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Friday, October 7, 2016

On My Design Floor


I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to wall space,
so I depend upon my floor to lay out quilts as I work.

I like to keep a couple of baby quilts on hand,
and it seems they all tend toward the female gender!
So, at my Crafty Daughter's urging, I'm concentrating on boys.

This week on my design floor, I am putting together a chevron quilt


As always, just click on the pictures to enlarge.

which looks  quick and easy,
but this is ME!

I'm pretty pokey, slow, and deliberate,
and it's taking me days to make.

I was sewing with someone last month
who whipped up a chevron quilt
ALL IN ONE DAY!
It was kind of comical.
I sat in one corner, stitching away,
putt, putt, putt,
and she sat in the opposite corner,
zoom, ZOOM, ZOOM!
YOU know who you are!

Today, I'm squaring up all my blocks.
I used the 'make 8 HSTs at once' method
following this tutorial.
I knew I wanted my quilt to be no more than 40" wide,
so I consulted the provided chart




and decided to cut my beginning squares 8.5" to get 5.5" blocks..
When I sewed them together, I used a scant 1/4" seam allowance
to give me plenty of room to square up the blocks.

When I am squaring up blocks, especially larger sizes,
I place it slightly askew on my cutting mat




to make it a little easier to take that final slice across the top.
That way I'm not contorting myself
and causing my ruler to slip.

Using this method of constructing HSTs means cutting across the bias.
I never spray a finished block with water or starch,
because it causes distortion,
which causes frustration.
Instead, I use spray starch before I cut my strips/squares.
Seems to work very well, for me.

Although I'm not crazy about this quilt
(it looked different in my head)
I'm excited to get it together and under Janome's needle
because I'll be using variagated thread for the first time!

All my fabrics are 1/2 yard cuts from Northcott,
three different lines that played so well together -
Rainforest Romp, A Day in the Amazon, Freestyle,
and for the backing, At the Zoo, from Henry Glass Fabrics.

This is a pretty wordy post, for me.
If you made it all the way to the end,
and you are interested in my scraps for your donor quiltmaking,




please just mention it in your comment!
There's no sense saving them until I revisit them.
Life is paved with good intentions, but it could be forever
before I unearth them again!
so, they're up for grabs!

I hope you are having a quilty day!
If the sun is shining in your corner of the world,
get out and celebrate the day!
Your sewing machine will wait patiently for your return!

XO,
karen


36 comments:

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I'd LOVE to have your scraps! Yesterday I saw a post in my FB news feed from Victoria Designs (I think that is her page). She showed a pic of a quilt you made back in 2009 using her template alphabet. I had not yet gone that far back in reading your past posts. Just thought you might like to know she showcased your work.

Have a great weekend.

canuckquilter said...

I'm also in the putt, putt, putt camp. I mess up when I try to zoom! Your chevron quilt will be darling. Enjoy the variegated thread. I like that's it's a dash of color but more subtle than a single color splashed across everything.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I like the quilt - sometimes they do turn out different then we think they will do don't they. I wish I had a wider wall to use for a design wall but I can not fit my quilting frame on the wall that the design wall is on so that is it. I will need to take one quilt off of it soon so I will be able to spread the hexie quilt out a bit more most likely - they will be taking turns I'm sure.

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful blog Karen, especially the one with the snakes on, they look so funny.

Sondra said...

You're a smart cookie to lay your piece on the bias, and starch before cutting!! I wish I had a project for the next couple of days as Hurricane Matthew plans to visit us! Meanwhile its raining outside no projects are getting done, so I'm doing online projects uploading trip photos and catching up on blog reading!

Chookyblue...... said...

I'm not the fastest quilt market either...... Goodluck on your finish.....

Vickie said...

Putt putt, zoom zoom....I saw the while thing in my mind when I read it. Cute quilt !

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen ,this quilt will be cute as,i too am very slow ,lol xx

Binsa said...

Hi Karen you are not on your own with putt putt.I am like a tortoise slow and steady.When DH is in the study which I share as my sewing space and I am sewing putt putt he hums to the speed of my sewing machine it drives me crazy grin

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Your chevrons are looking great. Good luck. I just used a variegated thread...I think I'm hooked!

Lesley said...

What a great quilt! Love chevron quilts and yours is gorgeous with those fabrics. You know I have too much stash fabric right now, so please don't put my name in the draw. Will look forward to seeing this quilted!

Fiona said...

I love the quilt.... and thanks for the tips about the HST's.... I like to spray before cutting too...
Lovely of you to give away left overs - it's a good idea but don't put me in the pool thanks... postage would be crazy
Hugz

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

I'm a crawling on the floor person too , and sometimes I putt and sometimes I zoom .
Great tip about laying the square at an angle , I often ended up at the weirdest angle or just relaying the ruler

Karen said...

