Sheri's Quilting Memories

Part Five

2012-01-13T20:53:00.001-08:00

Part five of Ripples and Reflections is the easiest of the blocks so far. Create a square in a square with the green batiks and than surround with magenta. But wait, you get to make 16 of these 7 1/2" blocks.

Moving on to work on part 6.

Part Four

2012-01-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

Part four of Ripples and Reflections is the mostly olive blocks. Four of these finish at 7 1/2" each.

My blocks are suppose to be on point, which they are, except in this picture.

Part three

2012-01-13T20:47:00.000-08:00

Moving along now to Part three, called the mostly magenta block. Love the blue/magenta floral batik in the center. There are 4 of this block, 10 1/2" square.

Part Two

2012-01-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

Block two of Ripples and Reflections is a beauty with the contrast of light blue and magenta. You make 4 of these blocks and each measure 10 1/2.

First Part of BOM

2012-01-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

The first part of the BOM is the center block, measures 10 1/2. Looks pretty good.

New BOM

2012-01-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have been busy at the longarm and just as busy at the sewing machine.

Currently, I am working on Ripples and Reflections, a BOM using hoffman fabrics. Trying to get a sample top done before end of the month for Calico Mermaid in Porterville.

BQ 2 with a panel

2011-09-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Love the BQ2 pattern and I wanted to try something different. I took a panel of French Ladies from Loralie Designs and cut them out of the panel. The block for the BQ2 measures 9 1/2" but the French Ladies measure less. So, because the blocks aren't square on the panel, I added hot pink strips measuring 1 1/2" on the sides and 2" strips on the top and bottom. Using my 9 1/2" ruler I squared up the wonky blocks making an uneven sashing. I added pink with black dots that I was saving for another quilt (but had never made.... LOL) and a black swirl that was leftover backing from another quilt to finish out the pattern. My plan is only to make 12 blocks (unless I change my mind), so there will be 3 squares leftover, maybe potholders or something else.

Spicy Spiral Table Runner

2011-08-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

I have had the Spicy Spiral Table Runner pattern and 9 degree ruler for many years. It is sooooo fun. It goes together with only 8 fat quarters OR 8 one-fourth yards. You start with cutting each fabric a different width according to the pattern chart, assembling 4 identical strip sets, and cutting wedges of different lengths. The wedges are assembled from smallest to largest from two colorways to make this lovely tablerunner. I see many of these in my future.

I will be teaching this class at Calico Mermaid on Weds., Sept. 7th.

Summer Months WEEK 2

2011-08-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Week two saw me back at the Central Coast for four days with six of my teacher friends to honor a friend who had just earned her doctrate after 2 long years of study from USC. We traveled in three cars, stopped at a winery that had great balsamic vinegar, and ate lunch in Morro Bay with a view of Morro Rock and the ocean. We stayed in another friend's rental home in Grover Beach that sleeps 14, so there was privacy as well as great comradery. Half the grouped hiked up a trail at Montana de Oro, while three of us (one was me) sat at the beach and enjoyed a picnic. When we met up again we all walked the flat trail along the shoreline. Great trip for all and now we are hoping to make this an annual event. Lots of ideas floating around for next year's trip.

No quilt shopping for me but in the evening I worked on an applique piece as we set around and visited and played games. I had taken a freezer paper technique applique class at Totally Tina's in Porterville and was trying very hard to complete the hand sewn piece. (I am such a machine-applique girl.) I used scraps from my stash and the border is a batik. I quilted around the hand sewn applique using a free-motion badger blossom throughout the piece. Cute pattern.

Summer Months

2011-08-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time has flown by...summer has come and gone...school has begun...and I am currently off work (after the first week of a new school year) due to a foot infection.
But let me degress and tell you of my summer months - best quilting summer ever!
The first week of vacation myself and three friends participated in the Central Coast Shop Hop, 11 stores with food, prizes, and fabric. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Grover Beach (free breakfast and coffee) and traveled as far south as Ventura and started in Paso Robles. We added a few of our favorite stores, love Creation Station in Buellton, so I believe our final count was 19 stores in three days. Yes, we were tired but each store was so unique. This shop hop features a complete quilt pattern from each store on the hop and this year, they were available online in advance of the hop so you could concetrate on your selections. Here is a link to the patterns: http://www.quiltshopsofthecentralcoast.com
Two stores were closing down, The Treasure Hunt in Carpenteria and The Fabric Quarter in Goleta, both awesome stores that will be missed, so there were some great bargains to be had.
I won one of the baskets (a styrofoam ice chest) filled with fabrics, books, patterns, and notions. First time ever!

