Design Wall Monday 8-22-2011

Where does time go. One day it was July and the next its August, about to be September. Only thing that I seem to work on lately is still class projects. The current project from Quilters’ Academy 3. It’s a mock feathered star that is easy if you break down the parts into half square triangles, square n square, and flying geese. After you get the parts made, its assembled like a 9 patch. I miscalculated the yellow background fabric so I have to get more to do the side setting blocks.

Also wanted to let anybody know that the opportunity quilt that I was working on earlier this year is finally finished and if anybody is interested I posted about it in the previous post.

That’s all for me for now. Jump over to Judy’s blog and see what everybody else is doing this Monday.

Cheryl M.

Design Wall Monday 7-18-2011

Been a while since I did a design wall Monday. So I will jump into it again. I am the worse blog writer. I do quilting things for teaching and personal projects, but when it comes to telling about them. I feel that they are not anything worthy enough to write about, a snip here or a one seam here kind of thing. My quilting projects are mostly teaching samples for my classes at the present time. I get so wrapped up   into getting the project done and to the shops that I forget to take pictures of them.  I have about 5 projects going at the present time, and only one is at the stage to be on the design wall. This current project is a class sample for the Quilters’ academy book number 3. It is a wonderful book to learn different techniques for half square triangles, flying geese block tricks and basics about sewing on the bias. I started out with a plan to make the sample quilt that has 9 different blocks that consist of 16 half square block that are arranged in different configurations. I sewed one block together and thought that my students would get frustrated with getting the points aligned. So I modified the blocks to incorporate flying geese and s2s blocks. Sixteen 2” blocks are a pain to put together, let alone teach it to others. Some of my students are somewhat beginners and I want them to feel like they can do the quilt without getting frustrated and quit.

This morning as I was sewing the sashing to the blocks and trying to keep everything square with the star points I made a decision that this quilt will be to difficult for some people. Since I already have one row sashing sewed on I decided to make a small table runner out of it. The other blocks I rearranged to make a modified table running that is in the book. The bottom line I will teach the techniques and the students can arrange the blocks as them want later.
I will try to post about my new sewing machine baby that I simply love for free motion quilting tomorrow. Till then, jump over to Judy’s blog and see what others are doing.

Design wall Monday 2-21-2011

I finally have something different on my design wall. Though I am still working on the opportunity quilt for my guild. I will show pictures of that also later. This quilt is my class quilt for the Quilter’s Academy class that I will be teaching in March.  It is the first quilt in the second book. A fairly simply quilt, more nine patches with solid blocks in between them. The fabric is some of my hand dyes that I did last summer in playing with a kit that I ordered from Pro Chemical and dye, to learn how to do hand dyed fabrics.  It totally is not my colors, but I like the change from blue and yellow for now. If I don’t like it when I get finished I will put into the pile for charity.
For the other quilt that I am working on, you may be interested to know that I have all the blocks together and working on the pieced border now. I hope to have the top completed by the end of the week and ready for someone to quilt it. The only problem is that I am not sure if I should use the gold, yellow or orange accent border. I would love to hear what others think. I will show the complete quilt next week.

If you want to see what everyone else is doing, hop over to Judy's blog and see what is going on.

Monday’s Design wall 1-31-11

Well it’s Monday again, and I have a little more to show on my design wall. The same quilt is still on the wall. I have a couple more blocks up and sewn together. It seems that I should be done putting this together, but it is slow getting all the seams to match. I can only do a couple seams at a time. Then I have to move to something else. I had to dye some more fabric for this quilt. I ran out of the darker blue and I still have the border to piece together. I will be glad to see this one completed.

In other things I started to work on a class sample for the Quilter’s Academy series, this one is for a class that I am teaching in March. It is from the second book of  Harriet Hargrave’s book Quilter’s Academy. It should go together fairly quickly after I find some more fabric. I cut the strips out last night, but I figures wrong and did not have enough. I should be able to find something very close. If not I will find a way to use what I have. Make it into a learning experiment for class example of what not to do and how to save a quilt. All in one example. I hope to have it up on my design wall next Monday. I am sure everyone is tired of seeing the same quilt on the wall for three weeks. I know I am sure tired of seeing it. I am ready to move on to other things.
If you want to see more things and get some wonderful inspiration go check out all the links on Judy’s L. blog. Till next time and hopefully with something else on the design wall.
Cheryl M>

Design Wall Monday 1-24-11

Just a quick post for design wall Monday. As you can see that I have done a little more on the opportunity quilt for one of my guilds. I have all the blocks back from the members, and just have to finish a couple of blocks that I said I would do. I have been able to stitch a couple of 4 patches together and will sew them together this week. I am hoping to get this center done by the end of the month and working on the border real soon. My goal is to have the top finished by the 11th for guild meeting. Then someone else can take it for a little bit to have it quilted.
Thanks for stopping by and go look at all the other design Mondays' on Judy's blog.

