Windows - A Finish

I have a new quilt to share today! I love looking at homes that have interesting-shaped windows and that's what I kept thinking about as I assembled this quilt, so I've named it Windows 😊 It finished at 64" x 72".

I designed this in early 2019, as part of the 30 Quilt Designs challenge with Sandra of MMMQuilts, but then it just sat waiting until a few months ago, when I realized it would be the perfect design to showcase these fabrics. The fabric line is Golden Aster, by Gabrielle Neil for Riley Blake, except for the background, which is one of the colours in the Blossom line by Christopher Thompson, also for Riley Blake. Don't they look perfect together?

I love making circles with the Drunkard's Path blocks and they're really not as hard as they look. Did you see my tutorial for them last week? If you've never tried them, you really should! They're fun and make you look like a very skilled quilter (even though they're not hard, lol).

And, of course, I also love HSTs. They're so versatile! In Windows I used the HSTs to make hourglass blocks in two sizes.

When I calculated the sizes to cut the borders for the small hourglass blocks, to make them the same size as the large ones, I got it right for the side borders, but somehow figured I needed double the size for the top and bottom. It makes no sense whatsoever how I figured that, considering I was starting with a square and wanted a square at the end. I didn't even realize my mistake until I had cut and sewn all of the blocks 😣 The blocks were all perfect placemat size, lol, but that wasn't exactly what I was going for. Thankfully I was able to trim the blocks back down to the right size, so there was no seam ripping involved.

I opened my last King size package of Warm and Natural batting when it was time to baste this quilt. I still have a full box of pieces of batting, but none of them are wide enough for a throw size quilt now. I guess I'll be piecing battings for a while, lol. And making more small quilts, so I can avoid piecing the batting. 

I quilted (and pieced) Windows with Aurifil 50wt thread. I pieced it with 2311, then quilted the windows with 2785. I debated using 2610 for the grey print, since it would have blended in better, but I was too lazy to change thread when I could just quilt the whole block with the 2785 (might as well be honest. The decision was made purely out of laziness!). 

I quilted around the full circle, then in the ditch between the quarters, then quilted concentric circles that wobble all over the place to fill the circle. I certainly wouldn't win any awards for perfectly spaced and curved lines in these circles! I embrace all the wobbles, though, and love that from a distance you don't notice the wobbles at all. The lines are kind of hard to see in the diamond print, but they are there.

For the small hourglass blocks, I outlined all of the pieces and quilted continuous curves in the triangles. I managed to do each block without stopping, though I did stitch along an outside edge twice to make that happen. Travel stitching was easier than stopping and starting again.

I debated doing the continuous curves in the large hourglass blocks, too, but in the end I decided to go with some back and forth lines. I actually really like how the blue thread shows up on the grey print. I need to remember that I love the look of contrasting thread and maybe plan a quilt where the thread will be the star one of these days.

I used Aurifil 2420 to quilt doubled loops in the pink background. This design is super quick to stitch and I find it really relaxing. It gives the quilt texture and keeps it soft.

I didn't have quite enough of the Blossom in navy for the backing, so I added a strip using two of the Golden Aster prints to make it wide enough. The Aurifil 2785 blends in perfectly on the back, but you can still see the texture of the quilting, and the 2420 shows up nicely on the navy.

I chose the diamond print for the binding and I love how it frames the quilt. I love my labels from Finer Ribbon, too, especially now that I've started attaching them in the corner. I don't always get the words perfectly centered in the corner, though, as you can see. At least you can still read it!

My plan had been to release the pattern for Windows today, too, but that's not happening. This back-to-work season has really affected my productivity. You'd think that after doing this for years I could remember how much I can get done in the average week's worth of evenings and weekends and then start projects accordingly. Apparently, though, being off for almost 6 months, with the freedom to work on projects whenever I wanted, totally erased all memory of how hard it is to get stuff done while also working. No worries, though. The pattern is started and now that I'm not spending my evenings quilting, I should be able to have it ready soon. If you want to be sure to know when the pattern is available, sign up for The Bulletin so you'll get notification as soon as it's available. I'll update this post when it's available, too.

What We Need

 Devotion for the Week...

I have not often read the book of Jude, but one day a couple of weeks ago I did and I was struck by one sentence in the opening of the short letter. In verse 1, Jude says, "I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ." So the letter may have been addressed specifically to those who were alive when Jude put the words on the paper, but really it is for all the believers who would ever live. These words are for you and for me. An important point, but that's not what caught my attention. 

After specifying who the letter was for, Jude then says, "May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love" (v.2). All I could think when I read that was That's exactly what we need!

We need God's mercy to cover our sins, our shortcomings, our failures. We need the peace only He can give, especially now in a year so full of turmoil and uncertainty. We need His love as every child longs for a parent's love.

With that, we also need His mercy, peace and love to flow through us to the people around us. In 2 Corinthians 1:4, Paul wrote, "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." What if we followed that same principle with the mercy, peace and love He gives us?

