Clearing the Decks

     I'm getting up in years and have decided it's time to clear out all the stuff I know my kids won't want.  I started with trying to use up all the fabric I have.  That has resulted in 14 completed quilt tops this year.  I still need to start the quilting process.

     My second project is compiling all my family's favorite recipes for my kids.  I get frequent calls asking how to make such and such a dish.  When  I mentioned  that  that I should just make up a cookbook, they all loved the idea and I am still getting reminders of  dishes to include.  I'm going to get notebooks and decorate them for each person and I think I will place the pages in plastic sheets to protect them.

    Along the same lines, I want to compile photo albums for each child, along with certificates and other things important to each of them. 

     Another thing my youngest son has requested is an autobiography from my husband and myself.  We were talking one day about various relatives that he knew nothing about, things that we had done or had happen to us, and he wanted to know more.  I thought about it and decided he had a good idea.  Not only would he have information on his heritage, but also an eyewitness history of the times by the people who have lived through them.  With my husband and myself he would get opposing views of various events since he is and always has been a liberal and I grew up a conservative.  I've decided to take it by decades, my personal story as well as what was happening in the world at the time and my reactions to those events. 

     I tried to talk my mother into doing this because I knew so few of our relatives. Unfortunately she wasn't interested.  My great grandfather came to this country from Italy and at Ellis Island they changed his name.  I still don't know the original family name and since she died several years ago, I will never know. 

     Just something to think about.

1/2 Square Triangles

     I don't remember if I discussed this before, but if I did, I think it bears repeating since so many patterns utilize 1/2 square triangles.

     Rather than cut out individual triangles, you can speed the process up by sewing the triangles first then cutting them apart.

There are two ways to do this:  You can work with a 1/2 yard or a yard length of fabric.  Measure off the piece into appropriate sized squares.  Divide each square in half on the diagonal.  Lay your ruler
the width of the seam allowance along each side of the center and mark.  Stack the marked fabric on top of the contrasting fabric.

 

Sew along each seam line shown by the dashed lines.  Cut along the solid lines.  Each square equals two completed triangle squares.

 

     If I don't need a large number of  same color triangles  I stack the two fabrics together and cut strips the appropriate width.  Mark squares down the length of the strip.  Mark center diagonal, then add allowance to each side.  

 

 

 Cut the squares apart, then cut the center diagonal line.

 

Combination Pattens

I was watching Fons and Porter a couple weeks ago and they showed this quilt.

 

 

I found it quite striking especially when they revealed it was a combination of two patterns, Shoofly and 54-40 or Fight.  The blocks are all straight lines, no curves at all.

 

 

The only thing that kept me from starting it immediately was that triangular block in the middle of the 54-40 or fight block.

Traditional piecing methods make it quite time consuming and subject to error.  I kept wracking my brain trying to come up with an easier way to piece that section.  I did it.  I figured out how to strip piece this section.

 

Cut out the triangles.  Cut strip of white 3-1/2" wide.  Lay the edge of the triangle along he edge of the strip and sew in place.  Repeat with other triangles until you run out of strip.

 

 

 

Press seam toward colored triangle.  Sew another strip to other side of triangles.  Cut apart and square up the block to measure 4" plus seam allowance.  It really works and none of that pesky trying to match the points properly.  Try it out.

 

 

 



 

 

     The original quilt had scraps in the small squares running throughout the blocks.  I thought it would be more orderly to make the small 2" squares all the same color.  What do you think?

 

 

The blocks are 12" and I figured it to measure 84" x 118" for a total of 63 blocks.  Of course, you can adjust it to any size you want.

 

                                               54-40 or Fight                  Shoofly



 

Santa Tree Skirt and TableTopper

 

My Christmas decorations lean heavily toward Santa Claus.  During an experimental sessions I came up with this design and just loved it.  Most kids who visit during the holidays love it too.

 



 

The design is pretty easy to sew and can be completed in a few hours.  I thought some of you might like it too, so I have made up a pattern for the design that you can order through paypal.  Hope you like it as much as I do.

 

 

 

Diamond blocks are among the most popular patterns in the quilting world.  What makes them so challenging are the set-in corners and center triangle.

 

 

 

I admit to having difficulty with set-in pieces.  For me they are time consuming and I usually have to do them a couple of times before they fit properly.  Of course, I had to come up with a more efficient way to accomplish the goal.

 

My solution was to divide the corners into half square triangles and to split the center triangle in half.   For the corner squares, trace around your pattern and cut it in half on the diagonal.  Trace around this piece and add seam allowances all around.  Cut the center triangle in half from the center point to the outer edge.  Trace around this and add seam allowances.  Yes, this technique requires more fabric, but you have converted these set in pieces into straight line sewing.

 

 

Sew the half square triangles to the sides of the diamonds as shown.  Sew the center half square triangles to the opposite side the  diamond.  Now join the eight diamonds in straight seams.

 

 



Ooops

Well, I thought it was Saturday.  Not until I went to the grocery store did I realize it's Friday.  This is how my month has gone.  But whatever day it is, I still think my complaint about the lack of craft shows on TV is valid.

My vacation

     My daughter surprised me with a plane ticket to sunny California.  I arrived on her birthday and met my youngest grandson for the fist time.  Three days later my sinuses were clogged and I couldn't hear.  I waited five days and went to the doctor.  Bronchitis and ear and sinus infections.  I ran through a regimen of antibiotics and when I got home I called my own doctor.  Another course of antibiotics.  I just did not want to do anything but sleep.  Finally, I seem to be getting over it.  My ears still clog up some days, but I am definitely feeling better.

     A few times I tried to write this blog, but I was having trouble with my computer.  It kept locking up on me an wouldn't let me into my e-mail , my bank account, my blog or just about anything else.

     Did I mention that I have an amazing son-in-law?  He was so nice to me during my visit, even though I was miserable company.  He is also a computer expert and he went into my computer and fixed a lot of the program for me.  It seemed that every program I wanted to access had downloads that I had to download.  But they didn't do anything but add junk to my computer that they wanted me to pay for.  I didn't want it to begin with.   My e-mail is with AOL and they said I had to download their new program.  I did it and got all kinds of junk with it and still couldn't log in. I put in a call to customer service last Wednesday and still haven't heard back from them.  Okay, I'm almost done whining. 

     It is Saturday morning and I woke up early enough to watch the only quilting show available locally.  I live in Akron, Ohio.  Guess what?  It wasn't on.  Neither was Sewing with Nancy or the Spotted Canary.  Once upon a time there were all kinds of craft and\
needlework shows on and now I can't find any. Are people no longer interested in program of this type on TV?  HGTV used to have a nice selection of craft programs, but now all you get is home decorating.  How many times can I redecorate my house or buy a new one? 

      I know just about anything you want is on-line somewhere, but I hate searching for it.  I can waste hours seeking a certain bit of information, being run in all kinds of circles and still not find what I want.  I don't think I'm the only one with this complaint.  How can we get craft and needlework program back on television?

     I'm done complaining.  Have a good Memorial weekend.