Blog

Last week I shared Ruth’s One Block Wonder quilts from our December Sew Day. At our January Sew Day we all brought fun fabrics to try it for ourselves. Ruth began by showing us how to cut six identical strips from the fabric, then we cross~cut these strips into triangles. That’s when the real fun began!

Eileen picked a lovely poinsettia print and got a little one~on~one instruction from Ruth:

Her fabric made fascinating blocks and we all enjoyed offering our opinions as she laid them out.

As she put the triangles together it became apparent that this fabric caused the resulting hexagons to look like they had a lot more piecing in them then they did.

And here are some of her blocks:

I layered my 6 large strips of the fabric, cut 3 1/2″ strips, and then crosscut piles of triangles:

Don’t you just love the variety!

We had a great time deciding which way to lay out our blocks and everyone got into it, including the teacher.

A few of us started stitching that day, but we didn’t get very far. I got to work on mine at retreat and will share the results next week. I can’t wait to see what my friends are doing with theirs. Stay tuned for all the fun!

Our Fiberistas group had a sew day in December and our newest member brought along some fun show and tell. Ruth loves to make One Block Wonder quilts based on the book by Maxine Rosenthal. 

I’ve made many “Stack and Whack” style quilts over the years, and even came up with my own way of making a block I call Spin Star.

It’s such fun to see all the different blocks that come from one multicolored print! I typically look for a large print with a swirly feel, as in the border fabric above. Another example is this fabric designed by Jane Sassaman:

It worked great! To make my spin star blocks I needed to find 8 repeats in the fabric, so I could cut 8 identical triangles:

Then the fun comes in laying out the triangles to see the different patterns that result. If I put the green corner in the center I get this:

but if the yellow goes central it’s a completely different look:

The hard part is deciding which is the best. And each stack of these triangles could make two different blocks. Too much fun! It’s especially delightful to teach this class because everyone gets to see the amazing variety of blocks the others make.

My technique makes “swiss cheese” out of the fabric, but the blocks make it all worthwhile.

The One Block Wonder variation of Stack and Whack Ruth shared uses strips of the fabric repeat and doesn’t result in “holey” fabric. It makes a much busier quilt because the hexagons all butt up to one another. It’s a different, yet exciting look.

Ruth showed us the back of her quilt which was made from her original chosen fabric.

This is a print I wouldn’t have thought of using in a Spin Star because the pattern repeat is quite large with a lot of open space. Ruth said it still worked for the One Block pattern – and then she showed us! She said she ended up with a large number of hexagonal, kaleidoscope type blocks, but she found the variety of color and design was overwhelming in one large quilt. She chose to divide them into three smaller quilts. The first contained the more multi-colored, busier blocks:

She then chose to put the blue/white blocks in quilt number two.

And the last quilt used the greenish blocks. This one’s my favorite.

I think the large amount of white background in her original fabric calmed down the busy-ness of her quilts and made them so interesting. Her choice of fabrics for the “borders” in each was spot on. Great job Ruth!

We were all intrigued and asked her to show us how it’s done. She did just that at our January Sew Day, but you’ll have to wait until next week to see how that went.

Have you made a Stack and Whack style quilt you’d like to share? Please email me photos!

****************

And one more thing!

Nancy sent me a photo of a quilt she recently completed with this note:

“Attached is a picture of a quilt I recently finished, “From the Farm:  Ken’s Story”, which was inspired by a quilt I saw at the 2022 Quilt Show in Madison and then featured on one of your blogs a couple of months ago.  Making this quilt was quite an “adventure” but definitely worth it.  More importantly, the recipient really loves it.  Definitely worth all the effort.“

Great job Nancy! Thanks for sending the photo!

Time goes by so fast and I’m thrilled that it’s winter retreat time at Cattail once again. Before I share a bit of the fun, I’d like to answer a few questions I received on last week’s post about my new studio. My first comment is to thank everyone for their kind words and especially Ginny for telling me that it was time for me to “get sewing and have fun messing it up” 🤣!

