Modern InstaBee

Are you on Instagram? I have been for a few months now, and I'm having so much fun swapping photos with other quilters all over the world! Sometime during February I saw photos floating around asking for volunteers to participate in virtual quilting "bees" based on this book - Modern Bee: 13 Quilts to Make With Friends by Lindsay Conner. Lindsay herself is organizing this effort and there are now over 200 people grouped into 17 "hives" of 12 members! Each month one of the 12 members gets to be the "Queen Bee" and chose the quilt block and colors/fabrics she would like the other 11 members to make for her.

a quilt for my mom

Earlier this year I found myself stopping and staring at the same finished quilt every time I shopped in one of my local quilt stores. This was the quilt - the original Amish with a Twist pattern by Nancy Rink.

When I'd look at the bolts of solids used in the quilt they didn't seem nearly as bright and saturated as they did against the black background of the finished quilt. And you know how I love the bright colors! I really wanted to make one, but I have no queen sized beds at my house, and I couldn't think of anywhere I would put it, so I shelved the idea.

Then a couple of months later, I discovered on the Hancock's of Paducah website that Nancy Rink had created a few different colorways of the same pattern and I asked my mom right away what she thought of this version...

Yep - she was all for it! So here we are several months later, and I've finally managed to take some photos of the progress. The pattern is sectioned into five "lessons", each one slightly increasing in difficulty so that beginners can feel comfortable starting out and learning new skills as they progress.

Here are the blocks from Lesson #1 - strip pieced rail fence, four-patches, and nine-patches. Nancy does a terrific job in this pattern with diagrams and clear, well-worded instructions. Any confident beginner could jump right in a have great success with this pattern.

Lesson #2 focuses on half-square and quarter-square triangles to make hourglass, star, and pinwheel blocks utilizing the best method for success - constructing the sub-blocks larger than needed and then trimming to size!

The fabrics used in this quilt are Centennial Solids from Marcus Fabrics. It will finish at 88" x 105.5" - perfect for my mom's queen sized bed!

The pattern for the version on cream background was not re-written to utilize the new fabric colors, but both Nancy Rink and Hancock's Paducah were able to send me a conversion chart so I could order the correct colors and change the color names in the original pattern. Honestly that has been the most challenging part since there are three colors that are used in both the dark and light versions, but not in the same places. That part is keeping me on my toes! Next time I'll show you blocks 7-12 from Lessons #3 and #4.

Happy Weekend!!

P.S. At the time I was ordering these fabrics, the kit for the light version was no longer available for purchase from Hancock's Paducah, but their telephone rep and Nancy Rink were both so helpful in guiding me to the correct colors and quantities I needed. So if you are interested in making the same quilt, you can click here to see the dark version pattern available for sale at Hancock's Paducah, and here for Nancy Rink's contact information.

Summer Sampler re-do

After seeing all the lovely Summer Sampler quilts in the flickr group with sashing, I was less and less thrilled with my quilt. It seemed like a jumbled mess with all the blocks all scrunched together. So I ripped it all apart again and added some 2" finished white sashing with cornerstones:

Now all those lovely blocks can breathe and stand apart on their own. Much better!

I'm not sure I've ever taken apart an entire quilt top; that was probably the most action my Jack the Seam Ripper has ever seen. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be - probably because I did it at my SewMod Sunday sew-in group and had lots of encouragement (and food and wine) from my friends :)

What's the biggest "un-sewing" project you've ever undertaken?

March Blogger's Pillow Party

March has me thinking of daffodils, green shoots popping up from the ground, and warmer breezes that bring the scents of spring. So my latest pillow combines all my favorite parts of spring: sunny yellow and fresh green with some spinning pinwheels to twirl in the breeze...

This pillow will be living at my LQS until the end of April when I'll be teaching a group how to make these fun blocks with the L'il Twister Tool.

I quilted some twirling loops inside the pinwheels to add a little more movement, and some vining leaves in the green dot borders.

