New Things....

I'm still recovering from the shingles.  According to the doctor, it's going to take a while.  They've stopped breaking out but I'm still having trouble hearing out of my left ear and I'm staying exhausted.  I'm still downing anti-virals and antibiotics and some neurological meds to try to help restore all my hearing.

In the meantime, I have gotten a few things done.  I haven't completed a quilt or a top, but I'm getting stuff done slowly and surely.  I will be revealing the my Indian Summer top in a few weeks -- I'm appliqueing the final flowers on the border.  So here's what got done this week between naps and meds and trying to remember that I can't answer the phone and put it to my left ear....

I finished another block to my Hop-to-It.  I'm now half-way through with my applique blocks. I'm beginning to get just a little excited about this quilt again.  I've got my next block picked out and will start that next week.  I need to start on the sashing soon.  I think that after this next block I will have at least one -- maybe two -- rows I can put together.

I also finished Tulips and Ivy in At Piece with Time:

I am so glad that square is behind me.  There is another block with those set-in seams, but not for a while.

Let me ask you a question:  How are your setting triangles coming for your center medallion?  Let me encourage you to keep working on them.  And those triangles are neat -- every item in those triangles is in one of the blocks.  So be sure to echo the same colors in the blocks and in the triangles.  It will really help pull your quilt together.  This is what I got done on the triangles this week....three bunches of strawberries...

And this precious little bird's nest -- I loved making this!

We will use the strawberries again on the next block in this quilt.  I love this quilt so much!  The applique is very folk art and forgiving.  I just think it's terrific and has so much meaning.

Finally, there's this:

This quilt is 's-Gravenzande by Ted Storm (and yes, Ted is a she, not a he).  This quilt is hand-appliqued, hand-pieced, and hand-quilted.  This gorgeous quilt took Best of Show in Paducah.  My picture does not do it justice.  It is quite arguable one of the most beautiful quilts I have seen.  And it gets even more awesome when you consider it's all done by hand.  Look at it on the American Quilter Society's website.  The details in the quilting and applique are amazing and mind-boggling.

More pictures are coming....but I took hundreds and editing takes a little time.

Have a good rest of the week and a great weekend!

Beneath the Wings

This is probably going to be the most un-quilty blog I've ever posted.  I haven't got a thing to show you this week.  I have lots started...but nothing accomplished.

You see, this week I have had the shingles.  Really badly.  

This is a re-occurring health issue with me.  This is the third break out I have had in eighteen months.  The first two were on my left side, easily seen, easily recognized, and easily and quickly treated.  This breakout started on my scalp and felt different.  Thinking I was suffering from the after effects of a tick bite, I assumed the doctor was going to tell me I had Lyme Disease.  And by this time, the shingles were in full breakout mode.  By Tuesday of this week, they had sent me to the emergency room at High Point Regional Hospital (great folks there) for an injection for swelling (because seeing out of your left eye is important), and I was beginning to look like Quasimodo's long-lost sister.

Long story short, I'm on some pretty strong anti-virals, an antibiotic, a special face wash (because God forbid these suckers get in my eye), and a pain killer that makes me wonderfully sleepy.

I had so much I needed to do this week, but I didn't feel like picking up a needle until last night.

So yes, this is the most un-quilty blog I think I have every posted.  I had already used up my "stored" written material and pictures last week, and I was coming up empty.

And feeling pretty darned sorry for myself.  See, the additional side-effect of having shingles on your face and scalp is that I can't wear contacts or make up or use a curling iron.  The upside to this is that it now takes me only 10 minutes to get ready.  The down side is I still look like Quasimodo's long-lost sister with really bad hair.

So I was getting ready to send out invitations to my pity-party, when God taught me something.  This is now in my kitchen window sill.

It's a tiny House Wren nest.  It was fun watching them build it.  Early this week, the tiny bird-babies hatched out.  In this view, you can kind of see the tail of Momma or Daddy House Wren bringing lunch to their littles.

For some reason, they don't mind if I'm in the kitchen.  They will carry on taking care of their kiddos.  Anyone else strolls in the kitchen...especially these two...

And the birds will fuss like crazy until they leave.

What this un-quiilty quilt blog boils down to is this:  Those tiny birds helped to teach me a great lesson.

 
I worry.  A  lot.  I don't often show it.  A lot of times -- most of the time -- it hides behind a veil of humor.  In a lot of ways, it has to.  If humor doesn't work, then work has to work.  If I'm busy, if I'm productive, whatever...WHATEVER it is I'm worried about is shoved down and dealt with later when I'm supposed to be asleep.

