Quilt News for the Happy New Year!! New Improv Quilt Block Piecing Experiments and Modern Improv Quilting be the Boss of Your Design by Laura Veenema Review

Piecing process, Four Improv Log Cabin blocks...

Another scrappy improv block.

Four Improv Scrappy Log Cabin blocks pieced...

One of my scrappy piecing block experiments, and I like it.

This is a great book full of inspiration and step by step explanation of her process.

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends!! 

 I hope you're enjoying the Holidays and looking forward to the New Year like I am!! 

Modern Improv Quilting Be the Boss of Your Design by Laura Veenema is an exciting book for all of us improv quilting aficionados. This copy is checked out from my local library and there was a long waiting line to get it!! Laura explains her concept of 'Improv Quilting for the Win.' She purposely does not spell out improv quilting as a pattern to follow but rather an idea, a concept and then she clearly explains 'The three improvisational quilting techniques designed to get you started.' And several projects are included 'using those improv techniques.' Super book, good communication and colorful photos.

 I've been pulling out my scraps and doing a little organization, tidying and piecing  It's easier for me to work with my scraps when they're organized (in stacks) by color. I stack the darker colors then the mediums and so forth. And Improv Log Cabin blocks and geometric shapes are my favorite way to start building blocks. So when I don't have a clear idea on what the next project will be I start getting ready for the idea to 'materialize' :) and just piecing in that way relaxes the creative juices and they start to flow. The Holidays after all are a time to rest and reflect on the coming new year and stress is so over rated.

That's the news from the valley where we have sun and cool temperatures.

Happy New Year to you and your family and I'll be by to visit! 

Quilt News!! Hand Quilting Start on Snowball Blocks with Borders Quilt, Christmas Color.. Carolyn Forster's Book Hand Quilting Techniques is an Excellent Reference Book

My Amarylis in coral and cream #1 bloom!

O Holy Night.....

My hand quilting tools at the ready...Hera markers are so useful!!

 

Hello Quilt Friends!!! 

December is here and this year we've had rain and warmer temperatures. Right now the sun is peeking out, wonderful.

I've started the hand quilting process on my Snowball Blocks with Sawtooth Borders small quilt. I was inspired to start this little quilt by reading through Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy by Sara Larson Buscaglia. I added the Sawtooth borders and used my own colors in Kona Cotton solids, whites and various reds, yes an orange too. And for hand quilting inspiration I've been reading through Carolyn Forster's book Hand Quilting for Farmhouse Style. As I said in the post title this is an excellent reference book, good to have on hand to help you through the process.

I hope you're enjoying the season. Shake off the 'bah humbug' and live in the moment! Chocolate is really pretty good, so are Christmas cookies. When I was growing up we had a neighbor that would bring us a plate of various Christmas cookies during the holidays, they were delicious. God bless her for being so generous.

Be merry, I'll be by to visit!! 

Quilt News! Hand Quilting Progress on my HST Medallion Quilt with Borders, Sashiko Hand Stitching Arrow Pattern Variation, Improv Piecing Borders for Red and White Snowball Block Quilt, Fall Color Still Life

Hand quilting on my HST Medallion quilt with Borders in Baptist Fan/Wave pattern.

Arrow pattern variation stitched on cotton/linen vintage fabric with #8 Perle cotton.

Fall Color still life from my kitchen window.

Borders for my Snowball Block small quilt, piecing in improv Sawtooth formation.

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we do have so much to be thankful for!!

I remember my mom and dad saying that around Thanksgiving time and it still lightens up the day to stop and give some thought to being thankful.

This last week I've been hand quilting Baptist Fan/Wave pattern to finish up my HST Medallion Quilt with Borders. I use Coats and Clark Quilting & Piecing Thread 35wt. 

And I'm piecing improv Sawtooth borders for my small Snowball Block quilt inspired by Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy by Sara Larson Buscaglia, project on pg. 127. I'm adding borders and finishing as I wish. There are a lot of good projects and ideas in that book.

I'm almost finished with my Sashiko Arrow Stitch pattern stitched on linen/cotton vintage white fabric. It's beautiful and I'll use it in my kitchen. Japanese Country Quilting by Karen Kim Matsunaga is the book I use for Sashiko inspiration and tutorials.

I like to keep colorful bits and pieces of the natural world and unique findings from exploring 2nd hand stores and thriftshops in my kitchen window to keep color inspiration within sight.

And that is the quilt news from the valley where I'm remembering to be thankful!!! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. 

I'll be by to visit.

 

 

Quilt News! My Snowball Block Quilt Top Finish Inspired by Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy by Sara Larson Buscaglia, Local Farmer's Market Color!!!

Mushrooms growing on a stump among leaves in the back yard.

Pumpkins at local Farmer's Market in town....

Finished piecing small Snowball block quilt top for project in Farm and Folk Quilt Alchemy book.

Piecing Snowball blocks together...

Piecing progress on Snowball blocks...

Colorful Chrysanthemums and ornamental Kales on display at Farmer's Market...

 

Hello Quilt Friends!! 

Fall is here with colorful leaves and  Farmer's Markets full of squash and pumpkins. 

 

I'm reading through Sara Larson Buscaglia's book Farm & Folk Alchemy and I'm going through chapter 3 Quilt Alchemy choosing some projects from the book to make for myself. 

I've started with the small Snowball Block Hand-Quilting Tool Roll on Page 127. I chose to use red and white solids because the Holidays are upon us and the colors are festive to me. So the top is all pieced and ready for the next steps. The book has good instructions and photos.

