Author: louisaenright

I am passionate about whole, nutrient-dense foods, developing local markets, and strengthening communities.

My Blocks2 Class

This six-month online class taught by Tara Faughnan started in October and ended in March. Each month Tara encouraged us to take time to “play” with that month’s block idea.

I thought it might be fun to review my own “play” time and to show you one of my favorite pieces from each month.

“Hourglass” was the first month’s project. I was drawn to the half-rectangle triangle version–and here’s where I learned to diagonally cut a half-rectangle triangle block and recombine it to make a whole new block–which eventually wound up in my half-rectangle triangle series made with Latifah Saafir’s Hurty ruler. But more on that series later as the final and 4th quilt is now getting its binding sewn down.

Here are some small pieces I made with that half-rectangle “hourglass” block. I had fun with playing with hand-stitching and with trying a facing on one.

“Log Cabin” was the second month’s project, and here’s where I started learning how to put a project on stretched canvas. Tara gave us MANY variations of this narrow log cabin form, including triangles and hexagons in all sorts of sizes. I had to make myself STOP.

I hung this one in my quilt room, but all the rest of this month’s work have been gifted.

“Abstractions” was the third month’s project, and again, I made many different blocks with this method, plaing with density and color combinations.

I hung this one downstairs, and I smile whenever I see it.

“Wayward Arcs” was the fourth month project. And predictably, I had a lot of fun with this improv curve method and hand stitching.

“Big Slice” was the fifth month project–a new Tara Faughnan “wedding ring” block. I had made her older version years ago. I loved her fabric palette for this project, so ordered those fabrics and added a few more colors from my stash. This one is waiting in line for the longarm. It is 60 by 60 inches.

“Grid Work” was the sixth and final block idea.

I had made a type of grid work project last year in our Charleston Modern Quilt Group’s Sit and Sew, taught by Cathy Beemer, so after viewing projects shared on our online Community page, I moved to this idea of a city scape installed on stretched canvas. It wound up being 24 by 30.

Here’s the gridwork type of work I did last year and a picture of my recent treasures on stretched canvas hanging alongside.

After a lot of thought, I hung my Grid Work project, now called “City Scape” in my tv sitting room. It really makes the space next to my tv come alive. Here’s the view from my seat. The improv quilt on the chair is made from all the blocks I did in Blocks1.

Blocks3 will sign up in September. I’m thinking of doing it again. These past two years have been rich in experiences and new methods learned or old lessons expanded. Go to Tara’s web page to get her newsletters.

Grid Work Project

It’s April, and Tara Faughnan’s online class Blocks2 is finished for this year.

The 6th month March project block was “Grid Work.” I was late in the month starting to play with it, but while being late I checked into our Community page several times and got inspired by the kind of city scapes people were making. Some made whole small quilts of this kind of “grid” block–some even tried the funky blocks and made whole small quilts by joining their many blocks.

My project took me about a week to make and wound up being stretched on canvas that was 24 by 30 inches as I needed more room at the top for a big, orange moon.

I did not try to add in hand stitching as I just wanted this piece to be really graphic.

I am very pleased with this project and now am not sure where I want to hang it. It will probably wind up in the upstairs quilt studio.

What a fun class this year’s Block2 class has been!

Thank you Tara Faughnan!

Giovanna McCarthy: Master Knitter

Look what arrived at my house recently!

I can’t even imagine knitting at this level of talent.

Here’s a closer picture of the neckline and how the gradation of sizes works downward.

There are tiny beads embedded in the bottom fringe. Look closely as they are subtle and there are many in a definite pattern.

And I LOVE this rich dark teal green color.

Giovanna knows me very well.

THANKS GIOVANNA!!!

Sunday Quilty Update, March 23, 2024

“Gradations,” the 4th and final quilt in my half-rectangle triangle series, using Latifah Saafir’s Hurty ruler, is on the longarm.

I am sewing the colorful polka-dot binding on “Scrap Cabin” at night and have almost finished the 3rd side. (Rachel Hauser’s online sewalong in January, Stitched in Color blog.) Sewing binding is soothing, but for me, slow. I must sew tinier stitches than other people do??? I shared this quilt with Patchwork Gals this past week. Boy did it eat up stash fabric in my strip bins.

