Twisted Log Cabin Quilt

Remember Alex Anderson's TV show "Simply Quilts"? I miss that show, I learned a lot of new quilting techniques from watching it! At the beginning of every episode they showed a Twisted Log Cabin quilt. About 4 years ago I decided to design and piece one of my own, from the concepts presented in Barbara Kaempter's book Log Cabin with a Twist. Mine is still a UFO, I never did figure out what I wanted to do for a six sided border, let alone the quilting. So, here it is, as is, about 30" across.
When I designed this quilt, I created it full size on paper with all the colors. There are 24 triangles in the quilt, and every one is a different color combination! I really enjoyed the paper piecing, but this one has so many little pieces, so the foundation paper is staying on the back!RaNae Merrill wrote a book, Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts. Her book takes the twisted log cabin to a new level by creating spirals in 4, 5, and 6+ sided shapes. She is in the process of writing yet another book based on spirals, and I am lucky to be part of her "Quilt Lab". I am designing a quilt, and will piece it and quilt it, and hopefully it will be in her next book! I am not allowed to explain the details of the book, but stay tuned, it should be another beautiful book that you will want in your quilt library!

Are You a Fabric-aholic?

I love fabric! And like many of you, I have a pretty substantial stash :-) Of course when I make a quilt I never have exactly what I need, so I end up buying more. I collect cat fabrics, heart fabrics (after all, it's Valentine Quiltworks!), bright colored fabrics, pretty fabrics, and any fabric that I like. The main reason I am writing about fabric is because I want to share my two favorite online fabric websites. The first one is www.fabric.com. They get new fabric every few days, and they have good prices, and free shipping if you spend over $35 (that never seems to be a problem!). The other website I like is www.thousandsofbolts.com. Everything is about $4/yard, and who cares if it is last season's fabric? It is all name brand, quilt shop quality, and they also get new fabric every week or so. Both sites tell you how much they have in stock too. I must add that I do like to support my local quilt shops, especially if I need something specific or need to match colors, but occasionally I like to support my stash habit late at night, so the internet is handy for that!

"Friends are like fabric, you can never have enough!"

Machine Quilters Expo

Last week I spent 4 days at MQX in Manchester, NH. It is an annual event for machine quilters, and I have now attended four times! I took several classes and learned many new things, including design techniques, technical Statler stuff, and business related. I enjoyed the beautiful quilts on exhibit, and made many new friends! I came home with lots of inspiration, and I already made my reservation for next year, when MQX moves to Providence, RI.

Happy Earth Day 2009

Celebrate Earth Day every day! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Conserve energy, turn down the thermostat and snuggle up under a quilt!

One Hundred Forty Two...

I have 142 different cat fabrics! I love to buy quilting fabric, but I don't just buy any fabric. My favorites are bright colored fabrics in rainbow colors, Valentine fabrics, trains, and cats. This is the quilt I recently made for my Dad for his birthday, because he loves cats! I used the Turning Twenty pattern, and there are 72 different cat fabrics on the front, and 4 on the back!Here are a few closeup pictures.

Can you find the one that is NOT cats? ;-)

This is the back of the quilt. The fabric in the middle is called Kitty Chronicles.

It is a fabric newspaper with cute cat stories.

I quilted it on my Statler Stitcher, with a design called Here Kitty. If you look closely you can see one of the quilted cat designs.

And last, but not least, this is my helper. She thought the quilt was for her... that is a very logical conclusion, don't you think?

Tomorrow is Another Day

Red Sox Opening Day home game at Fenway was rained out today, so they will try again tomorrow. My father in law was Joe Wood Jr. and his father was Smoky Joe Wood. They were both Red Sox pitchers, so that is why I am a Red Sox fan. Go Red Sox!

Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt

Here it is! My collection of black and white fabrics is now a Disappearing 9 Patch quilt! To tell you the truth, I wasn't crazy about the black and white color scheme, it just isn't me. But I wanted to use colors outside my comfort zone, and I really like how it turned out! My favorite part of the quilting process is taking the finished quilt off my longarm machine because it has become a quilt. That is when I decided I really like this one. I was going to sell it, but it is definitely growing on me!
(Editor's Note: The Disappearing Nine Patch quilt design is not my own, and I do not intend to imply anything more than insight into the fabrics I chose, and how I made it for my own personal use. I did some research before I posted the quilt, and there are several different names, including "9 to 4", "Tossed Nine Patch", and others. Just like many other common quilt designs, there are tutorials and photos of the design on many quilting websites and blogs. This blog is not intended to be downloaded or copied in any way, it is for your personal enjoyment only.)

