Stitches in Play

it feels like monday or the winners are...

Oh my, I said I would announce the giveaway winners on Monday... but for some reason I keep on forgetting that with my kiddos home nearly every Monday, Tuesday has become my new Monday.  Thanks so much to all of you who entered - I really enjoyed reading all of your sweet and clever comments.  I couldn't choose just two winners so I chose three:

comment #5 - annri

comment #26 - miri

comment #32 Laura (no blog link)    Ladies, send me your addresses!

In the meantime:

We enjoyed a wonderful three-day weekend full of playing, house cleaning and organizing, and a trip here to see this.  Each of these will receive its own post sometime this week.  I'm off to read with some first graders and pick up a whole bunch of kiddo artwork from the art teacher that will be turned into mugs and totes for our next fundraiser - hoping to raise enough money so that we can have school on Mondays again!

On the home front:

Abigail's sweater is all done,

this quilt top is almost complete,

these ladies are enjoying their morning constitutional,

this kitty is in search of a warm and sunny perch,

and this girly is ready to reveal her new cardi.

Wishing you all a fabulous Tuesday!  (although it sure does feel like a Monday around here!)

 

random making

It's been busy around here. 

But when I have a moment I glance over at the daffodils and smile and breathe deeply.

And when I found  bit of time to 'make' I realized that I didn't have enough light hued solids to finish up my boys' quilts.

So I ordered some of these from here and here they are  - waiting for their turn in the washing machine. (oh, and the circle fabric is here)

So I used my bit of time to make some new pillows for our couch.

They match the quilt that we've been snuggling under.  I wrote about the quilt here.

Here's a pillow close-up:

It's pouring rain here today so I had to prop it right up to the window.  Just some 5" squares I had left over from the quilt and a bit of linen for the bottom.  I did some straight line quilting about a 1/4 inch from the seams.

For this pillow I randomly cut and inserted 3" strips of fabric into the pink background fabric.  It's the same technique I used here.  And some linen for the bottom. 

In between sewing the pillows I took a break with an Italian sandwich cookie - these are filled with the yummiest raspberry jam.

Last night Abigail took a little rest on this pillow and proclaimed it her favorite.  She asked not to be photographed but I snuck one in anyhow - years from now she'll thank me for having taken this.  (Right?)

 

Now all I need is to find some free time to settle down on the couch and sink back into my new pillows!  But with the weekend coming that is a lot easier said than done!

the gift of time - and chocolates

I like to think it happened because Valentine's Day fell on a Monday. 

And because I have absolutely no sewing time on most weekends.  I play with the kiddos all weekend (and drive them around a lot) while my husband's at work.  He returns home minutes before they go to bed, helps out with a few chores, and then wants quality time for us.  Poor me, right?  People, my life is the best - just little time for making.

And it could have happened a little because I took on three big projects, planned my time poorly, and began my making way too late.  However I still think that it's that darn Monday that's to blame!

I did not finish my kiddos' gifts.

I wanted to make them quilts like Erin's but I only got this far...

And i only sewed the D - I - D for David...

And this is Abby's rabbit...

I was feeling defeated - and a bit sad - until I turned to my address book for some sound advice...

And then it came to me ...I would give my family the gift of my time, my undivided attention when they spoke, my help in crafting valentine's for their friends. I would give them the gift of a mama who breathed more deeply and time spent in the kitchen baking brownies.  I also gifted them each a small box of chocolates and a special love note.  Everyone was happy.  Thank goodness for wise quotes in address books.  (Wise address book available here.)

Ezra and David have birthdays coming up in March and April and their quilts will become birthday gifts.  And Abigail will receive her bunny rabbit just in time for spring solstice.  All is well again. 

This is the result of a a girly who grabbed a big pair of scissors and cut through a dozen 'pixy stix'  at once only to make a huge mess on the kitchen table.  When we gathered up all the sugary powder we found a heart.

Wishing that all good things will be yours today!

giving away my cover

Remember this fall cover from serveral posts back?

Well turns out that, in my excitement over a new fall sewing project, I cut way too many fabric squares. 

So the other night I sewed all those squares together into rows.  Then I sewed the rows into three more fall covers.

And it just so happens that, while the rest are spoken for, I have one cover to give away.

So just leave a comment on this post by midnight on Tuesday October 12 for a chance to win. 

And to mix things up a bit please include in your comment the name of a crafty/decorating blog that you find inspiring.  This does not have to be your favorite blog of all time - just one that you enjoy and would like to share.  The goal is to create a small reference list of inspirational goodness that we can all enjoy.

I will start this list off by sharing a new-to-me blog that I have found very inspiring.  Go check out Made by Joel to see why.

Have a wonderful weekend!

And look at all this goodness that spilled out of my trader joe's bag today...

Happy Fall to you all!

the fall cover

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about fall.  I love the colors of fall and the crispness in the air that it brings and I love snuggling under a cover with a good book.  (Side note: I recently finished this beautiful book and have started this book - i read his book The Corrections a while ago and loved it.

Back to the snuggling under the covers part...  I've also been thinking about covers and how they can be similar to - and different from - quilts.  For one thing, covers do not have to be quilted and this one is not.  

Here's my version of the fall cover:

So easy to make you could be napping under it in no time at all. (also great for pretend napping)

Cut a whole bunch of home decor weight fabric into 13" squares.  To compensate for the lack of quilting and batting I used home decor weight fabric - this cover is substantial and heavy.  I also decided on large squares to reduce the number of seams - again because there is no quilting to hold the layers together.   

Sew sixteen squares together creating a 4 x 4 foot cover.  Press seams to one side.

Sew another sixteen squares together for the back. 

Lay the front and back pieces right sides together and pin all four sides. (around the perimeter)

Machine stitch on all four sides with a 1/2" seam allowance - leaving a 12 inch opening for turning. 

Clip all four corners.  Turn cover right side out through the opening.

Press all four sides.  Topstitch around perimeter of the cover about 1/2 inch from the edge.

Here's a poor photo of the top stitching on the corners but you get the idea.

And there you have it - an easy, reversible cover perfect for fall snuggling.

Thank you fall!  You are my favorite season.

inspired

Although the temperatures are still in the mid 80's around here, there is a definite crispness in the air and obvious signs of fall cover the ground.  And of course, I am thinking of all that I can make to use in this impending season.

 

I always begin my "making" process with some color inspiration.

I bought these books over the summer and the kiddos and I have had so much fun selecting colors and coloring famous works of art.  This is also a great way to learn about how colors work together.

Next I cut up some home decor weight fabric for a very simple - yet gift worthy - project.

This 'inspired by fall' making is nearly complete and I will be back to share very soon.

How is this change of seasons inspiring you?

thankful on memorial day

Feeling so very thankful for the chain of events that brought these girls into our family. 

 

 

We ordered 30 day-old chicks to split with two other people.  One passed hours after arrival last Thursday and the other 29 are in two brooders in my laundry room.  I absolutely adore having them and playing with them and caring for them and just plain watching them grow - and these girls grow quickly.  They are seven days old and already testing out their wings!  We love our pets around here and we can already tell that these girls are going to fit in beautifully.
 

A big thank you to Abi Gayle of SpiderWomanKnits for all the wonderful information and advice on selecting chicks and constructing a brooder.  Blogger friends are the best!

And thank you so much to Kristyn for these awesome handmade + personalized note cards.  I love them.

Our taste buds are thankful for the garden that provides us with fresh green onions and dill to serve on  buttered potatoes at dinner.  (These are the green tops of our onion plants because I couldn't find chives this year.)
 

And grateful for bits of sewing time here and there that allowed me to finish up this large 6' x 6' quilt top.  I'll share more once I get some pictures of the completed quilt.

It goes without saying (however saying is often important) but I am most thankful for my family and friends and my home and dinner time with my family.  My favorite part of the day is during dinner when we go around the table and ask each of the kiddos to tell "What was the best part of your day?" and "What was the worst part of your day?"  Their answers often spark wonderful family discussions and other times we all laugh at how good we have it because the "worst part" wasn't that bad all.  Yes, I am very thankful for dinner time.

What are you thankful for this week?

brick pattern quilt and preping for chicks

Spring has kept me super busy.  We live on five acres and have tons of weeding, mowing, cleaning and gardening to do.  And we have been reading all we can and preparing for our chicks.  They shipped from here today are will be arriving very soon - we are so excited!  

Now on to some sewing and quilting.  In the last post I said I'd share some quick instructions on how to make a random brick pattern quilt like the one I pieced for Abigail.  This is a great beginner pattern because none of the seams have to match. 

 

First, Cut fabric, selvage to selvage, into 6 inch strips.  (The strips can be wider if you'd like  - just make sure they are all the same width)

 

Second, Cut strips into random sized rectangles.  I just lay the strips horizontally on my cutting mat, randomly position my ruler across the strip at any length between 5 to 14 inches and cut using a rotary cutter - no measuring.

 

Third, randomly sew rectangles together end to end into super long strips.  I place all my rectangles in a bowl, randomly pick up two rectangles and sew them together - I only throw them back in if they are the same fabric.

 

Fourth, cut pieced strip into desired lengths and sew these strips side by side to create the quilt top.  For instance, if you want a 5 X 4 foot quilt top, cut strips into eight 5 foot lengths and sew them together side to side. (you will need 8 strips because eight 6 inch strips make about 4 feet)

I'll illustrate this final step in my next post as I only had enough time to piece half my rectangles into one super-long strip.  We spent the rest of the time reading about chicks, watching you tube videos on raising chicks, shopping at Tractor Supply and Southern States and preparing a brooder.  Fun Stuff!

Happy Wednesday to you!

