Sewing Lessons

Hi everyone!  How are you today?  I hope you all had a wonderful week and got some stitching time in.  With it being December and the holidays coming, that can be difficult!

Today is a happy day here, because today I am showing off my finished Classic Stitches row quilt!  Here she is:

Sewing Lessons

Whoo-hoo!  I am so, so happy with this quilt.  It turned out slightly differently than I thought it would, but I still think it's quite lovely.  It measures about 71 by 89 , which is a very nice snuggling size.  I've named it "Sewing Lessons" in honor of all the women who taught me this very satisfying craft.

This quilt is the result of the Classic Stitches row quilt that I have been working on as a part of RSC15 all year. The rows--including all of the white on whites--were all constructed from scraps from my scrap bins.  Miraculously, even all of those pieces did not seem to make much of a dent in the scraps!

 Some of you may notice that the brown row is not the way it was planned.  Yeah, I goofed up there, so I just made a simple checker row to give the quilt balance.  It's not perfect, but it's okay.

Poor unfinished brown blocks!

  If you have been quilting along with me, thanks so much for coming along!  I hope you've enjoyed it and are happy with your finished quilts.  If you haven't and would like to make your own (or even a few of the blocks), I put up tutorials for each of the rows once a month, and all of these tutorials are still available under the Classic Stitches tab at the top of the page.  I plan to leave them up for good, so stitch away!

Just to wrap up the row quilt tutorials, I've added finishing instructions here at the end.  The hard part of piecing the rows is already done, so why not finish it off with some nice sashing and a border?

Thanks to everyone who followed along, left a comment, and generally offered encouragement. My heart is truly full! If you've made a quilt or some rows or blocks from the tutorials, I'd love to see some pictures!

I already have a plan for another quilt next year, so be sure to come back for another challenge!

Finishing instructions:

The first step in finishing up this quilt is to gather and measure all of your rows.  If you've made the rows like I did, each of the rows should measure 60-1/2 inches long.  I found that some of the rows were very stretchy because there were so many pieces, so handle and measure carefully.

The next step was the hardest part for me: laying out the rows!   I built my quilt from the center out.  I knew that I wanted the red row to be the center, so I started with that one and then added rows above and below until I liked it and it looked balanced.  It took me several tries until I liked it.

After you've got a layout you like, take a picture!  It's easy to get mixed up.

Next is the sashing.  I used a 1 inch finished sashing, which meant that I cut mine 1-1/2 inches.  I thought that this gave enough space in between the rows and gave the quilt a nice size.  I used many different lengths of white on whites, but if you are using yardage, you could cut 15 1-1/2 inch strips for the sashing.

Someone's going to have to take care of all that mess.

Seam the lengths together and then cut to 60-1/2 inches.  This is very important!  If you don't measure, you could end up with very wonky rows. Use lots of pins! Pin the center and the ends of the sashing and stitch the sashing to the bottom of all rows but the last one.  I found it best to stitch with the row on the bottom and the sashing on top.  This eases in any extra length and makes everything nice and stable.

Join the sashed rows together in the order that you found pleasing.  Again, I found it easiest to build from the center out.

Borders:

Once you have the center, there are several options for borders.  First, you could be all modern and leave it just as-is (though you'll probably find it easier to quilt if you stitch a very narrow piece to all the edges to stablize all those seams).

You could add borders of any width all around. You could even build a multi-step border of different widths if you'd like.  Any of these options would look fantastic.

If you haven't done enough piecing in making this quilt, you could take any one of the blocks and make it in a smaller size in any color for a border.  Either the Philadelphia block or the True Blue block in black woud be a great border.

For my border, I went very simple in order to emphasize the piecing in the center.  I used my new favorite border, a 3-step border composed of a 2 inch finished white border, a 1 inch finished multicolored border, and another 2 inch finished white border.  I think it adds the perfect finishing touch to this quilt!

However you finish your quilt, I'm sure it will be spectacular!  Thanks again for coming along on this journey with me, and enjoy your finished quilt!

