Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy 2022. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

                                                 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Have a wonderful day celebrating.

Gluing English Paper Piecing My Way

 I have been gluing my EPP (English Paper Piecing) quilt tops for several years. I used to baste with a needle and thread; but I now prefer gluing. One method is not faster than the other; it just depend where you want to spend your time.

Gluing is ideal for me when I am prepping the pieces on airplanes trays for example, no danger of poking my fingers with the needle.

Below are the steps I use. Please note, if the shape is irregular like an elongated hexi, make sure you always start gluing on the same side. This will make sewing the pieces easier.

Material needed: Glue stick (any washable one), paper and fabric shapes, and a small acrylic ruler (here it is a 4.5" one, at home I use a 9" one because I have more space. 

1. Add a small dab of glue on each corner (fabric only).

2. Fold that first side over (not too tight). Add more glue on the new corners and fold over the paper.

Shown here with 2 sides already folded over the paper. I am moving clockwise.

3. Continue until all the sides are completed. The last one has 2 dabs of glue too. Fold and hold for a little bit.

4. A view from the right side. Finally, I just move the completed one to under the ruler (see the purple ones?), to keep drying in shape; and start with a new one on top.

The always lovely Granada, Spain

Granada, Spain is a beautiful city, in any day of the year. It is full of life and beautiful views.

These photos were taking from the Albaicin. 

It is a beautiful neighborhood with very narrow streets from a long time ago. 

Al Alhambra seen from Mirador San Nicholas 

Sun Set from Mirador La Lona 

 

Almost Halloween

It is almost time for Halloween and I am finishing this cross stitch I have had kitted for a very long time.

I am hoping to have it finished by the 31st. The pattern is by Fancy That and is called Halloween Tree. I am using a 32 count linen and 2 strands of Sampler Threads suggested on the pattern sheet. 🎃 

 

Memorial Park- Houston

 This beautiful lake is part of the Memorial Park renovation. In 2011 the severe draught that happened around here killed way too many trees. It looked like a fire had happened. Now, it is a joy to visit. 

Plus and dots

This quilt top was sewn using a collection of 2.5 inches squares. I didn't think I had a lot of them. 

But come to find out that I have a lot leftover, enough for another top of similar size.

The blocks are 6 inches finished and the sashing was cut from 2.5 inches strips.

It was supposed to be a leaders and enders quilt; but I couldn't stop making the blocks. 

It was a very windy day and the fence was not very cooperative with the phone camera. I will take another picture after I quilt the top.

scrap quilt top

 

Bento Box and Ohashi quilt

I have been quilting since 1981 and I have never made a quilt for myself to be used while sitting to watch TV or to read in my comfy chair. 

This quilt will fix that oversight. 

It is made with Japanese fabrics bought around the world. I started with 10 inches blocks and strips that are 1.5 inches wide. 

The quilt is 44 inches wide by 63 inches more or less.

The the light fabric in the back was my mother's. 

This September will be the 20th anniversary of her death and I miss her daily.

 

Made in August 2021

These 2 quilts (pictured below; the quilts and their pieced backs),  will be donated to The Quilt Guild of the Greater Houston Comfort Program. This program distributes quilts to several programs in the Houston area.

The fabrics were willed to a friend and the quilts will be donated in memory of the lady who originally owned these gorgeous fabrics.

It was quilted in the Hoop on a Bernina using Amelie Scott's designs.

 

Kool Kaleidoscope

I have been sewing along with Ricky Tims from The Quilt Show. He has a free class of the same name- Kool Kaleidoscope. 

Ricky is an amazing teacher; and it is very easy to follow his instructions. 

I have always loved kaleidoscopes and start quilts, this one was a must do.

The first photo, shows the pieces before they were sewn together. the white paper on top of one wedge is really the freezer paper pattern I made.

The lower photo (poor light on my design wall make it show darker than it is), is the completed top. It is 36 inches square. 

At this size this top fits perfectly on the wall I wanted to hung it. So, now I am debating if I should add the borders. But I think I am more inclined to keep at this size.

 

Kool Kaleidoscope top 36" square

 

Wasabi and mini blocks on a quilt

These blocks were made using my favorite Wasabi fabric.

The patterns for the blocks are from a December sew along provided by The American Patchwork and Quilting magazine published online in 2019. 

The blocks finish at 4 inches. I chose to make only 16 of them.

 The setting for this top is inspired on a quilt I saw on Pinterest.

 I plan to quilt it using straight stitch quilting.

 

Color My World - tall buildings 7 & 8

 

These blocks for Color My World SAL were done in the months of June and July. Now to make the August ones.

Mid Summer Days

The dog days of summer are here. It is very warm; but it could be worse. The Saharan dust that is over Houston, keeps us slightly cooler; but with a lot more allergies.

The walk around the Buffalo Bayou is a treat to butterfly lovers as shown below. 

I have also finished 2 more tops for donations. The Chinese coins is made from leftover stratas from previous quilts. 

The trip around the world is made with leftover 2.5 inches strips of batiks that I had precut for another project.

I am so glad all these beautiful strips of fabrics are not in a scrap box any longer.

Bonnie Hunter from Quiltsville fame has a pattern similar to both tops. 

Pollinators paradise

Chinese coins

Trip around the world

 

Color my world- June

 Some of my June tall buildings for color my world quilt. I have finished June and I have to start the July buildings. They are a lot of fun to make. 

Hand dye fabrics are being used for all the buildings.

The red puzzle quilt

 Another comforter to be donated to QGGH (my guild).

This top had been on a hanger waiting to be quilted for a couple of years. It finally saw the light of the sewing machine.

I used a jelly roll and some red yardage left over from another quilt that is still waiting to be quilted. 

This quilt was quilted on the hoop using Amelie Scott expansion set 5.

