The fact there are now 17 of these done rather surprised me, even though I did count them on Monday night. Guess I should go back and read my own blog. For some reason, even though I have the stack … Continue reading
Tiffany Lamp Quilt Block 17
Tag Archives: New York Beauty blocks
Second Monet Block
I managed a little stitching time last night. And got another block done for the Monet quilt. That’s 2 now for the Monet quilt and 16 for the Tiffany Lamp quilt. About 10 days ago I was reorganizing fabric … Continue reading
New York Beauty, Version 3
So much for me not getting distracted this week. A third variety of Inklingo New York Beauty blocks was released yesterday. When I saw those super skinny spiky points, I was lost. Absolutely and totally lost. Super spiky points and … Continue reading
New York Beauties in the Pink
Some pink had to be added to the NYB fabrics I’m working with. First a NYB Collection 1 block with a little pink. I think this one will end up in the Tiffany Lamp quilt or … well, see below. … Continue reading
Weekend Plans
First up, some Inklingo Cheat Sheets filled out so I can sort out what sizes of freezer paper I need to cut. Then I can print more of the New York Beauty shapes on the fabrics I’m using for these. I had some pieces of fabric that were already cut so they’re behind the cheat sheets but there is more to come. It’s the weekend, so this is my play time for the NYB blocks and who knows what else. Maybe a log cabin block, maybe some more of the tiny Drunkard’s Trail, or perhaps the 2″ Drunkard’s Path. The shapes for those last three are already printed on the fabrics I’m using, so it will be easy to pick up some of them.
I’m saving the strips from grading the seams of the NYB blocks in this little glass jar. It’s getting very colourful and will be even more so by the time I’m done, although I have a feeling I’ll need to use a larger jar.
The big book box has lots of shapes already printed and cut out, ready to stitch.
The laptop is charging now as I want to play with a couple of design ideas in EQ, but hopefully out on the roof garden. The battery on my old laptop doesn’t hold a charge as long as it used to, but I think it’s good for about an hour of play. So those are my quilting plans for the weekend. What are yours?
While we were taking the pictures, Baxter was determined to get the jar lid.
A cartoon drawing of Baxter, drawn by Mr. Q.O.
A Dozen Little Blocks and a Repeat Appearance
In next to no time last night I had an even dozen of these done. Now there are only 462 left to make. I could barely write that last sentence without laughing out loud. While it seems like an enormous number, I know I had the first 200 or so of them done in just a couple of weeks — and that involved tracing of templates, adding matching points and then cutting them out. I hate setting deadlines for myself, so am just going to enjoy however long it takes to stitch these.
This box now contains 370 little 2″ blocks.
After seeing the photo of the two blocks on my post yesterday, Mr. Q.O. insisted we take the photo again. He was right, the one yesterday seemed a bit muddy.
So much for me saying it was summer weather. Yesterday it got rather cool again but at least the sun was out. Our forecast for the long weekend is still looking like a true summer weekend with humidex readings in the 30s – Celsius, that is.
Baxter really does take his fabric minding duties seriously. When we set up to take photos, he’s almost always there to oversee the process.
Monet Block 2
A few pieces were taken out of the big book box and another Monet block made. Right now I’m not sure which is my favourite (if one is at all) – the Tiffany Lamp blocks or these softer Monet blocks.
I finger press as I stitch, which makes the final pressing very quick.
Now I’ve made one of each of the New York Beauty 1 and 2 collections for the Monet quilt. I’m not sure how many blocks will be made for this quilt, but know that it’s going to be fun playing with the setting. That said, now that I look at these two side by side, I think this newest one may be put in the Tiffany Lamp quilt pile. It may not be soft enough for the Monet quilt.
Tuesday was another fabulous day here, with wonderfully warm temperatures. We went for a walk but, of course, forgot the camera. The shops have their planters out and there are some pretty arrangements to be seen. If it’s not raining today, we’ll try again.