Windy!

Sharing at  Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Finish it up Friday. and soscrappy for RSC15.  Plus I'm trying a new one-- Oh Scrap!  Hope to see you around the interwebs!

Life happens

Hi everyone!  Had enough of the turkey leftovers yet? We have none this year, as we left them all at my daughter's house!  She did a great job with the food and we had a lot of fun.  Except, for some reason we thought that it would be good to drive from Philadelphia to Maine.  It was a good idea on paper.  For those of you in the other parts of the country, did you know that the entire East Coast is essentially one gigantic city?  Zero fun to drive through!

So, today I was planning to post my finished Classic Stitches row quilt, but that has to be delayed until Friday.  Sadness!  What happened?  Well, life happened and I just didn't finish it in time to take pictures and get everything written.  I could have done it, but I chose to spend the time with my family instead.  I think I made the right choice.

I do have some sneak peeks of my quilt, though!

This was me trying to arrange my rows.  Maddening!  So many different ways to arrange things!

I also had to fix a couple of errors.  Even working on it for a year, I made mistakes, mostly in measuring the sashing because I apparently can't divide by 2:

Yep, that's going to be a problem.

But I got those fixed and got *almost* finished, so I'll definitely show it on Friday.  Watch this space!

Now that that's mostly out of my way, I also pulled out this set of fabric and blocks:

Wonder what I'll do with those?

Finally, here is a bonus picture of the hubs with our daughter's cats that our whole family found amusing:

Not only best husband ever, but also best cat perch ever!

Everyone have a great week, and I'll see you all back here on Friday!

Sharing at Linky Tuesday,  Let's Bee Social, and  WIP Wednesday. 

Classic Stitches--Lime and light green

Hi all, and welcome to the last row of the Classic Stitches quilt!  Isn't this exciting?  As soon as this row is done, the quilt will assemble in no time!

The color for this month is lime green, but I don't have a lot of lime, so most of mine will be light green.  Here is the block for this month's row:

This is the Peace and Plenty block, a classic block that is undated, but has variations that date to 1877.  It looks complicated, but don't worry!  This block actually goes together very easily and fairly quickly.  The secret is all in the cutting and chain piecing. (And no hsts or quarter-square triangles to make!)   Really, you'll have these done in much less time than you'd think.

Let's get started. . .the steps and measurements shown are for a 6-inch block.  As always, other sizes are given at the end of the construction directions.

Cutting:

From the green, cut 1 4-1/4 inch square, and 4 2-3/8 inch squares. From a background color, shown here in white, cut the same--1 4-1/4 inch square and 4 2-3/8 inch squares.

Now take the green and white 4-1/4 inch squares and cut them corner to corner twice, making 4 smaller triangles.

Take the 4 smaller squares of each color and cut them in half diagonally once, making a total of 8 small triangles of each color.

That's all the cutting!  Let's make this block!

Construction:

Take the triangles made from cutting the larger squares and stack them as shown:

Stitch all of these together along the center line.  You should end up with 4 units like this:

Put these aside, and take the triangles made from cutting the smaller squares.  Stack them like this:

Stitch on the center line, making 8 units like this:

Take the units that you just stitched, and lay them out like this, in 4 pairs:

Stitch and press. You should end up with 4 of these units.

Take the larger triangle units and lay them out with the smaller triangle units like this:

Stitch and press.  You should have 4 of these final units.

Lay out the 4 units as shown and assemble your block!

That was easier than it looked, wasn't it?  Ten of these will make a 60-inch row, and 6 will make a 36-inch row.  Measure to be sure your row is 60-1/2 inches, and then you're ready for the final assembly of the quilt!

Variations:

Use two different greens for the block, one for the larger triangles and one for the smaller ones. A picture of this variation is below.  You could also use two completely different colors.  Blue or yellow might be good choices to go with the green.

Reverse the colors for a different effect.