 

And last week at the Local Farmer's Markets we bought butternut squash and sweet Italian Peppers, both good in soups and stews. Also took some colorful photos of produce to share here.

 

How are you enjoying your fall time? Have you any plans for using fresh produce from your local markets in favorite recipes? 

 

 Have a good stitching week and I'll be by to visit!

 

Quilt News!!! It's a Finish! My Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders! Machine Quilted with Improv Fine CrossHatch.

Finished this week, my Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders, approx 35" x 56".

 

Hello Quilt Friends! It's a sunny fall day, gorgeous with blue sky and colorful fall leaves.

I finished my Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders and I had to get the photo published, too beautiful not to share. 

I machine quilted it with improv fine crosshatch using my hera marker and ruler. I added in some gentle curves for fun here and there. I used turquoise thread because it added pizzaz. I bought the Sunflower panel at a local quilt shop The Quilt Barn . The border has foursquare, halfsquare triangle and quarter square triangle blocks, all made of scraps and left over pieces from other projects. 

Hand quilting on my Halfsquare Medallion Quilt is still in progress. I'm reading and staying inspired by good books on quilting and hand embroidery and I hope you are too. What are you reading this week?

I'll be by to visit. 

Quilt News! Hand Quilting in Baptist Fan Pattern Progress, Hand Embroidery and Sashiko Projects, Sunflower Quilt Panel with Borders Machine Quilted and Ready for Binding. Happy October!!

More hand quilting progress in Baptist Fan pattern on my HST Medallion Quilt.

And I'm still reading through this book and getting lots of inspiration, like being thoughtful and enjoying the process!

My Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders has been machine quilted in a fine improv cross-hatch.

This is the back view, I pieced leftover blocks and yardage from other projects together for the back.

I finished my Alphabet hand embroidery project and have started a new Sashiko project on linen.

 

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! Happy October!

 

There's been rain off and on this last week here in the valley.  Sometimes we'll get blue sky and sun peeking out for a while, makes me smile. Hey that rhymed!

 

I've been putting a lot of time machine quilting my Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders in a fine improv cross-hatch. It measures approx. 35" x 56". I'm getting quick about reloading the bobbin and I clean out the thread race-way everytime a bobbin gets reloaded. Finishing the machine quilting yesterday,

I also trimmed up the edges and pinned on the binding. I'm taking a few days break before starting the last part, which is sewing down the binding onto the back then the front.

 

My Alphabet hand embroidery project is now finished and looks great in my kitchen, I put my embroidery projects to work! And I've started a new Sashiko project on a piece of vintage linen I found in Etsy. The pattern is a variation of Arrow Feathers 3, page 28 in Karen Kim Matsunaga's book Japanese Country Quilting Sashiko Patterns and Projects for Beginners. Karen grew up in Japan and is herself Japanese and so has real insight into Sahshiko stitching. I think her book is very comprehensive, beginners and more experienced stitchers can learn a lot from it! Karen also includes some history and culture at the front of the book that I enjoy reading. 

 

And hand quilting progress is being made on my HST Medallion Quilt, I'm using the Baptist Fan Pattern.

I pick up my copy of Sara Larson Buscaglia's book, Farm and Quilt Alchemy and read through the last half which is the part about her designing, piecing and stitching her quilts, for encouragement. I do enjoy the front half too about her method of fabric dyeing, it's actullay fascinating, she goes into such careful detailed explanation.

 

That is the quilt news and happy Friday to you! How are your quilt adventures progressing?

 

I'll be by to visit. 

 

 

 

Quilt News! Hand Quilting Supplies and Progress on HST Medallion Quilt w Borders, Sunflower Panel Quilt Machine Quilt Progress and Farm&Folk Quilt Alchemy Book by Sara Larson Buscaglia

Wild Crabapples from a local park. It's officially fall, celebrate!

Farm&Folk Quilt Alchemy book filled with inspiration!

My hand quilting supplies, favorites at the moment.

Machine quilting progress on my Sunflower Panel quilt, runner size.

Hand quilting progress on my HST Medallion Quilt with Borders, RRS fabrics.

 

Hello Quilt Friends!! Fall is here and it's a gorgeous time of the year for walks.

Lots of progress has been made on my projects. I'm hand quilting Baptist Fan pattern on my HST Medallion Quilt with Borders. I've included a photo of my current favorite hand quilting supplies. I'm not sure what I'll hand quilt onto the borders but soon I'll decide. I could take the Baptist Fan pattern right out onto the borders to the edge.

And I'm machine quilting my Sunflower Panel Quilt with fine a cross hatch pattern. I like the texture. I'm using a turquoise color thread. Slow but sure progress. I like to go slow using my machine to quilt because the stitches come out more even and then everybody is happy, not as many unpicking situations. I'm using a 3. stitch length and on some projects I use 3.5 length. I find the batting that I'm using tells me what stitch length to use by how the stitches sit in the fabric.

I'm still enjoying and getting lots of inspiration from my new book by Sara Larson Buscaglia, Farm&Folk Quilt Alchemy. I bought a copy for myself when I turned in my library copy. 

 And that is the news from the valley where the vine maples have started to get their fall colors and the local markets are selling pumpkins and squash of all sizes, colors and shapes.

That is the quilt news. How are you planning on enjoying your fall time? Any quilt finishes or tips to share? I'll stop by to visit.