 

quick projects

My girlie asked for a "cover" to wrap her bear in.  You see Berry ("spelled like the berry in strawberry, mama - and not like the beary in brown bear.") doesn't have pajamas and is cold at night.  How could this mama possibly say no to keeping sweet Berry warm?

So we picked some fabric, cut it into strips, and pieced together a cover.

 

Even the kitty likes how it turned out.
 

This design is so simple and super quick to sew because it is pieced randomly and none of the points match.  I'll be back in the next couple days with some quick instructions on how to make one of these random brick pattern quilts.
 

 

The best part about this cover is that it also doubles as a super hero cape!

 

My husband was home today because he will be working all weekend and we spent a few minutes cleaning up the garden and "picking" our lunch.  This is our lunch at 11:45 am.

 

Lunch at 11:50 am.
 

Lunch at 12 noon.

(Arugula sauteed with olive oil and garlic served over leftover quinoa and corn.)  

Hope you find some quick, easy and satisfying projects today!

had I not

This week sped by way too quickly. 

I met a friend for lunch and then tagged along to a nearby antiques/thrift store as she searched for a farmhouse table.  We saw some great pieces and I took lots of pictures.  But the prices were quite high and neither of us got anything.

 
    
 

Then on my way home I stopped by a local thrift store and spotted this 14 piece glass dish set for $15 and I had to get it.  It was so cheery and sparkly and well priced.  And absolutely perfect for summer ice cream sundae parties.   I don't think I would have wanted it so had I not spent time in the pricey antiques store, but things happen for a reason and I am so glad that these dishes came home with me.

 

I played around with a pattern for the hundred-or-so triangle blocks that I pieced.  And I would have been happy with this zigzag pattern had I not come across this fun configuration on flickr.  Which would you choose?
   
 

And had I not entered Imene's hand dyed wool giveaway I wouldn't have won this awesome skein of yarn and these lovely hand crafted stitch markers.   Thanks so much Imene - I love them!

 
And now for the most round about had-I-not of all...  The other day I met a real estate agent to view a house that, judging from online photos, seemed perfect for our family but was put off by the long and muddy dirt road that led to the property.  I came home a bit disappointed and began perusing decorating blogs for some inspiration on how to make our kitchen function better. (Reading blogs always makes me feel better)  I clicked on some links and ended up on this great blog.  Then I read this post on their family's awesome portable chicken coop.  I followed the link, showed my husband, and we immediately agreed that building the Catawba coop would be the perfect way to keep chickens on our property.   We cannot wait for the instructions to arrive so that we can begin building our coop - and order our chicks! 

If you are still reading this had I not gone to view the house I may never have found the home and harmony blog.  Had I not found the blog I might not have come across these portable coop instructions and had we not found the portable coop we would not have gotten chickens because we don't want to clean out a traditional coop and we have too many animals out here in the country to allow chickens to free range.  Bottom line is that my kiddos are so very excited.

Oh yeah, and had I not met my friend for lunch in the city I would not have been by Trader Joe's and we wouldn't have this big bowl of yummy organic fruits to munch on.  I also got organic frozen berries for smoothies, naan bread, strawberry kefir, and chocolate orange sticks and spicy dried mango.  Yum.

 
 

Have a wonderful weekend full of adventure...you never know where your path will lead!

the past couple days

These past couple of days have been rainy and windy with a bit of sunny thrown in and we've spent as much time outdoors as possible.

Playing with caterpillar friends.

  

Taking her doggy for a walk on the toddler trike because mama tried to donate it.

Loving my napkins and dish towel from Kim.  Thanks so much to Lisa for hosting the swap.  So much fun to make napkins for a new friend.

   

Putting said napkins to use right away.  (greek yogurt with honey and berries)

 

Enjoying a bit of sewing time.  More on this soon because I really did only have a wee bit of time.

 

Quilting my basted nine-patch.

The days seem to be passing so quickly lately that I don't feel that I get anything tangible accomplished.  It scares me to see how fast my kiddos are growing up and I am making every effort to fully enjoy them.  I want to have fun with my guys - to laugh, play and work with them, to listen carefully to all they have to say, and to make our home a happy place.  I have been feeling super thankful for all that I have, especially my family and friends.  I want to thank you all for the sweetest comments and kindest emails ever - you always brighten my day.

Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday!

noticing

"All there is to thinking is seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren't noticing, which makes you see something that isn't even visible."  Leo Strauss

Noticing beauty in the ordinary....

 

noticing how much i love all the little stars lined up along the rim of the jelly jars that hold our silverware. 

noticing all the pollinating action on the azaleas.  

noticing that a nine patch quilt top would make an awesome rug on my floor.

noticing how keeping my dryer sheets in a pretty dish provides just the motivation i need to transfer the laundry into the dryer.

noticing that reading these books in bed each night has caused me to dream of painting every surface white.

 

noticing how many compliments I receive when i wear this dottie vintage bag created by Beki.  Jeans, white tee, gray scarf and this purse = very stylish.

Have a wonderful weekend! 

working the land

We had a busy and exciting weekend full of sport's tournaments and competitions but each evening we could not wait to return home and "work the land."

 

We turned our old sandbox into a planter box and filed it with sweet onions and arugula and cherry tomatoes. 

 

Ezra and David took great pride in planting everything just so.

 

We liked our new bed so much that we built a second one for strawberries, cucumbers and more tomatoes.

I had to take a minute to let it sink in that my kiddos were growing up and had chosen to turn their play space into a garden.   We do live on five acres and they still have plenty of space in which to play but for the past ten years they have swung and climbed and jumped and dug and been pirates and super heroes in this space.  But today they are gardeners who are taking great pride in selecting and growing their own crop.  My kiddos are growing and that's a good thing.

Then we watered all our little seedlings and wished them to bear loads of yummy, healthy, fruit.

And then, just to show this mama that we are not all grown up just yet, we watered one another!  Good times.

In the meantime, I finished assembling the nine-patch quilt top only to realize that I have completed three quilt tops in the last month - all of which are patiently waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.  I better get to work.

But before I go I'd like to share that I just finished reading the book Lighting Their Fires by Rafe Esquith and I cannot recommend it highly enough.  

Hope you get a chance to work your land this week.  And if you think you don't have enough space watch this.

what i've been up to and a few sewing tips

I've sewn the nine-patch blocks into seven rows consisting of eight blocks each.  I worked into the night because I cannot wait to have this all assembled and quilted.

But I took a break to share a few tips for piecing the strips into nine-patch blocks:

1.  Use a 1/4" sewing foot on your machine.  This foot ensures a 1/4" seam allowance when you line your fabric up with the edge of the foot.  If you don't have a quarter inch foot, order one from your sewing machine manufacturer.  You will be so glad you did.

2. Chain-piece the strips rather then sew one block at a time.  I have a tutorial on chain piecing quilt squares here and the same idea applies.

Bring your two fabric stacks to the sewing machine and chain piece first two strips together.  Then cut those apart and chain piece a third strip onto each set of 2 to complete the nine-patch block.

Once you have eight blocks, cut them apart and press them all at once.  This method saves a lot of time.

And I absolutely love seeing the blocks puddle on the floor.  If your sewing table is up against the wall, it is definitely worth moving it out a bit in order to witness this puddling phenomena. 

And I had so much fun finishing my napkins for the napkin swap hosted by Lisa.

My swap partner mentioned a flower print and decorative stitching so I came up with this simple decorative border around the perimeter.  I hope she likes them.

 

Happy Friday to you all!  And what have you been up to this week?

nine-patch out of strips

I'm finally mentally back from Spring break.  My house is somewhat in order and I'm ready to pick up where we left off. 

So remember when I cut these 14 different flower print fabrics, selvage to selvage, into 3" strips?

 

And said that I would use them to make another simple nine-patch quilt like this one?

And that I would let you in on the simplest and quickest way that I have found to piece all those 3" strips into nine-patch blocks?

Well here goes:

1.  Choose your favorite coordinating fabrics.  I have 14 different fabrics here for a large twin-sized quilt but you can make this with as few as 8 for a baby-sized one. (an even number of fabrics is best so that you can match them up later)

2.  Cut Three 3" strips, selvage to selvage, out of each fabric.  If you're doing the math here, you only need 9 inches, selvage to selvage, of any one fabric which is not a lot so you can use up all the ends of yardage you have lying around.  Tutorial for cutting strips here.

3.  Pair the fabrics up into sets of 2.  For example, if you have 14 different fabrics you will have 7 sets of 2.  This is the fun part because any way you pair them they will look great. 

4.  Sew the 2 sets of three 3" strips, selvage to selvage, as shown in photo above.  Now you have 2 panels, each made up of three strips.

5.  Press.

Note:  I don't want to confuse anyone but for those who want a scrappier nine-patch block or simply don't have enough fabric to cut three strips (like yours truly) you can substitute a similar fabric for one of the strip sets.  See how the green flowers are two different fabrics.  If you do this make sure to keep the second fabric constant else you will lose the nine-patch form.

6.  Cut the strip sets across into 3" strips.  You will have about 13 strips out of each selvage to selvage set, which is enough to make 8 nine-patch blocks.

Cutting Tip:  Because the top & bottom edges may be a bit uneven or stretch a bit during pressing... Always align your measuring ruler (right) with a sewn seam rather than the top or bottom edge.  This will give you perfectly straight 3" strips.

7.  Sew half the strips into nine-patch blocks like so.  (you'll have enough for 4 blocks)

 

And sew the other half of the strips like so.  (you'll have enough for 4 of these blocks)

8.  Press.

 

The scrappy blocks will look like this...

 

And this.

 

My blocks are all done.  Because I had 7 sets of fabrics and each selvage to selvage strip yields 8 blocks I have 56 eight-inch blocks which will make a large twin size quilt for Spring.  Promise you will be the first to see it once I get it all assembled.  

