Sunday and Stars

I had a lovely day on Sunday: No pics but I went to Sandown Racecourse - to the National Quilt Championships.  Lots of inspiration,  lots of vendors and lots of fun.

I managed to meet a fellow blogger  - Kate North from Kate's Quilting.  We have followed each other for many years, and my children are only a few years older than hers.  She kindly sent me some unwanted wool a year or so ago - it was great to meet up over a coffee.

I managed to do my bit for the quilting economy and bought a few bits and pieces:

All *Mostly* for projects already on the go, or at least at planning stage!

The white is for the top I've recently been working on

 

It needed a border of white, so as soon as I got home I set to chopping up the fabric and adding squares around the outside.

Next it needs to be chopped up again.  I'm making a Whirly Gig / Lil Twister quilt,  I first knew this as a Square Dance design.  I've made a few in the past

 

I love the end result, but haven't made one for quite a while.

I wrote a tutorial at my last attempt, and approached that from the "I have a template, what size blocks do I need to cut", angle - whereas this quilt is approached from the "I have charm squares, what size template do I need?" angle.

So, I started with charm squares (5") and joined them with 1/4" seams, leaving me with, give or take a smidgen, 4.5" finished blocks.

A bit of trial and error showed me I needed 3.75" templates, with the diagonal starting 3/4" from the corner.  You can see I made paper templates to start with to ensure they almost met but didn't overlap. 

When I was sure I had the right size I made myself a plastic one

And started drawing on my quilt

Some lines are separated by a small amount

Others are on top of each other - luckily none actually overlapped so my template is the right size, its just some of my piecing that's a bit off

Once I'd drawn all over my top, I started to cut out the new squares

Each of these new squares just then needs to be twisted slightly anti-clockwise and pinned to its neighbour.  Its easiest (well I think it is) to start by cutting  and pinning one square at a time

But after a while I started cutting a whole strip's worth.

The white in the second and third columns don't look like stars, but are actually two stars wide.  My plan is to quilt just inside each star with a suitable thread so the white stars stand out

I'm now about half way through the cutting and pinning stage.  There is a far bit of waste, as there is an unused square between each pair of star blocks, but I plan to use them in the border, like in this one

Back to cutting and pinning :-)

Flimsey Finishes

OK, not actually *finishes* . . . but one flimsey has been pieced and pressed,
 

This one has been hand pieced,it was my summer holiday project and I've now used up all my I-Spy 8x4" fabrics.  I have sashed the blocks (or made mortar for the bricks) with Kona Charcoal Solid - I LOVE working with Kona


And another flimsey has been basted, quilted and bordered, so just needs binding

Rosie's Quilt is Ready

 Rosie's quilt is ready to be given to her today - thank goodness, as today is her 21st!

The finished quilt

and a hand embroidered in-binding label

In other news - This arrived earlier in the week (but I was phone less and therefore camera-less until today)

This is an i-pad case from the lovely Victoria at Boutique Uniquely, who also sells her fab creations over at ETSY - some of the scrummy fabrics are also used in her summer picnic table topper - do go and have a look


It came to me as her Pay It Forward which I think we started last May or so.  It does serve to remind me that I have to make goodies for Plum and Wilma as they are my PIF victims.  Don't worry girls, they are under construction, but I confess to being a bit distracted!

Rushing Rosie's Quilt

I shouldn't rush quilts, as mistakes happen - I cut these blocks slightly too small, then miscalculated the first border, but I think I've managed to bodge the result - I hope so - as there certainly isn't time to start over again!

The whirly gigs are showing up much better now that they have been assembled, and I have hand quilted just inside a few of them.

I added a narrow, almost plain, border, then a brick like second border (from the bonus squares when I cut out the whirly gig blocks) and now need to trim back the fleece and add the binding.  IF there is any time left I will quilt a few more shapes, but if I don't, it's OK!

I finally got a chance to look through this month's Popular Patchwork tonight - not only is the front cover a bag and a quilt by the lovely Paula Doyle who lives just a few miles from me . . .

Inside there is an article about City & Guilds distance learning, and my friend Plum's pineapple block has been used as an example!

