the tangled web

So glad to have electricity so I can sew again!  Here is my square for Jen.  I'm too lazy to go get my USB cord, so these "saved-from-facebook" photos will have to do... I have a New Year's party to get ready for!  Actually, I'm about to make Jen's choc chip cookies, which rock.  I can't find the recipe on her blog right now, but when I do, I'll post the link.

Please note the homage to Jen's state of residence in the lower right hand corner.

One word of caution... try not to iron the center of your wedge where the glue is. 

help me please, jen!

Hi Jen (or other experienced quilting friends),
I didn't want to risk my question not being seen so I decided to make a post out of it.
I have cut out my 8 kites out of kona white and glued them onto my white paper triangles.  I have re-read the next instruction many times...

"With the print-edge of the selvage facing the edge of the kite, sew selvage on 1/8 in seam allowance. 1/8 is tricky to sew... slow and steady is my suggestion."

I have studied the photo but I still am unsure how to proceed.

I assume we line up the edge of the white kona with the edge of the selvage fabric.  Should the selvage fabric be a certain width?

Next question... you said, "Please make sure your print is facing the kite (I understand that part) and not your selvage edge (not sure about that part). I made this mistake and had to start over a few times."  Could you please clarify?  If you made a mistake here I surely could! : )

I'm ready to go!

Thanks!

Camie

The Hare...

I like to think that I am more like the Tortoise, slow and steady but the reality is I am the Hare. I will work manically for a few hours and then stop and take a 'rest,' and end up being dead last. Not that quilting is a race, but I really should try the slow and steady route. Anyhow. I finished up Mardies Square sometime ago and never posted it! I really like the whole mosaic look.

Here is Nikki's square. I finished it up a few weeks ago, but it has taken  some time to post. Sorry.  I loved loved loved making this! I kind of have a thing for lots of white with splashes of color! I can not wait to see this together! Promise you will post it!?

I started working on Jen's and am hoping to get it finished sometime after Christmas but before the New Year! I think a few of us local ladies should swap out some of our more abundant selvages to provide more variety, what say ye?

Q&A for Jen, How much repeat are you okay with in one square?

Merry Christmas Ladies! Hope your days are filled with Joy!
xo,
Teriney

merry christmas to me

I decided to go ahead and give myself a very special Christmas present but it entailed doing something that I sometimes dread because it can be stressful and I knew I needed to do it today- topstitching!  I started at 11am and with a lot of stops and gos just finished!  I will select a binding tomorrow and hopefully have it completely done by Christmas morning.  THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this beautiful quilt.  I had to trim quite a bit which was so sad for me to do but I just had to do it.  I LOVE IT.  Each fabric became more special to me as I meandered over each piece.  Fabrics I hadn't noticed before popped out before my very eyes and I became even more endeared to the fabrics I noticed right away.
Thanks again!  Camie

FYI

All requested selvage edges went out in the post today.

I apologize for taking so long to send them out.

Honestly, I was not anticipating the need for so many.

Hoping you are all having a Merry little Christmas.

~Jen

my tree has been naked!

I've been meaning to make a skirt for our Christmas tree since last Christmas.  I finally decided on the swoon pattern and fell in love with these gnomes and this red scandinavian print.  (I had to double it and now it measures 48")

I think the quilting and binding will have to wait until the 26th, though.  And then I'll have to cut into it and make a hole in the center - yikes!

Merry Christmas fellow seamstresses! 

For Nicole

I really enjoyed putting this little fellow together.  I hope it adds nicely to the lovely squares that have already been made. 

It should be winging its way to you tomorrow!

December Square

Being the last square of the year, I have had ample time to choose my square, change my mind and repeat this pattern over and over again. Anyone in 12squared in the year 2011 will find my selection repetitive.

Yes, I am choosing to do the SpiderWeb once again. This time it is a slightly different technique and a completely different fabric choice.

Materials Needed:

White paper

Glue stick

6 inches of Kona White (PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you are using Kona White.)