Heart of the Valley Shop Hop 2010

2011-05-29T20:06:00.001-07:00

Monday evenings, three friends and I have been working on the blocks from last year's shop hop. Finally finished all the blocks, put them on point, and made my first ever scalloped border. My mother-in-law likes to put binding on by hand so she added the finishing touches. Definitely a gem. Finished size 80 X 80.

Catching up for April

2011-05-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry I missed posting in April. I have been busy quilting and will catch everything up over the next few days.

Two pics to show tonite: My April Hole in the Barn and my Guild theme quilt.

My April Hole in the Barn is a 12.5" block with a 6.5 inch star center.

My theme center now measures 33.75" square. I love the scrappy golds.

I finished my red, white, and blue Central Valley Shop Hop quilt with my first ever scalloped edge. Picture to follow later this week.

HGTV Hole in the Barn

2011-03-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am participating in an HGTV BOM with stars (6.5 in) in the center of The Hole in the Barn blocks. I chose fabric that I picked up at last year's Coastal Shop Hop. I think they are coming out pretty good. Here are blocks for January, February, and March.

March Happenings

2011-03-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where has the month gone. Finished the top for my Wash Tub Girls. Will post a pic when it is quilted.

I have taken on the challenge of the theme quilt at my guild. We are using the pattern "Bon Voyage" by Laundry Basket Quilts. We are creating this quilt in rounds over 6 months. The center is due this month. The pattern calls for applique but I chose to use two of Carol Doak's patterns from 50 Fabulous Paper-pieced Stars. I have a collection of golds, browns, and blacks that I decided to use for this scrappy quilt. Here is my center block.

Designing quilt for Wash Tub panel

2011-02-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I have some friends that I quilt with once a week. We are currently working on a panel that I purchased several years ago (yes, I purchased several). There are two color ways in the panel, the blue and red which I am using and a purple and yellow which all the ladies wanted (but only two were given). The top is consisting of two blocks with the printed motif in the center. The first block is a pineapple block made with squares of fabric (very fun and easy) finishing 11" and the second block, Morning Star 2, finishing 12", I took from http://www.quilterscache.com/ I am using 4 kona solids: a yellow, dark blue, light blue, and a red and 8 - 30's prints. All of our blocks are to be finished by Friday the 18th when we will put the top together. I hope to share pictures of the top before the end of the month.

Charm Pack Tote

2011-02-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, my days are flying by and I have not been posting my work. I finished a tote I started for my "artsy" sister and want to share the link. This is nice and large and will be perfect for her to carry her student's art homework back and forth to class. My sister is an instructor at FIDM. I made the bag with brights and geometrics to add color to her day. Hope she likes it!

Below is the link. The pattern is very well written.

http://buttonberry.typepad.com/photos/charm_pack_tote/charmtote_pattern_image_final.htm

Disappearing 4 patch

2011-01-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Have you tried the disappearing four patch yet. It is all in the cut and twist. Check it out.

Twister wreath

2011-01-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the lil Twister Wreath. Layout is 25 squares with 5 white squares forming a cross in the center prior to cutting.

I was going to make these for Christmas gifts but since I only had one week to make 7 gifts I decided I would be the only one receiving this ! :)

Additional Twister

2011-01-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

I made a second lil twister as I had another 13 blocks still to use. This time I put colored squares that read as tone on tones between the butterfly squares. I did not use the corner blocks so there are no partial pieces in the corners.

This one looks more like an Escher puzzle.

Lil twister

2011-01-02T22:15:00.001-08:00

Well, there were scraps of butterfly fabric left and I couldn't throw anything away. So I cut the leftovers into 4.5" squares and started the process again. Except I made some changes in my layout from the first quilt top.

I had enough leftovers to make two wallhangings. I took 13 squares and added squares of a hand dyed batik between each butterfly square. Next, I added a batik border and started to cut up my fabric using my rotary cutter and the Lil Twister ruler. I found it challenging to cut around the smaller ruler with my cutter and instead, using a sharpened pencil, traced around my squares with the pencil, and then cut out the squares, some areas with the rotary cutter and some with scissors. The finished product went together much faster this way.

The border took longer for me to figure out then the piecing! I loved the more open looking tesselations on this one.

The Twister

2011-01-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

I guess I haven't talked about how much I like the "twister". This quilt design goes right to a math teacher's heart...tesselations...M.C. Escher Ask my students...They all know his work.

You pick a square size (I first started with 10"...I have a pile of butterfly fat quarters and they cut up nicely into layer cakes) Use spray sizing and iron seams so that each row has seams going a different direction. That way they will nestle well together and corners will match. Piece them together in rows until you get a size you like. Add a border all around...mine was aboout 3.5". Then the fun part.