But these tiny, brown birds brought a Bible verse to mind that I've counted as one of my favorites....

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart" -- Psalms 91:4

And then I was reading through Michelle May's Raspberry Rabbits blog today (If you don't follow her, you should.  She is such an artist with wool!  I adore her stuff!!).  She, too, was writing about birds.  Canadian Geese to be exact, but she pointed her readers to another blog:  http://www.hopalonghollowgazette.blogspot.com/2014/05/babies-for-tilly.html.  

Again, about birds and how they take care of their young.

So between all these life lessons about birds and Psalms 91:4 and the fact that stress can exacerbate the shingles virus....I'm not putting anything down to happenstance this week.

Lesson learned. 

Tulips and Ivy Construction

There are inset Y-seams in this block.  Quite a few of them.

Most quilters I know avoid any block which uses these in their construction.  They are the bane of a quilter's existence.  The black sheep of the quilting family.

Not to mention, my motto has always been, "Why use a Y-seam when you can use half-square triangle?"

But honestly -- they're not that bad.  You just really, really have to remember some quilt basics.

1.  There are lots and lots of exposed bias edges.  Starch and handle carefully.
2.  Cut your pieces accurately.  I cannot emphasize this enough.
3.  You're asked to make several dots 1/4-inch from the edges of some of the pieces.  It is really necessary to make sure these are marked accurately and dark enough to see them well.
4. Make sure you have good lighting so you can see the dots.
5.  Speed is not your friend.  Sew slowly.
6.  Press after each step.  Use steam.
7.  This is not a block you want to have a tight deadline on. It's a good idea to take breaks from Tulips and Ivy.  Don't try to construct it when you're tired or  when you're distracted.
8.  Keep the pattern book handy.
9.  Keep consistent 1/4-inch seams.

The first dot you're asked to make is at the point of the triangle piece B.  Mark all the triangles 1/4-inch from the sides and the bottom.

A total of eight of these will be made.  Four like this and then four that are reversed.  Start with side the light pink strip is on.

Line up the edges as shown and sew s-l-o-w-l-y to the dot marked on the end of the triangle.

REDUCE YOUR STITCH SPEED....

It just helps you stop more accurately and quickly.

Sew down the side and stop when your needle hits the dot marked on the triangle.

It should look like this.  First side done.

Repeat for the second side.  When that is done, pin the ends of the two side together.

Sew from the point of the triangle to the end.

Press the seam open.  This is important because this step will reduce bulk, which will be helpful when you or someone else is quilting your quilt.

Notice that the base of you triangle stick out above the ends of the sides just sewed on.  It's supposed to.  If it didn't you'd cut the tips off your tulip as you construct the square.

You're going to make four each of these -- one set needs to be the opposite of the other one.

Now to make the center of the tulip.  Take square D and fold it in half, wrong sides together and press.  I can't tell you how much Best Press or spray starch is in this step.

 Fold in half again and press.  Now you have a teeny, tiny square.  You're going to want to measure 1/4-inch from one of the corners and sides and mark a dot on it, just like you did the triangle at the beginning of this process.

 Then line it up with one of the C squares.  At this point, I basted the smaller square to the large one along the edges.  This really helped in the final construction steps of the tulip.

 Line this square up with the the sides of the tulip previously made.  You want the dot on the yellow center to line up with the point-end of the tulip petal.

 Now it should look like this....front and back....

Now, add another section of the tulip -- the opposite of the one previously used.  Again, use the dot on the yellow square as a starting/stopping point.

And again, using that dot as a starting point, sew the center seam together.

I like the way that the center is kind of 3-D and doesn't lay flat.

Let me note here that as you're sewing on the sides, it is important to trim the little "dog ears" off.  This makes construction easier and reduces bulk.

Add the bottom triangle, and the hardest part of this block is complete!

 The blocks are going to be a little wonky.  When we're ready to put the whole quilt together, we'll square it up a little and when the setting triangles are added, all will be good.

Finish the last couple steps of the block and lay it out.

 Sew it up and make sure it measures 10 1/2 inches (Or pretty much.  It's going to be a little wonky because of the biased edges).

TADA!

Tulips and Ivy and Paducah, Oh My!

Remember when I told you that Block Five in At Piece with Time was the calm before the storm?

Welcome to the storm, folks.  Hello Block Six:  Tulips and Ivy.

Before you get too antsy, let me offer some support.  I will be there for you every step of the way. Honestly, the block isn't that hard, it's just different.  And you'll learn something you may not know -- how to cut mirror-image parallelograms.