Another envelope closure with a contrast binding to finish it off. I can't wait for the end of April when it can come back home again!

Be sure to head over to the Blogger's Pillow Party to see many other beautiful and creative pillows :)

Fabrics used are Moda Origins by Basic Grey charm pack, Kona cotton in Snow, and Michael Miller Ta Dot in Moss.

Wee Woodland Pinwheels

Another baby quilt made using the L'il Twister Tool (previously blogged about here) ...


This time I used a Wee Woodland charm pack from Moda by Keiki, some Quilters Linen for the background, Moda Crackle in brown for the flange and cornerstones, and the green alphabet Lollipop print from Moda by Sandy Gervais for the final border.

Here's my favorite pinwheel block with the little bird and the lone bit of pink in the quilt...


And I do LOVE a flange! They are so easy to add, yet they provide such a great frame for the quilt center...

I think I'll try a corded flange next time. The Wrap 'N Fuse piping seems like just the ticket to make that a simple addition.

Happy Sewing!!

A garden of pinwheels

My L'il Twister pinwheels quilt is now finished!

I did lots of straight line quilting in the center, some free-motion loop-de-loops on the inner border, and lots of free-motion spinning daisies on the outer border. The quilting is still my least favorite part of the entire process, but I am becoming more comfortable with it. I guess it's like anything else in life - the more you do it, the easier it gets :)

This is the first time I have done the binding entirely by machine for a quilt. I've done some small potholders, but never an entire quilt! I have to say that it was easy-peasy. I cut the binding at 2 1/2" (I usually cut 2 1/4") and stitched it to the front as usual. Then on the back I used some 1/4" Steam a Seam to fuse the binding down before stitching it. Binding time from start to finish = 1.5 hours. I'll take that! I don't think I would use the machine method for something fancy-schmancy, but for a baby quilt that will hopefully get lots of use and see lots of washing time, I think it works.

Here is a better view of all the different quilting (you can really see the cute daisies better on the backing) and the binding back...


I forgot to take a photo of the whole thing after completion, so here's a previously posted photo of the top...

We are having a most spectacular weather week here in Northern Illinois! I'm trying to just enjoy it and not think about what will be following it in the not-so-distant future :)

Happy Columbus Day weekend!

baby pinwheels finish and Kaffe quilt

Earlier this week I finished the baby pinwheels quilt top that I wrote about last time. The L'il Twister tool delivered what it promised, which was easy pinwheels. I even got over the amount of fabric waste caused by it's use :)


I was very unsure of this border before I sewed it on. My original plan was to use this fabric lengthwise (instead of crosswise as shown here) in order to show a unique complete flower stripe on each side of the quilt without cornerstones. But one look at that on the design board, and I knew that would be waayyy too overwhelming... the borders would completely overpower the pinwheels. There is still a LOT of pattern, and it's still growing on me, but I'm leaning towards being happy with it. The cornerstones were a definite necessity with all that busy-ness.

Not sure where this quilt will end up, but in the near term, it will be hanging at my LQS where I have a class planned for the October/November time frame.


On another note, my Kaffe Crayon Box is completely complete! I got it back from my genius long-arm quilter and friend, Paige, and got the binding on just in time for a local quilt show last weekend. The show was held at a nearby garden center, where the staff hangs all the quilts inside the greenhouses with lots of lovely flowers. It isn't a judged show, just a gathering of quilts made by local people. Every year it gets a little bigger, and a little better attended, but the main point is just to view all the pretties made by others in the area.


Now that it is back in my house, I've got to decide where to put it. I put some hanging tabs on the back, just in case... and we do have plans to re-paint and re-decorate a room... hmmm...

adventures in pinwheels

I'm trying out a new tool this week called the L'il Twister; it's supposed to make pinwheels easier. Right out of the gate I'm a little skeptical, because how could they be any easier than the half-square triangle kind? But I'm giving it a go with these cute fabrics... lots of polka dot charm squares, some Moda Bleached White solid, and a flower stripe from Michael Miller:

Start by making a four-patch unit with charm squares and border it with 3" cut strips on all sides...

add this tool...

