Trouble corrected. How many triangles can you count?

Yesterday, Blogger was misbehaving and I lost all patience - was ready to throw this computer out the window and give up on Blogging pleasures.  My Kodak camera is also near the end of it's life and I'm afraid to change to another unknown camera device.  The "gallery" where my camera downloads to the computer was unattainable - something about "apps" .  I grumbled, left unkind messages, struggled to find HELP, but gave up, emotionally exhausted and disheartened.  However, this morning, voila --apparently something was getting changed.  Ugh.

Here is my latest quilt.  Most fabric was new although bits and pieces.  Triangles are 6 inch Peaky/Spike.  I only purchased the outer blue denim-looking border, plus 6 yds for a backing.  Binding includes a faux flange. Quilting is allover meandering, with circles here and there to break up the sameness, and some echoing for long unfussy areas.   I did a little ruler work in the borders.  It's in the car,  ready to deliver to an adult g'son.   It's about 78" x 90".  This  project counts against my Guild PhD planned completions.  (Projects Half Done).   This was assembled in rows across, unexpectedly simple.

"Scraps Rule"

(I MQ on a DSM).  This is the 3rd, finished project from the gifted, never ending box of scraps.  Projects 4, 5, and 6, are in process!!!  

DONE - I used my "stuck-in-the-house" time well (2 blizzards), finishing up this quilt, called "Scraps Rule".  I used rulers on the lights and free-motion quilting on the dark.  Opinion on ruler work ... ??? this is new to me, and it did slow my progress considerably, altho I got faster.  I bought one thick ruler just for this project, but used a traditional 2.5 x 6 in. ruler for the most part.  The MQ foot that I use glides, does not hop, so my traditional quilting ruler (thin) worked well.  I actually broke my expensive MQ ruler somehow, didn't break the needle, just the ruler!  ARGH !  I glued it back together and still wonder how it happened.  The machine quilting foot apparatus somehow came into contact with that thick ruler and WHAM BAM!!! so I'm guessing I put the thick ruler in the wrong place at the wrong time.  

The large triangles are 60 degrees, and the smaller triangles are made with the Tri-Recs ruler.  The quilt measures approx. 70" x 80".

The finished product is visually pleasing, altho my ruler work leaves much to be desired - no quilt show winner here, yet I consider it's completion an accomplishment, considering the lengthy practicing, rethreading, unsewing, sighs of frustration.  I also learned my machine does NOT like to sew in a backward direction when machine quilting.

Here's the back, again making use of stash fabric.  It's "almost" perfectly square. 

This was inspired by Quiltville.com, a free pattern, altho I always end up going in my own direction, once I get "the bug".  Thank you Bonnie Hunter for her fabulous, never-ending ideas. 

Tip on making a backing like this.  I used MSWord to make a graph with the required visual dimensions, then print it out, color in what squares I have to verify I have enuf of each value.  It's worthwhile to consider half squares around the borders. Of course you can just lay them out where they fall but I wanted a defined pattern.  Alternating lights and darks would also be cool, or a kind of Trip Around the World or .... and remember you can piece those backing squares as well, or use leftover blocks or ...

New projects: "Daybreak" and "Staying Grounded"

This project is from Bonnie Hunter's newest book, String Frenzy (the one with cheddar and strings on the cover).  I LOVE it but chose not to use strings in the sashings.   She calls the quilt "Daybreak".  I still need to come up with border ideas.  These blocks are  9 in. finished.  Despite the many small pieces, it went together quickly. 

Most of the fabrics in both these quilts were from a gift scrap box from my LQS .  I added a few here and there, but FORCING (almost) myself to use the box contents actually kept me more focused than if I had started rummaging for the "perfect" matching fabrics . 

There are still enough remaining fabric bits for another quilt, probably using bright strings.  Can't wait!  

The triangles in the center of the below quilt are 60 degree and by the time I reached the borders, I couldn't find that ruler again, so I used my Tri-Recs which always seems to turn out well.  Bonnie Hunter used 2 1/2 in. triangles for her center, mine are 4 in., and border triangles are smaller.  And I DID have to purchase the purple border fabric, some is not yet in the photo.  This is another quilt that both my DH and I really LOVE.

(BTW, I did find the lost ruler, exactly where I put it so as NOT to lose it!)  

"Prolific Pyramids" - a finish

This may be called "Thousand Pyramids" but 1000 is too many this time.  All from my stash, except the backing.  I practiced "ruler work" on this one and was marginally pleased with what I did.  The end result is much better than I expected.  These triangles/pyramids are using the triangle from Tri-Recs, a little more graceful than the 60 degree equilateral triangle.  I called it "Prolific" because every time I turned around, another triangle was needed, and then those baby ones started showing up!

I was surprised with how easy this was and how many different ways the triangles could be set together, resulting in a myriad of variations.  I grouped 4 light and 4 dark triangles in each unit, and always had the darks on the same side each time.  I pressed seams open and again was pleased with the ease of sewing them, with reasonable care, as 2 sides were on bias. 

DH was holding this up and sun was shining thru.  It's all quilted and DONE.  

 Lots of straight lines, lots of practice with rulers!  I reverted back to free-form quilting in the side triangles. 

 Backing - isn't it delightful?  ... giraffes, with little blue baby giraffes.