Caught in a Spiderweb

Coming Together

Stictching Sections

Raw Edges

Exact Edges

Falling Into Line

Back to the Beginning

I've been fooling around with the wacky web quilt ruler template and paper pieces from Missouri Star Quilt Company (they have the best online tutorials!) so I can make a spiderweb quilt, hurrah! It's taken a couple of months for me to finish of sixteen of these suckers. Really it took only two afternoons, separated by a couple of months, to be more specific.

I wanted to go for dark edges grading into a bright sunny center but I wasn't sure how this was going to go until I trimmed out 16 triangle blocks and put them together...and I love it! Enough that I think I've motivated myself to make three more sections like this so I can make a throw.  Stay tuned. At the rate I'm going I'll be done next February, but that's just fine.

XO Terez

Giving up Amy for Nigella

Plus Quilt Fail

Living Room Design Board

Giving Up Amy for Nigella

Baby Oven Miracle

Late Winter Sunset

This weekend I made a grand attempt to layout a Plus Sign Quilt (see Jenni B's tutorial here) but failed miserably. I need a design wall--the floor isn't cutting it. I have a couple of sets of Amy Butler's "Love" charm packs but I don't think the prints play all that well together--the prints are fun but they are a little too big for the five-inch format and there isn't enough negative space. Meh. Maybe if I mix in some solids it will go better. Halfway through the layout I threw up my hands and moved to the kitchen where I took on Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf. It is so, so good the first day and divine the second day. The moist loaf is really more like a cross between a pudding, brownie and cake and it gets better with age like gingerbread. 

XO Terez         

Half Square Triangle: Fussy Cut DIY Template

Fussy Half-Square Triangle

This morning I popped out of bed with an idea of a quilt I wanted to cut up. It was 6:30. I had today off. Why the rush? Most of the fabrics I wanted to use were pre washed, but three important pieces were not. And I don't have laundry in my building. And it was 16 degrees outside.


Too the bathtub I went!

To the Tub

I tossed in half-yards of some Lizzy House, Amy Butler and Sandy Gervais. Woolite. Warmish water (to help with the pre-shrink).

No dryer? No problem! The radiators were on and toasty warm. A fan helped circulate the air. About 90 minutes later, I was in business.

Dryer Dilemma: Solved!

I was ready to cut. And cut. And cut.

Peach and Pink Palette

When I got to the Sandi Henderson Meadowsweet, I knew I wanted to be verrrry careful. For this quilt I've challenged myself to tackle the half square triangle block. For most sewers, it's pretty basic. I'm intimidated by the bias sewing and a bunch of other jazz.  And I want to control exactly what appears on the triangle when the seams are sewn and pressed. Because you lose a half inch of the square, diagonally down the middle, when you sew it up, it's not as easy as imagining the square folded in half to get what you want.

"I need a custom ruler," I think to myself.

Well of course, I'll just make one!

Do It Yourself

First I traced out a 5 inch square on some template plastic. Then I drew dotted lines down the diagonal center, both directions. I wanted to know what part of the image would be lost by the center seam, to I drew a line 1/4 of an inch from the center line on either side.

Seam Allowances

I then drew a 1/4 inch boarder around the whole square--so I know exactly what fabric will be lost in the other seams.  I traced out my template with water soluble fabric marker like this:

Tracing the Square

See how the solid red diagonal line goes through the center of the flower? That's what I wanted. The top left triangle, when matched with a solid, will press open and look like a sun rising. That does mean the bottom right triangle will look different when pressed open, but that's ok. I'll save it for another project.

Bordering Brilliant!

So now my half yard of "vintage paisley" looks like Swiss cheese--if Swiss cheese was orderly and had sharp cube shaped bubbles. But it worked! Stay tuned.

