Tag Archives: Lucy Boston Keyboard Patchwork

A Stack of Stitching

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This may not look like a lot, but there are quite a few blocks there to be stitched.  At least 100, I believe.  I love having a stack all ready to stitch like this.  I even went ahead and clipped into all the concave seam allowances so that I can just stitch and stitch and not have to stop and clip any of the seam allowances.

One more little Harpsichord Quilt block is made.  This is not a UFO that I want to leave languishing for too long as I think it will be a very striking quilt.  So once I get 2 more finished, it’s moving to the top of the list and, in the meantime, I will try to make a couple of blocks a week.

I realized yesterday that a larger stitching book would be even more useful so finally have a use for my orphan applique blocks.  There are a number of them that have been sitting now for years.  They can be quickly joined, quilted and turned into stitching books and that makes me happy.

There were a number of helpful responses yesterday.  I’m going to e-mail the blogger in question, as Wendy suggested, and then see what happens.

The cats had very lazy days on Monday.  Lester was lounging at one end of the couch.   He did spend some time on the windowsill Monday, though.  I think he’s getting impatient for some activity out on the roof garden.

While Smudge was at the other end of the couch and barely awake when this shot was taken.

Dots of Colour

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The baby quilt I was working on back in August and early September will finally be basted, hopefully this weekend.  I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate, so used it to buy the fabric above for the backing.  I couldn’t find an appropriate flannel but when I saw this fabric I couldn’t resist it.  Perfect for a baby quilt, I think.

These 3 fabrics were also purchased with the gift certificate — what a treat!  Initially I had thought the stripe on the far left would be perfect for the binding, but it’s too pink.  I love using stripes to get different effects in pieced blocks and for bias binding, so this is a welcome addition to the stash even if it’s not used for this particular quilt.  Lately I find I want to use a bit of black in almost every quilt I make, which explains the middle choice.  The one on the far right intrigues me.  I think I’ll have fun with it and already have an idea.

Thursday night I got out the completed blocks for the Harpsichord Quilt.  I have a long way to go, but was pleasantly surprised when I realized I already had 2 of the vertical rows complete.  The centres of the last three pink and cream big stars are done.  If the weekend weather is as rainy and cold as they’re predicting, I think I may have at least 2 of the stars completed by Monday.  Now I’m seeing the benefit of a large block as I may well have this top together by month end.

Smudge was chasing leaves on the windowsill for a while on Thursday morning and then peeked out from under the lace.  We couldn’t resist this photo, even though it is a bit blurry.

Later on, Lester was on the windowsill.

And Then There Were Three

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Blocks stitched and shapes printed for three projects on Wednesday, that is.  Project one, the big pink and cream stars.  One more finished so there are now three completed.  Tuesday night I started thinking about different settings for the big pink stars and have decided on one that will include 6 of the large stars and some other elements.  Three more big stars to go and then the setting and it will be done.

The pieces printed and cut out for the remaining three big pink and cream stars.

Project two, two of the Pickled Ladies done.

Lots of clamshells printed and cut out for project two.

Lots of the shapes needed for the arcs also printed and ready to cut.

Project three, the Harpsichord Quilt.  One new block pieced and pressed.  Smudge was determined to be part of this photo — you can see his shadow.

Lots and lots of black and gold octagons and the little coloured squares printed for project three.

While my printer wasn’t going quite as quickly as in the video I showed yesterday, it was humming along for about half an hour last night.  I like working on projects in groups of three.  Getting the freezer paper sorted out made it all so easy.  In next to no time I had the fabric pressed to freezer paper and printed for all three of  this Wednesday’s projects.  Perhaps if I keep doing this for the next couple of weeks I can have all the pieces printed and ready to stitch for another 3 or 6 projects.  What other ones?  The Summer Picnic Dish, also known as pickle dish.  The Rouenneries Drunkard’s Path — I have another 3 sets of charms to print for that one.  The Storm at Sea is definitely on the list for next week.

For the most part, the cats had no interest in what was going on.  Lester had a nap.

Smudge was looking a bit bored, I think.

Recap of Projects on List

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It has been so long since I’ve worked on a few of these projects that I thought it might be a good idea to have a look at them again.  First up are a few of the 30 Pink Ice blocks.

Than a few of the 30 Patchwork of the Crosses blocks.

Looking at these first two pictures makes me realize how nice it would be to have a design wall!  I could lay out all 30 blocks for each quilt and photograph them. Reorganizing the living room is on the horizon, so perhaps a design wall can get incorporated into that reorganization.

Next up are a few of the harpsichord blocks.  While I had started putting them into the first row, I have quite a few more done but not added to a row yet.  That will be something that I think I’ll start doing every 10 or 12 blocks or so.

