A Hint...about my Project!

What a gorgeous day we had today.  Love all the colors of new buds on trees!

But this post is for those who have asked for a hint about my project.

 So a hint I shall give you. 

That dirt needs to be widened about a foot to the left.

Then I need to dig again...about six feet to the right?  

Any guesses....first one still wins!:)

I did some planting today too...

 I planted an old mailbox!:)  

It holds hand tools and gloves and it's just darn cute.  

Needs the flowers repainted!

I'm also learning to embrace our weeds but that thatch has to go!

Won't be working outside much this upcoming week...it's supposed to rain buckets. I have plenty of projects to keep me busy....if only the King of the Castle would let me get to them!:)

~d

I Started a Project....

Can you guess what I am doing?

Wheelbarrow had a flat...so I had to drag this basket full of sod to the compost pile...seven times!:)

 

 First one to guess what I am doing...

...gets a prize!:)

~d

Makes with the leftovers from Angled Frames!:)

Leftover bits makes....said they were coming and here they are....finally!

Above are the half square triangles (hst) that I stitched from the cut ends of the Angled Frames quilt tops made for the Round 15 at Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along.

Want to see some makes?

 One of our customers made a couple of pillows from the two quilts she donated to our 2014 Quilt Drive.

 Another customer made this adorable stuffed Kitty Cat from her leftovers. So sweet.

Below are my makes!:)

I call this mini "Flying West" cause after working so hard to get the border pieced in the same direction I realized I had the center facing left!:)

"Limeade" had more hst because I used fat quarters...bonus!:)

 A long Humbug bag now hold my supplies for the mixed media class I'm taking online.  

Can't wait to start!

 Was going to make two boxy bags but got lazy and made one a wedge.  Love zippy bags!

But my favorite make was a gift for my dear mother-in-law.

A clothespin bag....I want one too!!!:)

Springtime in D.C.

Hope you're having great weather too!

Now let's see what you made with the leftover bits...make sure to post your photos in the 

Old Red Barn Co. flickr group!!

~d

Don't forget to #angledframes  !

Second Quarter Hopefuls for the 2014 Finish Along!

I have to admit, putting it all out there does make one accountable!  I managed to finish four of the six items linked on Katy's 2014 Finish Along for last quarter.  Two are going to carry over. 

 This one will become my first finish of the 2nd quarter since it is at the longarmer!!  Yeah!!

I did learn a better way to cut my tee shirt strips so it's quicker but I think this one will still be there at the end of the year!!:)  Below are my new additions for this quarter's finishes....I hope!

My first attempt at anything bargello has been waiting to be finished for three years!

My pal gave me this great charm pack from Tula Pink. I knew exactly what fabric I had in my stash to use with it.  Now it needs to be made!!

Isn't this pile fabulous?  Yep...I need a new bag!!  I have several patterns in mind so we'll see which one wins in the end.  Hopefully sooner than later!

This has been birthday week in our family....four in four days. One present for our boy never reached the sewing machine so he received a package of fabric...for a tie!  He loves it.  Wonder if he'd mind if I use one of my labels for the loop on the back? I think it would work.  I do heart him!:)

That's what is going on my 2nd quarter list.  I have tons of Angled Frames tops to quilt...megaTONS...but those will get done a little at a time.  With warm weather finally setting in I seriously don't relish having a quilt draped over me in any form!

Come join the 2014 Finish Along for the second quarter...you still have a few more days!

Thanks again Katy all your work in hosting this year!:)

~d

Made Two Blocks for Jaybird's Huppah!:)

Julie of Jaybird Quilts is getting married...oh yes she is!  She has asked her friends and online peeps if we could help in the making of blocks for the Huppah she and soon to be hubby Lawrence will stand beneath. You know I will!!

Here is a wee bundle of solids picked out by Jaybird herself.  Just a sampling of the colors they picked.  

The Huppah will need 222 triangle blocks and I got to thinking about Round 15 Angled Frames Tutorial and how I've been wanting to do one in solids. Cue the light-bulb moment!!

Cut a few strips....sewed them together...

 ...then cut out according to Julies template.  Had enough scraps leftover for a block with their initials and...

....made the Angled Frames...in miniature....8" x 8.5" to be exact!:)

More photos of the mini here!:)

Now go make a couple of blocks for Julie and Law...and maybe an Angled Frames or two!:)

~d

Why Angled Frames?

The story of the Angled Frames pattern is pretty simple. Our shop owner saw a news item on TV about The Emilio Nares Foundation which provides support to families with children who have cancer.  

One of the things they provide is transportation for those that have no way of getting their loved ones to treatments.  

While watching the piece Carly heard how cancer patients are always so cold, especially after a treatment and this sparked an idea for this year's charity project at the shop.

Webfabrics.net  Quilt Drive 2014 was born.  

While trying to think of another quick quilt top like the Jelly Roll 1600 (which was what we did for last year's project)  I remembered how instead of 40 width of fabric strips I made a quilt using twenty 4 1/2" wide width of fabric strips.  I love the wider strips! It was so quick but still looked too much like the JR 1600.

So how about make a huge rectangular log cabin type block out of the strips instead.  

That was the beginning of Angled Frames!:)

Of course the tutorial is for a lap size quilt!:)

~d
Don't forget to #angledframes !

Round 15 ORBC Quilt Along...Angled Frames Quilt Tutorial!

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Round 15 of the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along!! I'm so honored to be hosting a second time, the first being Round 9~Ticker Tape Quilts!

This is ANGLED FRAMES!