XO Terez

Disappearing 9 Patch

Disappearing 9 Patch Draft

This year I was certain I would make Christmas gifts for most folks on my list. It seemed like a good idea in September, but not such a good idea on December 23 when I was sewing the wrong-side-to-the-right-side of some complicated items. I had to walk away, fly home, and finish the little guys on my parents' Pfaff at the last minute:

Pin Cushion Cut-astrophe

They are darling pin cushion caddies from Anna Maria Horner's Seams To Me book. In the end I was able to save them, and give them, but for now perhaps should stick to straight lines and two dimensions. You'll notice on the lower right of the photo above a half-finished pin cushion that I was making for my sister-in-law, Michele. I loved the red-white-blue combo and started playing around with some fabric I had left at my parents' house combined with pin cushion scraps. I started sewing random 16-1/2 inch 9 patch blocks and came up with this:

9 Patch-Patch

I knew all along while sewing these delights that I was going to put them under the knife, like this:

Split Patch

I also knew I'd be doing this:

Cut Into Corners

Which let me do this:

After walking away from it, and packing it up, and hauling it back to Boston, I still love it. I need to add some more darks and I have a few more patterns and solid to blend, but I'm off to a good start. I'll keep you posted.

XO! TEREZ

Christmas 2011

Stitched by Mamacat, 1989

Merry Christmas, all!
XOXO Terez

Cotton Constellation

Cotton Constellation

My little quilt galaxy is complete!

This weekend I completed the final two "test blocks" of the Texas Star template and pinned them to my shades in the back room for a colorful constellation. A few things I learned:

Allowances

The seam allowance contraption was incredibly helpful at keeping the seams to 1/4". Training wheels, I suppose, but well worth it.

Get to the Point

Sewing on the bias is tricky. Much easier if the fabric is starched and precisely pinned. I also learned you can burn starch, and in turn, burn the fabric. Following the written instructions are important; someone took the time to write and illustrate them for a reason. On the last two blocks (the green and blue and blue and yellow two, on the left) my seams were much straighter and the blocks went together a lot easier when I followed the pressing, pinning and sewing directions.
 

Reality

I am a messcat. This isn't news, but I had barely finished trimming, pinning, sewing and installing before my work table was a complete mess. My next two projects are scattered about, waiting impatiently for me to get on with it.

Three Wishes

The experiment was a delight! Now I'm ready for the real thing, with some favorite fabric pieces. Stay tuned!

XO Terez

Anna Maria Horner Out of Print Jackpot

Out of Print Anna Maria Horner Jackpot!

Before I left for the great Cape Escape with Angela-Girl, I did something I'd been putting off:
Cataloged all of my fabric.

Making a List, Checking It Twice

After two years of collecting I now know that there are two lines that are my favorites (and why, oh why didn't I know this when they were in print and easier to come by?). Anyone who's been to my home or read this blog for a while can guess what they are: Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party and Good Folks.

Garden Party and Good Folks Rainbow Pre-Cape

I cataloged all of my fabric...not just those two lines, but also my AMH Little Folks Voile, Folksy Flannels, Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet, Sandy Gervais, scraps, etc., etc. Gave me a hand cramp and made me realize with all the time I spend at a computer keyboard, my handwriting is really going downhill. I filled my red Moleskin with chicken scratches and notations in preparation of my much anticipated visit to Tumbleweed Quilts in West Barsnstable on Cape Cod!

Poor Angela-Girl isn't a fabric gal, so she relaxed in the air-conditioned rental car with the latest New Yorker while I oohed and ahhed inside the adorable (and huge) shop.

The staff was incredibly helpful, and when they told me they didn't have too much Anna Maria Horner, mostly older bits and some in the clearance room, I could hardly contain my glee! Filed in with the other Freespirit designers and stacked in the back clearance area, I found my own personal jack pot:

AMH Festival in Tangerine, Fortune in Chocolate,
Table Cloth in Brown, Mingling in Rose,
Dance Floor in Burgundy

The Table Cloth and Mingling were on clearance, $5 a yard, so I had to buy four of each, of course. And when I found the Festival in Tangerine, I could have cried: I have been coveting that print for months and have been unable to find it anywhere--Etsy, eBay, etc. I snagged what was left on the bolt: just over four yards. I'm thinking of trying my hand at garment sewing--I think the pattern would make a cute summer sun dress or skirt.

