Quilt News, Small Basket Blocks in Batiks, Kona Cotton Solids and Prints, with Ric-Rac Handles, Log Cabin Style Blocks in Rows Gaining Width...

More Small Basket Blocks with Ric-Rac handles....

Arranging basket blocks, top three rows are pieced.

Piecing rows of Log Cabin blocks this week.

Pieced rows...

 

Quilt News from the valley! 

The Jasmine is blooming around the neighborhood, the smell is scrumptious.

Birds start chirping around 4:00 A.M. , spring is in the air.

Last week I pieced more small Basket Blocks and I'm playing with the arrangement now. I plan on it being 28" by 28" each block is 4". I'm leaning toward no border, not set in stone however.

I've sewed together 5 rows of Log Cabin blocks as of today. The length is about 54", I want to get the width approx. 42". so two more rows to go. I'm piecing the blocks from left overs from other projects.

Stop in and visit Debbie at A Quilters Table to see her new improv project, Salsa Medallion ll, very exciting!

 And that Quilt Friends is the news from the valley. 

Where I'm remembering to be thankful and I'll be by to visit!

Quilt Blocks, Happy May/Mother's Day! Orange X Block Medallion Quilt One More Border Added, Basket Blocks Progress, Rose Garden Visit

We visited San Jose Rose Garden the day before Mother's Day.

Look at that rich color!

The light shining through my basket blocks.

My Orange X Block Medallion quilt with final border, 44" x 44".

Rose covered pergola, romantic, yes?

These white roses smelled sweet.

Obviously the height of the season.

Progress on piecing my basket blocks, each block is 4"sq.

How gorgeous is that?

Then I found these pink roses....

Close view of some of the prints in Orange X Block quilt.

 

Happy May and I hope you enjoyed Mother's Day like I did!

Some family came over and cinnamon rolls were on the menu.

This last week I sewed another border onto my Orange X Block Medallion quilt. In my last post I claimed that it was finished but I kept looking at it and I just knew it needed another border, sometimes that happens.

Now it measures 44" x 44".

I had bits of time to piece some of my basket blocks together and then to piece more blocks together after that. How big will it get? I'm not sure but I'm having fun.

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that I followed Mieko's Basket Block Tutorial, a good tutorial with clear instructions.

Then on Saturday, day before Mother's Day, we took a trip to the San Jose Rose Garden and it was a slice of heaven. It wasn't too crowded, sometimes on the week end it can get that way. I almost hyperventilated breathing in the smell of roses and being in peak season they were blooming seriously as if their lives depended on it. Volunteers keep the rose garden in top notch shape, I believe they've won competitions.

And do stop in to visit my quilt friend Queenie , who is hand piecing a gorgeous Log Cabin quilt in blues.

A work of art!

And that quilt friends is the quilt news from the valley!

Where I'm remembering to be thankful and making progress. 

What quilt news do you have to share?

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt Blocks, Weekend Progress, Orange X Block Medallion Quilt Final Borders, Piecing Scraps into Sixteen Patch and Hour Glass Blocks

I've pieced more baskets and hand sewed on orange ric rac handles.

Growing stack of small Hour Glass blocks pieced from scraps.

This is what I see on my morning walks.

More morning walk photos, Red Wood Tree makes lots of shade.

Neighborhood land scape planting, Marigold, Pansies.

Orange X Block quilt with final border, a Cotton & Steel print.

Big picture, Orange X Block Medallion Quilt, 38" x 38", my design.

Left over 2 1/2" squares sewn into Sixteen Patch Block.

Left Top Corner view, there are three Nine Patch Star blocks down the left side.

Half Square Triangles pieced from scraps, bordered with Cotton & Steel print.

 

Happy Weekend from the Valley!

Where we're enjoying cool, sunny spring weather.

I've had time to make plans and progress this week. Orange seems to be predominate in my sewing projects lately but that's all right, orange is cheerful and plays well with other colors. And I did choose 'Peach' as my color of the month after all, and peach is a lighter version of orange as we know.