While only one Storm at Sea block is done, as shown below, I have the fabrics for my Stormy Seas quilt ready to print and have worked out how many of each shape I’ll need.  Perhaps this weekend I can get some of the printing done.

The Pickled Ladies, which have clearly captured my interest almost exclusively for the past month and a half.

Then the sunshine star clams which are almost twice the size of the Pickled Ladies blocks:

The final item on the list is the baby quilt, which is ready to quilt as soon as I find the right backing.  Who knew finding a wider flannel would be such an adventure?  I may end up making a pieced backing with some ’30s FQs for it.  No picture of it yet but as soon as it’s quilted there will be.

Every one of these quilts has been/is being made with Inklingo templates printed on my fabric.  It has made even complex patterns like the clamshell pickles simple.

Smudge looking angelic in lace.

And Lester curled up beside Mr. Q.O.’s desk chair.

Harpsichord Blocks

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The Harpsichord Quilt blocks have been neglected for months, it seems.  They were last seen here.  The story behind why I’m calling this the Harpsichord Quilt can be seen here.  Tuesday night I decided to remedy that neglect by making two of them, one with partial sashing and one without.  The backs:

I was going to make a flower or two for One Flower Wednesday, but in my organizing I have managed to put the box containing all the hexagons I have cut out and ready to stitch in a very safe spot.  So safe, in fact, that I can’t find it.  I’m sure it will eventually turn up.

While we were at the birthday celebration for my aunt on Sunday, Mr. Q.O. got this shot of the view from the dining room.

It was very hot and humid here on Tuesday but we spent an hour or two out on the roof garden where it was wonderful.  It’s always somewhat cooler and there was a wonderful breeze.  While out there, I got all the planning for the baby quilt done.  A little stash shopping is the next step.

Tuesday afternoon, Smudge was quite content to curl up on the sofa.

While Lester was curled up on the floor.

Harpsichord Quilt Blocks

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Two more of the Harpsichord Quilt blocks done.  It has been quite a while since I worked on these little beauties.  On the weekend I got out my Patchworks of Lucy Boston book and was again so inspired by all the beautiful patchworks she made.  The original patchwork made by Lucy Boston using this design is called the Keyboard Patchwork but because of the gorgeous harpsichords we saw two summers ago I decided my version of that patchwork would be called the Harpsichord Quilt.

The back of the blocks:

Yesterday, Karen Dianne asked about supplies for and where people hand piece.  I have no particular set-up.  I piece wherever I have good light.  That’s the most important ingredient for me.  I piece on the couch when watching television, outside on the roof garden, anywhere there is good light.  All I need are needles, thread,  thread snips and my finger pincushion.  The finger pincushion was a gift from a friend and is worth its weight in gold.  I am so used to using it now that I feel lost without it.   I usually wear it on the index finger of my left hand when hand piecing, although I know a lot use it on their thumbs, and that’s where I park the needles that I use as pins.

#12 sharps are both needles and pins when I hand piece.  They are much finer than any pin I’ve ever tried and don’t throw a seam off when pinning.  I pin one step ahead of myself rather than pinning a whole seam.  When I reach the pin/needle, I move it to the next spot of the seam where I want a pin and so on to the end of the seam.  As I use Inklingo to print my templates on to the back of the fabric and as the templates all have matching points, all I need to do is line up the matching points, pin through them and then stitch.

Thread is a whole other matter.  I love using YLI Heirloom, YLI Select, DMC and Mettler 60/2 threads.  I’m one of those who likes to match thread to the fabric I’m stitching.  In the picture above, there are spools of black, grey, cream and blue thread.  For the Harpsichord block that has the blue squares I used three different threads — the black, the blue and the cream.  The black thread was used for all seams that involved the black fabric.  The cream thread was used when I was joining the outer beige octagons.  When I added the cream octaagons around the block, I used both black and blue thread.  I think I have as much fun picking out the right threads as I do hand piecing the blocks.

The grey YLI thread in the photo is one of my favourites when piecing something that is completely scrappy and has many, many colours in it.  I used it to piece my shabby chic king-sized quilt and am using it to put together the other hexagon top on which I’m currently working.  It seems to melt into the seam and match just about every colour. Except for black fabric, that is.  Whenever I work with black fabric, I use black thread.

The cats aren’t the least bit interested in any of it except for the finger pincushion.  That appears to have magic kitty attraction powers.  Lester, in particular, likes to spear it with a claw.

He was sprawled right out of his kitty bed Monday.

Smudge was, I think, contemplating what mischief he could get into.