Happy New Year

May the New Year be good to you!

A New Quilt for Richard

One of the goals I had this year was to make a quilt for Mr. B. Earlier this year I picked out some fabric and a quilt I wanted to do.  He approved the fabric. 

Well time slipped away and then I was sick while I was on vacation for Christmas, that was a bummer.  We still had a nice Christmas I just didn't do some of the little extra stuff I do.  No one noticed. 

First Block

So on Monday the 26th I started Mr. B's quilt, it is called Orion's Star by Eleanor Burns.   My husband likes red, white & blue, so that is what he is getting. 

I made one block and there are a total of 15.  I like to make one so I see the fabrics the way they are suppose to go.  I really like the red and the blues, I am not happy about the lights, especially the middle one.  He won't notice he will just like it any way. 

7 more centers

First lights

I was able to make almost 7 of the centers. 





Tonight I did some more sewing and I have the second light on all the 7 centers I have made.  The stars take the most time. 









Happy Stitching!

EQ7 Symmetry Tutorial

After following Judy over at Virtual Quilter I feel a little inspired.  Now I don't want to design a quilt a day but maybe a quilt a week.  With some of my designs I might even make a little tutorial.  So here is the first one.  I also don't want to copy her designs but want to do my own, there maybe some similarities because lets face it a Log Cabin quilt is a Log Cabin quilt. I am doing this to challenge myself to play in EQ7 every week. 

My first design is one I present in each of my Beginner's EQ7 classes.  It is one of my "Let Me Dazzle You Tricks".  I show this and another trick so they can go home and dazzle someone.  It is easy and fun. 

First you draw a 9 patch block and draw a diagonal line through the block.  Next you color it with two high contrast colors.  I actually saw a quilt made with this block by the daughter of the LQS owner many years ago. I have forgotten how she arranged her blocks on the quilt but it did leave an impression.

Just like this one!

That was easy.  Now you take that block and set it in a 4 x 4 block quilt layout.  No sashings, and don't even worry about borders now. 

 

That was easy! Now for the dazzle part.

Click on the Symmetry icon.

Cursor

Take your cursor that now looks like the Symmetry Icon, and hold down the Ctrl (Control) Key and click the mouse.  The Control key with the Symmetry icon allows you  to change all the blocks in the quilt at the same time. The last time I used this tools I came up with 22 versions of the quilt. 

 

Variation 1

Tips to make it work well, your block needs to be asymmetrical in it's appearance, so a log cabin block will work well also.  High contrast colors work well also.

Variation 6

I am only going to show you two variations but like I said I counted 22.  

Now go try it yourself!  Have fun and post a comment if you have a question. 

Happy Stitching and EQing!!

Merry Christmas

We had a little Christmas here on Wednesday with Kierra and her husband Will since they both have to work today on Christmas. Let me just say the quilt was a hit!

Opening the quilt

They both said nice things such as "look at that design", "how cool", "I like this color for the thread".  I forget the other comments.   

Admiring the quilt

I think Mr. B. was making Kierra a little uncomfortable because he kept telling her the quilt cost $2000 and each time he would say that the price went up by $500.  Will caught on to him and said, "The price keeps going up."  He was including an hourly wage for me to make the quilt. 

They also like the little PS I love you tab and how I signed the quilt.  It sure makes you feel good when all the work is appreciated. 

I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!  I hope it is a safe, happy and blessed day for you and yours.  And with all the fun stuff take a moment to remember the joyous gift we received this day.   

 

Double Irish Chain is Done!

About an hour ago I finished Kierra's & Will's quilt. All 432 inches of binding sewed on by hand.  It is a good feeling to get it done and not to being sewing on it at midnight on Christmas Eve. 

Every night that I worked on the binding I had company from my cat. She would sit on the quilt that was in my lap and she made it hard for me to lift and move the quilt as I sewed. 

Rosie on the quilt in my lab.

Rosie really shows up good on the orange fabric. I placed a little extra touch in the binding of the quilt. I think these little PS I love you tabs are so darn cute!!

PS Tag

I didn't add a label because she wants to use it as a reversible quilt. 