Last week I remembered I had a big piece of orange print by Cotton & Steel stashed away. And that it would probably work as a final border for my Orange X Block Medallion Quilt. Whew! Because I had been puzzled about what to do for that last border, whether to go dark as in dark blue or maybe a dark red.

But that darkness wasn't going to work. The spirit of that quilt was warm and light and needed to stay that way, so a medium orange was what I decided on. Then the medium orange print that I had squirreled away came to mind, aha!

And having bits of time, I've been able to grab scraps and start piecing them together, which is calming to me and feels like play. I don't know what the final outcome will be for those parts, maybe a zipper bag or a scrappy tote bag?

Taking walks with our little grand muffin is enjoyable and I've posted some photos of what we see on our journeys. Color inspiration is an important part of creating and it's all around us.

Again, as in my last post, I encourage you to visit Jean Wells to read her inspiring photos and insights into using color.

What color adventures have you been on lately?

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

Quilt News from the Valley, Color of the Month Peach, Liberated 'Summer in the Park' Blocks, Orange X Blocks Medallion Progress, Fabric.Com

Orange X Blocks framed with Saw Tooth borders and Stars, pieced together so far.

Color of the month, Peach Kona Cotton Solid by Robert Kaufman

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I've pieced more basket blocks using turquoise batik.

My Liberated 'Summer in the Park' blocks progress. The darkest solid is Espresso, a deep, rich brown.

Hello Quilt Friends!

We've had cool, sunny weather this week, great for walks.

I chose Peach for my color of the month.

I've been using quite a bit of it in my projects lately it works great with orange florals and batiks, as in my Orange X blocks, and is a good contrast with the turquoise batik I've been piecing together into basket blocks.

My Liberated 'Summer in the Park' blocks are now pieced together, not sure how big they will end up yet.

I used Jenny Doan's 'Summer in the Park' tutorial, on You Tube, a very good tutorial. I didn't use 2 1/2" strips, in liberated fashion, I used varying widths. More can be done along that line for an even more liberated look.

P.S. MSQC has a new tutorial out 'Summer Squares' a slightly different version of 'Summer in the Park,'

The center strip is changed to 1 1/2", take a look.

Also want to add that Fabric.Com is a good online shop for buying quilt fabric; great prices and fast shipping. I'm not paid to say that, they have excellent service, plain and simple.

And that is the quilt news from the valley where progress is being made and the resident grand muffin is growing and getting even more curious.

Before I sign off, if you're in need of color inspiration visit Jean Wells, for her Dreaming in Color series on using vibrant color. She has wonderful insight.

How are your quilt adventures going? Any liberated experimenting/designing happening?

Quilt News, More 'Easter' Basket Blocks, Quilt Blocks in Green, Improv Design Notebook and Happy Spring! And That Orange Thing.

Happy Easter (almost) !

                                                          More baskets pieced, just in time for Easter!

Green Hour Glass blocks in my 'parts department.'

Diagonal strip blocks in the green section of my 'parts department.

My planning/design notebook.

 

Sawtooth borders being arranged.

Sixteen Patch blocks in green, pieced together, adding to my 'parts department.'

Quilt news from the valley and happy spring!

It's almost Easter so I'm calling the baskets I've been piecing, Easter Baskets, good timing.

More baskets have been added to the collection this week. See my previous post on where to find the basket block tutorial.

I also had time to piece together my Sixteen Patch blocks to add to my 'parts department' section of greens. I added some Paprika and Espresso patches  (Kona Cotton Solids by Robert Kaufman) for contrast. 

 

Also I started piecing together saw tooth borders that will be added to a medallion style quilt I'm making of spare parts and fabric pieces I found while organizing my fabric stash a few weeks ago. I've drawn out a plan and am now making sure there is enough contrast to bring out the piecing design.

