Trick or Treat

Liberated Sawtooth doll quilt

16” x 23”

machine pieced, machine quilted

Diane Burdin, 2003

Friendship Quilts

Hey there! It’s been a while. The month of September got away from me and if I’m not careful, October will too. Our autumn routine was abruptly interrupted when my husband had an accident at work. He conked his head in a fall, resulting in some facial injuries. We're hoping there will be no permanent damage, other than a sinister looking scar when he furrows his brow.

Incidents like these make things particularly tenuous for our household. With me so dependent on Jim for my basic needs, we worried about how we’d get through his four week recuperation. With patience, and help from both our sons on the weekends, we managed.

So, let's talk about quilts instead, friendship and signature quilts in particular. During my years at QBU quilt shop, we signed and exchanged many blocks as mementos between friends and colleagues.  Shari Tischhauser used the "Old Italian Block" to make this friendship quilt for my birthday one year.

For each 6“ (finished) block,
Cut 4 - 4” squares
Cut 4 - 4” x 2 ½” rectangles
Cut 1 - 2 ½” square of muslin
Sew as you would a nine patch.

                                 

Center a 6½“ square ruler on point and trim the block to size.

This method creates some waste, but the excess triangle trimmings can be used for another project. It also results in bias edges on the outside of the block, generally a no-no, so handle blocks carefully. 

I’ve sewn and swapped scads of these blocks, probably enough for a couple of quilts. One set of blocks is signed by quilters from guilds, bee groups, and retreats I‘ve attended over the years. The other set is still blank, awaiting an occasion worth commemorating. Here are mock ups of potential layouts.

In this case, adding sashing and cornerstones to each block as you go helps control the bias edges.

Be even more careful with a zig zag setting. It's a little trickier because you'll be sewing bias to bias.

I’ve not tried it but Anita Grossman Solomon demonstrates a waste free method for cutting 6 inch blocks with straight of grain on the outside edge. Give it a try.

Marriage Milestone

Our newlyweds celebrated their first wedding anniversary with a belated Niagara Falls honeymoon!

It was also time to wash their wedding quilt, so James called me for laundering advice. What I wanted to say was, “Hold your breath, cross your fingers, and pray the colors won‘t run.” What I actually said was, “Fill your washer with cool water, add a little mild detergent and several color catchers. Swish the water around to dissolve the detergent before immersing the quilt. Let it soak for 30 minutes, then run it through a gentle wash cycle and tumble dry." 

All in all, I'd say they got pretty good results. As you can see, six color catchers absorbed the excess red dye from the wash water. There was just a little color bleeding along the seam line of the red fabric and no color migration to the white background fabric or the back of the quilt.

Happy Anniversary James and Rachel. You're off to a great start!

*Has anyone had luck reusing Shout Color Catchers? Do they continue to absorb fugitive dyes or are they good for one use only?

I'll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Yours

I'm curious about something. As much as we write about quilt making, I seldom see posts about how people actually store their quilts. Wouldn't it be fun to peek at the collections of our quilting friends and see just what they do with quilts that aren't in use? Do they fold them, roll them, hang them, stack them, wad them into balls... Aren't you just a little curious too? I'll show you my storage method, if you'll show me yours. 

At our house, extra quilts are kept in this corner cupboard. Because it’s positioned across from a window, we keep the door closed to protect the quilts from dust and sunlight.

We had the antique wardrobe fitted with shelves so we could fold and stack quilts. The only problem with storing quilts here is that since they're “out of sight,” they’re also “out of mind” and don’t get aired or rotated into use as often as they should.

I inherited another great option for storage and display with an antique china cabinet from my parents’ home. Mom used it to display glassware, but I knew it would look great filled with quilts.

My friends, Sheila and Kathy, offered to arrange the cabinet for me. They hauled armloads of quilts up and down stairs, gently opened each one, shook it out, and let the folds relax a bit. 

It was like an impromptu quilt show, with plenty of “oohs and aahs” for quilts we hadn’t seen in years.

Here, Sheila is folding so fast, she’s just a blur! 

Now I get to enjoy my quilts everyday. Thanks, dear friends, for a job well done! 

When we get together the "show and teill" is amazing! Here's Sheila, sharing a Bow Tie quilt she received from our friend Barb, on a very special birthday.

How (Not) To Make A Medallion Quilt!

So, you want to make a medallion style quilt of your own. Good choice! I've made several and none have taken fewer than in no fewer than twenty years. I did it and so can you just by following a few basic guidelines: 

1. Deliberate and over think choices every step of the way. 

2. Procrastinate, and remember, you can’t rush quality work!

1. Choose a theme fabric. In 1992, I purchased one yard of a beautiful toile print, designed by Jinny Beyer to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to America.

Tip: Look for hard to use fabrics like large scale directional prints. Buy just enough to limit your options when designing the quilt.

2. Collect coordinating fabrics. My favorites were reproduction prints from 19th century quilts in the Smithsonian and Shelburne Museum Collections.

