Fabric Placement

I've been working on making the border for Alaska. Edyta Sitar has a picture on her blog where she repeats one of the blocks as the border. I knew the corner blocks need to have a few colors changed to continue that dark blue edge. So, I made 4 blocks and auditioned them onto the edge of the quilt. It just didn't look right. There was too much beige!

 

After studying the picture, I realized that every other border block has 2 of the beige pieces changed to the very light background fabric. That creates a nice 4 patch between the border and the body of the quilt. I'm so glad I noticed the difference before I made more progress. I feel like I dodged a huge problem! Phew!!!

More Ruler Work and FMQ

 I missed I Like Thursday this past week. I went shopping for my Mother of the Groom dress. It was the second time I went to a bridal shop trying on gowns. The first time I went my daughter was with me. I liked the gowns but I only tried on 6 gowns and felt it wasn't enough to decide. I went to a different place Thursday with my daughter and future daughter-in-law and I found my dress! It's all ordered. What a relief! Now I'm back to my regular routine!  I wanted to show you some of the quilting on my son's wedding quilt. This picture is a card trick variation block. I tried some arcs and loops with some straight lines. 

I'm not sure what this block is called by I tried a few different motifs in each shape. I used loops, parallel lines and more arcs. I find the hardest part to be what design to choose for each area. 

I tried some new designs in this block. I actually tried a few other ideas that just didn't work. That seam ripper sure comes in handy!  I think I like it so far. I used a few books by Angela Walters for these motifs. Her books come in handy. 

This is the last block I worked on this morning. I used arcs and wish bones in the dark pink area. The center is curved cross hatching. The blocks have an off center design also from Angela Walters. 

I'm done for today! There are definitely too many decisions to make. I'm more than half done this quilt which is so surprising to me. It seemed I was getting nowhere but I'm definitely making progress!

Alaska Quilt Top

 I just finished sewing the last row onto my Alaska quilt top. I really love this quilt! It measures 49.5" square. The pattern is so pretty and intricate looking. However, making one block at a time, it's manageable and works out very nicely. I didn't add the border in the pattern. The pattern has a 4 inch border of the lightest fabric on each side of the quilt.

I found this picture on Edyta Sitar's website. The border is made by making Block #2 and sewing it all the way around. The four corner blocks are altered to keep the dark fabric on the outside of the quilt. I really love this border. The bad part is I didn't have enough fabric to add this border. But, I did find the fabrics on various websites so I'm all set! I wish I had seen this picture when I was buying my fabric. Oh, well,  it still works out!

I Like Thursday #231

 Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna to link up with more fun bloggers. I've been diligently working on my son's wedding quilt. It's been a little difficult but this one came out beautifully so I thought I'd share. Natalia Bonner very graciously shares her quilting on her YouTube channel. She has helped me come up with ideas so often over the years. This was her idea on quilting an octagon shape.

We've had a warm and sunny week. The trees are getting their leaves, My lilacs should be opening any day now. Unfortunately, it's sort of cold today. I'm hoping we get the sun and higher temperatures in the coming days. My kitchen window is right above the lilac plant. I love smelling them when I open that window.

I just started reading this book. It weighs in at a hefty 577 pages! I watched the movie awhile ago and thought it would be fun to read. It was published in 1958 and chronicles the lives of a 5 women working in New York City. There are scandals, relationships and heartbreak. It reminds me of a soap opera which I'm sure I'll enjoy.

Our prompt this week is whether you prefer chewy or crispy. I'll have to say it depends on what food we're talking about. I love chewy chocolate chip cookies. But, I love thin and crispy pizza crust! I suppose my answer is both! I guess that's not really a decision but that's how I feel. There's too much food out there to pick.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Alaska and Ruler Work

 The 4th row for Alaska is ready to be sewn to the rest of the quilt. I saw a picture of Alaska online that included a pieced border using one of the blocks from the quilt. I really loved how it looked. The pattern only includes a border made from one of the lighter fabrics. I wasn't going to do it but then I found myself googling and finding the fabric I would need to complete the quilt with the pieced border. I wish I had seen the picture earlier. I just hope I ordered the right fabric. I had to use 3 different websites to find the 3 different fabrics. What a pain!! I think it's more practical if I make the quilt a little larger. I'll be able to put it on my bed. I just hope it works out okay.

I was so excited to start quilting this quilt for my son and future daughter-in-law. I'm starting to not like it as much. There are some huge areas to cover with quilting. I found this Pleat Block to finish this square. I like how it looks and it wasn't too difficult to quilt. Each block is different and there are so many decisions to make. Yesterday, I probably ripped out more than I quilted. I just couldn't remember how I quilted a certain portion of the block. I had to unroll the quilt a few times. I tried taking pictures but then I have to figure out how the block is oriented. Ugh. 

There was so much open space in this block that I had no idea what to do. Thankfully, Natalia Bonner and her YouTube channel saved me again! The Pleat Block is also her idea. I feel I'm getting great practice with my rulers. I'm getting there but it's just not as enjoyable as it was when I started. 