We all experience times when people disappoint us with their actions. What if we offered mercy rather than condemnation?

In our personal relationships and in the world at large, how would things change if we worked to bring about peace, rather than to fuel division? Not to keep the status quo, but to help create true peace of mind, body and soul for everyone.

And what would happen if we all allowed His love to fill us so completely that it overflowed to everyone around us? Love is supposed to be a defining characteristic of Christians, but I wonder sometimes how many non-believers would use that word to describe us as a group. Jesus said, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:34, 35). Jesus was talking specifically about our love for other believers, but I don't think we'd be disqualified as His disciples if we extended that love to others, too.

Background quilt is New Life

As Jude said, may God give us all more and more mercy, peace, and love, and may we then share it freely with others.

How to Sew Drunkard's Path Blocks

 I'm working on a new pattern and it involves some Drunkard's Path blocks. As I was prepping them for sewing, it seemed like a good time to take some pictures and write a tutorial for how I sew my Drunkard's Path blocks.

(Psst! Want to know when the new pattern comes out? Sign up for the Bulletin so you'll always know when new patterns are released 😊)

If you haven't tried sewing curves before, you might think they're really hard, but they're not nearly as bad as they seem. It takes a little while to prep the pieces, but once they're ready you can stitch them up fairly easily.

The first step is to cut your pieces using a template. You can buy acrylic templates or just print the templates that come with the pattern you're using, which is what I did. A Drunkard's Path block is a quarter circle and each block has two pieces, the outer curve and the inner curve. You'll need one of each to make a block. I'm using prints from the Golden Aster line, by Gabrielle Neil for Riley Blake, for the inner curve pieces. The outer curve pieces are from the Blossom line, by Christopher Thompson, also from Riley Blake. Don't they look fabulous together?

Fold the inner and outer curve pieces in half and finger press to create a little crease in the center of the curve.

Right sides together, match the creases, with the raw edges lined up. At this point, the creases are the only place where the curves will match up. That's okay! It's supposed to look like that 😊 Pin at the crease. There are people who sew beautiful curves without pins, but I'm definitely not one of them. I find pins are a huge help with getting those curves to look nice.

Now match up the edges and pin them.

You want to make sure the sides stay aligned, so I like to make sure the pin is getting a good bite of the outer curve piece. Otherwise that piece likes to tilt out of position.

On these blocks, which finish at 6 ½", I use three more pins between the center and edge pins. On smaller blocks I might only use one or two and on bigger blocks I would use more. I like to keep things really secure. 

Then do the same thing on the other side of the block.

As you can see, there are some ripples in the fabric of the outer curve piece. That's fine! As you sew, just make sure the ripples are beyond the ¼" seam allowance so you don't stitch them into the block.

When you start to sew the curve, be careful taking out the first pin. The corner of the outer curve piece may angle itself right out of position as soon as the pin is out. If possible, I like to put the presser foot down before I take out the pin, so it will hold that edge in place. 

Sew somewhat slowly, remembering to smooth the ripples in the outer curve piece so they don't get stitched into the seam. I use the fingers of my left hand to gently smooth the excess fabric away from the raw edges.

Give the block a good press and you're done! 

The seam allowance will naturally want to go towards the outer part of the curve, so I usually just press it that way. Sometimes, if I'm making full circles out of 4 Drunkard's Path blocks, I'll press half of the blocks with the seam allowance towards the inner part of the curve, so the seams can nest.

That wasn't too hard, was it? 😊 I hope you'll give Drunkard's Path blocks a try. There are so many fun things you can make with these pretty quarter circle blocks. 

Remember, sign up for The Bulletin if you want to know when my new pattern comes out. Happy quilting!

Time to Work

 Devotion for the Week...

Even though I've been reading the Bible for years, I am still amazed when a particular sentence (that I've probably read dozens of times before) leaps out at me and just grabs my attention. It happened again this week with a portion of a verse in 1 Thessalonians. The full verse reads, "Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone" (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

In this verse Paul is giving four tasks to believers - warn, encourage, take care and be patient. It was the first task that stopped me that morning as I was reading. Warn those who are lazy. My first thought was, "God really wants to emphasize that we're supposed to be working!"

Nowhere in the Bible does God encourage laziness or the shirking of our portion of the work that needs to be done. He encourages balance and rest, absolutely, but the overarching message is that if it's not a time of rest, then we should be getting our work done. Here are just a few verses as examples:

"But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber" (Proverbs 6:9-11).

"A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense" (Proverbs 12:11).

"How joyful are those who fear the Lord—all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!" (Psalm 128:2).

"A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things" (Proverbs 18:9).

"Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others" (1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12).

Why is Paul telling believers to warn those who are lazy? Warn them about what, exactly? Maybe he was thinking of what he would write to the Thessalonians in a later letter: "Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat'" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). It doesn't get much simpler than that! I remember quoting that particular verse to my boys when they were young and complaining about some chore they were given. It's a great reminder that we all have a role to play in the work that needs to be done and that we can't expect everyone else to do the work while we just reap the rewards.

