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!

Quilt News; This and That, Sampler Quilt Design Starting, Miss Sunshine and Happy Friday!

I like the Ohio Star block in the left upper corner.

Maybe this arrangement in the middle?

My Granddaughter, aka Miss Sunshine!

Here she is practicing her scrapbooking skills.

 

Start on interviewing with left over blocks, scraps and this and that.

More what if.....Do I really want that medallion in the upper left corner?

What if I left that out and then added something else?

This is going to take a while, but that's okay.

 

 

Quilt news from the rain forest, today blue sky peaked out!

There has been arranging and piecing going on as I want to use up as many spare blocks and pieces as I can find. And what is the goal here? Well, to stay busy and keep my mind off the weather mostly.

Now where is that hand stitching project?

Make sure and read Big Stitch Quilting by Carolyn Forster, so much basic inspiration!

And here is a terrific book for modern hand embroidery and crazy quilting etc by Sharon Boggon, Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery.

 And that is the quilt news from the valley, where I'm remembering to be thankful. And enjoying my grandchildren.

How are your projects coming along? Any hand quilting? I'll be by to visit.