Tuesday, May 25, 2021

One Monthly Goal May Finish Link-Up

Ready to link up your May finishes?
Don't panic - this link-up is open until May 31 at 11:55 pm ET.


My goal for May was to create a jelly roll rug out of my scrappy ball of fabric scraps and batting scraps.  I was successful - and I love the result! - but it was a bumpy adventure.  Read more about it here!


Now it's your turn to link-up!  There will be 3 winners - Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate, Make Modern is offering a 6 month subscription, and Aurifil is offering a thread pack!

Congratulations to Terry, Chris, and Rebecca!  (updated 6/2/21)


Visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags. 

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkup in a given month. (May Goal Setting Link-up)


Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can follow where you are linking.   Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  


Thanks for linking up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Have a wonderful day! Patty

Friday, May 21, 2021

Book Review - Design Make Quilt Modern and Boro & Sashiko


I've been enjoying flipping through two new books and learning more about design and stitching   (Note these books were supplied to me by C&T Publishing.  The opinions are my own.)

First up is Design Make Quilt Modern by Heather Black (affiliate link).  I've been a major fan of Heather's for a long time and I was excited to look through her book.  It is amazing!

The book contains 4 projects with all the information you need to make these wonderful quilts.  For me, the best part is Heather's perspective on modern design.  The book covers a broad range of design insights including creating balance, choosing colors and quilting design.  I really liked the discussion on techniques and styles and taking inventory of my own skills as a quilter.    

The chapter on Design Basics for Modern Quilts is my favorite.  I've read it through once and know that I will do so many times in the future.  So much information packed into those pages!   I would highly recommend Design Make Quilt Modern by Heather Black.   

The second book is Boro & Sashiko Harmonious Imperfection by Shannon & Jason Mullett-Bowlsby, the Shibaguyz (affiliate link) . This book also has a number of projects more interesting to me - love the toolkit rollup.   Perhaps even more exciting is the historical context and, of course, the glossary of stitch designs.


Examples of vi
sible mending has been showing up in my Instagram stream for awhile.  Modern day visible mending has its roots in sashiko (a style of stitching from Japan) and boro (patching clothing with a patch held in place with sashiko stitches.)  I've been wanting to learn more about visible mending and I look forward to reading through 
Boro & Sashiko Harmonious Imperfection to learn more.

Thanks C&T Publishing for sending these books my way!


Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

The Adventure of my Scrappy Fabric Rug

My scrappy fabric rug has a happy ending but there was rough going there for awhile!  Things were going great until they weren't.  Here's what happened and some tips if you venture down this path!


The story begins with a large ball of fabric created from fabric and batting scraps with the intention to make an oval jelly roll like rug.  There was intent behind the placement of color - I didn't have a enough scraps for a true rainbow plus I wanted to enjoy the process of creating by surprising myself along the way with color choices.

I tackled the sewing over several sessions.


Session one (above photo) left me tired of all the red but excited to see some green and purple and hints of orange to come!

Session two (below photo) was fun as I worked through the green and was heading into the purple.


Everything looked good and I was happy with my result.

After a marathon session (session #3) of sewing on a Friday night, I was done or so I briefly thought.  

The rug, however, was not in agreement.  Somehow in my rush to finish, peddle to the floor, I created a weirdly shaped item that was definitely not a rug.  


When nothing relaxed overnight I decided to just rip out to the point where I had a flat starting point and begin again.  Besides moving too fast through the process, my zigzag setting of 5.7 wide and 1.0 length was creating tension issues, thread breaking and  just a bit of frustration.

 I ripped back to where the green met the purple (same spot as above photo after 2nd session of sewing) and created a mess of thread. 

When I started to sew again, I switched to using my walking foot and changed so my zigzag setting was now 6.2 wide and 2.0 length.  And I took it slow!  I added about 2 strips one night and another 2 the next.   


 With the third session of sewing, my rug was done!


I really like it!  The colors really brighten up the space!   (Rug dimensions are 38'' x 48''.)

Would I do it again?  No.  Although it used up a lot of scraps and was fun to work on something different, it was just too much work. 

That said, I don't regret spending the time to make, rip out and make again.  If you want to give it a try, read the directions, search out some online tutorials and take your time.   The end result is really fun!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Monday, May 17, 2021

Harmony QAL Final Link-up


It is time to share your Harmony quilt tops!  We have so enjoyed everyone’s enthusiasm for our pattern and our hand piecing QAL and we can’t wait to see your quilt!

Thanks to our fabulous sponsors, we have assembled some amazing prizes - and are excited to announce that there will be four Grand Prize winners! The grand prizes are:
  • Prize #1: Iron Wow! - Oliso TG 1600 Smart iron
  • Prize #2: Nifty Notions Package - Famore EZ snips, Jinny Beyer Perfect Piecer, Olfa prize package, and a Clover prize package

  • Prize #3: Quilter’s Inspiration Package - Fat Quarter Shop $50 gift card, Quilter’s Dream queen size batting, Aurifil 50 wt. Large thread box, and a C&T publishing $75 gift card

  • Prize #4: Let There Be Light! - Daylight Halo Go lamp

To be eligible for a Grand Prize, you must: 
  • Share a photo of a completed quilt top (i.e. the flimsy) or a completed quilt in the link-up below or via email.  All entries must be submitted by midnight June 30.

