able to print all the shapes for a block on each of the eight fabrics using a piece that’s only 8.5 x 12.5 inches. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see that all the shapes for one block are printed on the piece of fabric.

New York Beauty is a design I have wanted to work with for ages so as soon as the collection was released I stopped what I was doing, grabbed some fabrics, cut and ironed them to freezer paper, printed and then was well on my way to having the first block done. Mr. Q.O. was told nothing else was getting done until I had that block finished. He’s used to this. When a new collection is released, I just about drop everything to make that first block. I know I go on about Inklingo, but I really can’t fathom doing this block any other way. No specialty rulers, no odd angles to worry about, no paper piecing that I’d have to pick off afterwards – just print, cut and stitch. It couldn’t be simpler! My block is hand pieced, as that’s my preferred way of stitching, but I’m sure it’s just as easy to machine piece.

Baxter is one year old today. It’s hard to believe that this little kitten who came into our lives late last June is now one year old.

And posing by the toy basket. Mr. Q.O.’s caption for this one, “Birthday Boy … more toys, food … it’s my birthday!”

Yet Another Pickled Lady

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A new Pickled Lady is ready to join the bevy of beauties. When I started putting the original Pickled Ladies together, I realized I wanted it to finish larger. So more florals were fussy cut/printed and more of the blocks have been and are being made as well as the partial blocks to square it up.

While I am still working on the red and white Feathered Star/Sunflower quilt, the Pickled Ladies are going to get equal time. As will Scrappy Star. In fact, Scrappy Star may need only a couple more evenings of work until it’s finished. So I may have three tops finished in relatively quick succession.

Pressing of the latest Pickled Lady took only a second and grading the seams took not much longer. This one is now ready to add to the group.

Baxter has completely taken over the blue and white quilt on the couch. I don’t think he could get more relaxed!

Tiny Drunkard’s Trail

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Not much got accomplished yesterday, although these little stacks of the pieces needed for more of the 2″ Drunkard’s Trail blocks are cut out and ready to stitch.

I did manage to make these three blocks.

Which will be added to these four blocks. This is going to be a really small quilt, no larger than 8″ x 12″ when it’s finished. And that’s the total of what I have to show for yesterday. I was wiped out from the allergies. Can’t remember a year when they’ve been this bad, but a friend suggested it may be due to our incredibly mild winter. I think she’s right.

Baxter’s not suffering from allergies. He’s interested in finding out if there are some more apps for cats.

Drunkard’s Trail Variations

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Ever since the Drunkard’s Trail collections came out, I wanted to play with the variations. This one was made with the 6″ collection. It seems massive in comparison to the 2″ blocks, which were the ones I first made.

Then this one, made with the 4″ collection.

Finally, this one made with the 3″ collection. Although made with the 3″ collection, it finishes at 6″ because I used one of the “extra” shapes as the large centre.

They all press beautifully and I’m grading every seam as I go. The blocks are all going to be mixed and matched in the final layout. For now, I’m just having fun making some of each variation in each size. It won’t be a large quilt. At best, I think it may be a small lap quilt.

I’ve decided that while I am trying to stick to the red and white quilt during the week, the weekends are play time. Of course, the operative word in that sentence is “trying”. I’m so easily distracted by other projects!

Baxter was crashed after some pretty hectic play time Sunday night.

Shabby Trails

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It was inevitable, I suppose. I got distracted from the red and white last night. Why? Well, I just had to play with these little pieces. And I do mean little! Together they form a 2″ block. There were four new Inklingo collections released yesterday of Drunkard’s Trail, also known as Snail’s Trail – 2-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch and 6-inch. The possibilities with these sets of shapes is so enticing!

It’s been ages since I worked with the shabby chic fabrics, so I took the opportunity to start playing. I made four blocks last night and joined them.

The trail is going to meander all over, although I don’t plan on making this much larger than 12 x 12 inches. Play time is over though and now I’ll be back to focusing on the red and white Feathered Star/Sunflower.

That said, there are definitely plans afoot for the other sizes! Once I replenish my ’30s stash, I know I’ll make one with those. It’s also a definite possibility for a two-colour quilt. And the ideas just keep flowing. I was able to get a couple of the design ideas into an EQ design so that I don’t have to depend on my somewhat cryptic notes that can be a challenge to decipher months later.

It presses quite well, even with these tiny pieces.

We seem to have skipped spring and are right into summer weather. We went for a walk yesterday afternoon and I couldn’t believe how warm it is already. Wednesday they’re now saying we’ll have a humidex reading of 30C. In March? In Toronto? I think we’re all getting giddy at the very definite end of winter. Normally we go from winter to summer, but that doesn’t happen in March. That’s more something that we can expect in late May/early June.

Baxter has a habit of bracing himself but this made us both laugh. He was braced with one hind paw and one front paw as he snoozed on the couch yesterday afternoon.

