Category: Traditional Quilting

I took the weekend to just goof off and I did my quilt homework too. I thought I might have trouble with this block because it looked intimidating, but hand piecing really levels the playing field as far as difficulty goes. It is great for accuracy since you have more control than you have with a sewing machine.

Figuring out how to draw the templates was a bit of a brain twister, but once I realized it was just a twelve inch square divided into fifths, it came together. The only frustrating thing is that twelve inches doesn’t divide so conveniently into fifths, at least not for me 🙂 This is when I go metric. Metric is so much easier. A fifth of a twelve-inch square is 6.1 centimeters, which is 2 3/8 inches. It’s just easier to do the math that way for me. Once you draw out a grid of five by five 2 3/8 squares, you can see how to draw the design. The long pointy blue triangles in the center part cross the span of two squares on the grid, with the longer diagonal line going from one corner of one square to the corner of the second square. The shorter diagonal line just spans one square on the grid. The block is assembled using the same techniques as the previous one.

I also made vegetable soup. This is when I take all the leftovers that are reasonable to use for soup stock, and dump them in a couple pots of water some onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and bay leaves. It is not an exact science. I let it simmer for a couple of hours, and then I strain it. I took about five cups of stock, a big can of diced tomatoes, 28 ounces, I think, and about five cups of sliced vegetables. I used carrots, celery, peas, green beans, corn, and parsley. I meant to add the parsley to the stock too, but I forgot. Now I have half a bunch of parsley in the fridge, and I’m not sure what to do with it. That kind of negates some of my satisfaction at using up the leftovers, but what do you do with parsley? I also added some macaroni to the soup. I added everything according to how long I thought it would take to cook, and let it boil until it was done.

Other than that, we have been editing more cat art doll photos of Max’s. We have more to do. I’ve let the web site updating go because I can only spin so many plates at once, but I really have to get going on that too. Sigh. Oh, I won’t even mention all the other things I have going. We’ll see what I get done!

I’m still moving along on this Block-of-the-month quilt. Every month, I think I will slip behind, but I’ve managed to keep up with my class. I drew out templates on poster board and template plastic and hand pieced this block, as I have most of the blocks for this quilt. If anyone wants to follow suit and make templates, the blue and white corner squares are based on 4 1/2 inch finished-sized squares, with an diagonal line drawn corner to corner. The center white square is 3 inches, finished size. And the yellow and white rectangular sections are based on 4 1/2 by 3 inch finished-sized rectangles with lines drawn from corner to corner in both directions.

Cut out your templates and lay the templates on the wrong side of your fabric. Try to line up the outside edges of the main sections of the block and the outside edges of the block itself parallel with the straight of grain of your fabric. Draw around the templates with a pencil (the mechanical kinds work best, especially with a piece of sandpaper under your fabric to keep it from slipping around), and the cut out the pieces 1/4 inch outside the lines to create a 1/4 seam allowance. The pencil lines become your sewing lines. You just match them up by inserting a pin through both layers, and hand sew the pieces together with a small running stitch. Press your block once all the pieces are assembled.

I realized yesterday that I had posted seven blocks-of-the-month, and that September made nine. I fished around and unearthed June and July. How did I miss both June and July? I must have been in a time warp again.

So, here they are, June and July, no worse for the detour.

This is the September block from the block-of-the-month class I’ve been going to this year. I’m glad to say I’ve been keeping up with my homework this time. I know I will get behind as soon as it is time to put it together, as I have reworked the entire layout, adding two extra blocks, a big hand appliquéd center piece, and I don’t remember how many little squares all along the outside edge. I’m sure it will be glorious, if I finish it before I am elderly.

I have been very busy lately, editing photos of art dolls and scans of art for Max, who is coming out with a new line of prints. I still have much to do, including finishing some dolls who have been extraordinarily patient about receiving their wings, clothes, paint, etc.

Hopefully soon I will get a gazillion projects of my own finished. Well, that is always unlikely, as I start ten while I’m working on any given one. Hope is good though.