Take your quilt, lay the "twister" ruler (I purchased mine from http://www.quiltpatchlane.com/ )in the the upper left corner, matching seams with lines on ruler and keeping the "cs" in the lower right of the square. Cut around the square with your rotary cutter carefully. Keep working straight across, moving the ruler to the right, matching seams to the lines on the ruler. I found that as I cut each square I would reposition them on my design wall. Resew new squares being careful of the bias edges and the directions you are ironing your seams. Add borders as you desire.

Here is the picture of my first completed Twister top for 2011.

Scrappy QOV Project

2010-12-29T22:30:00.000-08:00

My current QOV project is an arrowhead block from Anita Grossman Solomon. I found the project first online, then discovered her book, Rotary Cutting Revolution, and then, her block appeared in the Nov/Dec 2010 Quiltmaker.

I am using my stack of patriotic layer cakes and cutting up a few of my fat quarters to add to my LC stash. I like the secondary pattern the blocks are creating.

Hope to finish these by early spring.

New Quilt

2010-12-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

My Tuesday nite quilt group is ready for a new project.

I purchased some wash tub panels several months ago and have designed a layout for the panel.

The layout includes 16 pineapple blocks, 8 morning star blocks, and some creative sashings. A couple of the ladies will be using the purple panel and others the blue/red panel.

I am working on approximate fabric requirements and the first set of instructions.

I have set myself up for a good challenge. We start next week with cutting up our panel.

Christmas projects

2010-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I started making twister wreaths for each family on my list. I quickly realized that I could not make 7 in 10 days so started plans on an alternate project. I chose candlemats and quickly started creating seven different kits so that I could do the sewing all at once. After creating 4 different kits, I chose a DIFFERENT pattern and began all over again.

I finally settled on a Toad in a Puddle and created 7 candlemats, purchased 7 candles, stuffed my giftbags, and lined them up under the tree.

I have made a promise to make one Christmas gift each month in 2011, so as to enjoy my December vacation without having to work on "must does".

Finished UFO

2010-11-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I overlooked this posting. In 2008, the Quilts Your Way forum had 20 ladies participate in a squishie swap. I have one completed quilt with 9 blocks to share. The second set of blocks, I just completed into a top and it will be shown after it is quilted. This beautiful fabric, is no longer available anywhere.

Candy Jars Wall Hanging

2010-11-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

I realy liked this pattern when I saw it at "Quiltin' Cousins" in Pismo Beach.

I participated in a HGTV swap called All I Want for Christmas and one of the categories for gifts was titled Candy Lane. I thought the pattern and candy fabrics was perfect. I made the wall hanging, added a hanging sleeve to the back, and used some of my grandmother's black buttons for the jar knobs. I free motion quilted it, trying to make the quilting look like wood grain lines.

2007 mystery quilt finished

2010-11-27T20:11:00.000-08:00

Finished a Mystery quilt from 2007 that I had only completed 4 out of 9 steps. I stopped because it had 64 flying geese. I had completed 20, so got out my "Quilt in A Day" ruler and went to work on the other 44 geese. Added a couple of extra borders and decided to use a thinner 70/30 batting so the top could be used as a tablecloth. It quilted up real nicely.

Longarm working again

2010-11-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Yeah! Sunday, I actually spent some time quilting two pieces that have to be mailed this week. At first the tension was off - loopies everywhere underneath - then I tightened the tension with 5 turns, and Wall- A! awesome quilting. I completed a tablerunner and table centerpiece/wall hanging. Both look great. Need to add binding this week, then I will be back to post pictures. This is a busy week but I have 4 projects to mail off. So I will be back with pictures and updates by the end of the week when all are finished.

This table runner is made with two 2 1/2" wide X WOF strips sewed together. Then, the two strips are placed RST on top of a 4 1/2" X WOF strip. Sew along both long sides as if making a tube. You take any ruler with a diagonal line. Match the diagonal line along one of the sewed long side. Make a cut along ruler edge (Your piece looks triangular.) Slide the ruler to the opposite sewing line the and cut the second triangular piece. When you open your pieces you will have a square. I sewed 4 together to make my center, two together to make the side pieces. Hope my directions make sense.

Work continues

2010-11-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

Continuing to work on some older projects. I found a Mystery I started in 2007 with quiltbug. I think I sewed as far as clue 4, read "64 flying geese" and retired the project. Well, I dug it out this weekend and have been putting it together. Way too busy fabric for me but it is almost all together. All I have left to do is add the borders that are already pieced. This will definitely be a project I complete and give away. Will post a pic when top is done.

October Finishes

2010-10-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

This has been a month of few finishes but several almost completed projects. My Tuesday nite quilting group has finally finished the thirteen blocks from the Central Valley Shop Hop 2010 and I have only to add borders to my top before quilting. The patriotic quilt has all thirteen blocks on point. Four of us each made our own tops and there are no two of the same size.

