teaching sewing confidence, tip by tip

Thursday, 28 February 2013

We're Gonna Do The Twist And It Goes Like This - My February Bee Block

Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

Update on 11 February 2017
To be clear, this isn't my tute. I included it in my list of tutes because so many people have shared it via Pinterest. I'm clarifying that the original pattern is by McCall's Quilting, and the direct link is here.

Update on 1 June 2018
I've received several requests for details on the fabrics used for this block. Unfortunately, I don't have good news.

The cream background fabric was provided by the Queen Bee, who asked me to make the block; I've spoken with her, and, unfortunately, she doesn't know what it is.

The red fabrics are fat quarters I bought in a fabric store in Cirencester, England, approximately 10 years ago. They don't have selvedge edges, so they're also an unknown.

Update on 20 August 2018
Thanks to Quilty Constance, who left comment #27, notifying me that my original link to the pattern on McCall's website was no longer available. It has changed to a new link on The Quilting Company website, and I've updated my direct link above to reflect this. This change may have happened late last year. My apologies to those who've visited this post in the previous 8/9 months, only to suffer disappointment. I hope you successfully navigated your way around The Quilting Company's website and found the pattern.

Celtic Twist Block

February Queen Bee Kim passed me the fabric for her Celtic Twist block at our last NYC Metro Mod Guild meeting back on 2 February (oh, and while I'm mentioning our previous guild meeting, there's a great post on our blog detailing our Show and Tell, be sure to pop over and take a look). This is the latest I've ever been getting around to sewing my block, but at least it's still February, just!
 Kim pointed us to the instructions on our Guild blog here and gave us a cream print fabric for the block background. She asked us to use fabrics from our stash to add the four coloured twists to the block, and she said all four fabrics used should be the same colour but with different solids/prints.

Background fabric with 4 red fabrics that I chose from my stash.

Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

From the blog posts of other Bees in our Hive who'd already made the block, this one's a bit of a brain twister. I found the instructions a bit tricky, purely in that they direct you by using 4 shades of green, and once you move on to the instruction diagrams, the 2 darker shades start to look quite similar, as do the 2 lighter shades. I scribbled my colours on their key chart, which worked well for me.

Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

I laid all the pieces out in the finished design before I sewed anything together. At that stage, I realised that the 2 floral prints would be next to each other, so I swapped 2 fabrics around to make the block more balanced—you can see my change in my colour key chart above.

The finished block.

Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

It could look great when pieced together on point, too.

Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

I wonder what it'll look like with all the other colours around it, as I've already seen that some of the Bees have completed it in Candy Pink/Bright Pink/Purple/Orange/Blue/Aqua. You can get some idea by checking out my Celtic Twist Pinterest Board, as I've lined all the blocks made so far on there (thanks, Gertie, for leaving a comment that planted that seed! ;) ).

Another quilt that I'm looking forward to seeing completed :)


Updated on Saturday, 7 March 2015

A pic of Queen Bee Kim with the finished quilt:
Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

Celtic Twist Block

Celtic Twist Block @www.madebyChrissieD.com

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Monday, 25 February 2013

Quilt Twins And Other News

Way, way back, in fact all the way back to 7 October last year (wow that feels like soooo long ago!) I shared this applique block with you on my post Another Week In Manhattan


Finally I can share the full story with you.

At my Manhattan LQS staff and friends made 'animal' blocks to put together two quilts for my friend and LQS tutor, Karen on the birth of her twins, Georgia and Weston (I blogged about their birth back on 25 September).

Here's some photos of the finished quilts that Karen posted on facebook last week - spot my cow right there on Georgia's quilt :)


Karen says she's blown away by the quilts, which are awesome and especially as she knows exactly what's involved in a handmade gift  and that makes them even more special - isn't that so true?  


Weston and Georgia were 5 months old this week and Karen posted this gorgeous photo of them having fun on their quilt - and there it is - Weston is 'hugging' my cow - that pic makes me so happy (don't you just love his 'THUG' top?!!!).


Aren't they both just amazing with the best smiles?  

A couple of weeks ago Flicky had a day off school so we got to spend the afternoon playing with these two treasures.  Check out this photo of Weston loving his ladies (don't look at me and Flicky - there was a snow storm that day and we'd gone out dressed for that, not for a photo shoot, and my other excuse is that it's a phone photo!)