Here’s my design wall yesterday. “Big Slice” is folded on the left as it is all ironed and is waiting for its turn on the longarm. These two in-process quilts are being made with the Cat’s Cradle ruler. The left-side one is a 4-inch block made with the smaller ruler. The right-side is made with the larger ruler and is an 8-inch block, so will finish at 64 by 64. All the large blocks are done, but I’ll let this big-block quilt simmer for a few days before sewing the blocks together–in case I see something I want to switch.

There are many ways to set this Cat’s Cradle block, including one that makes a star. But I fell in love with the diagonal rows of little blocks and the rows that form with this setting and with this color placement in the block.

This big-block quilt is going to be a donation to the new Tunnel To Towers project here in Charleston, SC, that will house 98 local homeless veterans. (Tunnel to Towers started after 9-11 in New York city for those first responders who were injured. Now it is a national project for mostly homeless vets. (https://t2t.org/homeless-veteran-program/). They have asked the local quilt community for quilts for each bed, and we will do that work with pleasure.

Here is the smaller 4-inch block quilt. The 40-inch center has been webbed, leaving the horizontal rows unconnected, but so that the blocks stay in proper order. Now I’m adding blocks to the top and sides. I will need 16 by 18 rows in total to make this quilt a rectangle at 64 by 72.

When I pulled fabric pieces from my stash, I cut blocks from each piece of fabric for both quilts. The big blocks are done, but I now have to sew the 4-inch block parts I cut. And I will need to cut more along the way. It is a fun block to cut and sew though, so I don’t mind. And, again, ALL of these winter projects have been made from my stash fabrics–exept for some backings.

I am feeling really good about using up so much stash fabric this winter. It feels like making the fabric load much lighter. There is a balance for a scrappy quilter between keeping a stash of many colors and prints/solids and having an overload of fabric.

Quilting Progress

I’m walking again!

I’m taking it slow and wearing a brace, but the knee is ok for walking again! I’m so happy about being outside again.

Here’s “Big Slice”–made from block 5 in Tara Faughnan’s Block 2 online class–finished. Now I need to find a backing for it. I’ll use that midnight purple for the binding, and it is already cut.

This quilt had to be either 60 by 60 or 80 by 80, so I stopped at the smaller size. I’m intrigued by how circles form around some of the checkerboard squares depending on what colors surround them. I added the light blue and the brighter pink to Tara’s palette as I needed more variety.

I used the same paper templates for ALL of the curved pieces–which is a method Tara Faughnan teaches. You can use regular printer paper and a bit of glue–and you have no trouble with the templates sticking to the fabric–unlike what happens with freezer paper now that the formula has changed for the sticky side.

I’ve put the leftover fabrics back into my stash for the moment. I do love the scrappy forms of this block though…

The Scrap Cabin quilt came off the longarm Wednesday and got trimmed yesterday. I’ll put its binding on today. Recall that this quilt came from an online quiltalong hosted by Rachel Hauser of the Stitched in Color blog. I guess I’ll also call mine “Scrap Cabin.” The quilting texture in this quilt is awesome.

“Improv Sandbox” is totally done now–the binding is finished. I know you’ve seen this quilt many times now, but I do like to post final pictures when I finish a quilt.

These blocks are handmade–and were done over the winter when I ran out of handwork. Then I set the squared-up blocks in an improv arrangement. I just pulled existing scraps and made “funky” squares–many with a log cabin focus, but not all of them. I started with the grey square in the middle, as I had a lot of grey scraps in various sizes and strings.

A lot of the squares have some sort of fabric print focus that is…fun…like the ice cream cone in this square.

I’ve had this lime green fabric for many years in my stash–not used because I could never find the right use for the 2 yards I had. The print features peanuts, and I bought it as it reminded me of a cherished memory from my childhood. I was at my grandparents in Georgia–a small rural town–and my farmer uncle dropped in mid-morning with a bag full of freshly boiled and salted peanuts. The family women were sitting on the “north porch,” a screened porch that was cool in the morning–probably shelling peas or snapping beans for the noon big meal. My aunt, married to my uncle, LOVED boiled peanuts, and we stopped our work and enjoyed the treat he had brought to us. I can get teary-eyed even thinking about this special moment–one of many from my childhood days spent at this family compound of multiple houses.