  • The quilt top must be entirely hand pieced.

  • Quilt tops must contain at least one Harmony block which visually matches the Harmony pattern

This link-up will be open until midnight PST, Wednesday, June 30, 2021.  There will be 4 grand prizes available - and these are great prizes!  Winners will be chosen randomly and notified via email.  Winners have 72 hours to claim their prize - if we don't hear back, we will draw another name.  Once winners have claimed their prize, this post will be updated with the winner's names.


Photos can be shared from a blog, Flickr, or Pinterest and must include a  link to Elm Street Quilts or Simple Handmade Everyday.  Photos can also be shared via a public Instagram and must contain the tag #handpiecedqal and/or #harmonyhpqal   Photos can also be unloaded directly into the link-up from your computer.


Don't have a way to share?  You can also email them to handpiecedqal at gmail dot com.  Need instructions on how to link-up?  See the tutorial!


We hope you take a few minutes to visit others and make new friends!


Please note - sharing a photo in the link-up gives Elm Street Quilts and Simple Handmade Everyday permission to feature a photo of your block on their sites.  Full attribution will be given.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
THANKS TO OUR AMAZING SPONSORS!!




Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

April Temperatures


April brought a whole bunch of different temperatures to North Carolina - we had days with highs in the upper 80s (with not too bad humidity!) plus days with highs in the 50s and then everything else in between!

My design documents both the high and low temperature in a block which finishes 1 1/2 '' x 2''.  The improv strip is 1/4'' wide and records the low temperatures.  

Here is a comparison of the first four months of 2020 (left) and 2021 (right).  While the first 3months of 2021 were definitely colder - the month of April seemed to be about the same a mix of green, yellow, orange, and a splash of blue!

Every month takes 2 columns - the 1 through 15 in first column and then 16 through end of month in the second column.  Filler blocks are added to square off the quilt.  The thin strips - 1/4'' wide - are randomly inserted and run 'vertically' for odd days and 'horizontally' for even days.

I'm using the exact same fabric that I did for my 2020 Temperature quilt.  The time I spent organizing is paying off - it takes no time at all to get the prep work done for sewing each block.

I made myself a mini-quilt to show off my temperature grid.  Oranges are 80s, yellows are 70s and sew on....



I've written up my basic temperature quilt process in my tutorial including where I source the high and low information.

I'm looking forward to sharing the progress!  You can see my temperature quilts for 2018, 2019, and 2020!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Monday, May 10, 2021

Friendship Bracelet Block


Welcome to week 6 of the Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Bar 3 Tablerunner QAL.  This Friendship Bracelet block is made up from scraps from the other fabrics I used in the table runner.  It will be set on the back of the quilt.


With all my blocks assembled, it's time to assemble my runner.  I'm planning a different layout that the one on the Jolly Jabber blog and can't wait to share!


The table runner can be made with a single jolly bar (pre-cut which measures 5'' x 10'') and some background fabric.  I am using a layer cake - Quotation by Moda - for mine!




Want to sew along?  Pick up the Jolly Bar book volume 3 here (affiliate link)  The book has patterns for 20 different quilts.  The table runner will be a nice sampler of the different blocks in the book.

Find overall information and fabric requirements at the Jolly Jabber blog.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

The Harmony Block


It's time to stitch up your Harmony block!  The Harmony block is a large block - 28 1/2 '' square unfinished - and requires you to join together your 4 Corner Unit, your 4 Rectangle units and that Square in a Square block we created way back in week one of the QAL!


Ready to get started?  


Stitching Tips

(1) Press each of these units really well.  Work to get them nice and flat.  There is no magic answer (sadly) on how to press the seams so listen to your fabric and see how everything wants to fall naturally and work with that.  Press on the wrong side first, concentrating on the seams and then flip to give the right side a brief press too.

(2) Lay the units out on your design wall (or floor) and make sure everything is as it should be.  Compare your block to the one on the pattern and then double check.   


 (3)  Carefully pin the seam between the Triangle in a Square unit to the Square in a Square unit.  Right sides together, take a small pin and align the two points.  Place the pin there and then pin the rest of your seam from that point moving out to each edge.


(4) We've talked before about sewing through intersections when hand piecing.  This is typically straightforward.  With our Harmony block, there are two tricky sections that need extra care because a lot of seams are coming together in one spot.  

The first is the intersection of the Triangle in a Square to the Square in a Square.  

The second is the spot where the Half Square Triangle of the Corner Unit means the intersection between those two Triangle in a Square units.  There is a lot of fabric in both of those seam intersections!  


Work with the Rectangle Units on top - in other words, the wrong side of the Rectangle Units is facing you.  With the Triangle in a Square seams facing you, bring your needle through each of these seams one seam at a time.  (In the photo above, the series of photos in the top row shows the needle moving each seam and then the next seam.

