I’ve worked out how to easily handle the binding now–and I do like the zig-zag stitch to hold it down–sewn from the front. And the loop encloses itself so just needs to be doubled back and sewn to the potholder–which means no need to join the circle of a binding when the ends meet. Here the ends meet at the bottom of the leaf.
Reminder, I got this idea from Amira Ameruddin’s video on Instagram: amira_littlemushroomcap. This leaf potholder idea was featured on the weekly post I get from Aurifil threads that highlights various quilt/sewing projects using Aurifil threads.
I spent HOURS yesterday watering plants and grass. It is so dry. My grass was trying to die–and this centipede grass is a water hog, for sure. It makes a mat like a rug that is 2 or more inches deep. My neighbors who have irrigation systems have grass that isn’t showing stress and browning, so I knew that mine browning was not due to fall/winter, but due to lack of water. So…watering had to happen. (My new little sprinklers are really helping as they have so many different, reliable settings that let me direct water to exactly where I want it to go.)
Here’s the last piece I’ll piece for this month’s “Hourglass” block in Tara Faughnan’s “Block 2” online class. I pretty much used up all the remaining blocks I had made and the scraps I had cut from this palette. (I just finished quilting the second half-rectangle triangle piece I did–the bright one. So now it needs facing or a binding.)
How fun is this? I’ll hand quilt it in some sort of incoherent wacky way to highlight the improv nature of this block. I also have a stack of potholders to sew–where I played with improv arrangements with this block. They’re fun. Pics when they are all done.
“Pot Pourri 4” is washed and ready to mail to a niece with a new baby girl. I like to hang a recently washed quilt over the sofa back to make sure all the moisture drys out before I mail it. And I’ll mail on Monday as I don’t like my quilts traveling on weekends.
I’ve grown very attached to this quilt–it is so lively and fun.
It is just a great scrappy quilt.
The Charleston Modern Quilt Group met this week. As always, the Show and Tell quilts were awesome. They are on that group’s open web site if you want to see more. But here is the latest from Cathy Beemer–another amazing quilt top.
I thought I was done piecing “Diamonds,” part 2 of my series with half-rectangle blocks. BUT, I realized I needed one more row as the width was 72, as planned, but the math escaped me for the length, which was only 64 inches!!! I put the top back on the design wall and thought about the issue for two days–and woke up yesterday with the best solution to extend the quilt. Yeah!!! Taking apart one row to add another inside the top was needed, and that is now done. I’m working on filling in that row. Our brains are amazing. Give them a problem to solve and give them time to solve it.
Here’s a really fun quilt–be sure to scroll down to see the maker’s dress as it matches the gingham used in this quilt. (You might have to copy this link to get to this post.)
This quilt is super bright, yes. And I think the bright neon thread is a gutsy choice that works well.
This little project from Tara Faughnan’s online “Blocks 2” class is finished. I tried facing for the first time, and it worked well I think. I like the clean, modern look facing gives.
This one (18-inches square) can be used as a decorative table topper I think. Here it is with large and deep rope bowl I made as an example. But a thinner vase with flowers would be lovely and more in proportion.
I’m hand quilting the bright version now.
I never would have thought of this “hourglass half-rectangle block” on my own, and I am intrigued. Note: you have to cut two of the half-square rectangle blocks on the diagonal to get the 4 colors of the hourglass block–then sew those two halves together.
I’m now making some potholders while playing with versions of a straight hourglass block combined with this half-rectangle hourglass block–and having lots of fun trimming blocks into pieces that will make a kind of collage look for the potholders. Pics to follow at some point.
