For my Sister

My sister is an amazing seamstress.  The clothing that she has made for some of her clients have perfect seams and wonderful detail.  Last night at dinner she asked me if I knew any hexagon quilt patterns that did not require "y" seams (she had found some fabric that was honeycomb themed).  I was excited by her interest because my sister knows as much about quilting as I know about sewing clothes, the basics.

I am not saying knowing just the basics is bad.  We all have had to start from the beginning.  I was wondering when she would turn to the dark side bwahahahaha!

Hexagon quilts can be challenging because of the set-in, or "y" seams.  There are a lot of tutorials on how to sew set-in seams, but mastering this technique does require some trial and error.

Example of a set-in seam.

I have found three different hexagon patterns that do not require the dreaded set-in seam: Rosalie by Valori Wells, Merry-Go-Round Quilt by Sandy Klop and Easy Breezy Hexies by Sonja Callaghan.  The first quilt, Rosalie, combines hexagons and triangles to create rows that are easily sewn together.  The last two quilts uses rows of sewn fabric to create the illusion of hexagons sewn together. 

Available at Stitchin' Post (need to scroll down most of the page to find it)

Easy Breezy Hexies available at QuiltMaker.com

Merry-Go-Round Quilt available at American Jane Pattern's (scroll 2/3 down to find the pattern)

 

String Quilts

The quilt that I am currently working on for a client is a string quilt.  Essentially a string quilt is a quilt comprised of strips of cloth typically left over from other projects.  The fabric that I am using are scraps left over from three other quilts that I have made for the same client.  Below are examples of the type of string quilt that I am trying to make.

From allbuttonedup.typepad.com

Each quilt block is built upon squares of stabilizer fabric and four squares help make the four pointed star with diamonds on the sides.  Below is the layout before I start adding the strips.

Figuring out background layout.

Lily's Third Birthday

Last year I made a shirt for my daughter for her second birthday.  I was inspired by Silhouette's blog.  For those who do not know, Silhouette is a company that make vinyl cutting machines.  I own one of the older models, which for now suit my needs, but soon I'd love to purchase a Cameo (the current model).

Lily's second Birthday shirt.

When planning for Lily's second birthday I wanted to make her something cute to wear.  I searched  Silhouette's blog and found a tutorial on how to make a cupcake with vinyl and ribbon.  The shirt was created by Amy from the blog Positively Splendid.  You can find Amy's tutorial here.

Lily has been obsessed with dinosaurs and My Little Pony this year.  This year I found a cute dinosaur and added a bow to her tail.

Lily's third Birthday shirt.

Close up of the dinosaur.

My First Twin Quilt

Up until 2011 I had only attempted to make baby and lap quilts.  To push myself I bought a kit from Connecting Threads and joined a local quilt group that met at the local library.  The end result is one of my favorite quilts.

When I made this quilt I had not even started to try free motion quilting.  I simply stitched in the ditch between the various rows.  I've thought about going back and quilting each brick, but I can not seem to bring myself to do it.

A New Adventure

I am super excited!  My older brother is getting married (second marriage for both parties) and I know exactly what quilt to make for them as a wedding present.  A year ago I was introduced to Judy Niemeyer's quilts.  I loved the way that the circles would twist and how perfect the points of the stars were.  So I started to research other quilts like Judy's and I discovered the New York Beauty.

An example of Judy Niemeyer's work

A "New York Beauty" quilt has an old heritage.  The quilt originated in the southeastern states and wasn't given the name New York Beauty until the 1930's.  Before that time the quilt had many different names, Sunrise/Sunrise in the Pines, Rocky Mountain/Rocky Mountain Road/Rail Through The Mountains, and Crown of Thorns, to name a few.  The quilt became known as the "New York Beauty" because of various quilts that won awards at the 1933 Worlds Fair.

Mountain Mist New York Beauty, c. 1930

The traditional "New York Beauty" quilts look quite different from the current versions of the quilt.  In the 1990's Karen K Stone released a book that changed how the quilt blocks were positioned in the quilt.  The end result was how most modern quilters create a "New York Beauty" today.

One of my favorite New York Beauties.

I am a little intimidated by creating this quilt, but I am so excited to learn paper piecing.  I'll post more of what I learn and create in the next few months.  If you want to read more about the history of the New York Beauty go to the blog Wonkyworld.  

Sprocket Pillow

I love pillows.  My opinion is more pillows the merrier!  I found the sprocket pillow on pinterest and new that I just had to make it for my couch.  Now I couldn't just make the pillow I had to quilt it as well. My reason for the extra work is inspired by an amazing quilter, Amanda Walters.  Her unique way of quilting is my favorite way finish a quilt.  Angela once said, "Quilting is like putting on makeup.  Makeup artists don't put blush all over the face; instead they use different types of makeup in different areas of the face.  In the same way we should consider the quilt top."  Now when I make something I can't finish it without quilting it.  This pillow is no exception.  Each section has been individually quilted.

A close up of the pillow.  You can find the pattern for this pillow at Cluck Cluck Sew.

Memory Quilts

I have four siblings who live all over the continental United States.  Last summer we were able to all meet in California for a family vacation.  To remember the fun we had I came up with an idea for a memory quilt.  Each member of the family made art work with their hand and each piece became the quilt blocks for the quilt.  The best reference on how to go about making this quilt came from Marcia L Layton.  Her two books, Handprint Quilts; Creating Children's Keepsakes with Paint and Fabric and Calendar Kids: Handprint Quilts Through the Year are abundant with ideas of how to make sea creatures or circus animals from a hand print.



  Calendar Kids is hard to find, but it is being sold on Amazon.  Each finished block is eleven inches square.  After the background is quilted I have gone back and added embellishments to emphasize what each hand print is.

Here is an example of a flower that my nephew made.  I will post more of the different blocks in the quilt as I finish them.