Bonnie Hunter – Page 3 – Louisa Enright's Blog

Turkey Tracks: Funky Pumpkins In The “Parts Department”

Turkey Tracks: June 1, 2016

Funky Pumpkins In the “Parts Department”

Several friends and I have undertaken this summer to make “parts department” blocks, the idea taken from Gwen Marston and Freddie Moran in their book COLLABORATIVE QUILTING –and to see if these blocks can be developed into a quilt for each of us. I, of course, will also look to my Bonnie Hunter stash management system to see what I can use to make blocks.

This is an improvisational version of a round robin project in ways.

And this kind of improvisational quilt is coming out of the “modern” quilt movement.

Here’s one example in process, made by Becca Babb-Brott from a pattern (“Gypsy Wife”) by designer Jen Kingwell.

Another would be to start with a medallion and build rows around it.

Or, to make a “row” quilt.

Who knows what will happen…

We specified low-volume fabrics and “brights” and “make at least multiples of four,” and left it at that.

The three others are working on funky house blocks, tree blocks, log cabins, star blocks and the like.

What would I do?

Well, this picture came across the screen of blocks Bonnie Hunter found forgotten in one of her quilt boxes.

Hmmmm, I thought.

I pulled out orange strips from the 1 1/2-inch bin, and then I thought maybe I’d try to draw a foundation piece pattern–after looking at foundation-

pieced pumpkin patterns in EQ7.

That was fun, and as you can tell from the next picture, the pattern evolved as I learned how what I had drawn might actually look when executed.

I didn’t want to get too far from “funky” or too large, but I do like the rounded pumpkin top and the whimsical bottom strip and the placement of the pumpkin within the light fabrics rather than letting it run to the edge. This block is 8 1/2 inches so will finish at 8. That’s large for our project, but it can take a few large blocks I think. And, we don’t have to use everything we get from each other.

These blocks will go into the “parts department” pile to be shared, and I have new-found respect for foundation-pieced designers.

Here are some ideas made from fabrics I pulled from my “stash bins” of cut-up squares and rectangles. These blocks are meant to be “filler” blocks.

Pinwheels, made by cutting 2 1/2-inch squares diagonally, resewing them, and sliver trimming them to 2 inches:

Flying Geese made from 2 by 3 1/2 rectangles and 2-inch squares. The little bitty 2-inch blocks are sewn from the trimmed triangles and sliver trimmed. These tiny blocks could be surrounded by another layer of strips to make a slightly larger square. Probably colored strips…

This block is made from a 3 1/2-inch square by sewing 2 1/2 inch squares to the corners (opposite corners first) and trimming out the excess–which also make small triangles. Hmmm. This small pinwheel could take some low-volume strips to enlarge the square and highlight the center too…

The project is affording me a bit of play each day, a bit of rummaging through stash bins first.

We’ll see what happens…

Turkey Tracks: Two Granddaughter Quilts: Yellow Bird and Wise Bird

Turkey Tracks: April 5. 2016

Two Granddaughter Quilts

Wise Bird and Yellow Bird

I have two granddaughters (3 and 5 years) who are now sharing a bedroom. They have a new baby sister, so bedrooms needed to be rethought and renovated for the long haul that will involve, eventually, three teen-age girls..

For the new living arrangement and the new bedroom, I made them each a quilt–with the hope that these quilts are not the same, but go together. And I wanted something that would interest them for a long time.

What emerged after a LOT of piecing and a lot of fun for me was “Yellow Bird” and “Wise Bird.”

“Yellow Bird”:

“Wise Bird”:

“Yellow Bird” has a yellow bird in the border fabric.

“Wise Bird” has a backing of owls, and this granddaughter LOVES owls.

“Yellow Bird” has a Kaffe Fasset fabric for the background. I think this one is called “Roman Coins.”

“Yellow Bird’s” organizing block is Bonnie Hunter’s “Carolina Chain,” which appeared in Quiltmaker magazine’s March/April 2010 issue–in Bonnie Hunter’s “Addicted to Scraps” column. The pantograph is “Check and Chase” by Lorien Quilting. I used, as I recall, a soft rose thread.

I am so loving the interesting neutrals–or “low volume” prints–on the market today.

