Impromptu Quilt Show & Sale

Before summer leaves us and before our house is sold, I've always wanted to do a quilt show on our farm.  I've decided to do a small, impromptu Quilt Show & Sale this Saturday, Sept. 3, from 3 pm til 5 pm.   I hope to be able to upload some pictures but if you're in Victoria this weekend, why not drop around and say hi and view my quilts in a lovely garden setting.

Hope to see you there.

Mavis

Jelly Roll Toss quick quilt - tutorial

Ingredients:  1 jelly roll (I used a Moda jelly roll that had 3 repeats of each fabric in it).

First I divided the jelly roll into three piles with one of each fabric in each pile.

Next, about 4 at a time, I line up the 4 strips and cut off the selvage.

Now cut 5 2 1/2" squares from the end.

Straighten up the remainder of the strip set and do a random cut of the stack (vertical) into 2 remaining strips.  NOTE:  If you are a `matchy-matchy`quilter, the random cut of the stack may not appeal to you because when you get the strips in rows, not everything will line up.  If that`s important to you then you will want to measure out your staggered cuts by an amount divisible by 2 1/2".

When you have done this to the whole jelly roll, toss the 2 1/2" squares into a box, basket or bag to randomize them.  Stack the remaining sliced jelly rolls into two piles in the same order.

Sew the 2 1/2" squares into sets of 5 2 1/2" squares.  Press seams in one direction and set them aside.  When all of the 2 1/2" squares have been sewn into units of 5 per unit, take one 5 square unit and sew match them with a set of remaining strips with the remaining strips on either side of the 5 square units.   Here they are in a pile ready for pressing:

Now comes the layout.  Try to liberate your thinking and not force yourself to be matchy matchy and just enjoy the colour flow and balance.  Here`s what mine looks like almost done:

This quilt is too big for a baby quilt so I may just add some nice dark brown borders and call it a twin!  Or maybe a girl quilt for a girl`s toddler bed...you know, a big girl bed!  Anyway, I have started praying about who this one is for and it is yet unknown.  We`ll see!

Until next time,

Mavis

PS - Warning!  The jelly rolls must not be cut properly on the grain.  The quilt top bows.  When I tried to square it up it was off by about 4 inches (determined by folding it in half as you would fabric that has been washed and going with the natural grain).  I was most disappointed.  So, since it was too big for a baby quilt and not behaving, I chopped it into 2 to make 2 baby quilts.

A new quilt pattern is born

It is BC Day today so this means a long weekend.  The weather is glorious.  My DH was at a music festival with his band on the mainland so this meant some guilt-free quilting time for me!

Friday night I was playing in EQ7 and drew this pattern:

 I'm calling the pattern "Around the Block" and my version will be called "Coffee Shop Around the Block" because I am using coffee fabrics.

Here are some pictures of the quilt in 'cloth' which will become the sample to go to a store that will carry the pattern:

Focus fabric in the middle of the square framed! 

Now the strata units frame the first frame.  I don't like the corners though.  It doesn't work.  Idea!  Turquoise cornerstones!  Then some unsewing.  Yes, that's better.  I don't think I snapped a picture of the 'fixed' block but here's the rows all together.  Likin' it!

Now to construct the sashing:

And create the sashing rows before assembling the quilt:

Now to put the rows together and audition the border:

Much better than the first fabric which was just too busy.  Yes, I like the neutral.  It picks up the light fabrics in the strata units.

Now the finale:

I like it!  Now to quilt it, then create the instructions, drawings and staged photo before packaging it up for sale.


It was a fun experience to cram a quilt design and construction into the same weekend.

Until next time my quilty friends!
Mavis