Quilting Linda: A Quilting Blog by Linda West

Aug

5

Bonnie Hunter’s Tropical Twist Workshop

Posted Saturday, August 5th, 2017 in My Projects, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

This has been a busy summer here in Columbus. We have been watching the granddaughters quite often (and enjoying every minute!). I did get to attend a workshop with Bonnie Hunter in June. We were working on the Tropical Twist quilt from her book, “Addicted to Scraps“. Bonnie is the queen of scraps, therefore, I tried to make the entire quilt from my scrap bin. I pulled the green, purple and blue scraps for the darker strips and a variety of light scraps for the background. On a few of the background strips, I used the back of the fabric as the right side to get a lighter shade. This was a tip that I had heard before but Bonnie reminded us of it at the workshop.

Another tip for this quilt was to use the leftover triangles (that are cut off in making the larger block) in the border. Bonnie has designed a nifty little ruler , the Bonus Buddy, that is made for this purpose. It was included with her triangle ruler that I purchased last year.  At the lecture the night before the workshop, she mentioned that we would be using the Bonus Buddy. I went home and packed it for the next day. It works great! She said it will be available as a single item soon.

Tropical Twist

All of the blocks were made from my scraps. I do have to confess that I bought fabric for the aqua and yellow inner borders. I didn’t have enough of either of those colors to make an entire border.

Jun

13

Quilting Dry Spell

Posted Thursday, June 13th, 2013 in Magazines, Quilt Guilds | Read More

I have hit a bit of a dry spell in my quilting life. I have not sewn any quilt blocks for about two weeks. I did spend a lot of that time going through old quilt magazines and tearing out patterns I want to keep. Some of the magazines are from 2005 and newer. Most of them were Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting, Quiltmaker, and McCall’s Quick Quilts.

One of the patterns that I found in a McCall’s Quilting magazine is the mystery quilt by Robert Callahan in 2005. Each issue in 2005 had another pattern for a row in the quilt. Piecemakers quilt group has been talking about making another group row quilt and this is the one we chose to do this year.

I have now finished looking at all the old magazines and my cutting table is cleared and ready to cut quilt blocks. I plan to make the new Quilty Barn Along block and the May and June “Hello Moon” blocks soon. Stop in at the blog to see the finished blocks in the near future.

Mar

5

Getting an early start…

Posted Saturday, March 5th, 2011 in baby quilt, Fabric Stash, Fabrics, My Projects, Quilt Blocks, Quilt Guilds | Read More

Each year my small quilt group, Piecemakers, makes a baby quilt for the first baby born in the new year at CMH (Community Memorial Hospital). We decided we wanted to get started early this year  so there is not a rush at the end of the year to get it quilted. I appreciate this since I am usually the person doing the quilting.

Carol and I went to a quilt shop in Roanoke, IN the last week in December, 2010, and found a nice panel to use for the center of the quilt. We decided to make a border of four-patch blocks using the colors found in the panel. The quilt group looked through our stash at the church and found colors to match. I cut the fabric into strips and they were taken home by several members.

Last Thursday the group arranged the four-patches around the panel and Kris and I sewed them into borders at the meeting. I brought them home and added them to the panel today.

As soon as I find fabric for the backing, I will load it on my quilt frame and do the quilting.

Jan

30

Quilt Guild Garage Sale

Posted Sunday, January 30th, 2011 in baby quilt, Fabric Stash, Fabrics, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

At the Appleseed Guild meeting in January, the program was a garage sale. About ten people rented tables and sold unwanted quilting supplies. There was a nice variety of items available for purchase. My “find” was this lunch box filled with ‘Funky Monkey’ fabrics. I measured it when I got home and found I have over five yards of fabric. One piece has one square cut out but all the other pieces are uncut. I plan to make a  quilt and maybe include a sock monkey in the lunch box for a baby gift.

Dec

11

Piecemakers Christmas Party

Posted Saturday, December 11th, 2010 in Christmas gift, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

Thursday night my quilt group met for a pot luck dinner, games, and gift exchange.  The meal was delicious  and the fellowship was wonderful. We each brought 2 fat quarters for prizes for Christmas Bingo and a gift. For the exchange we could chose a gift from under the tree or could take a gift that someone had opened.  The first gift I opened was taken and I got to choose another gift. The gift I brought home was hand made. It is a wooden waste basket with a quilt block painted on it. The basket holds a plastic grocery bag by slipping the handle opening over the handles on the basket. I also received two mini-bolts of green fabric. They are the same shades of green as the two fat quarters that I won playing Bingo!

