Quilt News! Saw Tooth Border for My Mostly Green Challenge Quilt Piecing Begins, More Fun Sashiko Stitch Sampling

My Mostly Green Challenge Quilt in sawtooth border 'interview' process.

A stitch sample from my book The Mending Directory by Erin Eggenburg.

More of my Sashiko Stitch samples from Sashikostitchlab.com.

Peace on earth, good will to men!

Hello Quilt Friends!Quilt News from the valley where we have frosty nights and sunny days.And Christmas Cards and gifts are being mailed out, almost done!

 

This week I'll be piecing my sawtooth border for my Mostly Green Challenge Quilt. I'm excited with the progress.

And I'm sampling Sashiko Stitches from Sashikolab.com and from my books using Sashiko Stitches in mending, The Mending Directory by Erin Eggenburg and Creative Mending by Hikaru Noguchi.

Excellent reading if Sashiko/Darning/Stitching techniques interest you.

And that is the quilt news from the valley where I'm keeping this short because there's a lot of seasonal busy stuff happening around here.

I'll be by to visit. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

  

Quilt News! Hour Glass Medallion with String and Sawtooth Borders Quilt Top Finish, Star Ornaments for the Holidays and an Excellent List of Good Quilt/Stitch Books

Hour Glass Medallion with String and Sawtooth borders finished at 27" square.

 

My Holiday Stars with sparkles!

Quilt news from the valley, where we had a little snow this morning.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The simple attitude of giving thanks is powerful, clears your mind and opens your heart and don't we all need more of that?

This last week I finished my Hour Glass Medallion w' String and Sawtooth Borders quilt top @ 27" square. It's a practice run for finishing my Mostly Green Quilt top that has been stalled for way too long because of lack of inspiration. After reading Mary Hogan's book, Log Cabin Improv, I was very inspired to begin piecing string borders and sawtooth borders to finish up several quilt tops. Her book is practical and packed with excellent photos and tips.

Then at my local quilt guild meeting one of my fellow guild members offered to put on a quilt ornament class. At the last meeting she did a presentation of the Christmas ornaments she had made over the years and they were amazing! Later I went to her class and enjoyed myself and had a great time with my quilt guild friends learning to make a Christmas Star. It can be made with double sided fabric or medium weight paper, (I've done both.) It's folded and made with four strips. It is also called Danish, German, or Froebel's Star or Origami Folded Star. I'm going to be making more because they're lovely on the Christmas Tree.

And I wanted to share some excellent books that you will appreciate if you need inspiration or just enjoy reading about color and process in the quilt/stitching/art world. Read and enjoy!

#1 Mary Hogan's book, Log Cabin Improv.

#2 Jan Dowson's book, Expressive Stitches.

#3 Carolyn Forster's book, Hand Quilting Techniques for Farm House Style Quilts.

 And that quilt friends is the quilt news from the valley where it's the season to be merry and spread good will! How absolutely daring, right?

I'll be by to visit.

 

Quilt New! New Improv Quilt with Hourglass Block Medallion & String Border Started, Hand Quilting in No. 8 Perle Cotton, Embroidery/Sashiko Samples

My design,  Hourglass Medallion with String Border, more to be added.

My scrappy runner with sawtooth border is in hand quilting process.

Samples of Sashiko stitches, for the 24 Days of Sashiko 2022 Challenge.

 

 

Quilt News from the valley! 

Temperatures have dropped and we've had a few frosts, leaves are falling fast.

I'm piecing my new improv Hourglass Medallion Quilt with String Borders, it's 16" x 16" so far. Have you tried piecing string borders or sawtooth borders for any projects lately?

And progress has been made on hand quilting my Scrappy Runner with Sawtooth Border, 18" x 36".

SashikoLab.com  has a challenge currently in progress, 24 Days of Sashiko in 2022. I'm following along and enjoying the process. Christmas ornaments maybe?

That is the quilt news from the valley where I'm looking forward to the Holidays!

Hot cocoa anyone? I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Finished 3 Quilts! New Sashiko/Embroidery Project Started and Happy November!

My Sampler Quilt finished, made with left over pieces and blocks, 43" x 49".

Sashiko Project on pink linen using DMC cotton floss 4 strands.

 

 

Close up of my Color Squares Quilt, 58" x 46".

My Color Squares Quilt finished! Started about 3 yr.s ago.

My finished Medallion HST Study in Red Quilt, 50" x 50".

 

Quilt News from the valley!

Where cooler temperatures and rain off and on sums up the weather here. 

Last week I got 4 of my quilts back from Lorna, at Front Porch Quilts in Buckley, WA. She finished the machine quilting and I was pleased with the results. Then I hustled and sewed binding onto 3 of the quilts. There is just one more to bind, my Squares on Point Medallion with Nine Patch borders quilt, yes, it's smaller. 

