Finished Quilt - Four & Eight Grid Sampler

Here are the finished quilt photos -- lots of them!

The quilting took me SO SO long to do on my domestic. But the Janome is a workhorse and was up to the task. I finally cleaned it yesterday, and, wow, there were some giganto pieces of dust in there.

Old grey goose:

Border detail:

Hour glass II:

X-quartet:

As you can see, I tried to carry some of the quilting motifs over several blocks to provide continuity. There were many times when I almost quit, ready to put the project away. But I stuck with it, and about 1/3 of the way through, it started coming together, and I started getting excited. So glad I did, because I think it turned out rather well!

Full instructions for quilt can be found here, or under the tab at the top of the page.

Free Motion Quilting Progress

Slowly but surely, I'm getting there. It took me a bit to get used to free motion quilting on a domestic sewing machine. It's not perfect, but it will do. :) I am about half-way done, four more blocks and the final border.

I took a little break from the quilting and put together this sweet little block. I am somewhat sheepish to confess that it is the first block from Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery Block of the Month 2012. One down, 11 more to go!

Four & Eight Grid Sampler - Finished Quilt Top!

I finished piecing the quilt top on July 1st, and had a plan to spend a couple of vacation days from work over this Fourth of July week at a local longarm shop, quilting this top and the Memory quilt. Alas, life got in the way in the form of an unfortunate event on Father's Day, resulting in knee surgery this past Tuesday.

BUT, I didn't want to wait to at least post the finished quilt top! I was so excited to finish this and post all the instructions.

I started this project in 2013, worked on it very sporadically. I only started dedicating some time to it this past June, as I made it a point to get a little more familiar with EQ7 and Adobe Illustrator, which have made the writing-up portion much easier.

Everything came together smoothly in the end. All the information on this quilt, in addition to downloadable PDFs instructions for each block and the quilt finishing instructions, can be found by clicking on the quilt image below, or clicking on the "Four & Eight Grid Sampler" tab at the top of the blog.

PS. I didn't do a separate post for the last block in the center of the quilt (Square Surrounded), but you can find the PDF instructions by clicking on the image below as well.

Finally, I have a project to link up to the 2018 Finish-A-Long!

Arrow Crown: Block 8 of the Four & Eight Grid Sampler

Love, love, love this block! There are a lot of pieces, but with a 16-inch block, pretty easy peasy. Enjoy!

Block 8 - Arrow Crown

Click on the image to the left for the printable PDF of the piecing instructions. Click here for the rest of the blocks for this quilt: Four & Eight Grid Sampler.

Crown and Star: Block 7 of the Four & Eight Grid Sampler

This is one of my favorite blocks out of the nine that I pieced for this quilt. It's a relatively simple block, but has lots of impact visually.

Block 7 - Crown and Star

Click on the image to the left for a PDF of the piecing instructions. The rest of the blocks in this series can be found here: Four & Eight Grid Sampler Home Page.

Ruins of Jericho: Block 6 of the Four & Eight Grid Sampler

More than half-way through. Here is the sixth block, called Ruins of Jericho, in the Four & Eight Grid Sampler. Like the other blocks in this series, it is based on Judy Hopkin's 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks but super-sized to a 16-inch finished block.

This one was easy-peasy and doesn't really need any explanation. Again, fabrics for all blocks are from Denyse Schmidt's Shelburne Falls collection. Click on the block below for the PDF of the piecing instructions. 

Block 6 - Ruins of Jericho

 I decided to make things a little easier and created a single page for all block directions in this Sampler. Click on the full quilt icon below to take you to the page, or click on the tab for "Four & Eight Grid Sampler Quilt" at the top of the page.

Click for all blocks in this series.

Old Grey Goose: Block 5 of the Four & Eight Grid Sampler

I spent a little more time preparing the PDF of the piecing instructions for this block. I am using a combination of EQ7 and Adobe Illustrator. I am definitely not an expert at either software, and there is somewhat of a learning curve. Hopefully the extra time paid off!

I love this block! I am not altogether sure if I see a goose, maybe the head of a goose? Well, I will add this to one more of life's mysteries to ponder. Click on the block below for the PDF of the piecing instructions!

