Project Progress: Liberated Alphabet Quilt

It was back in February 2010 that the Block Lotto (now here) had Liberated Patchwork Letters as that month's block.  I did a set of letters in pink to have a go here, but didn't do any more in the right colours at the time and didn't enter that month.  I added sashing then took a photo of them on my board, then put them in a box, waiting to be sewn together.  Another unfinished project....

Raw State

Then last month I finally bought myself a quarter inch foot with guide for my Bernina, not from Bernina themselves in Wales, because as it turns out the local sewing shop in Whitley Bay has cheaper postage (excellent! one day I need to go to Whitley Bay and visit their shop, it looks interesting, but it's about 30 miles and petrol costs are high so it'll have to wait until I've got other reasons to go too).

All Sewn Together!

And how amazing is a quarter inch foot? Oh yes, well worth the money.  So now the quilt is all sewn together, with two more crumb blocks, and a fairly narrow border strip having been added.  Not only that, but also with batting and a backing made up of various sized leftover pieces from the same set of self-dyed fabric, and all tacked together with huge stitches in the middle of my sashing.

With hindsight, I should have paid more attention and centred the letters within the white background BEFORE adding the sashing, getting rid of the excess fabric (or at least restashing it and now I can't find it again) and then having to accept it and just sew it all together.  It's particularly evident with the D which has no white on two sides and is a very wide letter, but it's an issue with lots of the letters.  Perhaps if I'd put the crumb blocks differently, it wouldn't have been so obvious.  Never mind, I've learnt a lot with that mistake! So I thought I'd move on, trim them all to the exact size (another thing I've learnt to do before sewing it all together) and get it quilted. By hand.

The Back

Then I got stuck.  I tried to handquilt 'in the ditch' thinking I'd do this along the bottom of each letter horizontally then vertically - just a simple hand quilted grid following the sashing.  But all those random seams, some of which are quite thick, make it really hard!

Handquilted along top of Z

It's not that hard to sew evenly along the main seam at the front (I've done a full horizontal from W to Z, and half from T to Z).  But there's something about my stitching angle and my needle can go HORRIBLY wrong through the layers, requiring quite a bit of ripping out & redoing, and even now it's not great....

What I'd like to achieve is even stitches in a straight line on both sides.  But despite never having had the problem before (albeit on plain cloth), I don't seem to be able to get it right (as clearly seen above).  Maybe I should have ironed the creases out of the backing too, but I'm going to wash it after it's made up, so hopefully it won't matter.

Any tips?  Should I be using a hoop? I do own some of that paper quilting tape that you pin down for even stitches, but it's smaller stitches than I want to use and won't help with the angles? 

Should I just give up & machine it with a meander or a straight stitch?  

HELP!!!!  All advice gratefully received!

This is why for the first time in ages, I'm posting my Design Wall on Judy Laquidara's blog, I KNOW you will know where I'm going wrong, and hopefully you'll tell me how to put it right....

Lois

TootHillMedley

Quarter Inch foot? Pah, who needs them...

Block Lotto - Reeds

I've done four blocks, but don't have any more black (not that this is black as such, is black overdyed on a dark green but it'll have to do), and I laid out strips on plain white and it didn't look good at all!  So, as I've got lots & lots to do and not much time to do it in over the next fortnight, that is that for this month!

And yet again, despite entering Block Lotto in an attempt to empty my house rather than fill it up, I'd like to win...

Design Wall Monday

Not much progress yet on the Block Lotto TicTacToe blocks January win.  I've cut out the bottom white sashing to size and also cut out some doubledyed/batik solids for the four missing blocks (which will have white cut into them, so opposite of the other blocks), and I'm playing with cornerstones.

Apologies for the appalling light quality, the table is in the way and I don't want to move it by myself as it's a bit wobbly.  Antiques huh, who'd have them!

Anyway, the blocks are laid out vertically as red, orange, yellow, greeny-yellow, green, greeny-blue, blue, bluey-purple and purple (9 down) and 7 across.

The cornerstones have been tried out in various permutations of solids/patterns in the same colours as the main blocks are ordered, ordered backtofront ie the other way round, but I've sort of settled on complementary to the main blocks.

So green, blue, purple, reddy-purple, red, reddy-orange, orange, orangey-yellow, and yellow.  BUT I've not got the right solids cut with the right tonal values/colours yet, so the cornerstones that are up there are indicative and not going to be used in the main.

I'm also thinking  I'll use my double-dyed/ self dyed batik type fabrics, but don't have the right colours/tonal values for some, so will need to dye some more.

I'm also really keen on doing this month's block lotto which is curved free-piecing like reeds - in lime green and black/white or white/white or black or white.  Except I don't have any lime green other than some with pink on it which is the leftover bottom bit of my living room curtains and I'm kindof thinking I might need it someday.... So being unemployed and a bit poor, I don't want to go out & buy any more fabric, cos I've got lots (albeit not in the required colours).  The only solution I can see is to dye some - as I have white fabric and procion dyes.  So that'll have to wait too.

