Back To Posting Again

It was 72 WONDERFUL degrees today.  What a difference a week can make in the weather!  I ran an errand this afternoon and had the sun roof open and the windows down in the Beetle.  Nice.  After a couple of hours in the sunshine I got back to working on my liberated log cabin.  I been working away on the blocks everyday and not leaving enough time to post before going to bed each night.  Will try to do better.  

Cutting the strips was more time consuming that what I thought it would be, but from the first batch I cut I had enough to complete 35 blocks with some strips left over.  I need 56 blocks to make the quilt queen size so I spent some time this evening cutting more strips.  I've found the easiest way to manage the long strips is to put them on a clothes drying rack.  Once they get too short to put on the rack they go in a pile next to my sewing machine, and I use these short pieces in the first couple of rounds of logs. 

I found out quickly that assembly line sewing was the way to go and I turned out 12 blocks the first day!  HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the first twelve blocks I decided to add a border to each block, with all four sides the same, and  in black and another color.  This is what some of  the blocks look like now.  I'm not sure if I like the look of the bordered blocks.  I'm thinking about doing the border of remaining 11 blocks in a white and black print(s) to lighten up the quilt and give it the look I want.  I've only got the first round of logs sewn on the last 11 blocks, so I have more time to contemplate that thought.

Linda

Baby It's Cold Outside

It seemed wrong.  Really wrong.  Pulling on a swimming suit after just hearing the TV weatherman say that it was 10 degrees outside with a wind chill below zero, but it was water aerobics day and I braved the cold.  The pool was a wonderful 86 degrees and the hot tub after class was 104 so I left the class feeling very toasty.  Then on to work on my Quilt Along With Melody quilt.

I decided on a liberated log cabin quilt and made a sample block from scraps to see if there were any pitfalls or tricks I needed to know about cutting or sewing wonky strips.  The sample block went together smoothly and gave me a chance to experiment with various widths of strips.

The plan is to make a queen size quilt.  To unify the design I've decided to make the center square of each block out of a black and white print.  I chose 11 different prints and cut a few squares from each of them, then started cutting strips for the logs.  I'm cutting the strips on an angle, having learned from making my sample block that it was easier for me to make my wonky angled logs from  fabric that had been cut on an angle and matching the edge of the log to the edge of the block,  rather than taking a straight piece of fabric and sewing  it on to the block at an angle.  About a third of my strips have been cut. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow. It's after midnight and the bed beckons.

Linda

Yikes! This is a little scary; a first blog post feels like making that very first mark in a new journal or sketchbook. Well, here goes.....

I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for quite a while , yet never getting around to it, but Melody Johnson's "Quilt Along with Melody" with the theme of "I always want to make..." gave me the kick in the pants I needed to start my blog. (Thanks, Melody!) As you can see I love abstract design quilts in bright colors, but my quilt designs are very precise - perfect squares and circles (well, almost), straight lines, and curves all at the same angle and spaced equally. I have always wanted to quilt in a freer, looser, more spontaneous style.

So, for inspiration I'm using Gwen Marston's book "Liberated Quilting II" and a little bit of Freddy Moran's "Freddy's House", for good measure. 

 I've picked out my fabric. 

And the studio has even been cleaned and is ready for the challenge.

OMG!  It has taken me three hair raising days to figure out to do this simple post with pictures!!!!  I want a margarita!