Another Comforter finished

 This was a fun and easy quilt to make. The jelly roll was a donation to our Bee and the white background was purchased at our Guild garage sale. The binding is from the same jelly roll. I saved the striped strips specially for the binding. The quilting was done in a hoop and is a pattern from Amelie Scott expansion set 7.

Girls Boots

 This small quilt was made with a pattern by Barbara Brackman published in the  April 1993 issue of the Quilter's Newsletter Magazine (251). It was quilted on my Bernina using the embroidery hoop and a design by Amelie Designs pack number 4.

It will be donated to the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH), for the comforters program.

Fabric purchased in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil circa 2009. 

I loved the pastel color bandanas and I thought it would be a great baby quilt someday.

Baby I got the blues quilt

New comfort quilt to be donated the QGG Houston. I made this quilt using fabrics I bought in my hometown in Brazil  circa 2001. It is a very simple pattern that can be made very fast using layer cakes. But I did cut the strips from yardage for this one. If you cut the fabrics into 2.5" across the grain (from salvage to salvage from a fabric that is at least 42" wide), you can get the whole block from 2 of such strips.

This is how I made it. 

1. Sew a light and a dark 2.5" strips together. 

2. Cut the these strips (with the 2 fabrics sewn), into 14" segments. That will give you 3 segments (14" each with 2 fabrics sew together). 

3. Sew the 14" inch pieces on the long seam to create a piece with 6 strips, 3 light and 3 dark alternating the light and dark (Make 1 piece 14"by 12.5").

4. Cut this new piece in 4.5" segments. It will give you 3 new pieces (4.5" by 12.5"). 

5. Take the one in the middle and flip it over alternating the dark and light segments. 

6. Sew these final 2 pieces together to get one 12.5" square block.

This design will look amazing using scrap strips. 

Just make sure there are contrast between the 2 strips.

1 finished block

 

Color My World Quilt

I am all caught up with the "Color My World" quilt along by The Quilt Show Block of the Month 2021. This is up to May. This has been a fun BOM so far.

 

Pojagi My Way

After many years of trying to learn to make the Sam Sol stitch by hand (the traditional way), I finally learned it. Thanks to The Quilt Show guest Youngmin Lee demonstration.

I have tried for many years to take a class in Seoul. But no one would demonstrate it for me. 

So, I did buy the ramie fabrics, and brought them home.

 I made a few attempts before; but now I learned the proper technique. This is my first one. I can't wait to make more items.

This stitch is the whipping stitch used to make the Pojagi fabrics.

 

Bee Challenge

My Bee had as a challenge for 2020 to make the beautiful Afternoon Delight quilt  designed by Sue Garman and provided as a block of the month by  The Quilt Show website.

I always loved this pattern and wanted to make it. 

I used the opportunity to try new techniques that I have been watching on Youtube. I have to say that some will be put to the "tried and not to be done again". I don't like the binding on this quilt. I will reverse to may previous binding ways.

Now to make the label and take better pictures.

 

I have finally finished my Allietare quilt. The top has been finished since 2017; but only now it was quilted. 

It was a mystery quilt from Bonnie Hunter in 2017!!! I only made about 1/2 of the blocks from her instructions. I did not want to make a large quilt from the start. 

I recently read about making single fold binding for wall hangers, placemats, and other table top quilts. The binding sits flatter and keeps stem glasses safely on the table. 

I have to say, I love it. 

The binding for this quilt was cut 1.5 inches wide; and attached the same way the double binding is attached with a 1/4 inch seam allowance and so on and so forth. 

I will use this more often on my quilts where I want the biding to be flatter and not so bulky.

I machine quilted it on a Bernina 780 using the embroidery module and a quilt design by Amelie Scott.

Allietare, a mystery quilt from Bonnie Hunter - 2017 


 

 My blocks for The Quilt Show BOM for 2021. These are parts 1 to 3, from January to March 2021. Quilt design by Wendy Williams. 

I am using hand dyed fabrics. Colors not too realistic in this photo.🙎

 

Algorithm Quilt

I made this quilt top a couple of years ago using the GE Designs "Algorithm Quilt" pattern.

I used 1 layer cake (10" bundle), and a couple of fat quarters to complete the top. The binding is from a Moda dots fabric that was leftover from another project. 

The quilt was finished with a quilt on my embroidery machine. The pattern has ribbon bolls and came from Amelie Scott Jumbo pack 1.

It will be a donation to the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston.

Algorithm Quit 52" by 75" approximately 

 

Happy Valentine's Day 2021

Quilt 57" by 60"

Happy Valentine's Day.

This quilt top is inspired by J Michelle Watts pattern. I draft it to make it to a size that fits my wall; and to match the number of strips I had. They are all Asian inspired fabrics, also from a Bee friend.

This quilt was quilted with hearts from an edge to edge pattern for embroidery machines by Amelie Scott found on  Expansion pack 8

Quilt top before quilting

 

February 1st 2021

Tops finished in January with 1.5" wide Asian fabric strips given to me by a Bee friend.

I added another row to the right side of the green and pink top.

Quilt size 45" by 60"

Quilt size 54" by 72"

 I will use my embroidery machine to quilt both tops with an edge to edge pattern. 

Riley Blake BOM

 

The Riley Blake designers are starting a free Block of the Month on February 2nd. It will be going until June 22 with a new block every Tuesday.  The blocks are 10 inches finished.

There will be no new block instruction on the last Tuesday of every  month. So, it will be good to catch up in case one gets behind. 

I think I will get the 16 blocks and decide later if I want to make the quilt. I am not in the Mystery quilt mood lately.

A view from a window

 "Fall colors" don't come around here until January. 

Is it me or it feels just like month 13 for 2020? 

But there is light at the other side of the window. Cheers.