Red and White Feathered Stars

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Preparation of the centre blocks is almost complete. All that’s really left is to do is the grading of seams on the first 6 blocks.

It presses beautifully. The final six blocks have had all the seams graded. Why I left it with the first six I have no idea, but it won’t take long and is definitely worth the effort. It will make the quilt drape better, there will be no chance of the red shadowing through to the front and it will make the quilting easier.

I stacked them together for fun. It will be fabulous to see this quilt centre put together, but taking a picture of it will definitely have to wait until we can get out on the roof garden. Which, by the looks of our weather forecast, may not be too far off at all.

Making these blocks has been so much easier than they look, thanks to the perfect stitching lines and matching points of Inklingo, that I’ve got an idea for a completely different feathered star quilt that I’d like to make.

Baxter had to get in on the act of photographing the blocks. Mr. Q.O. labelled this one, “The Critic.”

Although it was Mr. Q.O.’s birthday yesterday, Baxter got a present. One of our neighbours gave this to him. He absolutely loves it and played with it for hours.

Little Bits

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The centre of the last of the red and white Feathered Star/Sunflower blocks is ready. I’m getting very close to having the main body of the quilt done. The pieced border is going to take a bit of time, but I think once the centre is done and together it’s going to put this quilt right up at the top of the list to be worked on until it’s completed.

The seams are graded and it’s pressed, ready to be put in the centre of that last block.

Two sides of the Scrappy Star now have the pieced border attached. I think I want to try to add those final two sides before I get started on the pieced border for the Feathered Star quilt, as I’d love to see the Scrappy Star top done and ready to baste. It’s getting a bit large to get a decent photo of inside but the weather is getting better every day, so a roof garden photo may not be that far off.

A few more sets for the Kaleidoscope Stars are ready to stitch. They’re a fun, quick stitch. I think I’ll end up with 20 of them and will then put them into a small top.

Thanks for all the great comments on the orchids. I’m really hoping I can keep this plant alive and see it flower again.

Baxter appears to love draping himself over the arm of the chair. Makes me laugh every time as he seems to be almost having a conversation with us.

Dreaming in Wedgwood, Part 2

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While precious little stitching has been going on around here the past few nights, after I finished playing in EQ last night I couldn’t resist stitching two more of the Dreaming in Wedgwood blocks.

I’m trying to decide on a layout, as I think I’m going to add something else to the mix even if it is just plain 12″ squares. That would lend itself to some wonderful quilting.

One more night of intense EQ play and then back to my normal stitching time. I’m glad I’ve taken the time to work with EQ as much as I have over the past week, as I think it will help in the future when I’m playing with ideas. That said, it also has the potential to take much too much time away from actual stitching.

Mr. Q.O.has been busy playing with photo effects. Baxter is definitely not opposed to having his photo taken.

Dreaming in Wedgwood

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When I was growing up, my mother decorated our house in mostly Wedgwood blue and white/cream. Wedgwood blue is, to me, one of the most soothing colours imaginable. When I finally decided to take the leap and start a two-colour Rose Dream quilt, this time using the 6″ collection, I chose this Wedgwood blue that I’ve had in my stash for next to forever. I knew the right quilt idea would eventually come along and it has. The working name for this quilt is “Dreaming in Wedgwood.”

While I’m having fun with the scrappy Rose Dream blocks shown last week, I knew the minute the collections came out that I wanted to make a classic two-colour quilt. The big question for me was what colour. I had a wonderfully long and silly internal debate going on all last week about pink and white, yellow and white, blue and white, purple and pink and even went so far as to get some fabrics ready for each of those.

I have a pink and cream top waiting to be quilted, so pink and white? I’m sure another pink quilt is in my future, but not quite yet. Yellow and white? Still a possibility, I suppose, perhaps using the larger size Rose Dream block. Purple and pink? Definitely in my future. The Wedgwood blue and white? I couldn’t resist it. Yes, I’ve made a blue and white quilt before, as seen in my blog header, but that is a much deeper, richer blue.

One of the things I enjoy about hand piecing is choosing the thread(s) for each project. With a two-colour quilt, it’s so easy. Find one thread that works, and that’s all that’s needed. I had the perfect thread to match the blue fabric.

The entire quilt is planned in my mind. I know how many blocks are needed, the border is figured out and a possible quilting design for this one is already roughly sketched out.

The blocks press beautifully. As I don’t want to have to do all the grading of seams at the end, I’m doing these as I go.

At the end of last week, I fell quite behind in responding to blog comments. I will catch up this week.

Baxter adores his Cosmic Catnip Alpine Scratcher. Along with using it as a scratching post, he often will fall asleep on it. Mr. Q.O. captioned this shot “Photo Life – I’m Posing For It”.