Tulip Progress

I love tulips and used to live on Tulip Court.

Had great fun having tulip cultivation contests with the neighbors.

It is with great joy and fond memories I'm re-creating this quilt.

It's such a happy quilt.  We can't take credit for the design, just the drafting.  The original maker had a great eye for design.

After committing to a color selection, I've completed a full block.

I decided to make the blue flower center yellow.

I have all the blocks marked and the next one basted.

This weekend I completed two of the setting triangles.

I'll cut these apart when I am ready to assemble the top.

I'm pleased with the colors and fabrics.

Thanks for the notes from those of you getting ready to start this one!  I look forward to seeing your fabric selections.



I am working on more than one project...a few in fact.
How about you?  One project at a time or multiple...like 6?

Have a great week!

Conversational Crib Quilt Treasures From Holland

It started with this...a great page from the book:

Treasures From Holland
Petra Prins / Quilt Mania

Click HERE and you can leaf through several pages of each book.  Great website!

I liked how the blocks were set in various positions - gives the quilt movement.

Original Quilt - Mary Koval Collection

The book includes photos of the original quilt with the reproduction.

The original quilt is from the Mary Koval collection.

I look forward to new lines of conversational prints being reproduced SOON.

I went through my reds and conversationals so each block is a unique combination of prints.

I set the conversational prints in random positions just like the originals.

I fussy cut a stripe for the sashing.
Sashing squares are solid red.

This is the WIP in the wall while I played with
purposely tilting the blocks - like the original.

Conversational prints include:
Rabbits, turtles, dogs, cats, horses, chickens, frogs, hot air balloons, insects, ducks...

My top - waiting for just the right backing.
(I'll be using solid red binding)

What do you think?

     One of the New MODA Friendship lines?  HERE
     Wait for a new conversational line?




Have a great week!

A Special Day Thank You Annie and Feb 2012 TUSAL

by Cousin Farm Handmade USA

I'm sharing my special day with you.  When the postman rings the bell it's usually a good sign.

I had a package from Annie!
You can read Annie's Blog HERE.
Thank you Annie!!



Love the sign.  Read more about Cousin Farm Wood Signs HERE.
This is going in the kitchen window so when I do dishes I can think about other things...

Baskets Of Blessings

...and inside the bow and tissue there was more!

Fat Quarters - love fabric...

A kit from Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Co. HERE
Sounds like the perfect shop!
It was a bit like a trip back to Minnesota, because Sherri Falls is a MN girl who belonged to my guild in Chaska...small world.
Read about Sherri's quilting and This & That quilt patterns HERE

AND...Annie made me a quilt - she even added our names to the tag.

Beautiful reds - looking forward to adding this to the wall!

Thank you Annie for your generosity - I certainly do have a 'basket of blessings'

I also have my TUSAL for Feb 2012
Looks full because of some fabric snippets taking up space!

Have a great week!

Dawn

Half Square Triangles - The Mass Production

Playing on the wall last year

I've always been a fan of scrappy quilts and who can't use half square triangles? (HST)

I' think I've used about every technique out there.  One of my all time favorite techniques is Triangulations software.

The sheets can be cut into smaller sheets - depends on how many you want.  Their use is invaluable - but I like scrappy quilts.  Sometimes a few hundred of the same is a treat - for other projects, well....variety is essential.

Read on if you want to see how I get scrappy HST's in one sheet...

Select at least 2 medium to combo stripe/busy prints - the more variety the better.  Seam them together for a 9"x 12" sheet.


Repeat for lights.

In this example I have four fabrics that will be seamed and placed right sides together.

Print off the appropriate sheet for the desired finished size HST.  In this example I will end up with 40 one inch finished Half Square Triangles (HST).

Trim a little if you want, not all sizes print at the full 8.5" x 11"
The corner is folded back - fabrics right sides together with the paper printed side up.  The seams do not match - one is horizontal the other is vertical.  We will end up with some pieced HST's - just like some antiques!



I pin at the four corners to keep it in place before stitching.

Following the fabulous sewing instructions that come with the CD, there are also reminders printed on the paper.

Here's the back - after you sew.