Tip: Choose a monochromatic color scheme based on one of your least favorite colors, in my case, blue.

3. Select a quilt pattern. I liked this simple antique medallion quilt (circa 1840-60, owned by Penny McMorris), featured in the Autumn 2005 issue of Designers' Quarters Magazine.

Tip: Use the pattern for inspiration, but change it just enough to require reworking all the math.

 

4. Wait 10-15 years before you begin sewing. By that time, my MS made the task too challenging. I got this far and the project stalled.

Tip: To simulate sewing with MS, wear mittens and tie one hand behind your back.

Tip: Miss every deadline you set for gifting the quilt: high school graduation, college graduation, grad school graduation, etc.

5. Call in reinforcements. My quilt buddies stepped in to complete the sewing and even sent the quilt to the machine quilter for me.

Isn't this wavy design fun for a nautical quilt?

Tip: Avoid asking your friends for too many favors. I’m pretty sure I’ve worn out my welcome with this crew!

6. Document your work. Photograph the finished quilt in a lovely outdoor setting.

Tip: Nag your kids to take waaaay more pictures than you need so you’ll have plenty to choose from.

Tip: Use one of the photos as the background for your quilt label.

Tip: Design the label digitally on your computer, but never actually get around to printing it on fabric or sewing it to the quilt.
  

7. Create a nifty slide show.

Tip: Post it on your blog, but don’t mention a word about the quilt itself. Keep readers guessing. The suspense will leave them wanting more.

8. Wrap it up already! Wait another year (you can't rush blog posts either) and write about how to prolong the making of your own medallion quilt.

This Christopher Columbus Medallion was intended as James' "Coming of Age" quilt. He didn't seem to mind getting it a few years late. As you can see, it's enjoyed by the whole family.

*In an interesting bit of synchronicity, today is the 520^th anniversary of the day Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain on his voyage to the New World. Maybe my 20 year process was meant to be after all.

Coming of Age

In my early years of quilting, I read about a tradition of presenting a son with a special quilt on his twenty first birthday. The custom (Amish, perhaps) represented the breaking of bonds with home and family as the young man ventured into adulthood and life on his own.

The idea stuck with me, and when our younger son, Will, turned twenty-one we presented him with a Coming of Age quilt of his own. It's a Jacob’s Ladder design that I pieced years ago and recently had machine quilted by Cheri Gabrielsen of Elmhust, IL.  

The name Jacob’s Ladder comes from Genesis 28: 11-22 which refers to seeking the Promised Land. Also known as Underground Railroad, the block represents finding the path to freedom.

These colors aren't patriotic per se, but this sure would make a great Fourth of July quilt!

I prefer using larger blocks when making masculine quilts. These measure twelve inches. 

It’s an added bonus when blocks form a secondary pattern where they intersect.

As usual, the fan quilting pattern is my favorite for traditional quilts.

72" X 96”

Happy birthday to Will, who's been independent since the day he was born. He's handling the responsibilities of adulthood with maturity and grace. Dad and I couldn’t be prouder! ❤️

May Baskets

Hello everyone, and happy spring! Mother's Day! Mine was filled with simple pleasures but felt very special

It wasn't our son''s visit or the pancakes and bacon he fixed for breakfast. And it wasn't the phone call from our other son and daughter-in-law. Naturally there were big smiles for those things, but this particular grin came later... with!

A refreshing walk was my surprise, and I welcomed the opportunity to soak up as much springtime as I could. The cloudless blue sky and lilac-scented breeze were accompanied by a peaceful quietude uncharacteristic of our family neighborhood (Where was everyone; church, brunch, Grandma's house?). There were flowers to enjoy in every yard--big bushes of lilacs, red climbing roses, deep purple iris with golden beards, cheerful clumps of white daisies, each one prettier than any bouquet I could have wished for. All in all, it was a glorious stroll! 

 

We even found a spot to photograph my "May Baskets" quilt. It’s one of three quilts made from blocks swapped by Piecemaker friends (and generously shared with me). Although we started with the same 3" baskets, look how different our quilts turned out.

Mine is set in a block-to-block arrangement with baskets alternating direction in every other row. I like this simple layout and the subtle interest it creates.

Originally, I added a muslin spacer between the baskets and sawtooth border. It gave the baskets some "breathing room" but friends convinced me otherwise. Now, I wish I'd left it in. The final layout looks a bit cramped to me.

Oh well... all the more reason to keep the quilting simple.

"May Baskets"

30” X 39”

Sheila Lewis patterned her quilt after one in the collection of the New England Quilt Museum. The solid red alternate blocks make a striking setting, don't they? Can you spot where the baskets change direction? Right down the center of the quilt!

Barb Vedder grouped her blocks by color, then arranged them into four-basket sets.

It reminds me of a popular U.S. postage stamp from the late 1970s. Remember these? 

Barb enlarged her quilt with bold sashing and generous borders. You can read more about it here.

Thank you, my friends, for including me in this swap and for helping me get my quilt together!