Last Weekend and Beyond...

The 50th Anniversary celebration continued last weekend with the entire family gathering for a dinner out. Mr. G and I can't remember a time when we've had more fun. These four entertained the table all evening! It was wonderful in every way!

                                                         Here we all are, it was a night to remember. 

Even though I begged for time to stand still... sigh.

💗

In other, quilty, news: 

This is "Chain Gang", it is finally quilted. Since I just mentioned the passage of time... these blocks were completed 15 years ago! I set the top together only three summers ago, I guess it was finally time. 😉 I used Urban Elementz "Wavy Gravy" pantograph by Patricia Ritter to quilt this one; I really love the soft, curvy, effect combined with the strong diagonal  element of the quilt blocks!

Maybe I was simply waiting all this time for the perfect backing fabric. What do you think? Yes, that's the story that we're going with! I have a pile of bright colored scraps to piece together for the binding... I can confidently say today, at long last, that this one is almost done. 

Using Deb Tucker's Wedge Star tool and a box of 4.5" scraps I managed to set together eighty 7" kaleidoscope blocks into this top measuring, 56" X 80", this past week. Just to make sure that this one doesn't hang around for fifteen years before quilting, I have the backing and binding all ready to go. It's up for loading onto the longarm rails next. No time like the present... right? Ha!!

Life is Good!

 

From Bits and Pieces

I was cleaning out and tidying up the other day and I ran across a bin filled with pieced four inch sub-units from a multi-session course that I attended a few years back, offered at my LQS. The course was "Tucker University" and we used  Studio 180 tools and technique sheets to make basic units: half square triangles, quarter square triangles, combination units, shaded four patches, square in a square, flying geese, high-low blocks, sidekick blocks, corner beams, little houses and pickets. At the time I chose the focus fabric (dk. blue multi print) and pulled the coordinating scraps from the stash for a controlled (sort of) palette. I blogged about it here almost three years ago. I never stitched any of the blocks together, simply bagged the sub-units together and put them, and the background and focus fabrics, together in the bin. I've had SO MUCH FUN this week arranging them, changing them, taking them apart, rearranging the components and putting them back together again on the design wall-- like quilter's building blocks. The beauty of using these tools is the precision achieved after the trim down step; everything fits together perfectly, they're completely interchangeable! I was surprised (and tickled) to realize that I had enough pieces to put together an entire sampler-style quilt top! 😲 I'll sash it up with the focus fabric and put the leftover pieces (yes, this was a loaves and fishes bin!) into the scrap basket to run through the die cutter. All this time at home is yielding lots of happy benefits. What's lurking in your closets?

Life is Good!

Facets

Facets ~ 55" X 55"

Currently this is a nine block quilt top, the results (so far) of this year's BOM at my LQS. I am still deciding, but this may be as far as I go with this one, I like the symmetry of the setting as a square quilt. This has been a stretch for me as I chose to stay in a monochrome state of mind, but varying the low volume backgrounds has added enough interest for me to keep things interesting. These blocks are all based on traditional patterns constructed using Deb Tucker's Studio 180 tools and technique sheets, I designed the setting based on her Split Rects tool. 

Life is Good!

Keeping It Quiet?

 It all started innocently enough (don't all great adventures?), I was having lunch with Quiltkeemosabe and she mentioned to me that she had been playing with Deb Tucker's new Shaded Nine Patch technique sheet. "Do you have it yet?" she asked. That's all it took. No, I didn't have it, but now I knew that she did; and, of course, I wanted to play too!
I had one of these technique sheets in my hot little hand that afternoon before returning home. "I don't need to start anything new-- I don't need to start anything new", I kept repeating that over and over to myself on the drive home. As are all things Deb Tucker (Studio 180 Design), this sheet was quite compelling. "How bad would it be to just quickly work up one block. One teeny, tiny, 6" block"? I have an ever-growing collection of low-volume prints. I cannot force myself to stop collecting them! And, I must say, for low volume prints they can get mighty boisterous when they want to be used; I was powerless to ignore them. Yes, there's a pattern of loss of control here, I am aware of that! 😉 Well, as you can see, one block combined four of those teeny-tinies into a usable 12" size block. One thing led to another, as it usually does.

"I wonder how two blocks would look, side by side, with scrappy sashing from a jellyroll that I  just happened to have on hand?" Hmmm... in my own humble opinion they look twice as nice. 

Oh, yeah; you know where this is leading. This Shaded Nine Patch technique is a winner. If you would like to watch Deb demonstrate this herself in a short video click here.  Don't say that you weren't warned. Even though I am using soft, low volume fabrics it's hard, for me, to keep this one quiet!   

Life is Good! 

Warm Days, Cool Hues

Ever since we returned from our recent adventures, both up north and our more local grandchildren-focused ones, I have been playing catch-up; there's been little (if any) actual time in the sewing room! I did need to spend some time constructing the latest block-of-the-month before the next session rolls around already--next week! So go the days of summer! This year my LQS is focusing on Deb Tucker's "Tucker Trimmer" tool for each month's block. As you know, I am a huge fan of these tools! I made a variation of the assigned block, adding corner triangles to the center square to really show off and accentuate that center fabric on point. I am using a variety of low-volume prints for my backgrounds each month. I have committed myself to setting each block with half-rectangles after designing the setting in EQ8 the month before (see post here).  So, with the addition of block #2 the blocks will look something like this, next to one another. My tool of choice for the half-rectangles is another Deb Tucker tool: the "Split-Rects"; it is precise and accurate.

Setting the second block made me realize that I would need to piece the corner squares when the stripe is to the outside, mitering the stripes so that they would turn the corners. I decided yesterday that it would be the smartest thing to go ahead and cut all of the Split-Rects units and piece them together, bundle them into groups for setting each of the next ten blocks, and have them all ready. Now I feel much more prepared when each month comes along, I am good to go!

I am happy with the progress on this one so far. The icy-cool colors are perfect for a hot summer's day! Oh, and one more plug for EQ8. When designing a layout your fabric requirements are calculated at the same time; 1 yard of each fabric was suggested as the correct amount for the alternating light/dark setting pieces. I bought exactly that amount. When I realized that I was going to need to piece those striped corners I was sweating it as the fabric was dwindling with each slice...  and fast!

I had enough; phew! Just barely, but I had enough!

Not much to add to the scrap bin at all. 😉

Life is Good!

Cart Before The Horse?

This is the first of twelve blocks-of-the-month that we will be doing at my LQS. Having just set all of those hexies together from the last BOM session it's all about moving forward. This time we're exploring blocks using Deb Tucker's Tucker Trimmer. If you've been a long-time reader you know that yours truly is a huge fan of everything Deb Tucker does and all of the Studio 180 tools. (The Tucker Trimmer is the original tool.)  I chose the turquoise print, on the outside of this block, as my control fabric. Each block will contain that print with low-volume backgrounds that will change, block to block. I am staying with a monochromatic color scheme and already went ahead and designed my setting in EQ8.  The Split-Rects borders on each block will alternate light/dark to add some interest and some movement. Is this a case of putting the cart before the horse? Maybe; after all, I have no idea what the blocks will be. But, I grabbed the reins anyway. We'll see where this goes, right now I am happy with the idea. (The pieced blocks inside the setting borders measure 12" square.)

Life is Good!