Which means the whole crafting thing is shelved until after my exam on the 19th, as I really need to get learning those cases - I'm now on my fourth pack of index cards - there's about 40 used for topic notes, and erm 200 for court cases.  I am so hopeless at remembering case names!! No hope!

The foxcubs are out & about and more wary so no new pics.  Ivor cat got a bit excited last night as one was nosing around the back door/cat flap.  I got a bit excited this morning as I retrieved various items from around the garden that normally live at the back door that the cubs had been investigating.  Sigh.  How one forgets the inconvenience of baby animals in one's life!

Check out what everyone else is doing at Judy's Design Wall Monday here

April Block Lotto - Wonky Shoo Fly

Somewhat at the eleventh hour, I've made 9 + 1 blocks for the April wonky shoe fly, and because I can't count (yep no surprise there) I made an extra two blocks from some 1980s Laura Ashley fabric.

And then because I didn't feel like doing studying, I made another 5 sets of the Laura Ashley which means I've probably not got enough left to make any borders/ binding etc (could do cornerstones) but will eventually turn it into a baby quilt.  But would anyone welcome a baby quilt in 1980s Laura Ashley fabric?  I'll worry about that once I've made it...

I'm thinking it'll be good practice for putting together the TicTacToe quilt. When I eventually get round to it that is!

Design Wall Monday - March Block Lotto's leftovers

Judy at Patchwork Times hosts a Design Wall Monday, I've been lurking for a month or so looking at the many and varied Design Walls posted, and have been inspired to make myself a Design Wall (by covering the shelving I use for craftstorage with some polycotton sheeting), and for the first time actually have something in progress that isn't a Block Lotto entry.  Just inspired by it.  So I thought it might be fun to join in.

Sophie of Block Lotto set us Liberated Log Cabin with Attitude this month in cool, bold & scrappy.  Being inexperienced I had a lot of bits left over, including the trimming triangles, so I made 9 blocks of bits and then a really big log cabin block for the middle, which isn't finished.  I need more blocks for the edges, at least 3 maybe 7, I have enough bits, the difficulty will be getting them scrappy as I won't have the trimmed triangles to start me off (unless I make some).

I am wondering whether I should make 3 scrappy for the bottom and 4 liberated log cabin for the corners (which will tie into the middle).  And for sashing maybe the bright turquoise batik rather than black or white - but first I'll need my calculator back, I left it at a friend's by accident at UK tax return time and haven't seen her since...

Leftovers from Block Lotto Liberated Log Cabin with Attitude

Sigh.  This whole project is supposed to be using up my stash, which has happened this month very successfully, but because I lack experience and didn't think ahead, I ended up with

• large number of strips I cut from the stash unecessarily thinking I might use them but didn't
• large number of part strips that were too small for the final layers, because I did all the blocks at the same time, so couldn't recycle part strips (next time I'll do two lots of chain piecing, I suspect it's less wasteful if you're doing lots & lots of blocks, or plan ahead).
• 40 trimmed triangles made up of varying amounts of pieced fabric from trimming the blocks with Attitude (I played safe and made the blocks around 13" square to cut down to 9.5" square so these triangles were big!)
• not actually using up many 'whole' pieces of stash fabric and quite a few pieces that I'd mostly used

A month or so ago, Sophie who runs Block Lotto posted this about 'strip fabric' she'd made then cut into blocks - so I decided to sew together the trimmed triangles into rough brick shapes, then intersperse them with leftover part strips sewn together if they weren't wide enough and full leftover strips to make up a load of extra blocks 'scrappy' style.  I ended up with 9 x 9.5" scrappy blocks from these leftovers:

Then I still had some really small bits leftover, and was wondering what size quilt I could do with 9 blocks (not very big) and decided to start another scrappy liberated log cabin, but this one for me, to build into a large 18"x18" + central panel that I could put the 9 blocks around (with sashing to make it comfortable) as what I really need is two light bedcovers that I can use to keep Ivor and my duvet covers apart on the bed.  The TicTacToe will be one, and I need another, and can practise/ learn on this one.....  Here is the centre panel (not quite finished):

Of course, 9 blocks are not enough, I'll need at least 12 if I want 3 on each side, or 16 if I want one in each corner too.  However, I have enough fabric for that.  Then I'll need to decide whether I do sashing in black or white.  I need sashing to get it to bedsize.  Initially I immediately think white as I like a nice bright & pale bedroom, but we shall see.

I still have some leftovers, but they are sufficiently few that they will fit into my scraps box (which is bulging, but not necessarily with fabric suitable for Block Lotto) or sufficiently large that they can go back into the stash.  Success! Of a sort, as I have now merely taken fabric out of the stash, and turned it from something not started into something halfway through. Oh dear!

Block Lotto March - Liberated Log Cabin With Attitude

I was quite excited about the February Block Lotto, and got as far as a test alphabet but no further so I couldn't join in last month.  But this month I'm determined to do so: and it's Liberated Log Cabin With Attitude.  Rules are:
Bold - have at least one black & white or one black & one white piece in there.
Cool - use colours from the cool side of the wheel - blues, greens, purples
Scrappy - use leftovers if you can, solids, prints or multis, but predominantly cool coloured.

