I thought I would share a quick look at my July table runner. This one was finished in 2018, but quilted fairly recently. I used fabrics from my stash, and a Miss Rosie's Quilt Company pattern called "Recess", which I adapted to be rectangular in shape. It measures 19" x 41".
Here is a closer look at the quilting. I chose a stars and crescent design and really like how it came out.
Hope you are all having a great week. We are really into swim team practice and spending hours at the pool!
I finally got myself set up and ready to sew here at our vacation condo. I had a bit of a set back because I forgot to bring my power cord. How dumb, right? I remembered the foot pedal, but how I left behind the cord is a mystery. A local shop had a cord I could buy for $16, so I was able to get down to business.
Trouble is, I haven't been that motivated to sew. My husband seems to want me to do stuff with him all the time, so I have been distracted. Imagine that, we come up to this gorgeous setting and he actually wants to be outside? The weather is better today and so is his cold, thank goodness.
Sadly, this is all I was able to accomplish...
I got this little table runner back from the quilter last week. I have the binding attached but not sewn down. The quilt is one twelve inch Ohio Star block, four six inch Ohio Star blocks and twelve flying geese. I had some Fig Tree reds in a bin, which is what I used. Easy to put together and a good size for the dining table.
I have not been much in the mood to sew this week, but have been doing a ton of reading. I have read several lately that you may enjoy too. I mentioned "Daisy Jones and the Six" yesterday.
One that I finished earlier in the week was "Mariana" by Susanna Kearsley. Kearsley is known for her well researched historical fiction, suspense, romance and a touch of magic in her books. Mariana buys a house in the English countryside and starts having visions of what happened there three hundred years before. It was a good story, and I loved the descriptions of the houses and gardens.
"Garlic and Sapphires" is a memoir by Ruth Reichl, former restaurant critic for the New York Times. When Ruth is hired on by the NYT to be their restaurant critic, her photo is plastered on the walls of every restaurant in the city. When she arrives at a restaurant to critique the food, everyone recognizes her and the food and service she gets is not at all what the general public would receive (in most cases). So Ruth embarks on a campaign of clever disguises to hide her identity. She successfully dines in famous New York restaurants, unrecognized by the wait staff and chefs. This makes for very entertaining reading. Some of her experiences had me laughing out loud. She definitely exposes some very snooty behavior and sketchy practices at some well known establishments!
Hope to get some sewing in this weekend. Have a good one everyone.
I've spent several days comparing two pineapple rulers. One, the Creative Grids Pineapple Ruler, I have used before and really liked. It recently came to my attention that Bloc Loc makes a Pineapple Ruler as well, and on impulse I ordered one. I'll give you my opinions in this post, which is very photo heavy.
Both rulers have YouTube tutorials, but the Bloc Loc lady is left handed which I found very confusing when she did her video. The Creative Grids video is clear as can be.
You can see that they differ considerably in appearance.
With the Creative Grids ruler, you trim the even numbered rows like this:
The ruler has little squares for each even round. You place the square for the round you are on over the center square, taking care to line up the dotted lines that appear throughout the ruler with your seam lines. There is also a white diagonal line that helps you be sure your center square is square and not tilted. You can trim two sides at once with the ruler in one position. Flip it and trim the other two sides.
When trimming the odd numbered rounds (in this case, the white strips), you do have to trim each side individually. You don't worry about lining up the squares now, but pay attention to the dotted lines and a 45 degree line at the top of the ruler.
You add squares to the corners when the block is as big as you want it (4", 5" and 6" are your options with this ruler). Use the ruler to square up your block perfectly.
I was pleased with how the blocks came out, with only the most minuscule distortion.
With the Bloc Loc ruler, there seems to be a lot more trimming. The ruler "locks" in place along your seam line, and you just need to line your center square in a square unit up with the 90 degree angle lines that are marked on the ruler. My seam ripper is pointing to one of these lines. There is another one running down the left side of the white square in a square block. You trim the excess fabric on the top right. You have to do this with all four sides of the block. So, four cuts.
Then you have to trim your strips down, all four sides. Four more cuts. And good grief if you forget this step (which I did every now and then), you will be doing some un-sewing.
So far, I am thinking there is a lot more passes with the rotary cutter to get each round to size with the Bloc Loc compared to the Creative Grids. Creative Grids: 4 trims per round. Bloc Loc: 8 trims per round.
Now let's talk about block size. There are two Creative Grids Pineapple rulers available. I have the smaller one, which gives you blocks that are 4", 5" or 6". All my fabric strips were cut to 1 1/4". There is a larger size for making 6", 8", or 10" blocks. For the larger blocks you would cut your strips a bit larger.