Trim the excess off the sides - these are marked with solid lines.
Cut on the balance of the horizontal and vertical  lines.
Here you have a choice to cut the diagonals too - I prefer to cut these later.

The HST's are all sewn!!  Oh, Happy Day....

The squares are cut - gather them up and toss them in a basket or bowl and find a nice place to put your feet up and relax.

I sit with a little basket or bowl and trim the corners.  I find it relaxing - you don't need fabulous light if its a TV night....  It's not unusual for me to do several sheets in an evening.  You can bag these and have them on hand for projects.

Doing like things at once (common production practice) fold the corners flaps up and tear them off.

Because you followed the sewing instructions provided by the manufacturer these come right off.

Again, I do all of this step at once.
The pile to the right is just an example - all corners would be notched at this point.

Give the tips a pull and the center piece pops right up.  Pull it off.

Because the seams are already sewn - I cut on the diagonal at this point.  The center line is gone but you have the two rows of stitching to line up and cut between.  If this is uncomfortable you can cut the diagonal lines as well with the rotary in the previous step.
Personal preference - try both and decide for yourself.

Variety from one 'sheet' of mixed fabric HST's

Look at the variety - because I used a combo of fabrics with lots of pattern - I have the scrappy look I love!  In a 1" finished square I have a couple with four fabrics all neat as a pin.

I have used this to do 100's of red and white HST's with two fabrics, not the scrappy four.

Finger press at this point - final press in the block.  Again, personal preference.

Each little HST is exactly the same size as long as I sewed on the line and cut on the line!


Finish three sheets in 6 fabric 'mixes' in an evening/afternoon and you have 240
1" HST's...all scrappy.

The software gives you almost infinite size options.



I'm heading off to the sewing room to put together a few HST's - how about you?
Have a great weekend!

Little House Update - A Horse in the house?

Making Little Houses throughout the year

I've really never had a horse in the house.

I think even Mr. Ed The Talking Horse lived in a barn.

I will limit the animals I have in my future little windows - but they are fun!  I think I will have a chicken in a house, then back to flowers etc.

Modular homes to create a neighborhood

My little houses are currently modular homes.

Most of these are not sewn - just component units ready for assembly.  Many more components are cut and sorted - ready for assembly.

I've decided I also want to 'build a few' to represent the homes I recall thoughout my life...blue, yellow, white...

This project is Jeanneke's Building Houses From Scraps.  HERE   I never intended to try to make a house a day.  I'll be happy with a small quilt. The pattern is for sale HERE.

What fabric represents your house?
Have a great week!

Valentine Sewing Supplies

Love your sewing?  So do I, as well as the goodies we need to stitch.

This heart shaped sewing box is made of cedar.

A mirror is under the hinged lid.
Spool posts line on the outer perimeter.

I put some red sewing supplies in the box to share.

I think this was made in the same era as the Lane mini cedar chests - maybe 1950's?

Lid closed - looking down at the distinctive cedar wood grain.

Red leather mending & manicure set 1.5" x 3" - size 10 English sharps needle pack

Mending tape on a wooden roll

Advertising thimble - Life Insurance

Misc Buttons

Sculptured Plush Amish Pin Cushion 

Can't have a Valentine's Day Post without a red and white quilt - this little one is machine pieced and hand quilted.  I paper piece sheets of HST's using TRIANGULATIONS.  With this method you can do 100's of HST's in an evening.  These are 3/4" finished HST's.  I did a little practice improvising the  quilting on the border stencil so it met in the middle of each side.  This little sweetie is about 10" x 16" finished.

If you enjoy buttons, check out these beautiful one of a kind handmade buttons HERE by Libbyquilter at Paper Napkin Poetry.

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with sweetness (sewing or chocolate...both?)

Feathered Tulip in Vases The Quilting

A quilt isn't complete without the quilting (although counterpanes are looking like they have a future at this house).

Our patterns include the quilting lines, if your or your quilting service want to duplicate the original you can...even the quirky places where a little improvisation took place.

If you have a beautiful run of feathers going and you bump into the applique - ignore it.  Not sure what a judge would say by today's standards...I like it.

I was asked to show pictures of the quilting in Feathered Tulip in Vases.


This quilt was done entirely by hand - every stitch even the seams.