I love the Twister rulers and have made both a quilt top with layer cakes and a table topper. I just love the tesselating blocks. MC Escher never had such awesome tools to use.

Pieced some orphan blocks together into a 60 X 70 top and I have been having the hardest time coming up with a fabric border I am content with. I am seriously thinking about adding no border and just quilting it.

Hoping to get in some serious quilting time this weekend.

Fall Table Topper/Wall hanging

2010-10-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

I started creating these blocks with fall 6.5 squares from a swap several years back. I added two shades of yellow, cut my blocks, twisted the pieces, sewed them back together and ended up with a pile of blocks and no idea of where to go from there.
I am participating in an HGTV Handmade swap and decided to use my fall blocks to create this wall hanging. It finished somewhere under 50 inches square. I used a Valdani hand dyed varigated thread for quilting a maple leaf pattern. The quilting was pretty but my machine was very fussy with this thread...yeah for Sullivan spray. Nickilee is the new owner of this piece.

Purple swap blocks

2010-09-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is the last of my purple swap blocks from HGTV. Finding fabric for the sashing and border took a lot of shop hopping but I settled on this because I liked the different shades of purple that this fabric had. The sashings and cornerstones are paperpieced. I liked the finished quilt, not perfect quilting but practice makes perfect. Someday I will be there. LOL.

This quilt finished 60 X 75.

This quilt won a third prize ribbon in the Tulare County Fair. I entered hoping for some criticism but there was not any feedback given :(

Machine back

2010-08-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

My Ansley is back home. We ended up shipping her back to factory and the motor and a few other parts were replaced. She is unpacked, oiled, and plugged in and my hope is that tomorrow morning I will be able to try her out. There are quite a few wall hangings, table runners, and quilt tops waiting to be quilted.

Here is a top that I hope to quilt soon. The squares are from a swap from QYW Forum that were created in 2008. There are still enough blocks left to create a second top which I hope to finish this year.

New Day

2010-08-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

My longarm machine is on its way to the factory as of yesterday. Yeah! Hope it returns home soon all better. I am back to work but in the evening, I am finishing up a pile of UFOs that need binding and finishing touches. Completed this teddy bear quilt, a couple of the blocks were from a swap. I definitely should have made this 4 different quilts as the size is very large, 72 X 72. Glad to have one more completion.

Longarm down

2010-08-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

My longarm is being packed as we speak and being returned to the factory to be repaired. My DH has been awesome as he has patiently taken it apart and put it back together several times. I have been unable to quilt for over a week, so I am diligently working on putting together UFO tops. The factory says at least 10 days....I hope I don't go into withdrawls.
My new camera was also, not working well and has been returned, and a new one purchased but... My computer was attacked by maleware for the second time in less than 30 days and I am awaiting it's return from the technician. Wow, definitely not a good electronics month!

Hopefully I will be back to sharing my ufos within the next week or two.

2010-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have been busy quilting ufos. My machine is down for maintenance ( Thank you, honey!) so I am sewing and finishing up the squishy swap from the Quilts Your Way forum, working on handmade items for the All I Want for Chritmas (HGTV), and the Homemade Holiday swap (HGTV).

My latest finish is the squishy swap blocks. I used the Wild Geese Variation from http://www.quilterscache.com/

I just love Marcia's site for block patterns. There are 9 other ladies in this swap and all requested 12.5" blocks except one, who asked for 6.5. I was able to downsize the pattern, however, one of my lines was off on the side and it didn't line up as well as I would have liked. So I made a second block with the remaining fabric, Rolling Stone. I do like the end result.

2009 Sampler

2010-07-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is a sampler from one of the yahoo groups I belong to. Each month we make two blocks of a specific design and fabric, mail them to a central member, and then two member's names are drawn, and the finished blocks are shared with those two members. I made an extra block each month so I would have the sampler for the year. In 2009, we used two specific fabrics, the beige and navy moda swirls....pretty fabrics that were very fun to work with.

UFO completions

2010-07-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a few UFOs. The first was a pattern called "Yours, Mine, and Ours". This was a BOM but of course I modified the general directions. I did not construct the applique blocks nor make all the alternate blocks that the pattern called for. This is my version and the quilt finished at 64 X 51.

About my site picture

2010-07-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

The picture at the top of my blog is the signature quilt I made for my uncle's 90th birthday. I had family members sign the white squares in the body of the quilt and guests at his birthday party signed in the white border. The picture in the quilt is a family picture of my grandparents, dad and uncle from the 40's and the inset picture is a current one of my uncle. The label on the back was embroidered by my husband.