Background quilt is Intersections

God values the work we do, no matter what that work may be. Our contributions to the running of our homes, our places of employment, our communities and causes we believe in, all of that work is needed so we might as well get to it.

And, of course, that way we all get to eat, too 😊

Bloom Block- It's a Garden Party Row Along

Welcome to my stop on the It's a Garden Party Row Along! I'm excited to share my Bloom block with you today 😊 Before I do, I have to say a big thank you to Marian Pena, of Seams to be Sew, for all the work she put into organizing this row along.

After I decided to sign up to participate in the row along, I realized I had no idea what kind of block I wanted to do. I've been doing that a lot lately, signing up for things and then figuring out my block or whatever after. I knew I didn't want to design a garden scene or a collection of flowers. Not because I don't like those kinds of rows or blocks (so many of them are beautiful!), but because it didn't appeal to me as a design project. What kept coming to mind was the art of Georgia O'Keefe, except I didn't have any real idea what her art looks like, just the notion that it involved extreme close-ups of flowers. After googling her art, I didn't see any way to translate her style into a quilt, but I still loved the idea of an extreme close-up of a flower.

I also had to take into account the various sizes of rows or blocks that were required for the row along. I knew a block would be better than a row, for what I was thinking, so I decided to make a 30" block. Then I decided to put the flower in the corner, rather than the center, and that's how Bloom was designed 😊

Northcott Fabrics generously sponsors the row along, providing each of the designers with up to 1 yard of fabric. I chose this gorgeous, marbled blue to use for the background of my block.

Then I picked out a selection of orange Island Batik fabrics to use for the flower petals. I love oranges/yellows with blue (as evidenced in my Burst mini quilt). I opted for raw-edge machine applique, using a glue stick to hold the pieces in place. It's my favourite applique technique. I love that it's quick and simple, plus it looks great and doesn't add any extra stiffness to the quilt.

When I had the petals glued in place, Zachary looked at it and asked if I was making a turkey! I can see why he would have thought that! I guess I should ask him if it looks more like a flower with the solid yellow (from Northcott, too, I think) there for the flower center.

You can choose to stitch around the shapes with a matching thread, or go with a contrasting thread to create a totally different look. This time I chose to use matching thread, Aurifil 50 wt in 2390 for the flower petals and 1135 for the flower center. Zig zag stitching around applique shapes is so quick and it makes the pieces look so much more polished. It's also very forgiving - if you move a smidge to one side or the other, it still looks good.

You can download the free pattern for the 30" Bloom quilt block here. Downloading it will also subscribe you to The Bulletin, my bi-weekly newsletter, which I hope you will enjoy. In each edition I share a favourite recipe, some inspiring things to make and news from me.

The It's a Garden Party Row Along will be continuing through October 8th, with blocks and rows being shared on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. With the different sizes of rows and blocks being shared, you'll be able to create a garden quilt that is unique to you. There are also prizes to be won! You can enter my giveaway by scrolling down a bit farther 😊

First, though, here's the full schedule for the row along:

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Blue Heron Quilting
Carolyn Butterfield
Made By Marney
Pumpkin Patch BC
The Devoted Quilter

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Bobbin In Quilts Blog
Kissed Quilts
Patchwork Breeze
Songbird Designs/Brenda's Blog
Stitchin’ at Home

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Daughters of Dorinda
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Just Let Me Quilt
Lovingly Lissa
The Quilt Rambler

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Fabric Bash/Carpe Blogum
For the Love of Geese
Kathleen McMusing
Ms P Designs USA
QuilterChic

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Heleen Pinkster Quilt Design
Patti’s Patchwork
Quilt Schmilt
Scrapdash
Your Sewing Friend

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Charisma’s Corner
Clever Chameleon
Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio
Kathy's Kwilts and More
Mountain Meadow Designs

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Cynthia’s Creating Ark
Miss Loreen's Schoolhouse
Moose Stash Quilting
Tuning My Heart Quilts
Cheryl LaPlante

Thursday, October 01, 2020

Barbara Dieges
Linda B Creative
Orange Blossom Quilt Design Studio
Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting
Ursa Minor

Tuesday, October 06, 2020

Bumbleberry Stitches
Charlie's Daughter
Seams To Be Sew
The Quilting Room with Mel
Words & Stitches

Thursday, October 08, 2020

Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Lynn's Beauty
Quilt Art
Renee's Quilting Addiction
Sew Incredibly Crazy

And now for the giveaway! Everyone likes prizes, right? Use the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a $20 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop 😊 This giveaway will close on September 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Electric Quilt is also offering 20% off all products except for EQ Academy during the row along. Use the coupon code GARDENPARTY20 to save. I do all my quilt designing using EQ8, so I can highly recommend the program, if you're interested in designing your own quilts.

Don't forget to download your free Bloom block pattern. I'd also love it if you pinned this image, to help other quilters find the pattern, too. Thanks and happy garden quilting!