Cut like so...



Re-arrange like so...



And sew it all back together to make this ultra-cute pinwheel! The finished block is 9" square.



As I was going through this process, I was thinking, "this sure is a LOT of seams and cutting to make a 9" block! And this (photo below) is a LOT of waste!" (BTW - I loathe fabric waste, except in the case of paper-piecing New York Beauties... I mean how else are you going to get those super-sharp points, right?)



Anyway, even though I was extremely skeptical and so sure that I would not be happy with this tool, I can report that I AM happy with it. Those pinwheels are so cute and the process required little more thought than which charm squares to put together, that I have been won over. I'll keep you updated on the progress of this project; it's going to be a baby quilt when it's finished.

Incidentally, there is another Twister Tool sized to use with layer-cake squares and several projects for using both tools in the new book Let's Twist published by Country Schoolhouse Quilt Shop. It seems that quilt shops are having a difficult time keeping these items in stock, so I don't know where to direct you to purchase them. If I get more info I'll pass it on!

Sneak peek

It might be that I am breaking some rules here, but I just had to show you a bit of these projects. My real-life sewing group, SewMod, has organized a row-quilt challenge. Each member makes a 40" row of a different specific block for every other member. We're supposed to be doing one row per month (in order to evenly space the work between the months of June 2010 and February 2011) but since procrastination is one of my dominant personality traits, I'm a little behind... but only a little.

We each provided all the members with an "inspiration" fat quarter of fabric in order to help with color selection. I decided to jump in with the pinwheels row first since I love, love, love that block. The inspiration fabric for this row is the green and white print on the far right. Can you believe that I had the blocks all together before I located this sashing in my stash? In the words of the multi-tentacled Davey Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean), "How fortuitous!!"


Moving on to the Dresden Plate row (another favorite block)... but wait, I have to make Dresdens with Halloween fabric? Huh? The inspiration fabric here is the center circle of black, purple, and neon-green eyeballs. Well, they turned out pretty darn cute, I must say...


I couldn't just keep these to myself until February, now could I?

MT mini-swap sent and received!

Am I a lucky girl or what? Cornelia in Germany sent me this lovely mini-quilt as part of the Modify Tradition swap. It is made from all Kaffe fabrics with a white background, and I just LOVE it! She named her design "Flying Birds", and it does look like four birds flying into the center of the block.


She hand quilted it (very impressive! I have yet to hand quilt anything) and put this embroidered label on the back. It is hanging on the wall in my sewing room, where I can see it and smile every time I walk into the room. THANK YOU CORNELIA - you do beautiful work, and I am very appreciative of your efforts to make it especially for me!

I also sent my mini-quilt out to my secret partner today. Here it is in all it's summery, Riley Blake goodness...

And here's a sneak peek at the back with the label cropped so you can't see her name ;)

I hope she loves it!

Happy Pinwheels

I started teaching a class last night at Quilt in Joy (the LQS where I work part-time) on how to make this baby quilt. We used the "layered squares" method to make the half-square triangles, and then put together some pinwheels. There were four great ladies in the class, and all their pinwheels looked FANTASTIC! I found the pattern on http://www.modabakeshop.com/, Pinwheel Baby Quilt pattern. Next week the ladies will add the borders and prairie points.

My grandmother crocheted afghans and booties for all seven of her great-grandchildren, and countless others for friends and their grandchildren. I still have the ones she made for my girls; they are so soft and such beautiful colors. I often wonder how may well-loved blankets created by her hands are out there in the world...

It is such a joy to create something beautiful for a new baby. This is my favorite quote to put on the labels of baby quilts:

Every child born into the world

is a new thought of God;

an ever-fresh and radiant possibility.

If that quote and some pinwheels don't bring hope to your heart and a smile to your face, then I don't know what will!