Design Wall Monday 1-17-11

I thought that I would try to do Judy s' design wall Monday again this year. Since I have more time now, I might be able to keep something on the wall to report, other than one or two thing a year. I presently am the quilt mother for my guild's opportunity quilt. This is our 2010 opportunity quilt that I hope the top gets finished in the next month. I am so ready for this quilt to go to a quilter. It started out to be a project that sounded interesting. Last year I presented 4 quilts to the guild. I did not think that they would pick this one, due to that it is paper pieced. The problem was that not many guild members like to paper piece. Then I thought that it would look the best in hand dyed fabric. The problem was that hand dyed fabric would cost the guild to much money to make. So I learned how to dye the fabric myself. Which turned out to be pretty cool, so now I have a new skill that I enjoy very much. Its not a difficult pattern but it does have 27 pieces in each block and not all the blocks are the same color arrangement. Anyway the blocks are almost finished, just waiting to receive about 4 more blocks from a member and I will be able to put the top together completely. The pattern is from the magazine 'Quiltmaker'  the September/October 09 issue. Thanks for looking at my blog, go see all the other great post on Judy's blog of other design wall Mondays.

Design Wall 1-18-2010

Well here we are again. Another week gone in the year of 2010, and before we know it it will be Christmas again. Isn't that a scary thought in the middle of January. I did a fair share of sewing this weekend. Dh wasn't feeling very well so I stayed in my sewing room while he rested. By Sunday he was feeling better. I got two braid strips done on my charity braid quilt. Its a fun technique, not much to think about, just the color placements of the braids. I turned under the edges to get a better idea what the braids will look like after I trim the sides.




Since I don't have enough pieces to sew the braids next to each other to make a twin size quilt. I'm going to sew a long strips in between the braids. I found a couple of fabrics that I thought might go with them, but I'm not sure if I like either one of them after I put them next to the braids. Thinking maybe a solid tan or dark purple color between the braids and borders. If you have any ideas or if you can tell me which fabric or neither you think goes with them, I would love to hear it.
Till next week, and hoping I will have all five braids on the design wall and have a better idea. Jump over to Judy's blog to see every one's design walls.

Design wall 1-11-2010

Well here is the first design wall post of the year for me. Last month I said that I was going to do the Monday design wall from Judy L. blog. Last week I did not have my stuff, (mind) together to post a picture. I did read and look at the other post on the link from Judy's blog post. Everyone blogs and designs walls are looking great. So keeping this short so I can get it posted and linked.

The design wall is the start of a quilt that I am trying to start, and finish before February 11th. This quilt will be a charity quilt for one of the guilds that I belong to. As a group we are donating about 15 quilts to a local children's home. I wanted to play with all the 2.5" strips that I have been exchanging with a guild group. Most of the strips I pulled from my stash, I only had to buy about a half dozen other fabrics. I was short on the green and lighter color purples. So shopping I went for more fabric. On the wall is only two strips of a braid quilt that I found on the web. I will look to see where I got the pattern from so that credit to the pattern is to whom it is properly credited to. Hopefully next week I will have all 7 strips up on the wall and starting the borders.

So if you have a few extra minutes jump over to Judy's blog and look at all the wonderful blogs and links. Have a great Monday.

Getting organized

I am still getting organized,even if it is just in my head. I Taught one class at a local quilt shop. It was good to be teaching again. The class only had 3 students but very rewarding. The best feeling about teaching is when the light bulb goes off in a students head and realizes that it's not hard and all of the possible creative idea that can come from one idea. The class was a pin less circle technique that I discovered a couple years ago. It is from Dale Fleming's book Pieced Curves So Simple. It really is a fun technique, especially now that circles are back in the quilt designs.
Things are slow in the designing area. With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, I am trying to finish project for guild exchanges and finishing Christmas shopping for family. It sure helps to be able to buy several things online with discounts also. Hurray for sales. Everything should be delivered and wrapped before the 24Th. That would be a new thing, I am always wrapping gifts on Christmas eve, it's almost a tradition to lock bedroom door and wrap for a couple of hours. I think the new Christmas tradition is to order early online and wrap when it gets delivered. LOL
If things slow down a little I will be able to take some pictures and show here, the fun part of blogging is seeing all the eye candy for inspirations.
I think next year I will join Judy L. design wall Monday. Only I will have two design walls, one for my never ending UFO projects and the other one for designs that I will market. The market design wall I will only show small portions, when I copyright the design and publish for sales then I will show the entire designs.