Another item crossed off my list: starting a stash of Kona Cotton Solids:

Kona Cottons: Grass Green, Kiwi, Jade Green, Emerald,
Eggplant, Rich Red, Bright Pink, Pomegranate, Orange,
Corn Yellow

I did jot down the colors as they were cut but I'm not entirely sure which is which so please don't count on my caption above to make any certain purchases. I had a sample of scraps from my AMH collection that I used to figure out which colors I wanted to start with. I've been looking on the web for recommendations on Kona Cottons to pick up to use as blenders for Garden Party  and Good Folks and haven't seen any lists, so here's mine for any who are interested:

~*Grass Green
~*Kiwi
~*Jade Green
~*Emerald
~*Eggplant
~*Rich Red
~*Bright Pink
~*Pomegranate
~*Orange
~*Corn Yellow

I'm learning the power of solids and neutral blenders--I have some Fat Quarters coming in next week from the Michael Miller Ta Dot line~I'll keep you posted on how that works. I'm off to the cutting table and the Lady Singer...more to come!

XO Terez

Go Big or Go Home Dresden Plate

Dresden Blades

Ever since I started fiddling around with fabric I've wanted to make a Dresden Plate quilt but it was always in the "someday" column of my wish list...until today.

Dresden plates are made up of 20 individual "blades" that form a flower around a circle center. Most folks make them small enough to applique on to a 12 or 15 inch quilt block and then sew a quilt of many blocks, many plates. I am not most people.

I found a terrific template for the beginning quilter at a tiny shop in Wakefield, Mass. I've seen small wedges you can purchase to make the standard size block, but I wanted something spectacular, and I found it, in this Trace'N Create Quilt template from Clover:

Trace 'n Create Quilt Dresden Wedge

Yahoo! This thing is game changing, even magical. Simply pick out the size of Dresden plate you want to make, trace out the easy pattern on to fabric, rotary cut, pin, sew and go! Sizes range from 12" blocks to 40" blocks! Start to finish this 40 inch wonder took about 6 hours. That includes cutting a lot of other fabric for pending niece and nephew quilts and ripping apart the Singer 301 five times due to feed dogs/bobbin case/throat plate issues--so I could probably do it again in three. But I prevailed, and now have this to show for it:

Go Big or Go Home Dresden Plate

You can see my BlackBerry in the lower right corner--I tossed that on the full-sized bed to show the scale. Now I just need to pick out a center and figure out what in the heck I am going to applique this to! I'm thinking either white canvas or flannel to make a nice opaque window treatment for my kitchen, or heading to Marshall's to find a twin-sized simple white cotton quilt or throw and then applique right on it.

I'll keep you posted.

Until then, try strawberries, They are just coming into season and taste amazing right now:

Summer Supper

Also, here's a hint of what's to come:

Tangerine Dream

XO Terez

A Quilt for Grandpa-Grandpa on the Occasion of His 90th Birthday

One More Row to Go

Yesterday I spent some quality time stitching in the studio with the Norwegian Knitter. Now that the new window treats are up it is so much cooler and enjoyable to be back there this time of year and it's really hard to pull myself away.  For all of the hours I spend in there,  I can never seem to finish anything because I am too distracted/discouraged by the Black Hole Craft Closet.

This abyss holds all of my fabric...and most of my beads...and most of my carving materials...and all of my holiday decorations...and all of my empty shoe boxes I might need someday...and three unused yoga mats...and a broken Hello Kitty sewing machine...you get the idea.

At 7:30 a.m., after an hour of birding, I was fed up with the looming closet.  I was getting sucked in by the magnetic-color-wheel-explosion-pull and order needed to be returned.

I pulled everything out of the closet and was determined to regoranize so I could actually get to my fabric stash. That left me facing this:

Reality

What a mess! I post this to show you I am not Martha by a long shot.


And then I unearthed a real treasure.  Something I had started last summer.  Something that I had been meaning to finish and never got to after Hello Kitty gave out:  A Kaffe Fasset charm quilt.  I had five nine-patch blocks finished and just needed to complete four more to have a finished top. I dusted off and oiled the Singer 301 and got to work.

One More Row II

I kept sewing and sewing...and guess what? I came to the conclusion I am not a great sewer...yet.  My seams are crooked and I have no idea how to nest properly when I iron, but once I got the top up in the window to take a look, I was thrilled (big reveal in a moment).

I love how the colors and the prints play, and the way the rows trickle down like the seasons--pale winter/spring bursts at the top, failling into bright spring/summer patches and finally the saturated summer/autumn tiles complete the cycle.

