Last post showed a preview of the Lenten Banners the quilters are currently working on. Squaring up the blocks to 12.5″ provides some interesting strips that are the inspiration for a future scrap quilt with a modern bent. I have three more blocks to complete for the 48″ x 64″ banner, and ten or so for the stole. Optimistically I should be close to completion next Wednesday.
There have been a few mentions in previous posts of the Lenten Banners that the Quilters are working on. Here is a brief glimpse of my progress. The blocks are really easy, 12.5″ square cut in half at any angle that pleases, a contrasting strip of purple sewn to join the two halves back together. Then turn the block 90 degrees and cut in half again, inserting another strip. Then trim the block back to 12.5″. The banners will be three blocks wide, and four blocks long (36″ x 48″). I am also working on a matching stole. The deadline is the first Sunday of Lent, February 17. I better get at it!
Some time in the future the quilters are planning to sew Log Cabin block quilts for the women’s and children’s shelter. Here is my plan. In the drawn diagram I thought light green would work next to the yellow, but when I did up the test block I was not all that pleased with the effect. I am much happier with white instead. I think it will look much brighter when assembled. This block is not quite complete, it needs one more strip of green along the top.
I learned that the traditional Log Cabin block always has a red block at the centre. It is meant to represent the hearth, the centre of the home. There are a number of other WIPs on the list before I delve seriously into this one.
Ezekiel 46:23 On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around.
Looking very closely at the upper left edge of this quilt you can see the rippled border that I mentioned in my last post. Last night I carefully removed the borders, pressed them again, trimmed up the outside edges to be straight, in the case of the strip columns, and square across the top. This morning I proceeded with the steps that I believed I could skip that caused the problem in the first place. I measured the top, centre and bottom, added the three measurements together and divided by three. Then I did the same for the left, centre and right sides. I cut the borders to the appropriate lengths. First I attached the sides by pinning the border at the middle and ends first and then adding pins halfway between, and continuing at half way increments until each border was secure. Then I sewed the border to the quilt. I repeated this process for each side and … surprise! The borders lay flat, imagine that. Five hours later I was back where I thought I was a day ago. Sigh. Lesson learned, don’t skip steps!
The quilt is now sandwiched and ready for quilting. I’m thinking of doing something stenciled or drawn on the navy strips and stippling the colourful strips in the columns. I’ll post photos when it’s done.
I brought the “Fruits of the Spirit”, or as I learned today, “Chinese Coins” quilt down to the church to sandwich. Wouldn’t you know it? The wide borders won’t lay flat. I’ll have to take them off, find out where I made an error in squaring up the top, repair that, then sew them back on. My chore for this evening since the flannel back and the batting are occupying the table in the church basement and I want to get this together before someone else needs the space. (Untaping the back from the table is not an option … when you take into account how I hate to negate two steps forward!)
ARGG!
There are a number (12) of projects on the go at the moment. I have no pictures, however, and I did finish the snowball quilt last night. Whooo hoooo! It is always a celebration when you can cross something off the list. I’ll contact the family this week and give it back. I think it is intended for one of the grandchildren. It was a gratifying project. I’m more than satisfied with the results.
Finally I am past the quilting stage for the scrappy Snowball Quilt that I am finishing for someone else. There are a number of floral fabrics in this project so I decided on freemotion daisy type flowers. The thread is a YLI product called Dawn, pale orange/yellow/green/off white. I think it worked well, really standing out on the dark blocks and almost disappearing on the contrasting ones. It was what I was aiming for, as an attempt to tie the blocks together. The results are great, the non-uniformity of the flowers fits in well with the wonky cut blocks. The binding is 95% done. I should have another FP tomorrow!
Fridays are my day off. I managed to get the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ top finished. What a great project to reduce the scrap stash. I will take the quilt to the church next week to sandwich. This one is a donation quilt for a women’s and children’s shelter. I cut the bindings for this quilt and the snowball quilt.
The quilters are currently working on banners for Lent. That will be my next focus. I’m getting closer to striking some of the projects in progress off the list. Hurray!
It’s Wednesday, here’s what is on the table today.* This pattern has a number of names, my preference is “Fruits of the Spirit.” It is a great way to use up all those strips from previous projects. Once the rows are completed they are joined to lengthwise strips of fabric, in this case I plan to use a solid navy blue. The border will be the same navy fabric.
The snowball quilt is sandwiched and ready for quilting. I wanted to get this project pieced before I changed the foot on my sewing machine (I’m lazy that way). This simple strip quilt has been waiting for over a year, I wanted to get it done in time for the quilters’ group next donation to a local women and children shelter.
I made a list of WIPs, there are twelve. No more cutting until some are completed!
*See the practical and brand new cutting board? Thanks darling!
Strips finished and ready for joining to solid navy strips.
WIP Wednesday focuses on a project I inherited. A member of our congregation passed away a little over a year ago. She had a number of projects started and our quilters’ group offered to complete them for the family. This is the one that I agreed to take on.
NM was a lovely woman. She loved everyone, and brought smiles and laughter everywhere she went. Her fabric selections revealed her sense of fun and whimsy. She couldn’t cut a straight line or a square, square. It just didn’t matter that much. Some of these snowball blocks she had already started and required trimming down. Others I trimmed first and then sewed on the corners. Too late I realized the result would be that not all of the seams would line up. Hopefully it won’t be too obvious.
I am using the removed corners to make a border. There will be some extras that I will add to my stash for some future scrap quilt. I am almost finished piecing and should be sandwiching and begin quilting it this weekend.
Watch future posts for the finished project!
I Am with you always 