For a very cute (but very fiddly) 4-inch finished block, cut 1 square of each color 3-1/4 inches for the larger triangles, and 4 squares 1-7/8 inches for the smaller triangles.

For a 9-inch block, use 5-3/4 inch squares for the larger triangles and 4 3-1/8 inch squares for the smaller triangles.

For a 12-inch block, use 7-1/4 inch squares for the larger triangles and 4 3-7/8 inch squares for the smaller triangles.  Or make 4 different 6-inch blocks and combine them into a 12-inch square.  I opted for the larger pieces in two different greens for my 12-inch block:

That's it for this last row!  Once this is finished, the rows are all done and it's time to assemble the quilt!  Be sure to come back on Tuesday, December 1, for the finishing instructions (or at least to take a peek at some glamour shots of my finished quilt top!)

Happy sewing, everyone!

Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social,  WIP Wednesday, and at soscrappy for RSC15.

Classic stitches--Brown

Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting episode of the Classic Stitches quilt! This month's color is brown, and I've chosen a lovely block that will let you show off all of those lovely brown scraps but not have so much brown that it brings down the quilt. Since October can be a stressful month, what with all those leaves to rake and such, how about a nice, easy block that uses only squares and rectangles but still looks spectacular?

This is the Pennsylvania block, a traditional pattern that dates before 1895 and is #2023 in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia. (I swear I chose this before we moved to Pennsylvania!) When set with sashings and cornerstones it resembles a single Irish chain, and can also be known as Criss Cross or Simple Cross.  This block is very easily pieced and would look wonderful done up as a whole quilt.

But we're only making a row! Here we go--6-inch blocks are shown. Instructions for 3-inch,  9-inch, and 12-inch blocks are given at the end.

Cutting:

For each 6-inch block, you will need brown scraps plus scraps of a background color.  Cut one 2-1/2 inch square and 8 1-1/2 inch squares from brown, plus 4 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 rectangles and 4 1-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch rectangles from the background fabric.

That's it for the cutting!

 Construction:

[There are a lot of ways to make these blocks, but I found them easiest to make using this method, mostly because of the sizes of my scraps.  If a different way is easier for you, such as making 4-patches instead of using strips, use that method.]

First, take the 1-1/2 inch brown squares and 2 each of the 1-1/2 inch rectangles.  Stitch a brown square to both ends of the rectangles:

Next, stitch the remaining 1-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch rectangles to two sides of the 2-1/2 inch brown square:

Add the shorter square and rectangle units to the top and bottom, making an uneven 9-patch:

Almost there!  Next, add the remaining 1-1/2 inch rectangles to opposite sides of the 9-patch unit:

Finally, add the remaining square and rectangle units to the top and bottom.  Press and you have a completed block!

Variations:

Fussy cut the center squares, or use an embroidered square.

Replace the center square with another color. Green would be a nice choice.

Reverse the colors, using brown as the background with light-colored squares.

For a 9-inch block, cut a 2-1/2 inch brown center square and 8 2-inch brown squares, plus 4 2 by 3-1/2 inch white rectangles and 3 2 by 6-1/2 inch rectangles. Piece as above. Six 9-inch blocks with spacers between them will make a 60 inch row. Four 9-inch blocks without spacers make a 36-inch row.

For a 12-inch block, cut a 4-1/2 inch brown center square, plus 8 2-1/2 inch brown squares, 4 2-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch white rectangles and 4 2-1/2 by 8-1/2 inch white rectangles. Piece as above.  Five 12-inch blocks make a 60-inch row, or three make a 36-inch row.

For a more interesting 12-inch block, make 4 6-inch blocks and join them together to make one larger block. This is how I constructed my 12-inch block:

I swear that these all look aligned in person!

For my row, I chose to make 3-inch blocks.  For this option, cut a 1-1/2 inch square of brown, plus 8 1-inch squares of brown.  From the white, cut 4 1-inch by 1-1/2 inch rectangles and 4 1 inch by 2-1/2 inch rectangles. Construct as above.  I found it easiest to strip piece the units for these blocks instead of using tiny squares. I thought it went faster and were more accurate.

