Tag: HANDMADE STYLE

Turkey Tracks: The LAST Pillow

Turkey Tracks:  May 29, 2019

The LAST Pillow

Maybe…

Here’s my trial block for the 5th Color Collective block by Tara Faughnan.

I LOVE this block, which one draws on freezer paper and then uses that method to sew the block.  It is different than foundation piecing, and I really like the method.  BUT, I am still grappling with getting the points to stop at the right place.  I am on my third drawn template now, but am understanding how to get the result I want.

I also discovered that I like the bright colors against a dark background, unlike the Lone Star version with the light grey background.

I used green in this last pillow so it would blend with the other pillows I’ve made.

Here is Tara’s quilt made from this block, though she also sent us other versions one might consider:

WOW!  Look at these wonderful blocks!  Each one represents a new method to learn.

The Color Collective (Amy Nebold/Sewtopia) will continue in the fall.  I will definitely sign up again.

And now there are 10 pillows, scattered around the house.  You have seen pics and posts about these pillows already.  All have been made with Anna Graham’s method with an invisible zipper closing and with lined and quilted fronts and backs—from Anna’s book HANDMADE STYLE.  Her shop is “Noodlehead.”

There is one more block in Season 1 of THE COLOR COLLECTIVE though…

I’m playing with it now…

Turkey Tracks: Noodlehead Market Bags

Turkey Tracks:  May 26, 2019

Noodlehead Market Bags

I’ve been wanting to make Anna Graham’s Market Bag, from her book HANDMADE STYLE, for some time.

As noted in previous posts, The Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild has challenged members to make something in “handmade style” every other month, using Anna Graham’s book as a kickoff point.  In other months, I have made pillows, using blocks from “The Color Collective” online class with Tara Faughnan and supported by Amy Newbold of Sewtopia.  More on that pillow project later.

Here’s my first bag, which uses all Cotton+Steel fabrics.  This one is a gift.

The leather handles came from the Noodlehead store.  I cut the top binding on the bias and hand stitched it on the inside—as I’ve never been able to sew this kind of closing properly from the outside so that it catches all the inside fabric.  Just can’t do it.  I also hand sewed the edges of the pocket in the same manner.

And I lined the pocket and fused the outer fabric to Pellon’s SF 101.

Here’s the bag I made FOR ME, or “ownself,” as I like to say.  I used Essex Linen in pepper and Cotton+Steel fabrics in shades of teal/acid green.  And I put longer handles on this bag for shoulder carrying.  These handles were bought locally at Alewives Quilt Store some time ago when I first saw the Market Bag.

 

I am organizing making Graham’s Explorer purse for a real purse as this market bag is really meant to carry things loose.  As my purse possessions are not secured in pockets for the moment, I made a little lined phone case in the same way the interior pocket is constructed and by closing off the top side binding in the same way the bottom closes off.

I’m going to make the small Explorer Tote.

Explorer Tote Pattern

Turkey Tracks: Lone Star Block Terror

Turkey Tracks:  April 8, 2019

Lone Star Block Terror

I’ve always been terrified of trying a Lone Star block.

The 4th block in The Color Collective online class (Tara Faughnan, and hosted by Amy Newbold at Sewtopia) is…a Lone Star block.

And, whoo hoo!!!  I did it.  Tara’s instructions and videos were excellent.  This class uses all Kona solids, and each month Tara chooses a selection of 12 colors to send us for the block of that month.

She suggested this 4-block arm version for the first try, and I’m glad I did that, even though I loved the bigger 9-block arm much better as it allows 5 colors and a background color.

But one makes trial blocks for a reason.  Here, the light grey makes the block look too “neon.”  And the acid-green star points lose the drama they would have had with a dark background.  The dark background would also have knocked back the neon nature of these colors.

I turned this block into a pillow—which is why I used the light grey in the first place.  It was as simple as I had a light grey invisible zipper.  The pillow construction comes from Anna Graham’s HANDMADE STYLE.  Graham’s patterns are also on the Noodlehead web site.  Both sides of the pillows are lined with muslin and quilted.  And an invisible zipper closes the pillow case.

There is something about these two blocks together that I like a lot.  The Radiating Log Cabin finishes at, I think, 20 inches.  The bigger Lone Star at 30+ inches.   Hmmmm…

I quilted both with size 8 perle cotton with big stitches:

These pillows could likely land up on the bed in the downstairs bedroom just behind this chair.

I have one more pillow insert.  Perhaps I will try block FIVE in a pillow size in days to come…

Then, NO MORE PILLOWS!