Even if you never make this particular quilt, I hope you found something here that you can use to simplify the sewing and quilting process.  Making is fun and exciting and should not feel intimidating or, dare I say, like work.

quilt + play

We're heading to the beach for a few days and the kiddos are packed and ready and giddy with excitement.

I started to put together a tutorial on piecing nine-patch blocks out of strips but life got in the way.

I'll have this quick and ever-so-simple tutorial all ready to go early next week. 

Hope you take the time to enjoy every moment that is Spring!

Spring fever

"It's Spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

Mark Twain

I've spent the last several days with my family, enjoying the first days of spring.  Not much making going on.  Just wanted to share my Spring Fever quilt top.  Made up of 64 nine-inch squares sewn together randomly. So quick and simple and big - this thing is 68" x 68".

I love the way the breeze and sunshine passes through quilt tops.  I'm glad I have this photo because once this top is backed and quilted it will no longer have this ethereal quality.  A big thanks to my sweet (and tall) husband for helping.

Oh, I feel even the furry members of this family have Spring fever - and just want to run around outdoors willy-nilly.

 

See you back here real soon.  Have a beautiful weekend!

breaking for Spring

We've been enjoying spring.  Greg had several days off and we spent them playing with good friends, eating yummy food, and enjoying a lovely Passover sedar.  

Today I finally found a bit of sewing time. 

One flowered quilt top done.

I used this method to piece the squares and tried not to over think the fabric placement too much.  I basically divided all the flowery squares into two piles - one with predominately greens and blues and one with more pinks and oranges and then I grabbed one from each pile and chain pieced them together.  It's all done now and I'll take photos tomorrow, once the sun comes out.

And I've been trying to capture all the beauty that seems to be popping up everywhere this week.

Welcome Spring!

Spring quilting

It's rainy and gray outside.

But indoors it truly feels like Spring because I'm...

Picking flowers,

Cutting flowers,

Pressing flowers, and

 

Arranging flowers.

 

All these strips will become a nine-patch quilt like this one.  I'll share how to make quick and easy nine-patch blocks next week.  And the squares will be pieced together like this.  But for now I want to focus on play - we have lots planned for this weekend including taekwondo practice, swimming with friends, and a birthday at the park.   Have a wonderful weekend!

{Updated on 3/28: Most of the above fabrics are from Garden Party by Anna Maria Horner, Midwest Modern by Amy Butler, and Pop Garden by Heather Bailey.  The strips are 3" cut selvage to selvage and the squares are 9" square.  Plus - I'm offering two sets of fabric bundles for my Stashing Treasures Play Apron as part of Rhythm of the Home's sponsorship giveaway on SouleMama - head on over and check it out for a chance to win!}

wash, press, fold, cut, repeat

The question that I am asked most frequently, especially from my knitter friends, is "where do I begin to make a quilt."  So I've put together a little tutorial of the steps I take and the tools I use to begin the process.  

1. Wash all quilting fabric in cold water and a small amount of laundry detergent (about 1/2 of what you would use to wash dirty laundry).  Washing removes the sizing and printing chemicals in the fabric and allows the fabric to shrink to it's final size.

2. Press the fabric once it comes out of the dryer.

 

3.  Fold fabric in half, selvage to selvage.  The above photo shows a half yard of fabric folded in half selvage to selvage.

Then bring bottom folded edge up to selvage (top) and fold in half again.  The fabric is now 4 layers thick and ready for cutting.

4.  Lay the bottom edge of the folded fabric flush against a horizontal line on the self healing cutting mat. 

Note about Materials:  Purchase the best quality materials you can afford.  You only need a few basics so spend your money on those.  Save by not buying all the quilting "gadgets" that claim to make everything easier but only end up collecting dust.  A good cutting mat and rulers last forever - all of the materials I am using were purchased eight years ago and are in wonderful condition after much use. 

You will need:

a good quality self healing cutting mat - 24" x 36" is best

2 acrylic cutting rulers.  At least one should be 6 1/2" x 24".   The smaller ruler pictured above is 5" x 18" and has a black plastic lip "gadget" on the bottom edge that is supposed to make cutting fabric easier but it makes such a mess of the folded edge that I only use this ruler for measuring (see below) and never for cutting.  See what I mean about buying "gadgets" - I bought this ruler eight years ago when I didn't know better.

a 45mm rotary cutter. 

I have these sandpaper dot stickers on the back of my cutting ruler.  They help keep the ruler from slipping while I cut and have held up amazingly well after all these years.  I think they're from lowe's.

Back to cutting the fabric.

5.  Trim the right side edge to get a straight clean edge before beginning to cut.  In step 4 you lay the fabric flush along a horizontal line on the cutting mat.  Now place ruler close to the right side edge of the fabric - you do not want to trim off any more than you have to.  Place bottom edge of folded fabric flush with any horizontal line on the acrylic ruler  - this assures a perfectly straight cut - and trim.

Now there's a straight edge on the right hand side of the fabric.  I will begin cutting the fabric into 3" strips.

6.  Use 2 rulers - right one placed horizontally for measuring and left ruler placed vertically for cutting - to cut fabric into strips.  Note how the bottom edge of the ruler on the right and the horizontal line of the cutting ruler on the left line up with the bottom edge of the fabric.  Position the measuring ruler first and then butt the cutting ruler up against it - making sure that the bottom edge of the fabric is even with a horizontal line on the cutting ruler (left).

7.  Place your left hand on the cutting ruler like so, slide the measuring ruler out of the way, and cut.

One 3" strip cut selvage to selvage. 

Repeat for desired number of strips.

8.  Unfold strips and press.  These are ready for sewing.

To cut squares, use the same 2 ruler cutting method to cut the strips into squares.

I mainly use squares to piece triangles.  Triangle tutorial here.  

And I use strips to piece squares.  The nine patch quilt below was made out of 3" strips.

I am making another nine patch quilt and I will show you how easy it is to make nine patches out of strips.

 

I will leave you with a little "mama lesson" that I learned today.  Remember when I posted that I cut a whole bunch of our daffodils to bring inside?  Well a certain five year old happened to be paying close attention to what mama does when new flowers come up.

And here is the result. 

I have learned to be mindful of the actions that I model for my kiddos and my girlie told me she picked them for me, because "I love you, mama" - now what mama could be upset about that!

 

this monday

Today is a rainy day... and it's a Monday. 

But we had a wonderful weekend full of food, friends, sunshine, and many exciting outings in celebration of my guy's eleventh birthday.  Of course all those photos are on my point and shoot camera (which my husband accidentally took to work) so today I will share what I have.

 

This amazing kiddo, who whittled the wood to create this bo staff,  is smart and wise, positive yet realistic, caring and thoughtful, and an all around pleasure to parent.  He loves books and spends hours each day reading, he conducts research and sets up experiments to solve science and math questions, and these days he is passionate for the art of taekwondo.  On Saturday he turned eleven which means he is big now - but still young enough to want to spend time being silly with his mama.  And this mama could not be happier.

Happy Birthday my sweet eleven year old kiddo.

 

I finished his Spring cover just in time with some quick squiggly quilting and fun red binding.

Here's a close-up of the quilting and binding.  (all my cute photos are on the other camera)

I have been busy on the home front with sports tournaments, school events, another birthday to plan...  But I have so much I want to share with you including two small tutorials (because you asked) and a giveaway that will be hosted on another blog later this week.  I also received a beautiful blogger award from my friend Rose of Sand in My Yarn where I am supposed to tell seven interesting things about myself but I have been going so fast lately that the only interesting thing I can think of is that my current favorite snack is chai tea with bananas and walnuts - eaten together.  It's the perfect combination of sweet, spicy and crunchy. Yum.

And I'm sipping tea out of my new Liberty of London cup that I got at Target this weekend.  (the Target just happened to be across the street from the space museum where we celebrated Ezra's birthday and my kiddos were so exhausted from all the fun they didn't even complain - and even kind of enjoyed - a bit of shopping with their mama.) 

Happy Monday everyone!

spring cover

My oldest kiddo will be eleven on March 20th, the first day of Spring.  And, of course, he asked for a mama-made cover.  He already sleeps under two of the quilts that I made and uses pillowcases sewn by me but he wants a "new cover" and this mama is quite happy to oblige. 

I wanted this Spring cover to be simple and fresh, with clean lines and little fuss.  I chose sturdy home decor weight cottons with prints that reminded me of the colors found in Spring veggie and flower gardens with some crawly creature prints thrown in for fun.

 

I simply cut twenty-five 13 inch squares and assembled them into a 5x5 grid.

 

Here's the quilt top on my guy's full-size bed.  It's a bit larger that 5 x 5 feet.  I may add another row to the bottom to make it a foot longer.

Tomorrow I plan to back and very lightly quilt this top.  Then I'll attach the binding and have it all ready by Saturday.  Sounds ambitious but I don't mind losing a bit of sleep for my kiddo.  I also have squares cut for a Spring cover for David and Abigail  - but they will have to wait until next week.  Choosing, cutting, and arranging the fabrics took some time but sewing these together took exactly one hour.

 

I love how it compliments the colors already in his room.

 

And speaking of Spring, I cut a whole bunch of the daffodils from the garden and brought them inside - feels like spring in our kitchen.

 

And I'll leave you with this photo of Shadow looking all sweet and innocent behind my computer.  But the minute I look away he turns into a cord chewing machine.  Good thing all the sunshine we've been having puts me in a good mood.

another snow day or quilt top all done

I finished this quilt top.  It was inspired by this photograph of Leslie's vintage quilt.  Piecing instructions can be found here.

So while outdoors it looked like this:

Indoors it looked like this:

Here's a picture of my girlie claiming the quilt as her own.  Please don't mind the single pigtail and abundance of hair clips - she was in the midst of playing hair stylist when this photo op arose. And this girl of mine knows the importance of seizing the moment.