There is a quilt on the longarm, the design wall if FULL of blocks that need to be sewn together for two quilts–plus some Glitter blocks in process. There are ropes waiting for me to make trivets and baskets, the “play” with Tara Faughnan’s first block class this season (Hourglass block) is ongoing, and the leftover fabrics from Prickly Pear are waiting for me to use them to try out an alternative block or two and maybe make a lap quilt…
So in the midst of all that chaos, yesterday I couldn’t resist this leaf potholder–and it took me all afternoon as, for me, there was a learning curve–starting with when I cut the two slabs separately on the diagonal and the joined rows didn’t line up. Probably I didn’t cut each on the same diagonal angle. Add into the learning curve that that I cannot easily cut the leaf shape on the slabs free hand. I needed a freezer paper template, LOL. And that it worked better to cut out the leaf with scissors. That meant two more slabs to make. But who cares? It is a learning curve. You do need TWO slabs so each half of the front and back is different from the other side on the front and back. (That is also true of the little Hourglass half-square rectangles I’ve been making. You need two half-square rectangles to make the 4 colors.)
I also didn’t cut binding wide enough to manage two slabs, a batting layer, and a layer of fluffy Insul-Brite–next time, 2.75 wide binding I think. AND, this little potholder DOES need bias binding for all the curves. I managed with straight binding, but it was tricky. A walking foot is absolutely necessary.
BUT, it is so darn cute! I can see it in scrappy reds, in winter blues, in spring greens, etc. And like most learning curves, once you’ve “gotten” something, it all goes much, much faster.
A reminder, this idea was created by Amira Ameruddin, and there is a video on Instagram: amira__littlemushroomcap. Her video made it look easy and fast, and maybe it is…now. You really DO have to quilt all the layers before cutting out the leaf. Amira only uses one batting layer, but I don’t think that would really protect with a potholder.
Also, if the binding process goes faster next time, maybe I will try this binding zig zag method from Stitched In Color. I think it would be a nice addition–if I can do it as nicely as Rachel Hauser does. She makes this method look very elegant.
Another learning curve yesterday was making FACING for one of the 18-inch square Hourglass half-square rectangle little quilts, and that went well. I do like the “clean” look of that method. BUT, putting on a hanging sleeve would mean putting it on after the facing is done. Just noting. I don’t intend to hang this little quilt. The bright one will be hand quilted next.
Here they are side by side before I faced the one on the left. I do really like this block: big or little! I will try it out big for my quilt series on the half-square rectangle using Latifah Saafir’s Hurty ruler.
Today, I’ll–RIGHT NOW–go upstairs and do at least ONE row on the longarm quilt. Then I’ll walk. I don’t have to cook today, so the rest of the day will be mine to play upstairs.
And life has included watering outside as it is again very dry. But our weather has been spectacular for days now. This morning we had a little colder weather, and I needed warmer clothes and slippers on my bare feet.
And life has included that there are a host of quilty projects happening.
The most recent “Pot Pourri” quilt made from the 3 1/2 inch Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star squares is finished. It is “Pot Pourri 4.” There are MORE quilts from these blocks not called by that Pot Pourri name. And…I still have about half a bin each of the colored and neutral squares.
PP4 came out much cuter than I had thought it would be–but what could go wrong? It’s scrappy goodness from great fabric prints!
The backing is a turquoise wideback that works well. I used a kind of light seafoam green thread and a pantograph that was new to me and suggested by Wendy Curry, my Canadian online longarm quilting friend: Rhododendron. It was a fun panto to sew. I used the backing fabric for the binding.
My online class “Blocks 2” with Tara Faughnan has started. The first block with which we are playing is the Hourglass block, also known as “Broken Dishes.” It’s long been a favorite of mine. Tara, as is usual, had dozens of ways to manipulate it–modern, improv, and traditional.
What drew my interest in my current moment of making a series of at least 3 scrappy quilts from the half-rectangle block–using Latifah Saafir’s Hurty Ruler–was Tara’s example of taking that half-rectangle block and making it into an hourglass form.
I set up a palette from my solid stash that came as close to Tara’s palette as I could–though I did limit the number of colors but made sure to have darks, mediums, and light fabrics included. And then I made two quilt versions of the half-square rectangle hourglass blocks I made (3 by 6 inches)–one dark and one light/bright.