Some other hot news from Manhattan is that Victoria Findlay Wolfe, President of my NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild has taken the 'Best In Show' award at QuiltCon, Austin, Texas this week.



which includes:
Welcome to QuiltCon 2013!
Angela Walters: Machine Quilting for the Modern Quilt
Heather Jones: Everyday Inspiration in Modern Quilts
Lectures 4/5/6/7/8
and the Awards Ceremony

My final bit of news is to share this photo of my son, Joe, with an Eli Manning signed no 10 NY Giants' jersey.  Manning, Quarterback for the NY Giants and MVP at the 2007 & 2011 season NFL Superbowl finals, donated this jersey to Flicky to help her raise funds for her Dwight School charity WISER.  In her own words Flicky raises funds to "provide education and safety for girls in Muhuru Bay, Kenya, because those girls are usually married by 14, pregnant by 15, and if they survive childbirth they will sell themselves to the sex trade to provide for their family".  Flicky included the jersey in a successful fund raising raffle at Dwight School earlier in January.




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Sunday, 24 February 2013

Selvedge Block and QAYG Quilting - The Something NEW Sampler: Week 6

A week of QAYG quilting on
  
 This week I have wrapped up all the Quilt As You Go (QAYG) quilting on the 9 blocks and added a 10th Selvedge block to finish my layout.


Block 10 - Selvedge Block
 I've wanted to try a Selvedge Block for ages so this seemed like a great opportunity to learn another technique and round the number of blocks up to 10 which would make the final layout easier.  This is quite appealing as it's now a QAYG quilt so I've decided to opt for a simple grid layout while I'm learning my new QAYG skills.

To make this selvedge block I spray basted the backing sheet to the batting and then sprayed more basting spray onto the top of the batting.  I then started laying my selvedge strips from the fabrics used in making this quilt onto the batting overlapping a finished edge over each raw edge.  The strips held firmly in place, thanks to the basting spray (my new favourite tool!) and then I quilted along the selvedges with very closely spaced lines making sure to catch down all the selvedge edges.

I loooovvve this block, I'm so glad I tried it and I love too that it records all the fabrics used in the quilt which is really neat. 




QAYG Details for Blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 8
(not necessarily in that order as I'm sick of fighting with html code each time I try to move things around!!!)

Block 1 - Bargello



Block 4 - Reverse Applique
You know I was so unsure about this block but I decided to do echo quilting around each reverse applique opening and in the end I've decided to keep it the final quilt layout.


Block 5 - Sashiko


 Block 2 - Scraptastic


Block 8 - Pinless Curves


Block 3 - Folded Block


and here's my plan for the final QAYG layout


and this is how the back will look
 For the back of each block I wanted to use a whole piece of each fabric included in the quilt topI was short of fabric for 3 of the blocks so I added strips of white to make them up to the correct size.  I'd only used 9 fabrics in total (well I have used white but I don't want a solid white block block) and I needed 10 so I 'made' fabric for the 10th block from the other 9 fabrics using the 'Block 2 - Scraptastic' method.

I just can't 'relax' into free motion quilting (FMQ) - I've followed all tips and advice, drinking a glass of wine, drinking two glasses of wine, drinking a bottle of wine, listening to great music. I've got an adjustable Tempur-Pedic chair and a Sew Ezi sewing table so my machine bed is level with my working surface, I have a Supreme Slider mat and a Quilt Halo ringSometimes I use my Bernina BSR on settings 1 and also 2 and sometimes I use my darning foot with the stitch set to 0 and the feed dogs down and then again sometimes with the feed dogs up (to keep the tension working) and the Supreme Slider in place.  The only thing I don't seem to be able to change is ME - I just can't relax while I'm fmqing and I've paid the price this weekend for all my work - I've got a frozen neck and shoulder so I couldn't sew yesterday and, although it's loosening a bit now, I think I should leave it alone today as well.  

Need a trip to my LQS today though to pick up some fabric to sash and bind the quilt.  Quite nervous about this next stage - I've read lots of great tutorials but just want to get on with trying it for myself now.

I'll be back with a finished quilt for you as soon as my neck and shoulder will let me!!!