She basted ... She quilted!

This is MY basting tool, not quite like Quilt in a Day, but I want tools that do double duty, in order save space. This is a plain Phillips screwdriver, and the rubber band keeps the pin tip from sliding when closing the safety pins. Without the tool, closing those pins is hard on nails!

While basting, I had the advantage of the Animal Planet TV teaching me how NOT to get eaten by lions! Whew - glad I learned that! LOL

It's cold and blustery today - I'm indoors. Today, the entire basting job, from setting tables up to putting it all away took about 1 hour. I used spray and pins - not sure why I doubled the effort - but there's nothing worse than finding a wrinkle on the backing when you're all finished basting!

Half an hour at the machine and one long side has been quilted. It's a simple teardrop, echoed 2-5 times. My quilting thread is a medium blue - gosh what else could possibly work with all those light and dark values!


It's good to be back 'home' at the machine.

She sewed!

My humble Split 9-Patch has taken on a beautiful appearance. It's hard to even find the original block, isn't it?

Both I and DH are amazed at how those little triangles in the border improved a somewhat ho-hum scrap quilt! Even though my border triangles are not sharp due to the method I used to add them, I'm very happy with the end result. Again, all fabric except the last blue border was taken from my scrap box of 2 1/2 inch strips.

Look at my luck with this backing fabric I already had.

The original inspiration came from Quiltville.com, in her February post. Thanks Bonnie!

Now, on to the basting -- my least favorite part, but getting to the quilting, my very favorite part!!!

HSTs, inserted and fused to border

Finally, something to show!

I've been working away on this same Split 9-Patch and making decisions on the border. It seemed that a WHITE border was my best choice, but it looks kinda wimpy and washed out. I've used this technique before, when the block seems to stop too abruptly, and some version of the block would look good repeated out into the border. I wanted my border to be all one piece, not broken up into segments just to add the blue or red triangles. I think my fusing method saves time, (assuming you remember to put the fusible on the correct side at the get-go!).

I've faced the triangles with fusible interfacing, turned them right side out and INSERTED that unit between the border fabric and the quilt top. It cuts down on the effect of so much WHITE border, and it also blends the block into the border. BTW, after turning, these can be pressed gently with an applique pressing sheet - what a great invention!



Be sure to configure the background border with enough room for the fused triangles. When the quilt top is finished and pressed, I fuse them down, then blanket stitch them permanently with invisible thread, before quilting.

The blue plaid is my last border. This is a humble scrappy quilt - those triangles in the border do NOT have sharp points - I can live with that. But ... what if a person made them roundish? Another possibility for another quilt.

Except for the borders, I only pulled fabrics from my 2 1/2 inch box. I also made 10 Spools Blocks and 8 other blocks from that same box. hmmmm, now the box barely closes at all!

Church Rummage Sale Goodies

This dress fabric is beautiful - a quality cotton blue/white gingham fabric - 4 gores, about a size 20 - I snatched it up fast and cut it into fabric parts - Fifty Cents!
Next (below) is a very handsome Tommy Hilfiger shirt, look at the contrasting inner collar, and it appears to be never worn. Fifty Cents!
Next, (below) a shirt with tags attached, original $45.00, marked down to $39.00. I got it for Fifty Cents!
There is also a third plaid cotton shirt, not pictured, as well as a carton (about 10 lbs worth) of usable cotton pieces, some as large as 3 yards. $5.00 bought the carton.

This is the twice a year Rummage Sale. Two of those shirts are too nice and I may not be able to cut them up -- which was my original purpose. In May I am signed up for a John Flynn Arabic Lattice class, and am planning on using plaids -- I have a LOT of plaids!

When I first moved here I was shocked that the church Rummage Sale brought so many people shopping - people who can very well afford nice things. Over time it became apparent that the Rummage Sale, and goodies found, was like the local hot spot! Everyone wants to find something for pennies!

One year I bought 2 quality wool coats, a set of kitchen cannisters, 3 lovely decorator glass pieces of fruit, a wall 4-coat rack hanger, several sweatshirts for DH, can't remember what else, AND a working sewing machine -- all for $25.00! What a thrill.

Many items are purchased one year, and returned the next year for someone else to purchase. Now, it's one of my favorite events!

Split 9-Patches

I hope you didn't give up on me ever resurfacing! LIFE occurred, but I DID manage to use up scraps on this little 6-inch unit, called a Split 9-Patch, This is a busy photo - just look at the blocks in the foreground! I made half with red HSTs, and half with blue HSTs and just started attacking my 2 1/2 inch box of strips, using very lights and very darks. I had a LOT of dark blues, purples, etc. This little unit has an enormous variety of patterns, depending on how/where you place your colors. I kept the white on the HST as my constant. There are 96 units, 4 to a block and my plan was to make is 4 x 6 blocks, although one never knows until it's together! 4 x 6 blocks may look unbalanced -- maybe 5 x 5 would look better.
Here they are with all darks at the 'center' or all lights at the 'center'.

And here they are with the alternate dark/light placement, making a sort of heart in the center.

About the same time as I started mine, Bonnie at Quiltville.com showed a similar version and with her speed and energy, hers was done several weeks -- uhhhh MONTHS ago (see February 18, 2010 at HER blog)! 8-))) My gosh, I dIdn't want to be a copycat, but I am leaning towards copying her braided border -- I've never done one and it's really cute!

Also, this happens to be our Guild BOM for April.

My 2 1/2 inch box of strips DID finally close, but only barely.

I'm still in Slow Mode with the crooked neck/pinched nerves. We tried to take a drive 2 weeks ago but had to return home after 60 miles - too much jouncing for me -- me who LOVES to drive! Arghhhhh!