Tag: Margaret Rolfe

Turkey Tracks: “Seriously Scrappy” Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  April 13, 2012

Seriously Scrappy Quilt

Here’s the latest finished quilt from “The Scrappy Quilt Project.”  Starting with a pattern from SUCCESSFUL SCRAP QUILTS (Judy Turner and Margaret Rolfe), I made light and dark blocks and alternated them.  So far, so good:

I had already pulled enough rectangles to make two other quilts–one of those tops is finished so will go on the long-arm next week.  The other uses strips of the cream-colored rectangles with some rich dark brown fabric and, maybe, a coordinating paisley.  So this quilt, already named “Seriously Scrappy” is using up as many of the remaining rectangles as is possible.

I had enough red and green rectangles to make a border–see?

Here’s a different angle:

With the top in hand, I went down to get help from Marge Hallowell of Mainely Quilts–who has been a great advisor with The Scrappy Quilt Project, and ran right into a fabric that had just come into the store.  I knew at first sight it would be perfect for the back:

See how well the top and this fabric play together–especially when bound with the great olive green striped fabric cut on the bias.  I make all my bindings on the bias now.  They just perform and wear so much better than using a straight grain.

Here’s a close-up of the quilting–with a few stray white dog hairs in the picture.  The dogs love it when I put bindings on quilts; they get beneath the quilt on both sides of me.  I used the Bishop’s Fan pattern groovy boards for the first time, and I LOVED doing it–so much I ordered a third board to make the quilting easier for the Bishop’s Fan and for the clam shell pattern.  Groovy boards make this daunting pattern really easy, and I love the way it looks on the quilt itself.  I used a variegated green Superior thread that Marge Hallowell of Mainely Quilts helped me pick out.  It’s beautiful on both sides of the quilt.  You always have to remember how a thread will look on both sides of a quilt–and I don’t like threads to really stand out all that much usually.

Years ago, my sister Maryann Enright asked me for a quilt that “had all the other quilts in it.”  So, Maryann, here it is!

Turkey Tracks: “Quilt of Many Colors”

Turkey Tracks:  April 8, 2012

Quilt of Many Colors

I’m now thinking of this whole winter’s work as “The Scrappy Quilting Project.”

The “Quilt of Many Colors” helped use up more of the 2 X 31/2 rectangles I have been cutting up for over 10 years.  Remember, I pulled out most of the blue ones to make the “Blue Fox Trot” quilt.  So, here’s what the pile looked like when I started this quilt.

Clearly they needed to be color sorted first of all:

I had in mind using a pattern from Judy Hooworth and Margaret Rolfe’s book, SUCCESSFUL SCRAP QUILTS FROM SIMPLE RECTANGLES, which has guided me with cutting the 2 x 3 1/2 rectangles in the first place and, then, using them.

But, I didn’t like the way those blocks developed.  Hooworth and Rolfe were working with plaids, and their version of this pattern is lovely.  My colors were just dying in these blocks.  See?

So, I struck out on my own.

I went down to Marge Hallowell’s Mainely Sewing in Nobleboro.  Marge has been a great consultant in The Scrappy Quilting Project.  She helped me pick out four bright colors:  orange, turquoise, acid green, and magenta with a darker purple running through it.  I loved what started happening.   Note that I’m already alternating how the rectangles orient.

But, I began to see that just having these four bright colors was going to present problems with how to arrange them.  Here there’s already a pattern forming on the diagonal of warm and cool blocks in the diagonol lines.  So, I started pulling brights out of my stash, and here’s what happened on the design wall.

I found a great backing in Marge’s 40% off attic.  And, chose a binding that’s hot pink with yellow stars.

Here’s the quilt all finished.  Something about it reminds me of a brand new box of crayons–something to this day I have trouble resisting.

Here’s a block, so you can see how I quilted it–using a freehand daisy chain in lime green thread–which plays nicely against the flowers in the backing fabric.

Here’s the backing and binding.  The yellow stars on the hot pink binding are adding a really lively and fun sparkle to this quilt.

So, there you go.  A beautiful, fun, charming quilt out of the chaos of all those rectangles.

I’m really happy with this one!

Turkey Tracks: Blue Fox Trot Quilt

Turkey Tracks:  March 4, 2012

Blue Fox Trot Quilt

I’ve finished another scrappy quilt in what I’m now thinking about as “The Scrappy Project.”

To remind, I have BAGS of pre-cut pieces of fabric since for over 10 years, whenever I finish a quilt, I cut up the leftover pieces–too small to go back into the stash–into useable pieces–a rectangle, various squares, and any strip that’s at least 1 1/2 inches.

This quilt is made from the 2 by 3 1/2-inch rectangles and was inspired by this book:

First I separated out all the blue rectangles from the HUGE piles of rectangles and further separated into lights, darks, and brights.  Then, I made a trial block.  I pretty much knew this idea would work because about 9 years ago, I made a green version from leftovers of a green rail quilt.  Green Fling hangs in the stairwell of our home in Camden, Maine:

Here’s a few trial blocks going on the design wall–I had to figure out whether or not to turn either the light or dark blocks sideways or not.  I did turn them eventually as I thought it gave more movement.  Somehow, if the blocks are all upright, the quilt is too linear.  Also, turning either the lights or darks means you don’t have seam abutment problems.  Here all the blocks are going one way.  Too…linear…

Here’s the finished quilt.  See how better it is with one set of blocks turned.

Here’s the backing and binding–both of which are perfect for this quilt.

Here’s a close-up of some of the blocks so you can see the quilting and the play of the blocks:

Blue Fox Trot–slow, slow, quick step.  There are two fox trots in each block and enough blocks to dance around the room.

Turkey Tracks: Half-Square Triangle Patterns

Turkey Tracks:  February 3, 2012

Half-Square Triangle Patterns

After I posted about using scraps to make my BLUE TANGO quilt, made from half-square triangle blocks, it occurred to me that I could have highlighted a terrific book that titilates the imagination about half-square triangle possibilities.  It’s SPECTACULAR SCRAPS by Judy Hooworth and Margaret Rolfe.  BLUE TANGO is a simple light/dark arrangement.  You can see from this book cover that you can take half-square triangles to much more complicated places.  And, below, see an idea for a “rainy day” design project for children.

Here’s a page from the book that shows some of the many, many ways to arrange light/dark half-square triangles.  BLUE TANGO was the first pattern under No 5.

Rainy-day design project for children:

For a rainy-day project with children that helps them “see” design possibilities, have them cut out 3 to 4-inch squares, draw a diagonal line, color in one side, and make some of these designs.  Perhaps they will want to paste their design to a poster board as an art piece?