Aug

15

Edyta Sitar Quilt Class

Posted Sunday, August 15th, 2010 in Fabrics, My Projects, Patterns, Quilt Guilds, Quilt Shows, Quilting | Read More

Edyta Sitar was the featured artist at the Appleseed Quilt Show at the Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana  last week. She taught a workshop called Hannah’s  Sugar Baskets which I attended. The cost of the class included a kit of fabric. She gave us enough fabric to make the 12 baskets plus extra,  triangle paper for 700 HSTs, recipe cards with the patterns, a folder with quilt layout sheets, and her 2011 calendar that includes 3 patterns. The fabric for the class was cut into strips and ready to make half square triangles using the triangle paper.

She had each of us (21 students)  sew five sheets of HST (half square triangles), cut them apart and share with the class. We kept 7 HSTs from each sheet  and put the rest into 21 piles. When everyone was finished sewing and cutting, we each received one of the piles of HSTs.  This created a very nice variety of fabrics and colors that all coordinated.

After lunch we removed the paper from the HSTs and trimmed the ‘dog ears’ from the squares. She then demonstrated how the basket blocks were assembled, giving us hints on color placement. She also gave us tips on choosing fabric patterns. She told us to choose five prints,small, medium, and large size, dots, and stripes. We then assembled blocks until the end of the class.

During the class, Edyta displayed many of her finished quilts, showing them as she taught the class.

I attended this class with two of my very good friends, Cheryl and Kris. During the two hour lunch break, we visited the vendors and viewed some of the quilts displayed in the quilt show.

I returned to the Coliseum the next day to meet another good quilting friend,Sharon.  I met her on an online quilting forum a few years ago.

Below are the baskets I made with the HSTs from the class.

Jun

14

Smaller design wall

Posted Monday, June 14th, 2010 in My Projects, Quilt Guilds, Quilting, Sewing and Crafting, Tips and Tricks | Read More

I had a tri-fold display board that I had covered with flannel several years ago when I taught a class. All I had to do was add the curtain rods. In the second picture you can see how the curtain rods are attached with the binder clips.

Just click on the picture to enlarge it.

Jun

13

My new design wall

Posted Sunday, June 13th, 2010 in Quilt Guilds, Sewing and Crafting, Tips and Tricks | Read More

I made this portable design wall from  instructions given at the Appleseed Quilters Guild meeting in April. Items needed are a dressmaker’s cardboard cutting board, two metal curtain rods (72″ white rods that curve at the ends), a piece of flannel or felt 44″ X 80″,  10 large binder clips, and painter’s tape or double sided carpet tape. To make a smaller design wall, a tri-fold display board can be used.

I made mine from items that I had on hand  except for the cutting board and curtain rods. I owned a dressmaker’s cutting board  but it disappeared long ago. My friend Liz gave me her old cutting board. I purchased the curtain rods at Dollar General for $3.50 each. I had a box of large binder clips,  painter’s tape, and a nice piece of white flannel.

Cover the cutting board with the flannel and tape it to the back of the board. Open the curtain rods and fasten to the long sides of the board with the large binder clips. Stand the board against a wall or bookcase to use. I put mine in front of a cabinet in my sewing room.

It went together very quickly. When finished using it, it can be folded up and stored.

My next project will be to make a small board from a tri-fold display board. I already have one covered with felt. All I need to do is to add the curtain rods. It will be a nice size to set up near my sewing machine for smaller projects.

Jun

9

Bridal Path + 9 to 4

Posted Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 in Fabrics, Patterns, Quilt Blocks, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

I won six Bridal Path blocks at the Appleseed Quilters Guild meeting on June 1. I bought white fabric with black polka dots  to use as plain blocks between the pieced blocks and I purchased black with mini  dots to use for binding. When I got home I realized I didn’t have enough of the white to make four 12 1/2 inch squares. Not wanting to wait until I could go shopping again, I decided to use the fabric I had and made four pieced (9 to 4) blocks instead of the plain squares. By cutting the binding a bit smaller than usual, I had just enough to make the binding.

May

31

Block of the Month -June 2010

Posted Monday, May 31st, 2010 in Fabric Stash, Fabrics, My Projects, Patterns, Quilt Guilds | Read More

I made two blocks  for the block of the month at the Appleseed Quilters Guild meeting on June 1. This block is called Bridal Path with one change. The center 9 patch is changed to 9 solid squares rather then pieced squares in the corners. Here are the blocks I made.

The colors we were asked to use were black and white with jewel tone colors for the star points. These were fabrics from my stash.

An update: I took the blocks to quilt guild last night and won the Block of the Month blocks.The blocks below are the four that I won in addition to my two blocks shown above.