The Sampler Quilt, the Medallion HST Study in Red and my Squares on Point Medallion with Nine Patch Borders are quilt study projects I pieced together as I was going through Liberated Quiltmaking 2, by the late Gwen Marston. I learned so much going through her book and stitching up projects using her liberated method!

My Color Squares Quilt was inspired by a small runner size quilt I saw in a Connecting Threads catalogue about 5 yr.s ago, its background was black and the squares were smaller. I have made three quilts of different sizes, using this basic design with a white background, this the biggest and is the fourth.

Sashiko.Lab currently has a stitch along going on, 24 Days of Sashiko. I am stitching along using pink linen as the base fabric and DMC cotton thread, four strands. Maybe I'll use the stitching to make Christmas ornaments. I have finished the first square and will keep going at my own speed!

Have you started planning Christmas ornament projects yet?

And that Quilt Friends is the quilt news. 

Remembering to be thankful and I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! AHIQ Green Challenge Quilt Top w' Sawtooth Borders in Progress, Improv String & Sawtooth Border Piecing, Mary Hogan's New Book, Log Cabin Improv

Log Cabin Improv  by Mary Hogan is an excellent book.

I'm piecing improv sawtooth borders so I'll have a big supply.

These are my string borders for another project, using Mary Hogan's great tips.

More string borders and sawtooth borders, I've pieced this last week.

And more of my pieced sawtooth borders for yet another project, they're habit forming.

My AHIQ 'Green' Challenge Quilt is going to be finished with sawtooth borders!

 

Quilt news from the valley!

Happy October! We are enjoying sunny fall weather and pumpkins and squash from the local markets. 

Mary Hogan's book, Log Cabin Improv is an excellent book full of good directions and tips. I have been reading it over and over and piecing string and sawtooth borders like it's going out of style. 

I pulled out my 'Mostly Green' unfinished quilt top, started as a challenge quilt for AHIQ's challenge; green. I couldn't figure out how to finish it, now I know! Sawtooth borders, yes!

Mostly Green has four patch blocks, sixteen patch blocks and nine patch blocks and of course is mostly green. I'm excited about finishing it up now.

And that is the news from the valley where string and sawtooth borders are multiplying in my sewing room. Stay tuned to see how I'll use them in new projects.

Remembering to be thankful, I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! Sawtooth Borders Improv Quilt Top Finish! Mary Hogan's New Book Log Cabin Improv, Road Trip to Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA and Fall Flowers

Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA, Deer roam freely, not very shy.

Formal Rose Garden at Point Defiance Park has a high fence around it to protect from the deer.

Fort Nisqually is a national living historic museum, also in Point Defiance Park.

The kitchen garden in Fort Nisqually Museum, I love gardens.

My Sawtooth Border Improv quilt with small yellow border added and two sawtooth borders.

The two HSTs in the top left are sewn in upside down, need to be taken out.

This book is the best book on Log Cabin improv design I've seen! Written by Mary Hogan.

My finished Sawtooth Border Improv quilt top,  18"x 37".

Point Defiance Park Rose Garden also had a gorgeous display of Dahlias.

 Hello Quilt Friends! 

The fall weather has been sunny and warm and we have been on many road trips the last couple of weeks taking advantage of the sun before the rains come and they will come! 

We visited Point Defiance in Tacoma, WA. It's a big park with a zoo, an aquarium, a formal rose garden and forest trails and a fantastic beach. Superb!

This last week I also finished experimenting and picking out seams and adding borders here and there and finally deciding on a design I liked for my Sawtooth Border Improv Scrap Quilt. Yey! 

Also I found Mary Hogan's new book, Log Cabin Improv, at my library and it was so good I had to buy my own copy. It is the best book on improv I've seen. The photos are great and Mary has an excellent way of explaining the process. I highly recommend her book.

And that is the quilt news from the valley, where the fall sun is shining and it's time to get dinner started.

Remembering to be thankful and I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! Saw Tooth Border Experiments, 16 Patch Blocks, AHIQ Yellow Challenge? 3 Pinwheels Sampler Finish! Seattle in September

More experiments in arranging the sawtooth border.

Start on 16 Patch blocks, 4 here.

Did someone say Yellow, as in a new AHIQ Challenge?

We visited Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle last week.

I hand quilted 3 Pinwheels Sampler Quilt.

My 3 Pinwheels Sampler with binding pinned on, 21"x 30".

 

Quilt News from the Pacific NW where sunny weather prevails!

Last week we visited the Pike Place Market and enjoyed the flowers, fruits and vegetables in the farmer's market and bought gourmet cheese and some kitchen supplies.