But, these new ones have perked up my whole house.

It’s been a nice winter project, and I’m loving learning so many new techniques with The Color Collective class.

PS:  Look where Tara Faughnan took the Lone Star method (TaraFaughnan.com).  Talk about inspiration!

That’s a 36-block arm.  Look at the center, and you’ll see the block comes together in quadrants.  Each quadrant has two arms.

Holy Moly!

 

 

 

Turkey Tracks: Pillows, Pillows, Pillows!

Turkey Tracks:  March 30, 2019

Pillows, Pillows, Pillows!

Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild has TWO challenges going this year that rotate every other month:  our “Bee Inspired,” where we make blocks for a member that illustrate her creative prompt (mine is “shapes” and asks for bright, solid colors) and making something using Anna Graham’s HANDMADE STYLE book for inspiration.  Anna Graham (Noodlehead patterns and web site) has all kinds of projects in her book, like quilts, clothing, bags and clutches of all sorts, and, yes, pillows.

I needed some pillows for my living room as my couch and chairs are deep.  I started with twolong narrow pillow with the flying teal geese and followed with an EXPLOSION of pillows that perked up both the living room and the downstairs room that gets heavy use as that is where the tv lives.

There are 2 of the flying geese pillows (see earlier blog post), 3 of the pillow on the left (Sarah Watt’s canvas Tokyo Train Ride Cotton+Steel fabric, which I fell in love with at first sight and have hoarded for a few years now), 1 of the Radiating Log Cabin (3rd block from Tara Faughnan in The Color Collective class I’m taking from Sewtopia), and 1 each of the two pillows on the right from a fun Japanese fabric (Tréfle, KOKKA CO, Ltd).  I will make two more, one will be my trail of the 4th Color Collective block, a Lone Star block.  (I’ve always been terrified of Lone Stars.)  And one from the insert of an existing pillow that is worn out that will likely go into the downstairs bedroom.

The big pillows are 20 inches, the smaller Japanese one is about 18 inches.  All are lined with muslin and batting and quilted on both sides (except for the flying geese pillows, which are lined, but not quilted).  All have invisible zipper closures on the bottom.

These three pillows just  “sparkle up” the downstairs, which was looking quite shabby.

The Radiating Log Cabin wants to live here.

But the choice of the center color makes more sense next to this pillow:

Oh well, that’s why one does trial blocks.

Very sparkly pillows upstairs in the living room.

Fun!

I’m working hard on the “parts department” blocks that are on my design wall.  That is coming slowly, slowly, but it is coming.  Meanwhile there are other smaller projects as well, like trying the Lone Star block.  It’s all creative, fun, and life-giving.

Turkey Tracks: How Many Ongoing Project Are There?

Turkey Tracks:  March 4, 2019

How Many Ongoing Projects Are There?

Some of stopped sewing long enough to count up ongoing projects we’ve started.

1.

I was in pretty good shape until I got involved in Sewtopia’s Color Collective project with blocks and solids designed by Tara Faughnan.  (Amy Newbold owns and runs Sewtopia.)  For heaven’s sake, google “Tara Faughnan quilts” and you will be blown away, as I was.  She works in saturated color and solids.  (Tarafaughnan.com)

The first month’s block was the circle; the second, the cross.  I combined them as clearly I got obsessed and couldn’t stop making them.  Note the two projects at the top of the design wall.

This top is done now, and I absolutely love it.  I’ve found, in my stash, a backing I like a lot, and I will buy a binding.  I’m thinking of doing some hand qulting with size 8 pearl cotton.  Here is the top all together.  It glows.

2.

Above the big project on the right is a row of 14-inch blocks, made using scraps from the solid projects and from my solid stash. I saw this block used in a quilt made by Then Came June called “Checkered Garden Quilt” and using Alison Glass bright fabrics in the Road Trip line.  I fell in love with it.  (Here is a picture: https://thencamejune.com/products/road-trip-checkered-garden-quilt.)  This block has been called “part Trip Around the World,” part “Granny” block.

Here’s the next block cut out and ready to go and waiting in the adjacent bedroom—sitting atop my Traveling Quilt.

3.

Above left is the start of the “Slopes” quilt by Amanda Jean Nybery of Crazy Mom Quilts.  The book is NO SCRAP LEFT BEHIND.  I am cutting the dark Cotton+Steel fabrics—a few a day—for this quilt.  I’m using leftover 1 1/2-inch blocks combined with leftover solid pieces for the row of “little” pieces near the top of the quilt.  I might do more than one of these rows.  Who knows?  Not me.