Does this give me an elevated status by association - knowing people who 'have been published'!  Congrats to both Paula and Plum

Forgotten Deadline

 I looked at the UFOs, (or PHDs) and decided I would work on the batik whirly gigs, as that had matured enough for me to love the fabrics again.

 I got as far as basting, and quilted one whirly gig.

I was thinking about Lisa coming home . . . and how lovely that she was coming home next weekend too . . .  but we wouldn't see much of her then as she was coming home for Rosie's 21st . . . and it gradually dawned on me that I was supposed to be making a quilt for Rosie's 21st - NEXT WEEK!!!!

Rosie specifically wanted 'neutral' colours, which I don't use by choice, but I had these fabrics that I bought a few weeks ago

 so I decided to use the Whirly Gig method again.  I started off with 13 inch squares, and stitched them into a flimsy in a light / dark alternate pattern

(Sorry, no photo), Then I used my 10.5 inch square, with red lines on it

 to cut  lots of off-set squares, and then placed them together to make this

 Still a bit of an optical illusion, as you have to look for the whirly gigs, but once it's sewn together it looks better, and the quilting will help loads too, so that's what I'm off to do now

First though, I'll quickly show you this fab poster Lisa brought me . . .

And a photo of the gorgeous Ben who was very unimpressed with his quilt, but his mum loved it!!!

Whirly Gig Quilt

This post was in draft form and then got hidden when I had Blogger problems.  I have checked it and am publishing it now.  It looks really complicated for which I apologise - I love this method of making Whirly Gig tops, and suspect that it is my ability to write succinct instructions is to blame rather than the methods

There are at least two ways of making a Whirly Gig quilt: one involves cutting individual squared off triangles  to a template, the other involves joining square blocks, then cutting them apart using a different template. (pop back to this post for for details)

Re-reading the differences, it would seem that the second method is more complicated, but for me it's the way that works, and less opportunity to go wrong!

EDIT: *These* instructions assume you have a square ruler you want to use for the template - so the question is "what size blocks do I need to start with to use with my X inch template?"  Another set of instructions start with the question "what size template do I need if I start with x inch blocks?"  That tutorial is here

You need to read these instructions through before starting (not something I excel at) because at the beginning we don't know what size to cut the blocks, this is covered in A, B and C, which come after D, E and F (stick with me!).

(D) Chose a number of fabrics that you want to use: two is fine, no other minimum, no maximum.  I used 8 fabrics, plus black for the border.

 

(E) Cut blocks to agreed size.  I cut 30 blocks

(F) Join the blocks together in a pleasing arrangement

What I love about this method is it's flexibility:  At this stage you have a lovely flimsy, and if the fabrics haven't worked for you, or if you have too much other stuff to do, no problem, you can call it done.

OR, if you  were making a simple quilt, and have reached this stage, but it's looking too bland and boring, we can go and change it to a Whirly Gig!

So ... now to think about sizes ... do you have any of those thick plastic square templates, any size you are comfortable working with? And do you have any thin coloured tape, or a sharpie/permanent marker?

(A) Draw around your template accurately on a sheet of paper.  We are initially going to measure and mark on the paper, then transfer a mark onto the template.  For a 7.5" square measure and mark 1 inch clockwise from each corner (8.5" template, use 1.5", 10.5, use 2", 12.5" use 2.5 inches) Markings do not have to be the same as mine, but all 4 sides need to have the same measurement.

(B) Measure from mark to mark, diagonally.  This is the size of square you need to cut your fabric to.  I add quarter of an inch to allow for inaccuracies: my attention to detail is, um, scant! So here (below) - if the red line measures 7.25 inches, the fabric will need to be cut into 7.5 inch squares

(C) If you join these marks with two diagonal lines you will have 4 almost right angle triangles (with the points cut off)  Transfer these markings to your plastic template using the sharpie or coloured tape.

(Complicated bit now over, and you can make more Whirly Gigs using the same measurements and never have to go back to A, B and C!!!)

OK, now you have your block size, you can go back to D, E and F
(H) Next you will need to add a border, and with our template we can calculate the size needed. Using the template, position one line on a seam, and the other on the edge of the fabric (sorry, this photo was taken after the border, but I hope it helps), and measure from the edge of the fabric to the point of the template.  Add half an inch (or double your preferred seam allowance) and this is the width to cut the border.