The three-inch blocks are somewhat fiddly, but are very cute and make a nice row.

Hope that this row is very non-stressful! Our last row is coming up in November, so this is a good time to check and be sure all of the rows measure 60-1/2 inches long and adjust if necessary.  Be sure to come back for the last row on Tuesday, November 3.

Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social,  WIP Wednesday, and at soscrappy for RSC15.

Classic stitches--Orange

Hello all, and welcome back to the Classic Stitches row quilt!  We are getting close to the end now, with only three more rows to go.  This month's color is a bright, happy orange, and our block for this row is Dutchman's Puzzle.

Isn't it a nice block? This block is number 1339a in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia, and dates to at least 1894.  This classic block is also known as Flying Dutchman, Wheel, and Returning Swallows.  It is made with a super-easy method and stitches up quickly.

Instructions are for a 6-inch finished block.  As always, cutting instructions are given at the end for other sizes.

Cutting:

This block is constructed from 8 flying geese pieces.  Here I have made them using only squares, but you can use any method you like to get 8 geese that finish at  1-1/2 inches by 3 inches (so 2 by 3-1/2 unfinished).

For this block, you will need 2 4-1/4 inch squares of orange.  They can either be the same orange or a lighter orange and a darker orange.  I used the lighter and darker option.  You will also need 8 2-3/8 inch squares from a background color, shown here in white.

End of the cutting!

Construction:

Mark your background squares as you would for half-square triangles, with a center line from corner to corner and stitching lines 1/4-inch away on either side:

Place 2 of the marked background squares right sides together onto an orange square, aligning the stitching lines.  These will overlap a little at the points, but that's okay.

Stitch on each stitching line, then take a deep breath and cut them apart on the center line.

Press the white pieces away from the orange, which will look something like this:

(This is why my friend Linda calls this the "heart method.")

Take another marked background square and arrange it on the "heart" piece as shown, then stitch on the stitching lines and cut apart again.

Open out and press, trim the dog ears, and you should have 4 identical geese! Make 8 geese for each block.

Once you have 8 geese, all that's left is to lay out the block and assemble!  Lay them out as shown and stitch together.

You can also arrange the pieces slightly differently to make a block called Mosaic 12, which was first published in the same period as the Dutchman's Puzzle block:

Whichever layout you choose, you can now stand back and admire your finished block!  Ten 6-inch blocks will make a 60-inch row, and 6 will make a 36-inch row.

Variations:

This makes super-cute 4-inch blocks.  For that option, cut 2 3-1/4 inch squares of orange and 8 1-7/8 inch squares of background. Fifteen 4-inch blocks will make a 60-inch row.

For an 8-inch finished block, use 2 5-1/4 inch squares of orange and 8 2-7/8 inch squares of background.  Assemble as above. Seven blocks plus some sashing strips will make the 60-inch row.

For 10-inch blocks, use 2 6-1/4 inch squares of orange and 8 3-3/8 inch squares of background.  Assemble as above.

For a 12 inch finished block, cut 2 7-1/4 inch pieces of orange and 8 3-7/8 inch squares of background.  Or make 4 6-inch blocks and set them together into one 12-inch block.  Look what happens when you do that:

A pretty nifty star forms there in the center.  It's almost like magic.

For another variation, you can always switch the colors to have white geese and an orange background, which would be quite striking.

Another color possibility is open to you if you opt to make geese in a more conventional way using rectangles and squares or triangles.  Piece the right "wing" of 4 of the geese in another color to make a pinwheel within a pinwheel.  It would look something like this (this is an illustration and is not stitched):

If you are not making the row quilt but want to make a few orange blocks to go into a quilt, look at how terrific these look with the blue blocks from last month:

Have fun making the Dutchman's Puzzle blocks and come back on October 6 for our next-to-last row!

Linking to Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social, and at soscrappy for RSC15.