I’m always afraid I’m being too repetitive in my weekly posts, and for some of you long time followers I probably am. But I do have some new readers too and I hope to find a balance. That being said, in last week’s post Rene commented with a request for more information on my “magic box”. I blogged about that in 2016 and anyone who is interested can click here to read more about it.

Then Sue commented with a question about my Handi Quilter Sweet 16 mid-arm machine. Please click here for a post on that topic from 2012. The metal contraption hanging at the back of the machine table is an invention of my own I call the Quilt Float System.

It can be made rather inexpensively from supplies at your local hardware store, and I would not quilt a crib size or larger quilt without it! The Quilt Float lifts the weight of the quilt off of the table and makes it so much easier to maneuver, especially with bed-sized quilts. I’ve been using this system for many years and you can click here to find the most recent and comprehensive post I’ve written about it. And ~ as you can see from this photo ~ it works for domestic machines too!

*******************

Now that we covered that 😊… I’m at at a wonderful snowy retreat in Poynette, WI!

Don’t you love going on a quilt retreat? Spending time with other quilters doing what you love is just about the most fun a person can have. If you’ve never had the opportunity ~ I highly recommend you searching one out, or grab a few friends and find a place to sew together. I know your friends will thank you 😊. I’m blessed to eat with these dear ladies:

and sing along to 70s music, laugh ~ and sew much more. We get a lot of stitching done too!

We’re supposed to head home today. I just hope we can get there in spite of all the snow that fell overnight. Or maybe we should just continue to sew today away and worry about driving home tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day 🤣.

*******************

And one more thing…

Last week I signed up for classes at the AQS show in Paducah and ended up posting about my love for Paducah and the show on their FaceBook page. In case you missed it, here it is:

“I just registered to take classes in Paducah, and the thought of Spring at the AQS show is helping me to get through this cold Wisconsin winter. This will be the 32^nd time I’ve attended the show and I can’t wait. I’ve been blessed to help to hang the quilts every year and they never disappoint ~ they’re the best in the world; and then there’s the vendors ~ amazing!

I called Bonnie Browning today to talk to her about hanging and taking down the show in April and I got so excited sharing with her all the things I love about Paducah and the quilt show, that she suggested I share my thoughts on their FaceBook page.

Being there so often has allowed me to really get to know this wonderful city. The convention center is walking distance to a very charming downtown (although trollies and buses are available). There are lovely shops and restaurants, and the murals on the flood wall shouldn’t be missed! Then there’s the National Quilt Museum – I recommend going there at least once, but I usually find myself there two or three times.

Member registration is now open, so this is the time to join AQS – just do it! Click here to link to their website. I’m really looking forward to it and maybe I’ll see you there.

Oh, and don’t forget bubble tea at Etcetera in downtown Paducah” 

My husband and John put the finishing touch on my now complete studio by hanging my “magic box” this past Wednesday! I’ve been finding every moment I can to stitch and smile since then.

The magic box is where I store the art quilts that shouldn’t be folded. It is an engineering marvel constructed by another wonderful carpenter when we moved into our last home. Fortunately Mike was willing to take it down and move it here, and I’m so grateful he and John were able to put it all together. Here it is in progress:

And here it is installed:

My portable design walls live in front of it, so it’s compact and out of the way, yet provides amazing storage. I’m very blessed.

My new closet has storage for bins and completed quilts:

Tall, hanging space:

And there’s even a little extra room that I’m going to try very hard not to fill too fast (and no ~ I’m not renting out space 🤣):

The counter area (on the left) shelters my cutting table so it doesn’t get piled with stuff when not in use.

The area under the counter to the right is perfect for my fabric carts.