Baxter still has his particularly unique way of drinking. It’s hard work. After he’s had a drink, he needs to rest. You can tell that the fur on one side of his face is pretty much soaking wet in this shot.
Tiffany Lamp Quilt, Block 10
Block 10? It doesn’t seem as though I’ve made anywhere near that many! Ten done for the Tiffany Lamp quilt and one for the Monet quilt. I’m going to try to lay them all out on the floor — maybe when Baxter is sleeping. Otherwise it might be a nightmare! A series of these quilts is definitely in my future.
The back after grading the seams and pressing. I’m still thrilled with the Rowenta travel iron. It presses well and heats up quickly. The biggest bonus is it’s so lightweight and easy on the hands.
And yes, this is another quilt in a box. In the big book box. Not all the pieces are printed yet, although there are quite a few ready to cut and more sheets of fabric ready to print. This time the box also contains all the fabrics I’ve picked out for the Monet and Tiffany Lamp quilts. Yesterday I finished cutting the remaining shapes for the ’30s Drunkard’s Path. I need to get a fair bit of stitching done so those pieces will fit in that book box.
Summer is here. This weekend is the Victoria Day long weekend, the traditional planting time here and the weekend often thought of as the first long weekend of the summer. The gardeners were seen on the roof garden yesterday, the weather is glorious and one sure sign it’s summer is that the lounge chairs have shown up out on the roof garden. We’ve turned the heat off, the windows are open and it’s wonderful!
Baxter lounging about. Mr. Q.O. captioned it, “Are you perchance going to the kitchen?”
Bright New York Beauty 2
The partially completed block I showed yesterday is now finished. And it’s bright. Almost need your sunglasses bright. I think I may do a series, as Wanda at Exuberant Color does, of small quilts with these blocks. That way I can play with the colour combinations as much as I want, play with the layouts as many ways as I can think up, and just generally have fun. I’m going to print some more shapes from the 12″ Sunflower collection and do quarter blocks that will play with the NYB 1 and 2 collections. Some will be for the Tiffany Lamp quilt, some for the more muted Monet type effect and some will be … well, I don’t know quite yet.
Even with the thicker metallic fabric it still presses like a dream. And, of course, grading the seams as I finish the block helps.
We had a lot of rain and a couple of little thunderstorms yesterday. I hope that’s it for the rain for a while as the window cleaners are about to do our windows.
This shot of Baxter was taken last week but the look on his face makes me laugh so I couldn’t resist using it.
Hand Piecing a New York Beauty 2 Block
What’s in the box?
Loads and loads of printed sheets for the New York Beauty blocks, both those from Collection 1 and Collection 2. Impossible for me to resist these. As though she knew, a very special friend sent me another one of these marvellous box books but this one is huge! Some of the sheets in that box are 8.5 x 12.5 inches and they aren’t folded over or cramped in there at all. The book box is that enormous and it’s deep so I can print as many sheets of fabric as I want for these blocks. It’s pretty clear now that the Tiffany Lamp quilt is going to be larger than I originally thought. I’m adding some batiks and a few other metallic prints that play nicely.
So on to hand piecing a New York Beauty block from Collection 2. I stitch the two bands of triangles and the small arc to the corner piece. When stitching the two bands of triangles, I take advantage of the continuous stitching possibilities so they’re done in next to no time.
At this stage, I press it. As the triangle intersections don’t meet when the two bands are joined together I’m quite happy to press both bands in the same direction.
Now all that’s left is to join the four units and the block is done. And it’s really that easy. With the perfect matching points and stitching lines, piecing a New York Beauty is fast, simple and oh, so gratifying as each block is done! Getting perfect sharp points takes nothing more than stitching on the stitching lines. The finished block will be shown tomorrow.
For a great tutorial on how to machine piece one of these beauties, check out this post on the All About Inklingo blog.
Baxter was ignoring the camera so Mr. Q.O. was making some very weird noises to get his attention. I think the look on his face says it, “What the heck?!” He had just been drinking in his wonderfully funny style, so the fur on the right side of his face is still quite damp.
Quilt Obsession 