Little Helper

Jen, 

I think I'm going to love this quilt. Like a good little helper I tried to make these just right but somehow the end pieces almost always ended up narrower than you wished. Sorry! Hopefully they still work. 

I love you,

Nicole 

Aaaaaaaand I'm caught up for another 11 days!

Light work x 3 for Jen! This will be a fun and beautiful quilt! Enjoy!

May: Light Work

I have a weakness for color, so it comes as no surprise that something about this patten by Denyse Schmidt caught my eye.  It just had to be my May selection. After paying $18 for the pattern & shipping, I was so disappointed that the designer would charge such a premium price for such a simple quilt square. 

I knew it would be easy, but I thought she would teach some neat tricks for sewing curves. 

(No Such Luck.)

You each should have received a digital copy of the pattern in your email. 

(Please let me know if you did not receive it, and I will resend.)

I will let you read through the pattern instructions via Ms. Schmidt.

She probably explains it better than I can.

With any luck, some of you should be getting fabric in the mail today!

I will give you a few tips that I found helpful and a few guidelines that I ask you follow.

Please try and use 1/4 in seams. I actually tape a line on my machine to help me keep my seam allowances in check. Such a simple yet handy technique.

I recommend pinning. 

Some part of me wants to believe I am too good for pinning, but I am not. 

2-3 pins can make such a beautiful difference. 

Please press your seams open.

 These squares are super simple. The key to making the lines look sharp and polished is pressing the seams open. 

a little moth landed on my square as i photographed. 

I really want gentle angles in this quilt. Please do not be afraid of them, they are so much fun. 

 A few more note:

1. I sent each of you enough strips to make 3 squares. My squares took me 15 minutes each. If you feel overwhelmed after one, no problem. Just send me back the strips. 
2. Ms. Schmidt suggests keeping your fabric strips between 1.5 and 3.5 inches in width. I found that I actually enjoy "skinny strips" in the square. Feel free to cut from 1 to 3.5 inches in width. 
3. You should have all the fabric you need to make the squares. I purchased 40 different colors of Kona for this quilt. If I did things correctly, you should not have received any 2 strips of the same color.
4. The colors are kinda crazy. I purchased colors that I would not typically catch my eye, yet I LOVE the effect it has in this quilt. Please do not be timid about mixing colors that "do not go together." Just try and mix in a or two neutral (black, gray, white or cream) to even things out.
5. The squares should be 18 by 18 inches when they are complete. With most of my squares, I had to sew on an extra strip and trim it to get it to the perfect 18 inches wide. 
6. If you have any strips that are over an inch wide left-over, would you mind send them back? Please & Thank you.

Ladies, thank you for spending your precious time on this quilt. After 13.4 years of marriage, we have decide to graduate to a king size bed. When it is complete, this quilt will grace our new bed. It will feel extra special knowing that your hands & love made it. 

One more thing, my sweet 7 year old is about to finish 1st grade. She has a truly wonderful teacher this year. My favorite thing Mrs. Hines taught Elle Belle this year is the phrase, "many hands make light work." It is something that Elle Belle has become passionate about. It is also the embodiment of our little bee. With all this information, instead of calling this quilt "A Different Stripe," I have lovingly dubbed it "Light Work."

Happy sewing friends!

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?

To Camie Love, Jen

 Dear Camie,

I might just be the last person to get your square done.

Sorry about the delays.

You are always so quick to get each months square done.

I hope you like the fabrics. 

Your choice in colors was a stretch for me... I lean in the bold and bright direction.

12squared is good for me.

It expands my comfort level.

After it was all sewn together, I liked the completed project.

Much love,

Jen

PS Mardie, you are up next. I am holding my newborn son as I type one-handed... there could be a little delay in your square too. I bet you understand.

For Liz Love, Jen

Dear Liz,

This square made me feel like a true quilter.

It took me a few hours to finish putting it together.

I really went out of my way to find fabrics you would like.

In the end, I felt it to be very Liz-worthy.

Enjoy!

Love ya,

Jen

For Teriney Love, Jen

Dear Teriney,

My square is late.

My excuse is summer brain.

Do you ever have a day (or week, or month) where you just know you do not have the mental capacity to read quilting instructions?

Well, that was me in the month of June.

In the end, this square ended up being fun to sew.

I hope you like it as much as I.

Love You Girl,

Jen

PS I lacked fabric with birds or quirk. I think I am becoming a plain jane in my fabric selection. I did add some of my ALL TIME favorite patterns.

To Robyn Love, Jen

Dear Robyn,

This square was a breeze to sew.