“Wise Bird’s” central block is Bonnie Hunter’s “Criss Cross” block–from her “Addicted to Scraps” column in Quiltmaker magazine’s September/October 2915 issue.

This quilt center started with me just making a block or two for fun one day–and I got hooked.

I surrounded the center with rows of different quilt blocks–many of which came out of the “parts department” where I keep blocks I’ve made from leftovers of other quilts. (The term “parts department” has come from Freddie Moran and Gwen Marston’s book COLLABORATIVE QUILTING.) And I used lots of the polka dot fabrics I have acquired.

The pantograph for “Wise Bird” is also “Check and Chase” from Lorien Quilting. I quilted with a soft limey green.

I did make the flying geese and the larger “primitive star” outer border for this quilt. I like this primitive star a lot. And of course I had to make some blocks to add to the ones I already had in the parts department.

Here’s a view up and down the length of the quilt. I am certifiably crazy about polka dots. I really like how the orange/green polka dot on the binding came out.

Baby girl will get a quilt that blends with these two completed quilts. It will be made from Bonnie Hunter’s “Wild and Goosey” block–which also appeared in her “Addicted to Scraps” Column in Quiltmaker magazine, May/June 2013. This block is Foundation Pieced on paper, and since it appeared, it has acquired a large and solid fan club. I succumbed this winter while using up my “crumb” bag–which is not used up at all, but growing like mad with all the quilting. AND after taking Bonnie Hunter’s class at Craft Online University–which I highly recommend. (One of the cool things is seeing five or six quilts at the end of each segment–each using a block in a different way.)

These blocks will sit on a soft grey polka dot, and it brings out all their vibrant colors and works well with the black and white sashing. I’ll use a 3 1/2-inch sashing in the setting–which will give me a 3 1/2-inch corner stone of some kind.

Turkey Tracks: Kathy Dietz Pesce’s French Braid Quilts

Turkey Tracks: March 21, 2016

Kathy Dietz Pesce’s

French Braid Quilts

Today is the first day of spring AND we are having a snow storm here in Maine.

(That’s not unusual. And I probably caused it because I switched out my winter cords/sweaters/wool socks/mittens/hats for spring clothes. I had to retrieve some of my winter gear.)

Anyway…

This morning was lazy–a catch-up day after a terrific weekend with DIL Tami, where we went flat out for 4 days. Along the way this morning, Kathy Pesce and I traded some FB messages, and she sent me her “snow day” and weekend quilting, a beautiful little French Braid quilt in shades of rose/pink/garnet. That led to more sharing, and I thought you might like to share her beautiful quilts with me too.

Here’s the rose/pink one:

The border fabric is Japanese–up close it has the most wonderful texture.

Kathy is trying to use up her stash, like me, and loves small pieces of fabric, like me. And, like me, she’s found Bonnie Hunter’s stash management system and scrappy quilt projects. She’s made more of Bonnie’s mystery quilts than I have. The florals in her quilts are an effort to use up stash. And, like me, these days she is more drawn to the brighter and low-volume fabrics, but has a lot of fabric from earlier quilting eras.

Here’s another French Braid that is using florals:

Gorgeous!! I did not ask her if she does her own quilting…

Love the quilt admirer on this quilt too.

Here’s a French Braid where Kathy has really gone scrappy:

This one has set my brain into project planning!!!

Thanks so much Kathy, for the connection, the sharing this morning, and these beautiful quilts.

Turkey Tracks: March Quilty Update

Turkey Tracks: March 7, 2016

March Quilty Update

Well!

I’ve been distracted with all the political hoopla of late and suspect some of you have as well.

But the distraction has not prevented me from quilting.

The “mother ship” is coming along. Since this picture I’ve filled that hole on the left and am almost done with the right side piece that will fill below the red and purple flowers.

This quilt is from Edyta Sitar’s Handfulls of Scraps.

“Crayon Box Crumbs” is on Lucy the long arm. I’ll likely finish her up today.

I’m liking the teal border a lot and will go out to a violet/purple binding. Teal, violet/purple, and red orange are a “triad” on the color wheel. (Thanks Janet K. for seeing I needed a border on this quilt.)

And now there are FOUR of Bonnie Hunter’s Wild and Goosey blocks.

