Fat Quarter Shop 2017 Patchwork Quilt Along - Fourth Month

Here are the Star & Cross blocks I made for the fourth month of the quilt along.

And here are all the blocks I've made so far.

These ones took a bit longer because of all the half square triangles, plus I joined a few pieces upside down so I had to rip and re-stitch 12 of them..... sigh.

Cathedral Windows Cushion Cover

A Cathedral Windows Quilt is on my bucket list, but not one made by hand, I want to make it by machine.  I have seen a few tutorials which have been adapted to make by machine, however they all still use the method of folding the material up in layers and layers like the paper games we made as kids where you choose your favourite colour etc, to reveal the answer.  I stumbled across a tutorial on the Missouri Quilt Company website where Jenny shows how to make it by machine using squares folded into triangles.

Here is the link:  http://blog.missouriquiltco.com/cathedral-window-tutorial/

All you need to decide is what size squares you want to use and cut everything that size.  I decided to make a cushion cover as a test and picked 3" squares.  I made the backing and chose my focus fabrics.

Then I pinned the focus fabrics in place.

Then I added almost ever pin I owned in order to pin down all the curves.

It was like sewing a porcupine I had so many pins in it, but I got it done.  Then I added piping and a lapped cushion back.  It was really easy.  I had more trouble with the piping than sewing down the curves.

I can easily see myself making a full size quilt with this method, likely using 6" squares.  I am going to a quilt retreat in September and may have just found my retreat project!

Easter Gifted Pot Holders - Finally something I can blog about!

I have been doing a lot of sewing, but all of it has been secret sewing as it is for gifts.  Since these pot holders were given to my children and their partners yesterday, (the closest thing to "kids" in my family) I can now show them.  I used the batting which has a heat resistant side to it and used two layers in the main back oval and one layer in the finger pockets.

Here is the link to the pattern:  http://missmarysews.blogspot.ca/2012/03/easter-pot-holder-tutorial.html

And here they are filled with Easter treats, so cute as little bunny beds!

Happy Easter Monday!

Drunkard's Path, Spice Bazaar Quilt in Progress

I don't usually buy fabrics unless I am collecting them toward a specific project but I will buy backing if there is a really great sale.  However, this particular paisley fabric I saw and bought, along with two coordinating solids, just because I liked it, without knowing what I was going to make with it.  It is not this red in real life.  I love paisleys.

I probably bought it several years ago.  In May of 2016, I decided to make a Drunkard's Path with it.  I had never made a curved quilt block, but it didn't turn out to be that difficult.  I still on occasion have to redo a part of the curve to get rid of some bumps or tiny pleats, so it is not as easy as straight piecing but not hideously awful either.  Here it is 4 x 4 blocks large.  This is a better picture of the true colours.

And grown to 6 x 6 blocks large.

And next 8 x 8 blocks large.

Now 10 x 10 blocks large.

I discovered I forgot to take a picture of 12 x 12 blocks, but here it is today up to 14 x 14 blocks large.

It is currently approximately 64" square.  I figure if I can add three more rows to 20 x 20 blocks it will be 92" square but that will depend on whether I have enough material, so we shall see.  Today I decided to call the quilt "Spice Bazaar" because the colours reminded me of the beautifully coloured spices we saw in the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.