The quilt top measures about 58" x 72 inches.

Remy says, "Whoof!"  but what he really means is "I like you a lot and have a great day!"

See you all back here tomorrow - for some fun q & a and the giveaway winner.

monday wrap-up

We spent a fun, quiet weekend close to home.

I finished all twenty squares for this quilt. 

It took no time at all - which begs the question of why I let all those strips sit around my sewing room for months, mocking me every time I passed by them.  I will have to discuss this inability I have to complete a project with my therapist.  Oh wait, I don't have a therapist - instead I rely on blog friends to set me straight.  So why is it so difficult to finish something that you know will bring you so much joy when it is complete?

I hope to have it all in one piece tomorrow.  Really.

We read, played, checked out many books, and paid an overdue book fine (oops) at the library.

Then the girls shared a picnic while...

While the boys did ... whatever it is that boys do.  And why is it that the things that boys do always make this mama have to remind herself to breathe? 

Happy Monday friends.  And I hope you find the time to finish something fun today.

a bit of time + some fabric

Today I had a bit of time to play with fabric. 

I spent it:

Washing fabric...not to be confused with doing laundry.

Piecing fabric... because I really want to finish this quilt.

 

Cutting fabric... because my boy asked.  And because he also picked out the fabrics.

It was the perfect way to spend several hours.  And speaking of a nice way to spend several hours, last night my husband and I watched the film Transsiberian (2008).  Lots of mystery, suspense, drama, great acting - just thought I'd let you know if you're looking for something to add to your netflix queue for when the Olympics are done.

serious busy-ness

We've been busy playing...

together...

and enjoying the fact that temps have finally hit 50 degrees!

playsilk from Suzy of  Hip Mountain Mama.  I bought abigail three for Hanukkah and all three kiddos play with they all the time.

I also finished the baby quilt and burp clothes for the little boy with the big name.  His mama, Elinor, has been such an inspiration to me in so many ways.

Here's the front.

 

And back. 

And I love the stripy binding.

I also made these 5-minute burp clothes.

Out of prefold cloth diapers. (these are gerber brand from walmart) 

Instructions:  Pre-shrink diapers by washing them in hot water.  The padded center part will measure about 17 x 7 inches.  I cut a fabric to 19 x 9 inches and then ironed in an inch on each side.  Then sew along the perimeter with a quarter inch seam allowance.

 

 It's that simple. 

I used burp cloths like these when my kiddos were little and women would stop me all the time to ask where I bought them.  You can easily make a whole stack of these in an hour and have them ready for all those new mamas out there. 

 

I'm off to take some more bad photos with my new lens.  My husband totally surprised me with it last week - he is amazing in so many ways but I love how he supports and encourages all my serious busy-ness out here in blog land.  He says he just abides by the saying, "happy wife, happy life."

Hope you find the time to engage in some busy-ness this weekend!

 

things that need sending

I would like to thank my dear friend, Imene, for including me in her Blogview today. Imene shares her thoughts in the inspiring blog, A Journey To a Simple Happy Life, and I am honored to be interviewed by her.  Head on over to her space and check it out.

Right now I'm off to sandwich the front and back of this baby quilt so that I can finish it up and send it to its recipient.

And I need to get these December quilt blocks in the mail.  I pieced these houses using fabric received from Megan for 12 Squared.  These were so much fun to construct.  Megan will be bordering these with more of the white fabric because she underestimated the amount needed - these blocks require a LOT of fabric because of all the seaming and trimming associated with improvisational piecing. 

Here's a close-up.

Thank so much for all the tutorial love on my last post.  Just wanted to mention that you can use the chain piecing method of construction for all of your quilt blocks - be they plain, pieced, or displaying wonky houses. 

Sending you all big hugs and wishes for a happy Tuesday!

chain piecing squares

You asked for it. 

The two questions that I am asked most often have to do with chain piecing and matching points.  So here are a thousand pictures (along with a few words) on how I do it. 

1.  Choose some of your favorite fabrics and cut them into squares.  My squares are 5"x5".

2.  Randomly select two squares and sew them, right sides together, with a 1/4" seam allowance.  I use a 1/4" foot on my machine so that I can align the edge of the fabric with the edge of the foot.

3.  When you are done sewing the fabric continue to "sew" for about one inch - this forms a thread chain. 

 

4.  Do not cut the thread or break the chain.  Lift the presser foot and place another two squares, right sides together, and sew then together with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Repeat this until all your squares are in pairs.

Notice that I have sewn together 50 squares without getting up from my chair to press/iron.  Also, I have not cut any threads - this is really all one seam.  

And I love how they puddle on the floor.

5.  Cut the pieced squares apart by snipping the threads that connect them with scissors. 

6.  Open them up - you do not need to press at this point.  Now sew the pairs together into strips of 4 squares.

Lay the pieced squares, right sides together...

and sew with a 1/4" seam allowance - using your 1/4" sewing machine foot.

Once again do not cut the thread between squares.  Just "sew" an inch long chain after each seam, lift the presser foot, and insert the next squares.

Here they are in sets of four.

Here's a close-up of the "chain" of thread connecting the pieced square sets.

 

Cut these apart by snipping the threads with scissors. 

At this point you can chain piece these sets of squares together into sets of 8 and/or 16 or 32.

For this tutorial I will stop here and show you how I sew these rows of 4 together.

Once you get the rows as long as want, it will be time to press all the seams.

Before I press the seams I lay out all my rows and place them in the order I will be sewing them.

Then I press one row at a time, starting with the first row.

I press all the seams of the even numbered rows to one side (right or left - you choose) and all the odd numbered rows to the opposite side.  Now when I go to sew my rows together the intersections will butt up against each other, making it easy to match the points.  See below.

 

Here is how the joints butt up.  Use your fingers to butt the points/joints up.  At this point you can pin at each of these joints but I prefer to sew the rows together slowly and butt up each joint with my fingers as I come to it (I stop with needle in the down position and realign as needed).

You will soon see that if you sewed all the squares together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance and you got the first point/seam to match up then all the rest will follow suit - even if your row is 32 squares long!

Above are the first two rows, right sides together and first two joints butted up.

Note: Notice that the top edge of the rows may not line up exactly.  This is fine.  What is important is that the first Joint is butted up precisely - not the top edge of the row.

Sew the two rows together, right sides together, with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Continue to chain piece the rows together - two at a time.

Once you are done piecing all of the rows into sets of two, Press the long seam open with a hot iron. 

Do not iron back and forth - just press.

Now you are ready to sew the sets of two rows into sets of four rows.

Then sew the four row sets into eight row sets.  And 16 row sets until your quilt is the way you want it.

Sneak peak at my quilt here.  You can see several other quilts I made last year using the same method here, here and here - the only difference being that the squares were pieced into triangles first.  Please so not hesitate to ask any questions in the comments.

Hope this helps. But really if you make a quilt and your points do not match perfectly your kiddos will still love it just as much...

and they will still snuggle with it in their beds...

and they will drag it out onto the couch...

and they will still use it to build a fort...

and they will still spill chocolate milk all over it...

and they will still wrap it around their shoulders and run through the house pretending to have super powers...

and they will still love and appreciate it just as much as they would if every single point matched perfectly.

Have a wonderful weekend everybody. 

preping, making, buying - and playing

People Hanukkah is nearly here and only a fraction of the gifts have been completed....  So today I cleaned my house.  Because nothing reduces stress like a shiny countertops, vacuumed rugs and folded laundry.   Then I cut out these dolls.  Pattern by Emily Martin of Inside a Black Apple.

I have no idea how long it will take me to sew and stuff these but selecting the fabrics and cutting these girls out was so much fun.  They are adorable and the pattern is free.

And I finally got around to binding this  quilt.  I know what you're thinking, but I really dislike sewing the binding on - so I did it by machine.  It looks pretty good but best of all it's done - and these days I'm all about completing unfinished projects.  I used my binding-by-machine tutorial but cut the binding strips to 4" rather than the 4 1/2" that I recommend in the tutorial.  I think 4" looks better so I'll edit the tutorial as soon as I get a chance.

I also purchased three of these wood trays at walmart yesterday for the kiddos.  I'm hoping that not only will these make well received Hanukkah gifts but that they will also serve to keep their various collections in check and visually appealing.  I find rocks, crystals, seeds, shells, and pine cones everywhere  and I'm hoping this tray will encourage some organization - the old a place for everything and everything in its place.

And here are said kiddos looking through craft books for just the right gift to make for dad. 

Once they selected the gift that mom should "help" them make for dad they went back to what they normally do - act silly and scale furniture.  That's how we roll around here. 

Happy holiday prep everyone.  And check out this fun Hanukkah song written by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.

tidbit tuesday

I'm quite aware that it's Wednesday but this mama forgot that this Tuesday I had to take three kiddos to vote, then for a run in the park followed by some much needed sweater shopping.  Then they insisted they were hungry and made me feed them.  And when we got home after taekwondo it was way too dark to take pictures - darn time change.  Enough excuses...

tidbit #1 - How I sew buttons on to knits.

1.  Thread needle with wool.  Double yarn but do not knot.

2.  Pull needle through from the back, leaving a long tail of yarn.

3.  Pull back through the second buttonhole.

4.  Knot the two ends. Twice.

5.  Snip ends.  That's it.

I like this very simple method better than the traditional way because it's fast, secure and doesn't require much stabbing into the knit sweater - allowing you to remove the button for washing or for when you want to switch it out for a new look.

tidbit #2 - piecing pieced strips without pinning.  These are for the Leslie quilt.