I plan to use five of the blocks to make a table topper.

May

18

Relay for Life Quilt-2010

Posted Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 in Fabrics, Patterns, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

This quilt was made by the Piecemakers Quilt Group  for Relay for Life 2010. We worked together at our weekly meetings to make the blocks.  The block pattern is Road to California. Colleen Richter finished the top and I quilted it.  Colleen put the binding on it.

I made this label on my embroidery machine . Colleen framed it with the dark purple fabric and sewed it to the back of the quilt.

Apr

23

Relay for Life Quilt – 2010

Posted Friday, April 23rd, 2010 in My Projects, Patterns, Quilt Blocks, Quilt Guilds | Read More

Every year since 2006, Piecemaker Quilt Group members have made a group quilt for Relay for Life. The team from St. John’s Lutheran Church raffles it as one of their fund raisers. Colleen co0rdinates the project and provides the fabric. Each member of Piecemakers makes one or more blocks and Colleen puts the quilt top together. I quilt it and embroider a label and Colleen puts the binding and label on it. This year the quilt top contains thirty-six 12 inch blocks plus a three inch border around the outside edge. We used three purple fabrics and the Road to California pattern.

Apr

17

International Quilt Festival 2010-Chicago

Posted Saturday, April 17th, 2010 in Fabric Stash, Fabrics, My Projects, Patterns, Quilt Guilds, Quilt Shows, Quilting | Read More

On Friday, I went to the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. Elsie, Carol, and I met in the church parking lot at 6:00 AM to travel together to Fort Wayne.  There we met friends and members of the Appleseed Quilters Guild and boarded a chartered bus to Chicago. We left Fort Wayne at 7:30 AM and arrived at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont about four hours later.

There was a large crowd at the festival. The aisles were very crowded and some of the vendor booths were very congested. I bought  several quilting items. I purchased a quilting novel,” The Lover’s Knot”, from the author, Clare O’Donohue, and had her autograph it.  She told me she is a quilter also.

My largest purchase was a pack of 21 batik fat quarters in the booth of Edyta Sitar. Edyta will be teaching classes at the Appleseed Quilt show in August. I have signed up for one of her classes, Hannah’s Sugar Basket.

I also bought two small wall hanging kits, a special square up ruler for rectangles, and a quilt ruler connector.

This is the pack of batik fat quarters.

These are the other items that I purchased.

Mar

4

MY LUCKY DAY AT QUILT GUILD

Posted Thursday, March 4th, 2010 in Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

Last night Pat Speth was the guest speaker at the Appleseed Quilters Guild meeting.  She presented a very interesting program, showing  many quilts made from five inch squares of fabric. She has had several books and patterns published with her quilt designs. Pat donated some of her quilt patterns to the guild for door prizes and I was one of the lucky winners.

I purchased a raffle ticket for the monthly mini, as I do each month, and was  the winner of  a very colorful wall quilt made by Mary Ann Skinner. I used the new quilt hangers that Jen and Tristan gave me for Christmas to hang it near the back entrance of my home.

Feb

13

Anniversary Quilt for Elsie and Frank

Posted Saturday, February 13th, 2010 in Fabrics, My Projects, Quilt Blocks, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

We have a small group of quilters who meet weekly at Grace United Methodist Church. We make quilts for Relay for Life, the first baby born at the local hospital, and quilts for special causes and  occasions.

This year, 2010, we gave a quilt to the hospital for the New Year’s baby as our first project. The next project was to make a special quilt for a special quilter in our group. Elsie and Frank are celebrating their 50th anniversary in February and we wanted to surprise them with a small quilt.

We purchased a panel with Bible verses that could be cut into 3 1/2 inch squares. We used the squares for the centers in 15  square in a square blocks. The 16th block had an embroidered square with their names and anniversary date.

We presented Elsie with the quilt at our Thursday evening meeting on February 11.

Nov

26

Piecemakers’ Row Quilt

Posted Thursday, November 26th, 2009 in My Projects, Quilt Guilds | Read More

Our quilt group that meets at Grace United Methodist Church made this quilt in 2009. Each row was made by a member of the group. I pieced the fence and the row of houses. This is the second row quilt we have done.

May

11

New QAYG pattern

Posted Monday, May 11th, 2009 in My Projects, Patterns, Quilt Guilds, Quilt Shows | Read More

I bought a new pattern and templates at the Sauder Quilt Show to make an “Easy Diamonds” quilt with the FUN AND DONE quilting method. It is similar to the “Cotton Theory” quilt as you go method.