Weaver Fever Quilt

I finished two quilts yesterday!  This quilt, however, is the first quilt I've started and finished in the same year (not counting those baby quilts I made when I began quilting 9 years ago).  I was looking for a visually stunning quilt pattern and came across this one.  I used 4 shades in each color way, so this is officially a Weaver "Four-Ver" according to the instructions for the pattern.  It can also be made with 3 shades or 5 shades in each color way, depending upon the desired effect.

This pattern looks difficult, but it really just requires organization.  After all, it is entirely made from strips!  I labeled each fabric carefully and kept labels on the strip sets as I went. 

I then lined up all my strips on my portable ironing board.  That way I could easily tuck it away if I didn't get them all done in one day (I didn't).  I also used this photo to refer to as I went along so that I was sure to be sewing the next strip onto the correct side of the previous one.

Back of two strip sets.

Sewing the strip sets together.  There were no seams to line up during this part, but it was important that the strips were sewn such that they ended up the exact same length.  I did pin them to make this easier.

First block sewn together.  I used this block as a reference constantly as I continued to sew the remaining blocks.  Every block ends up being the same as the first!

I used my new binding with a flange method to bind the quilt, using fabrics of a similar shade as the backing so that the thread line would blend in.

Lining up the binding for sewing to the front.  My LAQ used a pattern called "Watercourse" for all-over quilting because the colors in my quilt looked like sun, sand, and the ocean!

The final product!  I really love this quilt!

Scrap Lattice Quilt

 I just finished a scrap quilt that I had seen the pattern for a few years ago.  The pattern was one of those free ones that show up in the quilt magazine mailers, and it is called "Scrappity-Do-Dah."  The original pattern made a queen size quilt, but I just wanted a lap size.  I love it so much, though, that now I wish I'd gone for the bigger quilt!  This was entirely made from scraps in my stash, including the backing.  Only thing I needed was batting - love that!

 My LAQ did an all-over quilting pattern with purple thread on the front and red on the backing.

I used my new favorite binding technique again, this time learning from my mistakes on the first try.  Result:  About as perfect a corner as I can get!

New ironing board cover!

Yesterday, I came across this tutorial for an ironing board cover.  I really don't like the cover that came with my ironing board because it doesn't stay on snugly and comes loose when I try to move large pieces of fabric or quilts around on it.  I also don't like the "padding" underneath the cover, which isn't nearly thick enough.  I realized all I needed was some elastic and I could have a new cover in a few hours.  So, a quick trip to the big chain fabric store and I was ready!

Before.  "Blah" is a good description! 

There is nothing worse than this type of cover.  Who invented these ridiculous string ties anyhow?  At this point, it is a countdown until it goes in the trash.

I traced my ironing board per the tutorial and cut the fabric.

Then it was time to attach the bias piping and elastic:

I still need to buy some new padding (perhaps quilt batting) before it's completely finished, but I already love it!

I just love projects that can be finished in a few hours!  

Quilt binding

In my last post, I referred to the new method I'm using to bind my quilts completely by machine.  I have completely finished one quilt using this method, and was very pleased with the end result.  As with any new technique, there is a bit of a learning curve, but this is truly the easiest binding I've ever done.  It's a good idea to use this on a small quilt or maybe even a placemat just to get the hang of it.

I just got 2 quilts back from my LAQ and have already sewn the binding to the back of these quilts.  The first one uses a flange binding fabric in a similar blue shade to the backing so that the blue thread will blend in on both the flange and the backing.  The second one has the exact same fabric for the flange and the backing, and I will use black thread for those.  Someday, I want to try invisible thread.

I will post more pictures when I finish these quilts.  The instructions call for cutting the binding strips at 1-1/2" and 1-3/4", which results in a fairly wide binding (about 2-3/4").  This is good when learning the technique by allowing plenty of margin when sewing the binding to the front so that you don't accidentally sew onto the back binding (I had about 1" of this type of sewing on the first quilt, but it was an easy fix).  I would like to make a tighter binding next time.  There is actually a post on the Connecting Threads blog that states that the author of the 52 Quilts blog uses 1-3/8" and 1-5/8" binding strips, but thought that would be more complicated for the tutorial.

The trickiest part of this technique for me is getting the flange to match up perfectly when joining the ends of the binding.  On the first quilt, I nailed it on the first try (a good thing because the two fabrics contrasted a lot), but on the second and third quilts, it was slightly off (less important since the fabrics allowed these "mistakes" to blend in).  I let go of my perfectionism, though, and left them that way because it won't be detectable to anyone but me.  Plus, the quilts are for use around our home, so no need for them to be perfect!

Oh, and my new favorite method of joining the ends of the binding can be found on Jaybird Quilts website.  No more trying to use a special binding "tool" that simply frustrates me!  Just click on the "Perfect Binding Tutorial" button on the left side of my blog.  Try it!

Sweet and Sour Pinwheel Sampler

It's been a long time since I've posted here!  I am STILL hand sewing the binding to the last quilt I posted (twin bed quilt)!  I quilted it 3 years ago before we packed up and moved across the country.  We downsized, so I no longer have space to set up my frame.  Now, I focus on making quilt tops, and have found a LAQ to do the quilting.  I didn't think I'd like paying somebody to do something I am capable of doing, but it is actually a wonderful thing to have someone else look at my quilt and envision the best thread color and quilting design for each quilt.  After all, I was just doing an easy puzzle piece pattern since I don't own a long-arm machine.  That gets boring after a while!

I've also discovered my new favorite way of doing quilt binding.  I really don't like hand sewing and had tried to find a way of doing the binding completely by machine that looked good.  Finally found it and put the binding on a quilt in ONE day (front and back)!  Now, the 2 quilts I just got back from the LAQ are almost completely done as well.  Finishing 3 quilts in 1 year?!  Yes!  Here's a link to this wonderful binding method:  Susie's Magic Binding  I find that planning for the flange fabric color to match the backing is the easiest way to make the thread color blend right in.

Here's the quilt I made over 3 years ago, but didn't have time to quilt before we moved.  Now I am thrilled that I didn't have time because the LAQ's work is beautiful!  Made with the Sweet and Sour fabric line by Connecting Threads.

I just love all the different quilting details!

Here is a close-up shot of the binding:

This quilt has a "kindred spirit" quilt, made for my purple-loving friend, Missy.  She and I have found ourselves to be kindred spirits (or twins separated at birth)!

twin bed quilt top - done!

all 520 squares are sewn together - WOOHOO! Now I just need batting so I can load it on the frame. This will go on the twin bed in the upstairs guest room where I did the paper bag walls and will look SO good!

My latest headache, I mean, project!

I'm using scraps from my Indigos Around quilt to make a twin-sized bed quilt for the guest room. Because of the size of the scraps, I had to go with 4" cut squares. I knew I wanted it to have some sort of "pattern" to it and it's coming along pretty well. But it's tough to fit all the rows on even the king-sized bed in the basement! I have to cut some more squares now that I know where it needs to be filled in. This is my largest quilt yet, and I've already got a king-sized one in the planning stages. I need a design wall. Pronto.