Then, push your needle through to the seam underneath - the Half Square Triangle seam, through that seam, back up to the front and through each of the seams one more time.   (In the photo above, the photos in the bottom row show this needle action.)

(5) If you are making the throw sized quilt, take a minute to lay each Harmony block on your design wall (or floor) and compare it to the pattern.


  Enjoy the secondary pattern and stitch everything together!  



The Basics

Still need the pattern for Harmony?  Grab yours now!  

Harmony is a large single block - make one and you've got a lovely wall hanging (28'' x 28'') or join 4 Harmony blocks together for a lovely throw sized quilt (56'' x 56'').  Did you miss the QAL announcement?  You can find more information here!  If you have any trouble ordering the pattern, please don't hesitate to email us at handpiecedqal@gmail.com - we'll be happy to help!

Whether you are making the wall hanging or the throw sized quilt, we recommend you cut just the pieces you need to make a single Harmony block.  Once you've sewn a few units and have some experience cutting with templates, you can go back and cut the rest of the pieces for all the Harmony blocks you need.

Please consult the tutorials for Using TemplatesMarking Stitching Linesand the Running Stitch if you need some tips.


Stay in touch and join our community so you don't miss a thing!  





Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Small Improv Studies


                                                    (Click here for Harmony Check-in link-up)

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of taking a Small Improv Studies workshop from Jacquie Gering hosted by my local guild Triangle MQG.

It was awesome!  Jacquie is awesome!


The workshop was 3 hours long and Jacquie walked us through the process of creating small improv pieces starting with a graphic or monochromic print as a starter.  We worked with squares and rectangles to start with before she taught us angles, skinny strips and more.

Before she even set us loose with our fabric, Jacquie showed us a number of her pieces and talked through how various fabric choices and final placement helped define the piece.

Having the workshop on Zoom meant our fabric stashes were just a few steps away.  Jacquie used the spotlight feature in Zoom so she could zoom in (!) and see what each wanted to share.  

I created my first piece during the workshop.  I was happy with my first attempt and like the pop of turquoise but not sure I like the background fabric placement and how it flows through the quilt.


While I started my next piece during the workshop, I finished it the next day.  My goal here was to incorporate the skinny strip and work on better flow in the background.  I had only a 2 1/2 '' strip of this eyeglass print in my stash and was happy to put it to good use!


Each of these pieces is framed in a picture frame mat (or my approximation) and are 5'' x 7''.  I am planning to make a few more using a different graphic black & white print and (hopefully) hang them up together in my home.

Such fun!


Have a wonderful day! Patty

Monday, May 3, 2021

Westward Blocks



Welcome to week 5 of the Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Bar 3 Tablerunner QAL.  These Westward blocks are made up of my favorite flying geese blocks.  You can find the pattern for these blocks here.


The table runner can be made with a single jolly bar (pre-cut which measures 5'' x 10'') and some background fabric.  I am using a layer cake - Quotation by Moda - for mine!




Want to sew along?  Pick up the Jolly Bar book volume 3 here (affiliate link)  The book has patterns for 20 different quilts.  The table runner will be a nice sampler of the different blocks in the book.

Find overall information and fabric requirements at the Jolly Jabber blog.




Have a wonderful day! Patty

Saturday, May 1, 2021

One Monthly Goal May Link-up

Did you read about the sponsor list for One Monthly Goal 2021!  Check it out!


New to One Monthly Goal?  Welcome!  To join, share a photo of your project, some words about what you want to accomplish in a blog post, an Instagram post or a post on Flickr and add that photo to the link-up.  Return at the end of the month and share your results.  You can read about the event and the rules on the main event page.

We have wonderful sponsors this month - three (3) winners will be randomly chosen from those who join both the goal and the finish link-up!


Fat Quarter Shop offers a tremendous selection of fabric, notions, books and just about anything you will need for your project. Consider their Sew Sampler box to receive a monthly surprise delivery of fabric and fun.  Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate to one lucky participant.

Aurifil is home to a beautiful rainbow of thread in all weights, perfect for any of your sewing and quilting needs.  My favorite product is the designer collection boxes which coordinate with various fabric lines!  Aurifil will be mailing a thread pack to one lucky winner!

Make Modern is a digital magazine launched by a collaboration of quilters based in Australia. Their magazine is filled with modern quilt designs and a wonderful source of inspiration. Make Modern is offering a 6 month subscription to one lucky participant.

My goal for May is to turn this big beautiful ball of fabric string into a Jelly Roll Rug (affiliate link).  I used leftover batting scraps and scraps of ombre fabric.  I can't wait to see how the colors will reveal themselves.



Make sure you visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags.  Your blog post (or Flickr post) must contain a photo of your project, a clearly stated goal and a link back to Elm Street Quilts.  Your Instagram post must include a photo of your project, a clearly stated goal and the tag #onemonthlygoal.  (Entries which don't contain the required information may be disqualified.)

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkup in a given month.   (The One Monthly Goal accomplishment linkup will be available on May 25.)

Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can find the OMG link-up from your blog.  Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post: 
 



You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter



Have a wonderful day! Patty