Modern Block Quilt a Long: September 2013 Escalator Block

Bada-boom! I finished up the September 2013 Escalator block for the And Sew We Craft Modern Blocks Quilt A Long just in time! Phew!

Escalator Block Layout

 

This block was chosen from Modern Blocks by Cate at Life Behind the Purple Door. The escalator block was originally designed by Ann Haley. Like myself, Cate is still quite new to the quilting scene, but she did an excellent job explaining the cutting and construction of the block. Cate’s block is pictured below, and her tutorial for the block is available here!

Cate at Life Behind the Purple Door’s Escalator Block

When I first began constructing this block at the beginning of September, I had a real brain fart and couldn’t figure out what to do with the 2.5″ squares and the 2 .875″ triangles… My brain could not figure out what to do with the extra .375″. So I sat on my cut pieces for the rest of the month, without piecing them (not to mention the first time I started piecing them I had laid them out in the wrong order! displayed in the top un-pieced image above, this is the wrong layout. Don’t follow that image!) Instead, check out the illustrated tutorial I’ve shared below!

 

Cutting vs. Stitching Dimensions

 

Once again, I worked with Juliana Horner’s 2013 Rosette line for JoAnn’s Fabrics. And, like always, I constructed a little key to keep in my quilting notes.

Once I figured out the cutting versus stitching dimensions, the block was very easy to construct! And it was an excellent distraction from my academic work. I took my time to carefully align my corners and am really pleased with the finished block.

Be sure to check out all of the other participants September Escalator blocks at the Linky party!

We’ve completed five months of the twelve month Modern Blocks Quilt A Long, and the next block should be available very soon! Can’t wait to see what’s next from the ladies at And Sew We Craft!

xo,

Half Square Triangles Postage Stamp Quilt

Remember all of those little triangles we trimmed off while making our flying geese in the block below?

Well, I got busy and started sewing those little triangles just about as quickly as I was cutting them to create teeny tiny half square triangles (HST). In this technique for HST, you begin with two equal triangles placed face to face, then you sew them down the long side to create a single square. See the brief illustrated tutorial below.

The Follow the Leader quilt block above has 16 flying geese, therefore 32 HST!. So once, I had all of these teeny tiny HST sewn, I started piecing them together into rows. Then sewing the rows together.

Once I finished piecing the tiny postage stamp sized HST together the finished block was a whopping 5″ x 6″!

By no means is this a perfectly pieced block, but really how could it be when the pieces are so tiny and individually pieced from tiny triangles!

But I do love my tiny little HST Postage Stamp quilt block. Maybe I will attach it to the Modern Blocks quilt backing when we complete the quilt a long!

Goodnight all, xo!

Technique: Piecing Flying Geese

Recently, I have become quite familiar with a piecing technique called “flying geese”. Flying geese are a common quilting element; they are often seen as an element of traditional and modern quilt blocks, or a repeating element across the entire quilt.

Above is an example of the traditional flying geese, you will notice that it is a geometric isosceles triangle (two sides and two angles are equal). Below is an example of a non-traditional flying geese, in this example the point is made in the same manner as those above, but the diagonals do not extend to the bottom of the colored block to create the triangle. Rather they meet the edge partway down the side and create a pentagram in the shape of a house.

 

Below I will explain how to make the traditional version of the flying geese block.

First, you will need three pieces for each “goose” you plan to make. For the traditional geese, you will want a rectangle where the length is two times the width (L=2W) .  For example, above I have illustrated a 4″x2″ rectangle . You will also need two squares, you will want each side of the squares to be equal to the rectangles width, so in this example the rectangle width was 2″ so each square will be 2″x2″.

Notice the dotted diagonal lines, these will be your stitching lines, and they will also create the short sides of your isosceles triangle (geese). Before you sew, it is wise to mark these diagonal lines on your squares so that you may follow the diagonal, in order to create a straight line. You may mark this line with a ruler and disappearing ink pen, colored pencil, or chalk.

 

Next, you will lay one square over the rectangle at a time, placing them face to face, and aligning the square on one half of your rectangle. Stitch the diagonal line that you have previously marked, with a short length straight stitch. I like to do a whole string of these at a time, before I move on to the next step!

You will now trim your seam allowance to the standard quilting 1/4″, as shown in the images above and below

Repeat these steps with each of your “geese”.

You will then press the pieces, with the seam allowance flattened towards the patterned or darker fabric. In the next image you will see the back and front of your piece thus far.

Here we go again!

Now, you will align the second square with the other end of the rectangle, be careful to align your marked diagonal so that it meets at a point in the center of your rectangle. Again stitch your marked line, trim your seam allowance, and press it towards the darker or patterned fabric.

Above, you will see an image that depicts the back and front of your flying geese. Notice that the point of your patterned fabric is about 1/4″ below the top of the rectangle, this will become the seam allowance when you sew your pieces together.

So there you have it! Your flying geese are ready to be put together into whichever block or quilt you like!