Let me restate:

It is a breeze to sew if you cut out a 5in square for block B instead of a 4.5in block.

My brain is fuzzy.

What can I say?

The second time I cut it and sewed it was a complete joy.

I hope it works for you.

I really tried to consider what would work together without being matchy-matchy.

Looking at all the other posted squares made me nervous.

They are so different. 

My simple brain loves a sense of uniformity. 

I cannot wait to see how they work together.

Love,

Jen

PS

Have I mentioned that I LOVE having my sister in the sewing bee?

I do.

She is the only person who would listen to me go step-by-step until she figures out where I went wrong.

She is the only person that will tell me that I put last month block together wrong. 

(Amy, I am remedying this before I send it to you.)

I appreciate her honesty. 

Truth be told, everyone needs a sister.

I love you Nicole.

To Amy Love, Jen

Dear Amy,

My square has been completed for some time now.

April 10th to be exact.

I was frustrated that it did not line up.

I added fabric, and I honestly CANNOT figure out where I went wrong.

It also seems too orange.

I was going to sew a new square, but the time to do so never presented itself.

Now that April is over, I have more time.

If you would like me to do a re-make, I will HAPPILY try again.

If it is too orange, I will absolutely understand.

Be honest with me.

I like honest.

Love,

Jen

PS Sorry for the shady picture.

Twice the fun...

Have I mentioned that I do not think one square a month is enough?

Every month, I think about how 12 squares are not enough to make a substantial quilt.

When Kristin mentioned this months square was for her bed, I figured it would be a good idea to make 2 squares.

Here is my second square for Kristin...

 I think yellow and purple are great contrasting colors.

 Kristin, I am sending you two squares (whether you want them or not).

Pick your favorite or use them both... either way, my feelings will not be hurt.

Love from Oklahoma,

Jen

PS In the next months, if anyone wants an extra square or two, I am your girl.

To Kristin Love, Jen

Dear Kristin,

To avoid packing for my trip, I decided to start quilting a 12:30 am.

Avoidance is a re-accuring event for me.

(Does anyone love packing?)

I decided to go with green and orange.

Everything was going smoothly, until the last step.

When I went to cut the points of to square up the quilt... I was left with 1/4 inch triangles along all the edges. 

This picture makes it look worse that it really is, but you can see what I am talking about.

 Part of me thinks it can be sewn into the seam allowance...

the other part of me wants to start over.

Problem is, I do not know where I want wrong.

Please give me further instructions.

Were my seam allowances slightly too generous? Did I cut it wrong?

I REALLY do not mind starting over.

Just let me know.

Love you,

Jen

PS I am leaving for Mexico in a few hours. If I am murdered or kidnapped by the Mexican Cartel, I hereby bestow my fabric collection to Nicole.  Additionally, I would also expect to be buried in a 12squared quilt. ;)

To: Becca Love, Jen

Becca,

I finished your square last night.

(PS I still feel terrible about calling you while you are on vacation.)

You wanted us to pick a fabric that represented our style.

Trouble is, I saw this lecien fabric (Woodland by Natalie Lymer), and it made me think of you.

After I finished it, I hoped the fabric was not totally off base.

It was a breeze to sew(minus a little slice in the muslin from an over zealous rotary blade. oops!)

The more squares I complete, the more secure I become with my quilting abilities.

Eagerly, I anticipate seeing all your envelopes together.

Love ya,

Jen

PS If you decide you need some extra squares, I would be willing to sew a few more.

To: Em Love, Jen

Em, 

These squares gave me an excuse to go back to my favorite quilt shop in OKC.

(Quiltworks, if you are curious.)

The following pictures are a great example of how much lighting changes in just 30 minutes.

Trust me, they look much better in person.

I hope they work well in your quilt.

Love ya,

Jen

Kristin's Square

I woke up at 4:30 this morning to make this square.

We are leaving for a little Thanksgiving vacation, and I could not have it hanging over my head.

 I LOVE that there little secret phrases hidden.

 Dave was very concerned that I was sewing instead of packing.

He knows that I would rather be sewing than packing any day.

Plus, it was beyond satisfying to drop it in the mail.

I hope enjoy it, Kristin.

Stacked

Em, 

I loved doing your square.

There is a scrap from Becca's square and a scrap from my square in it.

It made it seem extra special to me.

Don't be surprised if I copy your quilt.

Jen

My Square of the Rainbow

Dear Becca,

I hope you like the square.

Much Love,

Jen 

A Square For Jennie

Hey Jennie,

This is already on its way,

but I wanted to share a picture.

 The zig zag was my favorite fabric.

Love ya,

Jen