The 2 yards was not quite wide enough, so I cut it and used this neutral fabric to create the back. I don’t like to see a thin strip of fabric located at the center of a quilt back–as that means two seams right at the center back. I prefer this method, which spreads out those seams more. For whatever that is worth…

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

A Friday Update

It has been a productive week in the quilt studio.

The 4th quilt top in my series of 4 using the Hurty ruler designed by Latifah Saafir is done. AND, the math on the final border MATHED. I’m calling it “Gradations.”

The backing should come in the mail today. But I have to quilt the quilt presently on the longarm, the yet as unnamed “Scrap Cabin” from Rachel Hauser’s recent online sewalong.

Grandmother duties took me over to Bryan and Corinne’s, where I got a picture of the white camellia now blooming in front of their house. I think a white camellia is in my future. Their pink camellia has been blooming for some time now.

One of our new neighbors stopped by with a little gift for me. They bought a house here some months ago and are exploring this region.

This new neighbor’s mother sews quilts, and my neighbor follows my blog. She made the covering for this mug using a Cricket machine. That’s new technology for me. I can’t even…

What a sweet and thoughtful gift!

It is bright and sunny and cold here, after a big storm front went through earlier this week–significant enough so that they closed the schools. But we got some much-needed rain and escaped the possibility of tornadoes. There have been big fires north and west of us as the state is–or was–very dry. BIG fires.

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Design Wall Is Very Busy!

And, the scrappy log cabin quilt done during Rachel Hauser’s Sitched in Color online sewalong–Scrap Cabin–is on the longarm. I haven’t named my version of this quilt yet.

And, the block for the online class Blocks 2–month 6–the final month–from Tara Faughnan dropped March 1st. It’s called “Grid Work.” What a very fun year this class has been.

And, I’m sewing down the binding on the improv quilt I made called “Improv Sandbox.” (The mural background below is the Ravenal Bridge which is famous here in Charleston, SC.)

Here’s the very busy design wall:

The wedding ring quilt (month 5 of the Blocks 2 class) kind of speaks for itself. I’m entranced with it. I have one more row to make it 60 by 60 and have the fabrics for that row organized. I would like for it to be bigger, but… I’ll likely call it a day on this one as 80 by 80 means another row plus 4 more end-of-row blocks.

The quilt on the left is the 4th and last of my series on the half-rectangle triangle ruler made using Latifah Saafir’s Hurty ruler: “Gradations.” The outer border is working well–all the pieces are cut and sewn, and I’m really liking the fabric choice. So far, the math for this border is…mathing. Whew! I’ll sew more of that final border later today. So, this quilt will be off the design wall soon.

Above the wedding ring quilt is the start of a scrappy something–using the smaller Cat’s Cradle ruler’s 4-inch size. The sewing and cutting are proceeding as leader-ender blocks. The big block up there is made using the bigger ruler at the 8-inch choice. Not sure where this one is going…just playing and using up a LOT of scrap pieces in my stash.

Yesterday I went to Home Depot to get a folding lawn chair that isn’t one of the “beach chairs” that are so low to the ground. I want to sit in my driveway or back yard to get some sun. I, came home with plants and wearing a shirt that got dirty while carrying the plants to the cashier as I didn’t get a basket along the way.

Pansies and a red cyclamen.

Spring is almost here. The birds are all singing again. And the grass is trying to green up.

Tonight we will have thunderstorms and, hopefully, some rain.

Folding Stored Quilts On The Bias

I have been storing the quilts I’ve been making for my grandchildren for some years now–each grand (of course they all already have quilts from me) will have a handmade quilt from me when s/he is ready to have actual homes of their own. Plus, choices of other stored quilts and from those around the house. And also I have quilts that will be given eventually to family, friends, and various charities here in the Charleston, South Carolina area.

This new house is the first time that I’ve had space to store these quilts where I can see them. The storage area pictured below does not include the quilts I am using or have hung around the house. But you can see that I have whittled down the available quilts for giving away considerably (only a few now in the shelves on the bottom right below)–which feels really good.

