Fundamentals Sew Along - week 26

Hi Everyone:

     Guess what!  We are half way there.  I just put the blocks up on the design wall, and I must say they look beautiful together.  Even though eventually they will have either sashing or an Irish Chain block in between them, they actually look quite nice touching each other.



26 Bocks Done!  Stonehenge



              26 Blocks Done!  30's Reproductions





They  both  are lovely!
This weeks block is called Broken Dishes.  By now you are probably finding the assembly of these blocks getting easier.



Broken Dishes Assembly

Some  of the blocks that we are working on have 36 or more pieces in them.  I know there might be a few of you that might not want to be jumping up to iron at every step. I know I don't!  But I do iron EVERTHING!  Even though I know the aroebic activity wouldn't hurt it really slows down production, so I have reconfigured my workspace so that my ironing station and cutting station are all within reach of the sewing machine.  It really speeds things up.  I found an old coffee table that doubles as my cutting area and I lowered my ironing board so that it is the same height as my sewing table.  Before I repurposed the coffee table I was using my dehumidifier.  It worked as well.  So look around your house you should be able to come up with something that would work for you.


Sewing Area with Cutting and Ironing Station

These are the finished blocks. 



Broken Dishes Block -   30's Reproductions

Broken Dishes Block -  Stonehenge

Have a good week everyone, and leave some time to sew!

More Block of the Month Programs

Let me introduce two new block of the month programs that we will be beginning this fall.

First up is Moonglow.  Moonglow is a classic quilt designed by Jinny Beyer. The quilt is made of progressively more difficult blocks from beginner to intermediate so that you can develop your skills as you work through it. The quilt features 10 variations of the traditional Mariner's Compass block, each named after the seas of the moon. The fabrics used in the blocks are from the Jinny Beyer Palette.

Dimensions: 86-1/4" x 86-1/4"

This is a twelve month block of the month program you will be billed a $25.00 registration fee then $24.95 per month for twelve months. If you pay the full cost up front we will waive the registration fee. Please just indicate that is what you would like to do when you check out.

You will receive all fabric for the top and borders, as well as the patterns. The postage cost for this program is $3.75 per month within Canada or $6.99 per month to the USA.

This program will be beginning in October, 2012. 
Click here to register online:  Moonglow Block of the Month Registration.

Second is Color My World.  Color My World is a striking quilt made from RJR's high quality Cotton Supreme Solids. The captivating Color My World features an array of unique pieced stars set together to create a secondary medallion star center.


Also included are 3 BONUS projects to make a wall hanging, dresser scarf and accent pillow. For the perfect finishing touch, quilting motifs, including a feathered wreath and feather spray, are contained in the final installment.

Dimensions: Finished Quilt is 90" x 90".

This is a twelve month block of the month program you will be billed a $25.00 registration fee then $24.95 per month for twelve months. If you pay the full cost up front we will waive the registration fee. Please just indicate that is what you would like to do when you check out.

You will receive all fabric for the top and borders, as well as the patterns. The postage cost for this program is $3.75 per month within Canada or $6.99 per month to the USA.

This program will be beginning in October, 2012.

Click here to register online:  Color My World Block of the Month.

New Block of the Month Program - Celtic Crystals

Celtic Crystals is an elegant quilt inspired the beauty of the Irish Isles. This original design has 16 blocks plus the Celtic cross center and interlocking border designs. All the batiks are in jewel tones exactly as shown.
Dimensions: Finished Quilt is 84" x 84".

This is a twelve month block of the month program you will be billed a $25.00 registration fee then $24.95 per month for twelve months. If you pay the full cost up front we will waive the registration fee. Please just indicate that is what you would like to do when you check out.

You will receive all fabric for the top and borders, as well as the patterns. The postage cost for this program is $3.75 per month within Canada or $6.99 per month to the USA.

This program will be beginning in November, 2012.

Click here to register online:  Celtic Crystals Block of the Month

Fundamentals Sew Along - Week 25

     This weeks block is called Electric Fan.  How appropriate!!  For those of you that are not from the Toronto area our temperature  today is 33 degrees Celsius, feeling like 40 degrees with the humidex.  The store is air conditioned so we are comfortable but it really hits you when you step outside.

  This weeks block is very simple.  It consists of a pinwheel  with sashing and cornerstones around it.  If you are working with the Stonehenge fabrics you might have noticed by now that some of the fabrics have a faint direction to them.  The fabric in the corner squares is one of those fabrics.  Keep that in mind when you are assembling the block.

Electric Fan Block Segments

Electric Fan Block

     In your starter pack  you should have received a few sheets of paper with numbers on them.

 

Numbered Sheets

These are meant to be cut up and pinned to your block every week.  I just cut mine apart today and attached them to my blocks.  It will help keep them organized for when you are ready to assemble them at the end of the program.

Organized Blocks

Bunny Citing









This  cute little bunny  greeted me when I arrived home from work tonight.  He was about three feet away from me when I got out of my van, but by the time I got my camera he was in the next yard.  He doesn't seem to mind the heat! 

Stay cool everyone.  See you next week.

Summer Project - Back In Progress

I always tackle a big project during the summer -  my husband will actually tell you I always do two -  one quilting related and one **other** (this year it is expanding the store last year it was moving the family to a new house).  Well so it goes.  Last summer I started a King Sized Postage Stamp Quilt using 1930s fabric and Kona Snow.  If you are interested you can read through the posts starting last July to see how it went.  As it turned out it was a much bigger project than I anticipated and while I got a lot done I certainly didn't finish it.  This summer I am going to make a run at getting it done.



As of today I have finished one of the four panels I need to make and have started in on the second.  Each panel measures 120" x 30" finished or  180" x 45" unfinished.



The first panel measures 120" x 30"
and covers this much of the bed!



The second panel is started. 
This is my ironing set up.

Yesterday I took everything out and got to work.  I am storing my thousands of squares in a giant mixing bowl. 

At our retreat in February a "tragedy" befell my bowl.  I was carrying it in from the car with my iron sitting on the top of it and my iron drained into the bowl getting all the squares drenched.  I laid them all out in my hotel room -  it looked like a ticker tape parade in there and dried them out and then threw them back in the bowl.  Of course now a lot of them are quite wrinkly and warped (thankfully not all of them).  I spent about 4 hours ironing them and stacking them by color and only made a dent in the pile!





Ironed, sorted and stacked!



These squares are still waiting for for something to happen!