Tag: Coastal Quilters Maine

Turkey Tracks: Making Selvage Blocks

Turkey Tracks:  January 20, 2016

Making Selvage Blocks

At our last Coastal Quilters’ meeting, member Linda Satkowski showed us how to make blocks using selvages.

Her method is SUPER!

She sews the strips straight down, leaving the edges.

The first thing I do with new fabric coming into the house is to wash it.  I then fold it without ironing.  When I go to use a piece, I tear off the selvage and iron it.  Sometimes I cut it in to strips on the spot–between whatever writing is there.  I also always tear off at least an inch of the colored fabric.

So, how to incorporate that fabric into the mix.

With Linda’s method, it’s simple.  No more flip and sew and guessing how if I’ve caught the edge of the selvage, which is often on the under side of what I’m sewing.

Here’s my first block–sewn onto muslin for stability.  It’s trimmed at 6 1/2 and will finish at 6 inches.

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A few years back I made this quilt, “Ain’t This Fun?,” but also used strips of fabric that were too odd to cut into useable squares or strips.  I “flipped and sewed.”

BUT, if one surrounds a plain strip of fabric with two selvage pieces, no flip and dew would be needed.  Yes!!

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Thanks so much Linda!

Turkey Tracks: THE FARMER’S WIFE 1930 SAMPLER QUILT

Turkey Tracks:  December 30, 2015

THE FARMER’S WIFE 1930 SAMPLER QUILT

Fellow quilter Becca Babb-Brott brought this book and project to the attention of the Coastal Quilters in early December.

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The Farmer’s Wife was a magazine in the 1930s for…not just farmers’ wives.  Remember that America still had a largely rural population in the 1930s.

The book contains 99 classic quilt blocks from the 1930s–each with a name, like “Lola,”–and an excerpt from a farm wife letter to the magazine–often detailing life conditions in the 1930s.

We are going to try to make two blocks a week for 2016.  The book comes with a CD that has directions to all the blocks, including foundation piecing if desired.

There are at least four of us who are going to participate.

Want to see some of the blocks all made up?  Take a look at Katy Jones’s blog right now.  She’s been making the blocks and has pictures of them on her design wall.

Source: Quilt Monkey

Katy Jones is a popular British quilter, and the blog is colorful and fun.

Blog Reader’s Quilts: Becca Babb-Brott’s Quilt

Blog Reader’s Quilts:  May 2015

Becca Babb-Brott’s Quilt

Becca is one of our Coastal Quilters members.

I love, love her work.

Here’s a quilt she made by using all the “modern” neutrals combined with contemporary warm and cool colors.

I am so drawn to all the neutrals that are around today–and have a stack of them I need to start cutting up and using.

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Becca also has an etsy store where you can see the kinds of modern fabrics she likes:  SEW ME A SONG.

http://www.sewmeasong.etsy.com

Enjoy!

Turkey Tracks: A Very Fun Purse

Turkey Tracks:  May 17, 2015

A Very Fun Purse

Some years ago, I bought one of Rebecca Hokkanen’s purses at one of our quilting auctions.

And I have truly enjoyed using it, yes, but just looking at the art work in it too.

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Essentially, Rebecca has “made” fabric with this little purse–by layering different fabrics and embellishing it all.

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There is so much creativity in this little purse.  It’s a joy to see.

 

Turkey Tracks: Sewing/Knitting Projects Update November 2014

Turkey Tracks:  November 17, 2014

Sewing/Knitting Projects Update November 2014

Late October (that strange blizzard) and early November have brought a fair amount of inclement weather.  It is snowing off and on today, as a matter of fact.

So, I have been snuggling into a whole array of winter projects.

This big quilt is quilted, and the binding is on.  It is just waiting for me to sew down the binding.  It’s 97 inches square, so it will take some nights of hand sewing.

 

 

 

 

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BUT, I’ve been finishing knitting a white linen shawl at night.  There’s a tale here.  I started this shawl on the J&E Riggin in early September.  I had it completely finished but did not like the tension, so I took it apart and went down a needle size.  I’m much happier with it now, and it’s almost done.  Just a few more nights.

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After linen is knitted, one thoroughly wets it, dries it, and irons it.  In the process, the linen turns soft as butter and very shiny.

Our Coastal Quilters and Georges Valley auction took place last weekend–and look what I bid on and won:

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Gail Galloway Nicholson made this quilt, and Joan Herrick quilted it freehand on her long-arm.

Here’s a closeup:

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It gives me such pleasure to have the work of friends and family in my home.  Everytime I walk past one of these pieces I am reminded of the loved ones involved and of all the wonderful energy that they have put into their work.

You can see that this quilt is so, so happy to live on my coral chair!

I am in the process of making other quilts for this downstairs room.  I need quilts that can be loved, used, and washed–in place of the dog-blanket strategies that live in this sitting room/tv room/den space.  So, here’s a quilt top I’ve just finished that’s going to go on the back of the couch–where Rey Rey likes to hang out so she can see the back door comings and goings:

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Fun, huh?  It’s 85 inches square, and I think I’ll just bind it without adding any borders.  I’ll quilt it when I return from Charleston December 2nd.