 It's almost as quick as the Jelly Roll 1600 Quilt, not counting cutting the fabric, and is great for any width of fabric (wof) strips and big prints.

 Approximate finished top is 52"x60" but you can easily make it bigger or smaller.

Fabric requirements are:
 (1) 4 ½” x 12 ½ ” rectangle for the center and (20) 4 ½” x WOF (width of fabric) strips.  Total fabric is 2 1/2 yards.  You can have 20 different strips or four of five different fabrics or two of ten different fabrics...combos are endless!

 Once you have all your fabric cut mix them up! Set the center rectangle aside and sew the (20) WOF strips together like you would binding.  Use the above diagram if you have never done this before!:) Can't see the colors too good but the center solid line is the cutting line.

 I just grabbed two strips, put them right side together and eyeballed it. If you don't trust your eyes you can draw the diagonal line with your fav fabric pen/pencil. Here is a great opportunity to chain stitch your pieces, just grab the end of the top piece and sew your third strip on that one repeating until you have all 20 stitched to each other.

Before cutting the chain (if you want to) go back and sew 1/2" to the right of the first stitchline and these will become Half Square Triangles (HSTs)!

 Bonus!:)

I mean come on...these triangles are too big and too good to toss.  I'll show you a few ideas of what to do with them in my next post but I'm sure you can come up with something awesome yourself!

 Here is my chain of pink before I cut the strips and triangles apart.  Please forgive me for switching from one fabric combo to another.  I picked the photos that came out the clearest and they weren't all from the same top!

 Cut between stitch lines. Should be 1/4" seams right?:)

 Pile of ONE HUMONGOUS STRIP and HSTs!

Using ¼” seam allowance take the center rectangle (4 ½” x 12 ½” piece) and your humongously long strip placing right sides together sew along 12 ½” side. Before opening cut even along bottom of center piece. Now you have the center and piece A.

 I like to cut mine before I stitched past the needle but if you don't want to do that...

(this photo is the next step!:)

...you can do it on the table or on your cutting mat with your straight edge. I'm just lazy!

 Rotate this a quarter turn and putting right sides together with WOF strip sew along bottom and trim before opening. Now you have the center with piece A + B.

 Really, it's easy to cut it just before finishing the seam and so much faster. I'm holding the camera with my left hand but usually it would be holding the bottom strip up for easy cutting.

 .
Repeat quarter turn putting right sides together sew and trim right side of center for strip C and repeat along bottom for piece D.  Now you have “framed” the center! Basically all you are doing is making a huge rectangular Log Cabin block!

 It really doesn't matter which way you go around, just start on the 12 1/2" side and keep going around until you have "Framed" the center six times. There may be a wee bit leftover.

I didn't bother ironing the top until I finished!  I just made sure the seams kept working out from the center.

Whatever way I stitched the angled seam I made sure to keep it in that direction when stitching the other side so they would iron flat on both sides.

I have only quilted one of the tops.  I hand quilted with #8 perle cotton starting from the center rectangle and working my way around and around. It was soooo quick and I'm sure would be even quicker with the sewing machine!

 Because WOF can vary I always made sure I had an extra for standby!  This one took 19 and a teeny tiny bit of the 20th strip.

 This one took 20 and I tried to control the colors a bit by putting them in ROY G BIV order and making sure the last five pieces were basically all blue.

This top has two strips each of six prints from Doglandia and four strips from two colors of Fusion Mist.

Twenty-three strips make this top because the center is a little bigger. I didn't want to loose some of those great flowers and a few of the strips weren't quite WOF...cause I had used a bit of them for something else. Go figure!:)

I especially love how this one turned out. It is all from Moda's Hearty Good Wishes.  I made this for my Dad-in-law. It has 21 strips and a small square for the center. I didn't go around evenly so the square isn't in the center.

With the above I want you to notice the contrast with that very light lower right corner. I don't mind how that looks but if that's something you may not like then make sure your last five or six strips are darker. I'll use a darker binding for this....it's the next one that needs finishing!!:)

Here is one for all of you with TONS of Fat Quarters, eleven FQs to be exact.  Eleven FQs cut into four long 4 1/2" wide strips each for 44 strips.  Sewn together just like the long ones. I used 45 strips cause I messed up and stitched two pieces backwards...twice!

Lastly are a couple of baby quilts.  The one in the middle is above.  These used 10 (on the left) and 10.5 (on the right) strips.  I sashed the larger center square of the top on the right so that's why it took a bit more.  Such a great quick way to make a baby gift!

These are just a few examples of what you can do with Angled Frames. My mind just reels with all the other ideas I have for this top.  

What if you make it and then cut it in half at an angle and add a strip then turn it and do the same thing...and do it again a few more times?!

What if you make the top then cut it into a bunch of squares rearrange, sash and sew back together?

What if you sewed two different tops and cut them into squares and mixed them up?

What if you only used four fabrics?

Did I tell you once you cut your strips you can sew this top together in less than 1 1/2 hours?!

Oh there is so much more I could say and I would like to tell you the reason Angle Frames came to be in the first place. I'll tell you that story and show you some things made from the bonus HSTs....next post.

Bonus Half Square Triangle units.  What can you make with them?

I hope you play along with us.  Let's see your fabric selection and progress shots at 

Old Red Barn Quilt Along and of course your finished top!

Any questions ask here or on the Round 15 discussion at ORBC and hopefully I can help!:) But this is so easy....I'm sure you won't have any problems at all...except picking fabric!:)

Thanks for playing and tell your friends!!

~d

Oh...and the gang at ORBC want you to post in Instagram... #angledframes or #ORBC  ....do it!:)