And I finished hand quilting my 3 Pinwheels Sampler Quilt and finished hand stitching the binding on.

I used left over blocks and pieces from other projects and just kept arranging and adding or subtracting parts until I liked how it looked.

My Saw Tooth border small quilt is in the design and experiment stage. I'm using left over blocks and pieces from other projects and enjoying the challenge. The question that needs to be answered with this project is what is the main idea, the focus? Do I want the saw tooth border to be the focus? Making a commitment on size will also help. I like setting boundaries because then I know what areas have to be filled.

 

Make sure and stop by Beth Shibley's fun quilt tutorials on YouTube and visit her blog @ lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com

That's the news from the valley where I'm enjoying cooler weather and farmer's markets.

Remembering to be thankful and I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Sampler Quilt Backing Ready for a Trip to the Machine Quilting Lady, Maple Valley Quilt Guild Membership, And a Small Vacation w' Great Scenery.

Dahlia display at the DeGoede Bulb Farm & Garden in Mossy Rock, Washington.

My This and That Sampler quilt top ready for a trip to the Machine Quilting Lady!

Sign in front of bulb farm, beautiful displays.

Mayfield Lake RV and Camping Park, we stayed here in the inn.

Yellow Calico for the backing of This and That Sampler Quilt.

Coneflower display at the DeGoede bulb farm.

 

 

Quilt News from the valley!

Where Yakima corn is plentiful and the weather says summer!

 

Last weekend we took a mini vacation to Mossy Rock, Washington which is south of Mt Rainier, north of Mt St Helens and east of I-5. The weather was superb for sight seeing. Friends had invited us for a bar-be-que along the Chehalis River, can't say no to that.

And a few days later I finished the backing in yellow calico for my This and That Sampler quilt top, approx 48" x 42". Next week we'll take a drive to Front Porch Quilts in Buckley, Washington to get it machine quilted, yey! 

 

I also visited the Maple Valley Quilt Guild for the first time last week and I'm going to officially become a member. That's how you know when you're really 'plugged in', when you get your quilt guild membership. Happy days!

Today I'm making cherry jam, a few jars at a time. In a day or two I'll make up some blackberry jam.

Do you do any summer canning?

That is the quilt news from my kitchen to yours, I hope you're enjoying summer and finding time for projects!

Remembering to be thankful and I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! Piecing Sawtooth Rows, 'This and That' Sampler Quilt Top Finish!

Sawtooth row experiment #1, maybe for the backing?

This and That Sampler quilt top finished, now to figure out the backing.

My quilt Grey Star with sawtooth borders hangs in my kitchen.

Old Glory, July is a good month for flags.

Sawtooth and Fourpatch blocks, maybe this will be part of the backing.

Yellowgreen, green, purple, red, naturally.

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! Are you enjoying summer? 

 

I know some of my blog friends are suffering with extreme heat, and that is difficult to endure!

Here in the Pacific NW we've had sun and some heat then it cools off and is overcast for a few days.

 

Fruit has been on sale at the local market, blueberries, Washington grown, delicious. We bought enough to freeze some for later, at that price it's a smart thing to do.

I finished the borders on my 'This and That' sampler quilt top, approx. 42"x 48". My sampler is made from leftover blocks and pieces from other projects and fat quarters bought on sale at the local fabric store. And now I'm deciding what to do with the backing, should I piece it together or what? I'm inspired to use some rows of sawtooth on the backing by my quilt 'Grey Star' that hangs in my kitchen with sawtooth borders. The design process goes on.

And that is the quilt news here in the Pac NW where local fruit is in abundance! And some quilt design is happening.

I hope you're busy with projects and I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News, This and That Scrap Quilt Design Progress, Happy Independence Day! Rain and Shine

'This and That' close to the final layout, approx. 40" x 46".

Design process, interviewing blocks for layout.

Sunny at the playground!

Raining today at the pool.

Buttercups in the lawn.

 Quilt News from the valley, where we'll have a few rainy days then back to sunny days.

The trees and grass all stay green that way!

This week I've been interviewing blocks for the final layout of my 'This and That' scrap quilt pieced with leftover blocks and scraps from other projects. I wanted a neutral background for this sampler style quilt and so I decided to use some neutral fat quarters that I bought on sale at JoAnn Fabric. Those sales are great.

 

If you're looking for scrappy/innovative design inspiration, I suggest visiting Beth Sibley's blog Love Laugh Quilt and YouTube tutorials. Beth is practical and inspiring. 

And Carolyn Forster's book Big Stitch Quilting is a must read for excellent tips on hand stitching, hand quilting, and basic quilt construction/design knowhow, worth its weight in gold.

 

Where do you find design and color inspiration?

That's the quilt news, Happy Independence Day! I hope you're enjoying your summer.

I'll be by to visit!