Category: Quilting in South Carolina

My Squircle Blocks and Some Good Food

I think I’m done making more Squircle blocks (from Tara Faughnan’s online block study class). Done, I’d say, for the moment. I love this inset method pioneered by Dale Fleming.

Here is my collection of 5, 6, and 8.5 inch blocks. It’s not the best picture as I took it when the light was terrible in my quilt room.

And here is what that part of the design wall looks like now, with zipper, serpentine and checkerboards, lines, and Squircle blocks. Hmmmm… Is there an improv quilt possible? Time will tell. *Note, I’ve kept the same fabric palette for all of these blocks–though the palettes Tara Faughnan gives with each block are gorgeous.

Meanwhile, I have to feed myself daily–with good food. So, I oven-roasted some chicken two days ago.

Here’s a bowl meal with chicken, blanched Lacinato kale with some raw butter topping, and air fryer red peppers and French fries. *For the kale, just drop the whole leaves in some boiling water and after about 4-5 minutes drain and cut out the stems and roughly chop the leaves.

Followed yesterday by the chicken and roasted red peppers reheated in the air fryer in one drawer while sweet potato fries cooked in the other drawer AND baby bok choy sautéed with bits of apple and garlic and dried herbs. *Soften the apple pieces and garlic before adding the bok choy as it cooks fast. If you overcook bok choy it gets way too soft. You want to keep some of the crunch of the thicker bottom pieces.

I eat my main meal in the middle of the day and afterwards have some sliced apple or a berry mixture and an espresso.

Today I’ll roast a rack of lamb in the oven and, maybe, the butternut squash I have on hand as well–with my good olive oil, garlic, and fresh rosemary from the garden. There are, also Brussels Sprouts in the refrigerator.

And I’ll walk at least a mile.

It’s a plan!

“Sprinkles” Quilt

“Sprinkles”is made from 1 1/2 inch squares cut while I made other quilts from the Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics I cut up at least 4 years ago now. These small squares were cut from what was left when I made other quilts.

I sewed the light/dark 4 patches back in Maine when I was all packed up and waiting for moving day. I also have 2-inch squares from this project which I started sewing into 9 patches. Someday I’ll do something with those. 

I couldn’t get a good picture inside of the actual colors in this quilt, so I took “Sprinkles” out to the porch into daylight, and that worked better. My inside lights cast a yellow light.

I quilted with a medium grey thread with the pantograph “Bayside,” which is a favorite of mine for laying down a nice texture without overwhelming the quilt.

And I love, love this backing.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever save 1 1/2 inch squares again. But I do like this little quilt a lot. The big squares are 16 inches. And the sashing is NOT C+S/Ruby Star, but was in my stash.

Bits and Pieces, January 2024

We had a really big storm that kept us pinned down all day Tuesday–very high winds and tornado alerts but not a whole lot of rain here on the coast. Schools were cancelled and most activities just…stopped.

I cooked. And I sewed.

Here’s more “rainbow” eating:

A bit of beef tallow, carrots, red pepper, and asparagus. I can’t think when I have pan sautéed asparagus, but it was lovely. 

Locally, lately, one can buy beef hamburger where about 25% added is liver/heart/other organs. Americans have stopped eating liver. And that’s too bad as liver and other organs are so full of nutrients we need and that we don’t get anywhere else. 

I made some hamburger patties and cooked them in the air fryer, along with a russet potato cut into four parts–so with the beautiful rainbow dish above, I had food for two main meals.

*Liver with heavy cream added at the last cuts the strong liver taste. Don’t overcook liver as that makes it tough. Slice it into strips and add after your veggies have softened–at the last, add the cream. A lot of cream. 

I’ve been playing with the new block that arrived from Tara Faughnan’s online block class on January 1st. It’s a method created by Dale Fleming called “the 6-minute circle.” Tara is calling this month’s block “Squircles.” It’s a fiddly block until you get the method–and then one is off and running and having lots of fun. 

I started with Tara’s recommendation of starting small–5-inch blocks–and then went on to 6-inch versions. Will try an 8 inch block today or tomorrow.

My rainbow versions are too narrow I think. But this is a very fun and addictive method. One person online called it the 60-minute block, which set me to laughing. I’m down to way less time, but it is a learning curve. However, the online community for this class is off and running, and their creativity and where they are taking this block is, as usual, awesome.

I do think these blocks WILL go with the others on my design wall. Pics to follow when I’m done.

Ah, air fryer sweet potato fries are so, so good–and so much easier and quicker than baking a sweet potato.

I’ve walked 3 days this week–and did 2 miles twice and 1 1/2 miles yesterday. And I’ll walk today.

We are getting another storm late today and into the night, but it is said to be not as strong as Tuesday’s storm which caused massive coastal flooding in Maine, including in Camden. 

Sewing Binding Down On “Sprinkles”

Here’s another post I wrote and didn’t send some days ago. Now “Sprinkles” is done, and I’ll post more about this adorable little quilt soon. Meanwhile, I have a nice link below that gave me a really good method to match backing prints.

Look at this awesome matching of this backing print!

I saw a method in the October 2023 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine done by Maria Brooks. However, I don’t think I can put a picture of that page here without violating their copyright rules.

