Two more quilts finished

I’ve been putzing along on hemming the bindings on my most recent finishes. It’s just been too darn hot to sit with a quilt in my lap.  Finally, though, two more are finished. Both are made from Villa Rosa patterns and use some Benartex fabric I just couldn’t live without! The first one is from the Bold and Beautiful line in the Breezy colorway. I still really like the cool blues and greens with brown. The contemporary prints are so pretty. I love this quilt. I quilted it with an overall feather pantograph.  It’s listed on Etsy here:

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/107991876/bold-and-beautiful-breezy-lap-quilt 

Here’s a close-up of the quilting.

I used Quilter’s Choice thread on the top and Bottom Line in the bobbin.  It was the first time I used Quilter’s Choice and really liked it.  It behaved beautifully in my machine and I had no trouble with tension, breaking or shredding.  It’s made by Golden Threads and I’ll be looking for more at Quilt Expo down in Madison next week.

The second finish is from the Leaf Haven line.  These fabrics feature modern prints in traditional autumn colors.  This was a really fun quilt to make.  It’s also on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107992864/leaf-haven-lap-quilt?ref=v1_other_2

The picture makes the quilt look “busier” than it really is.  Here’s a close-up of the border fabric.  Isn’t it fun?

I started a small Etsy shop with fabric and have some from both of these lines here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/patchworkcottons

If you like these fabrics, be sure to check them out!

Time-saving cutting tip #2

In my last post I wrote about how much time I save using the Shape Cut ruler.  The real time-saver comes when cutting strips into squares or rectangles. I stack strips on top of one another so I’m cutting four or six layers.  If I had lots of strips to cut into squares I would lay out several sets of strips.  I’ll show a picture of that next time I cut them.  For today, I’m still working on the Coquette quilts and I just need a few more squares. 

Since my project requires 2-1/2” squares, I started on the left side and cut on the 0, 2-1/2, 5, 7-1/2, 10, 12-1/2, 15 and 17-1/2” slots.  I also cut at the end of the ruler because it is 2” between the 18” slot and the edge.  In a matter of seconds I ended up with 32 2-1/2” squares. 

It is SO fast and easy.  If you have this ruler and aren’t using it, I really encourage you to give it a try.  If you don’t have it, check your local quilt shop or Joann Fabrics and get one.  I’m sure you’ll soon love it as much as I do!

The Coquette quilts are coming along nicely.  I have three of the tops pieced and two more with blocks made.  Hopefully I’ll have time to get the borders on and start quilting them next week.  I have to work on both Friday and Tuesday so that seriously cuts into my sewing time!! 

Cutting timesaver

At the quilt shop on Monday I was hard at work cutting Swoon blocks.  Of course I was using the Shape Cut ruler to cut.  A couple of veteran quilters were watching and asked for a demo of the ruler.  I’m always amazed at the number of quilters who are not familiar with this ruler—or even worse—own it but don’t use it.  This one tool saves me hundreds of cutting hours each year.  It makes cutting strips, squares and rectangles so fast it’s ridiculous.  If you’re not familiar with this ruler it’s by June Tailor and comes in a 12” length and 18” length.  I own both and use them both depending on what kind of cutting I’m doing.  Both have slots every half inch along the length of the ruler.  To cut, you simply slip your rotary cutter blade in the slot.  The beauty of the ruler is that you can make multiple cuts without lifting the ruler. Here’s a quick example of how great this ruler works.  I have plans to make five quilts from this beautiful stack of fat quarters.  It’s the Coquette line by Chez Moi for Moda.

I'm cutting one ten inch strip and three 2-1/2” strips from each fat quarter.  I’ll sub-cut these strips later.  After pressing the fat quarter, I fold it in half once (selvage at the bottom).  Place the ruler on top of the fat quarter.

Make sure the 12” horizontal line on the ruler is even with the fold of your fabric.  To square up the fabric, make the first cut in the “0” slot.  Without moving the ruler, make the second cut in the 10” slot.  Again, keep the ruler in place and make cuts at 12-1/2”, 15” and 17-1/2”.  It just takes seconds to make the five cuts necessary for the required four strips.

See how slick that is?  There is a little sliver of fabric on the left hand side from squaring up and about 1/2” left over on the right side.  I just love using this ruler and it took no time at all to breeze through my 36 fat quarters.  In the next few days I’ll show you the quilts I’m making with this fabric.

No time to sew

This summer has just flown by.  Bryan and Laura’s wedding seems like a long time ago and it hasn’t even been two months.  I haven’t had nearly the time I thought I would for sewing.  Jen stayed in Madison this summer to work so it was just Jim and me at home most of the time. 

Last week I went down to move Jen into a different apartment. It’s always an experience in Madison on moving day.  I think all apartment leases end on August 14 and new ones don’t begin until the 15th so there are lots of people milling around lots of stuff.  It’s always hilarious to see the HUGE piles of discarded furniture on the curbs and people going through the stuff trying to find some usable items.  We left lots of good stuff on the curb the last year Bryan was there because we really didn’t have any room or use for it here and we didn’t want to hassle with renting a truck or trailer to bring it back.  Here is one pile of stuff on the sidewalk outside her apartment.  Dressers, mattresses, desks, tables and more!

This time, though, Jen was able to move into the new place just a few hours after leaving the old one.  We ended up renting a hotel room and moving a load of stuff in there so we didn’t have to haul it back to Appleton.  We packed everything in bins and baskets and stacked it in the room.  It worked out pretty well and we may take that approach again next year.

I worked today and hope to be able to spend all day tomorrow sewing.  Between customers today I was able to get the rest of my Swoon blocks cut.  It would be really nice to get some more of those sewn but I have several projects that just need to have binding finished so I’m not sure what I’ll work on.  I guess wait until morning and see which project calls me!