I Like Thursday #230

 It's time for I Like Thursday! I posted quite a few pictures of the baby quilt I had recently made. Well, here it is being given to the parents-to-be at their baby shower! They're such a nice couple. I hope they use this quilt and enjoy their baby. It was so nice for my future daughter-in-law to send me this picture from the baby shower. 

My son travelled to northern New Hampshire to catch the solar eclipse in totality. This is one of the pictures he sent me. So great to see! He thinks that's Venus below the sun. I have no idea. He went up the night before and stayed at a friend's house. The day of the eclipse they went to the house of a friend's aunt where they could sit and watch the eclipse. It took him almost 12 hours to get back home! The highways were completely jammed with traffic. At one point, they were travelling at 2mph! He was dropped off at a nearby town where his fiancee picked him up. He got one hour of sleep before he had to start working.

Alaska is coming along quite nicely! The first two rows are sewn together. The third row is complete but has to be sewn to the top two rows. It's slow but steady. It's only 7 rows so it shouldn't take too long. I still have to figure out the border. 

I like reading the old classics every so often. I just finished this one yesterday. It was quite wordy but worth it! It was interesting to see how much society has changed over the years, especially to women. The main character is in a bad marriage and wants to support herself and her son. Divorce is never mentioned. She has no way out and would have to run away to get away from her husband. Times have certainly changed!

That was my week! Make sure to visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more fun blogs to read. Have a great weekend!

More Quilted Blocks

 I've been working on the State Fair Sampler steadily. I usually don't think of what I'm going to quilt until I actually have to do it. Maybe I work better under pressure! I just quilted lines and loops in this one. These smaller blocks don't take long at all.

This is considered a pinwheel but it seems to have too many pieces. I again used lines and one big loop!

I was hoping to make a little movement within the block. 

I just tried different motifs in each area. I used wishbone, loops and arcs. I found that middle pattern in a book and thought I'd give it a try.

I've seen this design before but had never tried it. I wanted to try something different in the middle square of a 9-patch design. This one is easier than it looks. You start in one corner and quilt to one inch out from the next corner. You just keep repeating it until you're done. Not too awful!

I have 2 larger blocks to work on next. Not only are they large, but they're made up of weird shapes. I have an idea but hope it works out. I'm getting better at ripping out my stitches. Ripping out seems to take much longer than it should!

I Like Thursday #229

 I bought this new Spring wreath for my front door. I don't remember Easter  coming this early and I didn't want to put my Summer wreath up just yet. So, I went to Jo-Ann's and got a great deal on this wreath. Well, I guess the joke is on me. We're in the middle of a Nor'Easter complete with wind and snow. Ugh! Our lights flickered for a few minutes but came back quickly. I think the wind is dying down but who knows?! It's not my idea of Spring! Anyways, my door looks nice!

I made this Easter bread for our Easter dinner. I'm not really good with yeast. It doesn't always work when I use it in recipes but I was lucky this year! The bread was nice and soft. I could have placed eggs within the braid but I always threw them out when I was a kid so decided against it. This bread goes great with coffee!

This is block 12 of the Alaska quilt. I'm all done sewing the blocks! Now, to put this quilt together is going to a slow process. I'm hoping to line up all the seams so the pattern will emerge. I admit that I really enjoyed making these blocks. Although a bit challenging, the directions and illustrations were well written and easy to follow. These blocks had to be made slowly. I don't think I've pinned as much as I have for these blocks but I think they definitely helped lining everything up correctly.

I tutored my student at the library yesterday. We got to sit by this fireplace for the entire session. It was so warm and comfortable. I didn't want to leave! Our 2 hours zipped by so fast. We're so lucky to have such a great library in our town.

Our prompt this week is whether you prefer an amusement park or a day at the beach. I will have to say the beach is my choice. I love sitting there and listening to the ocean. I always bring a book and feel it's a great way to rest and recharge. We usually stop for food on the way home and top it off with an ice cream. That's such a fun day for me. I love rides and amusement parks but the beach is definitely my favorite! Please visit LeeAnna to link up to my blogs participating in I Like Thursday. 

Quilting Sampler Blocks

 This is the first block in the upper left hand corner of  the State Fair Sampler Quilt. I posted the bead board border last week. I've made a bit of progress and have started quilting the interior of the block. I've got some ribbon candy, wish bone and feathers in there! This block measures 32" square so I can only quilt a portion at a time. I sometimes have to unroll the quilt so I can see what I quilted earlier! My quilting isn't perfect but it's okay.

There was quite a bit of bulk in this block so I thought I'd quilt a good amount in the middle to suck up some of that extra fabric. It looks good and did the trick! This block is 12" square. 

I just tried to think of quilting motifs that would give this block a little movement. I quilted lines, swirls and arcs. This block is 12" square also.

I can only get so much per day. I tend to get sloppy if I quilt for too long. I have months to finish this and I think it's going to take me awhile. Too many decisions and way too big! This is the largest quilt I've ever made. I'm doing it for my son and his future wife so it's definitely worth it!