 

Before beginning to sew, align the first seams (not the the tops of the strips) because it's most important that the seams match.  Use sewing machine to sew just past this first intersection.  Stop with the needle in the down position and ...

 align the second intersection and sew over it.  Stop with the needle in the down position and align the next seam.  You will continue gently tugging the fabric to match the seams til you get to the end of the strip.  See finished blocks here.  I find this method to be much faster than pinning all 10 intersections before heading to the sewing machine. (I tried to take photos with the fabric in the sewing machine but they turned out way too dark - hope this makes sense)

 

This method works for all quilts patterns where two or more seams need to be matched - try it when sewing blocks together into a quilt top.

Hope you find a way to incorporate these tidbits into projects you're working on.

I'd like to thank everyone on all the neighborly love from the last post.  I will be posting the top down "recipe" for the mods I made to the original neighborly later this week.  I also ordered more of the same wool (because I love it so much Jennifer) to knit a 'big girl' neighborly and I will be sharing the pattern once I get it knit up.

Also, several weeks back I dvr'd Oprah to see the show with Stephanie Nielson  - that's one inspiring lady.  But apparently I don't know how to program my dvr because yesterday I realized that I have taped the last 16 Oprah shows.  So last night I browsed through a show on shoes and accessories from last week that featured this knit "infinity scarf' from the Limited.  Ladies, we can so save $40 and make this "must have" fashion accessory!  I'm thinking some:

size 13 circular needles,

250 yards of bulky yarn, and

120 stitches, joined in the round

in a 1x1 rib pattern. 

Easy peasy!  I'm going to start mine today.  Let me know if you decide to knit one.  After all, how can we enter the winter season without the "must have" accessory?

Have a fantastic rest of the day!

this monday

This Monday I...

waited for my Milkweed Shawl to dry,

(I love all those garter ridges)

started a new sweater,

and played with color value.

I find arranging squares of yummy fabric on a batting-covered board to be meditative, creative and SO much fun.  Hope you find a bit of time to do something fun today!

stitches + play

I love everything about autumn!  But most of all I love being outside, taking walks, and going on outings with my family.  We spent most of this past weekend at an outdoor art and sculpture festival and a pumpkin farm - so much fun.   All this left very little time for sewing - one hour in the past four days to be exact - because after ignoring my house, the laundry, and grocery shopping all weekend, Monday was full of cleaning up and running errands.   

I finished these nine blocks of the Leslie Quilt, modified last Friday.  See how you can rotate the same block to make this cool pattern.  Only eleven more to go.  (each block is 15"x15" so just 9 blocks make a 45"x45" square)

So what did I sew in that one hour?  These two blocks for Amanda for the 12 squared quilting bee.

These are so simple and so much fun to sew.  I  used this tutorial.  No measuring or exact placement of fabrics and you get a very cool wonky star.  I see many more wonky/maverick stars in my future.

 

Thanks so much Amanda for introducing me to this super simple way to piece stars!

 

Some fun photos from our weekend...

 

 

 

Hope you're finding the time to enjoy this beautiful season!

instructions for Leslie's quilt, modified - part 1 of 2

Several weeks ago when Leslie of A Friend to Knit With posted yet another photo of her amazing quilt I knew that I had to come up with a way to recreate it.  And I was so excited when Leslie was generous enough to give me permission to write up and share a pattern of my version of her gorgeous quilt with you.  I modified the pattern so that the quilt could be strip pieced - thus eliminating the need to cut up hundreds of tiny squares - which is probably how Leslie's was constructed because it is hand pieced.

The first thing I did was sketch out this pattern. This pattern shows only one half of the quilt because I enjoy sewing much more than I enjoy pattern making - and I am a bit impatient.

I knew I wanted this quilt to emphasize color value.   Value is the relative lightness or darkness of a color. We change the value of a color by adding white or black to the color.  Playing with value makes for an interesting quilt because it helps define forms and create spatial illusions. If values contrast, shapes will appear to stand out from the others.   

To keep things simple, I chose to use four low value colors (deep, rich colors, containing lots of black) and then add various higher value (lighter colors with lots of white) fabrics.  This also makes the quilt easier to construct because you only need to keep track of 4 fabrics - all the others are randomly selected.

This is the 15 inch block.  Twenty of these blocks  laid out in a 4 x 5 grid will make a 60 x 75 inch quilt.  

So, without further ado, my pattern for Leslie's Quilt, modified:

To piece this this 60 x 75 inch quilt you will need: 

        1 yard each of the yellow, pink, red and green fabrics.

        3 yards of assorted fabrics containing higher values (more white) of these four colors (I used a mixture of 12 different fabrics)

        A 1/4inch foot on your machine (it doesn't really matter what your seam allowance is as long as it's uniform throughout) 

        this ruler (so make uniform 2" strips - quickly)

 

Four darker and richer (low value) colors. One yard each.  You can any 4 colors you wish as long as you keep the values constant.  Just remember that the darkness or lightness of a color is every bit as important as the color itself.

Twelve lighter (high value) colors.  Four 2" x 42" strips each (cut selvage to selvage)

the ruler that cut perfect strips - quickly.

Step 1:  Cut all fabric selvage to selvage, into 2" strips.  All strips will be 2" x 42"

You will need 16 green strips (2" x 42")

10 yellow strips, (2" x 42")

18 pink strips, (2" x 42")

14 red strips (2" x 42")

 42 strips of the lighter value fabrics (4 strips from each of the 12 fabrics).

 

Step 2:  Sew the 2" x  42" strips together into the 5 strip units shown below. 

Each strip unit contains 10 strips.  

You will need to make 2 of each of the 5 units for a total of 10 units.

Each unit will measure 15 1/2 inches wide x 42 inches long.

Unit #1:  Yellow, Pink, Green, Red, 6 lighter value strips (selected randomly)

Make 2 of this unit.

Unit #2: Pink, Yellow, Pink, Green, Red, 5 lighter value strips (selected randomly)

Make 2 of this unit.

Unit #3:  Green, Pink, Yellow, Pink, Green, Red, 4 lighter value strips (selected randomly)

Make 2 of this unit.

 

Unit #4:  Red, Green, Pink, Yellow, Pink, Green, Red, 3 lighter value strips.

Make 2 of this unit.

Unit #5:  1 lighter value strip, Red, Green, Pink, Yellow, Pink, Green, Red, 2 lighter value strips.

Make 2 of this unit.

Using above ruler, cut each of the 10 units into 20 (2 inch wide) strips.

You will have 5 stacks - each containing 40 strips.

This was all I had left.  I do not even cut off the selvage strips before sewing.

Step 3:  Join these new strips into 20 blocks.  Each block uses 10 strips  - 2 from each of the 5 units.

These strips are very easy to sew together because the small squares and all those seams give these strip units a lot of give.  Just sew slowly and tug the strip a bit to match the seams.

Tips for Sewing Together the  2" x 42" Strips: 

1.  To keep all those 42" strips nice and even always sew strips in sets of 2, then sets of 4, then two sets of 4 into a set of 8.  Finally add the last set of 2.  In other words, you do not want to ever sew one strip into a unit that already has  6 or more strips because the strip starts to stretch making it hard to keep the seams straight and even.

2.  Press after sewing each seam.  I highly recommend using the assembly line method.  First make 10 sets of 2 strips units.  Then take all 10 to the ironing board and press.  Next sew the ten 2 strip units together into five 4 strip units.  Take those to the press.  Etc.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the tutorial when we set the 20 blocks into 5 rows of 4 blocks each to reveal the quilt pattern.  Of course, first I need to piece the other 17 blocks! (but they only take about 20 minutes each)  People, putting this quilt and pattern together has been SO MUCH FUN!  And thinking of other ways to play with color value, hues, tones has had me up when I should be sleeping - in fact, I already have the fabrics cut for my next value quilt. 

I will leave you with this amusing little story.  I spent several hours each day this week volunteering at my kiddos school, helping with all the 1st and 2nd grade testing as well as some lunch duty.  My husband, who works nearly every weekend, was home several days this week.  On Thursday, when I returned home after 1:00pm and told him that from now on I will only be reading with 1st graders two mornings a week he mentioned that he thought I really enjoyed being at the school and asked me if I wanted to become a school teacher now that all three kiddos are in school.  Well, these four weeks have been the only four weeks in my entire life when I have not had a job, been a student, or a mom - or some combination of the three.  And after only about a dozen hours to myself I am not at all ready to get a full time teaching job.  I appreciate my husband's concern (and I know he meant well because he's a sweetie)  but there are many more quilting, sewing and knitting projects calling my name!  Plus, who will have the strawberry banana smoothies waiting for the kiddos when they get home?

 

more on quilting

Look familiar?  Yup, it's more strip piecing around here.  I've pre-cut all the fabric for this quilt. You didn't think I was going to cut and sew hundreds of squares, did you?  If you look carefully, you may see that I replaced two of the main fabrics.  This is because I decided to make this quilt twin sized and I didn't have enough of the other two fabrics.  All fabric requirements and instructions coming by the end of the week.  If you can sew a straight line and cut strips, you can make this quilt.

In my last post I offered tips for free motion quilting. 

However if you are not yet ready for free motion you can quilt your quilt using machine-guided quilting which is really just like regular sewing.  All you need to do is:

1.  Tape out a grid on your quilt using blue painter's tape. 

        (or you can just follow the lines in your quilt)

        (you can remove and reuse the tape over and over so tape out just several lines at a time)

2. Install a walking foot.   

(you must use this foot to avoid wrinkles in your quilt.  The walking foot contains an upper set of feed dogs to match the lower feed dogs already in your machine - these work together to feed all three layers evenly.  The walking foot is also ideal for attaching binding.)

3.  Put in a new quilting needle.

4.  Sew along the lines of the blue tape, removing safety pins as you come to them.

First watermelon from our garden - not very big, but very sweet.

