Monday, June 19, 2023

Quilt News! 2023 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show! Log Cabin Quilt Top in Furrow Variation Ready for Basting, 56 Four Patch in a Square Blocks Finished Piecing Today, Quilting by Hand by Riane Elise Book Review

Log Cabin Quilt top with batting and backing ready to be basted.

Sisters, Oregon is a beautiful scenic town and the quilt show is fun.


This morning 5 more Four Patch in a Square blocks in process.

2023 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show poster up on my wall.

56 Four Patch in a Square Blocks, finished piecing the last 5 this afternoon.

 

Hello Quilt Friends! Summer officially starts this month. The birds are already there.

This week I finished piecing the backing for my Log Cabin Improv quilt top in Furrow Variation and cut out the batting. Now on to basting them together for hand quilting. It will measure 44" x 44".

Speaking about hand quilting I found a great book at my library, Quilting by Hand by Riane Elise from Quadrille Publishing 2021. It's a classic with clear instruction on piecing and hand quilting designs. It's a beauty in every way.

Just today I finished piecing the last five Four Patch in a Square blocks to make 56 blocks in all. The blocks will measure 6.5 square when trimmed and the top will measure 42" x 48". I haven't decided to add a border yet, must think about it....

And the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is coming right up, second Saturday in July. Will you be there? I'm thinking that I might like to go, now to talk my driver into it! 

 And that is the news from the valley where progress is being made and I might be out of town soon, viewing volcanoes and quilts. There's a good coffee shop in Sisters too I remember. 

Hope you're making plans for vacationing and making progress on your projects.

I'll be by to visit.


Monday, June 12, 2023

Quilt News! Hourglass Medallion #1with Sawtooth Borders finish! Improv Log Cabin Quilt top Finish, Sashiko Projects Progress, Delightful June!

My Log Cabin block Improv quilt top, getting the batting and backing measured.

Hourglass Medallion Quilt #1 with Sawtooth Borders binding just finished.


I finished this first, Hourglass Medallion Quilt #2.

We took a trip to Kanasket State Park to see the Cedar River.

My Sashiko Projects. I added buttons and ribbon for closing my pouch.

 Hello Quilt Friends, Happy June! This is the month where summer kicks in and Swallowtail Butterflies are everywhere. Roses are blooming and wild rabbits are enjoying the warm weather here in the valley.

This last week I sewed the binding on my #1 Hourglass Medallion Quilt with Sawtooth borders. I made 2 small quilts to work on piecing sawtooth borders using Mary Hogan's technique in her excellent book, Improv Log Cabin Quilts. I enjoyed the process and highly recommend her book.

I pulled out my Log Cabin Improv Quilt top from the closet and unpicked the previous borders I had sewed on. The borders were the wrong color and did not work for me. The new borders fit with the colors in the blocks and are a better width. So I have cut the batting and backing to fit and onto getting it quilted. I was inspired by Temecula Quilt Co.'s Down Home Darling design. I didn't follow the design perfectly but used my own colors and made the centers 2 different sizes instead of just one size. I figured that would add interest and it did! Temecula Quilt Co is full of color and design ideas.

My Sashiko projects are fun for me, I like the stitching process. I embroider traditional style and I have been big stitch hand quilting, Sashiko fits right in with those. The emphasis on Sashiko/Boro stitches is practical and of course looking beautiful at the same time. I get that! I finished my sashiko stitched pouch with mother of pearl buttons and a silk ribbon to tie closed.

Last week we drove to Kanasket State Park to see the wilderness and Cedar River up close. The Swallowtail butterflies were making a good appearance and loved the bushes along the river in bloom. The wild roses were also blooming, fabulous.

And that is the quilt news, what spring/summer delights are you enjoying? What are you working on?

I'll be by to visit.