I was going to have John put doors on it, but he said they might just be in the way. Then I had a light bulb moment. I purchased a beautiful hand painted “shawl” on our Sew We Go cruise in Hawaii, but I really don’t know where I’ll ever wear it. So I folded it over, stitched a sleeve, and sheered it onto a curtain rod.

It protects my fabric from light and I love looking at it. Plus ~ it’s easy to move out of the way.

Now I’m trying out the sewing area and having fun tweaking and rearranging as I’m working.

I still have plenty of stuff, but at least it’s organized and I know where everything is. Now it’s time to finish my latest challenge quilt and a crib quilt for a baby girl who’s on the way! It feels so good to be quilting again!!!

I had a problem with one of my featherweight sewing machines while at the quilt show in Michigan a few weeks ago. It was completely my fault, and although it’s a bit embarrassing, I want to share it here to hopefully be of some help to others.

I own two Singer Featherweights: one beige and one green ~ and I love them.

My grandkids have learned to sew on them, and I enjoy taking them on retreats. But I actually don’t sew on either of them very often ~ and that’s a big part of the problem.

I use my Bernina all the time, clean and oil it regularly, and take it in for maintenance when needed. When I bought my featherweights I had them immediately cleaned and checked. Since then, because I don’t use them often, they haven’t been back. I’ve known for years that machines that aren’t used regularly need to be maintained and taken in more often because they just sit, but I’m ashamed to say I completely failed to do this.

So, Cathy and I were sewing away on our sweet little machines

and she mentioned that she’s named all six of hers. Lucy was the one she’d brought along. I realized mine needed a name too and decided to name her Lettie Belle, after my husband’s grandmother Aletta Belle.

Things were going along well when suddenly Lettie Belle let out an unnerving screech. Cathy asked when the last time was I oiled her and I blushed with shame. Fortunately Cathy brought her travel pack of oil along. I had my manual and I turned to the proper page:

and oiled the top and bobbin area. Then I took off the face plate to the left on the head of the machine and oiled all the spots there too.

But the screech continued. Cathy asked if I’d oiled the bottom. The bottom? Oh – that would be on the next page. Duh.

I unscrewed the bottom plate:

and once again I followed the diagram to oil properly.

Well, at least I was now up to speed. We turned her over and ~ that screech again! Ugh.

We determined the sound was coming from the head and took the faceplate off once again.

Now I need to let you know how grateful I am for Cathy. She’s a featherweight whiz. She’s taken all the classes and has even bought a number of machines in pieces and rebuilt them. She waxes their outsides and lubricates their insides. And yet she was kind to me in spite of my foolishness. So, she sat in front of Lettie and was able to add some additional oil where she determined something was still rubbing. It worked! What a blessing!

Lettie hummed along beautifully for the rest of the trip. She’s now visiting Brad at Sew Much More and getting the tender loving care she deserves. I also took in her sister Ardis Mildred ~ named after my grandma. I guess I need to purchase two more featherweights so that our remaining grandmother’s names, Irma and Selma, can be immortalized 😊.

The moral of the story: clean and oil all your machines, and take them in for their needed spa treatments regularly.

You may remember a post I wrote last year about my niece’s daughter Rosemary who came over to learn to quilt.

I also shared a little bit about her mom, Kaitlin, and her “Anatomical Art” business ~ Lyon Road Art.

Please click here to read that post.

Kaitlin recently opened a brick and mortar shop for her business in Waunakee, WI, and she started teaching painting classes. My preferred medium is fabric, but I was thinking it would be fun to take a class from my niece ~ and then the opportunity presented itself. Kaitlin offered a class for grandmas and grandkids. I couldn’t resist inviting Sommer to go with me (her brother Trey had a playdate with a friend that day), and my mom invited Sommer’s mom (my daughter-in-law Betsy) to be her granddaughter for the class. The day came and we all had a wonderful time. Kaitlin’s shop is lovely:

As is her studio; and she’s a very talented and encouraging teacher.