Friend Becca Babb-Brott, who has an Etsy store, Sing Me A Song, helped me find a background fabric for these blocks–which will be set with a 3 1/2 inch wide sashing and as-yet -undetermined cornerstones. Maybe the Wild and Goosey corner block or maybe a small nine-patch. The sashing fabric is a pale grey tiny polka dot–which we think is in keeping with the black and white narrow sashing in these blocks.

What to do with more of the crumb bag–which seens to be breeding in the night?

These blocks, which have 4-inch crumb centers:

It’s easy to cut the surrounding “square” with the Companion Angle ruler. Use the Easy Angle ruler for the half triangles. Quick and easy and no loss of fabric or fiddling with tiny triangles with the flip and sew and trim method.

Becca and I chose a modern, mottled blue kind of fabric for the narrow sashings see in this block. These blocks are inspired by a Bonnie Hunter quilt, “Nine in the Middle,” as seen in her book Adventures with Leaders and Enders. Bonnie used a nine-patch where I am using the string/crumb center.

At some point about two weeks ago, I realized I would need at least 7 1/2 yards of fabric for the outer triangles for the Farmer’s Wives blocks and that the cream I was using wouldn’t be large enough.

Again, Becca helped me choose a new fabric–and I really love it. The soft aqua/teal is just making ALL the blocks sing. Having to take the triangles off of the 16 completed blocks went faster than I would have thought and was well worth the effort. (Still struggling over how to set these blocks.)

I’ve been working on the March allotment of 8 Farmer’s Wife blocks–we are trying for 9 a month to complete the 99 blocks. Here are the ones I’ve completed so far:

Bride:

Carol–the darks are a dark, soft charcoal grey:

Carolina:

And, two of Caroline as I did not like the first one so much–not enough contrast between two of the fabrids:

Granddaughter Mina’s quilt is taking place on the design wall. Pics when more blocks are done. AND I’ve got all the units done for a blue/neutral Jacob’s ladder quilt made from the blue/neutral four-patch project of last summer.

Turkey Tracks: Quilty Update January 2016

Turkey Tracks: January 11, 2016

Quilty Update January 2016

I am happily enjoying my winter quilting time.

The “mother ship is growing.”

The center is done and I “m moving out to the side flowers. This project is from Edyta Sitar’s Handfuls of Scraps.

I am using my box of 2 1/2 inch squares and, when needed, 2 1/2 inch strips for this quilt. I am addicted to English Paper Piecing.

The second of the two granddaughter BRIGHT quilts is on the long arm, and is about 1/3 done.

I cut the top and bottom borders down to the size of the purple and blue borders–and I like that better. The center block is one of Bonnie Hunter’s–Criss Cross. The rest are my invention using leftover blocks from other projects and ones I made to go with this quilt.

“Allietore” is growing on my design wall…

I am really loving this quilt. I found a black fabric with little red wiggles, almost like polka dots but much more widely spaced for the outer border. I have a nice gold for the inner border. I want to quilt it in an “old gold” thread–so am thinking of a medium grey for the backing… The binding will be red.

I’ve finished the first two Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt blocks. They are so intricate that foundation piecing is the way to go. I have not foundation pieced in a few years, so there has been a reminder learning curve. Here’s “Addie” and “Aimee.” Each one took at least three hours as I struggled along… Hopefully that will get better. LOVE these blocks in contemporary fabrics.

The camera is distorting “Aimee”; it’s perfectly straight.

We are to do two blocks a week in our little group who are participating…

Thursday will be the monthly “sit and sew” from 9 to 3 or so with Coastal Quilters’ members. I’ve gotten out my Bernina from the attic, test run her, and boxed her up in her carry case for the day. I’m going to spend the day playing with the “crumb” bag–making sashing for the cheddar quilt that is in pieces on the spare bed in my office.

This kind of play is fun, creative, and relaxing for me.

I hope January is bringing such joy to each of you!

Turkey Tracks: Playing With Fabric “Crumbs”

Turkey Tracks: December 21, 2015

Playing with Fabric “Crumbs”

What do you do with small pieces of quilting fabric that are too small to use in something like a strip or a square?

I learned from Bonnie Hunter to call them “crumbs,” and to use them. Quilting fabric is now around $12 a yard and the width has shrunk from 44-45 inches to 40-42. (How greed can kill an industry.)

Like Bonnie, I throw these pieces in a bag and when it gets full, I start a project that uses them. I also throw in large trimmed pieces that have been already sewn together.