So, I raided my stash, and found that I'd forgotten completely about some quilting cottons that a friend of mum's gave me a while ago, plus some lightweight furnishing fabrics in the blues/greens/purples/greys requested.  Plus I've got a lot of oddments of a gorgeous wax batik fabric I made a dress from for a friend's informal wedding a year or so ago, and some ready cut square patches in the right colour I'd raided from Wendy's remnants bin (Wendy used to have a designer kids wear business, then moved into soft furnishings and is now making prototype leather handbags preparatory to selling them on the web.  They are to die for, when she gets it set up, I'll post a link).

Four hours later, I had acheived this - three Log Cabins more or less 12x12" (you cut them down to 9.5" at an angle when they're done) and seven Log Cabins that are about half way there.  I cannot decide whether I like them or not - I like all the fabrics I've used, just perhaps not together.  Maybe when they're all the same finished size....

I won a set of TicTacToe January Block Lotto Blocks!

Which is very exciting, once I'd got over the initial shock.... I was relying on my total lack of luck in these things to practise making blocks and send them out of my house for quite a few months, rather than actually being a winner first time round!  Not surprisingly my friends found my naivety hilarious from the start and did warn me I was crazy to join in anything that had a risk of more unfinished projects arriving (bearing in mind my current mania for getting on with finishing them and not starting anything new or buying more equipment/stash etc until I have). Anyway, as I say, now I've got over the shock, I'm excited.  And slightly terrified. So -

I've done a plan of what I'm going to do with them.  Maybe.  Because I don't actually know how to do what I want to do - and usually when that happens it languishes for years & years in my unfinished projects pile, in fact everything in my unfinished projects pile is a result of big ideas and lack of HowTo knowledge....  But these blocks have been made by other people and it would be rude not to make an effort and learn how!  So, I'll be off to a couple of local libraries this week to see if I can find any books on patchwork/quilting, and I've asked the lovely Block Lotto ladies if they can recommend any as well.

I've also worked out the dimensions here and again asked the lovely ladies if I'm more or less in the right place with them. 

I've also bought sturdy card backed envelopes for sending my blocks off to the other winners, as having been the tardy one replying to the winners email from Sophie, I am determined not to be tardy on actually sending the blocks out...  otherwise I might be banned from the group and I'd be devastated!

The Block Lotto February blocks are words on the theme of endearments - pieced or applique.  And there's some gorgeous examples of what one might do with them here and here and here (not to mention the Block Lotto blog banner heading Sophie did), and I really really want them! After all I do need two quilts for my bed, one to use and one to wash....  So having initially thought I'd donate all chances after the first month (to negate the danger of incoming UFPs, perhaps I should have donated my chances from the beginning? chortle), my determination has crumbled after all... 

I've found a tutorial for letters here, I'm going to do a sample alphabet (for my burgeoning patchwork/quilting sample file), then some words by the end of the month, then hopefully win again - quite a few people are donating chances, so I might be in with a chance!  If not, I'll merely have to create my own UFP with word blocks instead of having one arrive all ready created for me (chortle).

The February blocks together with an Italian quilting sample that's finished but not mounted that I (re-)discovered during my clearout has rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the cushion I promised my dad years ago - it's word based and is his favourite Bible verse "For the Lord stood by my side and gave me strength" (II Timothy 4:17).  I've got the fabric ready dyed, I've got the verse, I've got the thread, the zip, the cushion pad, all I've got to do is to sort out a plan.... oh and actually do it!

So, those are my three aims for February, do a sample alphabet, do some February Block Lotto word blocks and work out a design for the cushion for dad.  That's in addition to the 365 Cards mammoth catch up (over 200 to go and under a month to do it - no way it's going to happen but will have a good go at doing as many as I can), jobhunting and studying for my Trust Law paper.  I wonder what will give first?

I've also been spending quite a lot of time at the Patchwork Times blog looking at the regular Design Wall Monday posters' blogs.  I never realised the sheer variety of patchwork & quilting patterns (nor how fast some people work!)  It's fascinating reading week on week seeing progress (or lack of it) and it's led me onto some very interesting websites on cloth/ quilting & crafts generally.   And generally enthused me to start sewing again which is a great thing.

365 Cards - Day 38 That's It, I Quilt!

Nice bit of wordplay today DT! Today's sketch is a Quilt Block.

Thankfully the camera's toned down the colouring on this card. It's much more ugly in reality, and I've posted it as I've made it, but I will be thinking about what else it needs to be finished off - it feels a bit raw at present.

The background is an acrylic bronze metallic paint on vellum, the squares/triangles are ruler-torn, the self-decorated paper was made using a mixture of yellow, orange & turquoise acrylic paints spread thickly onto cartridge paper and then wavy lines drawn into the wet paint with a fork, sometimes with the tines of the fork dippe in either raw bronze metallic or the raw turquoise. With some of the base cartridge paper showing through.