This quilt majors in orange, saw tooth borders, three big stars, 'X blocks' also called by me 'four patch butterflys.' 

I have no idea what to name it.

I figure it's best not to be in a hurry anyway. Maybe I'll call it 'That Orange Thing.'

Svetlana @ Sotak Handmade has a super tutorial on making a Classic Bag using french seams.

Stop by and check it out.

And that's the news here in the valley where birds are happy about spring and progress is being made.

I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News, Green for March, Sixteen Patch Blocks, A Finish!, New Basket Blocks

I brought out my sixteen patch blocks to celebrate green!

We had a hail/thunder storm last week, impressive.

Stack of blocks and pieces I've been adding to this week.

Townsend's Warbler outside our window, looking for bugs.

Green, color for March, 'Refreshing, generous, healing...'.

New basket blocks, with zig-zag handles hand stitched on.

My daughter-in-law's quilt finished, I sewed on the binding, she did everything else.

 

Quilt News from the valley, spring is just around the corner!

We had a hail/thunder storm, last week, everything was dusted with hail. The thunder was loud as was the hail beating on the roof. And afterwards there were still cherry blossoms left on the trees, surprising.

Flocks of little birds enjoy the cherry trees as much as we do. They're looking for bugs to eat, we enjoy the blossoms and leaves too, but for the color not the bugs!

This last week my daughter-in-law finished the crib size quilt she had been working on for the little grand muffin. She pieced it and quilted it and I helped by sewing on the binding. Looks like spring!

I've also been cutting out and piecing blocks for various projects and to keep my 'parts department full.'

If I loose steam on designing a project, I start piecing more blocks and parts that I think might work and before long the 'log jam' breaks apart and the design moves forward.

And speaking of design, visit Audrey to see her new quilt project, Wing and a Prayer, it's a beauty and a great example of clever improv at its best.

Mieko of Mieko Happytime has many fun tutorials on You Tube, her tutorials are for quilts, hand stitching, making cute bags and pouches, etc. Recently she posted a tutorial on making Basket Blocks. I had to give it a try, the instructions were easy to understand and the blocks turned out super cute. 

She made a bag with her basket blocks, which is a cute idea I might try.

And that, Quilt Friends is the quilt news from the valley, where projects are getting finished and 

I'm enjoying the sunshine today.

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News, Finish in Turquoise Improv Plus Blocks, Old Projects Dusted Off, Log Cabins and Orange Triangles

Ornamental Cherry blossoming outside the front door!

Close up finished binding, Turquoise Improv Plus Blocks.

The 1 1/4" binding sewed to the front of Improv Plus Blocks here.

Some extra Log Cabin style blocks from another project, dusted off ready for a new start.

Can't get enough of those cherry blossoms!

Binding machine sewn down, back view, on Improv Plus Blocks.

'Improv Plus Blocks in Turquoise', finished! 15"x 35"

Two projects here, one I'm picking apart; the orange triangles, the squares are being cut out for Log Cabin blocks. 

 

Quilt News from the valley!

Where it's been sunny but cool and ornamental cherries are blooming around town.

I've been busy helping watch my little grand muffin and doing some spring organizing.

I dug deep into my 'left over' pieces and blocks and found some old parts that looked promising.

Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran in their book, Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again, talk about why keeping a 'parts department' to use for new projects is important. It's how one project can inform and lead to the next project.

I found left over Log Cabin blocks and unneeded pieces of a Half Square Triangle project.

So I've started two 'new' projects, not knowing how I'll decide to finish them up. Maybe I'll put them both into one? Keeping the design momentum up by arranging and making color decisions is something 'my little grey cells' need. 

And as we quilters know, Log Cabin blocks and Half Square Triangles are full of design possibilities. They can be used in so many different arrangements and color choices leading to exciting results.

That Quilt Friends is the quilt news.

Have any of you done any organizing lately or found inspiration in past projects?

Here in the valley, I'm remembering to be thankful and I'll be by to visit.