For the Bloc Loc ruler, you choose your tool based on the width of the strip you want to end up with. I chose a ruler that gave me the option of having one inch strips or 1/2" strips. If you want strips of a different size you must purchase more rulers.
With the Creative Grids tool, all strips are the same width (1/2") for the three block size options. If you opt for the larger size choice, I believe your finished strips are 1". With the Bloc Loc, you can use strips of any size wider than 1 1/4". Since you have to trim down the strips in each round anyway, it is a great use of leftover strips from other projects.
The plus with the Bloc Loc ruler is that you can make your pineapple block as big as you want to. You are not limited to a size. If you want a big pineapple block, just keep adding strips. You might think the ruler is too short to make a big block, but all you have to do is slide the ruler along the seam line to get to the end of your cut.
I made a nice big block, and as you can see, there is a fair amount of distortion. The block is askew. I was dismayed by this and thought I should try again and be more careful as I trimmed. I made a second big block, and it was just as crooked. I am thinking maybe it wouldn't be so noticeable if I had made a smaller block.
My final opinion is that I preferred the Creative Grids Pineapple ruler over the Bloc Loc. My reasons for liking it better is that 1) there isn't as much trimming per round and 2) the block came out straighter, 3) there are more lines on the Creative Grids tool for squaring up the block for better accuracy.
I posted about the Fatquarter Shop Threadology Sew Along here a week or so ago. Check out that post for all the details regarding the sew along. Every time a goal is reached, a new setting alternative is released. I wasn't super interested in making the entire quilt, but when I saw this table runner pattern featuring five of the blocks I knew I had to make it.
I had some red Fig Tree fabrics in my stash, which I thought would be very pretty in a table runner, especially for February. I was short the tone on tone red fabric for the sashing and border, so I needed to see if I could find some on the Internet. I was able to locate some and got the runner together at the end of last week.
The basic block is the Ohio Star, with the background in a print and the star in a solid. I love how the use of the print in the background of the block really showcases the pretty fabrics. I also like the blended effect you get when the blocks are positioned next to one another. It is hard to see where one fabric stops and the adjacent one begins.
Monday was a school holiday here, so I had Eva keeping me company all day. She spent part of the day making a Valentine's box which she will take to school on Wednesday. They were selling the plain white boxes at Hobby Lobby for under $4 if you can believe it. Cuter and so much more convenient than trying to cut up a shoe box and cover it with wrapping paper! She was very happy with it and said "If we do this at school next year, I am keeping this box and using it again".
Hope your week got off to a good start. Our snow is nearly melted away and for now the sky is blue. It is pretty chilly for us, as 35, so I am staying cozy inside and making my Aunt Gerry's Oatmeal Cake, and a beef barley soup.
This was just too pretty not to share. I had this little Bear Paw table topper quilted nearly a year ago, and just had not gotten around to binding it. Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I thought it would be just the thing for a pretty tablescape. My problem was the red/pink is kind of an odd shade. Reddish pink with a coral vibe. I looked and looked and could not find any candles that really went with it. It was pretty on the table, but needed some accessorizing.
I walk several days a week with a friend, and was complaining to her about my dilemma of not being able to pull together a table decoration around my new topper due to the unusual pink/red color. We were about half way through our walk when one of us (ahem, I believe it was me) suggested turning around and immediately heading to the nearest shopping mecca to shop (about an hour away). And we did. Now that's a good friend. We rationalized that we were not getting our full allotment of steps in if we quit our walk halfway through, but after all, that tromping around the mall would certainly add enough steps to make our quota.
We went to Ulta, we went to Target, we went to Trader Joe's, we went to Hobby Lobby. We went to Red Robin. They did not have candles there, but my goodness, those cheeseburgers were good. We spent lots of money on beauty products, but ultimately I came home with nothing for my table. We drove an hour there and an hour back, because we live out in the country with no good shopping. We talked about books, we talked about kids, we talked about clothes. After saying good bye to my friend, seven hours after our morning walk, I ran to the grocery store five minutes from my house for some provisions. There was a Hallmark store next to the grocery store. I went in. And they had candles in the perfect shade of pinky/red that I needed to match my table topper.
Do I regret spending an entire day on a fruitless quest for something that was five minutes from my house? Not at all. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
As you know, if you regularly read this blog, I have been itching to start a new project. Now that I have nearly finished a long running string quilt project, I am ready to move on. I have something all cut out and ready to dive into, but as often happens, I got sidetracked.