Great quilt, Karen. I use a design floor too...as well as a basting floor. I like to think it keeps me supple! :) I confess I zoom when I piece as I am always so anxious to see the blocks go together.

Lin said...

I like to starch when I am working on something special. Your top looks great to me - good luck with the quilting. xx

Linda said...

Well, Miss Putt Putt, your quilt is looking pretty darn good. And those leftovers just might make some bibs for a certain little boy that I know. Thanks for posting the HST chart. I printed it out and it will hang on the wall in the Sty for future reference.
love from Miss Zoom Zoom!

Carrie P. said...

Great quilt. I like to make my HST bigger and trim them too.

Abby and Stephanie said...

This quilt is colorful and sure to be loved by a little one. I love making baby quilts and keeping them on hand, just in case. And this week I was so thrilled to be able to gift one. Currently I'm donating nearly all of my stash and it feels so burdensome to have so much. Others can use now what I'm letting sit idly in bins. Great tips for HSTs.

Anonymous said...

Love your scrap quilt - a good one for donations and baby quilts. Someone has already spoken for your scraps, I'm sure, but I can probably scrounge up some around here. =)

Louise said...

Aw, I think it's a super cute design! I really like how you got the stripes to line up so nicely.

I think I'm pretty slow, too. My new Juki has a speed control that my old Kenmore didn't have. I can't imagine sewing up at the fastest speed! For me, zooming would lead to ripping :(

I'd be happy to win your scraps... they would play very nicely with some fabric that Sue gave me that has a transportation theme. I would definitely make a Project Linus quilt from them. But I'm sure who ever wins them will put them to great use!

Createology said...

You must be young and agile to be able to work your quilt designs on the floor. I think your Chevron Baby quilt will be stunning. How generous of you to share your scraps...but NONE for me as I am having to donate so much of all my S.A.B.L.E. "Supplies Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy"!!! Beautiful Weekend Dear...

Needled Mom said...

My design wall is also my floor. I guess I would prefer the windows to a design wall, but it would be nice to look at the blocks straight on.

The zig zag quilt looks great. I love the fabrics you used for a "male" finish. Your scraps would be welcomed. Thanks for the chart for the HSTs.

Karen said...

I like your quilt. I have lots of trouble layout chevrons. I understand about putt putting along. I feel like it takes me forever to sew a project.

Anonymous said...

I think the quilt is adorable. I take my time when I quilt, too. I think it's because I enjoy the process and don't want to feel rushed about it.

Sheila said...

I loved this post, very informative and your chevron quilt is going to be a show stopper. I am more a putt putt kind of gal too, I hate unsewing so try not to speed the process and make mistakes 😊 , doesn't always work though. Yesterday was simply gorgeous so we explored the hills of Mabou, no sewing .

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Perfect quilt design for a boy.

Tish Stemple said...

I find that I am a put put put quilter myself, Karen :) Your chevron quilt is coming along quite nicely. You will have it finished in no time.

Sandra Walker said...

Lovely vibrant quilt Karen! I smiled when you wrote it looked different in your head...I dunno but it looks fab to me like this! I'm usually the putt putt sewer too. And let's not talk about the reverse sewing...

Summer said...

Very beautiful colours ♥

summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

Julia D @ Jada's Quilting Adventures said...

I keep meaning to have a few baby quilts on hand for those unexpected baby showers. I may have to make one using this pattern. Thanks for sharing :)

Cattinka said...

This is a nice and interesting post. I had to take my time reading it and I think the boy quilt will look lovely. I also like your idea of giving away scraps once you are done with them, we probably all have too much fabric to use up and why not give it away to somebody who can use it. I am sure it will be a treasure somewhere else.
Have a nice day
KATRIN W.

Barb said...

Wonderful fabrics and I hate squaring up but it is a must do.

Judy said...

I love the bold fabrics and the chevron pattern! Nice choices and it will be a wonderful quilt for a lucky little guy. Have you decided how you're going to quilt it?

FlourishingPalms said...

I have a big smile, picturing you working on this chevron quilt. Putt-putting away. :-) All that time and out-of-your-comfort-zone effort just makes the quilt more meaningful and special. You put me to shame with all the things you give away. You're so generous!

Rambling Woods said...

When I looked on Etsy and other for a baby quilt for my (new) grandson, I could only find girl ones which were beautiful, but not what I wanted.. nice to see you again Karen... !!!!!! Michelle

Simone de Klerk said...

I love this pattern and specially the result! So easy, yet so surprising.
No scraps for me. I have way too many myself and give them to ladies who make charity quilts. It is wonderful, what they do with them!
Happy zooming!