Here’s the backing–which is especially nostalgic as grandson Kelly Enright picked it out with me this summer.  He’ll get such a kick out of seeing this quilt with it’s lively backing when he next comes to visit.

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This quilt is made with the 2 1/2-inch strips that I cut up from my stash two summers ago.  I had a HUGE bin filled to the top.  Look now:

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OK, I have a few of the darks and mediums out on the cutting board as I’m using them in another quilt top:

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It’s Bonnie Hunter’s Scrappy Trip Around the World version, and I’m having so much fun putting together various sets of 6 strips for each block (at 16 inches).  Here’s two of the blocks I made yesterday:

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I’ve seen so many variants of this quilt now, and I can’t wait to see how mine develops.  I’m sure the blocks will get moved over and over again until I’m happy with the results.

My leader/ender project now is a low-contrast quilt made with a focus fabric and 2 1/2-inch light and dark blue blocks.  I’m mixing the focus fabric into the four-patch/eight-patch blocks.

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Here’s what’s forming on the design wall–in a dark corner of the wall.  I’m playing with creating a center of 8 pieced blocks surrounding one of the focus fabric squares.  I don’t know how this will work out…   I’m just playing.  I may play with some single 4-patch blocks surrounded with sashings of the focus fabric as well.  Or, use another fabric that co-ordinates.  Who knows?  That’s what play is all about…

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I made a big soup yesterday so was able to quilt until I got hungry.  AND, I’ll freeze some of it to have on the night I return.  The meat is from the turkey I roasted earlier in the year–a turkey from last Thanksgiving that came from my neighbors:  Susan McBride and Chris Richmond of Golden Brook Farm.  Sometime last summer I defrosted the turkey, cut it up, and roasted it.  I froze one-half of the turkey breast and am just now using it.

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I used a chicken bone-broth base (of course), the turkey, and what I had on hand:  frozen tomatoes from the summer, onions, carrots, celery, fresh parsley, rutabaga, some brown rice, and the Indian spices (cumin, coriander, a bit of cinnamon, tumeric).  It’s super delicious!!

My fabrics for Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery Quilt 2014–Grand Illusion–are ironed and ready to go!  I’ll get the first clue the day after Thanksgiving, but will not be able to start it until I get home.  But, I’m ready!

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I leave for Charleston, SC, this Thursday, for the Thanksgiving holidays with my family, and, as always, posting to the blog with the ipad is always chancy–but I’ll take lots of pictures and will post when I get home if all else fails!

 

Turkey Tracks: Maine Fall Foliage

Turkey Tracks:  October 28, 2014

Maine Fall Foliage

 

Neighbor Meg Barclay posted this photo this morning on Facebook.

Meg really captured the intense fall color of our trees now–a color that does not always show up well in photos.  On top of that, there is a RAINBOW.

I am posting Meg’s picture to my blog so many of you can see one of the natural events that I love about Maine.  And, because I ran into Evelyn and Jack Kane at one of our local coffee shops and promised I would put the picture on the blog.  Evelyn also belongs to Coastal Quilters, Maine, but is here only during the summer/fall months most years.  We wish she were here more…

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Thanks, again, Meg!

Turkey Tracks: I Hung My Four Seasons Quilts Myself

Turkey Tracks:  October 19, 2014

I Hung My Four Seasons Quilts Myself

 

I am feeling REALLY SUCCESSFUL this afternoon.

I finished my “Four Seasons” quilts and hung them myself this afternoon.

LOOK!

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Here’s another view:

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And one more:

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(There are close-ups for these quilts earlier on the blog–though I added more “falling blossom” buttons to “Spring” last night.)

(And a reminder that these quilts were inspired by Sarah Fielke’s quilt in MATERIAL OBSESSIONS 2–and I used her tree-trunk template.)

I found the nice white rods at Loews about a week ago.

Each rod has 4 nails–which required a trip to the hardware store this morning for a box of “just right” nails.   AND, all the nails had to be lined up perfectly both horizontally and vertically–which took the 4-foot level I purchased last summer.  (It’s such a useful tool.)

The hanging took a bit of math, a ladder, a footstool, patience, no panic, etc., etc., etc.

Boy am I happy with how they look hanging.

The quilt you see on the bed was a gift from the Coastal Quilters when John got really, really sick.  Isn’t it beautiful?

I have spent some time this year making this room a pretty bedroom/office (for me).  I reframed some pictures John took–and one of our wedding.  Melody Pendleton painted it.  I consolidated all the “office” stuff–and moved my work space into the office space. I’m almost done.

(The little hand-made doll is a version of one I gave a granddaughter on her third birthday.  Her younger sister will get this one on her third birthday.  There are blog posts on these dolls here.)