Stitch it on. Press all seams

I cant get a decent photo of the next stage, so here are two photos where I've used paper to represent the blocks

Taking the template, position it over a seam joint, and draw around it.  |I tried with a Frixion pen, but it scratch the batik, so in the end I used a pencil.  The line is a cutting line and doesn't get seen, so whatever you prefer.

 Carry on, over every seam joint, even the three way joints at the border.

These 4 part blocks need to be cut out carefully.  I don't use a rotary cutter for this part as I don't want to accidentally cut into the next block. Keep the bonus single colour blocks, we can use them in another border, another project or as detail on the back 

You may be tempted to cut out all the blocks and then arrange them ... from my experience I'd say DON'T!!!  you may be more organised than me (you couldn't be less organised) but this is my whole problem with the cutting out squared off triangles method - What? Goes? Where?

I prefer to start along one side, cut the top two blocks, twist each slightly anticlockwise (counterclock) and pin them together, then cut the next one down, pin that to number two, etc, numbering each strip as it's finished.

These blocks can be stitched into rows, and the rows stitched together as a flimsy.  Keep checking you are building whirly gigs!

MY MEASUREMENTS:
I used 8" squares of fabric, plus a 5" border.  This gave me a flimsy measuring 47" x 54.5

Next I will be piecing all the bonus squares, to make a colourful border, and then I will add another border of black before finishing.  I do like my quit tops to mature before I move onto the next stage LOL

Where did the mojo go?

I still haven't really got my blogging mojo back: I really would rather be blogging at SLIKstitches, but still blogger ignore my communication attempts, so I have no idea what to do next :-(

I'm having a generally bleugh day anyway, as school have finally told me that although they have the funding, they are not going to extend my Extended Schools Co-Ordinator contract, so that leaves me with just three hours a week from September, so for the first time in about (gulp) 25 years I am actually looking at the vacancies section of the local papers.  Until now I've been lucky enough to hear about a job that I wanted - at a time that I was ready to work those hours - and get it, so this is a whole new ball game!

Anyways, enough of the whinging ... I HAVE been sewing!  I have pieced together some 8" squares to make an I-Spy quilt, just to have for when it's needed:

I have also taken this fairly simple flimsy,

and with the help of my little template

have turned it into this yummy Whirly Gig or Square Dance flimsey.

Annoyingly I did type out 90% of the instructions about a month ago ... and saved them on the old blog, but I think I can copy and paste so if you want them just let me know.

I have also been doing some lesson planning for Fun With Fabrics next weekend: The ladies asked for Stained Glass, and I had three methods in mind, so I have done samples using two methods and am half way through the third.  I chose owls for the image, and wondered how best to display them

When I next checked in at Hadley's blog (Flying Blind On A Rocket Cycle ... What does that mean?) I got inspiration, so here are two of my owls, just waiting for for number three.  (Pink is created using the cut-away method, and Yellow is made using the fusible bias binding method.  Red hasn't fully hatched yet, but will be made with the mosaic, or needle turn method)

Instructions are available if you are interested

Square Dance Quilt

Some of my favourite quilts at the moment are coming from Jo at Bearpaw and Bearpaw, and I have been inspired by her Whirly Gig quilt.  We exchanged a few email as to how she had made it (using a template and cutting each piece to the template) and I worried about keeping tabs on which piece goes where (I don't have a design wall, more of a design bed!)

Then I had a real DOH! moment - I've made two of these before!!!

 

Jo's method uses a irregular trapezium shape (different definitions for US and UK English!), and each block is 8 of these, 4 the same fabric, making one Whirly Gig, and 4 different fabrics making 1/4 each of another Whirly Gig. (Shown here outlined in black)


The method I used in the past uses a square template resulting in square block of 4 fabrics (shown in yellow).  I think the method I have used will suit me better as I don't have a place to lay out the blocks to make sure each one is correct in relation to it's neighbours.

I LOVE Jo's random fabrics (although I think they are all from one designer) but I don't have the confidence to choose fabrics from my stash and get that effect.


 I looked a number of 'families' of fabrics:

 and in the end the batik dots won.

To start with, these need to be pieced into a basic flimsy, and pressed

Before I do the next step I need to add a border, so part two will follow after a trip to a fabric shop!