You’ve Got Mail

.

A package arrived in the mail today,

and even though I knew what it contained, nothing prepared me for what burst from the box as I opened it...

a glorious riot of color made by my friend Wanda Hanson!

it's a Streak of Lightning quilt just as vibrant and lively as the name implies.

Usining Sujata Shah's design and Vicki Welsh's fabric, Wanda achieved a 

make for one very vibrant quilt! Which 

color combinations do you prefer? 

It's pretty hard to 

It covers me perfectly from nose to toes and is just wide enough to keep me warm without entangling my arms in extra quilt.

Whether I’m snuggled under the quilt or admiring it from across the room, those colorful zig zags make me smile. Thank you, Wanda, for a gift that warms both body and soul.

  Details and Links
~36” x 63”
~Zig Zag quilt tutorial by Sujata Shah, The Root Connection
~Hand dyed cotton fabrics by Vicki Welsh

A Pumpkin Extravaganza

Every autumn when the chill sets in, I get a craving for pumpkin. Not those “pumpkin spice” imposters that line grocery shelves, mind you, but the real deal! My friend Linda shared a mouthwatering array of fresh-baked pumpkin goodies, including cream cheese frosted pumpkin bars, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies (not pictured;) and pumpkin whoopee pies. We even displayed them on a Pumpkin Seed doll quilt!

Here’s an autumn-inspired doll quilt with a pumpkin theme. The pattern is Pumpkin Seed, a slight variation of the popular Orange Peel design. In this case, the appliquéd segments are a bit narrower than the more robust Orange Peel.

18” x 21”

My friend and former QBU colleague, Mary Radke, made the quilt top for me, using Cherrywood hand dyed cotton fabrics. Mary machine appliquéd each pumpkin seed segment to a background square. I hand quilted, outlining each segment and continuing the pumpkin seed design into the border. The design turned the corners nicely at the top of the quilt, but since the bottom corners were unresolved, I filled the space with the date of completion.

Have a great Thanksgiving. I’m very thankful for you!

Odds and Ends

Wow, Thanks for all the love on my last post. I didn't anticipate getting compliments on my smile as well as my quilt! I heard from old friends and total strangers from as far away as France! Well, guess who's grinning even wider now? How gratifying it is to connect with others who enjoy quilmaking as much as I do.

Several people wondered if Milly Churbuck’s hand-dyed fabrics were still available. I'm sorry to say she is no longer dyeing cotton fabric. Following the trend for wool applique, rug hooking, and needle punch, she now works exclusively with wool. She is also semi-retired and only vending at a limited number of quilt shows. 

Regarding the Hourglass blocks in my August 14 post, some readers wondered how I pieced those tiny blocks with such accuracy. Here's how:



I use this technique to construct Hourglass blocks. Normally, I’d start with squares cut 1 ¼” larger than my desired finished size, but when working with small, fiddly pieces, I add an additional"fudge factor" of ¼” to ½”.

After sewing the block, I trim it down to size (in this case, 2").use a seam ripper to pick out a few stitches where the seams intersect. This frees the seam allowance so you can press it in opposite directions, eliminating bulk.

Press the block gently with steam.


Finally, trim each block precisely to 2” (1 ½” finished) using a bias square ruler and rotary cutter. As you pin blocks into rows, match carefully where blocks intersect. I probably alternated the direction in which I pressed seam allowances for each row. However, if you want to eliminate more bulk, press seam allowances open. If doing so, shorten the stitch length on your sewing machine to make seams more secure.

Hope this clears things up.

Summer's Last Hurrah

During the heat of summer, quilting is the last thing on my mind, but when a pile of scraps presents itself, what's a quilter to do? I couldn't resist whipping up an hourglass block or two, until at last i had enough to make this little quilt. It's not my usual way of working, but that's precisely what made it so fun!  

Who could resist these luscious colors when they look like summertime itself? The colorful assortment of scraps reminded me of popsicles, and icy fruit sorbet. vibrant colorful  from these hand-dyed cottons

Once again, these are Milly Churbuck'sd  (sadly no longer available). 

They were perfect for making small quilts like this Hourglass with 1 1/2" (finished) blocks.

The border and binding plaid is an early Kaffe Fassett fabric that came from a friend’s stash (Thank you, Helen!). Several of our quilt friends have chosen to “pass on” their fabric after they’ve passed on. Using it in our own quilts is our way of honoring them.

Summer’s Last Hurrah

17" x 22" 

Diane Burdin, 2003

All Shook Up!

Early yesterday morning, we woke to the sound of doors and windows rattling. Strange, I thought. Was it thunder? A tornado? The rumbling only lasted a few seconds but was disconcerting nonetheless. As it turned out, an earthquake in southern Illinois sent tremors as far north as Wisconsin! 

In tribute to this rare event, here's a little quilt I call "All Shook Up."

It's a variation of the classic Streak of Lightning design made from half square triangle units offset to create the lively zig-zag pattern.

Enlarge photo for more detail.

I don't recall which came first, the bright colored solids or my choice of backing fabric. Either way, Milly Churbuck's hand-dyed cottons and Michael Miller’s “Dysfunctional Family” comic strip fabric were a perfect pairing!

"All Shook Up"

18" x 24"

2005

In other news, an exciting package is on its way! I'm the lucky winner of “Little Faithy,” the prairie doll made by Lucy van der Sluis of Quilting with the Past II. I'll be sure to introduce you, once she settles in.

Waste Not, Want Not

Wow, I sent my first blog post into cyberspace and someone answered back! Dawn at Quilts and Pieces wanted to hear more about this Amish-style four-patch.

It's a modest little quilt made completely from scraps. (11 1/2" x 14") that packs a big punch, thanks to Milly Churbuck's Country House Cottons! Her hand-dyed fabrics are known for their depth of color and soft, sueded finish. The four-patch blocks measure 1 3/4" because I was literally working from scraps.

I used to buy "swatch packs"  She used to sell patterns, kits, bundles and yardage at quilt shows. I especially liked herwhich 

In fact, I made the four-patches (above) with scraps left over from another project (below). Waste not, want not!

Not all my quilts are hand quilted, but I do love it on the smaller ones. The Baptist fan design is a favorite, and I used brown thread in keeping with the Amish theme.

Hope this answers your questions, Dawn. I welcome any input that helps improve my blogging skills!