Now I am going to show you how I made this Disappearing 9 Patch quilt. It looks complicated but it is really easy!! I used darks (black), lights (white), and an accent fabric (red). This quilt is about 62"x84", it is 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long, for a total of 24 blocks. For each block I used 4 dark squares, 4 light squares, and 1 accent square. I cut my fabric into squares 4-1/2" x 4-1/2". I used a total of 96 dark squares, 96 light squares, and 24 accent squares. Here is a pile of my 4-1/2" black and white squares.

The next step is to sew the 9 Patch block. I made 24 blocks that look like this, with the dark squares in the corners and the accent square in the middle. I didn't worry about what fabric goes where, other than light, dark, and accent, because as you will see it doesn't matter!

And my finished blocks look like this. I made make 24 of these.

This is a traditional 9 Patch block! The next step is to cut each 9 Patch into 4 equal pieces with one horizontal cut and one vertical cut, like this.Now here is where the 9 Patch disappears! I turned two of the blocks, so it looks like this.I sewed the 4 small squares together into a finished block. I ended up with 24 of these blocks. I then sewed them together in rows, 4 blocks wide and 6 blocks long. The blue line shows one block.

Below is what the quilt looks like when the blocks are all sewn together.

As the saying goes, "It's not a quilt until it's quilted!"

This is my Statler Stitcher at work. I chose a quilting design called "Too Much Bubbly". It is a design with lots of little circles, I thought the quilt was busy enough and needed something fairly simple with curves and repetition. I chose red thread to compliment the red accent squares.

I like to put a narrow accent border to frame the quilt, and then a wide border to finish it off. It is like putting a double mat on a picture.

Here is a picture of the back, you can see the quilting design. It is the same fabric that I used for the accent blocks and narrow border on the front, even though Photo Shop changed the color a little ;-) Rather than using black and white on the back, I think it is fun to use a fabric that creates a little bit of a surprise!

Now you know how I made this Disappearing 9 Patch quilt! Here is the finished quilt one more time...

Black and White and...

Here is my collection of black and white fabrics. The time has come to make them into a quilt! I have an idea for what I want to make, maybe I will add a splash of color. Stay tuned!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a special day because my longarm machine quilting business is named Valentine Quiltworks! To celebrate, bring me your quilt to be quilted before April 1 and mention my blog, and you will receive free solid color thread (or a discount on variegated thread) on your quilt!

Please visit my website at www.ValentineQuiltworks.com for more information!

It's Friday

Friday the 13th. I have always considered it to be a lucky day! But I have one question. Why is there always one lone black sock in my supposedly empty dryer?

This Little Light of Mine

There is something mystical about lighthouses. Waves crashing on huge rocks, peaceful sandy beaches, foggy mornings, colorful sunsets. I have visited all of these lighthouses. Each shelf represents a different state. Can you identify all six?

This is a closeup of the lighthouse on the lower right. Do you know where it is?

"We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light." --- Mary Dunbar

Elegant Feathered Wholecloth

Here is my first wholecloth quilt, measuring in at 20"x20". The designs were digitized by several different pattern designers, and I put them all together. The precision of the Statler Stitcher is amazing, but the planning, layout, and actual placement of the individual quilting designs came from my creativity!

Groundhog Day

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so that means 6 more weeks of winter! The groundhog is sitting on a quilt I made with 6 different train fabrics, plus the tracks and the two border prints. It is 52"x70" and is quilted with a swirl design. This quilt is for sale on my website, perfect for keeping a train lover warm!

www.ValentineQuiltworks.com

Another Day, Another Dollar

I love my Statler Stitcher, but after almost three years I still have not decided on a name for it. My husband calls it "The Money Machine". Haha, I'll never get rich quilting, but I do enjoy it. So that name is good enough for now.