The project she designed was of a pair of turtles. I haven’t done anything with watercolors since grade school, and it was fun.

My dad came along to kibitz (his word, not mine 😊) and it was extra fun to have him there.

Sommer decided to put a blue, watery background on hers ~ a perfect choice. Everyone did great and a good time was had by all (the class was actually full, and we were less than half of the group)!

I’m not persuaded to leave quilting for painting, but it’s fun to try something new ~ especially with people you love.

You can follow Kaitlin on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=lyon%20road%20art

My friend Eileen is a treasure. We’ve traveled together and belonged to the same wonderful quilting groups. She’s always been there for me, and recently she caused me to laugh out loud. After I posted about making “Sidelights” for my sink (click here to read that post), we were chatting and she told me she thought I was the “MacGyver” of quilting. I guess I do love to solve problems with supplies I have on hand 🤣!

And that side of me showed up again this past November (I’m finding our new home just needs creative fixes). You may have noticed this new quilted “fix” in this photo from last week’s post ~

or maybe you didn’t notice it, but you’ll know all about it soon enough. Here’s the story:

Mike and I have always had homes with natural fireplaces. This is a good thing because my husband loves “playing” with fire. Well, much to his dismay, this house has a gas fireplace which we’ve pretty much ignored until the weather turned cold. What made us think about it was feeling the cold air pouring in at the bottom of the fireplace. We called a chimney sweep in to clean it and answer questions, and he said the flue needed to stay open a crack to vent everything ~ and the cold draft couldn’t be helped. YIKES! So I went through my UFO bin and found some blocks leftover from a quilt I made for my friend Margaret (for the story about this quilt click here).

They were 16 patch blocks I acquired in a guild exchange and they made a lovely quilt:

I had 5 blocks leftover, so I cut pieces the required height and sewed them end to end, making sure no seams needed to match (just for fun). I then began hunting for a stiff piece of something to stabilize everything. In a “studio” box that is still waiting to be unpacked I found a foam core sign from an old quilt exhibit. It just needed to be cut to size and mailing taped into a long enough rectangle:

I then sewed the block pieces into a tube, backed it with black fabric:

and slid the foam core into place.

The end was hand-stitched closed, and it was ready to be tucked in place. I think Mike’s mom’s china cat approves!

Now we just have to remember to remove it when we want to have a cozy fire (like after our New Years Eve dinner last night).

I think my ideas are a little tame for the MacGyver nickname, but I’m grateful for the creative brain the Lord gave me, and for wonderful quilting friends who make us laugh.

Since I took this photo the Autumn decorations have come down and Christmas decor is still in place. I guess I’m also grateful that the Lord has given me so many blog ideas that the seasons are changing before some of the posts make it live 😊.

Happy New Year everyone. May it be filled with smiles and fun quilting projects!

What a blessing to have Christmas fall on a Sunday. Our church usually has the Christmas service on Christmas Eve, and that’s when we are together with my Dad’s side of the family. I’m so joyful to be heading to worship on this Christmas morning!

The past few weeks have been exciting. It’s been such fun to find new places for all our decorations. To start, the 12′ Christmas tree that looked lovely in our old home was just too tall for our new one. So we found it a good home, and then found a new tree at a thrift store. It’s 9′ tall and fits beautifully!

I love the perspective from the second floor walkway:

There’s a quaint shelf under the kitchen cabinets that now holds some of my favorite pieces.

Each year I look forward to cookie baking day with my mom and dad. For the past few years we’ve held it at our home, but my oven hasn’t been working right, so we got together at my parent’s condo. Praise God, I’ve never missed a year of this lovely tradition and usually the kids and grandkids join in. This year Brad, Sommer and Trey were there.

I finished the Santa Wreath that Cathy and I were working on in Michigan. These guys make me smile!

I could do without the below zero temperatures this year, but it is truly a white Christmas – and it is beautiful!

Praying each of you has a blessed Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!