Because fabric widths were narrower years ago, some large blocks in applique quilts were pieced.

This is a needle to give you an idea of how fine the stitches are.

In this photo the cross hatching meets a feather motif.

I think the white on white is beautiful!

There is so much color in the applique the quilting becomes secondary without close examination.







Would you need the quilting perfectly aligned - or do you enjoy a little improvisation now and again?
I hope you are doing a little quilting this weekend!

Feathered Tulip In Vases Color Selection

The original blue was solid but I like prints

I enjoy making fabric selections when I start a quilt.

In my last post HERE, you gave me your opinions and preferences.  Great ideas!

I started with the blue.  The center of this picture is the blue flower as it looks now.  The center red circle is worn away and you can see how dark (even in its faded state) the blue was.  Yes, that's one blue piece of fabric - the exposed portion wore faster than the protected portion under the red.  Once the red went...the protected portion started to fade too.

Then I looked at greens.
The original quilt was done on one pin dot print.

I like prints and scrappy, but maybe it's time to use a solid?  Why not multiple prints in the block?

Does it have to be a reproduction fabric - maybe an impostor would be better....

Then the yellows...or should we say chrome?

Why only one yellow?  We don't have as many constraints in our fabric selections as quilters decades ago.

The red was worn the worst in the original quilt.

The center circle is one of the few pieces not fully worn through.

I considered a deep pink.

Let's not forget we have a pink flower.  However, I'd be tempted to make all the blue flowers pink and the pink flower blue.  Why not?

The reverse applique red in the center would be great in yellow or - how about cheddar?


SO may choices - so much fun!


What did I do you ask?
Well...more than one and I'm still considering a third...

Do you ever work in a series and because you have fabrics out for one project they end up feeding the next?

This is my little Josephs Coat waiting for me to get it quilted.

Fun combination with my attempt at getting the original colors of the quilt captured.

Here it is on the original block next to the reproduction.

I think this one I will make crib size with setting corners.  I'll use the quilting tulip motif for corner applique instead of quilting, and add the border to that.

So what did I do next?

In this version I used more of a medium color pallet.

Not all pastels, but some medium colors.

More prints, multiple greens and yellows - kept the red, but in a tonal print to soften it a bit.  I have block two of this one prepped.  I'm going to use a variety of greens and keep the blue consistent in the entire top.

Here are the two blocks I reproduced side by side folded in half.

I was asked to show the quilting - and I will next post.

Thank you for hanging in there with me and reading through this long post - I appreciate your time!



I love your comments!  
Do you like the idea of mixing the prints within the quilt for my 5 block version?
Use the quilt motifs as applique motifs for a crib quilt?

Have a great week - I hope you are playing with fabrics.

Feathered Tulip in Vases Applique Quilt

76" x 84" (a little full around the edges)

It was love at first sight...this quilt could never be a cutter!

It was described as a "cutter that would be a good design".  So glad it didn't become a cutter and I'm pleased to give it a home.

Three borders - I can imagine the beautiful pillowcases at the head of the bed.  Why bother with a fourth border?

It is appliqued in mainly solids fabrics.
The green is a pin dot.

It is completely done by hand.
The seller said it came from an estate in Indiana.

It is beautifully hand quilted with feathers and tulips filled with cross hatching.






I was able to show it to many quilters over the past few months and got lots of great feedback.
We worked with a couple of pallets.  The first was a vibrant colorful collection of solids simulating what it might have looked like when it was first created.
The second, a soft faded colors it is now - with subtle prints.

Before I show you mine - would you reproduce it in original colors or the softer faded shades?

Pattern available in our Etsy Shop

We have patterned this quilt to share it with you.

The applique pattern is full sized - no taping or aligning registration pieces.    The setting blocks and border are included.  You could easily add a fourth border.
It is also your choice to center the borders or reproduce it as shown on the original.

The full sized pattern includes the original quilting lines for use in machine or hand quilting.  The quilt is cross hatched between the feather and tulips quilting motifs.

Our patterns are currently in our Etsy Store HERE





So...would you make vibrant original colors?  Softer aged colors?  Centered borders?
Your feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

See our Radical Rose and Reel HERE
See the 24" block size in wool HERE