Novelty prints are a lot of fun. I collected all of the money prints I could find, I think there were six, and made him a quilt for Christmas. I did not want to cut the fabric up too small, so I used a simple Turning Twenty pattern. Technically I guess it is Turning Six ;-)

The quilting design is called Too Much Bubbly, all of the circles remind me of the coins in the fabric. Well, it is not a particularly beautiful quilt, but that was not the goal. I used Quilters Dream wool batting, it is a fun quilt and it keeps him warm.

I enjoy piecing quilts, but I like the quilting process too. That is why I usually make quilts that are not too complicated, so I can get them on the Statler sooner. My favorite part is taking the finished quilt off the machine. It has been transformed from pieces of fabric sewn together, into a quilt!

Blog, Blog, Blog

I think I almost have this blog thing figured out. I spent the morning experimenting with several different backgrounds from the internet, it is sort of like choosing fabric for a quilt. I finally concluded that the basic blue I started with is the best. It is crisp, clean, simple, and easy to read. Maybe I'll find something else I like in the future, but for now my blog will be blue! And hopefully read ;-)

Quilted Things

I love to make quilts, and most of the sewing I have done in the last several years has been quilts. But I used to make "things". When I was very young my Mom taught me how to sew, and I made lots of doll clothes for my beloved Skipper. Remember her? Then for many years I made clothes for myself. I made tree ornaments, pillows and wall hangings. I did needlepoint and counted cross stitch. I made decoupage purses and even a wooden table. Now that I have my Statler Stitcher, I started thinking about what else I could make.

After a bit of experimenting, I figured out how to make these bags! They are just the right size for shopping at the grocery store, and they can be tossed into the washer and dryer.

My prototype bag was made from muslin, and I decided I liked the look! Add some variegated thread and a nice design, and guess what all of my relatives and friends got for Christmas? ;-)

There are thousands of possible quilting designs including geometrics, florals, feathers, holidays, animals, and novelty designs. And there are many beautiful colors of variegated threads too. The possibilities are unlimited!

My next idea is to make a quilted jacket. A few years ago I bought a beautiful jacket from Orvis, it is reversible, quilted, and a very simple design. I am thinking about using it as a pattern. Stay tuned!

If You Don't Like The Weather...

Quite a contrast compared to yesterday. It is still very cold, but the sun was reflecting brightly off the ice that covered the driveway! I was going to go to the sale at the local fabric shop today, but the ice kept me at home. I cannot resist a fabric sale, but I am sure there will still be some fabric waiting for me tomorrow ;-) How much fabric do you buy for your stash?

The Calm Before The Storm

It is rare to see snow covering the sand. Take a moment to enjoy the tranquility of the calm water because another snow storm is brewing. I love snow, it falls so peacefully in the quiet of the day and night. When I need inspiration I go to the beach and look out over the water. The effect is calming, but at the same time it makes me organize my thoughts and gives me energy!

Finely Finished

Finally, a finished quilt! Last September I went to New Hampshire with three friends for a few days of quilting, fabric shopping, and relaxing by the lake. It was a time for reflection, laughter, sharing ideas, eating chocolate, and just plain fun!

The quilt I decided to make is called Summertime Stars, by Fig Tree Quilts. It is made by cutting 30 16" squares, then stacking and slashing them into a star, and shifting the pile so that the fabric around one star becomes the background for another. The challenge for me was sewing the pieces back together because there are no seam allowances, thus nothing lines up. Being a perfectionist, I had a hard time accepting the idea that everything would work out, and a star block would be created from each pile. To my surprise, it worked!


During our few days in New Hampshire I managed to finish most of the star blocks. The fabrics I chose from my stash were various bright rainbow colored prints that I had been collecting. We all had fun speculating on what the quilt would look like! Over the next several weeks I finished the blocks, finalized the quilt layout, sewed on the borders, and then waited, and waited for the neon yellow quilting thread that had to be special ordered.

It was worth the wait, I love the vibrant color of the neon threads! Finely quilted and bound, until now my friends have not seen the finished quilt. Here it is!

The layout alternates lights and darks, but since I could not decide which category yellow fit into I used it as the narrow border.

I chose a design called Flirtatious for the quilting. I thought the flowing curves and simplicity of the design was a nice contrast to the busy fabrics and straight lines of the blocks and stars.

The backing is from the same line of fabric as the borders, Geo by Timeless Treasures. The two sides are black, the center is white.

Now that my "Star Bright" quilt is finished, it is time to decide which UFO is next in line!