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. 

Edited to say the pattern is now available! You can get the PDF version or the printed version with free shipping 😊

I'm linking up with TGIFF, NTT, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, Beauties Pageant and Free Motion Mavericks.

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 Quilt Blocks

 I'm working on a new pattern and it involves some Drunkard's Path quilt 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.

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.