Here’s the dark one–which is 18 inches square. I’m hand quilting it with my 12-weight cotton threads–just a simple grid. I pulled threads that match these colors. I might try facing these two little quilts, as I need to learn to do that well. It’s all about play, right? And with the binding on PP4 finished, I was missing night hand sewing. Otherwise, tv makes me so restless.
I got the lighter one sewn together last night and will layer it today. I’ll use the brighter threads to match the brighter colors.
I like both of them, but I have no idea how I’ll use these two blocks–but I do have some ideas. And I think this block would make an awesome bigger quilt. But I’m not going there right now.
I will play with the traditional hourglass block before I break up this palette. Maybe just a few blocks…LOL.
The design wall is FULL!
I’ve got the blocks set now for the second half-square rectangle quilt. The first is on the longarm and is now basted and waiting for me to finish it. I’m using a challenging panto that is new to me, so I’m hesitant I think, but also engaged in these other projects.
To remind you, here is “Arrows” which is on the longarm.
Here’s the second quilt: “Diamonds.” I changed out the bottom row diamond and am making one I like better. The top two rows are sewn together–after days of moving blocks around and trying out more diamonds than originally planned. And, playing with ways to NOT make the diamonds altogether symmetrical. Or, all of the neutral backgrounds symmetrical–as would be typical in a traditional quilt. I wanted the edges to feel a bit…scattered.
PP5: Crosses–is on the right and needs to have its rows sewn together to free up space to finish it–which is not far from being done.
I also know what I’ll do for the third quilt in this series–and am already looking forward to starting it.
I also got tired of pawing through my 12-wt thread spools for the “right” color and put them all into shallow boxes where I can see them all at one glance. I’m loving that!
OK, folks. That’s it for now, and I’m sending all of you my best wishes for a lovely week.
She is just super creative, especially with modern improv quilts.
Her post today features a “mug rug” that is big enough for a mug and a small plate. It strikes me that a set of those would be a nice gift for…someone.
AND, she features a ruler that intrigues me as well: a Square in a Square ruler. You all who read on a regular basis should know that I adore clever rulers. And this one covers such a basic quilt block task. She used it to make a Snail’s Trail block as well if I’m reading right.
I bought my Halloween candy yesterday at Costco–which was totally jammed by people filling their carts to the brim. I guess I should have bought toilet paper. The final checkout man said the swarm was due to the dock strike AND people buying goods to donate to those in need after the hurricane. Heavens Knows there are LOTS of very needy hurricane survivors.
These dwarf Mexican petunia plants I planted last year are an unqualified success. They bloom for all but the coldest weather and are gradually filling in the areas that need filling in–like where I took out some Mondo grass on the driveway end of this bed.
Look at this gorgeous color–and this plant is VERY hearty.
These petunias come in white and pink too–a light pink. Every now and then one of these purple plants throws out a white or pink plant, so I dig it out and plant it elsewhere. Now I’m trying two of these offsprings in the big blue container on the screened porch that has struggled to grow…anything. The sun hits it directly in the afternoon.
The Mexican sage is, again, dancing in the wind. This plant, too, is new to me. It is especially fun to see through the tv room windows. It may be struggling with a bit of wet roots, due to the 24 inches of rain we got a while back. Three storms ago, was it? Or it is just turning leaves as it is cooler now and the light is different.
Look at these buds on the new camellia I planted last spring. Holy Moly! I can’t wait to see it bloom this winter. The other camellia, gift of Bryan and Corinne for my birthday last March, is on the other side of the house. It’s got buds too, but nothing like this little guy. The gift camellia is a different type of camellia and will be taller and much wider. This one in the picture will be lower and will spread sideways.
This beautiful White Heron (A Great Egret) let me take a good picture the other day while walking. S/he stood, not moving a muscle. I think creatures can sometimes tell if you pose a danger. (Note the black legs.)
Well, this is a fun project, highlighted in the weekly newsletter I get from Aurifil threads. It’s a leaf shaped potholder.