 

As you saw above in my example of a non-traditional flying geese, there are ways that you can modify these steps to change the shape of your pieced block. When modifying you may change the proportions of your length and width between the rectangle and the squares, just remember the length of the diagonal determines the depth of the point. You can easily choose a diagonal length that will stop midway down the side of your patterned piece to create the house like shape you saw in the Quatrefoil block above. Or choose to create a very shallow point by ending the diagonal only 1/4 of the depth of the patterned piece. There are so many ways you can play with the flying geese technique so be sure to try a few modifications and record your findings! Remember, quilting is all about geometry!

Now, if you are like me, you will have saved all of those little corners that you trimmed. In my next post, you will see what I have done with what would be fabric waste to many people. 😉

 

 

Half Square Triangles… What to do? what to do?

Last summer, I purchased an Amy Butler Cameo charm pack (30 – 6″” pieces) from my favorite arts and crafts boutique, Urban Arts + Crafts in Kansas City, Missouri. I spent a good long while thinking about what I wanted to use them for… And then I jumped in and started piecing anyway!

I sandwiched together a 6″ print with a 6″ eggshell white square, face to face.

Then sewed the four edges of the square.

Then by cutting diagonally from left to right then right to left I created four small Half Square Triangles (HST)!

Each HST measured approximately: 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ unfinished,  or 3 3/8″ x 3 3/8″ finished. I might take off 1/8″ in both directions so that I have a nice round number to work with…

I did this with each and every piece of the Cameo charm pack, and now have 120 Half Square Triangles!

I have all of these pieces, and don’t yet have a plan for them… But after doing a little research I’ve found a few nice options to choose from.  The first option was actually blogged about by Cathy at Cabbage Quilts. On her blog she share a few variations by other quilters on the same design theme. Other quilters have developed this idea and created an off-center diamond/target like pattern that expands across the entire quilt.

Jeni, at In Color Order led a Half Square Triangle Sampler Quilt a Long in 2012, and her tutorials for the twelve blocks are still online.

We’ll have to see what I decide to do with these HST blocks, but one thing is certain, I will need another charm pack in order to fill up a good sized quilt. Any thoughts, or suggestions?

Modern Block Quilt a Long: May 2013 Follow the Leader Block

Woohoo! With this post I announce that I am all caught up in the And Sew We Craft  Modern Block Quilt a Long!

The first block of the Quilt a Long was this May: Follow the Leader block. This was the fourth and final block I needed to piece in order to get caught up, since I started 3 months late! Above I have shared Amy, at And Sew We Craft‘s, block. Amy has been kind enough to share the tutorial for this month’s block, and has been creating two blocks each month, one in solids and one in prints. I adore her print fabric selection (which is shown in the block above), the Little Apples fabric line by Aneela Hoey, too sweet! Amy also has done an excellent job of documenting her tutorial in photos so there is no possible way to get lost!

Anyway, on to my block! Once again I chose to work with fabrics from the 2013 Rosette fabric line by Juliana Horner for JoAnns Fabric. This line was only released on July 21st, so I am an early adopter of it’s wonderful blend of traditional country motifs with modern influences.  This line is one of four designer lines that JoAnns is producing as part of its Premium Quilts Collection, a wise response to the growing mass of young and modern quilters in the market. For this block, I chose to work with the Posy print in both the Navy and Sweet colorways, as well as, Bouquet Sweet and Ivy Lemon Lime. Below I have shared my handy-dandy fabric key!

This block was one of the more time consuming blocks of the Quilt a Long thus far, so I understand some of the frustration other participants voiced as they completed their blocks in May. For me, however, doing this block fourth made it seem quite manageable after completing the July and August blocks! I really enjoyed putting it together and practicing my Flying Geese. I did make a few mistakes along the way, but my patience seems to be growing as I work on these because I didn’t mind ripping out a few seams and correcting the major issue.

If you’re wondering what the major issue was, well you’ll notice at the center of the block you have each of your four colors represented. This occurs by alternating which color is on the right and left when you combine them into pairs (for example the Lemon Lime Ivy and the Navy Posy are a pair). On my first attempt at completing the block, I accidentally placed them in the same position both times and my finished block had two sets of navy geese in the center. This mistake was large enough I felt the need to rip out many seams to correct it, and then re-piece the block. Other small mistakes include some imperfect point alignment and cutting off the “beaks” of a few of my geese. These are seemingly minor mistakes though and since this project is just for fun I do not feel OCD enough to correct them.

Overall, I am quite happy with my Follow the Leader block. Though I am a little bummed to be caught up in the Quilt a Long, what will I do now?

Actually, I’ve already started working on something new, as suggested by Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts on a previous post, teeny tiny half square triangles pieced from the scraps of the Flying Geese technique. This may be my first attempt at working in the Postage Stamp size category!

Also, I completed piecing the top of the Four Seasons table runner, but due to an early misunderstanding it is a littler shorter than desired! So I am brainstorming an attractive and modern way to change that (Photos and explanation to come soon!).