Have a wonderful week!  and don't forget to play.

a whole bunch of free motion quilting tips and a new quilt

I have been very busy at the kids' school this week.  But I did manage to finish quilting my log cabin quilt.  It still needs binding but I went ahead and took some pictures.

Here are several close-ups of the quilting.  I did a kind of messy stipple/meandering quilting because I like the way it makes the quilt all 'crinkly' after it's washed and because it is much faster that straight line quilting using a walking foot.  The kind of quilting I did is called free motion quilting because it's done with the feed dogs lowered on the machine which allows the quilt to move around freely under the needle.  With the feed dogs down you will also be controlling the direction and length of the stitches.  The machine will move the needle up and down and you will move the quilt back, forth and side to side.  It's kind of like drawing with the needle - only the machine is the pencil and you are moving the paper (quilt).  It sounds complicated but it's not once you get the hang of it.    

Often the only thing stopping people from attempting free motion quilting is fear.  I know because I too had fear.  And then one day I made myself a dozen 12X12 inch quilt sandwiches (just squares of batting and fabric pictured below) and practiced, practiced, practiced.  So:

1.  put in a free motion quilting or darning foot.  (This foot has a spring in its shank that lets it "hop" out of the way as you are moving your quilt around)

2. lower the feed dogs on the machine (there's usually a switch in the back of the machine - read the manual)

3.  Put in a new quilting needle.

4.  adjust the needle stop in the DOWN position.  (this way each time you stop sewing the needle will remain down in the fabric, allowing you to continue from the same stitch)  Watch Crazy Mom Quilts' video to see how this works during actual quilting.

5.  Thread the machine.  Remember that in order to thread the machine properly you'll need to release the needle tension while you are threading and engage the tension right before you take the thread through the needle.  This ensures that the thread is going through the tension disks properly.  (this is not specific to free motion - you should already be doing this each time you thread your machine.  But if you don't thread the machine properly for free motion you'll see loops of thread bunching up on the back of your quilt)

6.  Begin practicing on your 12 inch quilt 'sandwiches.'  Move a square under the needle, placing a hand on each side, and move the quilt under the needle to form the stippling design.

There are some great tutorials in blog land on free motion quilting.  Alissa of Handmade by Alissa has a great tutorial here.  Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts has a super informative video on free motion quilting. And this photo of Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio with her quilt over her shoulder is one good way to maneuver a large quilt.   Kathy also writes about the importance of using a sharp quilting needle.  Personally, I do not like to wear gloves while I quilt but you can try it and do what works for you.

TEN Very Important Things to Keep In Mind:

1.  Don't worry about consistent stitch length at first - that will come with practice.  The varied stitch length is the mark of a real person (you) moving the quilt around with you hands, and not a machine.

2.  The hardest part of free motion quilting is coordinating your machine's speed with the speed with which you move your quilt.  Find the machine speed (controlled by the foot pedal) that is comfortable for you and keep it consistent.  My machine has a slider bar that allows you to adjust machine speed - I like to set it on 'medium fast' which lets me floor the pedal without going crazy fast.  Then I move the quilt under the needle at 'medium' speed.

3.  Try to look just ahead of the needle at all times to see where your stitching is headed (kinda like looking ahead while driving)

4.  If your stitches are too long, increase the speed of your machine and slow down the movement of your hands.

5.  If the stitches are too small and bunched together, decrease the machine speed and increase the movement of your hands.

6.  First start the machine running slowly.  Don't move your hands (quilt) until you have taken a stitch or two.  Then move you hands slowly as you increase the machine speed.

7.  Problem solving tip:  If there are long loops of thread on the back side of the quilt, only two things could have caused this problem.  (1) you forgot to lower the presser foot before beginning to stitch or (2) you forgot to raise the presser foot when you threaded the machine.  To solve this:  carefully rethread the machine and start over.

8.  To train your brain, practice drawing the design on a piece of paper before you stitch.

9.  Any imperfect section will be hidden once the whole quilt is quilted.  It's the effect of the whole quilt that matters.  Remember that the recipient of the quilt does not know the effect you were trying to achieve.

10. This is truly lots of fun.  So grab a glass of wine, a comfy chair, turn the music up loud (the machine makes lots of noise) and quilt!

I will answer any questions in the comments - so ask away.

Question of the day:  What are the fabrics above, combined with...

...these fabrics...

going to become?

Answer:  My strip pieced version of this amazing quilt.  Several weeks ago Leslie of A Friend to Knit With was generous enough to give me permission to write up and share a pattern of my version of her gorgeous quilt with you.  It took me a while to figure out how to piece it correctly without having to cut up hundreds of tiny squares - which is probably how Leslie's was constructed because it is hand pieced.  Pattern coming soon so stock up on purple nail polish and search out the cutest embroidered jeans ever! (just kidding)  And if you were wondering why the lower left hand corner of my sketch is conspicuously covered by fabric it's because I totally screwed up while watching episodes of Project Runway.  But I promise that my math skills are far more accurate than my drawing skills.  Really.

Have a great weekend everyone!

some questions and answers

What am I doing with this paintbrush?  Why cleaning my sewing machine, of course.  Quilting produces A LOT of lint.  Most of the lint pictured was found under the bobbin mechanism. 

How did I back Abigail's birthday pillow?  asked  Heather.  With a simple envelope backing made out of two pieces of fabric that overlap. To keep everything nice and neat, i like to do a 5 inch overlap.

How I sew an envelope pillow cover:

1.  Calculate the size to which you'll cut the fabric for a 5 inch overlap.  My formula for this is length of the pillow divided by 2 + 8 inches. (8 inches because you'll need 5 for overlap + 2 inches for the hem + 1 inch for seam allowance)  My pillow is 24 inches square so I cut my backing fabric to 20 inches (24/2 = 12 +8 = 20)  You'll need TWO of these.  Mine were cut 20 x 25 inches.  (25" because the pillow is 24"+1" for seam allowance)

2. Hem the edges.  Fold the edge over 1 inch; press.  Fold over one inch again, press again and top stitch the hem in place.  Do the same on the second flap.

3.  Arrange the two back pieces on the pillow top with hemmed edges overlapping towards the center.  They will both be right sides together with the pillow top.  Pin in place and stitch all the way around (all 4 sides) with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

4.  Reinforce the flaps by back stitching over the spot where the flaps end.  (see photo below)

5.  Snip the corners.  Turn right side out.  Enjoy.

Why did I pull out this quilt?  I've been thinking a lot about color and value and how I love playing with both when creating a quilt.  I was inspired by posts here and here.   I see more 'value quilts' in my future.  And soon.

What did the kiddos and I do in our down time this weekend while dad was at work?   Built a Lego Monster Dino.  This thing has a lot of pieces that make up the many parts but so worth it when you hear him roar and watch him walk - forwards and backwards - around the room!

Why is there a Lego dragonfly in our geraniums?  We were inspired by this super cool website.  Thanks to a link on Blair's blog.

So much fun!

Why are we eating apples and honey?  For a sweet new year.

And whether or not you celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I wish you and your family much health, joy and sweetness.

wednesday update

knitting update:

I am knitting the milkweed shawl pattern by cosmicpluto knits.  I finally decided i had to knit something - anything really - with the gorgeous yarn I got from Heather of Shivaya Naturals.   And then I came across this photo on flickr the other night and I knew I had the perfect pairing of pattern and yarn. 

A few words about the pattern:  this pattern is every quick and easy (all the stitches are knit).  The pattern itself is beautifully written with 6 charts in addition to row by row written directions for each of the charts, making it super easy to follow. 

And it knits up super fast.  This bottom photo was taken yesterday!

sewing update:

I whipped this pillow up for Abigail for her birthday last week.

This was a quick (and late at night) project.   I was too tired to find a quilting pen so I stitched the '5' freehand.

 

And I couldn't go wrong with ric rac ribbon in pink.

 

Yay!  She loves it.

But now that she's five this kiddo has places to go, and books to read, and games to play - leaving very little time for impromptu photo shoots.  

Quilting this pillow gave me some much need free motion practice so today I began quilting my log cabin quilt.  More on that, and a fun quilting pattern surprise, coming soon.  Happy Wednesday everyone!

'double oops' or 'I'd like to learn color theory'

Today I was planning on showing you my rusted root sweater but no such luck because:

Oops #1.  Even though I knit an extra repeat (10 rows) the sweater was still too short.  Obviously my gauge was way off.  So on Saturday night I unraveled the ribbing and knit an additional repeat (10 more rows).  On Sunday night I picked up the sweater with the intent of knitting the ribbing and binding off when I realized that...

Oops #2.  I accidentally knit the extra repeat using the US 5 needles that I used to pick up the stitches instead of the US 6 which I had originally used to knit the entire sweater.  How did I know this, you ask?  Well, because the new stitches were one-half the size of the old ones!  Tonight I will be unraveling and knitting yet again and I hope to have a finished sweater to show you on Friday.

But last night I felt the need to distance myself a bit from the rusted root - to take a deep breath and clear my head a bit and so I began knitting the Scoop Pullover - of course!  I have no idea how this neckline will look on me but with thick yarn and US 8 needles this is sure to be a quick knit.

And remember that fabric that I received from Sarah for the 12 Squared Quilting bee?  Well I just love the combo of lights and darks and reds and blues and tans and how amazingly they all play off one another. 

These are the blocks that I pieced for Sarah - she asked for a squares/log cabin-y look.

I love the way that the colors play off one another so much that I've decided that I need to learn more about color theory.

I'm currently reading these books and will post on what I learn.

Speaking of color theory, don't the colors of the tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden - which I used to make a yummy salad - compliment one another perfectly?

happy friday

We are crazy busy around here trying to squeeze in every last bit of playing, swimming, and visiting before school begins next month. 

But I did manage to finish my rusted root.  It's blocking now and photos will be coming soon.