So I googled “How to Match Prints for Quilt Backing” and came up with this same method by Suzy Quilts. Note: using one of the thicker, cheaper glue sticks is a better bet financially for this method instead of the Sew Line glue stick (which I also love) which is more expensive.

Match a Print Seamlessly On Your Quilt Back

“Bonanza” Quilt is Done

It’s BIG. It’s my 213th quilt.

“Bonanza” was inspired by a quilt made by designer Tara Faughnan, for which she does not yet have a pattern. I kept seeing it on a wall behind her head on her website. Her quilt is different than mine–she has, in modern fashion, disrupted some of the secondary patterns that will form in a more traditional placement of units. And she does not go out to the edges like I did with the dark blue/purple sashings. So, this quilt did not start so much as a way to use up solid fabrics, but because I loved that quilt Tara Faughnan made. 

I don’t think I’m done with these half-square triangle units in solids–with the resulting secondary patterns that emerge. I’m still fascinated. But who knows?

I quilted with the Bayside pantograph, using a medium grey thread. Bayside gives really nice texture, with some curves, but does not overwhelm.

I love the backing.

Here are a few more up-close pics.

Here is the center of the quilt–showing its secondary patterns.

And now, back to the rest of the quilty pack in development.

New Year’s Eve 2023

Yesterday when I made a quick trip to the local grocery store, I saw bins full of locally grown collards and one filled with plastic containers of already shelled black-eyed peas.

I should have taken a picture!

Eating black-eyed peas and collards (mostly seasoned with pork in some form) on New Year’s Day is a custom in the south. (As is, now that I think about it, shooting of firecrackers Christmas Day night–and yes, that goes back to the loss of the Civil War and the refusal for a time to celebrate July 4th with firecrackers.)

Anyway, here’s an article from Southern Living magazine that tells you all about the how and why of eating black-eyed peas and collards on New Year’s Day. Rice and/or cornbread would often be included.

https://www.southernliving.com/holidays-occasions/new-years/new-years-traditions-black-eyed-peas

I wish I could…

But for me, legumes/most peas and pork are a bad idea, given my food triggers.

You could though…

Rounding the Final Corner

So, here we are, rounding the final corner of 2023.

And on “Bonanza.”

A granddaughter spent the night last night–and she likes this quilt, which lives on the tv room couch.

Thanks you everyone for reading my blog and being so good about commenting. It means a lot.

I had thought to let the blog go when I left Maine, but Maine friends asked to keep it going. 

I’m glad I did. But that’s due to all of you who read it.

Happy New Year 2024, and all best wishes for a wonderful year for each and every one of you.

Louisa

“Red Positivity” Is In the Dryer

Yes, she’s done, and I’m very pleased with how this beautiful, cheerful, and BIG quilt came out. She is right at 90 inches square. The binding went faster than I thought it might. So that’s a finish to a big part of work started in the summer.

Here she is, folded over the back of the couch, before I washed her.

The back is a soft grey, and I just went out to the edge of the blocks and used the same Kona solid lavender (Thistle) to bind that I used for the sashing. 

Some of you may recall that I sewed my finger the first time around with putting this quilt on the longarm–with a wide backing that would not lay true and that lost 20+ inches on the straight of grain when torn. The backing here is the replacement backing from Missouri Star, and it was true and is quite nice. I quilted with a medium grey, and that worked well too.

It’s a very good thing that I put color catcher clothes into the washer.

Oh my! But the quilt colors are just fine, so these cloths did their work well.

Reds, you know…are tricky when washed. And I usually prewash fabrics, but this collection might not all have been pre-washed. I’ve had them for a long time–about 18 or so years.

“Red Positivity” is going to be sent to a niece in Virginia–whose birthday is January 3rd. I’ll mail her after Christmas Day–next week some time.

My best to all of you for a very Merry Christmas, and the happiest of New Year’s 2024.

Patchwork Gals Has An Etsy Shop

The outreach that Patchwork Gals does with their quilts and other sewing projects is truly astounding.

But, making this many quilts and other sewing projects takes money. The members frequently spend their own money to make finished quilts, or quilt tops that will be turned into finished quilts, or other projects as needed. But this group also often provides quilty “kits” members can use, and/or backings, battings, bindings, and longarm fees.

So, this fall, Patchwork Gals tried to sell some of their baby quilts and other “baby” products (bibs, birth cloths, car-seat covers, etc.) at local craft fairs, but as the members had been so generous with making all these “baby” products, there are a LOT left over.

So…

One member just formed an Etsy shop where these beautiful and fun projects can be purchased–with free shipping. See the link below.

Meanwhile, one member made a really nice brochure to hand out at the craft fairs. Here is a listing of the various groups to which Patchwork Gals donates their work. (SCYAP is South Carolina Youth Advocate Program, which fosters children that need that kind of care.)

There is also a big group of women who make a lot of red, white, and blue “quilts of valor” quilts–in conjunction with Cobblestone Quilters.

So, if you find yourself in need of a gift for a baby, take a look at the new Etsy store. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PatchworkGals?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

We have a new family baby coming in April, so I may dip into this treasure trove of baby products to give more than the baby quilt I already have in process. I’m sure these parents could use bibs, birth blankets, and car-seat covers–all hand made with loving hands.