Anywho, on to the rest of the day, dog walks, research, and writing! Hopefully a bike ride or lap swimming too, if weather permits!

Erin Myone

Modern Block Quilt A Long: June 2013 Spool Block

Hello again!

I just whipped through the June block from the Modern Block Quilt a Long! The Spool block above was sewn by Tonya at The Crafty Mummy, the host of this month’s block.

This month the block was quite simple, I really only referenced the tutorial at The Crafty Mummy to figure out the dimensions of the pieces before cutting. From there on out, I was my own with no fear! I sewed the 10 seams in a matter of minutes and am in fact quite pleased with the turnout!

The Juliana Horner fabrics are just so darling, you can’t really go wrong. This time I chose some fabrics from the orange colorway, Posy Sweet and Terrace Main Orange Cream.

This is the first block I have added the orange colorway to, but I have plans to add it to the next block (which was actually the May block)! And I already have my fabric pieces cut for the Follow the Leader block hosted by Amy at And Sew We Craft.

I did a few more rows of the Four Season Table Runner also, and who knows maybe I will finish that up, and the Follow the Leader block this weekend! Wouldn’t that be a productive week of piecing?!?!

Modern Block Quilt A Long: July 2013 Megan’s Star Block

The July block for the And Sew We Craft Modern Blocks Quilt A Long is a block titled Megan’s Star. The block originally appears on page 113 in the book Modern Blocks compiled by Susanne Woods. I don’t own this book, so I can’t speak to its greatness, but all the blocks for the quilt a long are from it so maybe after a year of blocks I will have an opinion.

One of the excellent things about a Quilt A Long is that you don’t need to own the books. Each month a tutorial is created to guide you through the creation of your own block. This month the tutorial was posted by Samelia’s Mum.

The tutorial called for at least four fabrics (3 prints and 1 solid was recommended) but you could easily increase the number of fabrics for a more busy block if that is your thing. I decided to call on my latest purchase from Jo-Ann’s Fabrics, the Rosette line by Juliana Horner. Rosette was only released last month, July 21, 2013, in Jo-Ann’s Fabrics across the country, and I kind of loved it immediately when I saw it, before I even knew what I was looking at. Juliana  (check out this video, she’s too sweet) is the daughter of one of my other favorite fabric designers, Anna Maria Horner.

Anyway! My block utilizes three of the Rosette fabrics, Rosebed Pomegranate, Bouquet Sweet, and Posy Navy. I also picked a nice cheap symphony broadcloth for my solid background.  Below you’ll see a key to the fabrics I chose for this particular block.

Now, on to the piecing. Being an occasional quilter, I am prone to a lot of mistakes. I definitely need every little detail spelled out for me. For example, I forgot that quilters use a standard seam allowance of 1/4″, being that recently I have sewed apparel mostly, I went with 1/2″. However, I doubted myself and googled it after stitching only one seam.

I also got a little over excited and cut way too many of my blocks into adorable little half squares, forgetting that this wasn’t that particular piecing method. So I eventually re-cut a number of my pieces. But eventually I finished it! Really it is a quick block, and I bet I could do another one lickety-split. One regret would be the choice of my focal fabric, it doesn’t have the type of motif that really makes it pop.  And somehow, it looks very traditional colorwise, which was not my intention… C’est la vie. On to the August block, and then back to catch the May and June blocks.

Until tomorrow,

Erin Myone

Modern Blocks Quilt A Long with “And Sew We Craft”

Every summer, I get the itch to do some piecing and if I get around to it I eventually will even quilt something! This summer, I have had the itch for months, but have tried to ignore it for the sake of time, money, and sanity…

But then, I stepped into a fabric store the other day and all hell broke loose! Next thing I knew, I was holding nine bolts of beautiful fabric, patiently waiting at the cutting counter with a crazed grin on my face. But I didn’t stop there, no sir, I plopped those bolts down ordered a half yard of each and headed back for more.  Another six bolts later I returned, practically giddy. As I allowed another quilter to jump me in line with her single bolt of fabric, I received a knowing grin. She also asked for a half yard of fabric and we agreed that for quilting, a quarter yard just isn’t enough!

Even after a hefty discount, my bill left me staggering, These new fabrics needed to get straight home and into my craft room before my husband could know the difference. And so they did… But sitting there, all lovely and new, I couldn’t bring myself to start into them. So instead, I picked a simple table runner (Four Seasons, Quilty) and some solids I had collected years ago and began to cut. A few days later, I’ve begun my piecing, but the itch hasn’t subsided. I can’t bring myself to commit to a pattern for the new beautiful fabrics just now. And I’m not sure I can commit to a quilting bee, what if I get too busy and let some wonderful quilter down?

So instead I have found a modern blocks quilt a long to occupy my needs. I am jumping in on month four but I do hope to catch up on the previous months too! As I work through the quilt blocks I hope to share a little more about the participating bloggers and each of the tutorials. But for now, the most I can say is this,  I am committed to the project!

Here I go, promise I will keep you posted!