KatyQuilts

I’m so excited! Im going to this tomorrow with my dear friend Zenia from A Quilted Passion!

If any of you see a wide eyed woman there carrying this bag, please tap me on the shoulder and say hello!

Have a great day!

I was asked for more details regarding the blocks I made for this quilt.

The squares are all cut 2 1/2 inches. The setting triangles along the sides started out as 4 1/2 inch squares that I then cut twice on the diagonal as shown.

The corner triangles were 3 inch squares cut once on the diagonal. 

After piecing the block, I trimmed it up to 12 inches for a finished size of 11 1/2 inches.  Some patterns/tutorials for this block have you use squares or rectangles along the edge and then trim them off when squaring up the block. This gives bias edges to your blocks, something I loathe. Bias edges can be eased to fit, but they are unstable. They can easily be stretched out of square, especially when long arm quilting. 

And if I may go on a bit of a tangent here….. I really dislike the method of making half square triangles in which you take two squares, sew around the edges, and then cut diagonally twice to give you four half square triangle blocks. This method is used in many Missouri Star tutorials. It is a clever use of fabric, but those bias edges! Ugh! It takes a careful, skilled quilter to properly add borders to a top that has all bias edges.  More often than not, wavy borders are the result. As a long armer, wavy borders can be a real pain in the back side. Also, the tension on the quilt top in the frame can make it easy to pull those blocks out of square.

Your mileage may vary. I know many of you love this method. This is just my opinion. I have much better success when the edges of my blocks are all on grain.

Have a great day!

I finished sewing the 5 blocks I had cut out.

Please excuse the sunspot in the photo! 

I had to use some creative piecing to get those last few blocks made.

Allison suggested that I try putting these on point. Brilliant!

I have the perfect number of blocks for this setting! Thanks, Allison! I may add sashing and cornerstones yet as well as a border. I do have some French General fabrics at home though. So rather than shopping, I may just put this on hold for the time being. If I can wait that long!

Have a great day!

I pulled these out again. 

I really like these blocks and have been thinking about making more. I used a jelly roll to make these and I’m down to scraps. I did find a FQ from this line recently and that along with a piece of French General red I brought with me, was enough to squeak out the cuttings for 5 more blocks.

Of course, I would really like 5 more blocks and a border. Hmmmm……  That would require some shopping since I don’t have my stash here. I think I’ll go sew up these five blocks while I think about that.

Have a great day!

Linking up with The Quilting Room with Mel

Remember these?

I pieced these a couple years ago. And in the process, I got so sick of them I hadn’t touched them since! But I had hubby bring them out when he was here in December. I figured I would have to do something with them then! So I have started to play a bit.

These all came from one Fat Quarter bundle and while I do like the fabrics, I’m finding them a bit boring altogether.  I thought off setting them might help.

Or maybe I will just go block to block as originally planned. Sigh….I really have fallen out of love with these. But it’s time to get this top done. 

Have a great day!

Linking up with Cooking Up Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt, Patchwork Times

My sister has flown home after a lovely visit, a once in a lifetime visit, really. Here are a few more pics of our time together.

First pictures of our day hiking at the White Tank Mountains.

And pics from our Super Hero Fun Run.

Pretty much everyone dressed up. We spotted Captain Underpants there….

I loved the bounce house for the kids. 

We all got fun capes to wear!

Both of these fun days were overcast and rained a little, but it didn’t dampen our fun!

Have a great day!