Block 5 - Old Grey Goose

Here are the links to the piecing instructions for the four previous blocks in this series:

Block 1 - X-Quartet 

Block 2 - Dutchman's Puzzle 

Block 3 - Hour Glass II

Block 4 - Fox and Geese

The Four & Eight Grid Sampler Quilt Mock-Up with Shelburne Falls Fabric Swatches

I am having so much fun messing around with EQ7! Here is a better mock-up of the Shelburne Falls Four and Eight Grid Sampler, this time using true fabric swatches from the collection. The prints are not to scale, but it still pretty cool!

The Four & Eight Grid Sampler Quilt - EQ7 Mock-Up

So all nine blocks are done! OK, I had high hopes for 12 or 16 blocks, but reality prevailed, and I won't let myself start on a new project until this one is done.

This is a mock-up using EQ7. The color renditions of each block are not ideal, but I tried to approximate. The final quilt size will be 68" x 68", with sashing and a border. I will continue to post block piecing instructions, and final instructions for putting the quilt together. Stay tuned!

Block 4 of the 4/8-Grid Sampler - Fox and Geese

I do have most of these blocks done, but have been VERY slow in getting them posted and drafting the PDF patterns. But I'm getting back on track! Here is the fourth block: Fox and Geese. Enjoy!

Block 4 - Fox and Geese

Here are the links to all four blocks in this series so far:

Block 1 - X-Quartet (blog post)

Block 2 - Dutchman's Puzzle (blog post)

Block 3: Hour Glass II (blog post)

Block 4 - Fox and Geese

Block 2 - Dutchman's Puzzle

The Dutchman's Puzzle has always had a certain appeal for me, but I haven't had the opportunity to make one up until now.  I was fooled by its simple, clean lines.  It actually takes a bit of focus and precision.  It's all flying geese and triangle points that have to be lined up just so.

Anyhow, I love this block.  It's the second block in my 16" block sampler series.  If you would like to read more about the sampler, my first first post about the sampler is here. If you would like to sew along with me, you can download instructions for the first block (X-Quartet) and this block by clicking on the following links:

Block 1 - X-Quartet
Block 2 - Dutchman's Puzzle

Over-Sized Four/Eight Grid Sampler Blocks

Fabric: Shelburne Falls by Denyse Schmidt

X-Quartet

I started working on a new sampler quilt. The blocks are based on blocks from Judy Hopkin's 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks. My plan is to make between 12 to 16 blocks and end up with a queen-sized sampler quilt.  In order to make a quilt this large with a relatively modest number of blocks, I'm super-sizing the blocks I'm using to 16 inches. Anything beyond simple math befuddles me, so I stuck to 4 and 8-grid blocks, because they translate easily into 16-inch blocks.

So this is the first block, X-Quartet. I'm using Denyse Schmidt's Shelburne Falls, and I've roughly calculated needing 10-12 fat quarters, plus about 2.5-3 yards of a background solid, for all the blocks. I haven't decided about the sashing and border(s) yet, but I have a rough idea of what I want to do. But I still need to do the math (ugh) to figure out yardages. 

If you are interested in directions for the block, I've created a PDF with fabric requirements and cutting and piecing instructions.  You can download the PDF here.

TGIFF - Streak O' Lightning Baby Blanket

I had so much fun making this blanket, that I wish I knew more people having babies so I could make more!  This is an easy, beginner-friendly top,which is a perfect distraction if you're coming off something challenging.


The block is pretty ubiquitous, but I found that it has an actual name.  In The Quilter's Bible by Linda Clements, the block is called "streak o' lightning" or "endless stair."   The variation in colors to this block are endless, and depending upon how ambitious you are, each stair step can be a different color.  I was not very ambitious and wanted to keep it simple.  As you can see from the picture below, the block is composed of two rectangles of different colors, which are arranged in a staggered pattern.


I was a little iffy about the quilting pattern at first, as I was not sure whether it would compliment the quilt blocks, but it has since grown on me. The pattern is an all-over motif called Modern Squares and is composed of interconnecting round-cornered rectangles and ovals, with little stars scattered about.


Much as I love the front of the quilt, I'm completely enamored of the pieced back.  Denyse Schmidt designed these fabric bundles for JoAnn's called Quilt Quarters.  Basically, it is four fat quarters printed onto one yard of fabric, which you then cut apart.  I had two of these Quilt Quarters (for a total of 1/2 yard each of four different prints), which was enough for the entire quilt, including the backing.  I added one yard of the solid (Kona bone).