Tons and Tons of selvage edges. (.5 in-.75 in of fabric showing)

Scrap fabric for corners (optional)

For credit here are the two sites that I gleaned/copied directions. 

Quiltville

Tall Grass Prairie Studio

To start the process, take a sheet of 8.5"X11" paper and square it off to 8.5". Cut the 8.5" square on the diagonal from corner to corner... being very careful to make exact triangles. From one of these triangles we will cut our kite template for the spiderweb background fabric and the triangles for the paper/foundation piecing.

 Take the triangle and fold it in half along the long side. Draw a line 1/4" from the edge on the long side of the triangle. This is included seam allowance. Also draw a little line 1/4" from the fold, so that the line crosses the long seam allowance line you drew. You can see a tiny hash mark on the fold, I needed to be able to SEE the fold with my ruler on it.  (Note: I used color paper to make the pictures easier to view. Please use white paper.)

 Measure with your ruler 2 3/4" from the fold and make a mark along one short side of the triangle. Connect the dots between where the two lines cross and the 2 3/4" dot along the top of the triangle with your ruler and a pen or pencil. 

Fold the triangle in half again along the fold and cut on the cutting line.  Open up your template. This is the shape you will use to cut your background kites!  The seam allowance has already been added.

*You will need a total of 1 kite templates and 8 triangles for the piecing.  

Next up, you will need trace and cut 8 kites from your 6 inches of Kona white.

You ready to begin!

Dab a bit of glue stick on the center of the triangle..just one swipe will do!  The glue stick helps hold the kite in place and doesn't distort like pins can when pinning through paper.

REALLY IMPORTANT TIPS: 

*You will want to shorten the length of your stitch on your machine. This makes your sewing more secure, and it perferates you paper for easier removal.

*You are going to reverse stitch at the beginning and end of every strip. If you don't they will unravel and become a terrible nightmare.

With the print-edge of the selvage facing the edge of the kite, sew selvage on 1/8 in seam allowance. 1/8 is tricky to sew... slow and steady is my suggestion.

 You will iron open each strip... and repeat the process of adding a strip. Please make sure your print is facing the kite and not your selvage edge. I made this mistake and had to start over a few times. Try to balance your colors as you go. Mix lighter and darker fabrics so that your is not drawn to a specific place on your square.

Here is where you have an option.

When I got to the points of the triangles, I opted to use some of my favorite scrap material (material I did not have the selvages for).  These scraps were generally 1.25 inches or less. You are also welcome to use selvages for the entire block.

Once you have sewn on both sides of strips, you will what to trim your edges. 

Remove paper foundation (GENTLY!). 

You will repeat this process until you have 8 triangles.

Then sew the triangles together to make 4 squares.

Sew those four squares together to create the SpiderWeb.

Iron your seams as to create no bulky sections.

One more thing... it has to do with the fabric.

My sister and I have something in common. 

We are both super picky.

It is probably genetic.

I do not what to hurt or offend or scare anyone, but I also what to LOVE my squares.

That said, please do not be bothered by my fabric guidelines, but please follow them.

All selvage edges are NOT created equal. Not even close.

Cheap fabric has little to no usable selvage edge.

Please, please, please use good selvages... which means using quality fabric.

This means using designer fabric in most cases (but not in all.)

In the picture above you can see how interesting the selvages are, I LOVE the look.

It gives the quilt an "I Spy" effect that I am dreaming of.  

As for color, I want vibrant and happy with out ANY hint of neon.

Think rainbow. Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple, Pink, Blue, Navy Blue, Teal, Green, Gray. The square I made is the perfect example for the color.

Absolutely no Gold, Silver, Maroon, Black, Forest Green or Muted Colors.

Please have fun with this square. I have bikes, foxes, olives, and strawberries peeking out of this square. There are hidden phrases, and fabrics from most everyone's 12squared squares. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this square.

If you need Kona White or selvages, please let me know. I will ship them to you ASAP.

PS One last thing, I am typing with a baby strapped to me. If this post is lacking or does not make sense, please let me know. Here is the evidence. 