4.

I have a bird quilt project going and have made three of the big blocks and one of Jen Kingwell’s “The Avenue” of trees blocks.  I’ve been saving bird fabric for several years, but I’m choosing only the artist-types for this quilt.   I want to use in an improv style.

The 9-inch tree block is bigger visually than I thought for some reason.  Inspired by Tori Manzi’s recent tree blocks on our Mt Battie “Bee Inspired” project, I’ll probably group these in lines and make them in seasonal colors.  This one would be “spring.”

The I’m thinking this will look like a MUCH BIGGER version of this little quilt I made in a Timna Tarr workshop.

5.

My Sunday Morning Quilt is done and getting its binding.  Cheryl Arkison is the designer, and it’s in the book she did with Amanda Jean Nyberg called SUNDAY MORNING QUILTS.  The thread color I ordered arrived.  My go-to grey just didn’t work well on the backing.  This quilt is the “cool” to the “warm” herringbone quilt I finished not long ago, designed by Victoria Findlay Wolf and in her delicious book MODERN QUILT MAGIC.  See previous blog posts for that quilt.  Both of these quilts are LUCIOUS!  And both are totally Cotton+Steel low volume fabrics.

 

6.  My “Wild and Goosey” quilt is once again on the back burner.  Bonnie Hunter designed the block.  I have all the sashing cut, and the design I want to do for it all planned.  I’m sure I’ll need more of the little blocks though.

7.

Right now I am working on the “parts department” improv quilt.  See the earlier post on this quilt project.

8.

There is the EPP “36-Ring Circus” project.  This one is slow as there is a big learning curve.  That’s ok.

9.  There are more pillows from a method shown by Anna Graham of Noodlehead projects (HANDMADE STYLE) in the works.  This project is one of two from Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild.

10 and 11.

There are TWO blocks to make as part of the Color Collective class.  The fabric for the first one is all washed and ready to go.

12.

Here are the FIRST blocks for the Mt Battie Modern Quilt Guild’s challenge “Bee Inspired.”  These blocks were made for Donna Strawser, whose prompt was “Mid-Coast Maine.”  You can see the individual blocks better on the Mt. Battie Facebook page or on Instagram.  Thirteen quilters each made one of these blocks for Donna, and she made one for herself, so 14 blocks.  Mine is the white winter birch trees at dawn.  Tori Manzi made the four trees at the bottom, by season.  They really need to be seen lined up together, a you can on FB or IG.  Donna will now set these blocks into a quilt and will bring it back to show us at some point.  I will need to make a block for our next Bee Inspired event in April:  “Dark and Light” for Vicki Fletcher.

I really, really loved this block I made and might do another version for one of the pillows:

13.  I am gathering bits for a Rice Bowl bag or two.  See earlier post, but the designer is kzstevens and the pattern is in her Etsy store.

14.  I want to make a little sewing folder like friend Megan Bruns showed me the other day.

So…

That list is not actually too bad.  In any case, I’m having so much fun, even though I’m not getting as much time as usual, due to the needs of my boyfriend, AC Slater, who will be 1 year next month.  He’s a crazy man and has me visiting the dog park daily, as the snow and ice are pretty risky on the wood paths.

Turkey Tracks: Anna Graham’s Noodlehead Pillows

Turkey Tracks:  February 4, 2019

Anna Graham’s Noodlehead Pillows

Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild has two new ongoing projects:  “Bee Inspired” and “Noodlehead,” inspired by Anna Graham’s projects, some of which can be seen in her book HANDMADE STYLE.  More on “Bee Inspired” in future posts.  At our January meeting, some of us shared our Noodlehead projects.  We don’t demand that projects by totally Anna Graham’s, but, rather, be handmade.  In February, we will bring our first “Bee Inspired” blocks for the quilter chosen for this first month.  She will walk away with the block makings for a quilt.  You can see info on that project on our Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild Facebook page, which is now public.

I really needed some low-back pillows in my two deep living room chairs, so I used Graham’s book measurements and invisible zipper closure to make long, narrow pillows.  I didn’t quilt the fronts as the fabric didn’t really want to be quilted.  I made my own strip of flying geese.  Graham’s instructions included muslin linings for both front and back of the pillows—and the zipper means the casings can be taken off and washed easily if need be.

It is a lovely pattern, and I have ordered a set of 4 square pillow forms to replace tired pillows on the downstairs couch.

 

I put the geese trips on opposite sides of the pillows.

And here is Graham’s book, which is full of “handmade style.”