Be Careful! Deleted Photos :(

I have learned the hard way -- be very careful when you are deleting photos.  Blogger photos are stored in Picasa Web Albums, and if you happen to delete them, they are gone from your blog.

Not sure what I did, but I'm having to put every picture back into each post :(

Mary

Tessellating Star Instructions

Tessellating patterns are interlocking patterns that repeat.  There are a lot of different patterns, but I was really intrigued by the tessellating star, so thought I'd make one.

I wrote these instructions for myself for future quilts, but thought I'd share them.  This is my first attempt at instructions, so any feedback would be appreciated!

Finished Tube Strip Quilt Top

I'm having to show quilt tops, because my stretched Juki was having problems, and I had to send it off to be repaired -- it's gone since January (a very long story) and I MISS IT!!!

I did finish this scrappy tube strip quilt top.  I want to use up all of my scraps, as I'm changing to a more modern style and the fabrics don't work for me any more.  So I used a lot of different fabrics in this quilt.

The tutorial I used is here at A Bright Corner Strip Tube Tutorial. It's an interesting technique that I'd never used before.  Sewing those long strips was pretty boring, but the end result was fast and pretty!

Has anyone else used this technique?  How do you like it?  Did you do scrappy, or a pattern?

Mary

One of those quilts!

Some quilts are just trouble!

My uncle asked me to make a quilt to put at his mountain cabin. I thought I'd found a good pattern, Snowball blocks alternating with Nine Patches. I had lots of "woodsy" fabric in my stash.

When I put the blocks on my design wall, I didn't like it AT ALL!

So I cut the nine patches in half, and got rid of the snowball blocks. After trying several layouts, I still didn't like it :(

I ended up sewing the blocks back into nine patches, leaving out some fabrics and putting in more darks. It felt like I was going around in circles! 

Instead of the Snowballs, I used a different block (Puss in the Corner).  Finally, I got the blocks rearranged, and this time I'm happy with the result.

I sure hope the quilting goes better!

Mary

Update on Double Wedding Ring Bed Runner

I've finished the top of the Double Wedding Ring quilt!  I'm  making a king size bed runner out of it, to put at the end of the bed. that's why it's so long and narrow. This was certainly a learning experience, I haven't done much with curved seams before.

 I figured out an easy way to paper piece with a lot less wasted paper (see my blog New Way to Paper Piece). 

Then, I figured a trick to ease those curved seams.  I don't use a lot of pins, so this was a big help.When sewing the curved seams, I put the "larger" colored piece on the bottom, and the "smaller" white piece on the top. Then, I gathered the outside edge of the bottom colored piece (edge away from the needle) with my fingers, and the curves fit together much easier, with fewer problems!

The quilt used up a lot of scraps, which is always good, and I really like the bright pastels.  My quilting machine is at the shop, hopefully it'll be back this week, and I can start quilting.

Mary

Quilters' Show & Tell - Please Vote before Monday!

I have entered the Quilters' Show and Tell Contest - Commemorative Quilts.  Please take a look at the beautiful quilts in the contest, and vote for your favorite. Hopefully that will be mine!

My quilt, Dixon's Wedding Quilt, was made for my parents, to commemorate their 62 years of marriage.  It was made from my mother's wedding dress.

It is satin, with lace overlays on the borders.  On the back, their wedding picture and invitation were printed on fabric and appliqued onto the quilt.

Wedding Dress Quilt Back Detail

There are also decorative ribbons and buttons from the dress in the corners.

Wedding Dress Quilt Corner Detail

To Vote - Click on Quilters' Show and Tell -- voting is down the page after the pictures of the quilts. My quilt picture is the 5th one on the first row - Dixon Wedding Quilt. Voting ends at 8 am Monday!

Wedding Dress Quilts are one of my specialties, visit my Custom Quilts web page at Mary Manson Quilts for more pictures and information.

Thanks so much for your support!

Mary 

Quilt For My Aunt

I'm off to see my aunt today. I promised her a lap quilt, and I'm taking two, to see which she likes best. Which would you choose?

Scrappy Quilt

Spring Flowers

I'll let you know what she decides!
I'm also trying to get the hang of blogging on my iPad with the Blogsy app. Here goes!

Mary

 UPDATE -- She chose the Scrappy Quilt!

Posted with Blogsy

Glamour Shots for Quilts

Lately I've seen a lot of quilts in "non-traditional" pictures, and it's really interesting.  So I got out my digital camera and thought I'd give it a try.  This seems like a great idea when I want to show a quilt on my blog, and don't want just the straight on picture.

Which do you like better?  Or both together?  They are both just beginner shots, but this may be interesting!

By the way, this is my Colorways quilt, patchwork with machine quilting, made in 2012.  It's alternating Nine Patch and Churn Dash blocks.

Mary

New Way to Paper Piece

Did you know you can paper piece without all the tearing and cutting of paper -- AND you can reuse the paper templates?  This technique has worked so well for me on my Double Wedding Ring quilt that I had to share it!

This is a really simple explanation, not a paper piecing tutorial, because I want to hurry and get back to piecing!  Let me know if it doesn't make sense.

Steps  1-4

1. Copy or draw your pattern onto the non-slick side of freezer paper and cut it out. (you can also use regular paper, and a glue stick).

2. Press Piece 1 fabric lightly onto the slick side of the freezer paper, being careful to stay inside of the lines. Pressing from the paper side helps.

3. Place Piece 1 and Piece 2 together, lining up the edges right sides together, BUT, before you sew, fold back the paper on the seam line.
.

4. Sew the seam, being careful to sew next to the paper fold, without sewing the paper.  If your pressure foot wants to stick, put a scrap of paper over the freezer paper.

Steps 5-6

5. Press lightly, carefully pressing Piece 2  to the shiny (sticky) side of the freezer paper. Again, stay inside the lines of piece 2.  Press from the paper side, and you can see your pattern. (If you use regular paper, use a dab of glue stick to hold the fabric to the paper, or pin).

6. Fold at the next line, trim your seams, and sew your next seam (Piece 2 to Piece 3).

7. Continue until you have finished your piece.  When you are finished, trim around the outside, and carefully pull off the freezer paper and re-use!


 -- it's just that easy!

Mary

Double Wedding Ring Quilt - Here Goes!

A Double Wedding Ring quilt has been on my list of quilt patterns I'd like to try for a long time.  Spring seemed like a perfect time to use my new fabrics, too!

I'm in a bright pastel phase, as you can see, love these fabrics, a combination of Joann's, Connecting Threads and Fat Quarter Shop.

So, off I went -- first I went to my scrap stash, and pulled out everything I could use -- I got tough, and if it was too small for this quilt pattern, it got thrown out.

The pattern I used came from Quilt Inspiration Blog - Wedding Ring Quilts Part 1, I love the River City Quilt Guild's quilt, but it will have to wait until I master the technique. Part 2 has some beautiful quilts too!

I'm doing the Double Wedding Ring Quilt by Marsha Evans Moore at Free Spirit Fabric for a collection by Jennifer Paganelli at Sis Boom.  Click on the link for a free pattern.

So  away I went!  I like paper piecing for this pattern, it's more precise for me.

One of my goals with quilting is to enjoy the process, and to SLOW DOWN!  This quilt is definitely going to be a process :)  Here's what I have so far.

I can't decide between making a bed runner or quilt, we'll see how it goes.  Now I better get off this blog and get quilting!

Mary