Refolding quilts to prevent folding lines in the quilt from folding along the straight grain is an ongoing chore. But recently, I thought I’d explore more about folding these quilts on the bias–so refolding wouldn’t be needed.

Below is a video on how to fold small, medium, and large quilts. It took me a chunk of an afternoon to refold all of mine, but…DONE. It’s EASY, and it is also possible to refold quilts that are at the bottom of beds by just draping the longer ends over the sides–and the diagonal lines of the quilt are interesting to see when the quilt is folded this way.

From Hailey Stitches on You Tube: how to fold a quilt on the bias – Google Search

“Dancing Hourglass Diamonds” Quilt Is Done

This quilt is the 3rd quilt in my series of 4 using Latifah Saafir’s Hurty Ruler for making half-rectangle triangle blocks. (I’m sorry about the feet of the ladder showing–I can’t get rid of the feet without losing the edges of this larger quilt).

I felt that this busy top needed a border to stop the visual motion that comes with this block. I wasn’t thinking of blue at all when pawing through my stash, but found myself “just wondering” about this blue fabric–leftover from a wideback backing. I had been thinking about red or green. With this blue, however, magic happened instantly.

This pic lets you see the center in a bigger way–and I’m betting your eyes will do what mine do–which is to “see” all the diamonds that form, big ones and little ones dancing all over the place.

To make this hourglass unit, one first makes the half-rectangle triangle unit with the ruler. Next, you cut that unit on the diagonal. Next you pair those two pieces with other pieces to get the four colors of an hourglass block.

In some places, I sewed this hourglass unit to colors that made a more solid diamond, in order to draw the eye around the quilt.

Here’s the backing–a Tilda fabric with which I instantly fell in love. I like the thicker texture of these Tilda fabrics too. The rest of the quilt has been made using my stash, which is partly the goal with this quilt series.

I used the “Lovely” pantograph from Denise Schillinger (sold on Urban Elementz), and I used an ice blue thread. Isn’t the texture wonderful?

This quilt is No. 236, and I am so grateful for this quilty journey.

A Cold Thursday

We are having a period of freezing weather that meant I had to cover my camellias again yesterday and drip water last night. Kalanchoe and the thriving geranium came back inside yesterday. There will be two more nights of this freezing weather here, with tonight being the coldest.

We were getting spoiled with some beautiful sunny and warmer days. The grass was starting to turn green. But, it IS February, and back in Maine, those folks are getting a lot of snow.

Kalanchoe’s floral gifts are still madly ongoing. She’s a crazy lady, for sure. And she brightens up every space she occupies.

Son Bryan covered his camellias with our last freezing spell and was rewarded with these beauties last week.

Camellias have the prettiest foliage too. The leaves are so glossy, green, and sturdy looking. His white one hadn’t opened yet, and I am now coveting a white camellia. That plant is full of buds.

I mounted another block on stretched canvas on Tuesday. It’s 10 by 10. I wanted to play with the Cat’s Cradle ruler. The block size here is 2.5 inches, but this ruler goes up to 4 inches and down to 1.5 inches. Yikes that little one would be…little. I think there is a bigger ruler for this block available now. Hmmm…

I’ve never seen a line of diagonal little squares that I didn’t like, and I wanted to play with that arrangement. Now I’m making 4-inch blocks from scraps–as a scrap buster project–as I have a lot of smaller scraps I can use.

I figured out what to do next with the 4th and final quilt for my half-rectangle triangle series project–made with Latifah Saafir’s Hurty ruler. I’m excited. This quilt is…bold.

The online sew-along project (Scrap Cabin) from Rachel Hauser’s blog Stitched in Color is done and needs to go on the longarm. Yesterday was Patchwork Gals meeting, and we heard about a new apartment project that will house homeless first responders (fire) and vets. I’ll be donating this quilt to those new occupants. The building will be finished in 2026, and the goal for area quilters is to provide 90 quilts, one for each bed.

This project is ongoing in other cities around the United States. And I’m so glad people are doing something about this homeless situation for our fire and soldier veterans. I sure hope it works to help them get restarted with their lives.