Gifts

  Name: Gifts

Design:  Quarter Log Cabin by Liz Katsuro

Size:  96" by 96"

Fabric: Purple, red, a touch of dark blue and low volume stash fabrics

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in Dove grey, straight lines

Binding:   Kona Rich Red

Backing:  Story Wideback by Carrie Bloomston

Phew!  Finished this one just before school started this September.  I am entering it in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I made this large queen size quilts for a commissioned wedding gift.  It is HUGE!  Definitely at the size limit of what I can manage on my Janome Horizon, that is for sure.  This is a quarter log cabin design by Liz Katsuro and the block orientation gives a wonderful three dimensional effect.  The colour palette was by request and is supposed to invoke romance.  What do you think?  Rich purples, rich reds, a touch of dark blue against contrasting low volume fabrics.  

In order to make the colours work, I grouped the dominant colours in the blocks for each of the rings of blocks, radiating from the centre blocks.  

Quilted in straight lines, in Aurifil dove grey and backed with Carrie Bloomston's Story wideback, it is a finish!

Check out all the other quilts entered in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  It never disappoints.

Flip, Stack, Stitch

flip your squares upside down onto the next rows squares

This is a strange photo.  But I am going to spend sometime sharing my favourite method of sewing squares or even blocks together.  Now this may be old news but a few years ago, an experienced quilter shared the method with me and it was one of those mind blowing, ah ha moments.  I am mostly a self taught quilter.  I took a quilting class way back in 1989 before our daughter was born but it was before rotary cutters and cutting mats.  Yep.  For real.  So when Carolyn showed this method to me, I was hooked and I do this all.the.time. 

I am going to call it flip, stack and stitch. 
1.  Layout your quilt blocks or squares on the design wall.
2.  Flip the squares or blocks upside down onto the block next to them.  Be careful, you don't want to mess up your layout but the blocks or squares do tend to stick to each other.

3.  Stack the squares or blocks on top of each other in the order of layout. Top squares are the top squares in the row.

squares are stacked and ready to chain piece, stitching will be on the right hand side

4.  Stitch by chain piecing squares or blocks on the right hand side.  These will now be in pairs.

chain pieced in pairs, ready to press

 5.  Lay out ready for pressing. See how I have alternated the pairs of squares.  That way the seams will be pressed to the side in opposite directions, perfect for nesting the seams. Stack them up and take them to the sewing machine.

 6.  Sew the pairs of blocks or squares together so that you have 2 rows all sewn together.  Press, alternating seams down, then up so that the final rows can be sewn together with seams nesting.  Place the sewn together squares back on the design wall in the order of your layout.

7.  Repeat the flip, stack, stitch with the next 2 rows of squares until all the squares are sewn together in 2 square columns.  Stitch the columns together and press.  Wow!  You have a flimsy!!

Sew Sisters Sunday Sale!

Sew Sisters is having a great sale on Sunday!  20% off Regular Priced Yardage.  Remember that Sew Sisters offers flat rate $9.99 shipping in Canada.  Sale on Sunday, September 10, 2017 online only.  Check it out!  Here is the link to all the details at Sew Sisters!