It came to my attention that Fatquartershop.com is sponsoring a charity quilt along they call Threadology. The sew along will ultimately benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. Full details can be found on the Jolly Jabber (FQS blog). I am posing a photo of the finished sampler quilt here:
Fatquartershop will post free patterns and also block making tutorial videos each time a new pattern comes out, which is supposed to be every two weeks. In addition to the setting above, alternate settings will be shared when certain fund raising goals are met. You are encouraged to donate $5 to Make A Wish for each free pattern you use. Details here. Moda Fabrics will match any donations to this worthy cause.
The first block pattern is for the Ohio Star block, with a dark background and light star. This is such a great block for showing off fabrics you love.
You make one 12 inch block and four 6 inch blocks each time a pattern is released. The first fundraising goal of $3500 has already been met, and therefore, an alternate block arrangement was shared. This was for a table runner, which I really liked. I had some pretty Fig Tree red prints in my stash and decided spur of the moment to go ahead and make the five blocks, plus the flying geese/square in a square end strips. I was not able to finish the runner because I didn't have enough of the tone on tone red for the sashing and border for the runner.
Thanks to the trusty Internet however, I was able to order more of the red and with luck, should be able to finish up the runner in the next week or so. I hate to have to stop when I was on such a roll, but that's life.
Be sure and check out the links to the Threadology quilt along, as people are sharing photos of their blocks and fabric choices, which is always fun and inspiring. On Instagram, use #threadologyquiltalong.
I have been so determined to crank out some new Christmas table runners this year. I had an idea that it might be nice to use some French General red fabrics and create something. I haven't ever done a full sized Drunkard's Path quilt, but love curved piecing. I made a couple dozen Drunkard's Path blocks that finish at 4" and started laying them out.
Sometimes you just need to experiment. I loved this version, but it was way too long and narrow for the place I wanted to use it. I liked the fact that I got several peaks and furrows though. Then I rearranged things and got this effect:
Not as many peaks and furrows, but it was a better shape and size for my table. I think if I had gone for a smaller sized Drunkard's Path block, maybe 3", I could have gotten the effect of the first layout and added some borders to get the size and shape I wanted.
I have loads of French General red fabric on hand, so I may have to experiment some more. The more I look at the first design, the more I like it. Maybe I can give the second version to someone whose name starts with W...or M....
If you are afraid of curved piecing, don't be. I have gotten a technique down and can produce these blocks like nobody's business. I only use three pins.
There is kind of a knack for pulling and stretching the fabric as you sew the curve, but you get it after a couple of times. Honestly, this runner only took half a day to make. Good thing, since it looks like I will be making a few more Drunkard's Path blocks.
I've been working on a couple of springy table runners this past week. I shared Tootsie Pops with you, which is super cute, but I wanted another runner that showed off more of that beautiful Lilac Hill fabric I had been hoarding.
An old Schnibbles pattern called State Fair came to mind, and I decided that would be a good choice for what I had in mind. I tweaked the pattern to make 21 blocks set in a rectangular format, 21 x 42", a good size for my oval dining table. The blocks are super fun to make--a great method of making larger odd sized blocks that are trimmed down to a perfect 5 1/2 inch size. And when you have a gorgeous bundle of fabrics, it is a joy to pick and choose which fabrics you want in each block.
I still have to sew on the binding, but later in the week I will take a picture of the finished results on my dining table. Just in time for Easter, right?
And I have this much fabric left. Little Bear says I should just go ahead and make a quilt with it.
I did. I cut this quilt up into a rectangular table runner. I just took a deep breath and let the rotary cutter do its thing. If you are just joining in, this is what I had to start with:
The quilt is made up of seven rather complicated, labor intensive blocks, which are sewn together as shown just above, then trimmed down to the size shown in the first photo. I know. When I realized what I was supposed to do, I was muttering "Seriously? That is insane." to myself and wondering if I could really do it. It seemed such a waste to discard the equivalent of two entire blocks, or over 25% of the total quilt.
So I made something with those four leftover triangles!
It took some thinking, but I was determined not to let that work go to waste.
So I made a zippy bag. Once I sewed the triangles together, I had two blocks that measured 9 1/2". I lined the blocks with batting and a contrasting inner fabric, and put in a zipper. I then sewed up the sides and bottom and squared off the base so it would stand up on its own. It just goes to show you, you can made a zippy bag any size and pretty much out of anything. It is a good size for traveling, and will be perfect for holding cosmetics and other toiletries.
And by the way, I love my table runner after all!
(Details: Pattern is Pie Birds by Kim Diehl, found in The Big Book of Table Toppers by Karen M. Burns).