And I pieced a pillow for Abigail. Can you see the zigzag pattern?  Ever since I made David's pillow she has been asking/begging for one.  Remember these blocks?  Well they have been waiting patiently for just the right project.   Not only will Abigail have her own 'special' pillow, but I will get a bit of practice with free motion quilting before I begin on the log cabin quilt.  I will be posting tips on free motion quilting - but nothing can replace practice and more practice.

I would have gotten lots more done if I didn't have to do this every two hours because my kiddos are hungry all day long.  But I don't mind because summer is the ideal time to cook and eat lots of yummy, healthy food.  There will be more than enough time for crafting once school begins.

Yesterday we had loads of fun at the Virginia Air and Space Museum.  Thanks for the inspiration Heather.

Happy Friday!

how I sandwich a quilt and a happy accident

Today I finished sandwiching my log cabin quilt top pieced using the strip piecing method.

Here are the simple steps I follow to prepare the quilt for the actual quilting.  This is the part of quilting that I enjoy the least but is really very important.  In fact, if a quilt is not sandwiched properly, one could easily see the hours of precise cutting, piecing and matching points go to waste when the quilt bunches and stretches during quilting.  (please do not ask how I know this - lets just say I've learned much through trial and error.) 

Step 1.  Measure your completed quilt top and piece the quilt back to be 4-6 inches wider and longer than the quilt top.   This is important as the top tends to shift a bit during quilting.

Step 2.  Place the quilt back on the floor wrong side up and tape it to the floor using blue painters tape.  Pull it snug so that there are no wrinkles and the fabric lays flat but do not stretch it.  This keeps the layers flat and taught during pinning and will serve to eliminate puckers that can form on the back during quilting.

Step 3.  Cut the batting the same size as the quilt back (4-6 inches larger than the quilt top)  and place it on top of the quilt back.  I use warm and natural cotton batting that I buy at Joann's using the 40% off coupon - I have found it to be the best batting available.

EDITED TO ADD:  It has been brought to my attention that I neglected to mention that I use warm and natural batting that is 90" wide - this way I do not need to piece the batting.  Batting can easily be pieced using a wide zig-zag stitch.  The batting also comes in 34"  and 45"  widths if you are working on smaller projects.  This quilt measures 65" x 72". Thanks Lisa.

Step 4. Place the quilt top on the batting right side up.

Step 5.  Pin all the layers together, placing the pins about 6 inches apart.  I use these little curved pins made especially for sandwiching quilts because they are easier to close when the quilt is taped to the floor.

Here is the quilt all pinned.

Step 6.  Remove all the blue tape and, using scissors, cut around the perimeter of the quilt leaving two inches of extra backing and batting all around the quilt top.

All sandwiched and awaiting quilting! 

Please ask any questions you may have in the comments as I am not sure that this tutorial is all that clear.

EDITED TO ADD:  It has been brought to my attention that I neglected to mention that I use warm and natural batting that is 90" wide - this way I do not need to piece the batting.  Batting can easily be pieced using a wide zig-zag stitch.  The batting also comes in 34"  and 45"  widths if you are working on smaller projects.  This quilt measures 65" x 72". Thanks Lisa.

As for that happy accident....

Today we discovered this gigantic cucumber in the garden that we had apparently overlooked for ... let's just say - a very long time.  It was 10 inches long and 5 inches in diameter!  That was the 'accident' part.  I say was because the 'happy' part came when we got to watch our guinea pigs eat it.

Once we put then in their enclosure they ate the whole thing!

Here's wishing you many 'happy accidents' this weekend!

stitching amongst the play

We've been spinning...

and winning...

and bumping.

 And picking... Chinese eggplant from the garden!

And in the few 'free' moments I've finished piecing the back of the log cabin quilt.

Here it is pressed and taped to the floor and ready for sandwiching with the quilt top and batting. 

And a bit more knitting on my rusted root.  I love this sweater - and I'm trying to remain optimistic about the super large neck opening 

Happy Saturday and enjoy your weekend!

thinking small

After a weekend full of house guests, eating, swimming and amusement parks visits I am feeling the need to clean and regroup.  While my knitting has been moving along nicely, I find myself surrounded with too many large and unfinished projects in the sewing room.  When I began my quilting journey I worked on many small projects that I could finish quickly, teaching myself new methods and techniques along the way - mostly through trial and error.  Although I no longer want to make the kind of quilts I made years ago, I feel the need to "work smaller" once again so that I can try out all the new ideas floating around in my head.  I want to try out new color and fabric combinations, new piecing methods, some hand stitching, and new-to-me free motion quiting designs. 

All this brings up the age old question of what to do with numerous small quilts that inevitably end up resembling place mats.  I think I may turn some into pillows or totes or place mats even, but the rest will simply serve their purpose in helping overcome boundaries that I have unintentionally set for myself because of the fear of "ruining" a large quilt.  I look forward to sharing what I learn along the way - both my successes and failures.  But before I embark, I will be completing my log cabin quilt and posting notes on how I sandwich, pin, quilt and bind it.  Completing this quilt first will help me feel better about having finished a large project as well as free up some much needed space in my sewing area.

On the knitting front, I've been working on the rusted root - mainly in the car as this has turned out to be the summer of driving...

and thinking...

and discovering new treasures in the garden.

I am so grateful to summertime for providing me with the opportunity to think and discover and just "be."

 

a bit of sewing and a lot of playing

I am interrupting my day of play to bring you a quickie tutorial for this randomly pieced pillow.

I apologize in advance for these dark photos but there are really two things to keep in mind when piecing in this manner.

THING #1:  Cut your background fabric 2 inches larger than you want your finished pillow top because the edges will not always line up and the edges will need to be trimmed after piecing.  For this 24" pillow top, I cut a 26" square of fabric.

Then randomly cut fabric and insert 2" strips.  Do not cut the strips fabric on the diagonal.

Then cut the fabric again and insert another strip.

THING #2:  If you want the first strip (green) to line up when you are inserting the second strip (red fabric) then you have to match up the points where you want the fabrics to intersect and pin.  Do not try to line up the outside edges - these will remain uneven and will be trimmed at the end. 

Next cut the fabric again and insert a third strip.  Do this several more times.  Trim the outside edges and you're done.  I don't have time to finish this right now but you get the idea.  Time to return to playing with my family.

 

I can fly planes with the boys...

lounge with the kitty....

pick cucumbers with ezra...

 

scooter down the road....

discuss important matters with david and abigail...

or catch a praying mantis!

 

Decisions, decisions!  Happy Wednesday everyone!

Log cabin blocks and honest things

I so did not intend to be gone so long but my husband had several days off so we took advantage to every minute.  Beaches, museums and amusement parks were visited, much junk food was consumed, and many belly laughs were had.  Today, the kiddos and I are taking it easy. 

My log cabin quilt top is complete and I will be posting tips on measuring for the backing, sandwiching a quilt top, basting, quilting and binding as I go.

But first here are some tips on sewing together your log cabin blocks:

1.  Before you begin sewing the blocks together, take a minute to make sure they are square and uniform in size.  If they are not, use your ruler and rotary cutter to trim them so that they are uniform.

2.  Next lay your blocks out onto the floor or a "design board" so that you can arrange them in the pattern that is most pleasing to you.  My board is made up of a thick piece of foam core from Home Depot that I covered with quilt batting using a staple gun. 

3.  Always sew your blocks together in rows first. 

4.  Iron the seam allowances of the even numbered rows to either the left or the right.  Then iron the seam allowances of the odd numbered rows in the opposite direction.  

5.  When all of the rows are complete, sew the first two rows together, then the next two rows, and so on.  Finally sew the pairs of rows together to complete the top.  It is much more difficult to sew one row at time onto a growing quilt top.

6.  Admire your quilt top, call the kiddos into the room to give you even more compliments, and begin planning the quilt back!

Oh, and remember this pillow top that I pieced using some extra strips.  Well it is now a much loved, and much used, pillow.

Stay tuned for a tutorial on improvisational piecing so that you can make one of these for your own kiddos.  It's a great project for practicing your free motion quilting before you begin to quilt your large quilt - and who doesn't love a pillow project that you can't mess up because anything goes!

Several days ago I was so moved to be awarded with the Honest Scrap Award by Heather of Shivaya Naturals.  I was so honored to receive this from Heather because her blog provides me with such inspiration and insight.  I especially enjoy her posts on crafting with and homeschooling her kiddos and her amazing healthy and kid friendly recipes.  And don't even get me started on her gorgeous hand dyed yarn.  Thank you Heather for the honor.

Now I have to divulge ten honest things about myself.  So here goes:

1.  I can't follow a recipe if my life depended on it.  I always end up throwing in some extra ingredients I have on hand or altering the cooking process in some way.  This is also why I don't bake much as my cooking method is only conducive to quick breads such as banana, carrot, craisins, chocolate chip bread - yes, I made this last week.

2.  I love that the kiddos are home with me all summer but I really miss exercising at the gym.

3.  Scouring the house, especially the kids rooms, for stuff to donate is one of my favorite pass times.  I walk around the house with a large bag and toss in anything that isn't getting use.  I especially enjoy dropping the bags off at their destination, the thrift store.

4.  My favorite time of day is morning.  I begin each morning at 6:30 am by walking my dogs down our road.  Watching them run and frolic off leash in the cool of the morning reminds me that happiness really is in the little things.

5.  I have to knit and sew, or at least plan to knit of sew, something each day in order to be truly happy.

6.  My husband is my best friend - and has been for over twenty years.

7.  For years I have watched almost no TV.  But over the past few weeks I have discovered, and become slightly addicted to, two TV shows - which I Tivo and watch in the evening when I knit.  I watch Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and  Rate my Space. 

