A crazy quilter …but not a crazy quilt in sight

I have finally had the urge to take up needle and thread and start another quilt. It may be the hint of autumn (hooray) in the air…I had to pull the sheet over me the other night, or it may just be that I’m a bit tired of embroidery, but for whatever reason I have decided to start another quilt or four.

So I’ve started piecing by machine two giant plaid Ohio star quilts. Each block is 24″ square – I think I only need 12 for each quilt. These are cheap and cheerful quilts for the boys. I am doing quick piecing by sewing along the diagonal of the squares and then cutting. I’m not a big fan of machine piecing – it seems a bit of a chore, although I usually use the machine to sew the finished blocks together.

I’ve also just cut out HUNDREDS of 1 ½ inch squares of 1930’s reproduction fabrics. I am planning to make a version of Calico Garden. This I will be piecing by hand, because even though it is quick and easy to do 9 patches by machine, I want the patches fairly scrappy so I will do them by hand. Plus I find it relaxing sewing seams by hand….well the first few hundred anyway. My version won’t have Broderie Perse floral borders – I will probably do appliqué daisies or similar, and I am thinking about embroidering the flowers rather than doing teeny tiny needlepoint appliqué….so it may not look much like (or anything like) calico garden when it’s finished…but who knows. I have been collecting this fabric for a while, after buying a charm pack a few years ago. Its funny how little fabric 1 ½ inches really is. I have barely made a dent in my stash…I could still be making 1930s quits in 2030 if I’m not careful. ( don’t rush back here to see the completed quilt).

I have also dragged out all the fabric I’ve been collecting to make a Lady of the Lake quilt. I have found a couple of versions…but I think the authentic block has the half square triangles around all four sides, not just two ….so that’s what I am going to do. I am curious – and advice from someone that actually uses imperial measurement in real life may be able to explain this – WHY would they make the block 8 7/8 inch square – why not make it 9 inches? If the pattern calls for a square 8 7/8″ and 10 squares 2 7/8 ” would it work if I round all the measurements up – I.e. to 9″ and 3″? I guess I could do a practice block…that would be a novel approach for me!

I even found some Japanese fabric in my stash and this sashiko panel I did a while back…I might turn this into a new handbag.

So I am wondering why it is that a quilter who pieces together bits of fabric without measuring them, and then embellishes over any errors is considered a crazy quilter…..but someone who cuts out millions of one inch squares to sew them by hand into 3 inch 9 patch blocks is considered sane?

SUMPTUOUS SURFACES:

And for those of you wondering…. Sumptuous Surfaces (sorry In too lazy to do a proper link) was a great class. I really enjoyed it, it was very fast paced – a lot of info in a short space of time….but class notes that can be referred back to time and again. Also we had a great class which made a difference – lots of interaction in the forum, and now even MORE blogs to read!

As for my rainforest embroidery…well that is on the backburner for a while. I am very happy with the progress I made on it, but it needs to sit for a while. I haven’t stopped embroidery completely – stay tuned for an update of Antipode Island, and I’ve made great inroads into my postcard for Susan Lenz’s CYBERFYBER exhibition. I’ll post a photo of both soon.