(At the very least, you could use these scraps to stuff a dog or cat bed…)

Here’s my ongoing “crumb” project:

Some of the pieces are larger, but would not cut into a 2-inch square. I don’t cut into 1 1/2-inch squares because they would be too bias stretchy. I use 1 1/2-inch strips to form small squares.

I played with making fabric from the crumbs–which was kind of interesting. And you could cut squares out of a piece like this and use the remainders to form more blocks. If you use those blocks as a center with sashings around–or as a center to a larger pieced block, you’d have an interesting quilt.

Right now, though, I’m interested in creating sashings. So here’s my growing pile of sashings:

I cut my large piece of “made” fabric into diagonal strips measuring 2 2/1 inches wide. I use a backing piece of paper to sew these sashings and then I trim them up on the cutting board. I can sew strips together to get the length I want.

I’m thinking of using these with this block, which you’ve seen before:

Stay tuned…

So, I warn you…

This kind of “play” is addictive.

Turkey Tracks: One Quilt Top Finished

Turkey Tracks: November 3, 2015

One Quilt Top Finished

I got the final borders on this quilt last night–and the pics here do not do it justice. The border fabric is so cute with this quilt, for instance.

I have loved working with these bright prints and these so-fun neutrals. (You can see part of the other/companion quilt hanging over the bars on Lucy the Longarm.)

I’m going to call this quilt “Yellow Bird,” after the repeating bird in the borders.

To remind this quilt block, Carolina Chain, was designed by Bonnie Hunter for her “Addicted to Scraps” column in Quiltmaker magazine.

I am thinking that though I do have backing fabrics bought on sale that what these two quilts need is some sort of cream/black/neutral backings that match…

Not sure what I’ll do yet, so will finish the other top before deciding.

Turkey Tracks: “Bee Beauty” Quilt

Turkey Tracks: October 6, 2015

“Bee Beauty” Quilt

I finished the “Bee Beauty” Quilt.

I have so loved working on it.

You may recall that I spent the summer making light/dark 4-patch blocks out of my 2-inch square scrap bin. Here’s one use of those four patches. There were about 6000 squares in that bin, and I wound up with about 1600 4-patch blocks.

You may also recall that this block is a Bonnie Hunter block–as she designed a quilt using this block for the American Patchwork and Quilting 2015 scrappy challenge–using 4-patch blocks. (Bonnie’s web site is at quiltville.com.)

This pic of the quilt is not great, but I have fallen in love with it and will save it for a grandchild.

Here is a block. I quilted with limey green thread with the “Lovely” pantograph by Denise Schillenger.

The backing fabric I’ve had for a long time, and I’m pleased with how it worked with the front of this quilt. I chose the dark purples and limey greens from the backing fabric:

The backing has a strip of this block to make up for not having enough of the backing fabric.

Here’s a corner so you can see the binding and border fabrics:

It’s just such a fun, lively quilt:

I like it so much I’m going to make it with a cheddar background:

I can see red sashing, I think. Mercy!!

Turkey Tracks: Quilty Update

Turkey Tracks: September 2, 2015

Quilty Update

…and time just keeps on marching on…

…it’s been a lovely summer…

…and I’m looking forward to fall.

So, as usual, I have a lot of quilting projects “in process.”

This quilt, as yet unnamed, is on the long arm:

You already know that the block is Bonnie Hunter’s block for the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine‘s four-patch 2015 challenge, AND that this is the first quilt using blocks from the sewing I did for most of the summer–making light/dark four-patches from the two-inch square bin.

The backing is a fabric I bought on sale some years back:

You can see part of the pantograph in the above picture. I’m using a limey green that goes well with the green in the quilt and in the backing:

I will finish with the long arm later today–“God Willing and The Creek Don’t Rise”–as my dad used to say.

I’ve been trying to make one of Bonnie Hunter’s most recent blocks from her column in Quiltmaker magazine every day or do…

Bonnie Hunter’s 2015 leader/ender challenge is to use the tumbler block. It so happened that I have a really nice tumbler template bought years and years ago AND a bunch of veggie/fruit fabrics also purchased years and years ago. So, I seem to have gotten a little side-tracked with this project, like making it a main project, not a leader/ender, and look what’s happening:

I added some fabrics to the collection to get more variety at the Pine Tree Quilt Guild state show in late July when I knew I’d use these fabrics with the tumbler block. Otherwise, I had way too many reds, oranges, and greens.