But the quilt is labeled.  I wrote with my Pigma pen between the bats.  To Kierra & Will Christmas 2011, and a little further I wrote with Love Mary, Mesa AZ.  

No label label

I can't wait until she sees it all finished!! I only have to wait until Wednesday since we are meeting then to celebrate Christmas.

Happy Stitching

EQ7 Twisted Ribbon Block to Border

This post is my attempt to answer a question on the EQ7 list.
  To make this block you start with a 9 Patch block add a couple of lines to make two half square triangles.  Color the block in such a way that there looks like there is right side and a wrong side to the ribbon, or a light and dark sides.  I tried this with the darker yellow where the light yellow and light yellow where the dark is but I didn’t like it as well.  I originally saw this block on Judy Butcher’s Blog.  It is in her Series
9 X 9.

See what I mean.  You are going to have to play with your colors so it is pleasing to your eye.  Also when I play in EQ7 I only use two or three colors, just so I am not wasting time coloring blocks and quilts.  I play more with color when I have a special quilt in mind.

So how do you use this block as a border?

I have my quilt here without blocks so you focus on the border.   I used a Block Border with an even number of blocks in the border on all sides.  I rotated every other block to make them look like they are flowing from one to the other. This border is the same size as the blocks in the quilt but they don’t have to be.  Just adjust the number of the blocks in the border to make them look good.

Here is the same size quilt with a narrower border but notice it has more blocks to give it the same effect.  This one was drawn 2 inch border with 10 blocks each side. 

I hope tis helps and have fun playing in EQ7!

It's Getting to Look A Lot Like Christmas

My Main Nativity Set

I had the nicest compliment any one could pay me the other day about my house.  My friend said, "Your house looks magical for Christmas."  She thought my quilts added a lot.  WOW did that make me feel good!

I have always thought it did but it was nice to hear it.  When I told Mr. B. he agreed but he has never taken the time to mention it.  So I am going to share some pictures of my "Magical Christmas Home"

My Angel Area

The big Angel is a tree topped but it too heavy to place on the top of the tree, so on the table it sits. 

The sofa area

My little 3 candle holder, I like to put in the window of the front bedrooms but I would forget to plug them in, so this year I am trying the living room.  I still have to add the candles to the spinning creche. I only light these on Christmas Eve and maybe Christmas morning. 

Pyramid one lit

Lit in 2008 this one is from Germany

Jingle Corner

Santa in the kitchen

Tree and Stockings

You can read a post about my stockings and close up pictures of each one here.  This is from my Genealogy blog and Christmas traditions and memories.

Christmas Quilts

Under the main Nativity

Santa Quilts

Merry Christmas!!

Quilting Update

I finished my little twister wreath project.  I found the perfect ribbon to place on the wreath. Here you can see some of the quilting, I used iridescent thread and it really looks nice. 

The pictures hardly do it justice. I only quilted the background so the wreath colors would pop. 

Wreath Center

Here it is all done and on the wall for Christmas. I bet this would look good in spring floral print for spring.  Just what I need another idea for a quilt to make! 

The other big news is Kierra's Double Irish chain is back from the long arm quilter and I really like how the quilting looks.

Celtic Scroll Quilt Design

I think I am pretty safe posting pictures here, I don't think she looks at my blog.  I didn't post any pictures on Facebook because I know she looks there.  I do want her to have some surprise on Christmas.   I love the quilting and there is just a little puff.  She doesn't like the flat look of cotton batting so this has a poly batting. 

Here is with the backing showing.  The binding has been sewed on by machine all 432 inches of it, and about 150 inches have been sewed by hand, many more to go!

Happy Stitching!

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Last Man Cave Update for 2011

Front

Mr. B. has declared that the Man Cave is done!  All the painting is finished and the air vents for the roof are in.  He wants to do some more stuff inside but that will wait until February of next year.  He was very excited the other night when I asked him to fix my Christmas Stocking holder.  I had broken the wooden dowel off in the center post.  He proudly took me to his shop and showed me how he drilled the broken off piece out and made the hole just a little bigger.  He was really cute about it!!  He is cute that is why I married him!

North Side