One super scary picture of me. No make-up, hair in a bun, and yes, my forehead is really that big. BUT Man, isn't he the sweetest thing ever?

triangles for Nicole

Dear Nicole,

The best picture I have is an instagram. So, it will be in the mail today for you to hopefully enjoy in person soon!!

I hope the colors and patterns work well.  And it is cherry-free. :)

Enjoy!

Liz

workin' the corners

for you, Picky Nicky!  I hope you like it.  ;)

Triangles for Nicole

I LOVED this square! It was so fun. 

Clementine... check

Bubblegum... check

Berry Red... check

Pistachio... check

Avocado... check

Dodger Blue... check

Blue Green... check

Lemon Butter... check

Honey Mustard... check

I hope you like this, Nicole.

I was so inspired that I found some nice, generic white in my stash and made a baby blanket for my niece's new baby girl. I bordered and backed it with "Lovely" by Sandy Gervais for Moda. 

One more thing... Please get those gorgeous Christmas squares in the mail so I can make my Christmas quilt in time for Christmas cuddling! 

THANKS!

Mardie

Finally!

I have had Camie's square cut out since the second week of October.  While I, like Sarah, haven't had or grown any babies I blame these guys (and my own stupidity) for my delay.  Between those boys and a friend's baby who came early and who was owed a quilt I suddenly felt swamped with time sensitive sewing.  (I'll post pics of the friend's quilt hopefully soon!)  I panicked and I shifted gears.

Once I sat down to finish these squares this past weekend they were both so fun and easy.  I think I'd psyched myself out that they would be far beyond my abilities (I have a habit of doing that) and so I didn't think I could bang them out.  I'm sorry I made you wait because I'm such a wimp.  Thank you Camie and Mardie for being so very patient with me. Here are both of your squares. I hope you like them!

I hope the fabrics and layout will work for you!  So fun to see what I saw as your vision come together in my square.  Hoping I saw it right!

And Mardie, I am so sorry for how symmetrical mine ended out.  Apparently I'm a wimp AND boring!  I tried so hard to make it something more unique, but I ended up boxing myself in and so I hope it's not too straight laced.  I left the ugly edges for you to trim as per your instructions.  I think mine is more 12 3/4 by 12 3/4. 

Still super symmetrical at any angle.  Sigh.  I hope it's an awesome addition to your Christmas season!

3d person post

The Haylie Lott Esq. Quilt

Teriney whipped up this shiz on a moment's notice for a co-worker of her husband's baby shower. Husband was trying to make a chocolate cream pie and then he was trying to make some Boston Creams, but we lacked the ingredients to make almost anything substantial as far as a dessert was concerned. So, Teriney asked him, "How good of a friend is this?" "She's a good friend. We've tried jury trials together, she's plotted with me and she stands as a reference for me theoretically, were any job to actually decide to proceed to that point." Husband texted the friend to ask what colors were in the nursery. "Yellow walls, navy, khaki and brown."

That was at 8:30pm. The quilt was finished at 1:00 and it was bound the next morning.

Teriney had a thrilling tour of The Capitol Building with ARVA set for 11:00, so husband met her at The Capitol Building and he cut the extra strings off at his office.

The quilt was well received. They appeared to like it, and they said it was his first blanket.


This is the back of the blanket(duh!).

just a little late.....

Nothing is worse then knowing you are behind and not even having a good excuse like making twins or having a newborn.

Good news is I'm not anymore.

 Liz and Camie, I'm sorry and your blocks are on their way (Jen, you arent the last to send one out. ) and Mardie, yours is on the way as well. 

they are in the mailbox!

 Mardie, I hope you like it I really liked making this one and might have to do one for myself.

 Camie, I have had this cut out ready to put together for EVER glad to have it ready for you!

Liz, again, I'm sooooo sorry! I've also had yours cut out and ready but was really nervous to put it together (not sure why) I like how it came together and I hope you like it.

and lastly, I have all the squares for July and am so excited how they all turned out and am just deciding the backing and then I'll put it together. THANK YOU ALL!!