And before any of that terminology brings up nightmares of geometry class and proofs (Do they even do proofs in geometry anymore?), a parallelogram is just a fancy word for a rectangle...

That is slightly slanted....

About 45 degrees.

This blog will deal with cutting the block out and marking it.  I will have more on construction hopefully next week.  This the perfect block to let your colors and creativity shine.  My primary problem is that I'm running out of fabric!  I should have purchased more fat quarters!  The ivy is appliqued on this block and traditionally ivy is dark (I'm using brown for the stems and my dark greens for the leaves), so keep that in mind as you're picking out your colors for the piecing process.

Cutting instructions for pieces B through G are very much like what we've encountered in the past.  A and AR are a bit different.  Cut your strips out for A, AR, A1 and A1R  (1.25 inches x WOF).  Fold each strip in half, right sides together. (NOTE:  Cut one strip at a time, don't stack on top of each other.  You will have more accurate cuts and that is important in this step.

You will need a ruler that has a 45 degree mark on it.  Most rulers used in rotary cutting have one on them.  Look for something on your ruler like this:

I know the glare is kind of bad on this picture, but you can see the 45 degree diagonal.  Turn your ruler until that 45 degree mark lines up parallel with  the bottom edge of your folded fabric strip.

Use your rotary cutter to cut the tip of the fabric strip off to form the first 45 degree angle.

Now measure 2 7/8-inches and mark it with a fabric-safe pencil/pen.

Line your ruler up with the 45 degree angle  meeting the mark you made on the fabric strip.

Cut with your rotary cutter.

Repeat until you have 4 each of A, AR, A1 and A1R.

When you're through, you should be able to fit them together like this to form your tulip.

Whew!  

The construction of this block involves a series of Y-seams.  Most quilters I know prefer not to do Y-seams, including myself.  I would much rather re-configure a block to use a series of half-square triangles rather than Y-seams; however, I couldn't do that with this block.  So we must tackle the Y-seam.

Most of the issues that deal with the dreaded Y-seam have to do with not accurately prepping the block pieces.  It's imperative, important, necessary, vital (continue to add modifiers of your choosing at this point), that the time is taken to accurately mark 1/4-inch points.  With this part of the block, you need to take the triangles formed from square B and mark 1/4-inch from the point and sides of the point of the triangle, like this:

Take the block this far and we will discuss construction  -- which is also a little different when Y-seams are involved -- next week.

Now back to Paducah.

If you can, at some point on your Quilters Bucket List of Life, put down a trip to the National AQS Show in Paducah.  Paducah is a tiny town, with a population not much over 15,000.  But during a typical AQS week, between 30,000 and 40,000 quilters descend on the small city.  And that city goes overboard in making quilters feel welcome.  Churches open their fellowship halls and serve dinners because there are not enough restaurants.  The grounds in front of the Convention Center are covered with food trucks and the proceeds of these goes to local civic groups, boy scout troops, and charities (Which, if you do get to Paducah, buy the Strawberry Shortcake from the Boy Scouts.  The kind with the vanilla ice cream and the whipped cream.  You will thank me.  Trust me on this one.)

People sit everywhere to eat and fellowship and rest.  It's Quiltfest, Quiltstock, Quiltfellowship...

There are three levels in the convention center.  The grand prize winners are on the main level, along with the vendors.  There are more vendors on the upper level and lower levels, along with more quilts.

And then there's the "Bubble."

Think of it as a blow-up bouncy house for quilters...I've also called it the Stay-Puff Marshmallow house.  It  houses more vendors and the author quilts.  I was told this was the last year for the Bubble -- that it's going to be replaced by a 10-story hotel.  

That makes me kind of sad.  The Bubble was a main-stay.  It was so pressurized that your ears popped when you entered and exited.  

But if you think that all the quilting action only revolves around the Convention Center, you're wrong.  Paducah is Quilt City USA.  There are quilting stores all over the place and out-of-town quilt suppliers rent vacant store fronts and warehouses to set up shop.  So getting around Paducah to catch the best sales is imperative.  There are courtesy vans and buses.  But sometimes a girl needs to get there NOW and can't wait for standard transportation.  

Yep.  That would be me.  And Amy and Kelly.  In the back of a pick-up truck.  Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

Darrell was great about it.  And I had a blast!  I haven't ridden in the back of a pick up since...well, it's been a while.

The quilts will come next week.  I promise.

Until then, love and stitches...

Sherri