I was pretty happy with my 81 patches. And then I got to thinking...Grandpa Grandpa is going to be 90 years old next Saturday. If I added one more row of nine patches, I'd have 90 squares. And I have been wanting to make him a lap quilt.

Bam! Brilliant! Of course--this will be a lap quilt for Grandpa-Grandpa on the occasion of his 90th birthday!

I got to back to work. Brewed a pitcher of Passion iced-tea for sustenance. Ate some yellow and chocolate cake. Got back on the sewing machine (oh how I have missed her!)

Passion Tea

A few more pins, seams, tucks and 'oh shoot' s later, I finished this:

Grandpa Grandpa's Quilt

Now: I have to beg Mamacat and HH to back and bind the thing, because I have no idea how to do that...yet. I've got to get to the Post Office and Priority Mail this sucker! I'll keep you posted. And for the record, I hauled down about 20 cubic feet of junk to curb-cycle, and it's all gone. But the studio is still trashed, and that's ok.

XO Terez

HH: The Original Hipster

HH and Greta, circa 1975

My dad was into bespoke custom clothing before I was and he has the vintage Christmas card to prove it.

Sentence structure sound familiar? My friend Richard introduced me to a hilarious website: Dads: The Original Hipster. {Warning--I haven't dug too far back into the photo archives so there may be some NSFW photos or captions in there} After reviewing a few entries I could see that HH, Renaissance Man, was just as, if not hipper than these yahoos.

I remembered seeing this old holiday card from his bachelor days (pre-Mamacat and five kids) and lo and behold, I found it in my photo archive.

I showed it to a few friends and they all had the same response: "Awesome!" and immediately after: "what kind of material is that shirt?"

After the fourth query today I rang up HH on my lunch break.

ME: "Dad!?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess...?" <----HH has a funny way of drawing out his yesses that just cannot be replicated via the written word

ME: "I have an important question for you."

DAD: "What is it, kiddo?"

ME: "You know that holiday card? The one of you and your German Shepard, Greta?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess..?"

ME: "You know that shirt that you are wearing? With the long pointy collar--the brown one?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess...?"

ME: "What in the heck is it made out of?"

DAD: "Oh that one? It's pretty bad, I think it is fake leather, like vinyl."

ME: "What? Really?!"

DAD: "Yes. And you know what is even better?"

Wait for it--wait for it:

DAD: "I sewed it myself!"

Bam!

HH wins, hands down. HH, Renaissance Man, was at the sewing machine before it became all trendy and hip.

Like I said, my dad was into bespoke custom clothing before I was and he has the vintage Christmas card to prove it.

XO Terez

My First Vera (Bradley)

Whoopsie Daisy!

 When I visited Boston for the first time in 2002 I couldn't figure out the quilted bag craze. It was October, and cold, and many very fashionable women on the T were clutching quilted cotton bags to their shoulders. To me they looked like bandanas and very 80s. Gasp!

But time marched on, I move here, and the patterns evolved. My favorite roommate of all time, KV, moved in and brought with her some beautiful lunch bags, purses and wallets. "What are  those?" I asked. "Vera Bradley!" she replied.

Vera Bradley Folkloric Pattern (pardon my whitebalance!)

 Vera B. (not to be confused with the amazing textile designer from the 50s-70s, Vera Neumann, creator of the first "signature scarf," a few of which I own) is an American company that creates handbags, accessories and home pieces. Founded in 1983 by Patricia Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, they named the company Vera Bradley after Baekgarrd's mother, Vera.

Me and VB

 Now that I sew and am enamoured of fabric, I can't help but admire the Vera Bradley line even more. Mamacat and HH bestowed a Barnes and Noble gift card upon me this Christmas and when I saw this print in the store and was assured I could use the gift card toward it, destiny came calling:

Bag, Hat, Scarf, Gloves

Anyone who really knows me knows that I love: *pink *orange *green *cream *mandalas *hearts *Scandinavian inspired prints *handbags. As you can see from my Crafty-Valentining post, mandalas, especially heart ones, are my current inspirational fire.

Warding Away the Cold

Obviously this bag and I are a match made in design heaven. Even if it is a bit spring/summery and it is 26 degrees out with 3-5' snow drifts!

XO Terez