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Last but not least, I bound the quilt with an additional 1/3 yard of solid for the binding (Kona ash).  I used the go-to method for attaching the binding entirely by machine.  I was thinking about writing up a tutorial for this quilt, as it would be a great quick quilt as a baby gift, or part of 100 Quilts for Kids.  The quilt ends up measuring 36" x 44", using 2 1/2" strips.



I'm linking up to TGIFF at Quilt Matters, Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, and Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Let's see who else had a finish this week!

Lightning Rod Baby Blanket

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  The spread this year at my big sissy's house was great, but I think I ate too much.  I guess that's part of the modern Thanksgiving theme.

Here is my current project. This block never fails to please -- more details later.



Also, don't forget to stop by the shop for our Black Friday sale -- 20% off with promo code thanks2012.

WIP Wednesday - Of Bindings, Bee Blocks, and More

Is it nerdy to gush about FMQ goddess Angela Walters and how awesome she is?   Her book, Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters, was the source of inspiration for the quilting on my Giant Vintage Modern Churndash Quilt.



Angela's philosophy struck well with me -- it seemed to be that you should go with the organic rhythm of the quilting and not stress so much about reaching perfection.  Despite repeating that mantra to myself, I did experience moments when I despaired that I could ever make a circle -- it's actually kinda tough to make a round circle.  At times, my circles/swirls felt more like squares with rounded corners.



Nevertheless, Angela was right.  At the end of the day, after I trimmed the excess backing and batting, I was immensely pleased with how this quilt turned out.

All this quilt needs now is the binding.  I was thinking that I would send it to my cousin who lives in Berlin, as a thank you gift for hosting us this summer.  I have to admit, however, that I'm so loving this top right now that it might be difficult to part with it.

I will post the finished quilt with binding later this week, hopefully.  I chose a cream and red striped binding WITH POLKA DOTS.  How awesome is that, stripes and polka dots in one print?  Pure genius, I think.

The next piece of news I have is that I finally joined a sewing bee, called the Stash Bee!  This is my first foray into any type of sewing bee.  This one happens to be virtual and seems to be relatively low key.  Each person is assigned a month where they are "Queen Bee."  The Queen Bee posts a tutorial of a block she wants the rest of the hive (20 participants in each hive) to make for her, using personal stash fabric.

This block is for Anneliese, who lives in Galway, Ireland. You can find her tutorial for this block called "converging corners" here.  The fabric is from a collection called "Just Wing It," by MoMa for Moda Fabrics.  Although the block looks relatively simple, it can be a little tricky.  I wasted some fabric and did some ripping until I finally figured out the dimensions.



Finally, here is my latest crush. This is Chicopee, by Denyse Schmidt. I love the mixture of modern and retro that is evoked by the prints and colors in this collection. You can get the entire collection (26 prints, 2 colorways) here.

I'm linking up to these blogs today! Have fun sewing, everyone!
 

Toys For Me

The results of my adventures yesterday: Denyse Schmidt Quilters Quarters (ingenious!!), Mary Ellen's Best Press, Reliable iron, and ironing board.

Finished Baby Quilt!

This quilt was the perfect remedy for the creative funk I've been in.  It was a fast, simple project, and I LOVE how it turned out.

The pattern was inspired by this book, which is no longer in print.  As an aside, this was my first quilting book ever purchased.  I made a quilt for my niece when she was first born --- she just turned 16 last November!

The block is called a rail fence block and is super easy.  I'm thinking about putting together a short tutorial, because this would make a great beginner's project.  The size is manageable -- it finished at 40" x 52, so  a generous sized baby/toddler quilt.

The fabric is from the Meadowlark collection, designed by Denyse Schmidt for JoAnn's.  I love the combination of these particular shades of blue and orange.  The backing is also from the same collection, but is just different enough to add an interesting element.



And finally, here is a detail shot of the quilting.  It's a little bit difficult to see, but I did a simple little squiggle time continuous line on all the pattern pieces, and just a plain outline on the white solid.

 
 
ADDENDUM (6/16): I just found out about the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts.  There are four categories: quilts, bags, clothing, and home decor.  Sounds like fun!

Meadowlark Rail Fence Baby Quilt - WIP Wednesday

It's getting past my bed time, but I wanted to get this post up in time for WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.  Since I'm so tired, just some eye candy for now with the deets to follow at a later date...