It’s made by Amira Ameruddin, known as amira_little mushroom cap on Instagram. She has a video showing how she made it.
Here’s the block Rachel Hauser made–and I love how she used color in it.
Screenshot
And here’s the block I went right upstairs and made out of my cut-up stash of strips and squares–which also instigated a little reorganization in those bins–which included bringing some leftover bagged projects that I can now donate happily.
This block is 12 inches finished–so, hmmmm–maybe it will be my first little quilt to put into the new library kiosk that will happen one of these days.
I also broke down and ordered the plastic templates for the “Glitter” block with which I’ve been playing. I can’t quite let go of it yet. I’ll be interested to see if these templates make a difference in the cutting and sewing.
I finally got back to walking and listening/singing with music yesterday!
You would never know we were worried about a hurricane only two days ago!
The death/damage from Helene inland has been terrible. A dam in North Carolina below Lake Lure broke and devastated a small town below it. Tennessee has also been hard hit. I am feeling so, so lucky this morning.
I got “Arrowheads” off the design wall last night–which opened up room for the other projects trying to happen. The arrowheads run from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. Some are more subtle than others, but they do form a line for the eye to hunt for and follow. The “left” or “right” rectangles shift on either side of the arrowheads. Perhaps the line should have been from right to left as that is how we read…but I also wanted this arrangement to be subtle.
I love this quilt top–all made out of fun and not subtle fabrics just sitting around in my stash. I think there may be a series in the making with this large half-square rectangle block made with Latifah Safari’s Hurty ruler.
I put the leftovers on the design wall–just to get them up so I can see what I have and what needs to be cut and sewn. None of these blocks will stay this way–but I do want to play with diamonds mixed into rows. Clearly I need to cut and sew more blocks–and to employ better color mixtures than what’s on the wall now. And I’m anticipating LOTS of moving of blocks around.
The “glitter” blocks to the left are a challenge–and I’m not having fun with them. I can’t get the points at either end right–so that there is 1/4-inch beyond them. I’ve measured and redrawn the pattern several times now. It’s a different and exciting block, but… I’ll make one more, sew these together, and call it a day. I’ll probably hand quilt it??? I’ll see what it looks like sewn together. Maybe it will become part of an improv quilt.
The “crosses” leader/ender top made from the bins of 3.5-inch squares (Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society) in light and dark colors is growing. I can sew together the row in each block, but not the whole block, so it looks a bit “off” right now as most of it is pinned. The bins ARE SLOWLY going down.
AND yesterday, I made a new pin cushion, using scraps and ground walnut shells for the filling. The shells came with a packet of powdered “emery,” which is an abrasive mixture of some form of alumina. (Emery used to be ground rock. Emery is used on things like stair treads and fingernail boards.) Directions said to make an extra little bag for the emery and to put said bag inside the pin cushion–among the walnut shells–and it will keep your pins sharp.
I recently started pinning my quilt tops on the longarm, rather than using the red snappers–using new-to-me pins (Magic pins). The ones made for using on a longarm canvas are quite sturdy–and mine are now in a pin cushion made and gifted to me years ago in Maine by Linda Satkowski. (It’s going strong Linda!). I used hers as a model for how to make my new pin cushion, which now holds the pins for the design wall. I think the combo of walnut shells and emery I bought on Amazon were too pricey–and not enough of the walnut shells is leftover if I want to make another pin cushion to gift to someone. Well…maybe if I make it smaller???
Yesterday I roasted my first fall butternut squash–with garlic, dried herbs, olive oil, and salt. I didn’t use the rosemary in my herb garden which I would prefer for this dish as Mount Pleasant is still spraying for mosquitoes. That spray is said to be GRAS–or “generally regarded as safe,” which means only that no one has done any searching for problems. Here in the USA, we allow thousands of chemicals in our food that Europe does not allow. My take is if it kills insects, it can also kill us or make us sick.
Except for the butternut squash and the fruit, this dinner was from leftover “assets.”
Louisa Enright's Blog 