Using the dark prints together is making a nice border–something Bonnie suggested somewhere along the way.

Finally, Coastal Quilters issued a little challenge at the June 2015 meeting. The organizers gave us a brown paper bag with a collection of fabric, including a backing piece to indicate size. We were to create whatever we wanted, and we could add some fabric, but we had to use some of all the pieces in the bag.

I made a little quilt called spring moon:

I added the green polka dot background, the orange chicken legs, and the chicken’s neck fabric.

Here’s a close-up of the chicken:

(I may move her eye back just a hair. I used a picture of one of my chickens, and the bead is where the eye is in the picture, but it isn’t translating quite right here.)

I quilted with the domestic machine and by hand with pearl cotton.

Why this chicken?

I spent the summer looking at the fabric I got, and the black and white fabric looked like it wanted to be a kitchen or bathroom floor. Or, a foyer. And I just could not get excited about that idea. Eventually I worked my way around to the chicken. AND, one factor was that in an earlier challenge I made a black and white picture of my Copper Black Maran rooster, Napolean.

So now he has a sweet little hen named Spring Moon to accompany him in his quilty journey:

Turkey Tracks: The Two-Inch Bin is Empty!!!

Turkey Tracks: August 22, 2015

The Two-Inch Bin is Empty!!!

See?

Can I tell you that there were 6720 squares in that bin. And note that it’s a SMALLER bin (13 by 8 by 5 inches deep) than I usually use.

Who knew there would be THAT MANY squares in that bin???

Now I have what I think of as “assets”: 1680 finished four-patch blocks.

Note that I use Bonnie Hunter’s Stash Management system to manage my stash, and you can read all about that in any of her books and on her blog, quiltville.com.

One part of that system is to cut leftover fabric from making a quilt into useable sizes that work together mathmatically AND to do something with a bin when it gets full.

I have spent the summer sewing these squares into light/dark four-patch blocks. And that effort started with the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine‘s challenge to work with four-patch blocks this year.

I was inspired, also, by Bonnie Hunter’s quilt block, as she is doing this APQM challenge.

So, at first I made Bonnie’s block. (Bonnie’s background is aqua–which is so lively and pretty.)

AND, Bonnie’s sashing is AWESOME!! (I went ahead with my rich magentas BEFORE I saw what Bonnie opted to do.)

I can’t wait to see what she does with the cornerstones, to see the finished quilt, AND to buy whatever book into which she puts this quilt.

(To follow her progress with this challenge, go to her web site, quiltville.com, click on the blog button, and search for the APQM challenge.

I put the final border on my quilt yesterday–after sewing the LAST FOUR-PATCH BLOCK–and am working on the backing now:

And of course I will have to make Bonnie’s version since I love her strip-pieced sashing so much. That will take 150 of my 4-patch blocks. A drop in the bucket of my assets.

I have some of these already started–and the corners are from the 3 1/2 inch block bin–which has gone down considerably with the use of Bonnie’s block.

I am very excited about doing a Jacob’s Ladder in blue/neutral. I was able to carve out quite a few of those blocks:

And could not resist putting two together to see the result:

I have this great winter blue-jay fabric that I can use for a backing for a blue/neutral quilt.

AND, the mixed blocks would make up beautifully in a Jacob’s ladder with a constant setting for the half-square triangle blocks.

I also carved out some red and neutral blocks.

What if I turn this block straight? The lines would then be on the diagonal…

This block came from Lissa Alexander, whose quilt was featured in the APQM article on the four-patch challenge. I made a baby quilt recently using this block if you want to see a finished quilt: Happy Baby Quilt.”

I have some green and neutral blocks–but not a whole lot.

Could this green-based block fold into the red-based quilt???

And, somehow, I seem to have gotten started on Bonnie’s current block in the September/October 2015 issue of Quiltmaker magazine: Criss Cross.

They are fun, but I’ve had a little trouble translating directions to the Easy Angle Ruler AND with the given size for conventional cutting of a large square into four triangles. I’m wondering if there is a mistake?

I’ve solved it for myself however.

So far, there are a minimum of five quilts out of these blocks…

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