8.  I didn't speak English until I was five years old.  That was when my family emigrated to southern California from Russia.  We were able to emigrate because we were not allowed to practice our religion in the former Soviet Union.  Both my grandparents were Holocaust survivors and were very proud that they were instrumental in "bringing" their children and grandchildren to America.  Growing up, we had very little but I always felt special that I was fortunate enough to grow up in the US.  

9.  For the last ten years we have lived in the country.  Our only non-grocery store is walmart so we drive about 45 minutes to shop at Target, Trader Joe's, and the mall.  We also drive the 45 min to go to parks, museums, or the beach.  I don't mind all the driving because it gives me the opportunity to talk with, sing songs, and laugh with my kiddos without the distractions (and occasional bickering) present when we are home.

10.  I have a masters and a doctorate degree because my family encouraged education (see #8) and because I love school.  But despite my degrees and my love for school, I could not be happier with my choice to be a stay-at-home mom. 

I leave you with photos of our first cucumber and pickle harvest...

and consumption.

May you find happiness in the little things today. 

in small increments

Summer is in full swing around here.  We are busy driving from swim team practice to taekwondo classes to the library for fun reads and back again - literally.  That leaves very little time for crafty endeavors but I did manage to get this pillow top quilted. 

I'm posting this today even though I did not have the time it takes to sew the six seams that would make it into an actual pillow sham that I could stuff with an actual pillow insert.  But I figure it's summertime and the kiddos are home and my sewing space is super hot - so I can post in small increments.  Just the little bit that was accomplished; and then the bits will come together and add up to a whole lot of completed projects.  A girl can hope!

I'm not so sure that the stipple quilting works so well with the strong lines of the piecing but I like it.  Maybe it's that the curvy lines of the quilting compliment the straight lines of the piecing - hmmm.

Here's a close up of the quilting:

Enjoy your weekend and give yourself permission to work in small increments.  Completing an actual project this early into summer is so overrated!

summertime and log cabin blocks

"To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle.  Every cubic inch of space is a miracle."
             Walt Whitman

We have been enjoying every hour of summer around here.

And marveling at the beauty of the weeds in our little space.

There has also been a bit of quilting going on.

When the piecing of the log cabin blocks was complete, I realized that all the primary colors in these fabrics make this quilt quite bright.  To tone it down a bit, I added a white fabric border (2 inch strips) to half the blocks.  Here are some of the blocks on my felt board.

There are lots of ways to arrange these scrappy log cabin blocks into a quilt.  The simplest is to trim the blocks so that they are the exact same size and sew them together - first into rows and then to sew the rows together to complete the top.

You can also add a border to every other block like I did.  Just be sure to go back and make the remainder of the blocks larger so that all the blocks are the same size.

Another option would be to border all of the blocks in a complimentary fabric (or white) like so.

Finally, the blocks can sewn together with sashing in between.  Simply sew the blocks together in rows with your sashing strips in between.  Then sew the rows together with horizontal sashing strips in between the rows. 

 

And while I was sewing, and the boys were putting together an airplane model, abigail was busy sorting and labeling.

I think I will choose one "plain" and two "sassy" buttons!

Here's to enjoying every hour of the light and dark!

Highlighted in yellow

Years ago, while browsing in the bookstore, I spotted this little book.  Highlighted in Yellow, a short course in living wisely and choosing well is a book made up of inspiring quotations and short stories on the key points of living a good life.  I loved this book so that I sent it to friends and family and I still keep my tattered copy in the nightstand and refer to it often - who doesn't need an book of fun and uplifting quotes nearby? 

This week has been nutty with awards assemblies, parties, a science fair, an emergency tooth extraction for the 10 year old, and numerous taekwondo sessions in preparation for tonight's color belt testing. 

But today is the first official day of summer vacation and this quote from Highlighted in Yellow jumped out at me as I was flipping through:

"It is a gift to be able to paint a particular picture or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look.  To affect the quality of the day - that is the highest of the arts."   
                                                 Henry David Thoreau

I know that if I choose to be positive and enthusiastic each day that, with the kiddos older and more independent, these ten weeks will be the best ever!

With that in mind, we flew remote controlled planes as the sun came out early this morning.

I have most of my log cabin blocks pieced and will soon be sharing a tutorial on various ways of sewing the blocks together into a quilt.  With all these primary colors this quilt is going to be bright - but the 8 year old loves it and that's all that matters.

And I will soon revisit my abandoned rusted root sweater because I received these in the mail yesterday.  Thanks for the tip Lisa.

May you choose to partake in the art of affecting the quality of your day this Friday!

first day of summer vacation

Today was abigail's first day of summer vacation.

So we spread an old blanket under our river birch tree and watched the leaves shimmer in the sunlight.

I wished I could read and knit at the same time because last night I stayed up way too late reading this amazing book that I highly recommend. But I so wanted to work on my cavern cardi.

When abigail became bored of listening to me talking about my reading and knitting we brought out the piggies, ella and lucy.

We fed them lettuce leaves left over from lunch.

Remy thought we were fattening them up so that he could have lunch.

Then one piggie went exploring...

And remy assured us that he would keep an eye on her!

After their walk, the two little piggies went home for a snack.

Abigail had her snack too.

Yum.

I received a question regarding how to quickly tell which way the blocks need to be rotated and which side to piece next.

Answer:  always sew onto the edge that has 3 fabrics exposed.  For example, in the above photo all the blocks need to be placed on the next strip so that it is sewn to the BOTTOM  ( where there are 3 fabrics exposed)

Here they are, placed correctly, onto the next strip.

Hope you're savoring these first days of summer.

quick hints for easy peasy log cabin quilt blocks

Thank you so much for your kind comments to my last log cabin quilt post.  As I slowly progress on the piecing  I realize there is more I want to share.  Here are some helpful hints:

1.  If this is your first quilt don't make it too big.  30 ten to twelve inch blocks will give you a nice 4ft x 5ft quilt.

2.  You will need a half yard each of  8 - 10 coordinating fabrics.

3.  remember to PRESS the squares each time you cut them apart and always press the seems out AWAY from the center.   This will allow your square to lie flat and ...well, square.

4.  For piecing, choose any color neutral thread.  The thread does not have to match your fabrics as it will not be visible - any of these would be fine.

5.  To keep the blocks looking random, keep all of your squares in a pile to pull from and place on your next strip.  These have already been cut apart and pressed:

6.  Keep a garbage bowl nearby when cutting the squares apart.

7.  Most importantly, find something to occupy the kiddos so that you can sew.  Mine made many airplanes out of foam plates and drinking straws.   The ones pictured flew the farthest.  (ezra took this picture)

My power is currently out and it is storming outside.  I'm going to go cuddle with my girl and watch my veggies perk up in the rain - so much better than me going out there to water!  Now let's just hope the power comes back soon - definitely not one of the perks of living in the country!

easy-peasy log cabin tutorial

I absolutely love the katie jump rope fabric line by denyse schmidt and I have slowly been collecting prints, several yards at a time.  I will be making a scrappy log cabin quilt and posting my progress with tutorials as I go along.  Follow along with me and use your favorite fabrics to make your own log cabin quilt.   Here's how:

I will be making approximately 42  - 10 inch blocks for a large lap/twin quilt size.  This tutorial uses the chain piecing method so there will be no need for measuring fabric fabric pieces, making precise cuts, or perfect seam allowances.  Because there are no points to match this is perfect for a first quilt.  In fact, you can make the squares a little big larger and then use a ruler to cut them to the 10 inch size.

First, cut 8 - 12 of your favorite coordinating fabrics into 2 inch strips, selvage to selvage.  The number of strips of each fabric will depend on how many squares you will be making, but 4 - 6 strips of each fabric is a good place to start.

Press the fabric strips well.

Cut 2 x 2 inch squares for the center of the log cabin blocks. 

I chose to cut 42 white squares for the centers to unify all of the various fabric patterns.  You can use a coordinating color or pattern or make the centers in different colors.

Next, choose a 2 inch strip and place it under the presser foot of your sewing machine.  Lay the 2 inch center squares - ONE AT A TIME - on the strip and sew it down.  When you get to the end of the 2 inch square stop sewing, lift the presser foot, and place down the next square, lower the presser foot.  Sew it down, stop sewing, lift the presser foot, and place down the next square, lower the presser foot, and sew.  Do this until you have ten center squares in the strip.  Do not pin.

This is what the strip looks like when it comes through the machine.  There are no points or fabric edges to get caught in the machine, no cutting of thread, and no matching of two small squares - it is much easier to place the small squares on a long strip of fabric.

Here is what the strips will look like.  Notice that there is room left on the strip but I chose to only sew 9-10 center squares on each strip in order to vary the patterns of the blocks.

Note: leave as little room as possible between squares so as not to waste fabric.

These strips are lots of fun to piece - and super easy!

Using a ruler and rotary cutter, cut the squares apart.  Cut out and discard the little bit between the squares.

You will have 42 pieces.

Open them up and PRESS with the seam allowance away from the white center square.

Now select another long strip (cut selvage to selvage), place it under the presser foot and begin sewing the pieced rectangles to it.  Lay them down ONE AT A TIME and sew.  Stop when you get to the end, lift up the presser foot, place down another pieced rectangle, lower the presser foot, sew.  Repeat until you get to the end of the strip.  Do not pin.

Here's the strip right after it comes out the machine.

Cut the blocks apart and PRESS them open with the seam allowances away from the center white square.  This is as far as I got, but for those of you who want to work ahead...

Choose another strip, lay down the pieced blocks as pictured above and sew.  Lay and sew the blocks ONE AT A TIME - the picture above is for demo only to show the orientation of the blocks.

More tutorials coming us as I progress with the quilt.  Please ask any questions in the comments - this piecing is so simple to do but kinda hard to describe. 

Enjoy your weekend  - and remember to play some!